by C. J. Thomas
None quite like Gavin, though.
There was something about him that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. If I were into relationships, he might be worth devoting time to.
Too bad he hadn’t met me earlier.
He winked and took a sip of his drink. “Let’s mingle.”
57
Gavin
She lifted her glass in salute and eyed me carefully.
I knew that look. She was waiting for me to convince her to leave with me.
I understood how important tonight was to her—or at least I was beginning to. I still couldn’t believe that I’d explained a painting to the artist. Who I happened to think was a guy. I had some serious making up to do so she didn’t think I was completely moronic.
I’d thought I was impressing a pretty girl, not the artist. Usually picking up a girl at those kinds of things was as easy as pouring water in a glass, but now I had some recovery miles to make up.
The woman had had me reeling from the moment I’d spotted her and I wasn’t about to let her out of my sight. Not tonight.
Her brother seemed cool, which surprised me. Not only had he not batted an eye when she’d been pressed against my dick at the gallery, but we’d managed a semblance of conversation after he’d handed me my drink and while I’d been waiting on Violet to finish chatting with what sounded like a client. She’d handled herself incredibly professionally, which was impressive considering the surroundings.
Based on that look, men often asked her to put them before work. She was waiting for me to do the same.
Too bad she didn’t understand that I’d been in the same position regarding everyone from my parents to every girlfriend who’d managed to stick around more than an evening—of which there were startlingly few. Girls were fantastic, but so was work. And work only demanded time, not everything else. I’d made a fortune putting work before everything and everyone, and until this merger was signed, sealed, and delivered, I couldn’t change a thing that had made me who I was.
Tonight might be a pinnacle moment for Violet, but mine was coming.
I understood the gleam in her eyes better than anyone else—if anyone else ever had. I wanted to know. Wanted to know if anyone told her how impressive she was, how intoxicating smart businesswomen were.
She took a sip of her drink and I winked at her. “Let’s mingle.”
Her confirmation of my suggestion made me smile and I let her lead the way. I didn’t need to hover over her and could make my own small talk, but I’d offered as a way for her to decide what she wanted to do with me.
It gave me a little thrill that she’d included me in such an important part of her life.
She glanced back at me like she’d heard my thought and I let my gaze rake her body, lingering on the curve of her ass before lifting to her heated expression. No point in letting her know that I wanted her for more than anything other than tonight. I had a feeling she was the kind of woman who didn’t keep clingy guys around for long.
She smiled broadly and reached back, stroking her nails down my forearm. “Thanks for staying. This part is as important as the opening, really.”
My gaze dropped to her lips and I lowered my voice so she was the only one who could hear my reply. “Glad to.”
It was her turn to drop her attention to the bulge that was still obvious in my pants. I wasn’t doing anything to keep it hidden. I wanted her to know how much I wanted her, and that I wanted her now.
Christ, we’d be lucky to make it out of the parking lot if we kept up this game until we closed the place. My skin tingled where she’d touched me and I wanted those nails digging into my ass as I fucked her.
She turned away as an older couple walked up, classy in their Gucci suits and shoes. These were the people I typically saw at galleries and the opera and all the high-society functions that I normally loathed.
Violet handled them like a champ, complimenting them as needed and thanking them for coming. They’d purchased one of her works and were looking forward to putting it in their summer home. She went on and on about how fortunate that made her to have them appreciate her art instead of the other way around. They should be gushing at her about what a phenomenal artist she was.
From the conversation, it almost sounded as if they felt they were doing her a favor by purchasing her art. That she should be grateful for the opportunity for her work to be hung in their prestigious home.
I’d have told them to suck it, but not Violet; she preened and placated.
I hadn’t quite perfected that yet, and while I was a great businessman, the schmoozing was more difficult for me—why I’d put the partners in place that I had. Mic and Vince were the marketing geniuses that brought in the money and made the venture capitalists feel important. I showed them what their money would do, and how much they’d get back. That was plenty of schmoozing as far as I was concerned.
I played my part for the rest of the night, interjecting where it made sense and breaking off into side conversations when needed. I never ventured far from Violet’s side, close-by for when she was available, but not smothering.
I paid attention to how many times she glanced up from a conversation to look for me. Every time she met my gaze, I read the lust and need in hers and responded in kind. She was one hell of a woman and I admired her attention to the details.
This was a woman who not only knew what she wanted and did everything possible to make it happen, but one who knew what other people needed and gave it freely—sometimes before they knew themselves. I was liking this woman more and more and we hadn’t even gone on a date.
I was going to fix that before the night was through. I wanted more time with her.
Alone.
She glanced up again, checking on me, and I was already staring her down, hungry for her body naked and under me. Her smile faltered and her hand flew to her throat.
I grinned, loving that reaction—loving any reaction.
I’d given her all my best flirting all night, and while I realized she was busy with her clientele and I shouldn’t be bugging her while she worked, I couldn’t help it.
It was too easy to let my fingers brush the curve of her ass or the side of her breast as we walked from one set of couples to the next. She’d ignored them all but hadn’t batted me away or admonished me.
Until she did, I was going to continue the onslaught of attention. I wanted her knowing how badly I wanted her and her body. First, I wanted her body, but there was more to this woman that had me seriously intrigued.
Excusing herself from the last couple as they said their goodbyes for the evening, she glanced left and right, then bee-lined to me.
