With a groan, he pulled back, but kept her pressed against him. “We need to get out of here. Just the thought of doing that to you again, but with a more intimate process, is making me crazy.”
She laughed, then pressed a kiss to the middle of his chest. “Sorry.”
Gaelen growled, tugging her along to get her moving. Away from her apartment and whatever bed she had in that small space.
Twenty minutes later, he led her through the maze of elegant tables in a beautiful restaurant that looked out over the Hudson River with the tall buildings of Manhattan and New Jersey in the distance. “This is amazing!” she sighed as she sat down. “I work at the rooftop bar, but I don’t really have time to enjoy the view.
“Good. Now you can relax and enjoy the skyline while I watch you.”
She cringed. “I’m not much to look at,” she replied. “Better to look through the windows.”
He paused in the process of draping his napkin over his lap. “You’re lovely, Savannah. Why don’t you believe that?”
She shrugged and changed the subject. “Have you eaten here before?”
“Yes.”
“Wonderful, then you can tell me what’s good on the menu.”
“Everything is good,” he said. “Why don’t you think that you’re attractive?”
She squinched up her nose as she read through the menu. “Lamb? I can’t eat lamb. I know some people love it, but I can’t eat something that’s on an Easter card.”
He chuckled. “You’re trying to change the subject, but I don’t think you understand how stubborn I can be.”
She huffed a bit, and put the menu down. “Look Gaelen, you’re obviously wealthy and many women, no judgement at all, need a wealthy man in their lives. That means that you have the most beautiful women possible at your beck and call.” She nodded towards an incredibly gorgeous blond woman sitting at a nearby table. “She keeps looking at you, hoping to get your attention.” She paused, “I think that’s Helen Giverny, by the way. So the fact that you have a movie star trying to gain your attention tells me that you’re the kind of man that has had many women over the years, all stunningly beautiful in one way or another.”
“I’ll admit that I haven’t been a monk, but…”
She held up a hand to stop his explanation. “I know that I’m not ugly, Gaelen. But I’m definitely not the kind of woman who can gain the attention of…”
“Who made you think you can’t gain a man’s attention, Savannah?” he demanded, a stern note to his voice.
Another slight shrug of her shoulder and she looked out the window. “I couldn’t even get the attention of my own father. Why would any other man be different?”
Gaelen blinked, stunned at what she’d just revealed. Her father hadn’t bothered to show her that she was worthy in his eyes? What kind of demented bastard would diminish their own child’s worth? “What did he do?” he asked, his voice softer now.
“Who?”
He reached over and took her hand. “Your father. What did he do to make you feel so invisible?”
Savannah stared at their fingers, startled by his question. “He didn’t do anything,” she replied. “He provided a safe home and food. I had everything I needed growing up.”
“Except love and affection, I’m guessing,” he countered. “And help with college expenses.”
She shrugged. “Parents aren’t required to pay for a child’s college expenses.”
“No, but it’s nice when they do.”
She tilted her head slightly. “I’ve made it on my own.”
“How many years has it taken you to make it on your own?”
She grinned, feeling a bit of pride. “Several years longer than I’d expected, but a couple of those years were wasted in a traditional university setting. I first went to college to study biology, but quickly realized that I wasn’t interested in the subject. Plus, the idea of blood and cells and other living organisms kind of gave me the willies. Not a good career path for me.”
“So, you dropped out of one school and enrolled in design classes?”
She grinned, shaking her head. “It wasn’t such a linear path. I enrolled in art school for a while, and was surprised at how much I liked the classes, but I quickly figured out that I wasn’t going to be a fabulous artist. I just don’t have the talent to paint or draw. But I discovered how much I love colors and textures. I have a good eye for shapes and, on a fluke, took a class on interior design. I fell in love with the concepts and, from that moment on, I knew what I wanted to do with my life. I love creating environments that soothe or excite. So many designers stick with a certain style in their designs. I challenge myself to come up with a different style with every project. It’s the most wonderful job!” she sighed happily. Then realized that she was rambling and pulled her hand away, hiding it under the table. “Sorry,” she muttered. “I tend to wax poetic. Most people aren’t that interested.”
“I am,” he countered.
The waiter arrived and Gaelen ordered a bottle of wine that she couldn’t pronounce even if she had the name right in front of her. Savannah sat back in the chair, pretending to understand what was being said, but since they were speaking a foreign language, she was clueless.
When the waiter disappeared again, she leaned forward. “What did you order for me?”
“Chicken,” was all he replied. “Tell me more about your father.”
Savannah blinked. “Chicken? Just chicken? Am I going to like it?”
“Yes. Your father,” he said with a nod.
“My father is an accountant. He is dedicated to his clients and does an excellent job.” She shifted. “Is there anything special about the chicken you ordered for me?”
“There’s a sauce,” he replied. “Did you ever do anything with your father on the weekends?”
She tilted her head, enjoying the challenging conversation. “He worked weekends. What kind of sauce?”
“Cream sauce. Did you take vacations during the summer months?”
