Worth the Challenge (25 page)

“Why not?” Another button came undone. And then another. “I can’t wait. I need you. It’s been too long.”

“As if you haven’t found someone else to drown your sorrows in.” She winced the moment she said it, expressing all of her secret fears in that one single sentence. The thought of him carrying on, finding another woman, a handful of women in the two-plus weeks since they’d been together cut her like a knife.

He reared his head back, his expression incredulous. That beautifully handsome face, the earnestness in his gaze, filled her with wistful longing. Oh, she’d missed him so much. “I haven’t been with another woman since you, Gabriella.”

If she didn’t believe him, if she refused him, he…he couldn’t think about it. This was going to happen,
they
were going to happen. Rhett was bound and determined to make that wish a reality.

Gabriella could fight it all she wanted, but they belonged together. The realization had come to him early this morning, after a long night of constant tossing and turning accompanied by little sleep. He’d called Alex first thing and woke his ass up, getting an earful of grumpy complaining before Rhett asked the question that had been haunting him for days.

When did you realize you’d fallen in love with her?

That question made Alex pause for a full thirty seconds, if not longer. Fear had wrapped a stranglehold around Rhett’s throat, worried that his brother would offer a smartass remark or worse, laugh at him.

But he’d done neither, much to Rhett’s relief. Alex had finally offered the words that had echoed through Rhett since he’d last seen Gabriella.

I knew when my every thought, every single thing that consumed my life, always came back to her.

Alex had given him the confirmation he needed. Offering a murmured thanks, Rhett had hung up the phone, resolve rippling through him. He knew what he needed to do.

Make Gabriella his—permanently.

Considering he’d never done such a thing in his life, had never so much as pursued a woman for the sole purpose of a relationship, he figured he had a lot of learning to do. So like an idiot, he’d gone online and did a little research.

Colossally stupid and a complete waste of his time. The moment he caught sight of Gabriella striding into the conference room, gorgeously put together and with the most determined expression on her face, he’d been a goner. His brain had fried. He couldn’t get over all that steely determination, the woman who’d stood before them brimming with confidence as she handed out her own creations. Waiting for their opinions, which could’ve ended in disaster, she hadn’t a clue.

But she’d handled it all with style and grace. If he hadn’t known then he was a complete sucker for her, it surely would’ve hit him in that triumphant moment when they’d all known the third sample was a winner.

He still couldn’t get over her now, at this very moment. Pressed against the wall, her expression a mixture of desire and distrust, her lips puffed from his too-brief kiss, her eyes full of wariness. He couldn’t blame her. He hadn’t proved dick to her yet.

But he was determined to change that, if he could get his damn cock under control and not maul her where she stood.

Her hands were still resting on his chest, her fingers curling absently around the lapels of his jacket. He undid the final button on the front of her dress, unable to stop himself, needing a glimpse of her sweet, curvy body, if only for a moment. He caught sight of the black lace bra she wore and uttered a muffled curse.

She would drive him insane before the day was done. He knew this without a doubt.

“I believe you,” she finally said and for a moment, he forgot what they were talking about. “We can’t fix this with a quickie against the wall, though. You know this, right?”

He smiled, he couldn’t help himself. “It sounds like the perfect fix to me.” Leaning in, he kissed her. A soft, sweet kiss, once, twice, his tongue darting out for the barest of licks. He heard her murmur of surprise, the sharp inhalation of breath. He touched her, drew his knuckles down all that exposed skin, between her breasts, along her trembling stomach.

She exhaled a quivering breath, her mouth opening for his, and he took advantage. Stepping closer, he cupped the back of her head, holding her for his kiss while he searched her mouth with his tongue.

The taste of her sent a blast of heat exploding through his veins, pounding through his cock. The feel of her soft skin beneath his fingertips, the way her body curved and molded into his, was like the sweetest shock to his system.

Did she feel it? Did she realize it too? They were perfect together. Made for each other…

“Rhett.” She tore her mouth from his, breathing heavily, her eyes dilated. “The door…”

“Is locked.” Like a cocky bastard, he’d made sure of that once everyone had exited the room. Not that he’d planned to take her like this, had only been seeking a moment with her alone. Privately, with no interference from the tons of people who were still in the building. So he could tell her how he felt.

“You planned this.” Her eyes blazed.

“No. I just wanted to talk.” He kissed her cheek. “Tell you how proud I am of you.” He kissed her other cheek. “Confess how much I need you in my life.” He pressed his mouth to her temple.

“It’s so…so hard for me to believe you.” Her admission sliced through him, leaving him raw. “You don’t do serious. Everything for you happens on a whim.”

“Not this. Not us. You have to believe me.” He stared into her eyes, leaving himself completely unguarded, laid bare for her perusal. “I want you, Gabriella. I want to take this further and see where it leads us.”

She nibbled on her lower lip, the fear, the worry written all over her expressive face. “But what if…”

“No what-ifs.” He rested his finger against her lush mouth to silence her. “We can’t predict the future.”

He’d known her for only a short time, but he was certain she was the only one for him. Yet he didn’t want to freak her out with such talk. She might run. And wouldn’t that be ironic, the runner making a woman run from him?

Gabriella remained quiet which scared the hell out of him. She studied him, eyes narrowed, nibbling on her lower lip. “Say something. Anything,” he whispered, his voice raw with emotion.

Curling her fingers tight into his jacket, she pulled him in, lifting up on tiptoe so she could meet him halfway. Their lips touched, ignited, mouths opening, tongues dancing. He reached for her, wound his arms around her, his hands gripping her ass as he lifted her up. She went with him, anchoring her long legs about his hips as he pressed her hard against the wall.

