Closer_To_You (14 page)

She may have thought he was mad at her, but he wasn’t. The feeling her words had invoked in him was anger at himself, not her. Had he ever truly made her feel that he was in this only for himself? Yes, he was a selfish man, but that is what got him to where he is today. He took what he wanted and damn the consequences. But with Penelope, it was different. He could be himself with her and he enjoyed that. When they were alone together, he never had to worry about being GT Banks, he was just Gabriel and that was always enough for her.

Situating her across his lap, she cradled his face in her palms as she dipped her head to kiss his waiting lips. “You already fulfill my fantasies, Gabriel.”

Clutching her body tightly in his hands as her legs straddled his hips, he glanced to the side and ensured the glass partition was closed. The driver had instructions regarding where to go and their destination was more than thirty minutes away. It would be plenty of time to make sure he pleased his woman in every way possible.

Capturing her lips with his, he poured every bit of passion he could muster into that one kiss. His tongue dueled her hers and his cock strained as her body writhed on top of his, molding her hot core against his steel rod. He wanted to be inside of her. No, he needed to be inside of her. His woman. This woman rocked his world and turned him inside out every single time they were together.

Breaking their kiss, so that they could catch their breath, he pulled her even closer to him. Needing her near him more and more every day, he knew that he was tired of hiding what they shared from the world. Looking into her hooded gaze, he nibbled the side of her mouth, unable and unwilling to break contact for even a few seconds. The smile she bestowed upon him made his heart stutter. Damn, he loved this woman. Now, he just needed to prove it to her and make sure she didn’t let outside reality get in the way. “Well, get ready, baby. Because we’re about to fulfill some more of your fantasies and take care of a few of mine in the process.”

Penelope was still trying to catch her breath as the car pulled up to the house in the Northern Virginia suburbs. “Where are we, Gabriel?”

“We’re at my home. Our home.”

Startled at his words, she pulled back quickly and almost brained herself on the roof of the car. “What do you mean ‘our home’?” Craning her neck and looking out the windows of the vehicle, she couldn’t help but gasp at the view in front of her. They were in what was commonly referred to as ‘horse country’ in Northern Virginia. Pulling back to look at Gabriel, she questioned him again. “What are we really doing here, Gabriel?”

She tried moving away from him, but his hands wouldn’t allow her to move off his lap. The fact that he was still inside of her was not the troubling part. That would never concern her. No, she was more worried about what the hell was going on in his head to make such a statement.

“I want more, Penelope.”

Thinking he meant he wanted more of the mind-blowing sex they had been engaged in for the last few months, Penelope laughed a little and kissed him lightly on his lips, “Oh, baby, you can have more of that whenever you want.”

He must not have gotten the joke, because his face in no way looked as if he were laughing. “You know that’s not what I’m talking about.”

“It’s not? Okay. Then first off, maybe let’s get out of this compromising position and step out of the car.” They had a serious stare down for a few minutes before he released her and she climbed off his lap. Taking a few minutes to get their clothes situated, Gabriel was silent as she fixed her clothes as best she could. Giving her a once-over, he tapped the window and the door opened. Stepping out first, Gabriel looked as if he had truly simply taken a ride out to country. How could that man still look so damn GQ even after their adventure in the car?

“Come on, baby. Get out of the car.”

Pursing her lips at his high handedness, she climbed out of the car and looked up at the grand home. “This is your home?”

“Our home. Yes.”

“Since when?”

He turned toward her and reached out his hand for hers, “Since a few weeks ago. I was tired of living in that hotel. Negotiations are going well and we should be wrapping up this acquisition soon. I need a home. A real home.”

Mouth opened in shock, Penelope’s stomach began to tie up in knots. He had bought a home, but what did that mean for her? For them? “But why buy this home? It’s too large for just one person.”

Grabbing her close, he began to make his way up to the large porch as he pulled a key out. “Yes, I know it is. One day, I hope to have a family to fill it with me.”

