good idea, but something on his face stopped me. Instead, I shook my head.
Gavin rolled onto his side so that we were facing each other. His expression was serious as he reached out a hand and cupped the side of my face. “You asked me once how many lovers I’d had and I told you that it was fewer than you’d expect.”
I was confused. What did this have to do with anything? I really didn’t want to hear about his sexual history at the moment. Still, I stayed quiet and let him continue.
“That was true, but what I didn’t say was that, since Camille died, none of them were anything more than sex. I made sure they knew up front that’s all I wanted. We’d occasionally spend time doing other things, but it always ended the same way. I never wanted to know what they were thinking, what they were feeling, outside the physical. I never wanted to show them beautiful things to see their faces light up.” He twisted a curl around his finger. “I never wanted to wake up next to them, content to have them in my arms.”
My heart was pounding so loudly I was sure he could hear it.
“That’s what you do to me, Carrie,” he continued. “You make me want things I haven’t wanted in a very long time.”
What was I supposed to say to that? I turned my face towards his hand and pressed my lips against his palm. I couldn’t look at him as I whispered, “You make me want things I never knew I wanted.”
He slid his hand around the back of my neck and pulled me towards him, rolling us so that I was on top of him. He was hard beneath me.
“If it was up to me, we’d stay here all day, making love until we were both spent.” His lips curved up in a wistful smile. “But, unfortunately, I have a meeting with Howard’s financial officer in ninety minutes and I can’t be late.”
I gave him a pout that made him laugh and then I rolled off of him. My libido would apparently have to wait. I stared up at the ceiling as the bed dipped, telling me he’d gotten up. “What time do you think you’ll be back?”
“Come with me,” Gavin said.
I sat up, surprised. “What?”
“Come with me,” he repeated. “It’s supposed to be a short meeting and, afterwards, I want to take you out on Howard’s boat.”
“His boat?” I echoed.
Gavin grinned. “All right, it’s a yacht. Doesn’t change the fact that I want to take you out on it.” He held his hand out to me. “What do you say? We’ll order room service, get dressed, then head out to Star Island. You can look around the mansion while I’m in the meeting, and then we’ll go out on the water.”
I took his hand and let him pull me to my feet. He didn’t release my hand, but rather used it to pull me into his arms. I tilted my head back. “I say, it sounds like fun.”
An hour later, Gavin and I stood on the sidewalk in front of the hotel as a Bentley pulled up. All right, that was impressive. It was sleek, black, and in perfect condition.
“Howard loves his Bentleys,” Gavin said. He opened the door for me and I climbed in. “I prefer Italian cars.”
He slid into the seat next to me and took my hand. That surprised me. I hadn’t been expecting much physical contact while he was in business mode. Then again, he wasn’t exactly dressed like he was on his way to a business meeting. He was in shorts. Nice shorts and a collared shirt, but still more casual than anything I’d thought Gavin would wear for work. He’d told me that this particular associate of Howard’s tended to wear loud Hawaiian shirts and neon shorts with flip-flops to meetings, so he was dressed up by comparison. The guy was apparently eccentric but absolutely brilliant. He just didn’t get invited to many of the formal gatherings Howard hosted.
I’d followed Gavin’s example and picked one of the simpler sundresses to wear. The rest of our clothes were packed up, currently being loaded into the trunk of
Gavin rolled onto his side so that we were facing each other. His expression was serious as he reached out a hand and cupped the side of my face. “You asked me once how many lovers I’d had and I told you that it was fewer than you’d expect.”
I was confused. What did this have to do with anything? I really didn’t want to hear about his sexual history at the moment. Still, I stayed quiet and let him continue.
“That was true, but what I didn’t say was that, since Camille died, none of them were anything more than sex. I made sure they knew up front that’s all I wanted. We’d occasionally spend time doing other things, but it always ended the same way. I never wanted to know what they were thinking, what they were feeling, outside the physical. I never wanted to show them beautiful things to see their faces light up.” He twisted a curl around his finger. “I never wanted to wake up next to them, content to have them in my arms.”
My heart was pounding so loudly I was sure he could hear it.
“That’s what you do to me, Carrie,” he continued. “You make me want things I haven’t wanted in a very long time.”
What was I supposed to say to that? I turned my face towards his hand and pressed my lips against his palm. I couldn’t look at him as I whispered, “You make me want things I never knew I wanted.”
He slid his hand around the back of my neck and pulled me towards him, rolling us so that I was on top of him. He was hard beneath me.
“If it was up to me, we’d stay here all day, making love until we were both spent.” His lips curved up in a wistful smile. “But, unfortunately, I have a meeting with Howard’s financial officer in ninety minutes and I can’t be late.”
I gave him a pout that made him laugh and then I rolled off of him. My libido would apparently have to wait. I stared up at the ceiling as the bed dipped, telling me he’d gotten up. “What time do you think you’ll be back?”
“Come with me,” Gavin said.
I sat up, surprised. “What?”
“Come with me,” he repeated. “It’s supposed to be a short meeting and, afterwards, I want to take you out on Howard’s boat.”
“His boat?” I echoed.
Gavin grinned. “All right, it’s a yacht. Doesn’t change the fact that I want to take you out on it.” He held his hand out to me. “What do you say? We’ll order room service, get dressed, then head out to Star Island. You can look around the mansion while I’m in the meeting, and then we’ll go out on the water.”
I took his hand and let him pull me to my feet. He didn’t release my hand, but rather used it to pull me into his arms. I tilted my head back. “I say, it sounds like fun.”
An hour later, Gavin and I stood on the sidewalk in front of the hotel as a Bentley pulled up. All right, that was impressive. It was sleek, black, and in perfect condition.
“Howard loves his Bentleys,” Gavin said. He opened the door for me and I climbed in. “I prefer Italian cars.”
He slid into the seat next to me and took my hand. That surprised me. I hadn’t been expecting much physical contact while he was in business mode. Then again, he wasn’t exactly dressed like he was on his way to a business meeting. He was in shorts. Nice shorts and a collared shirt, but still more casual than anything I’d thought Gavin would wear for work. He’d told me that this particular associate of Howard’s tended to wear loud Hawaiian shirts and neon shorts with flip-flops to meetings, so he was dressed up by comparison. The guy was apparently eccentric but absolutely brilliant. He just didn’t get invited to many of the formal gatherings Howard hosted.
I’d followed Gavin’s example and picked one of the simpler sundresses to wear. The rest of our clothes were packed up, currently being loaded into the trunk of
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