Scandal Never Sleeps (37 page)

“What do you think I want? You. Like I said, I always want you. I definitely want the Everly who was brave enough to get out of her clothes and on her knees in a car in the middle of Midtown on one of Manhattan’s most crowded streets. I think I want to fuck that Everly right now.”

The limo had hit the typical traffic around Times Square. They were stopped in the lane closest to the sidewalk and Everly turned her head. Her eyes widened as she glimpsed the hundreds of people walking all around them. She raised her hands to cover her breasts.

Gabe refused to have any of that. Instead, he pulled her into his lap. “Don’t you dare. You undressed for me. You wanted to show me how gorgeous you are. You’re not hiding now.”

“But, Gabriel . . .” She gestured to the window.

He wouldn’t let her use that as an excuse. “The windows are heavily tinted. No one can see in. No one can see how fucking pretty your breasts are. Except me.”

He cupped one. He was never going to get over how perfectly she fit in his hand or how soft she was. She shivered in his arms, and he was fairly certain it wasn’t out of embarrassment or fear.

Did the idea of sex with a crowd so nearby arouse her? Oh, he could get dirty if that got his girl hot. He held a breast in his hand as though showing it off to the people on the street. “If they could see you, they’d all stop and stare, transfixed. That’s how beautiful you are. They would watch you. They would worship you.”

A shaky laugh came from her throat. “I hardly think so.”

“Stop seeing yourself through your eyes. See through mine. See how gorgeous I think you are.” Even if she left him, he wanted her to know that. He wanted her to look in the mirror and see how amazing she was and never question it again. “Spread your legs.”

“I don’t know.” But her knees were falling to the sides, revealing her pussy.

His cock jumped at the sight. Her sex was swollen from her recent orgasm but it already looked wanting and needy again. He touched her, sliding his fingers through her cream and coating them. “And this is so lovely. They would watch while I rub you, letting my fingers fuck in and out. Like I will in a moment.”

“Oh . . .” She arched her head back. “Do it, Gabriel. Touch me.”

“I will, but in my time. First, I’m going to let the people out there watch the show. It’s better than anything on Broadway. It’s prettier than the lights.” He could feel her writhing, trying to get closer to his fingers. “They’ll watch how your mouth comes open when I do this.”

He gently pressed on her clitoris. Exactly like he’d imagined, she gasped and her mouth opened in a surprised
O
as though she was truly caught off guard. He wanted to teach her to expect that pleasure from him, to demand it. He wanted her to know that when his hands were on her body, she would always be satisfied.

Her back arched, breasts thrust forward, and she was such a sexy sight. She was laid across his lap, her legs spread for his pleasure. Though he was absolutely certain no one could see inside the limo, he could imagine the world admiring how stunning Everly was. But the sight of her naked and in ecstasy was only for him. He would play at exhibitionism, but he would never be able to show her off. Her body belonged to him, and he wasn’t about to let another man see it.

The car moved but only another few feet. Someone brushed against the limo as they crossed the street.

Everly’s eyes sprang open.

He circled her clit again. There was only one way to make her lose
her inhibitions and that was to overwhelm her with pleasure. “Get on your knees.”

He helped her to the floor. She dropped to her knees, and then all he could see was her gorgeous ass in the air. He reached out and put a hand on her cheeks, stroking her.

“Please, Gabriel. I can’t take much more.”

“You’ll take as much as I give you.” But he wasn’t going to wait. He needed her. He got to his knees behind her, letting his slacks fall. He didn’t take the time to get out of them. His need was far too urgent and he loved the fact that he was mostly dressed while she was deliciously naked. There was something decadent about all her skin on display.

He stroked himself before gripping her hips and aligning his cock. Yes. This was what he’d needed. The whole day would have gone differently if he’d kept her in bed.

He winced. That was exactly what she was trying to avoid. She didn’t want to be his little sex toy. She wanted to be respected. Did she want to be loved? By him?

Gabe was fairly certain that boat had sailed and there was nothing he could do about it. He loved her and he had to find a way to prove it. Sometimes the simplest way was the best. He’d learned that a long time ago.

