Caught With Casanova (2 page)

He shifted her slightly, changing the angle a fraction, and Libby sobbed with pleasure. The contractions began deep within her, radiating outward as her body seized with the intensity of her climax. Each shuddering wave elicited an answering shiver from him. When she felt the first rush of heat, his cock jerking inside her, she clenched tightly around him, holding him deep inside her.

“Fuck, you’re killing me!”

“Then we’ll die happy,” she answered breathlessly
.

Gavin shivered against her again, sweat cooling on his skin as his own shuddering release subsided.

Libby smiled as she felt the tremors in him. Knowing that she could do that to him made her feel powerful. He was a world famous playboy who’d been with some of the most beautiful women in the world, but she…Liberty Jones from nowhere, had him so hot and bothered he couldn’t even wait to find a bed. “Okay, put me down before you drop me. I don’t want Ronan coming to investigate the noise.”

Gavin laughed. “He would too. Have I told you that you’re amazing?”

“No, but you really ought to.”

“It’s true. I’ve never met anyone like you. You have no interest in my money, no interest in
my fame and when I touch you—I don’t ever wonder with you, Libby.”

“Wonder what?”

He sighed. “I’m a tech geek. I may not look like one now, but as a teenager, you better believe that I was the poster child for nerds everywhere. After I made my first million, which quickly turned into ten, then a hundred, women were everywhere. They wanted to be with me, but they didn’t want me. I made it a point to learn how to please women, how to make sure that at least when we’re in bed, they’re not thinking about the numbers.”

Libby was stunned. It had never occurred to her that a man with his wealth, his looks, and his seemingly endless confidence could ever have those kinds of insecurities. “I would never be with a man for those reasons.”

“I know. When I touch you, I can feel it.” He kissed her then, a gentle brushing of his lips over hers. “Let’s get you dressed before someone comes looking for us.”

Libby shuddered. “As long as it isn’t Ms. Johnson. She terrifies me.”

He laughed. “She’s a kitten. Really. It’s all an act. Besides, she likes you.”

“How can you tell? Her expression never changes.”

“She came here and put all that together for you herself. I think she sees herself as your fairy godmother,” he teased.

She poked him in the chest. “Let’s get something straight here. I’m no fairytale princess needing to be rescued. I’m smart, I’m capable, and I can take care of myself—as long as we’re not stuck in an elevator.”

“Duly noted.” The response was solemn save for the glimmer of mischief in his eyes.

They left the small closet, hand in hand, moving towards the security control room. As Gavin was reaching for the door, it opened and Ronan appeared, his chiseled features twisted into a dark scowl.

“We have a problem, sir,” he said.

Libby marveled that he could look so fierce and utter such a benign sounding statement. He could have been talking about a spilled drink, but no, it was life and death.

“Taking Ms. Jones suggestion, we’ve managed to isolate a handful of suspects. We have a disgruntled former employee, an unknown, and a former paramour,” he continued.

Libby wanted to comment on the former paramour, but as she herself was the hoochie du jour, it seemed ill advised. Instead, she asked, “Why did you settle on those three?”

“Each of them entered the building carrying a bag or package, and each of them left empty handed. Also, from a behavioral standpoint, two of the three appeared nervous, furtive, but only one of them has the knowledge and the ability to carry this out.”

“How is that a problem?” Gavin asked. “Identifying potential suspects should be a positive development.”

Ronan hesitated then.

The
slight hesitation made Libby very nervous.

“The disgruntled former employee did not work for McBray Enterprises. He was a member of your private security team, which means that he knows the layout of the house and will likely have had training very similar to current team members...It means he’s a formidable foe, and I can’t guarantee your safety here.”

Gavin nodded. “I see. He will have had access to plans, pass codes and other sensitive information that makes all of my properties vulnerable, then.”

Ronan nodded again. “Precisely, sir.”

“What do you suggest then?” Libby asked. At that point, her fear was reaching new heights.

“I’ve radioed for the helicopter and I’ve arranged for a jet to be readied. We need to get you both to a location where you will be safe, but I don’t wish to disclose it her in case we’re being monitored.”

“We’ll pack. Please have someone escort Ms. Johnson back to the city. I want to be sure that she gets back safely,” Gavin instructed.

“It’s taken care of, sir. I’d like to leave within the hour.”

Ronan walked away and Libby felt sucker punched. Turning to Gavin she saw that the teasing light was gone from his eyes. When he faced her, she saw the concern etched on his handsome face.

“So much for keeping you safe. It appears I’ve only moved you more directly into the path of danger.”

Libby moved closer to him, her body pressing against him. It wasn’t about passion, but about the comfort of contact. “So let’s go pack and enjoy whatever adventure it is that Ronan has in store for us.”

