Oak, Sophie - Away From Me (Siren Publishing Classic) (9 page)

“Probably.” He ground his cock against her, swiveling his hips so he hit her desperate clit just the right way. “But I am a bastard with standards. I have no intention of having a brief affair with you, Gabrielle. I don’t want fast sex. I want commitment. I was uninterested in an affair before. It’s why I had you sign a contract with me.”

He’d been damn insistent on his contract, Gaby remembered. She tried to move against him, but he held her still. He was torturing her. He knew exactly which spot to hit to tantalize and tease. She was so close, but sex wouldn’t solve their problems. “You didn’t want marriage then. You were very clear about it.”

“Well, if I had realized how little you thought of the contract between us, perhaps I would have insisted,” Cal mused. His face was flushing, his breath becoming ragged. Gaby knew all the signs. He was getting close to coming. “Gaby, seriously, just admit you’ll marry me. I can’t hold out much longer. Come on, we both would rather I was inside you when I came.”

“I’m not marrying you, Cal,” Gaby insisted. She squirmed, trying to get out from under him.

“Don’t do that, pet,” he ordered, but it was too late. He gasped and gave in. He pressed his cock against her pussy and groaned as he released his cum all over his expensive slacks. He pumped against her over and over, his whole body shaking. His head fell forward, his lips nuzzling against her neck.

Gaby was able to roll him off her. She barely restrained herself from kicking sand in his face. He sprawled across the sand like a satisfied warrior. There was an arrogant grin on his face as he looked up at her. He took deep breaths of the humid air and made no move to come after her.

“You’re an asshole, Callum.”

He grinned up at her. “But I’m your asshole, Gabrielle. Speaking of assholes. I’ve missed yours, pet. I would really like to tunnel my way in, again. You’re so tight around my cock. Remember how good it feels with me buried in your tight little ass while I fuck your pussy with a vibrator?”

She felt a fresh wave of arousal coat her pussy. “Damn you.” She stalked off.

“You’ll marry me, Gabrielle.”

His words carried across the sand as she practically ran from him. The trouble was, she couldn’t be sure they weren’t true.

Chapter Four

Callum stretched and yawned when the knock came. He looked at the door, suspicious of who would be requesting entry at such an early hour. It was barely nine a.m. That was an indecent hour at a place like this. Decadence was a club that partied until the wee hours of the morning. Cal knew this was not a rise and shine place.

Still, he had gone to bed early. Cal got out of bed and shrugged into one of the plush robes the resort offered its guests. He crossed the room in four long strides. His hand gripped the handle, and he hoped Gaby had changed her mind. Maybe it was Gaby on the other side of the door and she’d come to surrender. He felt a smile spread across his face at the thought.

The man standing in his doorway with a tray in front of him was decidedly not Gabrielle. Cal felt his lips turn down. “I did not order room service.” Nor did he enjoy surprises.

The man with the tray was brisk and efficient and seemed not a bit put off by Cal’s dark tone. He smiled, though Cal could see it did not reach his eyes. “All part of the VIP service, sir. My manager asked me to bring you coffee. She says you take it black. There is also an assortment of croissants and muffins she thought you might enjoy.”

So, that was her game. Cal opened the door wide. “Tell your boss, it’s a nice gesture, but I’ll still be in the dining room. I have a sudden urge for an omelet.”

The waiter pushed the cart through the door and gave Cal what he considered an entirely unprofessional once-over. From the expression on his face, Cal could see he wasn’t impressed.

Cal considered the man entering his room. He was a bit under six feet, so Cal had the height advantage. He wore neatly pressed khaki slacks and a crisp white polo. His haircut was expensive and suited his thick dark brown hair. He seemed a bit young to Cal. Cal found himself quickly sizing the man up as a sexual rival. It was all about the look in the man’s green eyes. He didn’t like Cal, and that probably meant he knew who he was. The only reasonable explanation was that this employee had a problem with Cal’s relationship with his boss. He closed the door and waited to see what the waiter would do.

The younger man neatly poured out a cup of delicious smelling coffee. “I wish you wouldn’t.”

“Wouldn’t what?”

“Go to the dining room.” The waiter’s voice was civil, but chilly. He offered Cal the coffee.

Cal took it. He could use some caffeine. “I’ll have to disappoint you then. Do you mind giving me your name? It’s only fair since you seem to be willing to advise me about my dining choices.”

“It has nothing to do with your eating preferences, Mr. Reed. I’m Christopher Linwood,” he said. Having done his duty, he faced Callum. “I know all about your relationship with Gaby.”

Cal took a long drink of the strong coffee. It was perfect. Cal recognized it as the brand Greg served in his own home, so he knew it was the best money could buy. “If you’re going to try to pass yourself off as her lover, let me warn you. I won’t believe you, and I won’t take it well.”

Chris laughed. “Gabrielle is my friend. She’s not my lover. I’m afraid she’s not my type.”

Cal suppressed a smile. So, not a sexual rival at all. “Forgive me. You must be the nurse Greg hired. I appreciate everything you’ve done for Gaby. But I have no intention of leaving this island without her. Nothing you say or do is going to change my mind.”

Chris’s foot tapped, a sign Cal took as impatience. “I was with her when she came out of surgery, you know.”

The coffee turned to ash in his mouth. Cal put the mug on the counter. He said the only thing he could think to say. “I wish I had been there.”