I grinned, waiting for her to finally tell me to knock it off. Instead, she pushed me through the kitchen door I’d been leaning against and into a darkened room. My ass hit a table and I grunted, my fingers going to her hips and gripping her to steady myself.
Her mouth crashed against mine and she bit my lower lip. I growled and assaulted her mouth, diving into the warmth beyond her teeth. She met me without hesitation, taking my breath and sucking it into her lungs before giving it back. I pulled her tight against me, thrusting my hard cock into her clit until she writhed against me.
She gasped and deepened the kiss, pulling my hair at the nape of my neck. We fought for control, wrestling it away from each other before relinquishing.
This was quickly going down as one of the most erotic kisses of my life.
I tasted the wine and ice cream she’d had earlier, along with my own martini. I wanted to taste all of her from top to bottom and back again. From the sign of her enthusiasm, she’d be down for that and some trading.
She just kept getting sexier and sexier.
She shifted and straddled my thigh, rubbing up and down along the hardness of my muscle. I pressed into her, taking the friction of her hip and moving us in sync.
“I’m so fucking hot right now.”
“Yeah you are, baby.” I growled the a
nswer in her ear, fisting a handful of her hair and tipping her head to expose the long length of her neck. She rode my thigh and I left a trail of bites down her jugular. “I want to be inside you right now.”
“Not—oh motherfuck I’m going to come—yet.”
I pushed her away, putting a gap of air between our bodies. She growled and reached for me, digging her nails into my hip, but I held my ground. “Nope. You don’t get to come if I don’t.”
“Fine.” She dropped in a crouch and had my zipper halfway down before I recovered.
Sweet Jesus I wanted my cock in her mouth right fucking now, but this wasn’t how it was going down.
Not like this.
Her brother might be fine with us grinding and kissing, but I was pretty sure if he saw her lips around my cock he’d have something to say about it. And that wasn’t the kind of position I wanted to be in.
Oh, but I did.
“Get up here.” I pulled her up by her hair and kissed her again, spinning us so she was the one bent back, into the table. I leaned close, arching her backward and lifting her breasts high. I palmed one and tweaked her nipple until she gasped. “You ready to go yet?”
“Not going. Coming.” Her words were barely audible over the quick intakes of breath as she tried to get our hips positioned against each other again. She hissed another breath between her teeth. “Please.”
I chuckled. I had a feeling she didn’t ask nicely very often, if ever. I wanted her begging.
Though I had a feeling she’d be one to turn the tables damn fast and have me in the same state before long.
“No ma’am. You said I had to take you home and fuck you.” I held her face between my palms and stared into her sex-hooded eyes. “I’d hate to ruin your shoes when I come in your mouth and it spills over your pretty lips.”
She licked them slowly, making me rethink my decision not to let her take me right now. She met my stare with an intense one of her own. “I can handle it.”
I growled and took her mouth again, forcefully keeping our hips apart as she tried just as hard to get us aligned.
I wanted to drag her out of here right this moment. I hoped we were close to closing because I wasn’t sure how long I was going to be able to endure the pain of this hard-on.
She kissed me back with all the heat and desire I was giving, matching me thrust for thrust and managing to get a few bites in. I couldn’t wait to get her naked. She pulled back, drawing my lower lip in her mouth, then she let go and drew her hand along the length of my cock.
“Let’s go.”
My dick twitched at the possibility of finally being inside her and I claimed her mouth again. It cost us precious seconds of being entwined. I couldn’t seem to tear myself away from her.
She let me kiss her thoroughly, then she turned and led us out, past the empty bar—with no sign of her brother—and straight toward the front door. I yanked her to a stop before she pushed it open, my sense finally returning. “Wait. I had to park a couple blocks away. Let me bring the car around for you.”
She growled in frustration and rubbed against me, thrusting her hands through my hair and bringing her lips close to mine. “You’d better be worth all this.”
I tipped my head back and laughed. She was something else.
Most women would have simpered and preened and loved the thought of me going to the trouble to run my ass a couple blocks so they didn’t have to.
Not Violet.
Violet had me second-guessing whether or not I was going to be worth all this—something I hadn’t ever, ever thought about. I hadn’t had a woman complaining yet, but Violet was making sure I was bringing my game.
I kissed her tenderly. Yes, Violet.
“Stay here,” I said sternly and turned on my heel, giving her a momentary pause. She wasn’t bossing me around.
Not yet, anyway.
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Afterword
Please consider leaving a review for This is Love on Amazon. Even a few words would be appreciated. Your words are my inspiration. Thank you for reading. If it were not for you, I wouldn’t be able to share the stories swirling between my ears.
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Also by CJ Thomas
City by the Bay Billionaire series
Ruin Me
Promise Me
Save Me
Take Me
Control Me
Tempt Me
Hollywood Dreams series
Big Willy
Beyond Tonight
On My Knees
Heat
Capture Me
Hard
A Kelly Black Affair
Black Desire
Black Demands
Black Obsession
Black Regrets
Acknowledgment
I want to thank all of my readers for being supportive with each new story I write. It’s because of you and your willingness to WANT to read my stories that make this all possible. Mwah!
I also want to thank my editor, LNS, for bringing my stories to life and constantly providing constructive advice on how to improve my craft. The same goes to my street team and beta readers, for without you, I’m not sure I would have the confidence to continue living inside my characters’ heads day after day.
And last but not least, my family for giving me the love and inspiration to keep writing.
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