I heard a cell phone start ringing somewhere below the bedroom, followed by Gareth's curt professional voice.
"Caxton."
There was a long pause before he spoke again.
"Why are you calling me? Rigby's not my client." He sounded irritated. "No," he continued after a moment. "I met with him once. He was high as a fucking kite and expected me to lie for him in court, so I refused to represent him. It pissed him off, and he assaulted me. So no, I'm not his lawyer. It's not my problem if he's dumb enough to skip bail."
There was another pause.
"He's probably off somewhere OD'ing on meth or assaulting another elderly woman." He sounded pissed. "Let me reiterate. I am not his lawyer. How would I know where he is? Call Judge Rigby. Maybe she has a clue where her idiot nephew is. Again, none of it is my problem, but thanks for bothering me on my day off," he added sarcastically. I heard a harsh exasperated sigh and a vehement "Fucking moron."
A moment later, I heard foot steps coming up the stairs to my left. Gareth walked into his bedroom with a glower on his face, and his phone gripped tightly in his fist. He was dressed in black athletic pants and a blue hoodie, and his dark hair was a sexy tousled mess. My God, he looked sexy as sin. Reggie hurried over to push his head under his master's free hand with a faint whine. Gareth absently scratched his dog's head for a moment, his face relaxing a little, then he froze when he noticed me sitting up in bed watching him.
"Good morning," I said with a soft smile. "Is everything okay?"
For a second, I thought I saw a ghost of fear flash across his eyes, but then they softened as a wicked smile spread across his full lips. It made me question what I'd seen for a moment, but then I blushed as I remembered all the things those lips did to me last night.
He'd woken me multiple times to ravish my body with his hands and mouth before entering me with that big gorgeous cock of his and screwing me to within an inch of my life each time. My body felt delightfully sore and used this morning. I loved how animalistic he was when we had sex, as if he couldn't contain his lust for me.
"Good morning, beautiful," he replied in a warm seductive tone as he walked over and sat on the bed next to me. "Everything's fine." He reached out and cupped my chin in his hand and caressed my lower lip with his thumb. I couldn't stop the shiver that fell over me from his touch. A tender expression came over his face, and it made my heart ache in a way I'd never felt before.
"Gareth," I said his name in a soft emotional tone.
He suddenly stiffened a little and pulled his hand away, the tenderness on his face faltering. "My...my driver can take you home," he said in a sudden matter-of fact tone that totally threw me off.
Was he really that eager to get rid of me? The revelation pained me more than I expected. I frowned unhappily. Had I gotten too invested too soon? I guess so.
"Oh...um...okay," I replied in a subdued and hurt tone as my eyes started to sting.
His dark brows furrowed, and he frowned as unease filled his eyes. "I'd ride with you, but...but I have plans this morning."
"Oh," I said, still not feeling any better as I wondered if he was feeding me a line to appease me. I held myself together, refusing to cry even though I was starting to feel stupid and used. If he wanted rid if me, then good riddance to him too.
"I...um...I have coffee and cinnamon rolls if you're hungry," he offered unexpectedly with a worried frown.
"Okay," I answered in a confusion. Did he want me here or not?
"Can I see you again this week?" He reached over and put his hand on my leg, his rough callused skin feeling good against mine as his hand slid up my thigh. His eyes were heated, and his demeanor seemed sincere. My God, I felt like I was getting whiplash from his confusing and contradictory behavior.
Before I could reply, Reggie began barking excitedly and scurried out of the room. I could hear his claws scrabbling down the steps as he rushed downstairs.
"Hey, dumbass!" a deep male voice bellowed out. "I'm here early to accept your apology!"
Gareth grimaced and let out a deep disgruntled sigh.
"It better be heartfelt and fucking sincere, or I'll sic Thea on you!"
"Who's that?" I asked curiously, feeling relieved that he wasn't actually lying about having plans this morning.
"That is an enormous pain in my ass," he replied in a resigned tone, "and my best friend, Derek."