There were no more words spoken. None were necessary. He let his free hand wander, absorbing the delicious sensation of her skin beneath his palm, smoothing the loosened dress from each of her shoulders so it fell to the crook of her arms. She lifted her arms out of the sleeves, he heard the rustle of fabric fall from her hips to puddle at her feet, and she stepped out of it. Her knees brushed against his groin with the action and he groaned.

His cock was a greedy bastard, wanting in, wanting her, but he breathed deep, searching for control. Desperate to take his time, yet unable to. They only had a few stolen moments. Soon someone would be looking for him, searching for the both of them, and he couldn’t have anyone find them like this. A select few had a master key to the entire building, two of them being his brothers. The very last thing he wanted them to discover was a naked Ella in his arms.

“Hurry,” she whispered as if she could read his mind. Her hands went for his belt, nimble fingers undoing the buckle, then tugging the leather strip from the loops before it fell to the floor with a loud thud. The erotic whisper of his zipper being undone was next and then she undid the snap of his trousers. Reaching in with eager fingers, she slipped beneath his boxer briefs, grasping him in a firm grip.

“Jesus,” he choked out. “Let me get a condom.”

“You have one?” She sounded incredulous.

“When I know I’m going to be near you, hell yes, I always carry one.”

She laughed, the sound doing something odd to his stomach, making it pitch and float, causing his heart to lurch hard against his ribs. “Well, grab it then.” Her voice was sultry, full of promise.

He reached behind him, pulling out his wallet, plucking the wrapper nestled within. With shaking fingers he tore into it and she took the circle from him, tugging his underwear down to his thighs. His cock sprang out, heavy and hard, a drop of pre-come glistening in the tip. She touched him there, with the very tip of her finger, smothering it all over the head.

“Fuck,” Rhett whispered. “You’re torturing me.”

She laughed again, slipped the condom on, and he wasted no time. Shifting, he held her in place against the wall and pushed the crotch of her panties out of the way. He impaled her, earning a ragged moan for his efforts. Pumping slowly, in and out, knocking her harder and harder against the wall with his every thrust.

Ella encouraged him with small moans and murmured words, begging him to go faster, harder. More, more, more. He fell under her spell, giving her what she wanted. Faster, harder and more, until he gave her everything he had. Reaching between them, he brushed his finger against her swollen clit, the action causing her inner walls to clench around his cock extra tight.

“I’m going—to—come,” she panted raggedly against his mouth.

“Come for me, baby,” he encouraged, his own orgasm barreling down on him. A tingle started at the base of his spine and his balls drew up tight against his body. He wasn’t going to last, it had been too long since he’d been inside her and it felt too damn good to hold back now.

With a low groan, he erupted, his cock pulsating, his entire body shuddering with his orgasm. His chest heaved, his heart thumped in time with the rhythmic clenches of her sex around his cock. She came just after him, moaning his name, her limbs trembling as she clutched him close.

 
He held her, her face pressed against the crook of his neck, her arms slack around him. They stayed that way for long, quivery minutes, until their breaths evened out and their bodies calmed.

“Come home with me,” he whispered in her ear before dropping a kiss on it. “Please.”

She nodded, the movement so subtle he hardly noticed it.

Triumph slipped through him, filled him to bursting. She was his. She belonged to him.

And he couldn’t wait to declare it to the world.

Chapter Eighteen

Ella nestled close to Rhett in the backseat of the hired car, her head resting on his chest, the steady beat of his heart soothing her still-frayed nerves. What had started as an almost impossible day to face was ending up being the absolute best day of her life.

And she still had a few hours to go. All of them spent with Rhett, in his arms, in his apartment, in his life.

She could hardly believe her good fortune.

He had his arm slung around her shoulder, his fingers drifting up and down her upper arm absently. Holding on to her as if he owned her, as if she belonged so close to him, and she couldn’t protest. Couldn’t begin to find the words to complain.

It felt too delicious, being so close to him. Her every silly dream come true.

“I’ll send someone to your apartment to gather your belongings,” Rhett said, his voice a sexy rumble beneath her ear. “Move all your stuff into my place.”

Lifting her head, she met his gaze. “Isn’t that going a little too fast?”

“I don’t think so.” He reached out, settled his hand against her cheek. She nuzzled his palm, a shiver moving through her at the gentle way he caressed her. “I don’t want to waste any more time without you, Gabriella.”

His words a balm to her slightly frazzled soul, she turned her head so she could press a kiss to his palm. A low growl sounded from him and he bent, brushing his mouth with hers, his hand still cradling her face. She melted into the kiss, opening to him, never wanting it to end…

A phone rang and Rhett gently nudged her away. “It’s yours,” he whispered. “You should get it.”

She plucked the irritating phone from her purse and saw that it was her father. Anxiously she answered it. “How are you? How’s Italy?”

Her earlier feelings of betrayal evaporated with her happiness. She couldn’t wait to tell her father the excitement over the positive reception of her scent.

“Bah. That place, it’s abysmal. I’m already home,” her father griped.

“What do you mean? Why didn’t you tell me?” She took a deep breath. “What happened?” She glanced at Rhett, saw that he watched her with a troubled expression on his face.

“The Renaldis are nothing but a bunch of arrogant Italians who cannot make up their minds. They want this. No, they want that. They fight with their father who has final word and he can hardly conjure up any words, he is so sick.” Michel Durand grunted in disgust. “I could take it no longer. I asked to be bought out of my contract and left yesterday.”

“Father. You barely worked for them. How could you ask to be bought out of the contract?” Talk about arrogant. He had some nerve.

“My time is valuable,
non?
I think you could learn something valuable by all the things I do.”

“Oh, trust me. I’ve learned plenty.” Both things she should and shouldn’t do, but she didn’t feel like getting into that at the moment. “I met with the Worth executives today. They loved my scent.”