Authors: Sophia Knightly
When they left Radio City Music Hall, Gabriela had stars in her eyes. Dressed in the wrap-style cashmere coat and slouchy matching hat with a leopard-print brim, she looked like a sultry, luxurious feline. Her green eyes sparkled and her cheeks were tinged rosy from the cold air.
Rising on tiptoe, she placed a soft kiss on his cheek. Her lips felt warm and silky soft against his jaw, and he was about to turn his face and capture her mouth when a strong gust of wind made her squeal and huddle against him.
"Ooh, I'm freezing!" she exclaimed, her breath coming out in frosty puffs. "Brrr!"
He laughed. "I have just the place to thaw out. Come on," he said, putting his arm around her and drawing her close as he hailed a taxi. She tucked her face against his chest as he shielded her from the wind.
Marcos chose La Russe, renowned for the freshest selection of caviar and imported vodka and champagne. The room was dimly lit and toasty warm as they checked their coats and followed the waiter to a table toward the back of the well-appointed, red and gold room.
He ordered beluga caviar and champagne, then settled back in the plush leather chair and observed Gabriela. "So what do you think of New York so far?"
"Love it," she gushed. "Do you come here often?"
"A few times a year," he said, enjoying her enthusiasm. "When I was little I always wanted to go to New York with my parents, but they never took me with them."
"Why not?"
"They had a convoluted marriage and not much time to spend with their kids." He shrugged. "They divorced years ago and now I rarely see them."
"Oh... I'm sorry," she said, her eyes filled with sympathy.
He smiled. "We'll have to come again so I can show you the West Village and Soho."
"I'd like that," she said softly. Gabriela's face glowed radiantly and her long-lashed eyes appeared slumberous in the candlelight.
The waiter arrived with a caviar bowl resting atop shaved ice and placed it before them. He uncorked the champagne and poured it immediately.
When he left, Gabriela said, "In the course of only one week, I've had the finest champagne twice with you. Do you always indulge yourself like this?"
"I'd like to think of it as indulging
you."
She grinned. "I wasn't complaining, just wondering."
Marcos spread a small amount of sour cream on a water cracker and topped it with the tiny, grayish fish eggs, then offered it to her. He enjoyed watching Gabriela's rosy lips savor the tangy morsel. After the last swallow, the corners of her mouth lifted in a captivating smile.
"Mmm, that was delicious. I've never tasted caviar. I can't believe what I've been missing out on." She lifted her flute of champagne and toasted,
"Salud, amor y dinero, y tiempo para gastarlo."
"I'll drink to that." Especially the
amor
part
,
Marcos thought, taking her soft hand in his. He nodded toward the fireplace. "Warmer now?"
She sighed happily. "Yes... maybe a tad too warm," she said, fanning herself with a delicate hand. With her hair still covered by the tan leopard-trimmed hat, Gabriela reminded him of a tigress cub. Soft tendrils framed her exotic face as she gazed at him with luminous, emerald eyes.
Marcos was tempted to pluck off her hat so he could see her hair loose and unbound. He imagined it resting on her creamy breasts and cascading down her shapely back. A surge of hot lust made him want to head straight to the hotel.
He lapsed into silence as they listened to music, but he had a hard time keeping his mind off sensual images of Gabriela.
Eager to have her in his arms, he downed the rest of his champagne, paid the waiter and hustled Gabriela outside to hail a taxi.
* * *
When they arrived at the Plaza curbside, a blast of Nordic wind assailed Gabriela eyes with frigid, dry air.
"My contacts feel frozen. I need to put some drops in," she said, blinking repeatedly to counteract the dryness.
"You can do it in the room and then we can rest up a bit before dinner."
Gabriela arched an eyebrow and Marcos gave her an enigmatic smile. She remained silent as he led her into the lobby. She needed to be on her guard with him, yet she was curious about what he was planning next. As much as she was falling deeply for Marcos, she didn't want him to make love to her unless he was
in love
with her. Even though they'd spent a wonderful day together, she couldn't bear being another of his casual conquests—like Nicole.
After so much penny pinching in the past, Marcos' extravagance was intoxicating and a bit overwhelming. Gabriela might've had two glasses of champagne, but her faculties were sharp when it came to guarding her heart—especially against a wealthy ladies' man.
