agreement scared to death. It was no way to begin a new relationship. She would be confident and she’d embrace the things that Gabe had promised her. And in return, she’d give her all to him and be confident that he would cherish the gift of her submission.
Gabe turned, seeing her standing in the doorway. She was astonished to see relief in his eyes. Had he been afraid she wouldn’t come?
He strode toward her and then pulled her inside his office, shutting the door firmly behind her. Before she could say a word, he hauled her into his arms and crushed his mouth to hers.
She moaned softly as his hands ran possessively up her arms to clasp her shoulders and then upward again, to her throat, and finally to cradle her face. He kissed her as though he were starved for her. Like he’d been held away from her and had finally broken free. It was the kind of kiss that lived only in her fantasies. No one had ever made her feel so…consumed.
It wasn’t just a show of dominance. It was a plea for capitulation. He wanted her. He was showing her just how much. If there had been any doubt as to whether he truly desired her or whether he was simply bored and looking for a new challenge, she was convinced now.
One hand moved from her face and his arm curled around her, anchoring her tightly against him, his arm a steel band across her back.
She could feel his hardness against her belly. He was rigidly erect and straining against the expensive slacks he wore. His breath exploded over her as he broke contact with her lips and they both gasped for air.
His eyes glittered as he stared down at her. “I didn’t think you’d come.”
Chapter one
FOUR DAYS EARLIER…
Gabe Hamilton was going to burn in hell and he didn’t give a damn. From the moment Mia Crestwell walked into the ballroom of the Bentley Hotel where HCM Global Resorts and Hotels was holding its grand opening, he hadn’t taken his gaze from her.
She was forbidden fruit. His best friend’s little sister. Only she wasn’t so little anymore, and he had definitely taken notice. She’d become some kind of twisted preoccupation for him. He’d fought it but found himself unable to resist her powerful lure.
He wasn’t fighting it any longer.
The fact that she was here, tonight, and Jace was nowhere around, only confirmed to Gabe that the time was right and it was time to make his move.
He sipped at the glass of wine he held and listened politely to the group he was conversing with. Or rather that he was mingling with since he rarely engaged in anything more than polite pleasantries as he made his rounds through the crowd.
He hadn’t known she was going to be here. Jace hadn’t said a word. Had Jace even known? Gabe thought it was likely he hadn’t because, not five minutes earlier, Jace and Ash had slipped away, a tall, leggy brunette between them as they headed to one of the luxurious suites on the top floor.
Jace wouldn’t have bailed—even for a woman—if he’d known Mia would be here. But it was just as well Jace wasn’t here. It made things a lot easier.
Gabe watched as Mia’s gaze swept the room, her brow furrowed in concentration as if she searched for someone. A server stopped and offered her wine, and she took one of the elegant, long-stemmed glasses but she didn’t put it to her mouth.
She was outfitted in a killer dress that hugged her in all the right places, complete with fuck-me shoes and an upswept hairstyle that practically pleaded for a man’s hand to tug it down. Dark tendrils floated softly down her neck, drawing attention to the slender column that begged for a man’s lips. He was damn tempted to stride across the room and wrap his coat around her so that no one else would see what he considered his. Jesus, and if that didn’t make this even more insane. She wasn’t his anything. But that too was going to change.
The off-the-shoulder cocktail dress drew attention to her breasts, and he damn sure didn’t want anyone else looking. And men were looking. Already she’d drawn the attention of others. They stared—like he did—their gazes predatory.
She wore a delicate chain with a diamond solitaire around her neck, and diamond studs adorned both ears. Both had been a gift from him a year earlier. For Christmas. It gave