Unexpected Love (Timid Souls Book 3) (8 page)

That was when a whole swell of emotions hit me as I gazed down at her. Every time I saw her, she looked even more beautiful than the previous time. She was the sexiest woman I had ever seen, no doubt. But she also had this innate beauty about her that the majority of women on this earth couldn’t touch and strove unsuccessfully to acquire.

Felicity just had this arresting nature about her. Like you had to stop and take a better look because there was so much there to see, to uncover. So much bubbling under the surface that one passing glance was never enough. One touch would never satisfy. There were so many different sides to her, something I had sensed the instant I met her and had immediately wanted to know more. Each layer I peeled off continued to be more fascinating than the next, causing me to fall deeper, harder for her.

And I was pissed at myself.

Because I had been treating her like she was nothing but a quick, easy fuck. Bending her over bathroom counters, taking her on top of dining room tables, shoving her up against the bathroom wall. I wasn’t showing her that she meant more to me than that, much more. I wasn’t taking my time with her like I should have been. I wasn’t making sure she felt cherished, cared for.

That ends now.

She needed to know that I could do romance, dammit. That I was capable of it. And more importantly, that I wanted to do that for her. That she was worth that and so much more.

I hauled her and myself up and left her standing there as I headed toward the bathroom. “Stay right there,” I told her before I closed the bathroom door behind me.

I didn’t want to look back at her for fear of losing my control and tackling her to the bed before I could actually set up the romantic scene I had in mind. I went over to the over-size bathtub, turned on the hot water, and dumped some bubble bath in, the smells of cherry blossoms instantly permeating the air. As the bubbles began to fill the tub, I set out the candles I kept in the closet and lit them. The candles I kept in there for this very purpose.

I was a man who enjoyed his bubble baths and went all out with them. My job was stressful and it helped relax me. So sue me.

Feeling satisfied with that, I left the room and shut the door behind me. I walked right past Felicity and once again spoke over my shoulder. “I’ll be right back.”

If I was going to give Felicity romance, I was going to do it right and I was going to use every second I had with her to prove that she was what I wanted.

All
I wanted.

##

Felicity

I wrapped my arms around my middle, suddenly very unsure of myself. Gabe just walked out of the room with heavy footsteps and an expression on his face that hinted at anger. His jaw was tight and his breathing was labored.

Is he mad at me?

Did I do something wrong?

I was positive that I just made him feel pretty damn good, so I had no idea what had gotten into him to upset him that way. I looked blankly around the room, not knowing what to do, worried that he wasn’t going to come back. That he would just stew by himself until I left his apartment.

Not long after I thought that maybe I should put my shirt back on, the man himself came back into the room, a silver tray in his hands that held a bottle of champagne, two flutes, and a bowl of chocolate-covered cherries. I took a long, hard look at that tray, making sure that what I was seeing was in fact real, and then met his eyes.

He shrugged and grinned sheepishly. “I felt inspired.”

It was stupid that I felt like crying. If I had any doubts about Gabe’s feelings for me before that, they were demolished with that one grin and the tray in his hands. I didn’t want to tell him that he didn’t have to do any of it, didn’t have to woo me because he already had me. I wasn’t going to say anything because you just didn’t turn down a man trying like that, putting forth the effort.

I followed him into the bathroom and stood by the tub as he sat the tray on the edge of it. I wished he hadn’t needed to put a pair of gym shorts on before he left the room. But with his daughter down the hall, I certainly understood it. Didn’t matter anyway. Those would be coming off very quickly.

He pulled a small black remote out of a basket on the floor by the tub, clicked a few buttons, and the iPod dock on the counter blasted the sounds of Mozart through its speakers.

I raised an eyebrow at him. “You’ve just thought of everything,” I said.

He stood with his arms down at his sides and nodded his head down at my clothed body. “Off,” he commanded.

I slowly turned around to present my back to him. “I might need some help.”

He groaned softly, a quiet rumble coming from deep within him. “My pleasure, baby.”

The bra was the first thing to come off. His fingers trailed across my skin, undoing each clasp one by one, sending shivers down my spine which his mouth was soon to follow. Once he pulled my arms free of the straps and the bra was on the floor, his hands reached to cup my breasts, the pads of his fingers seeking out my puckered nipples. A moan released from me when he pinched them, kneading them in his grasp.

My breath caught when his hands traveled lower to the top of my jeans, those skilled fingers releasing the button and slowly dragging the zipper down. I could feel his hot breath on my neck as he panted, his inhales becoming shorter, faster with every inch he pushed the denim down my legs. I leaned back into his hard form, needing to connect our bodies in every way possible, desperate to feel the heat of his bare chest against my skin.

