“Don’t you dare.” She breathed lowly, her eyes clearing to fix him with a hunger that stole his breath and had him hard as a rock in an instant. “You’re taking me home. Right now.”
“Am I?” Her forwardness only further heated his blood. “And what if I refuse?”
“Then you will be subjected to my tiny-ass apartment that I’m sure you’ll barely fit in.” A low, mirth-filled chuckle escaped him.
“Well I suppose that’s settled, then.”
“Good. I’ll be right back. I still have to go to the bathroom.” Laughing softly, he released her to watch her totter towards the washrooms, struggling to remain upright. It took him a moment to regain his composure, but when he did, he managed to locate
Estelle’s
proprietor and announce his intentions to buy out Gabrielle’s collection. He was writing out the check before the man even recovered, along with directions to ship the whole lot back to his manor in London. He’d never been much of a decorator, but he could clearly envision where he would place each and every one of Gabrielle’s paintings. They would be a nice reminder of her once he’d returned to the UK.
He met her at the door, smiling as she shed her stilettos the moment they were outside with a sigh of relief. “Fucking Christ, I thought they had fused to my feet.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll be sure to rub them for you when we get to the hotel.” He smirked down at her even as he raised a hand to hail a cab. Gabby snorted, moving towards the first car that stopped.
“Please. You, sir, are going to be too busy rubbing other things.”
Immediately, all the blood in his body slammed southward and he slid into the cab beside her, his eyes bright with lust as he jerked her against him in excitement. “You are bloody
fascinating
, you know that?”
Gabby laughed, her breath hitching as his mouth found the warmth of her beating pulse, his tongue darting out to taste it. “I think I’m beginning to realize.”
**
“Oh my
God
.”
Even after a ten minute cab ride during which Sebastian had driven her to heights of anticipation she hadn’t known existed, Gabby had to pause just inside the entryway to his suite to marvel at its luxuriousness. She’d never even been into the lobby of the Ritz Carlton before, let alone one of its rooms.
And this place, she was willing to bet, was one of the best they had to offer. The space was gigantic, with an open living space that provided a panoramic view of the city through floor to ceiling windows. The furniture reeked of wealth, all real mahogany and gleaming leather. A small kitchenette was tucked away in the corner behind an office and a full bar that looked to be completely stocked. The bed was nowhere in sight, leading her to believe that the bedroom was separate – something she’d never even seen in a hotel. “Oh My
God
.”
It was the second-most impressive thing she’d seen that night, the first of which being Sebastian himself.
“I take it you like it, then.” At the delicious, British tinged baritone behind her, she turned to take him in, her mind fairly boggled.
When she’d first seen him at the exhibition, it had been an exercise in courage not to run in the opposite direction. A full head and shoulders above every other patron there, he had leapt out to her immediately simply because of his height. Then, there were his features. The man was attractive in a way that should be illegal, with elegant, sharp bone structure, a careless fall of ebony hair to his shoulders, a full mouth and a strong, jutting chin. The clothes he wore hugged broad shoulders and a trim waist, and though he hadn’t been dressed as elegantly as some of
Estelle’s
other male customers, his posture and grace were enough to identify him as one of the upper crust.
A man who, Gabby knew, wouldn’t have spared her a second thought had they passed one another in the street. When she’d rammed into him in her effort to “mingle”, as Tristan had instructed her to do, she’d fully expected the full brunt of his disdain. She’d forgotten, however, that she was dressed to the nines and that must have been her saving grace. Not only had the man not reprimanded her, he’d looked at her as if she was the goddess Aphrodite incarnate.
She’d struggled against the jitters that had leapt to life within her belly and, of course, after an evening of attempting to be polite and courteous, the real Gabby had reared her ugly head. To her shock, her antics had not only intrigued Sebastian, but she’d spent the rest of the evening with the man – and she hadn’t even had to pretend to be high class.
She was pretty sure Tristan would be furious when he found she’d ducked out on her own exhibition, but it seemed to be getting on fine without her, and Sebastian's kiss had caught her completely off guard, effectively dissolving any rational thought she might have had.
She wanted him – and it was pretty evident that he wanted her; even if she had no idea why. It was obvious that she and he came from completely different worlds. But if he was willing to throw preconceptions out the window for a single night of debauchery, she certainly had no complaints.
“I think that’s an understatement. This place is
fabulous.
” Crossing the room, she sank onto a sofa that was just as plush at it looked, a moan of delight escaping her as she tossed her shoes onto the dense, spotless carpet. “Sweet, Christ, I’m never getting up off this couch.”
Chuckling, Sebastian toed off his own shoes, moving to join her on. When he lifted one of her feet onto his lap, she panicked momentarily before she remembered that her feet had undergone an expensive pedicure only hours before and were thusly pretty damn cute. She’d have to thank Tristan when she got a chance. “What are you doing?”
“I recall I promised you a foot massage.” Christ, she’d never known how sexy a British accent could be until it flowed from Sebastian’s lips. Before she could protest, dexterous fingers began working the sore arch of her foot and a low groan of bliss escaped her.
“
Jesus Christ
…Sebastian…that’s amazing.”
She flexed her toes in his grip and he growled lowly, the sound sending a thrill of arousal through her. “You utter that sound again and it won’t last very long, I assure you.”
Her eyes met his deep blue gaze and her breath caught at the desire she found there. This was like something out a fever dream - a gorgeous man massaging her feet in luxurious surroundings that probably cost more than she made in a year. It occurred to her that while she’d spilled her entire life story over a few glasses of bubbly, she knew relatively little about the man she was about to jump into bed with. He was British, smoldering and obviously moneyed – from a town she’d never even heard of and in New York for reasons unknown. At this juncture, she didn’t think she should ask. There were other ways they could be spending their time.
