All I Want Is You (19 page)

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Authors: Kayla Perrin

BOOK: All I Want Is You
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“I can't believe my sister had you cooking. You were supposed to be our guest.”
“Your sister and I had a great time. It was a lot of fun.”
Gabriel shifted his body closer to hers. “I'm glad you came. I'm sorry we got off to such a rough start, though,” he said, referring to his ex-wife and the drama that followed her like a shadow.
Malisa shrugged her shoulders. She'd been only slightly bothered by the woman and she said so, questioning the relationship between the two of them. “How long have you two been divorced?” she asked.
“Five, almost six years now.”
“I get the impression that she hasn't truly moved on yet. Maybe she's still hoping the two of you will get back together. How about you? Have you moved on?”
Gabriel took a deep breath. He dropped back against the cushions, resting on the wealth of pillows that decorated the upholstered furniture. “I can only speak for myself, but I assure you, Malisa, I am completely over my marriage to Delores. There is absolutely nothing between us other than our commitment to our son.”
“I don't get the impression that your ex-wife would agree with you,” Malisa said.
Gabriel blew a deep sigh, warm breath washing over his full lips. He turned to stare at Malisa. “If someone had asked me two days ago about starting a new relationship, I would have told them that I had no interest in doing so. I've had a few dates since I divorced, but to maintain peace for my son, I've avoided getting serious with anyone. In fact, I was really determined to
not
get involved with anyone until after Trey turns eighteen and graduates from high school.
“I didn't think it would be fair of me to pull anyone into my mess, and I know that dealing with my ex can be extremely difficult.” He paused, his gaze dropping down to her manicured fingers. “I know that Delores and I still have some issues between us, but that is not a relationship I'm interested in going back to. I have no love for my ex-wife. Absolutely none at all,” he emphasized as he reached for her hand.
He clasped her fingers between his own. “Like I said last night, I really like you, Malisa. I would like to get to know you better. I'm curious to know where we might take this, so I hope Delores hasn't scared you off.”
Malisa dropped into deep thought. Men with babymama drama were at the top of her list of things she didn't want in her life. She was also a woman who required a lot of attention, and she didn't take kindly to any man who was distracted by a family that took that attention away from her. Kids and ex-wives tended to need even more attention than she did.
But there was something about Gabriel that excited her. The man was intoxicating, his sex appeal leaving her drunk with wanting. Heat rushed through her, and she knew that nothing and no one, not even a bitter ex-wife, could stall the desire that had surged with a vengeance and had her wanting Gabriel Whitman the way she'd never wanted any man before him.
Malisa smiled, lifting her eyes back to his. “No, Delores doesn't scare me.”
However, wanting you scares me to death,
she thought to herself, fighting not to say the words out loud. She studied the long length of his fingers. His hands were slightly calloused, feeling like a workingman's hand. She was surprised as she drew her index finger across the weathered flesh.
Gabriel read her mind. “I have an extensive car collection. I like to spend my time working on the engines. My hands tend to get beat up a bit. It's probably time for me to get myself a good manicure.”
Malisa laughed. “You have great hands.” She lifted her eyes to his as she pulled his palm to her lips and kissed the center of it. There was a lingering moment when neither of them spoke one word, the two of them focused on the wave of wanting that seemed to wash over them.
Gabriel pressed his hand to the side of her face, his fingers caressing her profile. His touch was heating her too quickly, and Malisa was suddenly in desperate need of cool air to blow between them. Her heartbeat thundered beneath her breast. Her palms began to perspire. She pulled her hand from his, brushing the rise of moisture against her black silk pants. She spoke his name, then paused, words catching in her throat as her thoughts suddenly became muddled.
His name on her lips suddenly had Gabriel's insides melting. There was no denying that something was brewing between them. Gabriel felt it intensely, the urgency of it lengthening a rock-hard erection in his slacks. Despite wanting to maintain a semblance of control, Malisa's presence reminded him that he was wholeheartedly a hot-blooded male.
He got to his feet, hoping to hide the telltale sign of his desire. He moved to the other side of the room to stare out the windows that overlooked his rear yard. The nearness of her was making him think of nothing but pure, unadulterated pleasure, and he desperately needed to regain sense of his mind and his body.