She shifted in her chair, stifling her amusement. “No, I worked over the summer months in order to save up for college. Is that really all you’re going to tell me about what you ordered for me?”
His eyes glittered with admiration at her determination. “It’s called poulet dijionaise. It’s a classic French chicken recipe but this restaurant makes the mustard sauce into a creamy sauce that adds just the right tang to the chicken. It comes with asparagus tips and braised potatoes.” He paused, his gaze cleary telling her that he wasn’t going into more detail. “Now, about your father….?”
“What did you order?”
He looked across the table at her, finally understanding. “You don’t want to discuss your father, do you?”
She grinned, her eyes twinkling at him over the linen covered table. “Not really. Why don’t we discuss your father?”
He laughed as the sommelier arrived with their wine. It was a delicious crisp, white wine with a lingering sweetness that countered the initial tart flavor. Savannah savored each sip, closing her eyes in order to experience every nuance of the wine’s amazing flavors. “Oh, this is wonderful.”
When she opened her eyes again, she looked at him with determination. “So, about your father?”
Gaelen grinned again. “My father was a strong, powerful leader and he was very attentive. He took us on camping trips into the mountains, although my mother absolutely refused to come with us. My older sister finally dropped out of those adventures as well, although Talia was determined to do everything that her brothers did, even though she almost caught on fire during one of our adventures into the wild.”
Savannah gasped. “Caught on fire? How?”
He shook his head derisively, thinking about the incident. “She loved building up the fires, probably because all three of us were into fires. I don’t think she really cared about the fire, she just wanted to do whatever we did. So one night, Amit, the oldest of my brothers, was bent down, blowing at th
e embers to stoke the flames. Talia was already in her pajamas, which were some floaty white thing with lots of material. She never should have been near the fire and my father told her to stay away several times. She thought he was just being overly protective and danced closer and closer.”
“Oh no!” Savannah groaned, cringing because she now understood where this story was going.
“Exactly. Talia was watching my dad instead of the fire. Amit finally got the twigs to catch and the flames whipped up at the same time her nightgown did. The flames caught the hem of her nightgown.”
“Was she injured?”
Gaelen shook his head. “No. My father might have turned his back for a moment, but he knew to keep an eye on her. She was probably too young to be out with us, but she wanted to come so badly. So, he’d kept watching and saw in an instant what was going on. As soon as he saw the flame on her hem, he picked her up and tossed her into the river.” He grinned at the memory. “She came up sputtering and coughing, not sure what had happened. My father was furious, but he jumped right in after her and brought her back to the camp.”
“Did she stop going on camping trips after that?”
Gaelen chuckled. “No, she loves camping, even now. But my father made sure that she wore more practical pajamas on camping trips after that incident.”
Savannah sighed. “That’s a lovely story. Did you go camping with your family often?”
The waiter arrived with their meals and Savannah’s mouth watered. “This looks fantastic!”
“We didn’t go as often as I would have liked. We were all pretty busy growing up. But we did other things together. My father taught all of us how to ride.”
Savannah paused, looking over at him. “Ride? Ride what?”
He winked at her. “Horses. We have a stable filled with horses. I’ll teach you.”
“Oh no! I’m perfectly fine using my own two feet to get around. I don’t need a horse! Thank you though.”
He looked at her curiously. “Have you ever ridden a horse?’
She shook her head, lifting her hands into the air. “Nope! And see how healthy I am?” she teased. “Turns out that not climbing on top of a massive animal didn’t hurt my progression from childhood to adulthood at all! So no, I won’t be learning to ride.”
“It’s an awesome experience,” he argued.
She stabbed another bite of her chicken. “I’m sure it is, but I’ll trust you on that subject. What about your siblings? What do they do?”
Gaelen was reluctant to share details about his family’s business – that of running Izara. For some reason, Savannah was painfully aware of the differences in their economic status, so he didn’t want to place another psychological obstacle in the path of their relationship. But he didn’t want to lie to her either.
“My older brother is a leader. He’s annoying as hell a lot of the time, but I take him out often enough on the mats to keep him humble. My younger brother, Tarin, is a sort of infrastructure architect. He oversees road construction and bridges, public buildings. My sister oversees public services and is invested in engaging kids in schools and activities. She’s pretty passionate about her efforts, nagging my older brother to help finance her efforts.”
Savannah smiled at the idea. “That sounds lovely. Your family seems pretty ambitious.” Her eyes lowered and she toyed with the food on her plate. Finally, she set her fork down and folded her hands under the table. “What do you see in me, Gaelen? I’m not that ambitious. I just want to decorate rooms and make them pretty.”
He stared at her for a long moment, then stood, offering her a hand. “Let’s go,” and he stood up, taking her hand.
Savannah resisted, glancing back at the table. “Don’t we need to pay the check?”
He shook his head. “It’s taken care of,” he promised her.
Ten minutes later, he pulled her into the penthouse suite of the hotel and spun her around, walking her backwards towards his bedroom.
“What are you doing?”
