Innocence Defied (New York) (11 page)

“How’s my girl doing today?”

Gage looked at his “girl”, restrained and open on his desk. He slowly pumped two thick fingers into her and answered, “She’s fantastic.”

Her eyes closed on a silent groan and he smiled at her, then leaned forward to give a few fast licks to her straining clit.

“I hate to keep bothering you like this,” Allen said, “but you know how mothers are. She worries less when we get updates. Is Oops driving you crazy yet?”

Gage pumped deep and hard into her sheath four times and answered, “I think you got that backward, Allen, I’m the one driving her crazy, I’d say.” Then he watched as he slid his pinky into the rosebud of her back entrance. Every muscle in her body strained and quivered.

“Oh, I’d doubt that,” her father replied with an indulgent chuckle. “Our girl thinks you can do no wrong. You know, you probably don’t realize this but I don’t think she’s ever outgrown her crush on you.”

“You don’t say?” Gage’s response was full of surprised doubt. Right now she was glaring at him from between her restrained legs and looked just as likely to shoot him as come for him.

“Seriously,” Allen continued. “I honestly think it’s still there—that hero worship she always had for you. Well, I hope she’s not cramping your style too much. Don’t let her hog all your free time. Brice and Terryn can babysit her a couple nights a week so you can go out.”

Gage laughed at the outraged look on Zoe’s face, then said, “I’ll be sure to tell her that you think she still needs a babysitter.”

“Good God, don’t do that.” There was true concern in his voice. “She’d go through the roof if she knew I said that. So, have you shown her anything new?”

“Oh, I’ve showed her a thing or two.” His fingers were still pumping and he used the thumb on his other hand to torment her clit.

“That’s good. That’s real good. Like I said, though, we don’t want you giving up all your spare time playing with our girl. Just give Brice and Terryn a call any time and they’ll take her off your hands whenever you need a break.”

“Like I’ve already told you, I like my hands just where they are right now.” Considering that both his hands were now buried deep in her dripping sheath, he couldn’t have meant anything more. “She’s a joy to me, she always has been.”

Her eyes met his and the melting devotion in hers tugged at his heart. “Well, Allen, I’m going to cut this short.” He winked at Zoe while he told her father, “I’ve got a young lady coming here any minute.” He didn’t catch her father’s reply; he was too busy smothering his laughter at the murderous glare his sub was shooting him.

As soon as the line went dead, Zoe opened her mouth, presumably to tear into him, but she forgot one small detail: she was restrained with his hands buried in her. He stood up and leaned over her, pushing deep with his fingers so her body reverberated with the reaction.

“There something on your mind, sub?” he taunted as he continued to pump. Her eyes lost focus and he felt the intense tightening of her vaginal walls. “God, darlin’,” he practically growled at her. “I love the way you feel right before you come. If I was in you right now, I’d lose my fucking mind.” He groaned the last as she spilled over and came in one contracting wave after another.

Chapter Seventeen

Tomorrow was her birthday. Zoe was a wreck of nerves and anticipation. Tomorrow was the day. He was finally going to make love to her. This last week he’d done everything to her
but
that. He’d poured warm oil on her breasts then held them in his hands while he’d stroked his shaft between them until he came with a guttural shout. He did the same thing to her butt cheeks the very next day—much to her shock and secret delight, he’d done it while she was bent over his desk at work. His mouth had been between her legs so many times she thought she’d become addicted to it because she started craving him there again almost as soon as he finished.

Gage’s hands were on her constantly. Even if they were just watching a movie before bed, he was touching her in some marvelous and intimate way. Zoe smiled to herself, thinking that street went both ways. Finally, she was free to touch him too. With her hands and her mouth, she was doing to him everything she’d always dreamed of.
Well almost
, she amended to herself. Starting tomorrow, it would be everything.

“You ready, darlin’?” Gage poked his head into her bedroom where he’d left her an hour ago to get ready for dinner. She was delighted to see his expression go slack with surprise, then darken with desire.

