Steele Hearts Redemption (4 page)

“He’s fine; he had a little emergency at the
offices of his Production Company a couple hours earlier. There was
a little fire in the basement and he thought he would be through by
the time you landed but it took longer than he expected. He called
me right before we met, everything’s under control now and he’s at
home awaiting your arrival.”

“Was anybody hurt in the
fire?”

“Nah, it was just a bit of structural
damage.”

My mind couldn’t help but wonder if the fire
was the work of the person stalking him escalating or if it was
accidental.

The drive to his house was pleasant and
relaxing with Jonah acting as a comical tour guide. I was still on
New York time, which meant the usual weariness, and tiredness I
felt after eight for the past couple of months was slowly creeping
in and I had to stifle an unexpected yawn as Jonah pulled into the
driveway of Gabriel’s home.

His house was beautiful, not as extravagant
as some of the houses we passed before and fit in perfectly on the
beachfront property. It was located in a secluded area at the end
of the lane that led up to it.

Jonah led me into the house and from his
familiarity with the house I knew he was here often. He showed me
into a huge living room and ordered me to sit. He disappeared with
my bags but moments later, when he returned he was wearing a frown
on his handsome face.

“Gabe told me he was going to be here when we
arrived but I can’t find him anywhere,” he informed me.

Just then a slight middle-aged woman entered
the room with a smile on her face directed at Jonah. Jonah smiled
at her before scooping her in his arms for a hug.

“Hi mama, do you know where Gabe went?”

“He’s out for a run down the beach
sweetheart,” she replied with a soft accent to her voice. She then
turned to me and smiled.

“Hi, I’m Marianna, Gabriel’s housekeeper and
this big goofball’s mom. You must be Ally.”

I stood up and took the hand she extended and
felt the warmth radiating from her.

“Nice to meet you Marianna,” I replied.

“Jonah and I live in the guesthouse and I’m
always here so if there is anything you need let me know okay.”

“Thank you. Can I bother you for the
bathroom.”

“Sure my dear, Jonah will show you where it
is, and I’ll fix something for you to drink while you freshen up.
Gabriel should be back soon.”

The view from the second floor balcony facing
the ocean was breathtaking. The ocean breeze whipped my face as I
stood there taking in the view as far as my eyes would allow,
inhaling the refreshing scent of the ocean. My eyes fell on a lone,
shirtless figure running up the beach and my body immediately began
to tingle. Without even having a clear view of his face I knew it
was him. I have seen that body too many times in my dreams and
waking thoughts. My eyes followed him as he approached the house
and stopped on him when he suddenly stopped his approach. Bent
over, his hands resting on his knees as he tried to catch his
breath he looked up at the house and his eyes zeroed in on me. I
held his gaze for as long as I could before he caught a second wind
and ran up the path to the house.

Moments later I heard him moving around
inside the house as he rushed up to where I stood. I smelt his
intoxicating, manly scent and heard his labored breathing behind me
before I turned to face him. His bright blue eyes bore through me
as I took in his beautifully sculptured face, his naked, glistening
chest and just his magnificent presence.

“Hi,” I whispered in a hoarse voice I didn’t
recognize as my own.

“Hi,” he whispered back, finally catching his
breath as he devoured me with his eyes.

“Give me a couple of minutes to catch a quick
shower and I’ll be right back okay,” his said, his voice returning
to the sexy, masculine tone I knew.

“Don’t go anywhere.”

“I’m not going anywhere Gabriel. I don’t have
anywhere else to be.”

He looked at me intently for a moment before
he replied.

“That’s good Ally, that’s very good.”

He left me standing there, wondering why I
felt, with those few words, I committed myself to something more
with Gabriel than helping him with his stalker problem.

**********

Seeing her standing there on the balcony
knocked the wind out of me. I went for a run to try and clear my
head and mentally prepare myself for her arrival but nothing
prepared me for the sight of her standing on the balcony, her long
beautiful hair, merrily dancing around her to the tune of the
breeze. I felt her eyes on me and took off running, wanting to be
near her as soon as I could.

The energy that swirled around us as we stood
face to face was intense as I drank in the sight of her in front of
me. I felt myself harden and instead of staying and having a
conversation with her I ran as fast as I could with the excuse of
needing a shower. It’s unfortunate that the cold water lashing down
on me now was doing nothing for my hard, throbbing cock. The last
thing I wanted to do was rub one out with her a few rooms away from
me, especially on her first day here. I also didn’t want to become
a pervert, running to the bathroom every time she was near me and I
found myself getting hard. That would require me spending way too
much time in the bathroom.

I found her exactly where I left her, looking
out into the vast, blue ocean, lost in her thoughts. What I
wouldn’t give to know what she was thinking. Instead of
interrupting her I just stood there drinking in the sight of
her.

“This is the most beautiful sight I’ve even
seen. You must never grow tired of looking at it,” she stated,
startling me.

“
It is a beautiful sight, one I never
want to take my eyes off,” I replied, my eyes still fixated on her
instead of the view she was entranced with.

She turned towards me and smiled, that rare
smile that took my breath away.

“Ready to talk about why I’m here?” she
asked.

“I know you’re still on New York time so how
about we take today to relax and get down to business tomorrow,” I
replied, hoping we could have this one evening for us without
surrounding ourselves with the drama that’s building in my
life.

“Okay,” she hastily agreed, surprising me
with how easy that was, “but if we’re relaxing there is one thing
I’ve been dying to do since we got here.”

“Anything.”