He pressed inside her, her body surrounding him, her heat pulling at him. “I love you.”

She cried out and pushed back against him. He could feel how the words affected her. But she didn’t say anything in return.

“I love you.” Maybe he would just say it until she believed him. He pressed deeper, every inch a pure pleasure. “I love you so much.”

Her head shook, but she pressed back, taking more of him. “Gabriel, I can’t.”

Everly had been through so much in the last forty-eight hours. Hell, only a couple of hours ago she’d nearly been mowed down. He couldn’t ask more of her now.

Even if he lost her, he would love her. That fact hit him squarely in the chest as he held her tight. “You don’t have to, baby.”

He let go, shoving his cock deep. So good. She felt so perfect, her silken flesh clamping around him. He pounded into her and she fought back. For every thrust, she matched him, fierce in her fight for pleasure.

He pulled her up, keeping himself deep. Her hands flattened against the window with a thud as she tried to balance, her breasts close to the glass.

“What would they see now if they could? A gorgeous woman being fucked by a man who can’t live without her. They would see you but they would see me, too. I wouldn’t be able to hide from them, and I won’t hide from you. Not one second more.”

He looked down, watching his cock sink inside. Their joining was such a beautiful thing. But he needed to see her face, damn it. He didn’t care about the fantasy anymore, only her.

He withdrew and dragged her down to the floor, grateful for the soft carpet beneath.

As he flipped her over, her eyes were sleepy with desire. “What?”

She was everything he’d never even known he wanted. Needed. The restless yearnings he’d had all of his life seem to vanish when he was with her. It made him nervous because this woman had so much power over him. She could ruin him in a heartbeat. A few cruel words from her, a betrayal, and he would never be the same. He’d seen it so often. Marriages in his world weren’t happy. They were unions of money, ambition, and sex. And he wanted more.

He wouldn’t get it by backing down now. He lined up again and thrust home once more.

This time, her legs wound around him and her arms enveloped him as she sighed. “That’s better. It always feels good, but I like this. I like when you can kiss me.”

He held himself still, his cock deep inside, as he leaned in and kissed her. It was a sweet thing, a mingling of mouths. “I want to see your face. I want to see your face when I tell you how much I love you.”

Tears filled her eyes as she looked up at him. “Gabriel, I can’t. I told you.”

He pulled out and slowly filled her again. “You don’t have to. You don’t ever have to tell me, but I need you to know. I love everything about you, Everly Parker.”

He held her focus, looking into her eyes as he made love to her. She made him a better man. He wouldn’t hide or shrink back from it. Everly’s love was important. He would do anything to earn it, but feeling this love for her meant the world to him, too. His love for her had changed him in so many ways.

He kissed her again, letting her off the hook for now. He would try again and again—as often as he could. He would never give up.

For the first time, he fought a real-life battle. Sure, he’d fought on athletic fields, in schoolyard scraps, and in boardrooms, but winning Everly Parker would define his future. He would be ruthless in his pursuit of her.

Gabe let her take his weight, wanting their skin connected everywhere. Chest to chest. Mouths kissing. Arms tangling.

Over and over he thrust into her, wanting the moment to last. She clenched around him and came twice before he couldn’t hold out another second. His spine tingled and his balls drew up. He thrust in hard and gave her everything he had, the pleasure overtaking him.

Breathing hard, he fell on her, reveling in how close they were, the way their hearts beat together, the way their breaths aligned.

The car picked up speed as they moved through Midtown.

“Gabe, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I need to head back to Connor’s. I’m afraid there’s been a development.” Dax’s voice came over the speaker.

At least he had good timing, but Gabe’s heart sank. The last thing he needed was another problem.

He looked down at Everly. “Are you okay? Can you come with me? I know you want to go home, but if Connor’s found out something, I want you there.”

She nodded. For the first time since he’d fucked up, she gave him that same soft smile she’d had when they met. “Yes. I’ll be with you.”

He pushed back onto his knees and helped her up. He touched the speaker that connected him to the front of the stretch limo. “All right. Turn us around.”

