Her Perfect Match (Liaison #1) (11 page)

“Work’s fine, but Marla’s long gone.
 
I’m surprised Gabriel didn’t tell you.”

She felt the blush grow on her cheeks and she shook her head.
 

“No, he didn’t mention it.
 
So you know that I’ve been seeing him for a while?”

She had wanted to tell Lucian about Gabriel and her, but she felt her relationship with Gabriel was too new, so she kept it to herself and enjoyed the few hours of uninterrupted time that she could spend with him.
 

They’d gotten together a couple of times a week for dinner, and she would end up staying the night, loving those moments as he held her, as they talked about whatever came to mind.
 
In the early morning hours, he made love to her so sweetly that he brought tears to her eyes.
 

Their relationship was still new, months old, and as much as she would love to tell Gabriel how she felt, she didn’t want their time to end early and watch as he moved on to other interests.
 
She had no doubt that Gabriel wasn’t the type of man to settle for one woman, and when that time came to let him go, she would manage the pain.
 
Somehow.
 
But for now, she was treasuring every moment she had with him.

“I ran into him several weeks ago, and he was worried about you.
 
That’s why I’m here.”

“You’re worried about me or who I’m seeing?”

Lucian was quiet for a while as he scanned her face, as if he searched for some clue, but she schooled her features, not wanting to give anything away.
 
Lucian and Gabriel were friends long before she even entered the picture, and she couldn’t help but wonder whether Lucian was going to warn her away from Gabriel.
 
It would be fruitless.
 
Her feelings already ran deeper than she would even reveal to herself and whatever his warnings, she knew that unless Gabriel broke it off with her, she wouldn’t be able to let him go.

“How do you feel about him?”

The air whooshed from her lungs from his unexpected question.
 
She knew what she felt, but for reasons that were all her own, she couldn’t voice it to anyone until Gabriel heard it from her first.
 

She had a crush on him from the moment she met him, but after spending time with him, how he worried for her well-being, but most of all, how he made her feel when he touched and kissed her, she knew her feelings were more permanent than she ever imagined them to be.
 
She hoped that it showed with every caress, with every kiss that left them both trembling for more.
 
But she knew that it wouldn’t be enough, not for a man like Gabriel.
 

He showed his integrity in his friendships, his dedication to his business, and over the past few months, a focused intensity whenever they were together.
 
She knew that if he ever fell in love, he would love with the entirety of his being.
 
A man like Gabriel would never settle for anything less.
 
And because of that, she wasn’t sure it could ever be her.

“You know that I’ve been attracted to him for years?”

He nodded, uncertainty clear on his face.

“Long ago, I accepted that the attraction was one-sided, so I tried to stop thinking about him.
 
But you always filled me in on what he was doing and who he was dating, so it just cemented my choice to leave well enough alone.
 
Until I went into his office and asked for an investment.”

“Why didn’t you come to me?” he asked.

“I wanted to do it on my own, to make my own way in the world.
 
You would just give me the money, and it would’ve been a gift instead of a business transaction.
 
I would have paid you back, like I will pay Gabriel back, but it was important that I got the investment based on the merits of my business plan and not because you’re my brother.”

He nodded, but crossed his arms against his chest and waited for her to answer his first question.

“In his office, I was surprised that he flirted with me, but I told myself not to take it seriously.
 
We discussed business, and I knew my plan was a sound one, but he was more interested in the people I would be hiring than the money he was risking.
 
But when he kissed me, I felt something shift between us.”

“You didn’t answer my question,” Lucian replied.

“I think it would be unwise to reveal to anyone what I feel about him.”

“You used to tell me everything.”

“I can’t,” she whispered.

“Bec, how do you feel about Gabriel?” Lucian grumbled.

She took a deep breath and looked at her brother, the truth written on her face.

“I see.”
 
Lucian smiled at her and her shoulders relaxed.

“I don’t,” Gabriel growled from the doorway.

Her eyes found his and even with the scowl on his face, he still made her heart kick in her chest each time she laid eyes on him.
 
Her eyes took in his charcoal-gray suit with a bright blue tie, but when they moved up to his face, she noticed that he had more than a day’s growth of hair on his face and there were dark circles under his eyes.
 
Despite her sense of dread that he was upset because of the discussion he walked in on, her worry overrode her fear and she wanted to take care of him.
 

“I’ll see you later, Bec,” Lucian said.

She had forgotten her brother was in her office the minute Gabriel walked in the room.
 
She cast an apologetic look in his direction, but at least she was able to stand on her shaky legs to give him a hug good-bye.
 
He waved off her concern, and draped his coat over his arm, before he reached for his briefcase and left without another word.

Her eyes moved back to Gabriel and watched him as he marched toward her, taking the time to unbutton his suit coat.
 
Everything about his appearance since he walked in her office could only be described as controlled anger.
 
But as she opened her mouth to ask him why, a short shake of his head had her words dying in her throat.
 
Hands flashed out and gripped her shoulders, whipping her around until she faced him.

“What was it that he saw, that you couldn’t tell him?”

When he was up close, she could see the tired lines around his eyes and his lips were pinched, as if he were in pain.
 
Her hand reached out and traced her fingers over his cheeks.

“Why do you look so tired?” she asked, concerned.

“It’s been three days since I’ve seen you.
 
I haven’t been sleeping well.
 
Don’t change the subject, Bec.
 
I want to know how you feel about me.”