Outside, there was no evidence of the Olympic-sized swimming pool that connected to the back patio. Snow covered the pool's top and the grass, a winterwhite carpet of cold fluff decorating the landscape. As Gabriel focused on the lingering flakes that still blew outside, Malisa moved behind him, drawing her hand against his lower back. Her touch surprised him, and he closed his eyes for a quick minute, the sensation of her caress like a bolt of lightning flooding through him. His erection hardened even more, and Gabriel was unable to stall the hunger that seemed to suddenly consume him. His gaze washed over Malisa's thoughtful expression.
Moving in front of him, Malisa wrapped one of his arms around her waist, and then she wrapped the other, moving him to clasp his fingers together at the small of her back. She snuggled her pelvis tight to his. Feeling his desire as it stirred with a mind of its own between them brought a coy smile to her face. Gabriel smiled back, his seductive stare stirring a longing deep in the core of her feminine spirit. She lifted her arms around his neck and pulled him to her, reaching up on her tiptoes to lift her mouth to meet his. She wanted to be kissed, and she wanted Gabriel to kiss her right then and there.
Needing no coaxing, he held her tightly, his large hands skating the length of her back and buttocks. His fingers curved against the round of her bottom as he pulled her tighter against himself, feeling the steel between his legs pulsing against the soft core of her pubis. His mouth danced like silk against hers, his tongue snaking past the line of her teeth. Her breath was sweet, her tongue warm and darting. The kiss was intense and deep, and it was like nothing either of them had ever experienced before. Gabriel couldn't deny that he wanted more.
The duo was so lost in the embrace that they didn't hear the door opening behind them. It wasn't until Trey cleared his throat, calling for his father's attention, that they pulled away, widening the space between them. Gabriel held her gaze for a moment, something he didn't understand shifting through his emotions. She smiled and nodded her understanding, sensing that she, too, was feeling what he was feeling.
Gabriel turned toward his son, who stood in the entranceway with a smug grin on his face. “Yes, Trey?”
“Sorry to interrupt, but Mom's blowing up both of our cell phones. She says it's important and that you need to call her right now.”
“Why didn't she call the house phone?”
“Aunt Naomi took it off the hook. Something about not wanting to be annoyed on Christmas Day.”
Gabriel took a deep breath. His gaze fell back on Malisa as he studied her intently. He leaned to give her one last kiss, a quick peck against her closed mouth. Then he politely excused himself and followed his son out of the room.
Chapter 7
It was almost three o'clock in the morning, and Gabriel was wide-eyed and awake, unable to stop thinking about Malisa Ivey. Thoughts of the woman still had him hard, his desire refusing to subside. He heaved a deep sigh as he cupped a heavy palm over his crotch, adjusting the length of himself in his briefs.
Malisa had said her good-byes shortly after he'd finished his telephone conversation with Trey's mother. Delore's intrusion had left him annoyed and frustrated, most especially because she hadn't wanted him for anything important. He had also sensed that Malisa had not been happy about the interruption either. But then why should she be? No woman wanted drama at the onset of a new relationship, and he certainly didn't want Malisa to have to deal with his mess. His son had been the only one to find any humor in the unnecessary drama. Gabriel heaved a deep sigh.
Still thinking about Malisa and the look in her eyes when she stared at him, the way her lips curved into a coquettish smile, had him breathing heavily. His member was throbbing for release, the engorged organ tenting the fabric of his briefs. He gently caressed the line of his penis beneath the cotton undergarment.
Thinking about the beautiful woman had him horny as hell, unable to shake the yearning from his mind. Gabriel slid his hand into the front opening, wrapping his hand around the length of his manhood. He gripped the shaft with a tight fist and squeezed. His fingers gently stroked the sensitive underside, toying with his testicles. With his other hand, he adjusted the pillows beneath his head, reclining back to make himself more comfortable. His legs sprawled open as he pulled his erection free, beginning to slowly stroke the length of hard flesh.
