Scandal Never Sleeps (The Perfect Gentlemen 1)

As he gestured her inside, Eve entered on shaky legs. He appreciated knowing he wasn’t the only one bowled over by the chemistry between them.

He closed the door and scanned the room. The curtains gaped open, the lights from the street giving the room a glow that silhouetted her figure. He watched as she walked in, her hips moving in a sultry sway as she set her purse on the couch.

“This is a really nice room,” she murmured.

He didn’t give a shit about their surroundings. “I want to see you.”

Even in the low light, he noticed her breath hitch. “You want me to turn on the lamp?”

“That’s not what I meant.” He never took his burning gaze from her. “I want to see you naked. Take off your dress. Show me your breasts.”

“I’ll close the curtains.” She started to turn to the windows.

He caught her elbow, gently restraining her. “Don’t. We’re up high. No one can see in. Take off your dress. Let me see you in the moonlight.”

Her gaze tangled with his, and he could see a hint of her trepidation. A gentleman might have backed down. But he knew what he wanted. She must want him, too, or she wouldn’t have agreed to spend the night with him. He wasn’t giving Eve the easy way out.

Finally, she turned her back to him and lifted her arms, struggling to reach the metal tab. “There’s a zipper down the back.”

He moved closer. “Let me.”

Gabe ran his hands up her spine before finding the zipper. She lifted her curls out of his way, exposing the graceful column of her neck. Her skin looked pale, almost incandescent in the low light. He couldn’t help himself. He leaned over and kissed her nape, feeling her shiver under his touch.

Slowly, he eased the zipper down, his fingertips brushing her spine. Once he passed her neck, she let her hair fall free, the strawberry-blond mass tumbling well past her shoulders, gliding over her fair skin. Her tresses were soft, too. Not severely flat-ironed. Different, like the woman herself. Fuck, he could lose himself in Eve.

She shrugged, allowing the straps of her dress to fall past her shoulders and drop to her waist.

Her bra looked plain and white. He was used to lacy garments meant to entice a man, so he had no idea why the sight of her utilitarian bra made his cock jerk. She hadn’t been seeking a man this evening, much less intending to seduce a lover. When she’d dressed, it had been for comfort. But now, she was here with him, slowly peeling away her clothes.

With practiced ease, he unhooked her bra with a twist of his hand and slid his fingers under the straps to strip them off. He closed his eyes and allowed his hands to roam across the wealth of smooth skin he’d exposed. He drew her back against his chest and grazed his way up her abdomen until he found her breasts. Full and real, he loved the weight of them in his palms. He drew his thumbs over the nubs of her nipples and Eve rewarded him with a long intake of breath.

“That feels so good.” As she leaned back against him for support, she shuddered and thrust her breasts up like twin offerings.

He would absolutely take everything she had to give.

Gabe filled his hands with her flesh, cupping and rubbing and discovering every inch of her breasts before he grew impatient to have her totally bare and pushed the dress over the curve of her hips. It pooled on the floor at her feet.

Her underwear matched her bra. If she were his, he would buy her La Perla. He would dress her like a goddess in silk and lace and know that she wore the most come-hither lingerie for his eyes only. She could wear her ladylike dresses and cover herself with all appropriate modesty if she wanted—but only until they were alone.

As he stripped off her panties, a wild possessiveness blazed through his system. Gabe turned her to face him, well aware that he needed to slow down but utterly incapable of doing so. He took in the sight of her breasts. They looked every bit as perfect as they’d felt.

“You’re beautiful.”

“I don’t feel that way.” She tilted her face up to his, drinking him in with her stare. There was nothing coy about her expression. She looked at him with naked yearning. “Not most of the time. But you make me feel sexy.”

“You are. I want to be very clear about how beautiful I think you are.” He kissed her again, lifting her up and out of her dress, heading back to the bedroom while his mouth ate hungrily at hers.

She didn’t fight him, didn’t fidget to make him set her back on the ground. She simply wrapped her arms around his neck and let him carry her. Her fingers sank into his hair and she held tight while her tongue danced against his.

Luckily, he knew Plaza suites like the back of his hand. He maneuvered her toward the bed, his cock throbbing insistently.

He wouldn’t last long. God, he couldn’t believe he was even thinking that. Usually, he could go for hours, but Gabe knew the minute he got inside Eve, he was going to lose control. He needed to make it good for her now because he’d barely touched her and already he wanted to throw her against the wall and shove his way inside her.

As he approached the mattress, he stopped and eased her onto the luxurious bedding. She lay back on the elegant duvet, her hair fanned out and her legs spread. Wanton and yet so innocent. He pulled at his shirt, hearing a button or two pop off, but at the moment he didn’t give a shit. The need to be skin to skin with her drove him to haste. He unbuckled his belt and shoved his pants down.

“Foreplay.” Freaking hell. He was so ready to go, he’d forgotten about that. Women liked foreplay. It tended to be necessary for them.

She shook her head. “The kissing was foreplay. We’re totally good.”

I wish. He had to slow down. He wasn’t exactly a small guy. She needed to be ready to take all of him.

Gabe drew in a deep breath. “Need you aroused. It’s okay. Give me a minute.”

“Gabriel, I am more aroused than I have ever been in my life. I’m a little worried about what kind of stain I’m going to leave for the staff on their pretty white linens. So really, can we get this train moving?”

He gripped her ankles and slid her down the bed, spreading her legs wider in the process. His cock twitched when he saw that she was right. Her pussy was wet. Juicy. He could see its slick gloss from above, even in the shadows. A little kissing, some groping, and she was ready to go. He’d never had a woman respond to him so readily. “Tell me again.”

“I’m ready,” she vowed. “I am really ready.”

“No, tell me this isn’t normal for you,” he corrected. It was stupid. She was right there, able and willing to give him the pleasure he sought—but he craved more. He needed to know that tonight was special for her. “Tell me you want me and not just sex.”

She gave him a sheepish smile. “This isn’t at all normal. I guess I’ve gone a little crazy tonight, but I don’t do one-night stands. I can count the men I’ve had sex with on one hand and I wouldn’t need all my fingers. And I’ve never, never wanted anyone as much as I want you right now. Gabriel, I don’t need foreplay, just you.”

Hallelujah. He needed her, too.

Gabe fumbled for his wallet, looking for the one condom he kept in case of emergency sex. He hadn’t needed it lately. The sucker had sat there for months while he dealt with everything that had gone wrong in his world. Now something was finally going right.

He tore the little foil wrapper open and managed to roll it over his dick with shaking hands. He didn’t need to stroke himself to get hard. He was a fucking rock, as though every available ounce of blood in his body had rushed south and stayed.

Once the condom was secure, Gabe was all over her. He gave Eve his weight, climbing on top of her

while parting her legs wider. He pinned her wrists above her head, leaving her open and vulnerable, spread beneath him, a feast for his every sense.

As he buried his face in her neck and inhaled her scent, he crushed her breasts against his chest. “Wrap your legs around me.”

His command sounded gruff and thick, but Eve complied, her legs winding around his waist, opening herself fully to him. Gabe groaned. Hell, yes. He didn’t need to work to align their bodies. He rubbed his cock against her soft opening. It knew right where