Gabe: The Alvarez Security Series (24 page)

Snagging a couple of thick towels, he dried her off first, rubbing every part of her body. She was warm and flushed, and his attention to detail had her growing wet once again.
What is it about him? He could keep me in a constant state of need!

He moved the towel up her toned legs to the apex, making sure to torment her as he made sure to rub the towel against her clit. Slowly standing, he continued to dry her smooth skin up toward her breasts, where the material dragged across her nipples. Taut with need, they puckered as he captured first one and then the other in his mouth before drying them again.

“Gabe…,” she cried, her need overtaking her every thought.

Chuckling, he slowly pulled the towel through her hair watching the curls spring to life. She clung to his shoulders as though he were the only thing holding her up. Tossing the towel to the side, he pulled her into his muscular chest, pressing her face against his heart and holding her tightly. For a moment they stood, each lost in the thoughts of how perfectly they fit. He bent and scooped her up in his arms.

“Gabe?” she said again, this time more subdued.

“Yeah, babe,” he replied.

“If I don’t run a comb through my hair now, I’ll never get the tangles out later.”

“Okay, baby,” he said as he snagged her large comb from the counter on his way into the bedroom. Sitting her down on the bed, he crawled in behind her.

Twisting around to see what he was doing, she saw the comb still in his hand while he gently ordered, “Turn back around.”

She acquiesced but told him to start at the bottom or he’d never get the tangles out. She felt the comb move through her hair. Gently at the bottom, separating tangles and then slowly moving up. The feeling of having her hair combed was like a massage. Jennifer relaxed, giving over to the feelings. When the last curl was combed, she whimpered at the loss and heard him chuckle again.

“Don’t worry baby. Now that you’re relaxed, I’ve got ways to wind you up again,” he said tossing the comb to the nightstand. Laying on his back, he pulled her on top, her legs straddling his torso. His gaze dropped from her beautiful face down to her perfect, full, rosy-tipped breasts. His hand trailed from her hips to her breasts where he held the weight of them before rubbing his thumbs over her taut nipples.

The desire shot right through her again, straight from her nipples to her pussy. Deciding to take the lead, she lifted herself over his cock and without waiting seated herself to the hilt. She could have sworn that he touched her womb as his thickness filled her completely. Lifting herself up and down on him, she controlled the pace until her legs grew tired. Feeling his hands squeeze her hips he began to match her rhythm.

Opening her eyes, she looked down at him seeing his smile.

“You ready to give it over to me, baby?”

With a blush and a nod, she laughed as he rolled her onto her back. “I wanted to keep going, but my legs gave out too quickly,” she complained.

“Baby, I’ll give you control when you feel like you need it but never worry about handing it back over.” He kissed her hard and wet, before continuing. “Cause girl, I like control in all ways, but especially in the bedroom.” Leaning back in, he captured her lips once again, plunging his tongue in at the same time he slid his aching cock deep into her warm pussy.
Perfect. A perfect fit
. He couldn’t remember the last time he felt so connected to a woman.
Never. The answer is never.

It took very little time for his hard strokes to bring her back to oblivion once again. She cried out as her world exploded in a shower of sensations, sparks flying out from her core in all directions.

He looked at the beauty under him, her lashes on her cheeks as her eyes were tightly closed. Her long, blonde curls were drying spread out across his pillow. With continuous strokes, he pumped furiously, needing to reach a secret place inside of her that he wanted to touch. Head thrown back, his thick neck muscles strained as his biceps bulged with the strength of his body emptying inside of her. As the last of his strength left him, he fell to the side taking her with him. Tucking her tightly with her head resting on his chest, he struggled to slow his racing heartbeat.

With legs tangled and hearts beating as one, he leaned down to snag the covers making sure to pull them over their sweaty bodies.

As sleep began to overtake them, she whispered, “Gabe?”

“Ummm?” he answered.

“I really like your family.”

He smiled in the dark, pulling her head closer to him. “I’m glad, baby. They liked you too.”

A few minutes later, she whispered, “Gabe?”