If he had turned to look at Penelope’s face at that moment, he would have instantly known that she had mistaken his words. But he didn’t look back and Penelope schooled her features so that the hurt no longer showed. Stepping aside, Gabriel motioned for her to step inside.

“What do you think? Can you see yourself spending time with me here?”

Her heart was breaking, but she was confused. There was something rattling around in her brain, telling her calm down and just let things flow, but she couldn’t. After only a couple of months, Gabriel had come to mean so much to her. It no longer mattered how they met and who he was. But his words. His words implied that he was for the here and now, not for the long-term. This is what being impulsive got her. She had jumped in with both feet and threw caution to the wind, and now she would pay the price for her reckless behavior.

“This is a lovely home, Gabriel.”

He turned to her as if confused by her words and she knew her tone had turned frosty. In light of the heat they had just shared in the car, she knew he could tell the difference.

“Baby, are you okay?” His eyes searched her face, as if trying to understand why she was acting so odd all of a sudden.

Pasting a smile on her face, “Yeah, I’m fine. Want to give me a tour?” Holding out her hand, she grabbed hold of the man who held her heart, but who probably had no idea about the extent of her feelings for him. He had no idea that she loved him with every breath inside of her. Trouble was, she had no idea if her feelings were returned. Gabriel was not a man known for the softer side of life. Even in the bed, he was a combination of power and finesse, overwhelming her senses until she had no choice but to allow him free rein. Over time, she had come to accept him for the man he was and she would have to be okay with that.

Loving a man, even as much as she loved Gabriel, did not automatically mean she would be with him for the rest of her life. Maybe he never wanted to get married. They had never discussed the future and whenever she brought it up, he seemed intent on distracting her with kisses and lovemaking. Looking around, she allowed the truth of the situation to sink in, this was his future home with his family and she had no illusions that it would be her. Fuck! Why did she have to go and fall in love with a man who would never love her in return?

Making it up to the upstairs area, Penelope’s heart was near to bursting. If she had to pick her dream house, this would be it. The kitchen was amazing and had everything she wanted, so that she could make all of her favorite meals and dishes handed down from her mother and grandmother. There was an office with a “his and her” setup, with one side boasting a bookshelf that was as tall as the ceiling. While she loved her e-reader, there was nothing like holding a book in her hands and smelling the scent of the pages. The woodsy aroma always made her nostalgic for when she was growing up and had to get her books secondhand. Visions of her sitting there reading while Gabriel worked bounced through her mind.

Even the backyard was a dreamland. It had been landscaped to look like the perfect oasis, just waiting for a weekend escape. Her feet itched to walk barefoot through the lush, green grass. Her body ached to lie down and relax on the lounge chairs that graced the lawn, situated perfectly under several shade trees.

If she didn’t know better, she would have thought Gabriel had actually purchased this home for her. But that couldn’t be the case. It had to be a fluke that he had chosen the one home that she could see as hers. His next words brought her attention back to him.

“And this is the master bedroom. Tell me what you think.”

Walking inside, she stopped cold as she took in the view. Mahogany furniture graced the large room. A sitting area graced one side of the room, with a marble fireplace situated in the far corner. It was surrounded by a loveseat, two high back chairs and a coffee table. The bed itself was a large four-poster behemoth that sat so far above the floor that a small footstool sat on each side to assist whomever was climbing into the bed. As she looked around, her feet took her all over the room, her hands lightly brushing over the pieces as her thoughts and dreams came crashing down. Would she really only ever be a guest in this house? Why would Gabriel show her all of this, only to pull the rug out from under her?

Something was wrong. She had to be confused. Nothing was making sense. Lifting her gaze to find Gabriel, she saw him leaning casually against one of the bed posts, his hands in his pockets. “Why am I here, Gabriel? Why are you showing me all of this?”

“Because I want you to know what can be ours. This is my life. I can buy whatever material things I believe will make you happy.”

Sighing, she had hoped their relationship, or whatever this was, would never focus on his wealth. “I don’t want your money, Gabriel. I’ve never cared about your money or who you are. You must know that by now.”

“I do know that, baby. Which is why I want to make sure you have everything you desire.”