He was about to reach for her dress when she curled up in his lap. “We’ve got a few more minutes. That traffic was bad. Just give me a little longer.”

Gabe wasn’t about to refuse her. He held her as they drove through the Manhattan streets, the bright lights and masses of people still at bay for a few moments more.

E
verly tried to smooth out the sadly wrinkled fabric of her designer dress as she walked into the kitchen of Connor’s condo. Gabriel was right behind her, but his suit seemed to have survived their limo romp much better than the Prada dress.

Romp? Was she really trying to fool herself? What they’d shared hadn’t been some random sex act. Yes, it had been hot and crazy sex, but Gabriel Bond had said “I love you.”

And she hadn’t returned the words.

They had been right there on the tip of her tongue. Replying in kind would have been so easy, natural even. But as much as Everly cared for him deeply, she was afraid of his affection not lasting, of his glittering paparazzi world, of how badly she could be hurt if she stayed. Gabriel scared her because she didn’t recognize herself when she was with him. She wasn’t the sexy girl who made love in a limo, her naked body mere feet away from a crowd of random people walking up and down the streets. But Everly had to admit, she liked who she was when she was with him.

She wished she knew exactly what to do about him. About them.

“You okay?” Gabriel’s fingers brushed against hers as though asking to be held.

She stepped away because holding his hand often led her to discard her brain. “I’m great.”

She was a little walk of shamey, but other than some soreness that had come from almost being murdered, she was surprisingly fine.

Because he’d saved her.

She glanced up at Gabriel. He didn’t even try to hide the hurt that her pulling away from him had caused. He locked his jaw and stared, his eyes burning with misery. Her stomach twisted as he frowned and walked into the room ahead of her.

Dax stepped around her and joined Gabriel, putting a hand on his shoulder, as though giving him comfort. When the navy captain looked back at her, anger fueled his glare.

She was the bad girl in this scenario.

Everly squared her shoulders and walked into the dining room where Connor stared intently at his computer. His close-cropped hair looked like he’d been scrubbing a hand through it.

He glanced up at Gabriel, his lips firming before he spoke. “The police found the second man from last night. Lester Hall. He’s dead. One bullet between the eyes and two to the chest.”

Dax’s eyes closed and he groaned. “Shit.”

So her mystery man had been right again. “Sounds as if he was executed. Most likely by the
Bratva
, if my information is correct.”

“Why do you say that?” Gabriel asked. “We don’t know for sure the Russian mob is responsible.”

Connor sat back. “I think Red’s right. Two to the chest and one to the head is the mark of a pro who wasn’t taking any chances.” He turned to her. “I’d like to know what information you have. When you left this morning, you didn’t have much.”

She shrugged. “This afternoon I met with a man who’s been sending me mysterious texts and seems to have cut into the camera feeds in Maddox’s house.”

Connor’s jaw dropped, and she was fairly certain she’d surprised him. She would bet not many people surprised Connor Sparks. “You met with a Deep Throat?”

“That sounds a little like a porn film,” Gabriel replied with a shake of his head. “She met with a man who seems to know some things.”

Connor sighed. “Excuse him. He slept through the second half of American history. He apparently missed the lesson about the shadowy figure during the Watergate scandal who led Woodward and Bernstein to the truth and eventually brought down Nixon’s presidency.”

“I knew that.” Gabriel rolled his eyes.

Something about the Watergate reference scared her. “Well, my Deep Throat was definitely playing the part to the hilt. He showed up in a trench coat and fedora. I almost walked away, until he proved that he knew some surprising things. He kept reiterating that what’s happening goes far deeper than Maddox’s murder and reaches further than I could imagine. Maybe it’s because you mentioned Watergate . . . but my mind goes to one place.”

“Zack,” Gabriel said, his eyes grave.

“You think this man is after Zack?” Dax asked.

“I don’t know. He was purposely vague.”

Connor rubbed a hand over his eyes. “Again, I think Red’s right. And she’s way smarter than I gave her credit for. The minute there’s a hint that Zack is involved in anything slightly scandalous, this will explode.”