"Oh," I replied. "People actually want to be friends with your moody ass?" I asked in a dry sarcastic tone without thinking. I guess I was still feeling a little irritated with his confusing behavior this morning. This was my problem with men. I had no filter sometimes, and they couldn't handle it, or my biting sarcasm. I nearly groaned aloud at myself.
He scowled and eyed me sharply for a moment, then to my surprise, he snorted out a laugh and smiled wryly at me. "Make that two enormous pains in my ass." He patted my leg and stood. "Get dressed and come downstairs when you're ready. I'm sure the two of you will get along just fine." He shook his head, his smile softening, before he walked away and disappeared down the stairs.
I sighed in relief, grateful I hadn't actually pissed him off by calling him out on his moody unpredictability. I guess at our age, owning our own behavior and finding humor in it was a good thing.
I climbed out of bed and expected to find my dress in a wrinkled heap on the floor, but instead it was draped over the nearby club chair along with my panties. Gareth must have picked them up for me. The dress was still a little wrinkled, but not as bad as it could have been. I pulled my clothes on and went into Gareth's bathroom.
I jerked to a stop in the doorway. Holy crap, his bathroom was amazing. The walls were covered in a beautiful gray marble. The long matching marble counter tops had twin sparkling white sinks with gorgeous chrome fixtures. His shower was huge and enclosed by thick glass walls with some sort of shower system that had a rainfall shower head, and a handheld sprayer with multiple little sprayers arranged around it. A massive freestanding soaking tub sat along one wall just begging for a bubble bath. My God, I wanted to live in here.
I shook my head in wonder as I walked over to look in the huge vanity mirror. Yikes, I looked like a hot mess with disheveled hair and smudges of eyeliner and mascara under my eyes. I grabbed a washcloth and cleaned the makeup off my face, then ran my fingers through my hair to tame it. It wasn't perfect, but it was better than nothing. I sighed and eyed the tub longingly as I left the bathroom, wishing I could take a long hot soak in it to ease my sex sore body. I picked up my tall suede boots and ventured down the stairs, not wanting to put the sky-high heels on again until I had to.
I could hear male voices as I crossed the second level, but couldn't make out any words. I paused at the top of the stairs to the first level as sudden nerves jittered through me. I was meeting the best friend, and this was a serious and important moment. I desperately wanted to make a good impression, so I needed to keep my sarcastic word vomit under control. I took a deep fortifying breath and walked resolutely downstairs, determined to stay calm and collected.
Reggie ran over to greet me as I stepped off the stairs, wriggling and dancing around me with enthusiasm. I smiled down at him. I adored Gareth's dog, and secretly wanted to steal him. I took a moment to scratch Reggie's head before I glanced across the room to see Gareth speaking to another man by the kitchen island.
Wow, this guy was seriously gorgeous with deep caramel skin and the most striking dark-green eyes I'd ever seen. His strong masculine features were enhanced by his close-cropped black hair and perfectly trimmed beard and mustache. He was tall and fit with broad shoulders and a trim waist. He was dressed in a similar outfit to Gareth's with athletic pants and a gray hoodie. I didn't realize I was standing there staring until their conversation stopped, and wide startled green eyes met mine.
"Well, hello there," he said warmly as a grin spread wide across his face. It made him even more gorgeous. He glanced over at Gareth and smirked, his eyes twinkling with amusement. Gareth looked
uncomfortable and frowned at his friend. "You must be Malory."
"Hi," I said lamely as the two men came closer, secretly happy that Gareth had mentioned me to his best friend. That was a good sign, right?
"I'm Derek." He thrust a hand out toward me, and I shook it. His grip was firm and confident, his warm hand rough just like Gareth's. "It's great to actually meet you." He shot a wry smile at Gareth, who returned it with a baleful glare.
"Um...you too," I replied, feeling slightly confused and thrown off by their unspoken communication. Was I missing something here?
"Well, it seems I've interrupted something," Derek added. "I don't want to be the third wheel, so I'm going to take off." He looked at his friend. "We can go spar another time."