He glared at her. “You don’t believe you’re beautiful and that’s a shame, Savannah. And what’s worse, you don’t believe you’re worthy of a man’s attention. I’m going to change that. Tonight, I’m going to convince you that you’re beautiful and worthy. I’m going to show you just how damn beautiful and worthy you are.”
And with that statement hanging in the air between them, he kissed her, backing her up towards his bed.
For a long moment, Savannah was stunned, not by his kiss, but by his words and intentions. Show her she was worthy? Of course she knew that she was worthy. What was he talking about? And more importantly, what was he doing?
A moment later, the questions inside her head stopped. “Yes!” she hissed when his hands cupped her breasts. She could feel the heat of his hands even through her bra and her dress.
“I love kissing you, Savannah. You have an incredibly sexy mouth.”
She moaned as his thumb rubbed against her nipple, leaving her weak in the knees.
“And your breasts are the perfect size for my hands.”
She whimpered when his hands moved away from her breasts. She reached up, intending to pull his hands back, but she could only wrap her fingers around his wrists since his fingers were busy releasing the buttons of her dress. A moment later, her dress was gone, sliding to her feet with a whisper of sound. Then his hands moved back to her breasts, cupping their weight while his thumbs stroked over the taut tips, back and forth, back and forth and it felt so damn good!
“I want to see the color of your nipples,” he said, then his hands were gone. She arched her back at the feeling of his strong fingers releasing her bra clasp. It had been a really long time since any man had seen her breasts.
Suddenly, she was shy and her arms whipped up to hold her bra in place. Looking up into his eyes, she said, “I don’t want to be the only one naked in this situation.”
Immediately, while keeping his eyes on hers, he quickly released the buttons on his shirt. She had no idea where his jacket and tie had gone, but she enjoyed seeing the tanned skin of his chest emerge as the buttons released. He wasn’t slow about it. He tossed the dress shirt onto the floor, then stood in front of her, waiting.
She knew what he wanted and, with trembling hands, lowered her arms to her sides, allowing her bra to fall to the floor on top of her dress.
His eyes didn’t leave her own. Instead, he stepped forward, gently cupping her face as he kissed her, causing her insides to melt. He didn’t touch her anywhere but her head and her lips and she felt…wonderful! Glorious!
Then his mouth was gone and she yelped as he scooped her up and deposited her on the bed she hadn’t realized was behind her. Laying her down in the middle, she watched him, watching her. This time, when he looked over her body, she wanted to cover herself. But needing to be brave, she forced her hands to remain at her sides, letting him look.
“You’re so beautiful,” he murmured, releasing his belt buckle and, in no time at all, his pants and boxers were gone, leaving him bare, his glorious body free for her to look at.
And he was magnificent!
All those muscles her fingers had discovered over the past two days were on full display. She remembered what his hands had done earlier and shivered, eager to experience that glorious release once more.
“I’m letting you take a look,” he whispered, as he moved onto the bed, his knees pressing her legs wide before he lowered himself into the cradle of her hips. “And I was enjoying looking at you too.”
“Oh,” she whispered, overwhelmed by the delicious feeling of his body against hers, naked chest to her breasts, and that hard part of him pressing so intimately against her. It felt amazingly good and her brain completely short-circuited.
“I’m going to make love to you, Savannah,” he whispered against her throat.
She barely registered his words. Her hands sliding up over his shoulders, along his chest, moving lower as she explored every inch of him. He was truly g
lorious! She heard him groan as her hands moved over his chest, which encouraged her to explore, needing to know everything about him. Savannah shivered when she felt his muscles tremble as she touched his sides, and the guttural sound when her fingers slid over those fascinating male nipples entranced her. So she lifted up, kissing one, then the other, smiling when he growled.
“My turn!” He grabbed her hands and held them over her head, then lowered his mouth to capture one nipple, then the other into his mouth, repeating what she’d done to him.
She couldn’t stop the gasp of pleasure and surprise, arching her back, silently offering her breasts. She tugged at her hands, but his grip was firm, holding her hands out of the way.
“I want to touch you,” she whispered.
“You had your turn,” he replied, taking her nipple into his mouth and sucking, intensifying the pleasure from moments before.
She shrieked, arching her back further, then trying to wiggle away since the pleasure was so intense. He wouldn’t let her escape, but he moved his mouth lower, kissing her stomach, her hips…and then lower.
“No!” she gasped, trying to pull away when she realized his goal.
“Relax, Savannah,” he soothed, releasing her wrists to hold onto her hips. “You’re going to love this.”
She shook her head, still trying to wiggle away, but he only laughed softly. A moment later, he kissed her inner thigh, the top of her mound, teasing her. She held very still, feeling his hands moving and his hot breath teasing along her skin.
“I’m going to get you some proper lingerie,” he vowed.
Gaelen’s words were meant to distract and they worked like a miracle. She lifted her head to watch the white cotton fall onto the floor. Meanwhile, he lowered his head, getting his first taste of her sweet nectar. She gasped and tried again to pull away, but he was intoxicated and wasn’t going to be denied, especially when he knew she would like this.
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