Steal My Heart

by Lisa Eugene

  “You are ridiculous! I’ll not discuss this with you any further. I need a shower!”

  Maggie stood and flounced away towards the bathroom, her anger swirling through her like a storm. She couldn’t believe that David could defend that monster. The moment she stepped into the bathroom she cringed and let out a weak scream. The room was filthy! Uhggg! She would rather go over to her apartment, shower and get some clean clothes, but she wasn’t ready to face what she might find there. David had mentioned hearing some activity in her apartment a few days after she and Gabe left. He’d knocked on the door, thinking she’d returned, but no one had answered. Turning around she pulled the bathroom door open and rolled her eyes when she saw David standing there holding a bucket of cleaning supplies.

  “Figured you’d need these.” He shot her a wide toothy grin.

  “Seems they’ve gone unused!” She grabbed the bucket and slammed the door shut.

  The shower did not have its usual placating effect, and Maggie emerged as miserable as she’d entered. She dried off with quick agitated movements, snapped on her bra and tugged up her underwear. She was bending over drying the rest of her leg when she heard the bathroom door open behind her. She angrily bit the inside of her cheek and shook her head in consternation, still fuming at her friend.

  “You know, David, I’m really hurt that you could defend him. He’s a monster. Do you know what I’ve been through?”

  “No, Maggie. Tell me.”

  The deep baritone charged through her like a raging locomotive, wheels churning, steam blowing, and nose barreling at the wind. Oh, God… She spun around so quickly that she almost teetered off balance. Blue eyes wide and heart bucking like an unruly herd, she parted her lips to scream. Gabe instantly crossed the small bathroom and clapped a palm over her mouth. He leaned his face so close to hers that she could feel the harsh push of his warm breath against her cheek.

  “We really have to stop meeting like this,” he quipped, but Maggie could sense the rage simmering beneath his words.

  Slowly he pulled his hand away.

  “Where’s David?” Her voice wavered as her gaze flew to the bathroom door.

  “He needed to get some fresh air.” He stood very close, crowding her, his big body blocking any escape.

  Maggie’s brows pleated into a deep frown. Chills tingled her skin. “David! David!” she yelled frantically. It was only the stunning quiet that answered her. “What did you do to him?” she demanded.

  Gabe squinted his eyes and tilted his head, examining her leisurely. His dark hair was combed back from his high forehead, his brown eyes chips of black granite. “Why would I do anything to him?” His words were slow, deliberate.

  “You threatened to kill him once, remember?”

  “If I wanted to kill him, he would have been dead already,” he stated calmly.

  Maggie pursed her lips, dark fury and wretched sorrow erupting inside her. Why did he have to be like this? How could she be so foolish to love him? How could she have been so wrong about him? She braced her palms against his wide chest and tried to push him back, away from her. He didn’t budge. Instead he glided forward, forcing her to step back until her back hit the cold, damp wall. His hard body trapped her against the tile, his muscles undulating against her as he shifted to cage her more effectively.

  “That’s what you do so well, isn’t it? Kill?” she spat out.

  She saw that haunted look cloud over his gaze, and an errant muscle ticked viciously in his jaw.

  “Why did you run, Maggie?” he grated between clenched teeth.

  “To get away!”

  “Why?” he yelled angrily, his voice flying into her face.

  She tried to speak, but only a broken sob surfaced. She turned her head away from his close scrutiny. She could feel her heart shattering into tiny bits and pieces. His large hand shot up to grasp her jaw and force her to meet his penetrating gaze.

  “Why did you fucking run from me?” His voice was thunder in her ears, an impassioned storm. His face was ruddy with color and terrifying.

  Maggie’s vision blurred with the rush of tears. She’d never seen him this angry, this out of control, this…this…emotional. Her bottom lip quivered uncontrollably, and she exhaled an unsteady breath. She wanted to halt that breath when it returned imbued with his natural spice and masculine scents. The scent was tinted with his fury. She closed her eyes to block him out, imagining the faces of his victims.

