He held back, just the tip of his erection nestling into her folds. “Easy, baby,” he warned as he moved his hips, sinking a little deeper into her. And then a little more, slowly moving forward, and then back, working himself in. Her eyes rolled in her head at how good it felt. She instinctively knew it would feel even better deeper.
“Gabriel. I’m good. Swear to God,” she promised, dropping little kisses to the sides of his mouth. “Give me more.”
He growled. “You’re killing me here, baby.” He surged forward, entering her fully, stretching and filling her.
Ouch?
Eva stiffened only slightly at the sharp sting that was quickly replaced by incredible sensations roaring through her. She tentatively rolled her hips and, oh, God, just about came apart again.
Gabriel cursed softly and stilled, his body tense. She opened her eyes to see him watching her, his expression more open than she’d ever seen it. Almost tender.
“Eva . . .” His voice was husky. “Tell me you’re okay.”
“I’m okay,” she promised. “Please don’t stop.” She lifted her hips, taking him deeper into her newly awakened body. “Oh, yes, like that,” she praised as he began moving. “God, that’s so good . . . so good . . .”
Good was an understatement. More like fucking incredible.
“Sweetheart . . .” He rocked his hips slowly and gently at first, allowing her the time to become accustomed. “You’re perfect. Just like I knew you’d be.”
After a few minutes, he changed the pace, quickening into an even pounding rhythm. She gripped his slick shoulders, running her nails in a pattern down his back, and tightened her thighs around him, her mind glorying in the pleasure he was drawing from her.
A pleasure she now understood could become an addiction.
CHAPTER 9
The dull early light of a typical West Coast morning brought Gabriel into full awake mode. He aimed a drowsy glance at the clock on the bedside table and wasn’t surprised to find it was later than he normally slept. On any other day, he’d be settled in his office by now. But not this morning. No way in hell.
Shifting his attention to the warm body cradled in his arms, he wondered if he’d ever bother going to work again. Eva was sleeping soundly, hair spread all around them. She had one hand fisted and tucked under her cheek, her long leg draped over his.
A virgin.
She’d been untouched until last night. Had given herself to him. Had allowed him the honor of introducing her to the pleasures of sex. And what pleasures they’d shared.
He had been shocked stupid when she’d admitted it was her first time. Had thought, while waiting for his brain to come back online, that he’d heard her wrong. There was no way—no fucking way—a woman like Eva, whose body practically screamed sex, could still be innocent.
But she was. Or had been.
Definitely wasn’t any longer.
He’d had her twice before they’d finally fallen into an exhausted, sated sleep. He hardened now, remembering.
And then dread started snaking its way into his gut, threatening to ruin his morning.
He was a selfish, egotistical bastard.
How could he lay here replaying what she’d looked like while she climaxed when danger lurked around every corner? Vasily’s enemies. Stefano, out for blood. Gabriel’s imminent limb loss for having allowed his relationship with Eva to escalate.
He ran a lock of her hair through his fingers and remembered her powerful response to him. Protectiveness—possessiveness—clenched in his chest. This was not about sex. He was forming a bond with her. And he was overwhelmed. And, yeah, he’d admit it, a little uncomfortable with what was going on inside him. He didn’t like not being in control. And he needed to be very much in control if he was going to keep her safe.
He slipped his legs out from under her and rose from the bed, looking down at her in all her nude glory. It will be entirely your fault if something happens to her.
He covered Eva with the sheet and turned away, the familiar weight of responsibility and guilt settling on his shoulders. He shrugged into a robe and snagged his crumpled pants off the floor. After digging his phone out of his pocket, he turned it on and ignored the series of vibrations—messages begging for attention. He scrolled through and found his hotel manager that covered this shift. After he told her what he needed from the boutique downstairs—which wouldn’t be open to the public for a couple more hours—he disconnected.
He was being watched.
He turned to find her in the same position he’d left her; only now her eyes were half-open and looking right at him. He dropped his pants and moved toward her like a magnet to metal, settling on the edge of the bed, close enough that he could reach out and slowly brush his knuckles down her cheek.
“Good morning.”
“Morning.” Her soft smile and sleepy voice were captivating.
She pushed herself into a sit with one arm, keeping the sheet across her naked breasts. She flipped her long hair over her head so that it fell like an obsidian waterfall down her back.
“What time is it? I should be getting dressed, huh? You probably have to leave for—Oh, nooo!”
She screeched the last words, and, in a movement so fast he barely tracked it, she was on her knees, all traces of warm sleepiness gone as if they’d never been.
“What time is it, Gabriel?” she gasped, jumping off the bed, her head whipping from side to side so that her hair flew around like a beautiful black tornado. “Shitshitshitshit!”
He surged to his feet, swallowing his shock at her near-hysterical actions, and tried to avoid getting slapped by hands that were flapping in front of her like little birds. Even in her agitated state she’d, unfortunately, taken the sheet with her to modestly keep her naked body covered.
He grasped her shoulders firmly, stilling her. “What is it? Tell me what’s wrong.”
“I start my new job today!”