With his eyes closed, he thought of the beautiful woman and the kiss they'd shared, her lips sweetly dancing against his. She'd felt good in his arms, her softness molding nicely against his hard lines. Gabriel was stroking himself more vigorously, imagining Malisa's touch, her perfectly manicured nails caressing his flesh, teasing and taunting as she wrapped her delicate hands around his throbbing organ.
He fell into the fantasy, imagining himself making sweet love to her, teasing her sensibilities with his mouth as he drew a line of easy kisses in the inner curve of her neck, between the cleavage of her full breasts, his tongue lapping at her belly button. He imagined himself tasting her, his mouth meeting her flesh in an intimate kiss, pleasuring her most sensitive spot, Malisa pleading with him to never stop.
He imagined her riding the length of him, her petite frame rocking rhythmically against him. He wanted to feel her, to dance inside the softness that made her female. The wanting was intense, building with frenzy as he continued to pleasure himself. He rubbed himself harder and harder, images of Malisa flashing through his mind.
His ministrations became more urgent as he stroked himself more furiously, his fist flying up and down his shaft until his toes curled and his back arched. Then suddenly his legs trembled, and his buttocks tightened and clenched as a wave of intense pleasure washed over him. Gabriel stifled a cry as he climaxed, Malisa's name on the tip of his tongue.
Lying there, waiting for his breathing to return to normal and his body to stop quivering from aftershocks, Gabriel was completely focused on wanting to make Malisa Ivey his. Minutes passed before he finally reached for the box of tissue that rested on the nightstand, wiping the remnants of his orgasm from his fingers and palm. He readjusted himself back into his briefs.
He hoped Malisa was thinking about him as intensely as he was thinking of her. Malisa Ivey had his nose wide open, the stirrings in his spirit reminiscent of his first crush and love, only ten times stronger. It had been some time since any woman had him playing with himself as he imagined the two of them together. And although he knew there were many females in his little black book who would have been delighted to provide him with some sensual companionship, he suddenly couldn't imagine himself with any other woman but Malisa.
With most of her relatives gone, Malisa had slept alone in her parents' guest room. But she'd hardly slept, having tossed and turned most of the night. Gabriel Whitman had consumed every one of her thoughts. She'd fallen asleep thinking about the man, had dreamed about him, and he'd been the first thought that had come to her when she'd wakened.
The evening hadn't ended at all the way she'd wanted. His conversation with his ex-wife had been drawn out and frustrating. By the end of it, he'd clearly been perturbed, and the annoyance of it had spoiled his mood and their good time. It had also pissed her off, irking her one bad nerve, and Malisa had been reminded of all the reasons she'd sworn off men with baggage. By the time she'd said her good-byes, she'd been more than ready to leave.
After she'd wished him and his family a Merry Christmas and made her way back down the snow-covered roads to her parents' wintery retreat, she found herself wishing she was still with him, still lost in his embrace, his arms and lips still wrapped around her. She found herself wondering if she'd overreacted, if instead she should have stayed longer. She found herself yearning to have stayed just a wee bit longer, because once she'd left, she'd missed him like she had never missed any other man before.
Malisa rolled onto her back. The digital clock on the nightstand read five twenty-five. She needed to get up. She'd promised her mother that she'd go to the country club for an early morning swim and a water aerobics class, and then she needed to get to work. With Christmas Day having come and gone, her holiday was officially over. She needed to get the restaurant open and functioning for those intent on getting out and about for the after-holiday sales.
Swinging her legs off the side of the bed, she reached for her cell phone on the nightstand. She hoped that Gabriel had called or texted her, but there was nothing, her screen void of any new messages.
Thinking of the man suddenly had her hot with wanting, desire surging through her feminine core. She shook her head, wishing that Gabriel were there to put out the fire that was burning for some male attention. Malisa pressed her knees tightly together, trying to stall the shimmer of heat between her legs, moisture beginning to rise down in her core. Her nipples hardened beneath the T-shirt she wore, and she crossed her arms over her chest, tweaking the rock-hard candies beneath her palms.
None of it made an ounce of sense to her, she thought as she rose from the bedside and headed into the bathroom for a cooling shower. Just the mere thought of the man had her craving his touch.
