He looks at me as if he’s mentally stripping off my clothes. With his teeth. He looks at me, and the bottom falls out of my belly. My heart swoops down to my toes, and my nipples go so hard so fast it almost hurts. Almost, because it feels so freaking good—that tight throb, knowing that the only thing that will make it better is his mouth, wet and hot, pulling on them.
I think those dirty thoughts—of Gabriel on his knees, his cheeks hollowing out with the force of his sucks, his hands on my hips, holding me still so I can’t move to alleviate the pressure between my legs—and I get a little lightheaded.
And Gabriel must know. He must see what he does to me. I’m a blonde. I blush like one, all pink and sweaty. Too many times, I’ve seen that hot blue gaze of his stray downward, lingering on my horny nipples. They aren’t exactly shy about showing themselves, damn it all.
His nostrils always flare just a little bit, and then a sharp, deep breath, as if he’s bracing himself. But it inevitably ends there and then. Because he’s unwilling to go any further.
And yet that thick, hard cock of his pokes at my ass every time we crawl into bed. He never pulls away to hide his erection, nor does he grind himself against me to move things along. No, he just leaves it there, snug on my ass, his big, wide hand gently molding itself to my belly, his chin on the crown of my hair. He holds me like a lover might, tender yet lingering. But he treats me like a friend, respectful, kind, never taking advantage.
And I let him do it. I lie there, day after day, night after night, my body yielding to his, soaking up his heat, reveling in his possessive hold. It’d be so easy to turn in his arms, press my lips to his, slide my hands down his waist to slip under his lounge pants. I’ve imagined grasping his big dick—and I know it’s big at this point— so many times that my palms tingle with phantom memories.
Today, however, there will be no napping. Gabriel has gone out on a run instead. Odd, since he already went on one this morning.
God, this morning… My cheeks burn at the memory. Okay, so I interrupted his “man time” by knocking on the bathroom door. I shouldn’t have done that; Lord knows I’d be pissed if he had done the same. But I hadn’t expected him back so soon and went to go get detergent. Imagine my horror when I returned and realized he was locked away with my dirty underwear.
And clearly he found them. He hasn’t been able to look me in the eye since he finally got out of his shower, practically grunting out answers every time I bothered to talk to him.
So embarrassing. I don’t even know why I thought cleaning them in the bathroom was a good idea. I didn’t even bother washing my undies after Gabriel left the room, but stuffed them all in a bag and sent them down with housekeeping. Only, they lost my favorite pair—the cute boy shorts with cherries on them. And no one on staff can find them. So, joy all around today.
I’m so worked up now, when my phone rings, I almost jump out of my skin. Sad that I hope it’s him. But it’s my friend Kati from New York.
“Hey you,” I answer with a smile. “Isn’t a little early to be calling me?”
It’s two in the afternoon here, which means it’s eight in the morning in New York, and I know Kati is a late sleeper like me.
“It would be,” she answers, “if I was in New York.”
I flop back on the bed. The stupid empty bed which will not be used for napping. “Where are you?”
“I’m in London at the moment. There’s a certain pop star who has broken up with her high-profile boyfriend, and everyone wants the scoop.”
Kati is a reporter who covers the music industry. She was the one to get me into celebrity photography, and also the first to support me leaving the business when she saw how hollowed out I’d become.
“Tough life, isn’t it?” I say.
“The worst,” she agrees with a laugh. “And might I add, I’m shocked to hear you’re back in it.”
“In a much better capacity this time, thankfully.” I roll onto my stomach, my head hanging over the bed. A tiny glint of red peeking out between the mattress and the box spring catches my eye. Frowning, I scoot closer. “And how did you know I was working with musicians again?” I ask, half distracted.
“It’s a small world. People talk…”
Listening to her, I reach down and touch the scrap of red fabric playing peek-a-boo with the mattress. It’s silk, and it’s not just red. It’s red and white.
Kati’s voice ebbs and flows in my ear. “…and not just any musicians. Kill John? How the hell did that happen? Do they know about…well, your pictures?”
“They know. We talked it out, and everything is cool.” Biting my lip, I tug at the fabric. It resists for a second, and then yanks free. For a moment, I just stare at the panties dangling in my hand. White with little red cherries on them. My panties.
They’re slightly damp and completely rumpled from being crammed beneath the mattress. On Gabriel’s side of the bed. Unable to resist, I bring them to my nose and take a cautious sniff. They smell like his shower gel.
Gabriel washed my panties? Why?
A naughty thought runs through my head: Gabriel touching my dirty panties and what he might have done with them that would necessitate cleaning.