The endearing wail had him fighting a smile. That was it?
“Eva. Sweetheart, it’s not even seven yet.”
She blinked up at him, her sudden stillness almost eerie after her panicked display.
“There’s no rush,” he assured her, his voice gravelly now. “We have plenty of time to get you to work.” Not that they couldn’t be late, but whatever. And how the hell had he managed to sound so calm when his body was all but shooting sparks?
Drawing her close, he nuzzled her neck and wondered how he was going to explain things once they reached the office. Man, the scent of her skin drove him wild. He straightened and deliberately put her away a few inches.
“You were looking around earlier. Were you, by any chance, searching for something to wear?”
Her gaze landed on the tattered remains of her dress. “My clothes . . .”
“Lost the battle,” he finished for her. “Go shower. I’ll take care of it.” Unable to say any more than that—now that the image of what he’d found under the dress was jammed in his mind’s eye—he fisted his hands at his sides and spun for the door. He had to get away from her before he crumbled and took her down, spewing all sorts of bullshit he had no business even thinking.
He went out into the main room and waited ten harried minutes before there was a knock on the suite’s door. He took the offered garment bag, didn’t bother thanking a grinning Jak, and then went through to the bathroom to hook the hanger on the back of the door.
He wanted to join her, but he couldn’t do that. She was most likely tender after last night. And if they lingered, Eva might be late for work. And then her boss might have to punish her.
He smiled at the thought.
With more willpower than he thought he possessed, he gently closed the bathroom door and stalked across the bedroom into his closet. He stalled, staring at the many Armanis and Tom Fords hanging on the left. He yanked one down, grabbed socks and a pair of Ferragamos, and quietly rattled off every curse word he’d ever lear
ned growing up. In English, Italian, and Russian. Quite a repertoire.
He was leaving her, he realized. Had to go to New York like he and Alek had decided. Deal with his brother.
Fuck. He really did not want to have to choose between Eva’s life and his brother’s. Even after everything . . . he didn’t want to go there.
Regardless of how he handled the situation, he was heading out tonight. Should he take Eva with him?
And bring her that much closer to a man who wanted her dead?
Fuck, no. So she stayed here. Shit. He didn’t like that. Didn’t like any of this. Especially the leaving her part. He’d be days without her. And she’d be days with Jak, Alek, and a few others glued to her perfect ass to ensure her safety while he was gone. Quan, he already knew, would insist on going with him.
He stalked back into the bedroom and froze at the sight that greeted him. The boutique manager had turned his request for something casual into a black-and-turquoise sleeveless summer dress that reached Eva’s ankles. The black nail polish on her toes twinkled in the morning light as she slipped her feet into a pair of black sandals that had a beaded design across the front in the same color scheme as the dress. Her wet hair was twisted and secured to her nape with who knew what so that the long slender column of her neck and throat were exposed.
She straightened and gave a start when she saw him, running a hand over the material covering her flat navel in a self-conscious gesture. “Thank you, Gabriel. It’s lovely.” Her voice was curiously raspy in its discomfit. She bent and grabbed the heels she’d worn last night. “I have to go. I still have to drive home . . .”
She trailed off as he approached, holding her eyes, not liking in the least how uncomfortable she appeared. It’s her first “morning after,” he reminded himself, satisfaction lighting him up as he dropped a kiss to the side of her neck. “Of course. Let me shower quickly and I’ll bring you to your car.”
She shook her head. “I’ve most likely already put you behind schedule. No need to make it worse. I’ll find it on my own.”
His brows came down. “You haven’t done anything to my schedule, Eva. If I want to take a few hours because some exquisite creature wants to rock my world—which you did—then I’ll take those hours.” He kissed her shocked mouth. “Now go out and have a coffee from the tray that always appears on my dining room table each morning. Help yourself to whatever else you find. It’s usually something simple, like fruit and yogurt. I’ll only be a few minutes.”
Without giving her a chance to protest, he disappeared into the bathroom and closed the door behind him. If she was gone when he got out, she was going to be one very sorry girl, he vowed as he hung his suit on the door and dialed Quan.
“Morning.” His boy’s voice was sharp and alert.
“Morning. You still home?”
“Just hanging in my room until I hear not one but two sets of footsteps this morning, since her car is still in the garage.”
Gabriel’s lips twitched. “Listen for one in case she leaves without me. If she does, stay on her. But she shouldn’t.” He hoped she didn’t. “Have her car brought around. You’ll follow her home—”
“Jak will.”
“What?”
“Jak will follow her home. I’m on you.”
Of course. Gabriel sighed impatiently at the details. “Fine. You tell Jak to follow her home, where she’ll change and then leave again right away. Once she makes it to the office, you and he can meet up and hang until I need you later. Do you know if he ran the plates on the sedan from last night?”
“Rental. Bob Miller. Figured a generic name like that would be exactly what it was, so we dug deeper. It was Stefano’s PI, who is now sweating it up at the warehouse. Seems the guy has a conscience. Had a letter in his pocket addressed to you. He told Jak he was going to drop it off at the hotel on his way to the airport.”