She was wearing a white dress tonight—it seemed fitting since it was her last night as a virgin. It was strapless and hugged her form all the way down to her thighs before the long skirt loosened and flowed out. In her heels, the skirt flirted with the floor and there was a slit in the side that went more than halfway up her thigh. She had a cashmere wrap for her shoulders and she shrugged it on as she turned to him with a smile.

“All set.” With a last pat at her hair that she’d piled up in loose curls, she walked past him out the door. Zoe couldn’t help the purely female glow she felt that he still stood there dumbstruck as she started down the hall.

Zoe stepped out of the cab and let out a gasp of delight when Gage asked the driver to stop. There was an open carriage with a gleaming white horse waiting for them. The driver tipped his top hat at her and hopped down to open the door with a flourish and a bow.

She turned to Gage and wrapped her arms tight around him. “Oh, Gage. How perfect. How do you always know just exactly what to do?”

He only smiled at her and, with a steady hand, helped her in to the carriage.

Central Park was full of magic at twilight. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky and as dusk began to fall, stars blinked on and filled the night with diamonds. The horse drew them along a lazy path through the elaborate gardens and the fragrance of a million flowers perfumed the air. Zoe let her head rest on Gage’s shoulder and he draped his arm around her to pull her close.

With tears in her eyes, Zoe told him, “I love you, Gage. I’ve loved you my whole life and every day we’ve had just gets more and more perfect.”

His arm tightened and she felt him kiss the top of her head. She knew he was still conflicted about them. He loved her too—she knew he did. She also knew that he was having trouble with the transition from the love he felt for the little girl to the feelings he now had for the woman she’d grown into. She smiled up at him, unafraid to let him see the tears swimming in her eyes. “I’m so glad I waited for you. This week has been the best in my life and if I could have known what to wish for and written out a list, I would have written it out exactly like this.”

His hand cupped her cheek and he stared into her eyes for a long silent moment before tipping his head down and kissing her. He kissed her lightly at first, just gentle sweeps of his lips against hers. Then he added more and more pressure until her lips opened, and he gave a soft groan as his tongue swept in. For endless moments he kissed her with deep sweeping thrusts of his tongue, alternated with soft featherlight brushes.

 
She was panting and her head was fuzzy with desire when he pulled away. Zoe whimpered and tried to pull him back for more, but he said, “The carriage stopped, darlin’. We’re here.”

Zoe looked up and the tears sprang back to her eyes at what she saw. They were in a secluded glen without another soul in sight, and there was a table set fit for a king. There were silver platters and gleaming china. Long-stemmed crystal glasses, white linens and even a handsome young man dressed in full tuxedo waited for them. Not alone as she’d thought.
 

She took in the whole scene with a trembling tummy and looked back at Gage, ready to burst into a full-blown crying jag of gratitude.

 
He recognized the signs, because he looked panicked for a second and said, “You remember Tanner, don’t you, darlin’?”

“Tanner?” Zoe’s head whipped back to the handsome young man and she let out a gurgling laugh. “Tanner! What? How?”

She looked back at Gage and he smiled as he told her, “He proved he wasn’t a punk when he came back to check on you that night. You were out cold, because he was pounding on the door like he was going to beat it down and you didn’t so much as twitch.”

She blushed at that. She knew it was because of the orgasms he’d given her that she’d slept so soundly, and from the look in his eyes, she saw that he knew it too.

“Well, seein’ as how he was so concerned for you and all, I promised him he’d get to check on you for himself.” She gave him a quick squeeze and hopped down to wrap Tanner in a tight hug.

“It’s so good to see you.” She looked up at this guy that she hardly knew but still felt a deep connection with.

“You too, Zo.” His smile was charming and knowing and Zoe felt a flush steal over her cheeks as he looked her over. “I can’t say I’m completely happy to see that your plan worked out. I was hoping it would fail miserably so you’d have to give me a shot.”

