New Adult Romance Box Set

by Emme Rollins, Julia Kent, Anna Antonia, Helena Newbury, Aubrey Rose

  Gabriel gestured with an elegant flick of his wrist. “You were like an adorable bunny with very sharp teeth.”

  “A bunny? You saw me as a bunny? Food of all predators. Wow.”

  “But a bunny with very sharp teeth, Emma. Don’t forget about the teeth.” He crossed his leg and stretched his arm along the top of the bench seat. “So how do you see me now? Well, I hope.”

  “Playful. Cheerful.”

  “I was the same then too. Remember? I always teased you.”

  “Yes, but this is different. Back then…” My voice trailed away. Gabriel waited patiently for me to find my words. I thought to pick them carefully but they came out blunted. “Back then there was always an undercurrent of rage and sorrow with everything you did. You were a volcano ready to explode.”

  Gabriel didn’t deny it. “You always did see too much.” Before I had a chance to reply, he reached for my hand. “And now?”

  My heartbeat sped up. Feeling his palm against mine excited me. I struggled to pretend that I wasn’t affected by his touch. “Now it seems that you’re happier.”

  “People change. Usually for the better.” Gabriel looked out the window, seemingly watching the life happening outside the slow-moving limousine. “Would you have been mine if I’d been more like this, Emma? Happy and non-volcanic?”

  I swallowed hard. My hand remained in Gabriel’s. I squeezed it, heart sore that I couldn’t tell him something better. “No, I wouldn’t.”

  “Why?”

  Could I risk baring myself to the question, to him? “I didn’t want to be just another one of your girlfriends, Gabriel. Easily replaced, easily forgotten. I didn’t want to be like that.”

  And I became them anyways when I went to bed with you after Prom. The fact that I could never forget you shows how bad off I am for you.

  “You were never in danger of being like them, Emma. Never you.”

  I always wanted to believe and that was why I couldn’t trust myself around him. Forcing a casualness that didn’t apply, I breezily said, “You say that but I’m sure you said that to them too.”

  His large frame stiffened. “I never said anything of the sort to those girls. They knew where they stood.”

  “Then why would they go out with you?”

  “Emma dearest, I hate to sound conceited but do I really have to answer that?”

  “No, I guess you don’t.” I sat next to him, uncomfortable but determined to know more. “So why did you go out with so many of them? Because you could?”

  Gabriel kept his attention on the window. “I suppose that was one reason.”

  “And the other?”

  “Because you wouldn’t notice me otherwise.”

  I blinked rapidly, stunned at the suggestion. “Are you saying you wanted me to be jealous?”

  “Were you?”

  The question throbbed between us, leaving me in the position to either serve my pride or serve my truth. “Yes. Terribly.”

  A faint smile traced across his mouth. “Clever me. Unfortunately, the very plan to get you to notice me is what ultimately drove you away. That’s really why you left me, isn’t it? It’s because you thought I was incapable of being with you for more than a night.”

  My free hand gestured futility. “I just didn’t think you’d stay. Why would you? I didn’t have money like you and I wasn’t anything like the girls and women you went out with. Your friends would’ve never accepted us and I doubt you could take me home to meet your parents. It was doomed before it ever started.”

  And it probably still is.

  God, I hated how pitiful that made me sound!

  “Oh, Emma.” Gabriel faced my fully. “You were always above us all. Why can’t you see that? And why would I ever leave someone as precious as you? Do you know why I slept so much in class? It’s so that I could watch you watch me.” He brought our clasped hands up to rest against his heart. “It’s what I lived for each day—waiting for you to see me, to look at me as someone worth knowing.”

  My mind and heart couldn’t process everything he confessed. It was too tragic to think I’d been my own worst enemy when it came to the man I’d fallen in love with but wouldn’t let myself have. “Are you really telling me the truth?”

  “Always.”

  My suddenly damp gaze dropped to my lap. “Did I really misjudge you that badly?” I braved looking back at Gabriel, ashamed of the pain I’d caused us both.

  “Of course you did.” His lopsided smile did nothing to diminish the melancholy in his gaze. “I didn’t help matters though, did I?”

