Pulse (Collide) (49 page)

“Yes. I’m going to be your wife,” Emily cried, lifting Noah onto her lap. He settled down when she handed him a bottle, his little body relaxing with instant gratification. Emily’s limbs went weak as Gavin reached for her hand and slipped the engagement ring onto her finger. Her soul warmed from everything it represented.

“Thank you,” she whispered, staring into Gavin’s eyes. “I have no words that could possibly describe what you do to me every day.” And she didn’t. He’d found her broken, withering away into nothing. He’d mended her heart, bandaging her soul with his presence. Through it all, he showed her what true love was. He
was
a dream. The only thing she could do was pray she never awoke from this bliss. His bliss. Gavin dowsed her lips with more intoxicating kisses as she ran her hand down his bare chest. Time was of the essence, but now time would always be filled with everything Emily could’ve ever imagined, everything she could’ve ever hoped for.

“You already gave me the only word I needed to hear,” Gavin said softly. He kissed her again, massaging his fingers into her hair. “Now, you need to get up, and go get ready. There’s a gift for you on the bed.”

“Get ready?” she asked. She laid Noah, out cold, onto the comforter. Smiling, she stared at him a moment and soaked in his tiny, exhausted body. “Where are we going?”

Standing and bringing Emily along with him, Gavin stretched, his hard, rigid physique catching Emily’s attention in an instant. She bit her lip, her gaze roaming over his golden skin, needing to follow the glorious dragon’s descent below Gavin’s pajama pants. It was all good, though. Every inch of her had a lifetime to worship the beautiful work of art on her fiancé’s extraordinary body.

“I’m taking you out to celebrate.” He leaned into her ear, his tongue stroking the lobe. Chills shot, prickling over Emily’s flesh. He kissed her lips one, last glorious time, soft and gentle. Gavin stepped back, leaving her body aching from his absence. “Olivia will be here in fifteen to watch Noah for us. I’m spoiling my lady tonight.” Eyes locked on hers, Gavin jerked his head toward their bedroom. “Go ahead. I’ll see you soon, future Mrs. Blake.”

Gavin always came up with the sweetest things to say, but those particular words rolled from his tongue like chocolate. Breathless, Emily nodded and made her way down the hall, her head fuzzy with joy, excitement, and love.

Upon entering their suite, Emily’s eyes fell upon a large rectangular box lying on the bed with a red bow crisscrossing around it. Emily wondered what the certified-wiseass love of her life had in store for her. A horrid, pink Yankees sweat suit came to mind, but since he’d said they were celebrating, she figured he probably skipped that idea. On second thought, she wouldn’t put it past him. He loved putting his
stamp
on things. She sank onto the bed reaching for the box, her curiosity more than piqued. After sliding off the bow, she lifted the top. A laugh escaped her lips when she spotted silver, blue, and white Yankees tissue paper hugging whatever gift was hiding inside. She shook her head, praying he wasn’t going to make her endure a night out on the town swathed in his favorite team’s gear. Hands itching to find out, she tore the paper away with the velocity of a rocket shooting into the air. On a gasp, mixed with a sigh of relief, she was thrilled to find her man wasn’t going there.

No. Instead, the attire he’d chosen for her was a single shoulder, glossy black silk wrap dress with elegant ruching above and under the bust. Standing, Emily held the breathtaking cocktail dress against her chest as she stared at her full-length mirror. Hitting just above the knee, with a stunning jewel appliqué cinching the waist, there was no doubt the dress would accentuate her newfound mommy curves. To top off her surprise, Gavin had picked out a pair of the season’s newest black, strappy Manolo Blahnik’s. With giddiness flowing through her, Emily turned to get ready for the evening and spotted Gavin leaned casually against the doorframe.

“Have you been watching me the whole time?” Emily asked, feeling a flush run up her cheeks.

“I have, and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.” Arms crossed, he gave her a lazy smile. “Did I do well?”

Emily strolled across the bedroom, her eyes feasting on his chiseled face. She tangled her fingers in his soft, dark hair and brought him down for a kiss. “Do you ever not do well?”

“Mmm”—he smirked, running his lips across her jaw—”now that you mention it, I guess I’m pretty on point all the time.”