“Are you always this chipper when life falls apart?”

Libby shrugged. “This isn’t falling apart. This is hitting a snag—And yes, for the most part, I’m fantastic when caught in a crisis.”

“As long as it doesn’t involve an elevator?”

Standing on her toes, she pressed her lips to his. “Yes! Let’s go pick out some of that naughty lingerie you insisted upon buying me.”

~*~*~

An hour and a half later, they were transferring from the helicopter to a private jet. It wasn’t Gavin’s personal one, but a hired one. Given the knowledge that their primary suspect had of Gavin’s holdings, it seemed a prudent choice.

Libby took her seat and fastened the lap belt.

Gavin was beside her and Ronan was conferring with the pilot.

Their destination remained a mystery.

“Well, this is an adventure,” she observed.

Gavin appeared nonplussed. “That’s certainly one word for it.”

“Oh, I don’t know. Until I came to New York, I’d only ever seen the town I grew up in...Now, I’m on a private jet, with a handsome man, jetting off to some mysterious location. I’d call that an adventure, wouldn’t you?”

Gavin’s answering smile was far more at ease. “When you put it that way
, it doesn’t sound nearly as bad as the fact that I’ve almost gotten you killed once already and have now made you the target of a well trained killer.”

“Possibly. We have no proof that he’s the one responsible. You can be a very infuriating man, Gavin McBray. Maybe you pissed off the wrong starlet?”

He laughed then. “Is there a right starlet to piss off?”

She
glared at him through narrowed eyes. “Right now, at least, the answer had better be all of them. I don’t share well.”

“What starlets?” he asked. “You’re all the woman I can handle and then some.”

Libby didn’t respond as Ronan chose that moment to reappear.

He took the seat across from them and buckled himself in. “I’d advise you all to rest. It’s going to be a very long flight,” he offered.

“Any hints as to our destination?” Gavin asked.

“Secure,” Ronan replied grimly. “Very secure.”

Libby settled back into her seat. Gavin’s thigh brushing against hers. “You are aware that I don’t have a passport?”

Ronan produced a small blue booklet from his breast pocket. “Correction, Ms. Jones. You did not have a passport. You do now. I called in a few favors.”

Libby took the small booklet from him. The photo was the same one that was used on her name badge for McBray Enterprises. “I don’t want to know.”

“I wasn’t offering to tell,” Ronan replied.

Libby looked at Gavin whose lips were quirked in an expression of mild amusement. “Is he always like this?”

“No. This is really very chatty for him.”

“I wasn’t referring to his verbosity. I was referring to the underlying snark,” she fired back.

“Oh, that. Yes. That’s always there. He gets cocky when he feels like he’s earning what I pay him,” Gavin replied.

Ronan sat stonily, ignoring them both.

~*~*~

Gavin was wide awake. Ronan was sleeping, or at the very least, resting his eyes. He knew that the man would be instantly alert at the first sign of trouble.

Libby was curled onto her side, a blanket across her lap, snoring softly. It was a strangely soothing sound. She was stuck with him for the time being. Caught in the crossfire of his crazy life.

“Ronan?” The word was barely more than a whisper.

The other
man didn’t open his eyes, but responded, “Yes?”

“How well trained is this person?”

“The explosives were very sophisticated. The technology used in cloning your phone and using it as a trigger was also impressive. It’s a matter of opportunity, I believe. This man was hired, sought out by others because of his perceived need to settle a score with you.”

“But you think it’s about the money?”

“It’s always about the money. There is rarely a greater motivator for most people.”

“I want to sell the company. I want out,” Gavin said, looking at Libby, her face soft in repose.

Ronan sat up then, looking at Gavin seriously. “That may mitigate future threats, but it will do nothing for the current one.”

“We’ll deal with this one, but then I’m out.”

“And Ms. Jones?”

Gavin shook his head. “I don’t know yet. But if I’m constantly dodging bullets, I won’t have much of an opportunity to figure things out.”

“You’ve never entertained the idea of having any woman around long enough to make those kinds of changes.”

Gavin glanced over at Libby, sleeping soundly and looking far sweeter and more tempting than was good for either of them. He didn’t know what his feelings for her were, but somehow he imagined that discussing them with Ronan before he discussed them with her would not be a wise course of action, so he changed the subject adroitly. “Can you safely tell me where we’re going now?”

“We’re going Monaco. I have contacts there, and I’ve arranged for a suite at a well secured hotel. Perhaps, you’ll have the time you need to make those decisions.”

“To Catch a Thief? You’re inner romantic is rearing
its ugly head, Ronan.”

“To catch a killer,” Ronan corrected
. “We were lucky that there were no fatalities at the office, but that’s all it was…Luck.”