“What now, baby?”

So softly he almost could not hear, she whispered, “I wish you could have met my parents. They would have loved you too.”

His breath caught in his throat as he leaned down seeing a single tear escape. Wiping it with his thumb, he said, “I wish I could have too. But if you’ll have me, I’ll be your family now too.” He saw her smile and he captured it in a kiss. A soft touch of lips. Full of promise.

J
ennifer made her
way into the kitchen of the Center the next Monday, arms loaded with bread. Henry and Cora walked in and helped her put it away before serving breakfast.

“You didn’t go by yourself to get this, did you?” asked Henry.

Laughing, she replied, “Oh no. Gabe was working so he sent Jobe with me last night.” Sobering, she hugged the two friends and said, “I won’t make that mistake again.”

“Do the police have any idea who it was or what they were doing in the alley?”

“I don’t know. At least not that they’ve told me. I gave them a good description though. Although how, I don’t know! My knees were shaking so bad that I’m surprised I remembered anything.”

Giving the two a hug goodbye, she headed out to catch the bus to work. Gabe had wanted to make sure someone was giving her a ride, but she refused. She’d told him that her job had her running all over the place—hardly conducive for a driver. Then he suggested that he buy her a car. That resulted in an argument that was only resolved when he kissed her senseless and she agreed to only use the city transportation in the daylight. Since the days were getting longer, she figured that could be a promise she could keep.

Arriving at DSS, she had just set her purse down when Roy ran over. “I’ve been trying to call your cell. Chip told us that the budget hearing for grant continuations are getting ready to happen this morning.”

She whirled around grabbing her phone and did not see any missed calls. “Do you have the right number? I’ve got nothing missed here.”

Holding up his phone, he said, “I put in the number that Sybil gave me.”

“Oh, I don’t have time to figure it out now. I’ve got to get to The State Capitol.”

As she pulled her coat back on, Chip came walking around the corner. “You’re missing the chance to fight one last time for your program.”

Glaring at him, she retorted, “Well, maybe if you’d let me know this was happening this morning I could have been there.”

He stood his ground saying, “You’ve had quite a few days off in the last two weeks. Perhaps that is why you are behind.”

“Days off? Jesus, I was mugged. Hardly a vacation!”

“Stop it,” Sybil jumped in, thrusting some files in Jennifer’s hand. “Here’s your data. Go.”

Running out the building, she decided to splurge on a taxi and made it to her destination in record time. Heading into the building, she saw Monty down the hall as she was getting off the elevator.
Oh, damn!
Just then, Sherrie walked around the corner near Monty but saw Jennifer down the hall. The two women made eye contact and Sherrie gave her a nod.

“Monty,” Sherrie called out. “How nice to see you.” As she moved to shake his hand, she dropped an armful of files, spilling the contents over the floor. “Oh, no,” she exclaimed as she dropped to the floor, beginning to gather them.

Monty dutifully squatted on the floor to assist her. Jennifer joined in a group of people walking down the hall and managed to move past the couple on the floor without Monty looking up. Grinning at the first stroke of luck in the day, she moved toward the conference rooms hoping to catch Senator Reno before he entered.

He saw her first and smiled as he walked over. “Ms. Lambert, how good to see you again. Here to check on your project?”

“Yes and thank you so much for giving me one last time to say how much the elder care projects in the city need the funding.”

Holding her hand and pulling her in for a chaste hug, he said, “I’ll fight for you, my dear.”

Smiling up at his face, she said, “Thank you so much.”

A reporter came over to her and asked, “What special interest group are you lobbying for?”

Excited to have some press, she told him and said that she would love to provide him with some information about the data she had been collecting on the effects of her projects. The reporter agreed since the Senators had retired to the conference room. As Jennifer pulled out her files she began to flip through them, but none of her data was included. It was as though Sybil had given her a file of random papers.

Looking at the reporter apologetically, she tried to set up another appointment but the reporter’s attention had already diverted to someone else.

“Not having any luck today?” came a voice from behind.

Whirling around, she came face to face with Monty. And he did not look happy.