Turning on the shower, Malisa dropped her T-shirt and panties to the floor, then stepped into the spray of lukewarm water. She closed her eyes, allowing the flow of water to rain down over her face and shoulders. The cooling liquid felt good against her skin, and she welcomed the flow that seemed to stall her sudden cravings.
Thinking of Gabriel yet again, Malisa found herself imagining the two of them in a shower together, her hands gliding suds over his hardened muscles. She couldn't stop herself from fantasizing about Gabriel's hands kneading and caressing her own sinewy muscles, teasing her flesh with each pass of his fingers. She found herself lost in thought as she wished for those hands to glide between her thighs to stroke her most private place.
Malisa reached for the shower massager, lifting the instrument from its harness. Adjusting the water spray, she set the device to pulse, then aimed it at the apex of her crotch. The sensation was overwhelming as the spray danced against her clit, making her knees quiver uncontrollably. As Malisa manipulated the device over her body, she imagined every touch was Gabriel's touch.
She saw Gabriel in her mind's eye. Gabriel holding her hand. Gabriel stroking her hair. The lift of Gabriel's smile as he leaned in to kiss her lips. She imagined his hard, wide shoulders and broad chest, his thick neck, athletic legs, round behind, and the length of steel that had pressed against her when he'd held her touch. Every perverse thought of her and Gabriel together flashed like photographic images through her mind.
Malisa bit down on her bottom lip to keep from crying out with pleasure. Her head was thrown back against her shoulders as she strummed her clit, the spray of water tap-dancing over her sensitive flesh. She clutched her inner thigh with her other hand as the first wave of her contraction pulsed from deep inside her.
When her body erupted in pleasure, Malisa grabbed at the wall behind her to steady herself. The sensations swept over her spirit with a vengeance. As the tremors slowed down to a gentle pulse, Malisa knew that she wouldn't be fully satisfied until she could press her naked body against his and have Gabriel bring her to orgasm.
Gattis nuzzled his lips against Etta's neck one last time before lifting his naked body from the king-sized bed. The woman rolled to her side to watch him as he searched inside the walk-in closet for a suit and shirt to wear. Outside, the sky was still dark, no sign of a morning sun visible.
Sitting up, she swung her legs off the padded mattress, inching her buttocks to the edge of the bed. As Gattis moved back into the room, he eased his way to her side, posing in front of her. A wry smile pulled at Etta's full lips as she took in the magnificence of him. With abs that were still taut, a broad chest, and muscular arms indicative of physical strength, and thick, solid legs like the trunk of an ancient tree, her husband was an extraordinary specimen of a man.
Etta dropped her hands against his waist, pressing her mouth against the line of his belly button. When she trailed her tongue into the hollow sink, Gattis inhaled swiftly, a current of energy surging into every muscle.
“If you keep that up, woman, we're not going to get out of this bed today,” the man said, his tone husky.
Etta chuckled softly. “We both have things to do today. We'll get up.”
“We really don't have to, you know.”
“And what would we do if we stayed?”
Gattis pushed her gently, easing her back against the mattress. He lifted his body above hers, kneeling as his knees cupped the sides of her thighs. His manhood surged eagerly between them. He leaned to kiss her mouth, both hands palming the lush tissue of her full breasts.
“I think we can find something to do to entertain ourselves with,” he murmured, his lips still caressing hers.
Etta purred. “Mmm. That sounds tempting, but you have some paperwork to wrap up, and I need to get to my swim class before I go help Malisa at the restaurant.”
“Did Malisa ask you for help, or are you doing that mommy thing that you do? Gettin' all up in your children's business?”
Etta rolled her eyes, pushing a palm against the man's chest to move him off of her. Gattis rolled back against the bed.
“Gattis, I do not get up in our children's business. Sometimes, though, they need a little motherly advice. Like right now, Malisa is already having issues with Gabriel.” Etta's thoughts raced back to the conversation she'd overheard between her daughters, Malisa sharing details of her time with Gabriel and his son, and specifically her encounter with Gabriel's ex-wife.
It had been obvious from the look on her daughter's face that she was quite smitten with the man. It was also clear that she was frustrated about something she chose not to share, and her mother didn't need to be a rocket scientist to figure out what that was. “Mark my words, Gattis, Malisa is going to need my advice,” Etta pronounced.

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