The air was tense with weighty expectations as she stood beside Marcos in the elevator. He punched number fourteen and when the doors shut and they were alone, he drew Gabriela toward him, his warm hand sliding beneath her coat to gently squeeze her waist.
"Ooh," she squealed, stepping back awkwardly. "Remember I'm ticklish!"
Marcos ignored her protest and pulled her toward him again, but whatever he was planning stopped when the elevator doors opened.
"We're here," Gabriela announced, for lack of something better to say. Her stomach fluttered nervously as she felt raw passion emanating from him. He was like a potent drug, a growing addiction she needed to monitor. She swallowed and licked her lips, acutely aware of the bold desire in Marcos' eyes as they swept over her face.
After they entered, he walked to the small refrigerator and looked inside. "Do you want some bottled water?"
"Yes, please," she said, glad for the respite to get herself together. She took the tiny bottle of lubricating eye drops out of her bag and leaned her head back to dribble a few drops into her eyes. She blinked several times, letting her eyes absorb the moisture.
Marcos handed her a bottle of chilled mineral water and took one, too. Walking toward the window, he uncapped the bottle and took several sips, then laid it down on a mahogany antique table.
"Come here," he beckoned with a smile. When she reached his side, Marcos gestured toward Central Park. "I love this view. It always amazes me how different Central Park looks in each season."
"It's awesome," she breathed, watching him remove his coat and fling it on the chair next to him.
"Let me take your coat."
"I'd rather keep it on," she demurred. "I'm still chilled."
He looked like he was holding back a chuckle. "I'll warm you. Off with it," he ordered gruffly, making her laugh nervously.
Marcos helped her out of her coat and laid it over the back of a winged, rose silk armchair. He took off Gabriela's hat and ran his fingers through her hair. "There," he said. "I've wanted to do this all day." With one hand at her waist, he moved her close and rested his chin on her temple as his other hand caressed her cheek. "Your skin is so soft. Like a rose in winter."
Gabriela arched against his strong chest as stroked her back with long, sweeping movements. As his hand slid up and down her spine, a slow fire ignited deep in her belly. He tilted her chin up and kissed her eyes, her temples, her cheeks and then her mouth, languorously tasting and nibbling at her lips.
She parted her mouth eagerly, wanting to take him inside and he kissed her intensely, the carnal intimacy of his tongue on hers taking her breath away as he mimicked lovemaking. She drew in a few breaths between kisses, not wanting to break contact with him, hungry for more of his deep kisses.
Her breath caught in her throat when his warm hand slid under her sweater and cupped her breast. The only thing separating his hand from her bare skin was the delicate silk of her bra. A flood of hot lust suffused her as she clung to his muscular arms.
"You taste so sweet," he said against her throbbing lips. She could feel his hard erection pressed against her thigh as his fingers closed over one nipple and tweaked it.
Gabriela's blood pulsed madly as erotic charges reverberated through her, electrifying her whole body. Her heart galloped in her chest when he unclasped the front closure of her bra and lifted it, freeing her breasts. "You're so beautiful," he said in a velvety dark voice.
She moaned his name when he kissed her nipple and it beaded against his lips. Thrusting her fingers in his silken coarse hair, she closed her eyes and gasped at the intense pleasure pain when he pulled the cool tip into his hot mouth and laved it with his tongue.
His large hands palmed her buttocks, molding and squeezing as his mouth played a tender assault on her nipples. "I want all of you," he murmured raggedly, his voice deep and rough with passion.
He reached around to unzip her pants and she dazedly heard a cell phone ring. It wasn't her ring; it had to be Marcos'. Gabriela went still and so did Marcos' hands
.
Breathing heavily, she began to panic.
"Marcos, your phone. Aren't you going to get it? It could be Abuelita Coqui!" The minute she mentioned his grandmother, Gabriela's passion was replaced by alarm.
With a loud groan, Marcos straightened and took his phone from his trouser pocket. The planes of his face were severe in the dim light as he reigned in his lust and checked caller ID.
"Wrong number," he said, tossing the phone on the couch.
Saved by the bell,
she thought ruefully as she lowered her sweater to cover her bare breasts. The phone call had jarred her senses like a slap of reality. Gabriela mentally chided herself for allowing things to get so heated—so fast.