  “Don’t you ever leave me!” he hollered.

  “How could you do it, Gabe?” she whispered.

  “Do what?”

  Her blue eyes flew open to accuse him. “Kill those people? They were innocent.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “The nurse and the cop at Washington Memorial,” she clarified angrily.

  She watched his eyes flare fractionally, then his expression hardened even more. Something like disappointment filled his eyes.

  “I didn’t kill them, Maggie. When I left the hospital they were both very much alive.”

  Maggie scrubbed the back of her head against the wall, not wanting to believe him, not wanting to be fooled again. She’d placed so much trust in this man she’d only know a short while. A man who’d turned her life upside down. This man could leave her irreparably broken.

  The fingers bracing her chin tightened their hold, and she couldn’t look away from him. He trapped her with his dark compelling eyes and something seemed to shift inside him.

  “Look at me, Maggie,” he hissed. “You’re the only one who knows me. You know me better than I know myself. You’re the only one who believes in me. Tell me the truth. Do you really think I would do that? Do you think I’m a monster? Like Cane?”

  She stared for a long moment, her eyes wild, searching his face, searching his heart. His wall had crumbled to rubble, and he stood bare and wounded, alone and brimming with so much guilt and pain she wanted to weep. She saw his steely determination, his endless fortitude, and his seething aggression. But she didn’t see a monster. Her tears were coming now, sliding down her face in a blinding steady stream. She loved this man. She knew this man. Gabe could never murder in cold blood. Oh, God…She’d been so scared! She’d been doubtful of herself and her judgment and terrified of the profound emotions she felt for him. Ironically at the same time she’d been afraid of losing him and herself in the process. So, she ran.

  In one fierce burst of emotion, she swung her arms around his wide shoulders and clung to him, her nails digging into the cotton on his back. His warmth floated over her like a shallow sigh, teasing the hairs on her prickling skin and dissolving her fear and doubt.

  “No. No. You couldn’t!” she whispered into his chest, and felt his body relax. She realized then the gravity of her words and the significance he ascribed to them. Why did it matter so much what she thought? “I’m sorry. I do know who you are.” She pulled back and stared earnestly up at him, the irony of her words not escaping her.

  His handsome face tilted down to hers and his hands glided up her naked spine. “Don’t apologize. It’s me who owes you an apology for getting you into this mess. I’ve had Cane on my tail since I left Cryostar. I’m sure he sent men to the hospital. I’d expected him to. They probably got there right after I left.” His deep voice was sincere, grave. He snuggled her against his body, his soft lips feathering against her ear. “I wish this whole business with Cane had never happened.”

  “Then we would have never met.”

  He pulled back and smiled gently down at her, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “No, we wouldn’t have.”

  “Did you get the information you needed from his office?”

  He nodded. His thumbs brushed away the moisture from her cheeks.

  “Oh, thank God.” Her gaze scanned his face and she now noticed the slight bruising along his jaw line. Concern and guilt glazed her eyes. “Are you okay? Did they hurt you?”

  “No. I’m fine. Really,” he added at her pin
ched expression. His irises darkened again, liquid silver in their depths. “I mean it, Maggie. Don’t leave me. I need you.”

  She felt the breath race from her body at the treble of his voice. Her knees started to grow weak with feeble anticipation and hope. She wanted to enjoy his words and the way they soaked in and expanded warmly in her chest. She was afraid to examine them too closely for fear they would float away. She feared she was misunderstanding. She was sure that last night he’d been ready to walk away. What had suddenly changed his mind? She was still plain, neurotic Maggie Lawson. Nothing special. Not wanting to dwell too much on his reasons, she focused on him. Instead, she rose on her tippy toes and crushed her lips against his, tasting joy and sweetness and relief. He groaned into her mouth and she answered with a similar response.

  He severed the kiss and looked down at her with earnest sobriety.

  “We have a serious problem here.” He frowned gravely.