“Did he shut down the FAA investigation?” Everly asked.

“I don’t know.” Connor stood and stretched. “If we’re quick, we can catch Roman at that fundraiser at The Plaza in twenty minutes. He’s got to head back to DC tomorrow. I say we corner him and find out what the hell’s going on. Roman has always been an excellent liar, but we know his tells. If he’s hiding something, we’ll figure it out.”

“And do what?” The mystery man’s words haunted Everly. He’d said they would cut her loose to protect their own. How did she know
they wouldn’t do that and leave her without knowing what had happened to her brother?

“We’ll figure it out,” Connor assured.

“Zack wouldn’t do anything criminal,” Dax insisted.

“But he might cover up for someone.” Gabriel stroked his chin.

“Who?” Connor asked.

Gabriel simply shrugged. “Maybe he thinks I’m guilty. I don’t know. And what about Roman? You know he would have done anything to get Zack elected, especially after Joy’s death.”

So maybe he’d cover up for another one of his dear friends, too?

A grimness settled around the room at the mention of the president’s late wife. Everly remembered the news coverage of her taking a bullet meant for Zack Hayes at a campaign rally days before the election. Zack had covered his wife’s body with his own in the ensuing chaos but it had been too late. An image of the young, handsome politician covered in blood had been in every newspaper, on every TV.

Of course, she’d never met the president, just seen images of a serious, even grim executive officer whose smiles were so rare they caused flashbulbs to burst. She didn’t know him or how ruthless he might be. But she had met Roman Calder and had a very good idea the lengths he’d go to for a cause he embraced.

Gabe sighed. “If Zack wanted something swept under the rug, Roman would cover for him. Hell, he’d arrange it.”

Connor paced. “We need to talk to him. I don’t see the connections. I’ve looked all damn day and I don’t see anything in this whole clusterfuck beyond the fact that Zack’s father was the ambassador to Russia for years and the
Bratva
seem to be involved. Zack hasn’t been back to Moscow in decades. Maybe Roman knows something.”

“And he’s not telling us?” Dax demanded.

Connor slammed his laptop shut and shrugged. “Maybe. And it gets worse because the only person we might have been able to talk to died in jail about an hour ago.”

The whole room seemed to still. “Valerie is dead?”

“Yep. The police found her unconscious in her cell, and she flatlined on the way to the hospital. They’re theorizing she had drugs in her system when she was arrested and it took that long for them to work. The officers said she seemed a little out of it when they brought her in,” Connor explained.

“Or someone dosed her in jail because they didn’t want her to talk,” Everly mused.

Connor’s eyes met hers over the table. “Or that. I wouldn’t be surprised if they found a needle mark somewhere on her body. It would be easy enough to do at any point in the process. God knows the
Bratva
owns a couple of cops.”

“So we’re right back where we started.” Something dangerous was still lurking out there and they were a step behind.

Gabriel approached, taking her hands in his. She didn’t pull away this time. “Everly, I know this is frustrating, but I swear I’ll do anything I can. For now, you can’t go home alone.”

As if she would do that. “I’m not fighting you on this, Gabriel. There’s a real threat. We have a whole bunch of dead bodies piling up. I didn’t tell you about Deep Throat because I didn’t want to scare him away and I knew you’d balk at me going to that meeting.”

“True enough,” he conceded. “If he calls again, I’ll let you manage it. You dealt well with him today, but you didn’t handle the car that nearly killed you. I’ll agree to let you meet with him if you agree to let me watch over you.”

He was trying. She could, too. “Okay.”

Maybe they could work out their differences after all.

Connor nodded. “All right, then. I’ve got to get dressed for a ten-thousand-dollar-a-plate dinner. Gabe, I grabbed your tux a little while ago. It’s upstairs.”

“How did you get in my place? You don’t have keys.”

The man simply smiled. “You need to come with me to this shindig.
Everly is your cause, and you need to have this out with Roman. Dax can stay behind and guard her.”