“But this is not why I’m with you.” Turning around the room, she took in everything she saw and came to a decision. “If you think the only reason I’m with you is because of who you are and what you can offer me, then maybe you don’t know me very well at all.”

“No, Penelope, I know you better than you think. Remember that first night we met and the conversation we had in my hotel room?”

Laughing slightly, she thought back to that night so many weeks ago and still could not believe what she had done. Going back to a hotel room with a strange man was so unlike her, but that one decision had given her the man standing in front of her. She would never regret that decision. “I remember everything we talked about, Gabriel.”

“One thing I said to you was that sometimes I lost myself in the chase. That the business had become all-consuming and sometimes I wished for the days when I could just be myself. Do you remember that?”

Thinking back on that night, she nodded in remembrance. At that time, she assumed it was the same babble that all corporate types spouted off. Of course, now that she knew him better, she could understand exactly what he meant by the statement. During the course of the past two months, she had seen him in action and he was not a man to be trifled with. The man and persona he portrayed in the office was nowhere close to the man he was when they were together. It was like they were two different people. “I remember, Gabriel.”

“Exactly. With you, I’m just Gabriel. Just a man. I’m not GT Banks, I’m not the founder and owner of a GTB Technologies. I’m not someone that you simply see as an ATM machine. When I’m with you, I’m just me. Gabriel.”

Wanting so badly to reach out and touch him, to connect with him, to simply be closer to him, she held back. Somehow, she had the feeling that he needed this moment. “That is who you have always been to me. Who you will always be to me.”

Standing up straight, he seemed to change moods, “Are you afraid of being with me, Penelope?”

“No.”

“Then stay here with me tonight. Tomorrow, when we go back to the office, we go together. As Penelope and Gabriel and we tell the world to fuck themselves if they don’t like it.”

Shock flowed through her at his words. He couldn’t mean what she thought he meant, “Excuse me? What do you mean?”

“I mean, I’m tired of hiding.” Coming to stand in front of her, he palmed her face and leaned down to kiss her lips, “I know the words you said to Bettye were to cover up what we are to each other, but why should you have to hide who you’re seeing?”

“But I know why we have to, Gabriel.” She was near tears and her voice was thick with emotion.

“No, it’s not right. I don’t want you to ever think you have to hide me from people. And I never want you to think I’m hiding you from my friends and family. We’ve been seeing each other long enough to know how we feel. We’re adults. Why should we hide? Do you even know how much I crave you? How much I need you when you’re not around me?” Kissing her again, he wrapped his arms around her waist, “Do you know how much I love you?”

At first she thought her mind was playing tricks on her. “Gabriel?”

“Yes?”

“Do you mean it?” Shocked at his words, she wanted to pinch herself to make sure she wasn’t dreaming.

“Did you hear me say the words?” A smile lit up his face when he responded.

“Yes, but I can’t believe it. I thought I was alone.”

He looked down at her, his brow furrowed in confusion. “What do you mean, you thought you were alone? Explain, Penelope.”

Looking up at him with tears in her eyes, she told him what was in her heart, “I love you, too, Gabriel. I’ve loved you for almost as long as we’ve been together. I thought it was just lust at first. But the longer we’re together, the more I can’t see myself without you.”

“I feel the same way.” Walking her backward toward the bed, he continued speaking, “This house was supposed to be a surprise for you once the deal was finally closed and we no longer had to worry about what people might say. I want this to be our home. You and me.”

“I doubted you, Gabriel.”

“I know.”

“I’m sorry.”

“You should be. How could you not realize how much I love you? Don’t I show you in every deed, every action?” Pulling off her shirt and throwing it to the side, he kissed her collarbone. “Even if I never said the words, my entire world revolves around me and you. When I’m in New York, all I can think about is getting back to you.”

Stepping out of her shoes, she slipped his suit jacket off of his shoulders and began to unbutton his dress shirt. Taking every opportunity to touch his bare skin, she couldn’t believe he was hers. God, she loved this man, “Sometimes a woman likes to hear the words.”