Her heart clenched in her chest and her throat closed, unsure whether this would be the last time she would see Gabriel.

“Is it that hard to tell me?”

She shook her head.
 
“No, no.
 
It’s not hard at all.
 
I love you, Gabriel.”

A look of surprise crossed his features before he gripped her shoulders tighter and pulled her into his arms.
 
She was surrounded by his warmth and the familiar smell of wood and spicy citrus.
 
She leaned her head against his chest, listening to the rapid beat of his pulse against her ear, and relaxed into his embrace.
 
He was home, everything that she ever wanted when she dreamed of finding the perfect man.

He was quiet for so long that she started to get restless.
 
She shifted from one foot to the other when she felt a tremor in his arms and pulled back, confused that he hadn’t spoken in several minutes.

“Are you okay?”

He swooped down and when his lips pressed against hers, she opened in surprise.
 
He took advantage and slid his tongue inside to taste her, shivering as her hands roamed his back before she draped them over his shoulders and pulled in closer.
 
She was panting by the time he lifted his mouth from hers.
 
He placed his forehead against hers and tightened his arms, pulling her closer to his body.

“I thought I’d never hear you say the words.”
 
He looked at her with a stunned expression.

“You had to have known.
 
I’m surprised it wasn’t written on my face.
 
Lucian saw through me when I avoided his eyes.”
 
She caught his gaze.
 
“I do love you, Gabriel.”

A giant shudder passed through his body, and he buried his face underneath her hair and brushed a kiss against her neck.
 
“I will never tire of hearing that.”

“Well, I’ll never get tired of telling you.”
 
She smiled.

As much as she had dreaded this moment, it was a wondrous feeling that he now knew how she much she loved him.
 
He wasn’t displeased by her announcement, and the way he held her, it seemed as though it was freeing for him as well.

He pulled back and cupped her face in his hands.
 
He searched her eyes for doubt at her declaration but after a few moments, he brushed a kiss against her mouth and smiled.

“Can you please put me out of my misery and live with me?
 
I can’t wake up another morning without you.”

She laughed and hugged him close.
 
“I would like that.”

“I should’ve demanded it after our first weekend together, but I didn’t want to upend your life.”

“You could never do that.”

“Let’s go home.”
 
He hugged her close as they walked out of the office.

Chapter Thirteen

Gabriel glanced down at his watch for the tenth time in as many minutes, and willed Bec to walk through the door.
 
To release some of his pent-up energy, he had been pacing near the front door.
 
But as he blew out a breath and ran his hands once again through his hair, he knew he hadn’t succeeded.
 
He wanted the night to be perfect, and despite his planning, it all hinged on her reaction to make him either the happiest man in the world, or the most miserable.
 

Since the night two months ago when Bec confessed to loving him, his craving for her had grown.
 
He’d never been this nervous in his life, not when he started his company or any time since then.
 
But she was more important than anything in his life and he didn’t want to screw it up.
 
He’d been wrong about his feelings for her.
 
At the time, he thought that getting her out of his system would be easy.
 
He thought that she wouldn’t affect him.
 
He had never been more grateful in his life to be wrong.

While their personal lives have become intertwined, Liaison had become a well-known upscale dating service, and the addition of the escort service had the company skyrocketing.
 
She now employed over thirty escorts that were booked months in advance, but with her delegating duties to the proper departments, she had time to spend with him, and they had taken advantage of it.
 
They’d taken a vacation, his first one since starting his investment firm, and kept Bec in the hotel room for most of the trip, and the more time he spent with her, he knew that she was his future.
 
When they had gotten back from their trip, he started planning.

His head whipped to the door when he heard her key in the lock, and without waiting for her to let herself in, he opened the door and pulled her into his arms.
 
He shivered as he heard her laugh against his chest, and he loosened his hold so he could see her face.
 
He kissed her, just a light kiss, before he leaned back.

“Hi, sweetheart.”

“Hi,” she breathed.

Her eyes sparked and all the plans he had for the night disappeared in an instant.
 
He reached for her briefcase and tossed it aside before he pressed her against the door.

“I need you,” he groaned.

“I need you, too.”

He unbuttoned her blouse and kissed a trail from her neck down to the top of her breasts, loving the feel of her nails biting through the shirt he wore.
 
He took his time caressing her soft skin, from her soft belly to her back, while his mouth found hers again.
 
He lifted her into his arms and stumbled to the bedroom, his mouth never leaving hers until they tumbled into bed.
 

She opened for him and when she surged up to brush her core against him, he blew out a deep breath and willed himself to go slower.
 
Tonight was for her, and her alone.

“You’re so beautiful.”

She lifted her head and he watched her eyes widen as she took in the vases scattered around the room, filled with orange blossoms.
 
He had lit candles and it gave him enough light to see the blush that brushed her cheeks as she scanned the room.
 
He had wanted to do something that would show her how much he cared for her, and he had something special planned for her.
 
But once he touched her, all other thoughts disappeared.

“Thank you for the flowers,” she whispered.

“You’re welcome, sweetheart.
 
You know I would do anything for you.”

Her fingers teased his hair as she brought her mouth to his.
 
After several minutes, her hands moved underneath his shirt and he hissed in her mouth, loving the feel of her touching him.
 
She moaned his name and he knew what she needed.
 

Mindless with need, he flicked her nipple with his tongue, through her bra.
 
He laved both, taking his time and when he lifted his head a few minutes later, her fists were clenched against the sheets and her breathing was ragged.