Brides of Penhally Bay - Vol 3 (56 page)

‘It was the right decision. We were both relieved.’ She smiled, her expression clear. ‘A lot of people were shocked—a few had presumed we would marry. That was
never
on the cards. We didn’t even live together. It was only once we’d made the final break that I realised how dull and predictable and restricting things had become, and how long it had been since we had been together in any real sense of the word. Our friendship was important but anything more was wrong for us both. Martin needed to leave. We couldn’t provide what each other wanted.’

Smiling, she rose to her feet and began to clear the table, moving to the sink to wash up the plates. Thoughtful, understanding the rut she had found herself in, Gabriel drained the last of his wine and crossed the kitchen to join her, working silently by her side for a moment. The atmosphere was thick with the ever-present awareness and desire that rippled between them.

When the last plate had been washed and dried, Gabriel turned her to face him. ‘And what did you want, Lauren, that you never got from your relationship?’

Gabriel’s smoky, accented voice sent shivers down Lauren’s spine. Did she dare admit her secret yearnings? She sensed that with Gabriel she could experience all the things she now knew she had been missing. His compelling gaze drew her in, mesmerised her. The last two weeks had been leading up to this point and they both knew it. Taking her courage in both hands, she looked into his eyes, holding nothing back.

‘I wanted things to be more passionate, more spontaneous, less boring.’

‘You’d like to be adventurous,
chérie
?’

‘Yes,’ she whispered, her own voice low and throaty in response to the dark sensuality lacing his.

He didn’t move. He wasn’t touching her in any way but it
felt as if he was. ‘You want to experiment, to be fully satisfied.’ It was a statement, not a question, and Lauren swallowed, a shiver of desire skimming down her spine.

‘Yes.’ The admission was torn from her.

‘You want a partner to be your equal, to explore the full scope of your sexuality, to surprise you and challenge you. To give and to take. To break rules and test boundaries.’

Speech was now impossible. He was seducing her with his words, his voice, the promise that remained as yet unspoken. Excitement fired her blood. The wicked glint in his sexy dark eyes made her breathless. She had no doubt that making love with Gabriel would never be boring or predictable or lacking in passion. Her heart pounded beneath her ribs. Unable to wrest her gaze from his, she nodded her answer, aroused beyond bearing, unable to look away from the flare of desire that turned his brown eyes almost black.

He stepped closer, reaching out to take her hands in his. It was their only point of contact and yet her whole body vibrated with sensation. His arms encircled her, his fingers linked with hers so that their joined hands fisted at the small of her back. The movement caused her body to arch and press against his. Every thud of her heart sounded loud in the silence of the kitchen and her breathing sped up, matching the uneven rate of his.

A gasp escaped unchecked as his lips whispered over hers, the tip of his tongue teasing as he circled it round the outline of her mouth, pausing to stroke each corner. It was incredibly erotic. She moaned, opening involuntarily, seeking closer contact, her lips clinging to his as he gave her what she needed. From the first second the kiss flared out of control, deep and demanding as they all but devoured each other, exploring, tongues duelling and entwining. His teeth nibbled at her, inflaming her senses. He pulled on her lips, then sucked on her tongue, drawing her into him. She couldn’t get close
enough, intoxicated by the male taste of him and his warm, citrusy, masculine scent.

The next moment, she found both her hands restrained behind her by one of his, leaving his other hand free to explore her. And explore her he did. His fingers trailed her face and down her throat, setting little fires wherever he touched, making every particle of her skin tingle. She whimpered when his mouth abandoned hers. Forcing heavy lids to open, her eyes focused to find him watching her, following the path of his fingertips over her flesh. As he bent her back, his palm splayed over her skin, stroking across from one collar-bone to the other before slowly grazing lower. Lauren held her breath as his thumb dipped down her cleavage, tantalisingly brushing against the swell of her breasts, setting her aflame, making her ache for a firmer touch.