Marcos' face was dark with arousal as he sat on the deep tufted sofa and drew her on his lap. With one hot hand circling the full curve of bottom, he kissed her neck and the hairs on her nape bristled with excitement. If she didn't stop him, she'd soon be lying naked beneath him, welcoming his thrusts. The thought of it sent ripples of intense pleasure skittering to the vulnerable recess of her body.
When Marcos' hands raised her sweater again and curved around the round contours of her breasts, Gabriela shook her head and gently pushed his hands away. Her heart hammered fiercely as she re-clasped her bra and adjusted her sweater with shaky hands, painfully aware of the throbbing desire between her thighs. She took deep breaths but couldn't seem to get enough air into her lungs.
"What's wrong?" Marcos asked, his voice ragged as his unswerving eyes held her gaze, waiting for an answer.
Gabriela wrenched her gaze downward to collect herself. "I can't do this," she whispered, hearing the traitorous uncertainty in her voice. She tried to hold on to reason. "It's too much, too soon."
"I shouldn't have rushed you." Marcos exhaled a harsh breath and shook his head. "There is no rush. I just can't get enough of you, Gabriela. I thought you felt the same."
"I do," she admitted, still reeling from the exquisite desire he'd aroused. "But we're playing a game of deception and I'm your pawn. I won't allow you to use me and then discard me."
Marcos' thumb lifted her face to meet his probing gaze. "Is that what you think I'm doing?" he asked incredulously.
"What else can I think?" she asked glumly. "You planned a wonderful day and spoiled me rotten. Now it's payback time and I'm expected to fall into your arms." She hated the way it sounded, but it was what she worried about now that she'd pulled away from his charismatic power.
Marcos' jaw was granite as he watched her with eyes hardened into topaz shards. "I'm not some green kid looking to get laid," he said roughly.
He was incensed and Gabriela knew she'd insulted him. "I want you more than you can imagine," she said, stunned by the intensity of her passion. If it hadn't been for the phone, they would have made love for sure, but now that she was more rational, she knew she would've felt vulnerable afterwards. "I can't make love casually without thinking of the consequences." Her voice rose with frustration. "I hope you don't think I'm a tease, but I'm in way over my head with you." She took a deep breath. "When I make love it has to be in a committed relationship."
Marcos' ire evaporated before her eyes. "Gabriela, darling, don't get upset," he said soothingly. He smoothed her hair back and kissed her cheek. "I like that about you."
"You do?" she said, surprised he wasn't annoyed anymore.
"Yes. It makes you special." Marcos' sincere gaze touched Gabriela deep in her heart. "I want to make love to you more than I want to breathe right now, but I can wait," he said. "I couldn't sleep last night imagining it and I've thought of nothing else since we came here. But that isn't why I brought you on this trip." He tucked her against his strong chest and nuzzled her temple.
"Then why did you?" she asked quietly, loving the tender way he held her on his lap, his arm draped around her and resting on her hip.
"Because I wanted to make up for all the inconvenience I've caused you. When I heard you were starting vacation and not planning to go anywhere, I wanted to show you New York at Christmastime. That's it, nothing else. It wasn't an elaborate scheme to get you into bed, but I guess the outcome sure seems like it."
Gabriela listened to the steady beat of his heart as he spoke. She looked up, drawn into his earnest eyes and her heart melted. She desperately wanted to throw her arms around his neck and let him make love to her, but she sighed and reined in her yearning.
"I believe you, Marcos," she said, smiling up at him.
He kissed her in response. It was a simple kiss, his lips pressed briefly against hers, but Gabriela felt the stirrings of passion reignited, just from having his warm lips on hers. She drew a shaky breath. "Your kisses are the strongest aphrodisiac, Marcos. We'd better get going," she said, reluctantly straightening.
Marcos gave her a slow, sexy smile as he ran his knuckles down the underside of her jaw.
"We can take a buggy ride before dinner if you like."
"I like," she said, smiling back.
"I'll be right back," he said and headed to the bathroom.
Gabriela noticed his iPhone on the couch and picked it up, lest he forget it. When she glanced at the screen and saw who'd called earlier, her heart sank.