“Nervous?” she asked.
“Terrified. You’re tying my heart into knots. Be gentle with me.” He kissed her on the lips with such sweet intentions, tears formed in her eyes.
“Relax, Lord Henry. I promise not to hurt you.”
He grinned at her comment with the confidence of a man born to wealth and power. And yet he didn’t scare her at all, not like Luc had. Henry somehow uncovered all of her weaknesses and twisted them into strengths. He gave her a quick kiss, and then they fumbled with the condom until any remaining awkwardness floated away with their laughter. His touch changed this once-brutal position into something tender and empowering. She felt both completely controlled and completely in control.
His lips grazed under her ear, and his moans reverberated into the deepest regions of her chest. The sensations shot lightning bolts of hot electricity through her system and sent her over the edge and into oblivion.
Chapter Nineteen
Henry had spent the entire afternoon intoxicated on Gabe’s unique brand of sensuality. Her previous inhibitions created by a lowlife seemed to have evaporated. Playful, sexy, and adventurous in and out of bed, Gabe could satisfy a man for a lifetime. By the time they finally moved to the large bathtub to play some more and prepare for the auction, Henry’s time with Gabe had permanently altered his heart. No one would take her place. Another woman could fill certain roles in his life, but this intelligent, gorgeous seductress had managed to wipe out the competition and make him unable to consider anyone else in her place.
Reluctant to separate, they forced themselves to prepare for the night’s big event, finding Lady Elizabeth. Henry wore his tuxedo. The gun Simon sent to him was secure in a holster at his waist. He didn’t want trouble, but he’d protect Gabe from any threats that came her way. No matter what.
Gabe donned a shimmering gold gown. Her short brown hair, which must be close to her natural color, fell over one of Danielle’s beguiling green eyes. This woman didn’t look anything like Simon’s date in Edinburgh. He hoped. Despite Gabe’s penchant for bacon and high-fat breakfasts, her body showed not the slightest bit of extra body fat. A lean warrior with the face of a fairy, she bewitched him.
She strode over to him and straightened his bow tie, which didn’t need straightening. Henry had been wearing tuxedos all his life and would never create a crooked tie. Her proximity was a wonderful excuse to smooth down the lines of her dress, which didn’t need smoothing. His hands glided over the silky material. He felt nothing underneath her dress from the bodice to the top of her thighs. Too bad they were late. He’d never get his fill of her.
They hired a car to drive them to the Mandarin Oriental exactly two blocks away from the W. The invitees to this soiree would never walk the streets to their destination.
A uniformed doorman helped Gabe out of the car. Henry tipped the driver and told him to return when he received a text. They may wish to depart in thirty minutes or be gone all night. Hopefully, the former.
“Ready?” Gabe wrapped her arm around his.
Henry clasped her elbow and gave her a reassuring squeeze. “Absolutely. The gallery is on the forty-fifth floor. This card will gain us entry.” He showed her a business card that had one word on it, “Lakshmi.”
“Hindu goddess of wealth. Very appropriate,” Gabe stated.
“How did you know that?” He’d always believed himself to be highly intelligent, but Alex’s depth of knowledge eclipsed everything he’d learned in a lifetime of university classes and reading books.
“Henry, information is readily available on the internet. I could have Googled it.”
“If you had access to my computer, or you saw the card before this minute, I would believe you.”
She sighed. “Doesn’t everyone know goddesses and gods?”
“Maybe Greek and Roman mythology, not necessarily Hindu.”
She shrugged her shoulders as though it was no big deal that she’d amassed so much information in that pretty head of hers.
Another uniformed guard asked their destination.
“Floor forty-five.” Henry handed the man the card and was led to a private lift.
Once inside, he pressed up against her and drank in her enthusiastic response. Their kiss lasted forty-four floors. Hopefully, they’d find the painting tonight, so he could channel all of his energy into keeping her by his side for longer than three weeks.
When the doors opened, they stepped out into a huge foyer decorated with large vases of orange, yellow, and red roses. Henry handed Gabe a champagne flute, and they meandered around the gallery looking at the art. She perused a few of the works for sale, keeping her expression neutral. The displayed, mostly stolen, pieces of art all had good provenance, ownership papers obtained by skirting the law, so legitimate buyers wandered the rooms with confidence in their potential purchases. Most of the buyers had no idea they were walking through the gray market for art. The more knowledgeable collectors understood that sculptures and paintings were never priced this low in the real world, but they didn’t care about the art’s origins. They looked at it as an investment. Not one work of art in this gallery had the cachet of the stolen masterpieces they’d viewed in Edinburgh, allowing buyers to display them without fear of prosecution.
“What do you think of this one?” Henry pointed to a painting called Woman With a Pigeon.
“I don’t think your clients will like it. It’s too dark.” Which meant, she wouldn’t buy it.