  I shrugged, unable to explain how seeing him hop from bed to bed made it impossible for me to believe that anything we shared was really felt by us both. After all, I still remembered walking in on him making love to Brandy Peterson on a table.

  Gabriel had wanted me to really see him when in truth I wanted the same. I had wanted him to see me as someone unique and not just an interchangeable body. Believing that he couldn’t had made me kill us off before we had truly ever begun.

  Assumptions make great fools of us all.

  Gabriel closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. He exhaled in a loud rush of air. Kissing the back of my hand, Gabriel brought it down into his lap. “Look at us! We’re on our way to a party and here we are moping like a couple of bitter old ladies. This is no time for a trip down memory lane.”

  Still unable to speak, I bit my lip and shook my head. I did my best to smile through my tears. Unfortunately, it didn’t help matters any.

  “Oh, Emma. I’m so sorry.” Gabriel wiped the lingering tears away with the pad of his thumb. “I’m such a clumsy brute to make you cry. There, no more tears. I’m not worth it, truly I’m not.”

  “Gabriel—”

  “I promised you a good time and a good time you will have. So you simply must stop crying, please.”

  I didn’t want him to think he wasn’t worth it. Not for another moment. Not after all the damage I’d inflicted on him.

  “Gabriel, you’ve always been worth a lot to me. Too much, I think, which is why I’m always such a bitch to you.”

  “A bitch? You? Never.”

  “Yes, me. We both know I’ve always been mean to you. Even today. I’m just a mean, terrible woman who—”

  “Should just go eat worms and cry.”

  Gabriel always had the gift of laughter. This time was no different. I giggled in spite of myself.

  “There, there.” His hand lingered on my cheek. He brought his forehead to rest against mine. “You’re so incredibly sweet, dear Emma. How have I managed all these years without you?”

  My heart jumped into my throat. I licked my lips, unable to keep myself from imagining Gabriel leaning just a tiny bit closer. I wanted to experience his divine kisses again. I needed to feel that memory wasn’t all I’d ever have of them because I’d been too afraid to trust.

  And frankly, I desperately wanted to feel Gabriel inside me in all ways, wherever and however he wanted.

  “Stop it.”

  “Stop what?”

  “Stop thinking those naughty thoughts, Ms. Adams, or I’ll forget the very nice man I’ve learned to become and revert back to the very bad boy who’d think nothing of seducing you in his limo.”

  “Maybe I wouldn’t mind it.” My tongue flicked against the lush curve of his lower lip. He tasted sweet like candy so I did it again.

  Gabriel growled and muttered a prayer. “No. We’re not going there. Not yet. I’m all that is good and respectable now. I’m not the kind of man who would push you on your back and rip off your panties. I’m also not the kind of man who would put my mouth close to here,” Gabriel touched me high on my thigh, “and see if you could possibly taste as good as I remember.”

  My body turned against me, violently demanding I dust off my feminine wiles and use them against this beautiful creature sitting only scant inches away. I didn’t care about the fundraiser. I didn’t care about shopping. I didn’t care that Waylon was only a few fe
et away behind the dark partition.

  I only cared about Gabriel and what I wanted to do with him.

  “That sounds…” My words trailed off as my scrambled brain tried to think of something seductive enough to sway him against being a good boy. “Decadent.”

  Decadent? That’s all I could come up with? My feminine wiles obviously had more than a thick layer of dust on them. They also still had the wrapper and were NRFE—Never Removed from Emma—until now.

  Although it seemed they worked well enough for their first try because Gabriel hummed low in his throat and purred, “Decadent, invigorating, debauched, immoral…pick your synonym and I’ll claim it, Emma.”

  The air between us charged with sexual longing. I brushed my fingertips against his sculpted cheekbone, much as I’d wanted to from the first time I’d laid eyes on him again. My skin tingled as if electricity surged between us. Time slipped away. Looking deep into his eyes, I whispered, “Gabriel, how do you do this to me?”