  Her pale lashes fluttered up. “What?”

  Gabe shook his head. “You’re wearing a bra. I said no bras, Maggie.”

  She felt a grin tickling her lips. “You said when we’re alone.”

  He shrugged his broad shoulders and looked around the bathroom. “And?” he drawled.

  She let the grin emerge slowly then reached for the clasp at the front of her bra.

  His fingers reached up to compete with hers. With feigned exasperation she pushed his big hands away. “Stop or you’ll break it. If it’s ruined I’ll have nothing to wear.”

  “That would be a tragedy.”

  She huffed at his dry tone. “The girls would be bouncing all over the place.” She laughed as she unsnapped the bra and pulled the cups away.

  A deep frown marred his handsome face. “You seem pretty comfortable around David.”

  Maggie laughed again. “Believe me, David is not interested in me that way.”

  “Good. I’d have to kill him.”

  She shot him a scalding glare and he chuckled. A sound that made her heart fibrillate. “Just a figure of speech. Besides, I kind of figured that. I think the tutu gave him away.”

  He palmed her breast and massaged gently, a gravelly moan purring from his chest. “Beautiful.” He looked towards the door. “Should we go into the bedroom?”

  Maggie shuddered and adamantly shook her head. “This is the only clean room.”

  He seemed to accept her response, but she saw a smile hiding in his eyes. She was about to say something, but all thought spun away to be replaced by drugging sensation when he rolled her nipples between his thumb and forefinger. A blunt pleasure vibrated low under her skin, saturating her senses all at once. She braced her head back against the wall and jutted her breast into his touch. He lifted the large globes and fondled them, his fingers firmly massaging.

  “There’re so many parts of your body that I love,” he admitted huskily. “It’s sometimes hard to decide which I love more.”

  Maggie’s breath hitched. Had he used the L word? Twice? Simmer down, sister…he’s using it in the general sense, and only talking body parts, not WHOLE person!

  “You seem to be a breast man.” She smiled.

  He pursed his sexy lips and squinted thoughtfully. “Hmmm, they are spectacular, but I’m afraid they’re a close second. I think you’d be surprised if I told you what’s first.”

  “Butt?”

  “Nope.” He swung his head back and forth and nibbled on her ear.

  “Legs?” She was growing winded.

  “Nope.”

  “Down there…?” she croaked, and he looked up to grin down at her, the effect fluttering her stomach.

  With his index finger he tapped the side of her head. “There. That crazy brain of yours. That’s my favorite part.” His grin widened when she frowned.

  “Thanks, I think.”

  He chuckled and nestled her close. “That’s a compliment. Although, down there is damn nice too.”

  She buried her nose in his chest and let her hands travel over the knolls of his shoulders and thick chest. She liked his adoring confessions. She’d never felt as sexy in her skin as she did now. She caught her bottom lip and smiled, a devilish affectation that summed up the thoughts running through her head. Her hand tracked over his tight abs, and she reveled inwardly when the muscles trembled beneath her touch. She moved lower and slipped her hand into his trousers, listening as his breath hastened its pace. She instantly felt the heat of his cock as it swelled and crowded the small space. His rod soon became stiff and hot and pushed eagerly into her palm. Wrapping her fingers around the solid girth, she squeezed, making him blow out a curse and buck his hips into her touch.

  His lips found hers, and his tongue speared into her mouth, thrusting and sparring with hers. A groan chirred in her chest, knocking around in her lungs. The amazing feel of his flesh against her fingers inflamed her senses, and she became desperate to experience more of him. She quickly unbuttoned his pants and dragged them down his hips along with his boxers, just enough to free the thick length. She combed her fingers through the coarse dark hair of his groin then with both hands engulfed his straining shaft and tugged a quick jerky rhythm. She loved the satiny feel over hard marble.

