Gemma nodded and her expression eased into warmth.
“As long as you’re not waiting out here to kill me because I haven’t been able to find the right ring.”
“Trust me,” I replied. “You’re not the one I want to kill right now.”
She fiddled with her keys, obviously unsure of whether to keep talking or go on her way, and I repeated my earlier question.
“Why don’t you have a jacket?”
Gemma crossed her arms, running her hands over her bare arms like she hadn’t realized until that moment.
“I forgot it this morning,” she said with a shrug. “I’ll be okay.”
The rain continued to patter overhead. I narrowed my eyes dubiously.
“It’s just a little rain,” she continued. “It’s not like I’m the wicked witch of the west or anything. I can handle getting a little wet.”
The fading afternoon light highlighted Gemma’s delicate cheekbones, straight nose, and the graceful curve of her waist. All I could think about in that moment was how if it were up to me, she would be getting very wet. But not like this. My cock stirred and I had to bite the inside of my cheek to kill the fantasy.
“Let me get you a cab,” I said, already walking out into the street.
“No, wait!” Gemma chased me, stopping me with a hand on my arm. “I’m just going to take the subway. It’s not a big deal.”
I looked back and saw fat drops of rain cascading down Gemma’s cheeks, flattening her hair and painting dark spots on her t-shirt. I turned and guided her back under the awning, resisting the urge to wipe her face with my hand.
“It’s pouring,” I said. “I couldn’t in good conscience send you off to take the subway in a t-shirt.”
“It’s really not a big deal.” She offered up a weak smile. “It’s not like I’m going to die of consumption or anything.”
I shook my head. “I’m getting you a cab, Gemma.”
“Please, don’t.” Her smile fell. “I can’t afford a cab. Honestly, the subway is great. Who knows what kind of colorful characters I’ll get to meet down there?”
She was practically shivering now, gooseflesh running down her arms. Like hell she was spending another second outside.
“Gemma.” I grabbed some cash from my wallet and pressed it into her palm. “You’ve been so helpful to me and this is the least I can do. I’ll sleep easier tonight if I don’t have to think about you walking home from the subway in the rain, freezing to death.”
She stared up at me, deliberating, before giving a short nod. “Okay. I’ll take a cab.” She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and nibbled on it uncertainly, and my blood ran hot. “Thank you, Nik.”
I loved the way she said my name, lips barely moving, almost like a sigh. I smiled and released her hand.
“Okay, stay here.” I stepped out onto the sidewalk and hailed a cab, motioning to Gemma when it pulled up to the curb.
She jogged over and I opened the door for her, memorizing every line of her face in case this was our last meeting. I couldn’t stop wondering what would happen if I got in the cab too, if I gave the driver my address instead.
I banished the thought. It was probably for the best if this was the last time I saw Gemma. Soon I would be a married man.
“Thanks again,” Gemma said, standing on the other side of the door. “Good luck with everything.”
I nodded and Gemma shuffled into the cab. I closed the door behind her and stepped back from the curb, watching the taillights disappear down the street before I thought to hail a cab for myself.
The ride home seemed to take forever. All my frustration with Valentina and my father had melted away the second Gemma stepped out that door, and now my thoughts were of her.
Her pouty lips. Her rose-tinted cheeks. The shy way she looked up at me, almost virginal. I wanted her in a way I hadn’t wanted a woman in a long time. A quick fuck wouldn’t do. I wanted to spend time with her, exploring every supple curve, tasting every inch of her skin. The fact that I couldn’t was killing me, and I gave up on pretending I had any measure of self-control. The second I walked into my apartment I started stripping off, checking for signs of Dexter before closing the door to my bedroom and letting my fantasies run wild.
My cock was stiff before I even unzipped my pants, and I imagined her hands freeing it instead of my own. The hands that looked so delicate and graceful as they presented jewelry to me would look divine wrapped around my shaft, squeezing in just the right measure to make me gasp.
