Her Perfect Match (Liaison #1) (6 page)

He ripped his mouth from hers to trail kisses down her throat.
 
He buried his face in her neck, and held onto her as a violent shiver ran throughout his body.

“I need to take care of you.”
 
His deep voice washed over her.

“I—”

He shook his head and brought his eyes up to hers.

She wanted to argue that she could take care of herself, but the look of worry etched in his face had her heart pounding in her chest and tears stinging her eyes.
 
He wanted her, but he wouldn’t give in to his need until he knew that she wouldn’t drop from exhaustion.
 
She knew, in the space of that one moment, that she lost her heart to this wonderful, gorgeous man.

He drew away from her, but not before he leaned in and dropped a kiss on her lips.
 
Reluctantly, he pulled away from her, and he held her gaze for several moments before he walked toward the refrigerator.
 

She missed his heat that surrounded her, but she reminded herself that she was there for the weekend and she would have other opportunities to kiss him and touch him.
 
As she watched him remove ingredients and place them on the counter, she shook herself out of her stupor and grabbed the onion, green pepper, and ham steak.
 
She was grateful that he was planning on a simple omelet for dinner, because she wanted to spend as much time with him before the weekend was over.

“Cutting board?” she asked.

He pointed to the cabinet near the pantry.
 
When she turned and walked toward where he had indicated, he wrapped his arms around her and nuzzled his nose against the back of her neck.
 
Her gasp of surprise turned into a giggle as he tickled her.

“I can’t seem to stop touching you.”

She enjoyed the more playful side to him.
 
She decided to play along and nipped his ear when she turned around.
 
She leaned close and whispered, “I love it when you touch me.”
 

She pulled away to see the desire glowing in his eyes, and she took advantage of his momentary stillness to brush a kiss against his mouth, before she turned back toward the cabinet and pulled out the cutting board.
 
A strangled moan sounded behind her, but when she faced him, she smiled as she watched him crack an egg with more force than was necessary.

After a few minutes of working companionably side by side, they plated their omelets and he directed her toward the breakfast bar.
 
As they sat, he pulled his chair close to her, as if he worried that she might change her mind and leave.
 
She knew she was right where she wanted to be.

“Eat,” he growled.

“You’re bossy.”
 
She laughed.

His face grew serious and his eyes flashed.
 
“I knew that Liaison was taking up a lot of your time, but when you walked into my office, you looked ready to drop and it almost stopped my heart.
 
You’ve lost weight, and if the circles under your eyes are any indication, you’re not sleeping.”

He brushed a kiss over her mouth and jerked back.

“I’ll take care of you, and that means dinner, and then we’ll go to bed, together.”

Her body warmed at the thought of lying next to him as he slept, but he was right.
 
She was exhausted.
 
She ate her dinner and was rewarded with a long, slow kiss that threatened to buckle her knees.
 
She offered to clean, but he threw everything in the dishwasher before he grabbed her overnight bag and interlaced their fingers.
 
He pulled her to the nearest bathroom so she could get ready for bed.

“Towels are in the closet.”
 
He tilted his head.

“I’ll be quick.”

He cupped her cheeks before he brushed a kiss, and then another, lightly over her lips.
 
He nodded and backed out of the bathroom, shutting the door as he left.

She blew out a breath as her body tingled from his kisses.
 
She turned toward the walk-in shower and turned it on.
 
She glanced at each bottle of shampoo and conditioner before she used them, but her thoughts were with the man in the other room.
 

She could feel his desire for her whenever they were close, but it was his worry over her that had touched her heart in a way that threatened her sense of self-preservation.
 
If he wanted her as much as she wanted him, she would deal with the consequences of a broken heart when it ended.
 
But for now, she was going to enjoy every moment she had with him.

She stepped out of the shower and dried off before she threw on a long-sleeved white tee and black yoga pants, her normal sleeping attire.
 
She was running a brush through her hair when the bathroom door was thrown open and Gabriel started toward her.
 
When he noticed what she was wearing, he stopped in his tracks and gave her a once-over.

“You are so beautiful, sweetheart,” he growled.

For the first time in her life, she felt her cheeks heat with a blush.
 
She sat the brush down on the counter and ran her fingers through her hair until she felt the heat leave her face; and she straightened and glanced at him.
 
He leaned against the doorframe and when she walked toward him, he met her halfway and swung her up in his arms.

She leaned her head against his chest as he carried her through the door and into his bedroom.
 
A soft glow came from the lamp on the nightstand, but it gave her enough light to be able to look at his handsome face.
 
There was stubble that had grown throughout the day, and she had an urge to reach out and cup his cheek, but he lowered her to her feet and turned away.

He pulled down the comforter and the sheet and as he stood, he pulled her close to his side and squeezed before he nodded his head toward the bed.
 
She climbed in and scooted to the other side.
 
Her eyes caught his smooth skin as he whipped his shirt off, and tossed it on the chair near the bed.
 
As he unbuttoned his jeans, she swallowed, but couldn’t look away as he lowered them down his legs and kicked them to the side.
 
Her delight was short-lived when he flipped off the lamp and slid under the covers.
 
Instead of keeping his distance, he pulled her head onto his chest and wrapped his arms around her, holding her close.

His lips brushed against her forehead, and her heart squeezed in her chest at the small, but monumental gesture.

“Get some sleep, sweetheart.”

“Thank you for taking care of me,” she whispered.

She felt his smile against her hair as she settled in his arms and drifted off to sleep.