Emily giggled, nuzzling against his bare chest. “So confident.”

“I am.”

“Well, Mr. Confident, where’s our child then?”

“Asleep in his crib.” He popped a brow, looking at her. “Now kiss me for the good daddy deed.”

Without hesitation, Emily did as he asked. Before she could devour his lips with the intensity her body screamed for, the doorbell sounded. “Olivia,” Emily breathed, attempting to regain her bearings as she backed away.

“Perfect but imperfect timing,” Gavin sighed as he turned toward the hall. “You get ready, and I’ll get the door. Right after I calm myself… down.” Semi-hard, Gavin tried to think of something, anything that would take his mind off Emily’s luscious lips. However, nothing was working. As he opened the door, he hoped Olivia wouldn’t notice his very awake, very enthusiastic response to Emily’s touch.

“Eeek!” Olivia all but yelled as she darted into the penthouse. “Where’s my godson?”

Running his hand through his hair, Gavin smiled and closed the door. “He’s asleep.”

“Oh, come on already.” Olivia frowned and chucked her purse onto the foyer table. Continuing to pout, she marched into the living room and sank onto the couch with a huff. “Every time I come over he’s sleeping.”

With a look of confusion laced with amusement, Gavin shook his head. “Liv, that’s what babies do best. They sleep.” She rolled her eyes as dramatically as Sarah Bernhardt. Gavin lounged into a soft, leather wingback chair. “Aren’t you curious if Emily accepted my proposal? I’m surprised that wasn’t your first question.”

Olivia rolled her eyes again. “Pfft. I don’t ask questions I already know the answer to. There was no way she would’ve not accepted, and had she, I would’ve beat her ass down, ran off and eloped with you, and legally adopted that precious baby who seems to be in a permanent state of sleep. Are you two drugging him?”

Gavin’s mouth dropped open, though he wasn’t quite sure why. The things Olivia said would shock a serial killer before entering a gas chamber to his death.

Rising to her feet, Olivia tapped her cheek, her expression showing she was deep in thought. “Speaking of drugged-up, sleeping babies, I’m going to wake him up. Aunty Liv needs some Noah lovin’.”

Gavin shrugged. “That’s on you. I’m warning you now, no matter how much he likes you, you’ll become his worst enemy if you fuck with his nap.”

“I’ll take my chances,” Olivia quipped, hurrying toward Noah’s room.

Before long, Gavin heard Noah wailing along with Olivia attempting to calm him down. Gavin chuckled and decided that was the perfect time to get himself ready for the evening. Yeah, Olivia had it coming to her, and Gavin was pretty sure Noah would deliver a clean, solid blow.

“So where exactly are you taking me?” Emily took in the scenery as Gavin eased onto the Taconic Parkway. Even though the cold skies of March anchored the air, and trees had yet to bloom, it never ceased to amaze Emily at the way the city seemed to melt away into a spectacular pallet of nature. With Manhattan’s skyline long vanished from view, the harshness bled into nothing but peace. Mountainous boulders hugging the road were a glorious difference from the chaotic jungle they lived in. In a way, this part of New York reminded Emily of Colorado. Different in many ways, yet it held the same warmth home always would.

“It’s a surprise,” Gavin answered, flipping on his right blinker. He glanced in the rearview mirror before he pulled off onto the side of the road. He popped the vehicle into park, grinned, and leaned over, placing a soft kiss on Emily’s lips. “One you need to be blindfolded for.” Without another word, he opened his door and stepped from the car.

Curiosity coiled deep in Emily’s belly as she watched his lean, toned frame gracefully move around to her side of the car. God, he looked amazing decked out in a tailored black Armani suit, a crisp, white button-down peeking out from underneath, and his effortlessly sexy “just fucked” hair. He opened her door and pulled said blindfold from the back pocket of his pants. Reaching for her hand, he helped Emily out, his smile playfully dotted with mischievousness. He gathered her in his strong arms, shielding her from the cold, as Boyce Avenue’s live acoustic version of “Find Me” spilled from the speakers. For a moment, Gavin stared into her eyes and swayed with the music.