It wasn’t long before I could feel the cool air of the room caress that most sensitive part of me. Gabe was crouched down, helping me remove my jeans and underwear from around my ankles. And then I was naked in front of him. Every part of me exposed to his seeking eyes. In fact, his face was right at my sex, staring at it, and it reminded me of our moment in the restaurant bathroom when he finished me off, the memory making my core clench with arousal.

Instead of repeating that scene in the bathroom like I expected with the way he was looking at me, Gabe leaned forward and dotted my skin with heated kisses. His mouth started at my belly button, his lips dragging down to the top of my mound and over to each hip bone, his tongue snaking out every now and then to trace a path of his own design. Warmth enveloped me at his attentions, making every extremity tingle in excitement and hum in appreciation.

Then, he stopped and rested his forehead on my lower belly, breathing deeply. “Anytime I fuck you from here on out, I want you just like this. I want to be able to see all of you when I’m inside of you.” His voice sounded almost tortured but his words were no less adding to my desire. When I didn’t respond, he raised his head and met my eyes. “Understand?”

What could I say to that? I just nodded and he looked satisfied.

I wasn’t totally prepared when he suddenly stood back up and pulled his shorts off, leaving him also naked. I’d seen him in all his beautiful glory earlier in the bedroom, and this was no less awe-inspiring as the first experience. Gabe was toned, cut in all the right places, with a light dusting of dark hair covering his torso, and washboard abs that I had only ever seen in movies, never in real life.

And that erection he was sporting was proportional to the rest of him in every way. Smooth, thick, and wonderfully hard.

He chuckled when I couldn’t take my eyes off of him. “Don’t worry, baby. My cock is all yours. But let’s get clean first.”

My eyes connected with his when I broke out of my trance and I shot him a small smile. The old me would have been embarrassed, but I wasn’t going to apologize for appreciating my lover’s body. Gabe was all man and I could look all I wanted. He certainly wasn’t complaining.

He took my hand and stepped into the bathtub first, his lower legs disappearing beneath the pool of bubbles. He eased himself down into the water and spread his legs, allowing enough room for me, and then pulled on my hand, signaling for me to follow.

I sucked in a breath at the temperature of the water, though my body quickly adapted. The smell of cherry blossoms filled my nose as I slowly lowered myself into the bubbles and settled against Gabe’s chest, my butt nestling itself right between his legs. His fingers grazed my backside when he reached down to adjust himself so I wouldn’t crush him.

Then everything went still.

The sounds of the music, the soft lighting of the room, the steadiness of Gabe’s breathing behind me…everything was perfectly soothing and peaceful.

I closed my eyes and rested my head back in the crook of Gabe’s neck and shoulder and soaked in the moment. I never knew something could feel so good. Never knew I could trust someone so easily after my past. Never knew I could feel so safe and loved in someone’s arms.

Gabe grabbed the bottle of champagne and poured the golden liquid into both flutes, handing one to me which I gladly took. The drink was smooth as it went down my throat, a hint of fruit leaving a pleasant aftertaste. No doubt with his money, Gabe had probably spent a pretty penny on the bottle, not that it bothered me in that moment.

I had my eyes closed again whenever I felt something warm touch my mouth. I parted my lips without opening my eyes and immediately tasted chocolate. A smile graced my lips as I swallowed down the cherry but not before I took Gabe’s finger in my mouth before he could pull away and lightly sucked, reminding him of the bedroom minutes earlier.

He seemed to understand, letting out a long sigh with a soft groan at the end. “You have no damn idea how good your mouth felt. We’ll be doing that again. But I’m going to be getting some time in with your pussy first.”

Enough said
. I wriggled around a little, attempting to position myself where he would have the best access, but his arm stopped me, pulling me back to him. “Not yet,” he murmured into my hair. “Let’s just lay here and enjoy this right now.”

That was also fine with me.

He grabbed a washcloth and some soap and the next thing I knew, Gabe was running the material all over my body, gently caressing every inch, every crevice. I just laid back and luxuriated in the feel of him taking care of me, loving me. I could tell he was trying to avoid the area between my legs as much as possible because he and I both knew that once we went there, bath time would be over.

When he reached my neck, I leaned back to give him better access and I could feel him staring down at me. Hazel eyes seared into me when I opened mine and I lost myself in them. It was an intense, heady moment as we stared at each other, need building within us, so many words left unspoken. His voice finally broke the connection, making me grateful because I wasn’t sure if it was too soon to start those serious conversations I knew we were eventually going to have.

