Soul Enslaved (Sons of Wrath Book 3) (37 page)

As well as a dress—the most gorgeous and elegant stitching together of fabric she’d ever seen in her life. She’d have loved to be able to wear something so sexy for Gavin. If only the price tag didn’t have her eyeballs bouncing.

“Can we just tell him I couldn’t find anything?”

“Would I be telling him the truth? There’s nothing on the site you’d like?” Her eyes shifted between the screen and Sabelle. “Because your gaze is pretty fixed on something, Miss.”

Sabelle broke her stare of the black dress. “Okay, truth? Their clothes are beautiful. But it wouldn’t feel right. I’m sorry, I can’t.”

“If you don’t, I will.”

“Good luck guessing my size.”

Anna cocked a brow. “Five nine and three quarters? Size nine shoe? Thirty-six, twenty-four, thirty-eight sound about right? The black dress?”

Sabelle’s lips parted. Last she’d checked, those figures were pretty damn spot on.

“Was a seamstress a while back. Ta-ta, m’lady. I’ll have them delivered this afternoon.”

***

Sabelle sat on the bed, staring down at the dress and stilettos that’d been delivered moments before, and the box in her lap. A vase of flowers had been set beside the bed, too—lilacs—and, breathing them in, Sabelle glanced up at the man who’d presented the gifts as if it was nothing. No big deal. “You did all of this? For me? Why?”

Gavin didn’t answer, but merely stood, looking sexy as always with his tight lip and un-telling stare.

“You bought me flowers?” Lifting the box revealed a gorgeous pink bottle with a black
V&R
tag. “And … perfume?” Why the hell would he buy her perfume? “Flowerbomb?”

The corner of his mouth lifted into a spicy, crooked smile. “I thought it was appropriate, considering last night was a first for you. Something to celebrate.”

Clever
. He’d gone down on her twice more after that. “You celebrate all your first, mind-blowing orgasms?”

“This would be a first for me as well. Why make it awkward?” He tipped his head. “I understand you resisted Anna’s request to choose some items for your wardrobe.” He leaned forward, his palms pressed into the mattress either side of her, forcing her to lean away. “The next time I request you to choose something sexy, please do as you’re asked.”

Sabelle’s brows knitted a mask of frustration. Perhaps he’d forgotten which of them happened to be
enslaved
. “Aren’t there more pressing issues you should be concerned with?”

“Always. In fact, my desk looks like someone vomited pressing issues all over it. But if I only ever focused on what the world spews in my lap, I’d have never learned that tongue trick you so verbally seemed to enjoy last night.” Gavin winked and pushed up from the bed.

Crossing her legs didn’t stamp out the sudden tickle rapping at her core. “And so …” She swallowed a gulp. “This scent is supposed to represent my renoshza?”

“Not exactly.” Gavin huffed. “The scent is supposed to help keep me from climbing beneath the table while we’re having dinner and reveling in the sounds of you making a scene.” The way his tongue so easily swept over his lips could’ve given a poor woman some serious throbbing issues. “Your natural scent drives me mad, Sabelle. You should know, few men pose as much danger to you as I do right now.”

“So, the perfume is supposed to mask my scent so you’re … not inclined to
fuck
me while we’re out tonight?”

“More or less.”

“Well …” Sabelle rose up from the bed. “… I happen to
enjoy
flirting with danger.”

With a cock of her brow, Sabelle smiled as she dropped the pink bottle back to the mattress before making her way into the bathroom. A glance over her shoulder confirmed what she’d already suspected—his eyes were glued to her ass.

***

Sabelle carefully stepped down each stair on her way to the foyer, where Gavin awaited her at the bottom, praying her shoes wouldn’t give out on her. She’d never worn shoes so elegant.
Jimmy something.
Plus, the dress Anna had picked up for her made much more use of her tits and legs than she’d ever gotten from a dress before. Crafty Anna. No doubt she’d had big plans when Gavin had assigned her the task of helping Sabelle. Dress fit perfectly, too—in fact, Sabelle had never owned a dress so exquisitely formed to her most flattering features. The jagged hemline and plunging V-neck showed off her best assets—her ass being one of them.

Mostly, though, she wore the dress for Gavin, because the hungry stare practically gnawing away at her legs, as she approached him, cast shivers down her spine.

