“You,” he murmured, the grin falling away as he leaned down to press another soft kiss to her mouth. “You were exquisite. And I lied a little. When I said I wouldn’t stop, I was so close to coming that it hurt. You felt so good, Veronica. And you looked like sin.”
This time her laughter wasn’t amusement. It was shock. The loveliest slap of shock she’d ever felt. Exquisite sin. She’d never been either of those things, and tonight she was both. The idea settled in to her skin and felt surprisingly comfortable. She didn’t even blush. She didn’t deny it. Maybe she should let her boss know that she was a sexual savant, after all. Maybe the world needed to know.
She was just reaching up to pull him in for a longer kiss when her phone rang. She raised her head and looked around, spotting her purse on the floor near the doorway. Exquisite or not, she wasn’t climbing naked over Gabe to stroll over and retrieve it.
She waved a dismissive hand and relaxed back into Gabe’s body. A few seconds later, the message chime dinged and she winced.
“Here,” Gabe said, sliding out of bed to get her purse. He seemed entirely un-self-conscious, and frankly, she was happy for it. His body was a work of art. Strong thighs and a tight ass, and that lean stomach leading up to strong shoulders. She wanted to lick him everywhere. She wanted to bite him, which seemed like an odd impulse, but her jaw tensed with the desire.
She was so distracted by the idea that she forgot to pretend she wasn’t staring at him as he delivered her purse. “Thank you,” she said, eyeing his naked hip as she pulled her phone out. She felt a little sad when he was beneath the covers. Then again, she could touch him now. She could even bite him if she wanted to.
She probably wouldn’t, though. Probably. She was so distracted by the thought that she barely registered that the call had come from an unknown number. The voice on the message was unfamiliar for a moment, and then her eyes widened.
“Oh, my God,” she breathed as she listened.
“What’s wrong?” Gabe asked.
She shook her head and listened to the rest of the message, then sighed in shock. “My dad gave Dillon my phone number,” she groaned as she shoved her phone back into her purse.
“Why?”
“Something about a development deal, I’m sure. Dillon wants to get together for a drink sometime. Jesus.”
“Are you going to go?” he asked. “Just to make me jealous?” He kissed her shoulder and trailed his fingertips along the skin of her chest. The blanket had been tugged down by her movements and his fingers helped it along until one of her nipples was exposed.
“No,” she breathed, fighting the stupid urge to tug the blanket up again. Instead of grabbing it and hiding herself, she watched as he circled her nipple and it tightened at his touch. “No,” she tried again, “I’m not having a drink with him.”
“Not even for old times’ sake?”
She smiled at his teasing tone. “Definitely not. We made out at a party once, and once was enough.”
“Uh-oh. Not a good kisser?”
She shrugged as his fingers continued to tease her. “No, he was fine. I thought he liked me because he’d been a little nicer to me than Jason’s other friends. But Jason teased Dillon after he made out with me, so Dillon played it off. He said he’d never do it again, because my flat chest made it feel like he was making out with a boy. Jason started calling me Ronald or Ron instead of Roni after that. And then a lot of people started calling me Ronald.”
Gabe shook his head. “Jesus, Veronica. I’m sorry. What a fucking asshole.”
“Exactly.”
“And an idiot,” Gabe added. “Look at you. You’re perfect.”
She wasn’t anything close to perfect. If she could have magically wished her breasts bigger, she would have. But Gabe made her feel beautiful. He leaned in to kiss the nipple he’d teased to a tight point. “Boys are dumb,” he murmured.
“They are.”
“And cruel.” He kissed her again, his eyes closing as he feathered his mouth over her. His beard looked so stark against her pale breast. “And you’re beautiful.”
Tears burned suddenly in her eyes, but she blinked them away and slipped her fingers into the soft waves of his hair. He was so sweet. She felt like a new person with him. The person she’d always hoped she might be.
“If you take me climbing,” she said slowly, “I’ll trust you.” But that wasn’t really what she was saying. Those weren’t the heights that suddenly scared h
er. The heights that loomed before her were far more dangerous than any cliff, and she was pretty sure she was already falling hard.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
GABE HAD NO right to feel so energetic after only six hours of sleep, but his eyes had popped open at 7:00 a.m. and there’d been no closing them again. Even the briefest memory of the night before made him smile, and some of the memories went on and on.
He knew it was partly ridiculous male ego puffing him up. After all, he hadn’t just made Veronica come, he’d felt her orgasm gripping him as she’d gasped his name.