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Authors: Delansy Diamond Grace Octavia Donna Hill

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BOOK: Endless Summer Nights
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She clung to him. Her arms and legs wrapped around him like vines, binding him to her, riding with him on an exquisite high. Each time that he drove into her she wanted more—deeper, harder, faster. She couldn’t get enough. She would never get enough of this man if they lived ten lifetimes together. This feeling, this feeling of being treasured, of connecting on this level with another human being was what had been missing from her life. It wasn’t just great sex. She knew that and she knew that soon it would end and so she wept—tears of unimaginable joy and pain and the loss that was to come as her climax rocked her to the epicenter of her being and burst into hundreds of brilliant lights behind her eyes. And beyond the pounding of their hearts and her screams of release and Gabriel’s moans as he emptied into her, she swore she heard him whisper, “Please don’t leave me.”

Chapter 11

“I
’ve cleared my calendar for the rest of your stay,” Gabriel said to her as he turned on the jets of the shower. He took off her robe and gently suckled her still-tender nipples, enjoying the sound of her moans before guiding her under the steaming waters. “I don’t intend to let you out of my sight.”

Sydni stepped under the pulsing spray and turned toward him. “Is that right? What if I have other plans?” she said in a teasing voice.

“Cancel them.”

Her eyes widened for an instant when she witnessed the resolve in his.

The water slid over and between them. He reached around her and took the shower gel from the shelf, poured some into his palms and began to lather every inch of her body and then rinsed her with tender loving care.

“Turn around,” he ordered, his voice suddenly thick and raw. She did as she was told. Gabriel pressed his large hand against the back of her neck, bending her forward. He looped his arm beneath her belly and pulled her rear end toward his bulging erection. “Spread your legs.”

Before she had a chance to utter a response he plunged inside her with such force that it lifted her up onto her toes. “Aggggg!”

Air hissed from between his teeth. His eyes slammed shut from the intensity of pleasure that ripped through him. For a moment he couldn’t move. All he could do was allow the moment to wash over him, try to memorize this instant. But then she ground against him and white lights flashed.

He growled deep in his throat and pushed up into her again. She returned the move with the same fervent drive, bracing her hands against the tiles to support them both as they dueled each other, attacking and retreating and coming back for more until the inevitable began to build, coursing through their veins like hot lava waiting to erupt. And it did, in spectacular fashion, leaving them too weak to stand, and they sank together to the shower floor letting the now cool waters temper their heat.

* * *

Gabriel was good at his word. Much to his brother’s annoyance he’d canceled and rescheduled all of his meetings.

“You’ve really fallen for her, haven’t you?” Max asked while Gabriel made arrangements to have his helicopter readied.

Gabriel gave his brother a cursory glance. “What if I have?”

“The Santiago men have never had lasting relationships with women. We aren’t built that way.”

“Maybe it’s time for a change, brother.”

“Don’t be a fool. In a matter of days this woman will be gone and back to her life and probably to a man in the States and you will be left with your cock swinging in the wind. And for what?”

He threw a glance at his brother. “You don’t know what you’re talking about and you don’t know Sydni,” he said from between clenched teeth.

Max tossed his gorgeous head back and laughed. “The fateful words of a man who has been whipped. You act as if you have never been between a pair of wonderful thighs before.”

Gabriel slammed his palm down on the table. “Enough! I’ve lived by this archaic, macho Santiago code all my life. No more!” He stormed past Max, who maintained an amused expression on his face.

“Good luck, brother,” he murmured. “You are going to need it.”

* * *

“A helicopter ride?” Sydni said when Gabriel came to meet her at her hotel.

“Yes. I want you to see some of our sights from the air. And pack some of your things.”

She frowned in confusion. “Pack? For what, a helicopter ride?”

“No. You’ll be staying at my home until...”

She planted her hand on her hip. “What if I don’t want to do that?”

He stepped up to her, wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her hard against him. There was no missing the tight knot in his pants. “Tell me you don’t want to spend the nights with me and share breakfast in the mornings, and I will forget the request.”

She swallowed over the lump in her throat. It was just so damned hard to think clearly when he was staring at her like that, when he smelled so good and felt so good and he made her remember what those nights and mornings were like. She wiggled out of his arms and stepped back to gain some perspective. It wasn’t much better.