“That dress is going to send me into an early grave,” Gavin said, forcing Sabelle to drink him in for a moment.

A black suit complemented his pale grey shirt, which he’d buttoned down, revealing the ridge of his pectorals where the gold Wrath charm held on for dear life. His tattoo barely peeked through his shirt and above the collar. Good grief. The male looked good enough to gobble in one sitting.

Sabelle licked her lips, focusing on the perfection of his smooth, bronzed skin, instead of the possibility that she could tumble to her face any moment. “Wow. You don’t look too bad yourself,” was all she could muster without sounding like an overzealous ass.

“This is going to be an excruciating exercise of self-control,” he said, adjusting his cufflinks, his eyes fixed somewhere along her chest.

Ditto
. If she hadn’t looked in the mirror to confirm she’d been wearing a dress that cost more than six months worth of tips, she’d almost feel unworthy to Gavin’s classy style.

His scent hit her next, and gods, saliva pooled on her tongue. Damn, was she the only one who could smell it, or what? The aroma incited cannibalistic thoughts of biting into those perfect muscles and savoring the taste of his skin.

Sabelle glanced over to Ben, who stood by the door, seemingly unaffected by the same olfactory party going in Sabelle’s nostrils, doing nothing more than stare at the end of his nose as he waited for the opportunity to open the door for them.

“Anna’s all set?” Gavin asked, breaking her thoughts as he bent his arm like a gentleman.

“Yes.” Sabelle slid her hand into the crook of his elbow. “My gosh, that woman knows how to do a bubble bath right. The whole damn room is full of suds, and the children hardly noticed me enough to kiss me goodbye.”

“Does this trouble you? We can stay in, if you’d prefer.” He halted his steps.

Ben paused in his lurch for the door. Poor troll.

“Gavin, it’s wonderful. My kids have only ever been with Denya, and believe me when I tell you, it warms a mother’s heart to know her kids are okay—they’re having fun instead of fretting.”

“I’m sure the fun won’t end there. Anna’s loving every minute of this. I suppose living in a house full of grown demon males has gotten old.” He led her out the front entrance, passing Ben who bowed his head and shut the door behind them.

After helping her inside the waiting vehicle, Gavin rounded to the other side. Settling into the driver’s seat, he started the engine, his gaze landing along her thighs, and he shook his head. “You. In that dress? Going to be a long fucking night.”

Sabelle bit her cheek, hoping to stem the smile. “Where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise.” He sped out of the drive and onto the road. The hum of the vehicle droned on as background noise to the music playing on the radio. Gavin’s playlist.
Skin
by Rihanna popped up on the screen.

“I never pegged you as a hip-hop, R-and-B kinda guy.”

“I’m not. But how can I resist a song titled
Skin
?” Another downward scan of her peeping thighs, followed by a sigh, and his gaze returned to the road.

Within minutes, they arrived at a tall building where
Clase
flashed from the rooftop.

She’d heard of the place. Had driven by many times. The building had never really impressed her much—it held much of the abandoned features as the empty factory across the street from it—but cars were always crammed into the lot and sometimes down the block. Its popularity was noted in the newspapers, and though she’d never seen the inside, she’d heard a lot about it.

Gavin opened the door, ushering her inside like a gentleman, and once within, her mouth fell open in a gasp.

The interior of the building looked nothing like the outside. It carried a vintage art deco feel, like something out of the twenties. White paper lanterns hung from the ceiling, like stars falling from the sky, and offered a soft glow. The ambience was incredibly relaxed, though, despite being fancy, yet she still felt on display in the black dress.

A tall, svelte male approached and bowed in front of Gavin. “Right this way, sir.”

They knew him. Most of the restaurants Sabelle had ventured into required some wrangling to get the hostess to notice you and find an open seat. With Gavin, it was as if they waited for him to arrive.

The maître d, as Sabelle had determined, led them past plenty of open tables toward one in particular, which stood off from the crowd with a great view of the river. Out through a door, they trailed him, until they came to a white curtain. The maître d pulled it aside.

Oh, gods.

As if her painting had come to life, lanterns had been placed inside the small nook that held a private booth and a riverside view. Rose bushes lined the fairly long walkway from the restaurant, with bright healthy blooms, until they arrived at a vision that stole Sabelle’s breath.