‘Gabe…’

Her breath rasped out again as his fingers went to work on her buttons, peeling back her top and freeing one breast from the confinement of her lacy red bra. The sight of his darker skin against her paler tones enthralled and excited her. Her nipple, already peaked and flushed with arousal, tightened further under his hungry gaze. She quivered as the pad of his thumb brushed around the outside edge of her areola before gliding once over the proud crest, making her cry out at the sweet ache. After an agonising delay, when she thought she would die of anticipation, his palm cupped the firm fullness of her breast, shaping, testing, before plumping it up as his head lowered. She tried unsuccessfully to free her hands, desperate to touch him, but he kept her captive to his will. Her knees turned to jelly as the moist warmth of his mouth closed over her swollen flesh and he suckled her deeply.

‘Oh, my!’ She sobbed, shocked by the powerful sensations crashing through her, more intense and incredible than she had ever felt before. Her body arched further in response
to his sensual caresses, the rhythmic, hot, heavy pull of his mouth at her breast spearing a devastating ache of need straight to her womb. ‘Please. Gabe, please!’

He finally released her hands and she clutched at his shoulders to keep from melting to the floor. Cupping her rear, his fingers flexing, shaping her through the denim as he sank to a chair, he drew her down so she was straddling his lap. Swiftly he dispensed with her shirt and bra. He arched her back, supporting her spine with one hand as the fingers of his other hand traced her skin, learning the contours and textures of her body.

‘
Tu es parfait, ma belle
,’ he praised huskily, his accent more pronounced. ‘Perfect.’

His mouth moved to lavish attention on her neglected breast, bringing the nipple to an aching ripeness to rival its twin. Lauren wriggled on his lap, making him groan as she rubbed herself against the hard thickness of his arousal. She glided one hand up his neck to the back of his head, holding him to her. His close-cropped hair tickled her palm, feeling softly spiky to her touch. Unable to wait any longer to see him, to feel more of him, her fingers tugged at his cable-knit jumper, and he drew back just long enough for her to wrench it over his head. As her fingers traced his upper arms, he returned his avid attention to her breasts, driving her insane with the devastating skill of his hands and mouth, tormenting with his lips and teeth before salving with his tongue. Again he suckled strongly, taking her flesh deep inside, rolling her swollen nipple against the roof of his mouth with his tongue. She cried out, already on the ragged edge, shocked by the urgency of her need.

‘I can’t bear it!’

He chuckled, the huff of his breath against her over-stimulated flesh nearly sending her past the point of no return. She had never responded to any man the way she did to Gabriel.
He only had to look at her to arouse her. One touch and she was primed, ready. Now she was a whisper away from climaxing and they still had most of their clothes on!

‘Hold on,
chérie
.’

Taking her by surprise, he stood up, lifting her with him. She curled her legs around his hips and her arms around his neck, as he headed out of the room towards the stairs. She wanted this with a fierceness that shocked her. They had been heading here since the first moment they had seen each other. Excited anticipation rippled through her. Her hands explored his shoulders and back, delighting in the smoothness of his warm supple skin, the feel of hard muscles rippling beneath.

The rest of the house was in darkness and she pressed her face to his neck, not wanting to acknowledge how little she could see. Instead, she lost herself in his scent, the feel of him, the rightness of her body against his. His hand on her rear tightened, one finger wickedly dipping down to stroke the seam of her jeans over her most sensitive flesh. She moaned, her body reacting instantly, and she wriggled, trying to assuage the terrible ache, desperate for release.

When they reached his bedroom, he set her on her feet, keeping hold of her as he leaned over and switched on the twin bedside lights, casting their welcome glow in the room, easing her anxiety and helping her to see.

He cupped her face with his hands, his expression serious. ‘Things in my life are unsettled at the moment, Lauren, and I need to make decisions about my future.’

‘Is this about why you left France?’ she ventured, nerves tightening her insides.

‘Yes. There are family issues.’ He hesitated, his uncertainty evident. ‘I’m not ready to talk about it. When I am, it will be to you.’

She nodded. ‘I understand.’ And she did. She wasn’t ready to get into her whole family situation either, or face the scary
subject of her changing sight. No way would she push him but she would be there if and when he needed her.

‘I hadn’t planned on or expected to get involved in anything here.’