“You’ve been with me for how long, Ronan?”

“Too long.”

“So, if I get out of the tech game, if I stop inventing things that will make people want to kill me, what will you do?”

The other man shrugged. “You’ve paid me very well. I won’t have to do anything.”

Libby awoke then, scowling at them both. “What? Are we there yet?”

Gavin laughed. “No. Not exactly...Tell me, Libby, how do you feel about Hitchcock?”

“We’ve got enough suspense in real life,” she said grumpily. “I’m going back to sleep if you two can stop chattering.”

Gavin looked back to Ronan, chuckling. “Here, we thought I was only in danger for professional reasons!”

CHAPTER THREE

Libby was again
, facing the feeling that her life had spiraled wildly out of control. Standing beside Gavin, she tried not to gawk at the ornate luxury of the hotel. It looked like a palace to her. With marble floors, Venetian glass mirrors adorning the walls and an ornately gilded, Frescoed ceiling, it looked like something out of a fairy tale. It was certainly the grandest place she’d ever been.

Gavin smiled at her. “I believe I’ve been under utilizing Ronan for years. I thought he was all brawn, but it appears his skills as a travel agent are unparalleled.”

“This doesn’t faze you at all, does it? Luxury like this is simply the norm for you,” she noted.

Taking the keys from the clerk, he allowed the bellman to take their bags.

Ronan was already holding an elevator for them.

“I wouldn’t say that. This is beautiful, certainly grand by any standard. But, perhaps I have become a bit jaded.”

Libby looked around the lobby again, taking in the exquisite artwork and the magnificent details. “I don’t think I could ever become jaded to something like this.”

“Maybe you’ll be a good influence on me, allowing me to see all this through fresh eyes.”

Libby crossed the expansive lobby with him. When they stepped onto the elevator, her heart stuttered just a bit, recalling the last time they’d been on one of those. It wasn’t just the dramatic rescue and the explosion. It was the memory of that searing kiss and of his promise to keep her safe. “Does that mean we’re going to see more than just the hotel? Will we get to explore the city at all?”

“I think so. We should be able to take in a few sights. I’d like to see you in some cat’s eye glasses and a chic scarf, touring the hillsides of Monaco.”

“I’m not exactly a classy, Hitchcock blonde,” she protested.

Gavin touched her hair, his fingers tangling in the ends of the fiery strands. “Blondes are highly overrated. I’m thinking curvy redheads with a fiery temper to match are the way to go.”

Ronan cleared his throat, reminding them that they were not alone.

When the elevator halted, they were on the tenth and top floor of the hotel. There were only two suites on the entire floor, each one featuring a private pool and expansive deck. The suite was decorated in shades of cream, gold and blue and reminded her of pictures she’d once seen of the palace at Versailles.

When they were alone, she turned to Gavin. “What were you saying about your preference for fiery redheads?”

Gavin stalked towards her. “I want you naked, Jones
…Now.”

How it wa
s possible to feel sexy after long hours of the flight, she had no idea, but he made her feel that way. That didn’t mean she had to make it easy for him. “Make me,” she challenged.

“You’re playing with fire.” The warning was uttered with his lips scant inches from hers.

“I like it hot.” Libby savored the look on his face, the intensity, the passion that blazed in his eyes. She felt his hands twist in the front of her blouse, felt the fabric give.

“This,” he said, tracing the scalloped edge of the lace cups of her bra with his fingertips, “Is a work of art.”

“At this rate, you’re going to have buy me more clothes.”

“If that means I get to keep ripping them off you, it’s a worthy expense.”

Libby reached for the zipper of her pants and shed them quickly. “How private is our private pool?”

~*~*~

Gavin glanced past her to the deck. There were large potted trees surrounding it that would conceal them from the view of neighboring hotels. “I’m willing to risk it.”

“Let’s go skinny dipping.” She tossed the words over her shoulder as she was heading for the open doors
, wearing the delicate lace confection of her bra and the matching thong panties.

Gavin stood there for a moment, watching her. Watching her move was a pleasure in and of itself. When she disappeared from view, he moved to follow her. Stepping onto the deck, he saw her shimmying out of her underwear, her lush breasts already bared. She didn’t dive into the pool, but used the steps, moving slowly, seductively.

When she disappeared beneath the surface, he stripped out of his own clothes and dove in after her. Cutting through the water, he caught up to her quickly, his hands sliding over her wet skin. Planting his feet on the bottom of the pool, he pushed off and took her with him, breaking the surface at the side of the sun dappled pool. “My very own mermaid.”

“I’ve never understood the fascination with mermaids. If I only had fins, I wouldn’t be able to do this,” she said, wrapping her legs around him, her strong thighs clasping his hips.