I lay back on my bed and started stroking myself. Eyes closed. Jaw tight. Visions of Gemma gazing up at me shyly, like she had in the rain, breath fanning over my cock.
There was nothing better than an innocent looking girl doing a filthy act, and the thought of Gemma slipping my cock between her lips was nearly too much to bear.
Would she start slowly, tentatively? Or would she surprise me with her wickedness and swallow me down in one gulp? I groaned and stroked harder, my imaginary Gemma staring up at me with wide eyes as my meat filled her throat. She would be naughty, I decided. Just as sinful in acts as in looks. Her tongue swirling my shaft, cheeks caving as she applied suction. I pictured fisting my hand in her short chestnut locks and guiding her deeper, faster, showing her just how I liked it. She would keep up, no doubt in my mind about that.
My body burned. My head spun. I wanted her so badly, wanted her in every fucking way, and I was so turned on it nearly hurt. The only relief I got was my hand working my shaft, bringing me closer and closer to an orgasm that would be so much more satisfying if it were actually Gemma’s mouth bringing me there.
Would she make me cum with her mouth? Or would she straddle me and ride me until I shot deep inside of her? My balls tightened at the thought of her bouncing on top of me, and I pictured digging my fingers into her fleshy hips as she rode her way to ecstasy.
I loved it when a woman was on top, when she really let go and forgot about everyone and everything except chasing that perfect orgasm. There was nothing sexier than seeing the pleasure on a woman’s face, watching her tits jiggle and her chest flush with exertion. I could never resist slamming my hips up into her, and it would be no different with Gemma. Just as she’ was about to come, I would hold her still and finish the job on my own, thrusting up mercilessly until she screamed and came apart on my dick. And fuck, would it feel good.
The tension pooled in my groin snapped and I let out a rasping moan as I spurted, visions of Gemma’s orgasm making it more intense. My whole body tensed, and when it relaxed again I sucked in a huge breath and my head fell back against the pillow.
Now that my head was clear, it felt wrong to jack off to the woman that was trying her best to help me get engaged. But hell, if everything went to plan, I would never see her again.
So why was I wishing things wouldn’t go as planned?
Chapter 6
Gemma
Page thirteen, paragraph three, sentence one.
This was the precise spot in my book where I started thinking about the last time I saw Nik, the enigmatic and charming businessman who’d ushered me into a cab four days ago and promptly disappeared from my life forever. I read and re-read that sentence several times, but each time I failed to absorb a single word. His handsome face kept popping into my mind unannounced and unwanted, and I’d have to start all over again.
I glanced over at my wallet on the kitchen table. Nik had given me way too much cash for the cab and I still had thirty-odd dollars in change to give him, but I doubted I’d get the chance. I couldn’t spend it though. It was bad enough that I had to accept his handout, and I intended to pay him back fully the next time I saw him. Only the longer I went without seeing him, the less likely it seemed that would happen.
Just as I set my eyes back on the page, fully intent on getting to paragraph three, sentence two, the key scraped in the lock and Molly breezed through the door.
“You!” she said, coming to stand in front of the couch. I was confused when I g
ot home after work to find the apartment empty, but the paper shopping bags in her hands cleared up that mystery.
“Me,” I replied, setting down my book.
Molly grinned. “You’re just the person I wanted to see. Got any plans tonight?”
I gestured to the book.
“You’re looking at them.”
“Good thing I bought two new dresses then,” she said, dropping the bags at my feet and rifling through them. “We’ll both have something to wear.”
“What are you talking about?”
Molly pulled out a dress from each bag. One, a little red body-con number that I could imagine suffocating in, the other a more flowy indigo sleeveless dress that was more my style. Molly and I were almost the same size in clothes, which she loved since her favorite thing to do before a night out was dress me up like a doll. I didn’t mind. At the end of the day, Molly’s taste in clothes far outranked my own and she always made me look sensational.
“We’re going on a date,” she said.