  He groaned and desire thrummed in her sex. She could feel moisture dampen her thin cotton panties and flow onto her thighs. His tongue swept through her mouth, and he nipped and sucked on her bottom lip. She wanted to roam her fingers all over his body, over the gorgeous angles of his face and into the deep cleft of his chin. She wanted to feel the breadth of his shoulders and the strong arch of his back, but there was no way she was releasing the enticing flesh she held in her palms. She gathered fluid that leaked from his slit and smeared it slowly along his throbbing length, making it slick and hot, driving her hands to his base and back to his fat crown.

  “Oh, God, Maggie.” He threw his head back when she planted kisses on his neck and chest. His big hands covered hers, wrapping firmly around his rod. “Harder. I like it harder. Squeeze me.”

  She learned quickly and rejoiced as he swelled impossibly bigger.

  His hands palmed her breasts and squeezed hard, rough now as his passion flared. Desire lashed at her with a stinging whip and her entire body burned from wanting him.

  “Take off your shirt.” Her voice was throaty and unrecognizable.

  He drew the fabric up and over his head, and her mouth immediately latched on the tan disc of one nipple. She felt it bead under her tongue and moved over to sample the other. She drew on the pebble while her fingers danced lightly over his shaft. In one smooth motion she dropped to her knees and smiled wickedly as a curse broke from his chest.

  She was eye level with his cock. It jutted forward, magnificent and proud, almost intimidating in its length and girth. Her hands glided over him, following the beautiful curve of his shaft. She loved the smooth hardness and the thick solid power that offered delicious promises. Her channel clenched rhythmically with impatience, and the desire lashing her senses was making her shake. Darting her tongue forward she lapped at the clear flow dripping from the distended head. His guttural oath was a deep trumpet in her ears. Maggie flicked her tongue over him, enjoying the tangy ambrosia. One hand moved lower to rub his weighty sacs while the other took a firm grip of his shaft and stroked him roughly. At the same time she leaned in and circled her tongue over the silky head of his cock.

  “Yes! Yes! That’s good! So fucking good!” His fevered grunts spurred her on.

  Groaning and wild with need, she closed her lips over his flesh and drew him deep into the warmth of her mouth. His hands flew to her head, his fingers twining her hair in a stinging grip. He held her steady and tried to slow her down, but desire made her greedy, and she gobbled and suckled with unrestrained enthusiasm.

  “Aaahhhh, fuck! Stop, now!” He quickly jerked his hips back, pulling his length from the tight suction of her cheeks, and he moaned again, long and savage. Maggie watched him struggle to stem his release. She sat back on her calves and absorbed
the vision of his sinfully gorgeous body. The muscles of his face were drawn and his teeth fiercely clenched; a look of pleasurable agony sculpted his gorgeous face. Dark hair fell over his forehead, partially shielding his turbid eyes. His thick shoulders and chest bunched and quivered successively. His thick thighs were rock solid, supporting hips that brandished the sheer beauty of his engorged manhood twitching and leaking scant drops of pearly fluid. She felt a tremor pass through her, her body issuing its own plea for a connection to this man and needing the release he would give her.

  She rose when Gabe took her hands and drew her up. Leaning over, he peeled her underwear down her legs and stepped out of his pants.

  “I need you.” His rusty voice echoed against the shell of her ear. He kissed her thoroughly and pressed her back against the wall. “I’m sorry. I can’t wait.”

  Maggie gasped and quivered when his fingers slid between her thighs, testing her readiness. She watched his smile spread and his dark lashes droop and knew he felt the copious evidence of her arousal.

  “Ummm…you are so wet. I want inside so bad.” The corner of his lips tilted. “You can guess which part is my favorite right now.”

  She panted short labored breaths, the air rocketing from her lungs when he pushed a finger inside her. “Please, Gabe. I need you too.”

  He turned her around so she faced the wall and braced her palms flat against it. She squeezed her eyes shut when she felt him at her back. He lifted her hair and painted tiny kisses along the nape of her neck and across her shoulders, sending chills skating down her back.

  “Hurry.” She shuddered, suffering with her need for him.