She took my hand and led me downstairs, out
the door and down the path to the beach. I followed her lead when
she suddenly released my hand, kicked off her shoes, and gingerly
tiptoed into the water. Like a child at the beach for the first
time she squealed as the tiny waves hit her naked feet. She turned
back to me and grinned.

“It’s so warm.”

“You’ve never been to the beach before?” I
asked.

“Never had the time to. Thank you for having
me out here.”

“You’re welcome, you should go in further,” I
encouraged but she shook her head like a child and squished her
toes into the sand.

“I’m a little overdressed for that,” she
replied, indicating her little flared skirt that’s swirled around
her thighs and buttoned up silk blouse she was wearing.

The devil in me wanted to come out and play
and with a gleam in my eyes I slowly approached her.

“I don’t think there’s such a thing as being
too overdressed for a dip in the ocean Ally,” I stated, knowing
fully well she it wouldn’t take her long to get where I was going
with that statement.

Understanding registered on her face and she
started backing away from me going further into the water as I
stalked.

“Gabriel Steele, don’t you dare,” she shouted
at me darting to the left.

I was faster and caught her around the waist.
She struggled but I had a good hold on her and before she knew it I
had her hoist over my shoulders.

“Time for you real first dip in the ocean
Ally,” I informed her with a smack to her ass.

“Gabriel, you’re going to be sorry if you
don’t put me down now,” she threatened as my journey took us deeper
into the water.

“Whatever you want Ally,” I replied when the
water was finally hitting my upper chest.

Hoisting her off my shoulder I threw her up
in the air and watched as she landed with splat in the water before
disappearing. She came up, spitting water, her hair dangling around
her face, looking as mad as hell before I saw the devilish gleam in
her eyes.

“So you want to play now, do you?” she
asked.

Her shirt floated up around her and I knew if
I ducked my head underwater would see a sight I longed to see.

I held my ground, grinned at her as she sized
me up when she suddenly launched her body at me. Caught of guard I
managed to catch her before I toppled back and took us both down,
sinking into the water. With as much grace as I could muster I
brought us back to the surface and still holding on to her I
managed to wipe the water from my face. With her arms on my
shoulders steadying her I took the opportunity to pull her drenched
hair back with my free hand before brushing the water off her face.
My hand got a life of it’s own, my finger chased a droplet down her
cheek. I traced her beautiful, lush pink lips and before I could
stop myself my lips were attached to hers. With one touch the
atmosphere around us became electric. She did not fight it and I
deepened the kiss, holding her prisoner against me. Her arms
tightened around me, pulling me closer to her and the soft moans
that escaped from within her made me hard. Breaking for air I
looked into her eyes and the desire I saw burning there gave me
hope.

“Gabriel…I….”

“Ally I’m giving you the time you need, but I
promise you, I’m going to make you mine.”

**********

He’s giving me time.

Time for what exactly? I didn’t think it was
time to run away which meant he was giving me time to get use to
the idea that we were eventually going to be bumping uglies with
each other. I looked at my face in the mirror as I sat there drying
my hair. My lips were still slightly swollen and I cursed myself.
Less than two hours since I’ve arrived and I was already mauling
him, no wonder he was so sure I was eventually going to have sex
with him. I couldn’t help but think, what changed since the last
time we found ourselves in a compromising position.

It was the night of Connor and Tessa’s
engagement party and I was holed up in a bedroom in his parent’s
house where the party was being held, on the phone with my work,
when he entered. Caught off guard by his presence, I quickly hung
up and tried doing what I did best when he was around, running, but
this time he had me trapped. He pointed out the irony of me hiding
in his bedroom when all I did was run, every time he came close to
me. I wanted to leave, everything inside me screamed for me to
leave but when I tried to he caught me. With his slightest touch
the desire inside me ignited and all my common sense flew out the
window. I never wanted anyone as much as I wanted him and I never
gave myself to anyone but I was willing to give it all to him.

His hands and his lips were like dynamite,
scorching with every touch. He wanted me as much as I wanted him.
Being naked with him felt so right.

It was one stupid statement that ended it. I
joked about losing my virginity to America’s biggest movie star and
that was tantamount to throwing a cold bucket of water with ice
cubes in it on him. He rejected me when he found out I was a virgin
and even though he tried to convince me I deserved better for my
first time all I heard was his rejection. The hurt and humiliation
was too much and I made it my business to stay clear of him. With
time I finally saw him as the good person that he is but that
didn’t stop his rejection from stinging every time I thought about
our time together.

Which brings me back to now. It was
inevitable we would eventually have sex according to him, so what’s
change? Great, another thing to worry about, his stalker as well as
my sex life, a very, very bad combination.

We ate dinner on the balcony overlooking the
ocean and maybe it was the ocean breeze, jetlag, Marianna’s rich
dinner or a combination of all three but after dinner and my second
glass of wine I felt my eyes becoming heavy.

“Ally you must be tired, why don’t you go to
bed,” Gabriel said, noticing my half-assed attempt to stifle a
yawn.

“I’m too comfortable sitting here to move
right now,” I replied, stifling yet another yawn.

“I could carry you to bed if you wanted,” he
offered.

That offer had me jumping out of the chair
and a quick goodnight escaping my lips. Being the gentleman that he
is he walked me to my bedroom door.

“I can’t remember the last time I went to bed
at 9. I hope I’m not wide awake at four in the morning with nothing
to do,” I said, trying to ignore the electricity between us, as I
entered my bedroom.

“Well, you’re still on New York time so
technically, for you it’s after three in the morning.”

“That’s true,” I replied.

“Good night then.”