“I’ll bring a toothbrush...and a pair of panties,” she said with as much defiance as she could summon.

He grinned wickedly. “I love to watch a beautiful woman in nothing more than a toothbrush and panties.”

She huffed and shook her head, biting back a smile. Turning on her heel, she went to pack a small bag. She chuckled to herself as she tossed in toiletries, a bathing suit, a sundress and something sexy for a night on the town, and, of course, her toothbrush and panties.

* * *

Sydni had never been in a helicopter before and her first experience was one that she would not soon forget. The roar of the blades, the surge in her stomach as the bird rose straight up—unlike an airplane—and the incredible sensation of flying and being able to witness the world directly below. What was the most awesome aspect of the experience was that Gabriel was flying the chopper himself. When he got behind the controls, told her to strap in and started switching levers and talking into his headset—getting and receiving instructions—it was a turn-on akin to their morning in the shower. She nearly had an orgasm.

The landscape of Brazil spread out before them as they rose and dipped across the city.

Over the rumble of the engine and the blades, Gabriel pointed out Sugarloaf Mountain and the beaches of Ipanema. What completely took her breath was seeing what is considered one of the new Seven Wonders of the world—Cristo Redentor—sitting majestically atop the Corcovado Hill.

“The original design of the statue was created by a Brazilian, by the name of Heitor da Silva Costa,” Gabriel shouted over the roar. He handed Sydni a set of headphones and indicated that she should put them on. “He was also in charge of the construction and worked on the project with a French sculptor, Paul Landowski. It took five years to build and was funded mostly with donations.”

“Incredible.”

“One of the big tourist attractions,” he added.

“I see.”

From their height soaring above the statue they could see the lines of tourists climbing the stone steps to reach the base of the statue.

They continued their aerial tour for about another half hour with Gabriel continuing to point out more sights of interest.

To say that it was a thrill ride would be an understatement. Sydni was totally turned on and couldn’t wait until they returned to Gabriel’s place so that she could show him just how turned on she was.

* * *

Over the ensuing days Sydni and Gabriel spent every waking moment together, talking, dancing, participating in the Carnival frenzy, swimming in the ocean, visiting eclectic restaurants and nightclubs. They talked, they laughed, they shared their feelings, watched old movies, and they made love as long and as often as they could, wherever they could. If it was on the beach or in a tight room in a nightclub, in the kitchen, on the floor, the couch, the bed and even in his office, it didn’t matter where as long as they could connect in the most intimate of ways.

They forgot about business and the future. The only thing that mattered to either of them was each other.

* * *

“I know it’s crazy,” Sydni lamented to Lynn after finally leaving Gabriel with the promise that she would return in time for dinner. “But...I don’t want to be without him. Thinking about it gets my stomach in knots.”

Lynn sat down next to Sydni. “I’ve never seen you like this, so taken in by a man.”

“I’ve never felt like this.”

“Syd, let’s be realistic. How long have you known him, a couple of weeks? And he has you twisted inside out. You have a job to do and you have yet to get him to sign off on the proposal, not to mention that you
haven’t
mentioned the merger. We leave in two days.”

Sydni pushed up from the couch. “I know that! I know all of that. It doesn’t change how I feel.” She paced.

“How do you know that he’s not using you for a good time and when you leave it’s simply goodbye? He does have a reputation. His whole family does. Meanwhile, you can barely take a breath without him. Come on, girl. This is not you. You have to get your head back in the game.”

Sydni slowed her step. One by one, all the reasons why she was hired in the first place came hurtling toward her. Her stomach seesawed. What if Lynn was right about Gabriel? She didn’t want to believe it, but it could be true. She’d let his looks, his charm and his lovemaking disconnect her from reason. There was no way that anything could become of their relationship. Deep in her soul she knew that, as much as her body tried to tell her otherwise.

She expelled a long breath. “You’re right,” she finally said barely above a whisper.

* * *

Gabriel’s driver arrived at Sydni’s hotel at five. The plan was an early dinner, perhaps a drive along the mountains and then home for the night. Mentally, she’d steeled herself against any of his advances. Tonight they must get back to business. She could not delay the process any longer.

The driver dropped her off and she let herself in. She placed her purse on the table and went in search of Gabriel. He liked to spend this part of the day on the veranda, taking in the air and the view. She walked to the back of the house, sure that she would find him.

