Gabe: Coming to Terms
Shit, shit, shit.
Gabe swept the papers off his desk, sending everything flying onto the floor. He wasn’t supposed to feel this way about anyone. Not ever again.
Ghosts flashed in front of his eyes, of those he’d loved and lost, and the one he hadn’t really loved and should never have married. Now he had a woman in his bedroom asleep, and despite all his damned commands, she held all the power.
He’d learned about power exchange in order to feel in control—of himself and his life? And he had.
Until Isabelle.
He should have heeded his brother and not taken her home, but he’d listened to her sassy retorts, he’d looked into her eyes, and he’d been trapped. So here he was, sporting a hard-on the likes of which he’d never experienced, relief a couple of feet away, and he was doing something he’d never done before—depriving himself of what he wanted.
Because what he wanted was more than her body. He wanted her soul. And she was clearly nowhere near ready to give it to him.
His phone rang, and he answered without checking the caller ID. “Yeah.”
“Good morning to you too, big brother.”
“Lucy, what are you doing calling so early on the weekend?” If it was nine a.m. in New York, it was six a.m. in California.
“My other brother called and said you’d lost your mind over a woman, so I’m calling for information.”
Gabe rolled his eyes. “I haven’t lost my mind, Luce. Decklan exaggerates.”
“Did you or did you not move her into my room?”
“So that’s why you’re calling. You’re pissed you’re being displaced.”
Lucy burst out laughing. “I could care less about that. And I’ll take that answer as a yes.” She let out a whoop of joy.
“Tone it down,” he muttered.
“Don’t go all bossy on me. I’m flying home to meet her.”
Gabe shook his head. “You’ll do no such thing.” At least, not until he figured out what he was going to do with her.
“I was coming anyway. There’s an island resort off the coast of Florida. It’s called Eden. How cool is that? You can only go there via invitation. It’s secluded, secretive, and exclusive, and we have the opportunity to open a nightclub there. I need to fill you in.”
“Sounds intriguing,” he said, meaning it.
“Oh, it is. Don’t worry. I’ll tell you all about it when I see you. And don’t worry, I’ll either stay with Decklan or get a room at one of our hotels.”
He’d normally argue, but he didn’t want anyone intruding on his time with Isabelle. “Thanks,” he said to his sister.
“Anytime.”
“You okay?” he asked her.
Lucy let out an exasperated breath. “Always. You don’t need to worry about me.” Her standard answer.
He set his jaw. “I raised you—”
“Hardly! I was sixteen when Mom and Dad died.”
He swallowed hard. “Okay, then I got you through those horrid teenage years, with boys, dating, parties. You know, the hard shit.”
“Oh yeah, you had to talk to me about sex and birth control.”