One Night with Cinderella - Niobia Bryant Page 0,30
life. He wasn’t sure if it was her sudden wealth and independence or the confidence brought on by knowing he found her his best lover yet—something he had admitted to her on many occasions before, during and after sex.
“Yes, but I wasn’t in the right state of mind,” she said, pulling on a floor-length white cotton robe that was innocent on a hanger but thrilling on her body.
He loved the way the thin material skimmed her hard nipples and clung to her hips. He was used to lace and silk but found pleasure every time she peeled back her innocence and came alive under his touch. His arousal stirred as she ran her fingers through her disheveled hair and pushed the length behind her shoulders before leaving the room.
Gabe turned to reach for the iPad to turn on the seventy-inch television on the wall above the slate fireplace positioned across from the bed. He flipped through the channels, looking for business news but stopped at the sight of a photo of Monica crossing one of the many busy New York streets. He started to call out to her but stopped, knowing she never talked about the gossip in the press concerning her and her alleged father.
The camera cut to the face of a pretty brown-skinned woman in her seventies with reddish-brown soft curls and a friendly expression who looked very familiar. She and a younger woman were walking the beach as they talked.
“So, Mrs. Maynard, you are confirming the speculation that Monica Darby is in fact your niece by your brother, Brock Maynard?” the entertainment newscaster asked as the woman paused to gaze out at the sun setting above the ocean.
“Absolutely,” Phoebe said, resting her hands on her hips. She wore a linen powder blue shirt and pants. “And she may have one of those gag orders stopping her speaking on it, but I don’t. I am proud to have her as my niece and just wish we’d had the chance to know each other sooner.”
Gabe’s mouth opened a bit at that revelation. He moved to rise from the bed and cross the room to stand before the television. It was then he noticed that Monica favored the woman. A lot.
“And do you care to share the real story of her birth?”
“That is a story I will only share with my niece when she is ready to hear it,” Phoebe said before turning to give the camera a sparkling smile and a wink Gabe believed to be meant for Monica.
He glanced over and found her paused in the doorway with her hands still gripping the white-linen-covered cart, laden with the food they’d ordered à la carte from the restaurant downstairs.
She moved around the cart to reach the bed and turn off the television with the iPad. “Gabriel,” she chided him, facing him with her arms crossed over her chest.
“Why didn’t you just say you signed an NDA?” he asked as he retrieved the cart and removed the warmers from the plates.
She arched a brow.
“Right...because you signed an NDA.”
She remained silent.
“How are you enjoying your new life?”
“It’s more than I ever dreamed of,” she admitted, careful with her words.
“But?”
“But you know I can’t talk about it...even though I want to,” she said. “I want to get out of my own head and process it all, but I can’t. So just leave it be. Please.”
“Seems like your aunt is more than willing to talk to you. Maybe it’s time to take her up on her offer,” he said, pulling the sash of her robe and letting it fall to her sides as he eased one arm around her waist to mold her body against his.
Monica released a grunt of pleasure at the feel of him as she tilted her head back and raised up on the tip of her toes to better enjoy the kisses he pressed to her neck.
“One thing I can say.”
Gabe raised his head to look down at her, finding her eyes melancholy.
“If nothing else. I’ve been given the freedom to do as I please and I’m grateful for that,” she admitted.
Gabe didn’t allow his recollection to continue on to how he’d scooped her up in his arms and pressed her body beneath his as he helped erase the sadness from her eyes. The empathy he felt sent visceral pains across his chest for her. Somehow Brock Maynard had not spent one day in the life of his daughter, who’d ended up in foster care. It seemed he’d never