I cocked a brow. “We are?”
“Remember that gorgeous lawyer guy I was telling you about?” She shot to her feet and went over to the kitchen, pulling a bottle of wine from the fridge and scouring the cupboards for two glasses. “Well, he came in last night and we made plans to meet at my work this evening. He’s going to be out with his friend and I think it’ll be fun if we double.”
I cringed. “I don’t think so, Molly.”
“Gemma, come on.” She paused mid-pour and shot me a chastising look. “When was the last time you even touched a man?”
“A long time ago,” I confirmed. “But that doesn’t mean I’m hankering to do it again anytime soon.”
Molly finished pouring out the wine and brought me a glass, settling down on the couch beside me.
“Look, I’m not going to force you to come, but what harm could it do? We have a couple drinks, chat a little, dance a little, nobody gets hurt. Plus you’re gonna want to take some notes so you can make a killer speech at my wedding.”
She clinked our glasses, like the business was sorted without me even complying.
I took on a strained expression.
“Not tonight, Molly. I’m sorry.”
She sighed but didn’t push it any further. This wasn’t the first time she’d tried to get me to sashay out of my comfort zone, and it wouldn’t be the last.
“I’m just going to leave this dress here, then,” she said, rising to her feet and laying the blue one across the couch beside me. “If you change your mind, you know where we’ll be.”
She went into her room to get ready, and in fifteen minutes was out the door looking like a snack. The second she was gone, the apartment seemed deafeningly quiet.
I tried to ease my way back into reading, but I was even more distracted than before. Why couldn’t I just go out and have fun like Molly did? Was it really better to sit at home thinking about a guy I couldn’t have than to go out and meet one I probably could?
Nik’s bright smile flashed through my mind again and I groaned, tossing the book across the room. If I didn’t do something about this crush soon, it would ruin me. I was already weary of the dating scene without adding the unrealistic expectations set by Mr. Perfect.
He probably wasn’t even perfect. He might have a weird stuffed rat collection or be rude to waitstaff and I’d never know because I’d never spent more than a few minutes with him. Still, I was sitting inside pining over him while my best friend went out and had fun with a hot lawyer and his friend? What the hell was wrong with me?
Molly had her selfish moments, but she’d always done right by me. From the first day we met, when she swooped in to help a clueless laundry virgin separate her lights and darks at the laundromat, she’d been there for me. She wanted me to go out tonight.
So go out, I would.
I exhaled and grabbed the dress, dashing over to my room to slip it on. It was a perfect fit. I refreshed my makeup and tousled my hair a little, then grabbed my purse and keys and headed out the door.
Helix’s familiar array of pulsing red and blue lights splashed over my face as I entered, temporarily blinding me as I tried to find Molly in the crowd. It wasn’t too busy, and I soon glimpsed a familiar head of red hair and the freckled face to go along with it. I smiled and started working my way toward her, only to stop dead when I saw who she was with.
It couldn’t be.
One of the men was a complete stranger. Average height, average build, average everything. The other, I wished was a stranger too.
He was every bit as tall and imposing as I remembered, his coppery brown hair catching the light and taking on an an almost angelic glow. Not that angelic was a word I would ever use to describe him.
Justin Lennox was his name. My brother.
My stomach flipped and nausea clawed up my throat. I turned for the door but it was too late—Molly had already seen me. Justin followed her gaze, and when his eyes snapped on me his brow furrowed in confusion. Then his mouth split into a wide grin.
I took exactly one second to weigh my options. I could do the normal thing, go over there, maybe even say hi. Or I could do what all the adrenaline-soaked muscles in my body were urging me to do and make a run for it.
In the end, my rationality was no match for instinct. I turned on my heel and slipped out the way I came.
I reached the door and heard Molly call out for me. “Gemma! Where are you going?”
I didn’t stop. I hoped she would assume something urgent had come up and leave me to it. I had no such luck.