With one hand braced against the side of the pool, Gavin used his other hand to touch her breasts, teasing nipples already pebbled by the cool water. Dipping his head, he captured one taut peak in his mouth. Suckling deeply, he was rewarded by a soft gasp that turned into a harsh moan.

Lavishing the same attention on her other breast, he scraped his teeth gently over the furled bud.

Her hands tangled in his hair, not to pull him away, but pressing him closer.

Continuing the sensual torment, he moved his hand over her belly until he encountered the thatch of auburn curls. Dipping lower, he slid one finger along her cleft.
“You have no idea how much I want you. I dreamed of you, Libby. Every night since that damned party, I’d wake up hard, needing you, remembering the taste of your mouth and how you felt against me.”

“I kicked myself so many times.” The admission came from her accompanied by a soft smile. “I’m not this girl, Gavin. I’ve never had anyone make me burn the way you do.”

Parting the soft folds her sex, he pressed one finger inside her, savoring the wet heat that greeted him. Stroking her deliberately, circling the hardened bud of her clit, he watched her head fall back, her lips parting on a harsh moan.

“I want to make you come. Again and again. To feel you shuddering beneath me until you’re pleading, begging, desperate.” Each word was punctuated by a kiss, his lips and tongue caressing one sensitive spot after another.

Pressing deeper inside her, he curled his fingers forward, stroking a spot that made her scream. Her nails dug into his shoulders as she clung to him. Each pass of his fingers over that tender flesh heightened her response, until she was trembling against him, gasping his name. Feeling the tremors of her thighs, he knew how close she was. He closed his mouth over one nipple again, laving gently with his tongue.

She tensed against him, her head thrown back, sobbing his name brokenly as the pleasure washed through her.

Gavin pushed away from her and hoisted himself out of the pool, pulling her up after him. Moving to one of the well cushioned deck chairs, he lay back on it and pulled her down on top of him. He didn’t have to tell her what he wanted. It was as if she knew. Rising up over him, she straddled his thighs and grasped his cock in her hand, guiding him inside her. He clasped her hips, tugging her down, sliding deep inside her.

The hot clutch of her sheath around him had him clenching his teeth. He couldn’t explain it, he wouldn’t even try, but nothing had ever felt as good, or as right, as being inside her. She rocked against him, taking him deeper. “Christ,” he hissed.

She leaned down until her breasts pressed against his chest and pressed her lips to his. When she slid her tongue over his lips and into his mouth, the soft, delicate touch mirroring the gentle circling of her hips on him, he was lost. Wrapping his arms around her, pressing her tightly against him, he held onto her as she rode him. It was slow and easy, a gentle climb rather than the furious passion that had previously claimed them. That didn’t alter the intensity of it. He felt connected to her in that moment—in a way he never had to anyone else.

He felt his release building, every muscle in his body drawing tight. Sliding his hands down to her hips, he gripped them roughly as he surged inside her. Groaning her name, he felt the first spasms as he erupted inside her.

She clenched around him, her body shuddering as she came with him. When the last of the shudders receded, she collapsed against him. 

He stroked her back, feeling her skin warming from the sun. “I think we need to take this inside. If not, you’ll be burned to a crisp and I’ll have some interesting tan lines to explain.”

“In a minute.” She pressed her lips to his chest, then nipped playfully with her teeth.

Gavin shivered. “Witch.”

“How can something be this perfect when everything around us is so crazy?”

“I don’t know,” he admitted
. “I hate that you’re in danger—that because of me someone may target you. You’re caught up in this craziness because of me, but I can’t regret it.”

She rose on her elbows, their gazes locking. “I don’t regret it either. Only forty-eight hours ago, I was avoiding you, terrified that you would recognize me as some sleazy girl
you made out with at a party—or worse, that you wouldn’t recognize me at all and I’d be totally humiliated. Now, I’m halfway around the world, having hot, unbelievable sex in a glamorous hotel in Monaco.”

“You’re actually having hot, unbelievable sex
outside
of a glamorous hotel in Monaco.”

She laughed, the same throaty, vibrant sound that had first drawn him to her. “I stand corrected.”

Gavin kissed her then, claiming her mouth for a moment. “Get your white ass inside before it’s too burned for me touch it again,” he whispered to her lips.

“Yes, sir.” She rose and gathered up her underthings before heading toward the doors.

Gavin watched her, enjoying the view she provided, before he rose to follow her. She was caught with him, stuck in the mess of his life, but he knew that whatever happened, even when the situation was resolved, he wasn’t letting her go.

Look for the next installment of Gavin and Libby’s story, Kept By Casanova… July, 2013.