"You don't have to go," I said sincerely. I didn't want to chase Derek away. I wasn't one to monopolize a guy's time or keep him from spending time with friends out of jealousy. I wasn't that kind of petty insecure woman. "Although Gareth did call you an enormous pain in his ass when you got here, so you may not actually be welcome," I added sardonically, wincing inside as the words just spewed out of me.
Derek burst out laughing immediately, his eyes dancing in amusement. He glanced over at Gareth. "Oh, I like her," he said gleefully. "The sarcasm is strong with this one. You need to keep her around." That earned him another glare from Gareth. Did he want me to leave?
"It's okay," I said, still feeling a little thrown off by Gareth's behavior this morning. "I don't want to mess up your plans, and I should get home anyway."
"I'll call my driver," Gareth announced as he pulled his phone out.
"Nonsense," Derek said in a slightly exasperated tone. "I can drop her off on our way to the gym since your car is being fixed, that way she doesn't have to wait around for a ride to show up."
Gareth pressed his lips together into a tight line as he gave his best friend a hard stare.
"I don't want to put you out or anything," I said, frowning at Gareth's reaction and feeling a little hurt again. "I can just take a cab," I added in a slightly dejected tone.
Gareth's eyes flashed over to me, and his brow creased worriedly as he put his phone back in his pocket. "You are not taking a cab," he said resolutely, like the very idea was ridiculous.
"Well, it's settled then," Derek announced, looking pleased with himself. "We'll drop Malory off on the way."
"Okay," I said softly, feeling confused as I went to the kitchen island and leaned against it to put my boots on.
I got the first one on okay, but I started wobbling on one stiletto as I attempted to pull on the other boot. Suddenly, Gareth was there with a steadying hand on my waist. He took the boot from my hand and slipped it onto my foot, his hand caressing my leg as he pulled it gently up my calf. His eyes met mine as he slowly closed the zipper. His hand continued a few more inches up my leg to caress my inner thigh as his gaze heated with obvious desire.
When he took his hand from my skin and straightened, I wobbled on my heels again from the slight swoon that hit me. He immediately took my hand to steady me yet again with a roguish smile. He then fetched my coat from the back of a stool next to the kitchen island and helped me into it.
I blushed a little as I looked at Derek to see if he noticed our silent exchange. Oh, he did alright. He was staring at Gareth with a slightly bemused smile.
"Let's go," Gareth announced, too busy still eying me like something he'd like to eat to notice his friend's reaction. He took my hand in his again, grabbed his gym bag off the kitchen island, and led me toward the door. Derek glanced down at our clasped hands, then caught my eye with a knowing smirk and winked at me, yet didn't say a word as he followed us out the door.
**********
"I have a great idea," Derek announced from the driver's seat of his luxurious black Mercedes SUV. "You should come watch us spar, Malory." He smiled gleefully over at me in the passenger seat as he drove down the street.
He insisted that I ride shotgun when we got into the vehicle, and over the last twenty minutes, I now knew more about Derek West then I realized I even knew about Gareth. The man was an open book and loved to talk. He'd been happily married to his wife, Thea, who was an emergency physician, for thirteen years, and they had two nine-year-old twin boys named Declan and Devlin. He worked with his father at Gareth's father's corporate law firm, and he and Gareth met their first year in high school.
I stole a quick glance at Gareth, who was sitting in the back seat behind Derek. He was pursing his lips as he glared at the back of Derek's head. He'd been mostly silent back there, broken only by the occasional comment or the low growls of disapproval when Derek told me about some of their stupid drunken exploits in college.
"She's not dressed for going to the gym, Derek," Gareth said irritably. "She's in a dress for Christ's sake."
"Her apartment is right on the way," Derek replied helpfully as he stopped at a red light. "We can make a quick stop for her to change clothes."
The two men stared at each other through the rear-view mirror, more silent communication passing between them. Derek's eyes turned hard and unwavering. It was scary and eerily similar to the look Gareth got in his eyes when he was feeling dominant. It made me suspect that Derek was a Dom too.