I stepped out onto the street and Molly’s hand snatched my wrist. “Hey! What the hell?”
I turned and tried to think of an excuse, something easier to explain than the truth. I tugged my wrist free. “I have to go.”
Awesome excuse. Go, Gemma.
“You just got here,” Molly said.
“Yeah, you just got here.”
The smooth, smug voice was one I hadn’t heard in years. He stepped beside Molly and wrapped his arm around her shoulder.
Molly frowned. “Do you two know each other?”
Justin didn’t give me the chance to lie.
“We do,” he said. “Gemma’s my sister.”
“What?” Molly’s eyes flew open and she looked between the two of us, obviously searching for a familial appearance. She found it, probably in our green eyes and the way our noses turned up a little at the end. She looked at me and accusation flooded her face.
“You didn’t tell me you have a brother,” she said.
“She’s got two brothers,” Justin filled in helpfully. “Not that she’s seen either of us for...how long has it been now, sis? Two, three years?” He plastered on his best, most charming smile. “Let me buy you a drink. I’d love to catch up.”
His insincerity made me sick. I shook my head, not willing to loiter a second longer than I needed to.
“I’ve got to go home,” I said. “See you later, Molly.”
I turned to leave but Molly shot after me again. This time, Justin kept his distance.
“What the fuck, Gemma?” she hissed, hunching over to give us some privacy. “Why are you acting so weird?”
I pulled myself free again.
“I just can’t be here, okay? Leave me alone.”
I didn’t know how else to get away without explaining myself. I wouldn’t know where to begin, and I didn’t know if I even wanted to try. Justin belonged to a part of my life that I’d tucked neatly away behind a big, solid door—one that I thought I’d welded shut.
I could feel Molly’s eyes on me as I fled down the street. Justin’s too.
And suddenly, the nightmares that I’d had for years came closer to the surface than ever.
I ran, tears sprouting from my eyes, as if I could outrun the pain.
And I only hoped nobody was following me.
Chapter 7
Dominik
“I’m telling you, man, you missed out last time.” Dex kic
ked a rock and sent it skittering over the pavement. “I ended up getting down and dirty in the ball pit with a very limber amateur actress. Had the time of my life.”
I snorted. “And that is exactly why I haven’t been in a ball pit since I was five. Disgusting.”
Dex flashed me a smile, then stopped abruptly to examine one of the trees planted along the sidewalk. To me it looked the same as all the others lining the street, but he dragged his fingertips over the bark reverently, like he’d never seen anything so unique in his life.
I was used to this kind of odd behavior, especially when my friend was already bottles deep. I waited patiently off to the side, checking my phone. Still nothing.
“What do you think of bark, Dominik?” Dex asked, still performing his inspection.
“What do you mean?”
He glanced back at me, blinking.
“It’s like skin, isn’t it? Skin for trees. Does that ever freak you out?”
“Come on buddy.” I patted his arm. “Save it for the art groupies.”
Dex winked and we continued heading up the street, though I had no idea how far away we were from our final destination.
“Whereabouts is this place anyway?” I asked.
“It’s the place that used to be Sultan’s Wine Bar,” he replied. “It’s called The Grange now.”
I frowned and peered ahead. It had been some time since I’d last been on this street, and my memory was a little foggy.
“I can’t picture Sultan’s,” I said.
Dex skipped ahead and booted an empty beer can, sending it flying down the sidewalk. “It’s the one just after Helix,” he said. “Used to have all those gold curtains.”
“Ah, right.”
I couldn’t say I’d ever wanted to go to the place when it was Sultan’s, and now that it was The Grange I couldn’t be too sure either. Dexter was determined to bring me to a club opening that I would enjoy, still a bit put out that I’d left the last one early. This time, I was on the hunt for a distraction and determined to find one, so he wouldn’t be disappointed.
A couple of drunk girls with big hair and tiny dresses teetered out of a club twenty yards ahead and called out to us.
Mister Diamond Page 4