White lights had been weaved into tulle, strung around the iron structure that housed the small booth. Candlelight flickered, and two champagne glasses sat next to a bottle, chilling in a bucket.
Since I Fell For You
by Nina Simone played in the background.

Private. Secluded. Romantic.

Sabelle couldn’t help but bring her hands to her face as she held back tears. “You did all this … for me?”

“It’s not exactly France, but we’ll make do.”

“It’s perfect. It’s better than anything I could have imagined myself.”

He planted a kiss to the top of her hand. “Chivalry isn’t dead, Sabelle. Just takes the right woman to bring it out of a man, is all.” His wink could’ve claimed souls.

The maître d ushered them into the booth. “Charles will be your dedicated server for the night. Thank you for coming, sir. Very nice to have you back.”

“Wonderful job, exactly as we discussed.”

The tall skinny male bowed and shuffled away, as a shorter, stouter male stepped forward and poured the wine.

Somewhere in the course of appetizers and dinner, conversation and laughter, Sabelle’s preoccupations melted away into Gavin’s smile—the kind that promised absolute heartache. His charm came naturally. Every word he spoke captivated her, and his interest in her childhood, growing up with Denya, her mother, proved he wasn’t one to dominate the conversation about himself.

She closed her eyes, taking in a light summer breeze as
Lilac Wine
drifted into her ears and the sweet champagne slid down her throat. With a lick of her lips, she opened her eyes to Gavin staring at her. “You are … no one has ever done anything so … amazing in my whole life.”

“Enjoy this evening, Sabelle.” He held up his glass. “It’s about celebrating hopes and dreams.”

“And what do you dream of?”

“Of recent?” He buried his gaze in the drink, brow kicked up. “You.”

Her heart lurched, but her cheeks burned with the effort of holding back a grin. His eyes focused on her neck, and she sucked in a breath, as he closed the short space between them and leaned forward, brushing his lips across the base of her throat. Along her collarbone, he left an occasional kiss, until he reached her shoulder, then he made his way back toward her neck. The sensation had her holding her breath, biting her lip. A warm hand slid up her thigh, lifting her dress along the way, and she clenched her stomach with the anticipation. He pushed her thighs apart, caressing the sensitive flesh.

Eyes flitting shut, she drew in a breath. “What are you—”

“Shhhh.” His fingers slipped inside the panties and made a gentle glide up and down her sex. She shifted on the seat to get away from those magical fingers that would surely leave her a shattered mess, but he kissed her shoulder while sliding a finger inside, and the sounds of suction had her cheeks blushing at how wet she’d become.

Bracing both hands on the seat, she squeezed the leather, lips parted, breaths hastening, as his long fingers plunged in and out in a steady wave of bliss.

She should’ve told him to stop. Public sex put her on edge, after all. But his fingers—those unforgiving weapons of ecstasy—had her thighs trembling, nails digging into the leather.

The door swung open and snapped shut, warning of the waiter’s return.

“What if I—” Her desperate words were cut by a curve of his finger up inside. “Oh … fu—” she breathed, while his other hand gave a gentle squeeze of her thigh, spreading her wider.

“I don’t want you to come yet.” He leaned into her ear. “I warned you. I told you this would happen.” His quiet voice carried a shaky quality. “Your scent does things to me. This fear of losing control. Shattering in front of everyone. This is what you do to me. Let’s see how
you
control it.”

“I don’t know if I can. It’s … not here … where they can see us—”

In and out he pumped, while his thumb caressed her sensitive clit, and Sabelle pushed the ecstasy aside as Gavin’s merciless fingers played her below the table. Her attempt to nudge his hand away resulted in a gentle bat in return.

“Control it,” he reminded her.

Two men approached their table, and Gavin kept on as if his fingers weren’t buried inside of her.

“Good evening, I’m Jeffrey, the owner. I wanted to make sure everything went well tonight.” Jeffrey offered a smile to Sabelle.

“Perfect.” Gavin’s silky voice never once gave any indication of what was happening beneath the tablecloth. “The steak was quite tender, very moist.” His thumb made a slow glide, spreading her wetness as he spoke. “Delicious.”

“And yours, Miss?” The restaurant owner’s face carried an eager smile, while Sabelle imagined her own looked like a female gorilla trying to stave off childbirth.