“Déjà vu,” Emily said dreamily. She recalled the last time they’d danced like this on the side of the road in Mexico. “You’re very smooth, Mr. Blake.” Gavin shot her a lazy smile, and Emily drew up a brow, her curiosity growing by the second. “What are you up to?”

Before she could blink, Gavin slipped the silk blindfold over Emily’s eyes. He pressed his lips to her ear. A small gasp left Emily as Gavin lightly traced his fingers along her jaw, his voice soft, causing heat to slither over her skin. “We’re about to play a game. And, no, it’s not twenty questions, doll.”

“No?” Emily breathed. The sounds of cars rushing by, along with Boyce Avenue’s beautiful love song disappeared as Gavin’s fingers continued a trail against the slope of her neck.

“No,” he answered. “This game will stimulate each and every single one of your five senses beyond human comprehension. Sight...” He pulled her closer, and Emily could feel his growing arousal hard against her stomach. “I’m going to show you things you’ve never seen before.” Brushing her gray wool pea coat slightly away from her shoulder, he feathered his lips against her collar bone. Emily shivered, goose bumps popping up all over her body. Every hair stood on end. After a moment, he brought his lips back to her ear and lightly nibbled on her lobe. As he swirled his warm tongue around diamond earrings he’d bought for her for Valentine’s Day, Emily swore she was about to melt into the gravel on the side of the road.

“Sound...” He teased his fingers into her hair, her body screaming for release. “Do you like it when you feel my breath on your ear?” Emily swallowed and nodded. Words were a thing of the past as she sank, plummeting into his touch.

“Taste…” Oh, he was really getting her riled up as he slowly, so achingly slowly, ran his soft tongue along her parted bottom lip. “I’m addicted to the way you taste, Emily. I always have been, and I always will be. But I want you addicted to me in the exact same way.” Was he nuts? He’d already turned her into a fiend for all his flavors, yet she had a feeling he was about to make her a full-blown addict, praying for her next hit.

“Smell…” He ran his nose against her hair, down her neck, and back up her flushed cheek. The sound of him inhaling her scent rushed a feeling of need straight to her dampened panties. “Mmm, the way every part of your sweet body smells would lead me to kill for it if it ever disappeared from my possession. It’s…
mine
.” Emily puffed out a breath, the dominance bleeding through his tone awakened nerve endings she never knew existed.

“And last, but certainly not least, touch…” Emily heard him step back. Her body felt deprived in the wake of his warmth. It needed more. Wanted more. Craved more. What was he doing? Surely he should be touching her. “Well, that, Miss Cooper,” he continued, “shouldn’t be hard to figure out. We’re going to touch, smell, taste, hear, and see everything one another has to offer in ways we never have before.”

Breath stripped from his words, and sight gone, hidden beneath the blindfold, Emily felt as though she was a mad woman about to attack. Thankfully, Gavin brought her back down and saved himself from an embarrassing display of her ripping the blindfold off and sexually mauling him to death. Though she was pretty sure he wouldn’t mind. She felt his fingers intertwine with hers as he carefully guided her back to the car and helped her into the seat. The sound of the door closing made Emily’s already nerve-shot body jump in anticipation. His feet crunching over the gravel made her already heightened senses acutely alert. Once he got in the car, the humming of his breath made her racing heart beat faster.

He started the engine, pulled the strap of her seatbelt over her waist, and clicked it. Barely grazing her skin, he drew circles around her newly engaged ring finger. Oh, yes, he was teasing her, and he was doing it very well. A brush of his hand on her neck, a slight touch on her thigh, and a light stroke through her hair every now and then made the remainder of the intensely quiet ride torturous. By the time she heard and felt car come to a complete stop, Emily was so sexually charged, she was convinced she was about to lose her mind.

Parked in the circular driveway of a two-story Mediterranean-style home he had built for them, complete with every feature Emily unknowingly gave him over the last several months, a reverent smile broke out across Gavin’s mouth as he watched Emily’s chest rise and fall with her shallow breaths. The sight of her next to him, unaware of what he was about to show her, made him high. His little game wasn’t over just yet. No. He was going to savor the moment for as long as he could. With the flick of a button, the ornate wrought-iron gates swung closed. Gavin stepped from the car, his smile growing as he opened the passenger side door, and helped his blindfolded future bride to her feet.