Chapter Seven

Gabriel had woken at dawn when Rebecca had moaned his name and turned to bury her face against his neck.
 
He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer, until her hands were opened against his chest and her body was flush against his.
 
As she slept in his arms, he’d been wide awake, savoring her hot, even breaths that blew against his naked chest, and her warm, soft skin tempting him.

As he thought back over the past few years, he realized that most of his encounters never lasted until the morning, because he made himself scarce shortly after sex with a quick kiss and no promises.
 
He’d never brought a woman to his bed, or even up to his penthouse, because they expected so much more than he was willing to give.
 
There had been no woman who tempted him into even thinking about a relationship, long-term or not.

For most of his thirty years, he’d been content with the status quo, but with Bec snuggled into his arms on a Saturday morning, his entire view on relationships seemed to have changed overnight.
 
He enjoyed taking care of her, cooking for her, and he could see that whatever walls she erected between them had come crashing down.
 
The trust in her eyes made him feel invincible.
 
He wanted to fight her demons but more than that, he wanted to be by her side as they built a life together.

The thought of a future with Bec had settled easily inside him.

He knew that he was getting ahead of himself, and moved his thoughts to a more pressing matter.
 
The night before, they had used what was left of his groceries.
 
This weekend was about taking care of her, so he moved to slide out of bed, trying not to jar her as she slept.
 
He was close to the edge when her arm slipped to his side and squeezed.

“Gabriel?”
 

Her sleep-laced voice sent a jolt of awareness straight to his groin, but he gritted his teeth and took a few deep breaths to get his body back under control.
 
When he felt it was safe to touch her, he leaned back on the bed, his head resting on his elbow, as he brushed a few strands of hair behind her ear.
 
He noted that the blackness under her eyes had disappeared, but she still looked tired.

“Shush, sweetheart.
 
Go back to bed.
 
I’m going to get us some breakfast.
 
I’ll be right back.”

He brushed a light kiss over her mouth, trying to rein in his desire for her, but her hand cupped the back of his neck as she opened for him.
 
A groan he’d been holding rumbled from deep in his chest, and he allowed himself a few minutes of her lush mouth on his before he pulled back.
 
Again, he pushed away his near constant desire for her, knowing that they would have plenty of time later.

“Okay,” she mumbled.
 
She closed her eyes and after a deep sigh, slipped back into sleep.

He kept his eyes on her sleeping form as he dressed in a white tee with a deep-green v-neck sweater over it, and added loose-fitted jeans.
 
She had rolled to her left side and curled into a ball, so he placed his pillow next to her back to cocoon her in.
 

He smiled at how much of a romantic sap he was being, and shook his head as he pulled on his socks and shoes before he walked to his dresser and pocketed his wallet and keys.
 
He brushed a kiss over her forehead, and with one last look, shut the bedroom door and walked out of his apartment.

The day was cloudy and looked as though it might rain.
 
He smiled to himself as he walked to the deli two blocks from his apartment, his thoughts on the woman he left back in his bed.
 
It would be the perfect day to spend inside with her, as he kissed and touched every square inch of her body, and learned how she loved to be touched.

One of the first in line at the deli, he ordered a dozen bagels, three different loaves of bread, and deli meats, along with an assortment of salad platters, because he realized that he wasn’t sure what she liked to eat.
 
For some reason, that made him determined to find out more about her.
 
Her favorite places to go, what she loved to read, movies she watched, anything that gave him more insight into a woman who had intrigued him from the moment he’d met her.
 

As he waited for his order to be prepared, he sat at a corner table and sipped on a large coffee.
 
He watched the people pass by on the sidewalk, rushing around even though it was the weekend.
 
He’d always been focused on his business and making money, but as he sat there, thinking about Bec in his life, he couldn’t bring himself to care about anything else but her at the moment.

“You’re out early for a Saturday.”

Gabriel glanced up at his oldest friend as Lucian Cole pulled out a chair and sat down across from him.
 
He shook his head when he noticed that Lucian wore an immaculate suit, his hair slicked back, and was cleanly shaven.

“Heading into work?”

Lucian nodded and waited for some explanation.
 
Lucian knew him so well; he hated getting up early on Saturdays.

“I was getting breakfast for Bec.”

Lucian’s eyebrows rose, but there were no other outward signs whether he approved or disapproved of him seeing his sister.
 
Again, Lucian waited for further explanation.

“I was worried about her.
 
Her business is running her ragged.”

His friend nodded.
 
“When she has something in her sights, she doesn’t stop until she gets what she wants.”

Gabriel hoped that included him.

For a long time, Lucian looked at him as if he tried to gage something in his expression.
 
He had no idea what his friend saw, but the next words out of his mouth took him by surprise.
 

“You know that she’s always liked you, right?” Lucian asked.

Their relationship was so new that he had no idea how she felt about him.
 
Yeah, she told him the night before that she wanted him, but sex was different than a relationship.
 

Whenever he made an appearance with Lucian, she would have a reason she couldn’t stay.
 
He never noticed that she looked at him with anything but friendly affection, so he didn’t really know whether his friend was right about her feelings for him.
 

He shook his head as he tried to make sense of the simple statement, and glanced at Lucian to see whether he was telling him the truth.
 
Lucian was serious about everything in his life, but he stowed his stuffy disposition for his sister.
 
They’d always been close.
 
He knew that Lucian would never lie to him, but it confused him when he couldn’t remember Bec even flirting with him in all the years they’d known each other.