Gabriel frowned. “What’d it say?”
“ ‘They know about the girl. Keep her away from her house.’ ”
Gabriel nodded around his surprise at the gesture. “Get the fuck outta here.”
“No lie, brother.”
Fuck and double fuck. Eva was going home now. “Let him go,” he said, getting back to the PI. “Warn him never to come at me again, though. Without roughing him up. He was only doing what he was being paid to do. And keep his info, because he was damned good at his job. Next, I want you to call Nick and tell him to head next door and do a sweep of Eva’s house. I also want Bobby T to comb the area, make sure no one’s hanging on the street.”
“Will do.”
“Thanks, man.”
He ended the call, catching his reflection in the mirror as he reached in to start the shower. Now that Eva knew them all, they were going to have a hell of a time shadowing her without her picking them off. She was no dummy. But, they’d deal. Her protection was the most im—
Gabriel’s muscles solidified, his stomach dropping as if he’d just taken a leap out his bedroom window. Protection! He hadn’t used any protection last night. Not once. How the fuck had he forgotten about the box of condoms he’d tucked into his nightstand just yesterday morning?
An image of a pregnant Eva formed in his mind. Jesus Christ. What an incredible sight that would be. She’d make an amazing mother. And he . . . a father. Together they’d be—
He stopped the thoughts before they went any further.
What kind of life could someone with his background offer? She deserved better. Hell, most, if not all, of his friends still played integral roles in their crime families. Including Eva’s own father—who just might wipe him out for bedding his only daughter. If Stefano didn’t get to her first, to make every other point moot.
As long as she was involved with Gabriel, there was a target on her back. And by default, a target on any child they may have.
How in the motherfuck could he have been so irresponsible?
Gabriel stepped into the spray of the shower as the ugly truth set in.
He was becoming the biggest threat to Eva’s life.
After leaving Gabriel just outside the revolving doors of the Crown Jewel, Eva had stopped and grabbed a double-raw-skinny-latte from Starbucks before whipping home to make herself presentable for her first day on the job. As she removed the expensive dress Gabriel must have purchased from the boutique she’d seen off the lobby, she remembered how he’d looked when she’d turned from her perusal of the breakfast tray. She’d forgotten all about the large bowl of fresh strawberries, the yogurt, and the heavenly smelling croissants.
He’d been finishing a call as he’d come into the main room, his hair still wet, shrugging on the jacket to a dark-gray suit. He’d looked the part of hotelier more in that second than she’d imagined he could have. He’d crossed the room and kissed her. She’d been able to taste the mint of his toothpaste.
He’d released her with a squeeze to her waist and handed her a plastic bag. “For your shoes.”
She’d gratefully accepted it and tossed the shoes she’d been wearing last night into it, relieved she wouldn’t have to carry them through the lobby in full view of the guests.
It had been surreal.
The whole night had been surreal.
Glancing at the clock on her dresser, Eva set the shiver-inducing memory aside and shook out her hair—it was nearly dry—and put it up again in a neat chignon. She donned a knit bloodred dress her mother had given her last year that had clean lines. It reached just below the knee and had capped sleeves and a curved neckline that she accented with a black-and-white polka-dot scarf. She slipped her feet into a pair of black heels and put on a silver bracelet and matching earrings, then applied a thin coat of makeup.
Good. Now she looked like a business professional rather than someone who had spent the night having mind-blowing orgasms in a stranger’s bed.
After grabbing her sleek briefcase—empty but for the basics—and her purse, she left the house.
The drive didn’t take long, which was wonderful since she’d left no time for traffic issues. She was pushing it to be there on time as it was.
She left her car in one of the public lots and took a calming breath before entering the building that housed her new, but temporary, office.
And there came the expected nerves, ripples of anxiety taking up residence in her belly as she passed by chatting groups of men and women while avoiding her anxious reflection in the smoky mirrors that made up the entire east wall of the lobby.
She allowed her thoughts to drift to Gabriel. More enjoyable than concentrating on her nerves. When would she see him again? Would she see him again? They hadn’t arranged anything.
She tried not to frown. Had she just had her first one-night stand? Here she was, assuming there would be more, but what if that was all Gabriel had wanted from her?
Her over-caffeinated stomach churned. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that.
Liar.
Okay. She knew how a part of her felt about that. She didn’t like the idea. At all.
The other part was glad she’d shared the intimate experience with someone she might never see again. Gabriel was the kind of man a woman could get lost in, and she’d seen how horribly that had worked out for her mother. If nothing else, last night had allowed her to understand Kat in a way she never had before.
No, better to treasure the amazing first sexual experience of her life and move on. No romantic entanglements. No ruining her life over a man.
No repeating her mother’s mistakes.
Somewhat resolved, she took the remaining steps over to one of two women sitting behind the long polished counter.
“Good morning. May I help you?”
“Good morning,” Eva responded, smiling at the attractive Middle Eastern woman. “I’m here to—”
“Ms. Jacobs?”
She turned at the interruption to see a dark-haired, hazel-eyed man who belonged on the cover of GQ approaching. “Yes?”
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