Her laugh was light and full of joy. “Tanner, you are never going to convince me that you’re lacking in female company and pining away for me.”

He took her hands in his and spread her arms wide so he could make a show of looking her over from head to toe. “You ever look in a mirror, Zo?”

She laughed again and stepped back. “Of course.”

“Then you must not look too close if you can say that to me.”

When she was about to retort, Gage stepped behind her and wrapped his arms around her middle to pull her to his chest. “Let the boy pay you a compliment, darlin’. It proves he’s not blind.” With a light kiss on her cheek, he led her by the hand to the waiting table.

As Tanner held the chair out for her, she was shocked to realize that he was their waiter when he picked up the champagne and began to pour.

“Tanner?” She looked at him first and then Gage, ready to send him away, and a little shocked that Gage would have him there as “the help”.

“Oops, darlin’,” Gage said before she could continue, “while speaking with your boy here, I learned that he’s in town on a partial scholarship and tryin’ to work his way through school. Being a starvin’ student and all, I thought you might appreciate it if I offered him a job.”

“And being the ‘starvin’ student’ in question, I would like to say
I
sure appreciate five hundred bucks to play waiter for one night.”

“Oh,” Zoe said as relief and gratitude swirled through her head. “In that case, here’s to your good fortune.” She lifted her glass in a mock salute and added, “May you find a desperate female with connections to deep pockets every time the rent is due.”

The rest of the evening flew by in a haze of fairy dust as far as Zoe was concerned. The dinner was course after course of delicacies. Tanner was more than the waiter—he spoke with them and teased her constantly. She was sure her cheeks were pink the entire time. Gage was attentive and charming. He spoke to her and focused on her more intently than she could ever remember him being before.

They talked about everything. She discovered he liked it when she spoke her mind about things, so she gave him her full opinion on every subject even when it clashed with his. They got kind of heated when it came to the conflict in Iraq. She thought the fighting should stop and that America should pull out, where as he—being a Texan through and through—wanted to fight ‘til America won and that was that. The passionate debate only stirred them both up to where all she could think about was getting him naked. She knew he was thinking the same thing because in the middle of one of her finer points, he slammed his fork down onto the table, shoved from his seat and reached out to drag her into his arms for one of the most intense kisses he’d ever given her.

By the time the evening was over and he was closing the bedroom door behind them, she was mindless with desire. He’d petted and kissed and caressed her throughout the entire evening. After dinner they’d meandered through the park along the water, hand in hand, and she’d lost count of the number of times he’d pulled her into his arms. Then he’d taken her to a piano bar where the music was smooth and classic. Old jazzy numbers by Frank Sinatra, as well as newer ones by Harry Connick, Jr. were played by a live band, and he’d swept her along on the dance floor until she felt drenched in music and romance. He moved too fluidly for such a large man, but fluid he was. Dancing with him was like being in a Fred Astaire movie, and Zoe honestly couldn’t feel her feet touch the floor.

“Zoe, darlin’,” Gage said from behind her as his lips kissed that spot on her neck that turned her knees to water. “It’s after midnight. Happy birthday.”

Then he spun her around and kissed her. His mouth moved with as much skill on hers as his feet moved on a dance floor, and all Zoe could do was melt in surrender. Several blissful moments passed with no sound other than their increasingly ragged breaths as the kisses grew frantic before what Gage said registered.

She broke away with a gasp and looked up into his face as she panted. Her arms were still wrapped around his neck and his were tight around her waist. They stood that way for a frozen moment as their gazes locked while understanding bloomed in her heart.

“This is it,” she whispered. “My birthday present. It’s happening tonight.”

“No, darlin’.” He leaned in and kissed along her neck. “It’s happening right now.” Then she heard the sound of her zipper as he loosened it and her dress pooled at her feet, leaving her naked since she’d been denied undergarments this evening.