Finally, after a long tense moment, Gareth looked away and let out a sigh of resignation. "It's up to you, Malory," Gareth finally said in an unreadable tone. "You're more than welcome to join us, unless of course you have other plans."
"Um...okay," I replied uncertainly as I frowned at him, unsure if I really was welcome to join them.
"Excellent," Derek said, his demeanor laid back again. He flipped on the turn signal as the light turned green and headed toward my apartment building a few blocks down the street.
When Derek pulled to a stop in front of my red-brick apartment building, Gareth started scooting over toward the back passenger door. I appreciated that he was willing to walk me up to my apartment, but I needed a few minutes alone to gather my frayed and confused emotions right now.
"No need to come up," I announced in an overly cheery voice that sounded fake even to me as I opened my door. "I'll be back shortly."
I climbed out and hurried into the building before Gareth had a chance to follow me. I headed straight for the elevators and reached it just as one opened. I slipped past the middle-aged couple who stepped out and hit the button for my floor. I pulled my coat tighter around myself and let out a deep shuddering sigh as the doors closed me in by myself and the elevator began its ascent.
I felt like I'd been riding an emotional roller coaster since I woke in Gareth's bed this morning. I felt vulnerable and jittery, and unsure about what was going on between Gareth and me. Derek's openness to share made me realize just how little Gareth had actually shared with me about himself. Except for that one confession about his stepmother's death, I knew next to nothing about his personal life or his family and friends. If Derek hadn't shown up early, I probably wouldn't have even met him or be going to some gym with them. Almost everything we did or talked about revolved around sex. I was starting to wonder if I was just a booty call. I wanted to take a risk and maybe find love, but I didn't want to be used trying to get it.
The elevator opened on my floor, and I hurried to my apartment door, feeling like I might cry and not wanting to do it in the hallway. I let myself in and instantly breathed easier once I was in my own space again. I headed upstairs to my room to change clothes. I sat on the bed to pull my boots off.
Maybe I was reading too much into this. It's not like I'd shared that much about myself with Gareth either. I'd never asked him about his personal life anymore than he'd asked me. I'd been pushed by outside factors to mention my mother's passing to him. I never told him about my sister or my new niece, or the fact that he knew my brother-in-law. I never once mentioned Dean or Willa either. To be honest, I was scared to expose too much of myself to Gareth, which was laughable considering the kinky intimate things I let him do to my body without a second thought. If
I trusted him that much with my body, why not the rest of me? I felt like a hypocrite.
I stood and pulled my dress off, then put on a bra and clean panties. I pulled a hoodie and a pair of leggings on before sitting on the bed again to slip on my black canvas sneakers.
I thought about the few times I saw flashes of fear in his eyes. Maybe he was just as scared as I was to share too much of himself with someone new. I didn't know anything about any of his past relationships, but mine had been rocky and unsuccessful. At his age, he had to have had a few bad ones himself by now. That would certainly explain his fear and reticence to share anything personal with me. I went back downstairs and into the bathroom to pull my hair up into a loose bun.
There was something there between Gareth and me that was worth exploring and cultivating. I wasn't imagining things. I could feel it every time we were together, regardless of his moody unpredictable behavior today. There was more to Gareth than the intense and domineering paramour I loved submitting to in bed. I'd seen a softer side of Gareth in his fleeting glances and the brief moments of tenderness he'd shown me. I just needed to get him to feel safe enough to share more of it with me. Maybe the real risk I needed to take here was putting myself out there emotionally and showing Gareth that he had nothing to fear from me.
A sudden feeling of determination fell over me, followed by a wash of relief as I walked out of the bathroom. I grabbed my coat and resolutely left my apartment, feeling optimistic that I could conquer my fear of taking a risk and open myself up to this man.
Watch out Gareth, here comes the real Malory Burke. I hope you can handle it. Let's just hope I could handle it too.
15
GARETH
"You've got it really bad, man."
Dark Dominion: Dangerous Desire Book 1 Page 16