“You know,” he began softly, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you without makeup. Not that you wear a ton of it or anything, but you don’t even need it. You’ve got the softest, smoothest skin I’ve ever seen.” His fingers punctuated his words as they ran down my cheek, across my jawline, and tracing the shape of my lips.

I smiled. “I actually do need it because I look like a twelve-year-old without it.”

Laughter danced in his eyes. “I’m sure that’s not true.”

“No, really,” I said. “One time, Bea and I were flyin’ down to Alabama to go visit our parents and we were sittin’ on the plane, waitin’ for it to take off when one of the flight attendants comes to our row. I was in casual clothes, didn’t have any makeup on, and had my hair up. We were goin’ to visit our parents so I didn’t care how I looked. Well, the flight attendant looks down our row, stops at me and says, ‘Miss, you need to be at least fifteen to sit in the emergency exit row.’”

Gabe pursed his lips for a second and then asked, “How old were you?”

I gave him a look. “That was last year,” I said flatly.

He burst into laughter, unable to contain it, and I couldn’t help but let out my own giggles. It was ridiculous but I had to laugh at myself. There was really nothing else to do in a situation like that.

“I’m sorry,” he said through wheezing breaths.

I shook my head at him, my grin still in place. “Yeah, you sound real sorry.”

He finally got himself under control and kissed my cheek. “Well, I’m still telling you that you don’t need it around me. You’re fucking gorgeous no matter what you do, but I like seeing you like that, just natural. A completely,” his fingers walked themselves down my stomach underneath the water, heading straight for my center, “naked,” his fingertips touched my folds and started to rub back and forth, “
Felicity
.”

Those two fingers entered me swiftly without resistance. I moaned into his neck and immediately started thrusting into his hand, craving another orgasm from this man who doled them out so effortlessly.

I was surprised when I heard a growl from him as I continued to work myself on his fingers. “This body is mine,” he grated through clenched teeth. “I hope you know that. Those lips you let me taste. This ass you’re rubbing against me. Those tits you tease me with.” He hooked one finger deep inside me and I gasped for breath, the action shocking me but also hitting a spot that held the key to my release. “And no one else is getting inside of this pussy but me. It’s all
mine
.”

My hand curled around his neck as I let go, my teeth digging into my lower lip as I fought to contain my sounds. That possessive attitude of his sent me over the edge, and he didn’t relent until I had stopped contracting around him.

“
Ah, fuck
. I can’t wait.”

Water splashed over the tub’s edge as Gabe grabbed me under my arms and spun me around to face him, quickly putting him at my entrance and yanking me down on top of him. The contact stole both of our breaths and we each threw our heads back in ecstasy, sucking in what oxygen we could in sharp gasps.

“
Gabe
…” I clutched the edge of the tub to steady myself, allowing for leverage. “God, yes.”

His hands were gripped my waist, pulling me down and matching my thrusts with his. “
Yes
, Felicity. Fuck me, baby.”

He was deep inside me at this angle and I could feel my climax coming fast. It was over the second Gabe leaned forward and took my straining nipple into his mouth, the suction of his mouth slamming me into my release. I clenched around his girth, causing him to moan in pleasure around my flesh before he let go and started driving up into me faster, his own climax imminent.

And after he let go with his arms wrapped tightly around me and his face buried in my neck, we both collapsed against the back of the tub, with him still pulsing inside me.

##

I woke up next to him. After our bodies gathered enough strength to step out of the bathtub, Gabe had carried me into his bedroom and we had fallen asleep together, naked limbs tangled around each other. And having his face be the first thing I saw that morning when I opened my eyes was the perfect ending—or beginning?—to the best date of my life.

Was it a date?

I wasn’t sure how to classify it since we hadn’t been using labels but Gabe had made his point pretty clear last night.
This is mine. It’s all mine.
So I was his and I was going to assume that he was mine. That was where we were at.

Good with me.

We greeted each other in bed with sleepy smiles and lazy kisses, taking our time running our hands over skin and readying ourselves for an even better wake-up call.

Though that was before a few loud knocks assaulted Gabe’s bedroom door, followed by the sound of Penny’s sing-song voice saying, “Wake up, Daddy!”

Gabe groaned and rolled off me. “Sorry,” he mumbled into his hands. He laughed disbelievingly to himself. “Jesus, it’s like teenagers getting caught by their parents.”