Straightening on the sofa, she slid her foot from his grasp as she swallowed thickly. “Are you going to help me out of this dress? I don’t think I can manage.”
Sebastian’s eyes darkened in desire. “Gabrielle, I am going to help you out of every scrap of clothing you’re wrapped in. Then I’m going to help you to climax. Repeatedly.”
A shiver of arousal traversed the length of her spine. Jesus Christ, this man was going to be the death of her. “Please do.” It was probably the most tasteful phrase she’d uttered all evening, and Sebastian fixed her with an utterly wicked grin as he reached for her. Within seconds, Gabby was in his arms, his mouth crushed to hers.
He tasted like wine – dark, spicy and drugging, and his mouth moved over hers masterfully, his tongue teasing her own until she was whimpering in want. As he kissed her leisurely, he reached behind her to draw the zipper of her dress inexorably downward to her waist. When it would go no further, the silk was pushed down over her shoulders to pool around the smallest part of her. Beneath it, she was wearing yet another contraption Tristan had insisted upon – some lacy, backless, strapless contraption that she marveled was even still in place. When Sebastian took in the sight of her breasts, pressed high and plumped for his appraisal, a ragged breath escaped him. “If you tell me that this is another of Tristan’s trappings, I shall have to kill the bastard, whichever sex he prefers.”
She laughed softly. “If it make you feel better, he hasn’t seen me in it.”
“Too right, he hasn’t.” Leaning forward, the man lowered his mouth to her throat, moving downward in a series of lackadaisical, heated kisses that had Gabriel squirming beneath him. When he finally reached the barrier of her complicated brassiere, he nipped playfully at the valley of her breasts before finding the fastening of the garment and undoing it. After that, it was just a matter of unpeeling the cups and discarding the damned thing on the coffee table.
“How did you do that?” Gabrielle’s inquiry came in an awed voice, even as Sebastian was staring at her bared breasts like a man starved.
“Perseverance.” Then, his mouth closed over a nipple and Gabby had a very hard time forming rational thoughts. Sebastian was lingering and thorough, his tongue circling the hardened little nub before suckling at it until she gasped in pleasure. Gently, he eased her legs apart as he worked her skirt upward. He released her breast with a soft
pop
before switching to its twin.
A delirious moan escaped Gabby as he found the heat of her and brought his palm flush against it. The way he’d kissed her in the cab had been enough for her to grow slick against the thin lace and now, she only grew moister as he rocked his hand back and forth over her. One arm wrapped around his neck, tunneling through his hair as the other clutched his shoulders and her breath hitched.
The man’s torturous mouth nipped at her aureole and Gabrielle undulated against him as pleasure spiked through her. “Sebastian!
Jesus
…” A completely unflattering sound of surprise escaped her as the man lifted her into his arms, standing from the couch as he raised his head to gaze down at her. “Let’s relocate, shall we?”
She could hardly have refused him at that moment. Had he suggested that she stand on her head and sing God Save the Queen, she would have done it. Instead, he merely kissed her once more, sucking at her lower lip as he carried her down a short hallway to an expansive bedroom. Gabby barely had time to take in the lush decorations before she found herself standing on the carpet as Sebastian slid her dress down and completely off her – leaving her in the briefest pair of panties she owned.
“
Bloody
hell.” Gabby gasped as he straightened so he was on his knees before her, placing a series of searing kisses over her hip and lower abdomen so her legs went weak and she clutched his shoulders for purchase. “You’re going to
kill
me, Gabby.”
Funny, she’d just been thinking the same thing. Within moments, however, Gabby wasn’t thinking anything at all. Sebastian had tugged her panties to one side and his very eager tongue slid over the drenched slit of her in an eager lap. The young woman cried out, her knees trembling as they threatened to give way beneath her. Sebastian responded with a firm hold on her hips, drawing one of her legs up and over his shoulder as he supported her.
Gabrielle moaned and whimpered, her entire body jerking as the man proceeded to devastate her with his clever mouth. His tongue darted among her clenching muscles before circling her clit agonizingly so she cried his name. He kissed over her wet folds before suckling on her clitoris powerfully. Gabrielle wobbled, clutching at the edge of the bed for purchase as her vision momentarily went white. The man was eating at her as if it were his last meal, and she didn’t know how much more she could endure. “Sebastian…”She moaned, before his name left her on something unflattering close to a shriek. “
Sebastian
! Please! God, please!”
He groaned against the hot, wet folds of her and the sound vibrated through her, rocketing her towards a delicious, all-encompassing orgasm that sent her body into a fit of shivers. Gabby cried out, clinging to him as pleasure wracked her body. It seemed to last for an eternity, and when it was finally over, her legs felt like jelly.
Gently, Sebastian eased her back into a sitting position on the bed before he looked up at her, his expression smug. The man’s mouth gleamed with the fruits of her orgasm and she flushed brightly as he licked his lips deliberately. “Again?” It was the single most arousing thing she’d ever heard and she shuddered, barely able to speak.
“No…no, not again. I think I might pass out.”
He chuckled darkly, rising to a standing position to strip his polo over his head, never taking his eyes from her. His t-shirt soon followed and Gabby swallowed thickly as she took in the expanse of a beautifully muscled chest and deliciously toned arms.
It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fucking
fair
.
Who was this man?
She continued to watch, transfixed, as he shucked his slacks and then the boxer briefs beneath them, leaving him gloriously naked. Gabby’s heart leapt into her throat as she took in the sight of the arousal that bobbed against his flat stomach, jutting from a thatch of ebony curls at the crux of powerful thighs. “Oh. My. God.”
His lips quirked in an amused smirk. “Sebastian’ will be just fine.”
Gabby’s face flamed at his words before she attempted to glare at him. “You’re not funny. Not at all.”