“I see you managed to interrupt Senator Reno when he was trying to meet with the press,” he accused.

“I was trying to do what anyone else around here is doing—trying to fight for my program to not be cut from the budget.”

“You don’t really fall into the same category as the others do you?” came the cruel remark.

She could not help but look around. The hall was filled with men in expensive suits and women in their power clothes. Leather briefcases. Looking like the money their companies and special interests groups represented. Sucking in her lips, she turned her eyes back to him.

“You’re right. I don’t look the part. I’m an educated woman that works for an overworked, unpaid department in the city. But let me tell you something,” she said, advancing on him and poking him in the chest with her finger. “I speak for those that no one wants to remember anymore. So take your snooty attitude and shove it.”

He glanced down at the petite woman with her finger hitting his chest and for a second admiration seemed to flash in his eyes, quickly replaced with irritation. “Remember, Ms. Lambert. Make your appointments through me.”

Quickly walking around him she hurried down the hall, blinking back tears.
Damn, I hate crying.
Turning the corner she saw Sherrie, who ran over.

“Did I help? Did it work?” Sherrie asked, a gleam in her eye.

Jennifer had to laugh in spite of her frustration. “Yes, it worked very well. I got to see the Senator before he went behind closed doors.”

Sherrie eyed her critically, then threw her arm around Jennifer’s shoulders. “Come on, sweetie. You look like you could use a cup of coffee.” Her eyes sparkled as she said, “I have just the place.”

A few minutes later, the two women were sitting in a booth at a little café drinking coffee laced with Baileys. Jennifer relaxed and confessed, “Oh my God. This is just what I needed.” Looking over Sherrie’s shoulder, she saw two men walking in the café and a smile lit her face.

Sherrie looked at her friend and laughed, saying, “There’s only one person I know who can bring that look to your face.” She turned and looked behind her, not surprised to see Gabe, but then saw Tony walking in with him.

Jennifer saw Sherrie’s eyes light up when she saw Tony and also noticed Tony’s gaze locked on Sherrie as well.
I wish I could get those two together
.
The way they look at each other, it wouldn’t take much.
Before she had time to ponder their situation, the men were upon them.

Gabe leaned down to kiss her, sliding into the chair next to hers leaving Tony to sit next to Sherrie. They greeted each other shyly before the waitress came to bring them menus.

“Sherrie brought me here for some fortified coffee after my latest run-in with Senator Reno’s assistant. I swear that man has it out for me.”

“You need me to take him out, babe?” Gabe joked.

“Yes, actually that would make me happy,” she replied. “But you’d have to take a back seat to Sherrie here. She jumped in with some subterfuge and occupied him while I made a sneak attack.”

Tony’s face jerked around to look at the stunning woman sitting next to him. “What did you do?”

“Nothing wrong, I assure you,” Sherrie answered sharply.

“Oh, it was fabulous,” Jennifer gushed. “He was in the hall and I couldn’t get by so Sherrie distracted him so that I could slip by.”

“So how did this distraction happen?” Tony asked.

“I did a strip-tease for him in the middle of the hall,” she quipped.

His eyes widened and then as though he could not hold it back, a chuckle slipped out. “I’ll bet that was a distraction.”

“Well, I was a waitress in a strip bar last year, so I just thought maybe you assumed I used the skills I saw on stage.”

Gabe and Jennifer watched the tableau in front of them play out, each with their own thoughts. Gabe knew that his boss and former commander had his demons, the same as the rest of them. And whether or not they wanted to admit it, those demons lived on. In their dreams. In their minds. In their hearts.
But if I can fall in love, then I’d give anything for Tony to find that too.

Jennifer just pondered the two sitting across from her with a small smile on her face.
Maybe, just maybe.

She went back to her office and found that Chip and Roy had gone for the day. Sybil was still there, sitting in her cubicle.

“Sybil, why did you hand me this file earlier?” she asked.

Sybil looked at the folder in her hand and said, “I thought you wanted to take your data to give to the Senator in case he needed some facts and figures to back up your program.”