She heard the murmur of his voice before she saw him. The door to his office was open. His back was to her and he was on the phone. She started to walk away but his words reached out and held her in place.

“We’ll see each other soon, sweetheart. I promise. Yes. I love you, too.”

Sydni’s heart nearly stopped and then began to race. Her face heated. Somehow, she managed to turn around and go back the way she had come. She went to the bar in the living room and poured herself a glass of wine. She downed it in one long swallow. Her hand shook. Lynn was right. What had she been thinking? She poured another glass. That was the problem. She hadn’t been thinking, but she was now. She finished off the wine and lifted her chin and blinked back the burn in her eyes.

“You’re here. I didn’t hear the car pull up,” Gabriel said as he walked up behind her and placed a kiss at the base of her neck.

Her body tightened. His arm glided around her waist. His hand slid across her belly, then up to cup her breast in his palm. “I’ve missed you,” he breathed into her ear.

As always her body responded even as her mind fought against it. She squeezed her eyes shut as the electric sensations of his touch rippled through her. She wanted to weep at her own weakness. But now was not the time for tears. She drew in a breath and stepped out of his reach. She turned to face him and his expression registered surprise and concern.

“What’s wrong? Don’t tell me it’s nothing. It’s in your eyes and in your body. I know your body.”

“It’s just that...I leave in two days and we still have unfinished business to settle. It’s what I came here for.”

His expression tightened. The corner of his mouth jerked. He stepped back, then walked around her to the bar. He took a tumbler from the counter, then selected a bottle of bourbon and poured it without ice. He gave her his back as he downed the amber liquid. “You’re right. Sometimes distractions get in the way and you forget.” He turned to face her. “We’ll make sure not to let that happen again.” His gaze bore into her and she felt a chill that stiffened her limbs. “Some of my best deals were settled during a good meal. Since we are back to more formal terms, let’s eat in the dining room, discuss this proposal further and then, if I’m satisfied with the answers, I will sign your deal and you can leave. I’ll have Hector take you back to your hotel. Fair enough?”

Her throat was so tight that she barely managed to say that it was perfectly fine with her.

Gabriel turned on the music to fill in the periodic gaps of their silence during dinner. The only conversation between them was Gabriel’s probing questions into the viability of hosting lower-income families at his five-star resorts. “I’m not in the business of losing money,” he said, his voice distant and cold.

“You won’t be. The media attention, the sponsors and your base will more than compensate for any shortfalls—it’s a win-win situation.” She took a sip of her wine. “If you don’t find this proposal suitable to your needs, I know that I can sell the concept elsewhere.”

Gabriel’s jaw clenched. “All business with you, Ms. Lawson. I rarely make mistakes, but it’s clear I have this time.”

Sydni flinched. She wanted to tell him that it was more than business, but there was no point. She was going home and he was going back to his life. There was nothing she could do to change that.

As promised, once dinner was over he went into his study and retrieved the hard copies of the proposal.

Sydni didn’t know how much longer she’d be able to stand there and not break down. She hadn’t known until now what it would feel like not to have the heat, the tenderness and the joy of Gabriel surround her. It felt as if a part of her had been hollowed out. He’d barely looked at her all night and when he did his eyes were cold and distant. The only thing they talked about was the fine points to the proposal and how soon it would be implemented. That was what she wanted—wasn’t it?

He returned to the dining table where he’d left her. The folder was in his hand. He dropped it on the table. “Your proposal. Signed and sealed, as you Americans say. Yes?” He smiled but it didn’t reach his eyes.

“Thank you. I know you’ll be happy with the results and so will your new clientele.”

She stood and put the contract inside her pocketbook. “I guess you can ask Hector to take me back to the hotel now,” she said, fighting to keep the tremor out of her voice.

“Let me make love to you one last time,” he whispered. “Take off your clothes.”

She blinked. “What?”

“Undress for me, as I cannot promise that I will be as kind to them as you.”

The flame from his eyes lit up inside her belly and went racing through her limbs. She stepped back and nearly stumbled. Gabriel advanced. “Take them off. Please,” he repeated, and she was certain that if she didn’t he really would rip them off her.

BOOK: Endless Summer Nights
7.1Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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