“He doesn’t have to fight my battles,” Everly pointed out. “Let me go. I’ll do it.”

Gabriel squeezed her hand, then glanced at Connor. “She’s got a point. I’ll call a shopper and get a dress sent up here right away. It won’t take more than an hour.”

Of course. She couldn’t go dressed as she was. They weren’t trying to block her out, just get the ball rolling. At some point she had to decide if she trusted Gabriel Bond or not. If he loved her, as he said he did, she had to believe he would talk to Roman and wouldn’t screw her over.

“Go,” she assured him. “Dax and I will be fine here. I might do a little hacking of my own if someone will loan me a computer. Gabriel made me leave mine behind. I think it’s time I looked into the foundation.”

“Good. I’ve spent all day digging into Crawford. The foundation was my next stop,” Connor admitted. “I’ve got a system you can use.”

“Don’t believe him,” Dax said with a mischievous grin. “He’s spent a good portion of his day flirting with Lara Armstrong over the Internet.”

Connor actually flushed a bit. “It wasn’t flirting. I’m building a relationship with her so I can find out what she’s doing.”

Boy, did she have some scoop for him. “Lara Armstrong is the one person Deep Throat told me I can trust. He says she has information.”

“Really?” A predatory smile lit Connor’s face, and she suddenly felt bad for Lara Armstrong.

“He also said he sent me information and I haven’t found it. I need to comb through my e-mail again to look for it. I suppose he could be lying.” She didn’t think so, but she had to look at every angle.

“Not about Lara’s involvement. She’s up to her pretty blue eyes in this mess, and I’m going to find out what she knows. I’ll be ready in fifteen.” Connor stalked toward his bedroom.

“Someone needs to pray for that woman,” Dax said under his breath.

Everly agreed. Connor looked like a hungry wolf when he talked about Lara Armstrong.

“He’s either going to fuck her or kill her,” Gabriel murmured, staring after Connor. “I’m leaning toward the former.”

“I don’t think he’ll kill her.” Dax shrugged. “I hope.”

Gabriel smiled down at Everly. “You sure you’re okay staying? I really will take you with me.”

His earnest attempt at including her did wonders to settle her concerns. “It’s okay. And if you need Dax, I will promise not to leave this condo.”

“Neither of us will be leaving.” Dax had his arms crossed over his massive, hard chest.

“I could stay with her.” Gabriel looked reluctant to go.

“Gabe, you know Connor’s right. Get a move on. I’ll watch after your girl. How tight do you want the leash?” Dax asked, completely ignoring her.

Gabe looked down at her, reaching for her other hand. “I shouldn’t be gone too long, but if something happens, shadow her. She’s good. She knows what she’s doing. I want her to have backup.” He leaned over and brushed her lips with his. “I love you, Everly.”

Those words threatened to break her. And all she could manage was a breathy, “Thank you.”

He sighed, and his hands tightened on hers before he stepped away. “Be good.”

As Gabriel mounted the stairs, she felt more hollow with every step between them.

“
Thank you?
He says I love you and you thank him?” Dax shook his head, obviously disgusted. “I need a beer.”

He walked away, and she was pretty sure she’d lost him as an ally.

Rubbing at her forehead, Everly wandered back into the living
room. The big bay windows showed the beauty of the Upper West Side and the Hudson in the distance.

What was she going to do? She knew what she wanted—Gabriel. She merely wasn’t sure she should keep him. She’d made her decision to trust him. Despite what Deep Throat had told her, she’d given all her information up. She’d told Gabriel and his friends everything because she trusted him.

When he came back down, he was dressed in a tuxedo that made him look even more like a Hollywood star on his way to a red carpet premiere. Should she judge him on his looks? Should she be afraid because he was so beautiful? Or should she remember that he was a human being who needed the same things everyone did—love and affection? She could be the woman who provided them if she’d open herself up.

“I’ll be back soon.” He kissed her gently as though slightly afraid to deepen the contact, despite all their intimacies.

She wanted to kiss him back, wanted to promise him everything would be fine, but all she could manage was a nod.