  “I could ask the same of you.” Gabriel turned his head and kissed the inside of my wrist. He licked small patterns across the surface before grazing his teeth across the skin.

  I moaned his name, shamelessly asking him to do it again. My heart hammered so hard I was sure he had to hear it. “You’re in control, while I’m just so easy to manipulate when it comes to you.”

  Gabriel left off my wrist and lunged forward. His mouth brushed the corner of mine, kissing a trail down to my neck. Sharp teeth sank into my over-sensitive flesh. I arched against him with a low cry.

  He could have me now and I’d beg for more. I sensed Gabriel’s struggle, his need to be different the same as mine. Except I didn’t exactly want him different, I just wanted him to be mine again. And to make that happen, all I’d have to do is kiss him on the mouth. Long ago we couldn’t stop kissing once we started—I was eager to see if that still held true.

  “No, not like this.”

  “What?” I swallowed a harsh cry of disappointment when he pulled away violently.

  “We’re not going to start like this, Emma. I’m not going to mess things up by fucking you here and now. I’m going to be a good guy this time around. I have to be.”

  “Why?” I breathed, body aching to press up against his again.

  “So you don’t leave.”

  “I won’t—”

  “I know,” he asserted with a wolfish baring of his perfect teeth. “Because I’ll lock you up so you can’t sneak out again.”

  “Good plan.” I pressed my legs together tightly as I imagined the infinite ways Gabriel could lock me up. “Ah, I mean that is good to know. Being good is a good thing and all…”

  He watched me flounder for a bit. “Speaking of good, are you good now, Emma?”

  Expert at hiding things, I managed a cheerful smile. “Absolutely. You?”

  “Absolutely not.”

  I wasn’t sadistic enough to say I enjoyed his apparent discomfort, but I was glad to know I wasn’t the sole one affected with sexual frustration. The limo pulled over to the curb and shut off. Gabriel pushed a button and the partition slid down. “Give us a moment, Waylon.”

  “Sure thing, Mr. Gordon.”

  Once the black glass slid up again, Gabriel ran a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry, Emma.”

  I was genuinely surprised by his apology. “What for?”

  “For putting a damper on the whole damned experience. I messed this one up good.”

  “You didn’t. Honestly. I’m actually glad we had this talk.”

  “Glad?” Gabriel’s skepticism presented itself in the form of raised brow and sour frown. “Glad that I brought up my man-whore past and made you cry? Emma, your standards have sadly dropped when it comes to me.”

  “No, they haven’t and yes, I’m glad. Now I don’t have to spend the rest of the night wondering when and if you were going to bring up the past.”

  “Are they such bad memories for you?”

  “No, not necessarily. Just some of them. Like how we ended for example.”

  “I understand more than you know.” He activated the partition again. “We’re ready now, Waylon.”

  I waited until it slid up again. “We could’ve just opened the door ourselves, Gabriel.”

  “Yes, but then Waylon would’ve been offended.”

  “Why?”

  “Because opening the door is part of his job. You have to let people be who they are and not make apologies for how you help them.” With that cryptic piece of advice, Gabriel straightened his tie and smoothed back his hair.

  The door opened. The outside world severed whatever questions I would’ve asked. Gabriel stepped out first and held his hand for me to take. “Shall we, Emma?”

  I placed the tips of my fingers across his palm.

  Chapter Four

  Gabriel swept us into a small boutique, all done in beige, ivory, and blush pink. The dark hardwood floors were spotless, the lighting flattering, and the two attendants beautifully coiffed and attired like living, flawless mannequins.

  I also noticed the store was empty except for the four of us.

  “Mr. Gordon, so happy to see you!”

  “Mr. Gordon, what a delight!”

  “Good evening, Melissa and Meredith.” Gabriel was all warmth and smiles. When inclined, he had a way of making everyone around him bask in his presence.

  Uneasy, I resisted the urge to flinch when both blond women turned their clear gazes onto me. Maybe it was the scene in Pretty Woman, but mostly likely it was bitter experience that I expected them to visually measure my worth with one glance and find me lacking.

  They did nothing of the sort.