Terrified he was going to call a halt, she began to protest. ‘I—’

‘However…’ The pad of his thumb pressed gently against her mouth and silenced her. ‘I cannot deny the connection that sparked between us from the first moment, or the attraction and longing I have for you. I want you…badly.’ Her body tingled, her legs felt weak, and hopeful excitement stirred within her. ‘I’ve not dated at all since my last relationship ended a year ago.’

She was surprised. ‘Because you still love her?’ she dared to ask.

‘No. I didn’t love her.’ Gabriel smiled and she read the truth in his eyes. ‘Like you and Martin, Adèle and I had no grand passion. One day I’ll explain, but it ended because of deceit and manipulation. I was angry. It’s made me cautious, and I have not been interested in a woman since. Until you.’ He paused a moment, then continued. ‘I can’t make any promises at the moment, Lauren. I—’

‘Let’s not worry about the future or waste time assessing what this is. I’m not expecting anything or asking for commitment, Gabe, but I don’t do one-night stands.’

‘Neither do I. I don’t embark on things lightly.’ His thumbs brushed across her cheekbones. ‘I can’t give you any guarantees now but this is a hell of a lot more than one night for me. If that’s what you want, too.’

‘It is.’

Lauren knew the decision had been made the instant she had met him. She meant what she said. She wasn’t holding him to anything, but she couldn’t deny the hope flaring within her or quell the sense that the chemistry between them was
special. She planned to explore it to the fullest and see where this exciting journey took them.

‘Why don’t we enjoy what we have and see what happens down the line?’ she suggested. It had been a long time for her—for him, too, apparently—and she craved Gabriel with an intensity that was almost scary. ‘Later will take care of itself.’

‘I agree. We live for the here and now.’

She sucked in a breath as his touch became caressing and the flare of sultry desire returned to his eyes. His fingers whispered down her throat, stroking her skin as they trailed between her breasts, neglecting for the moment the flesh that most craved his caresses. Instead, he journeyed down, over and around her navel, making her muscles clench, before grazing down to the waistband of her jeans and working all too slowly to unfasten them.

Lauren was glad he had left the light on. She wanted to see him, to experience everything of their time together. Heat flared inside her as his fingers slid inside the loosened waistband of her jeans, moving down to cuddle her rear. Her own hands settled against his bare chest, enjoying the freedom to touch him. She wanted to linger, to learn every inch of him, but she was too impatient, too needy. She ran her nails lightly over his bronze nipples, smiling at his reaction as he groaned, his body trembling. Moving closer, she set her mouth to him, nipping, licking and teasing, heady from the male taste of him.

Gabriel fisted a hand in her hair, drawing her mouth away from his chest, his eyes dark with a hunger that drove her wild. She sought his kiss, but he denied her, kneeling in front of her to remove her ankle boots and strip off her jeans, revealing the French knickers she favoured, the red lace matching her discarded bra.

‘Very nice,’ he murmured, nuzzling against her, taking her back to the edge of reason.

Oh, so slowly, he eased the lingerie away. His fingers tor
mented her, skimming up the backs of her legs, stroking her inner thighs, withholding the touch she most needed. Instead he set his mouth to her navel and used his lips, teeth and tongue to drive her crazy with want.

Just as her legs became too shaky to hold her upright any longer, Gabriel swept her off her feet and tumbled her to the huge four-poster bed that had featured in so many of her dreams in the last two weeks. Dreams that were becoming a reality. She lay there, breathless with expectation, watching hungrily as he kicked off his shoes then took off his faded jeans and black briefs. The breath locked in her lungs as she took in his wonderful physique, the blatant, beautiful maleness of him, her stomach tightening and her mouth watering as she looked at his impressive erection.

‘All right?’

Way more than all right. She nodded at his husky query, involuntarily licking her lips.
‘Magnifique,’
she whispered with anticipatory delight.

Smiling, he took an unopened box of condoms from a drawer and put them on the bedside chest after ripping off the outer plastic covering. Then he unsnapped the watch on his right wrist and set it aside. Unable to wait any longer, she held out her hand and he took it, joining her on the bed, drawing her into a deeply intense and arousing kiss. Gabriel rolled them over until she was beneath him and she welcomed the weight of his body on hers. She lost all ability to think as his hands and his mouth laid claim to her body, rapidly taking her to a fever-pitch of need.