“At the time, I did as well. She cried for you when she came out of the anesthesia. She was in so much pain. She was confused, and she called out for you over and over again.”

Cal felt his hands clenching. He attempted to keep his face still, but his chest felt too small. “I didn’t know.” It felt like an excuse. He should have gone after her. He should have known something was wrong. He should never have accepted his dismissal.

Chris’s eyes softened slightly. “I know, but you have to wonder why she chose not to tell you. She didn’t trust you. Just because she wants you, doesn’t mean you’re good for her.”

Callum’s first instinct was to pick up the smaller man bodily and toss him over the balcony. He took a deep breath. That probably wouldn’t further his cause with Gabrielle. “We were both being very stubborn at the time. I thought she was manipulating me.”

“She probably was,” Chris conceded. “She’s not the saint everyone thinks she is. Gaby comes off as very soft and sweet. Then you listen to her chewing out one of our vendors or watch her deal with an unruly guest.”

“She can take a strip out of your hide, that’s for sure.” Cal smiled, remembering one particular phone conversation he’d overheard when she’d discovered one of the contractors he’d hired to renovate the bathroom was overcharging them. She’d been patient for a while, but when she didn’t get her way, she’d cussed a blue streak. Callum recalled standing outside the office listening in. He’d been quite proud of the way she refused to back down and got everything she deserved. He hadn’t mentioned it to her. He’d pretended not to have heard a thing. He’d known that it would be a turning point in their relationship. He would be accepting her as something beyond a submissive. He would be accepting her as a partner, and he hadn’t been ready for that. He wasn’t sure he was ready now, but he didn’t seem to have a choice.

Chris’s eyes narrowed. “I’m surprised you know about Gaby’s temper. I thought she played a role with you.”

“Oh, she did, indeed.” Callum gestured to one of the elegant seats that formed the intimate parlor of the suite. He sat down on the sofa, willing to try the coffee again. Chris sat back, and Callum continued in a civilized fashion. “She pretended to be perfectly submissive, but I knew from the beginning it was a bit of an act. Gabrielle likes to be told what to do during sex. She craves it. Like many very strong females, she almost needs permission to allow herself to let go. Submission gives this to her.”

Chris waved his explanations away. “Yes, I know this. I’m not a tourist. The question is, why did you allow her to pretend to be twenty-four seven with you?”

Callum shrugged. “It wasn’t pretend. She really was for the time she was with me. I thought, at the time, she could be happy like that. I can see now that I was gradually giving up control as I became more comfortable in the relationship. At first, I kept everything very separate. By the end, Gabrielle had taken over the accounting for my law practice. She ran the household. She ran my life. I was the one pretending to still be in control.”

“Is that why you refused to marry her?”

The coffee mug came down on the end table more forcefully than Cal intended. “That is none of your business.”

Chris gave no sign he noticed Cal’s loss of temper. “I disagree. It’s my task to keep her healthy. Part of that is to keep her spirits up. I’ve been an oncology nurse for six years, Mr. Reed. Medicine is only a part of recovery. Gabrielle’s will and spirit are very important. I’ve managed to keep her calm and focused up until roughly two weeks ago. Our meditation sessions have gone to crap since she came back from Dallas.”

“Meditation?”

“And yoga,” Chris replied. He seemed ready for Cal to deride him. “Meditation has been found to help cancer patients. It alleviates fatigue and increases positive thoughts. Laugh all you like, but I believe it helps.”

“I am not laughing,” Cal said quietly. “Gaby believes this?”

“Yes.”

“But she’s still taking her medication?”

Chris rolled his eyes. “Yes, of course. The meditation works in tandem with the current protocols. I’m not some flake trying to convince her we can solve cancer by holding hands and chanting. However, I do believe that keeping her spirits up is intensely important. It’s why I came here to ask you to leave.”

“I can’t.” Cal was surprised at the longing he heard in his own voice. He cleared his throat self-consciously. “I don’t mean to disrupt Gaby’s life. I mean to set it back on an even keel. She was wrong to leave me. I could have helped her enormously through this.”

“And when the time came to make the decision to take her breasts? How would you have helped then? Gaby was a plaything to you. Would you really have advised her to lop those gorgeous breasts off? I know you used to parade her around that club of yours and show off her lovely body. She has scars now.”

Cal was on his feet, unable to contain his anger. “Listen, you little shit, I couldn’t care less that Gaby has scars. It wouldn’t have been an issue. There wouldn’t have been a discussion. She wouldn’t have been alone and vulnerable and worried. I would have told her what I wanted. I would have told her I wanted those things off her body and that I wouldn’t care if she didn’t reconstruct them at all. I would have told her she’s beautiful whether or not she has breasts.”

Chris held his ground. His arms went across his chest as he stared at Cal for a moment. “Now that, I didn’t expect.”

Cal huffed and found himself pacing. “And what did you expect? That I would charge in, take one look at Gaby’s scars, and run away?”

A rueful smile crossed Chris’s face. “I suppose I did. I don’t have a very high opinion of you.”

“Join the crowd.”

The nurse shrugged. “Would it help to know that it’s changing?”

“Gaby’s opinion is the only one that matters.” Cal crossed to the windows that overlooked the ocean. The waves just kept rolling in. Cal allowed the sound to calm him a bit. He could understand why Gaby was happy here. It was very peaceful. He heard Chris get up behind him. “Would you teach me?”

“Teach you what?” The nurse sounded a bit surprised.

“To meditate.”