  “Welcome to our store, Ms. Adams. My name is Melissa and this is Meredith. I will be helping you select a gown for your function tonight.”

  “Hello, Melissa. It’s nice to meet you.” I stuck my hand out, feeling gauche the moment I saw confusion dash across her classically beautiful face. She settled her cool hand in mine before I could draw it back.

  “It’s lovely to meet you as well, Ms. Adams.” She squeezed my fingers in greeting. “If you’ll come with me, I can show you the selection I took the liberty of setting aside when Mr. Gordon contacted us this afternoon.”

  Following Melissa, I looked over my shoulder at him. He stood there, looking absurdly pleased. “Call me when you’re ready for me to see what you’ve decided on, Emma. I’ll be on pins and needles until then.”

  “Ah, sure.”

  He winked at me, gaze on mine until I turned away. Rounding the corner into the back of the space, I heard his cultured voice ask in a low whisper “Do you have the gown I ordered last week ready for this Sunday?”

  Was it my imagination or was he trying really hard to not be heard? I didn’t want to be suspicious. I had no right to be. The gown obviously wasn’t for me—so whose was it?

  It’s none of my business. I don’t have a right to feel angry about something that has nothing to do with me. Gabriel and I have reconnected, but that doesn’t mean we’ve moved to anything beyond friendly. Regardless of how close we got in the limo. Especially because of how close we got in the limo.

  Melissa snagged my attention with a rack of diaphanous, glittering floor length dresses.

  “Mr. Gordon estimated your size. I’m sure he’s right, but please allow me to measure to make sure.” Melissa bade me to hold my arms out before snapping the tape measure tight against my waist. “Perfect eye. He’s spot on.”

  Suspicion pumped into my brain like poison. Gabriel knew enough about women to know their sizes by sight alone. He also had placed an order for a gown at the shop a week before for someone else.

  Perhaps something pretty for his girlfriend?

  When it came to Gabriel, women always were found in close proximity. Why should it surprise me that he’d be buying a dress for someone else? No, but even he wouldn’t be so low as to cheat on her, would he?

  “Is there a particular dress that you favor, Ms. Adams?”<
br />
  I looked up, realizing I’d been staring at the rack without really seeing any them. “Ah, I…they’re all so beautiful.” I smiled, genuine in my praise. “I’m afraid I won’t know how to choose!”

  “If you don’t mind, I think this one would work perfectly with your frame and coloring.” Melissa pulled a gown so pale a violet it nearly looked white at first glance.

  My gaze devoured the beautiful dress, instantly falling in love with its delicate splendor. Designed as an A-line silhouette with silver embroidery accenting the shoulders and waist, the dress reminded me of Grecian gowns of old. Fabric draped to the waist from one shoulder. I instantly imagined it fluttering down by my elbow. While a V-neck split the bodice, I knew my modesty was safe because it wasn’t deep at all.

  I touched a crystal adorning the elaborate silvered band going along the waist. This truly was the loveliest dress I’d ever had the pleasure of seeing in person.

  “Do you like it, Ms. Adams?”

  “No. I love it.”

  Melissa smiled, obviously pleased by my response. “Would you like to try it on then?”

  Brushing aside my troublesome thoughts, I nodded and went into the large dressing room as directed. The salesgirl followed right behind, surprising me a bit with her presence. I expected her to hand off the gown and wait for me outside.

  Instead, she hung the fabric confection on a silvered wall hook. “You will need undergarments.” Melissa went straight to an enormous armoire settled on the back wall. “Do you have a particular preference for the cut of your underpants?”

  “No. Yes. No thongs please.”

  “Of course.” Melissa asked for my bra size. She then promptly pulled out an exquisite ivory set festooned with darker lace and adorned with violet ribbon. The matching bikini panty was just as gorgeous. One look at it and I knew it had to be worth at least half of my monthly rent.

  I sighed inwardly, already saddened by how quickly my savings was going to dwindle away tonight.

  But I did agree to go. No use complaining about it now.

  That much was true. I should welcome new experiences. After all, how many times would I be able to say I went to a charity function with a billionaire?