Maisey Yates - Six Of The Best Of Desire 2016

Family. Gramps. Hurricanes. Jean-Pierre. Work and Reynaud business had swirled in his mind all day. The only thing he wanted to do this evening was see Erika. The thought of her, waiting at home for him, had kept him fighting all day. Besides, he had a gift for her and he couldn’t wait to present it to her.

Walking into her room, he felt better just seeing her. She was sitting on the chaise longue, staring blankly at her suitcase.

Her unzipped suitcase.

That fleeting moment of good feeling vanished. Was she leaving? If he had come home later, would she have already been gone, just like London?

Taking a deep breath, he set aside his gift for her and surveyed the room. The two arrangements of hydrangeas and magnolias were on her dresser alongside an edible bouquet of fruit. He’d had them sent to her today while he was at work. For her to think about their time in St. Louis together.

As he continued to look around the room, he didn’t see any clothes pulled out. So they were all either in the drawers or in her bag.

He hoped they were still in the drawers. Gervais didn’t want her to go. Instead, he wanted her to stay here. With him. Be part of his family.

Tapping the suitcase, he stared at Erika “That’s not full, is it?”

He tried to sound light. Casual. The opposite of his current mental state.

She looked up quickly, her eyes such a startling shade of blue. “No, of course not. Why would you think that?”

“You left once before without a word.” He wanted to take her in his arms and coax her into bed for the day, not think about her leaving.

“I promised you I would stay for two weeks and I meant it. After that, though, I have to make a decision.”

He tensed.

“Why? Why the push?”

“I need to move forward with my life at some point.” Chewing her lip, she gestured at the suitcase.

“I’ve asked you to marry me and move in with me, yet still you hold back. Let me help support you while you make a decision, with time if not money, wherever you are.” He would do that for her and more.

She looked at him with a steady, level gaze. “Seriously? Haven’t we had this discussion already? We have time to make these decisions.”

“The sooner we plan, the sooner we can put things into place.”

“Do not rush, damn it. That is not the way I am. My parents learned that when they tried to push me into their way of life, their plans for me.” Her gaze was level, icy.

“So you plan to leave, just not now?”

“I do not know what I am planning.” Her voice came out in a whisper, a slight crack, as well. “I am methodical. I need to think through all of the options and consequences.”

“Is that what you did the morning you left me? Stayed up and thought about why we needed to turn our backs on the best sex ever?” Dropping onto the edge of the bed across from her, he caught her gaze. Looked at the intensity of her blue eyes. She was damn sexy. Beautiful. And he wasn’t going to let her walk away as if this was nothing.

“Best sex ever? I like the sound of that.” She licked her lips seductively, leaned toward him, her breasts pressing against her glittery tank top.

So tempting. And definitely not the direction he needed to take with her.

He raised his brow at her. “You’re trying to distract me with your beautiful body.”

“And you are using flattery. We need more than that.” Crossing her arms, she scrutinized his face.

“I’ve made it clear I understand that. That’s what our time together has been about. But I am willing to use everything I have at my disposal. I am not giving up.”

“Everything?” She gestured to the flowers, the candy and a small jewelry box.

He’d forgotten about the gift he’d brought for her.

Pushing off the bed, he approached her, leaned on the arms of the chaise longue. He kissed her forehead, one arm around her, the other still cradling the box. “Flattery, which is easy because you are so very lovely. Charming words are tougher for me because I am a businessman, but for you, I will work so very hard with the words. And, yes, with gifts, too. Will you at least open it?”

She took the box from his hands, eyes fixed on his. Her fingers found the small bow. Gently, she slowly pulled the white bow off. The Tiffany box was bare, undressed now.

Erika lifted the lid, let out a small gasp. Two heart earrings encrusted in diamonds glinted back at her.

Gervais’s voice dropped half an octave. “It made me think of our children. Two beautiful hearts.”

He tucked a knuckle under her chin and raised it to see her face. Tears welled in her eyes.

Pulse pounding, he put his arms around her, held her tight to his chest. “I didn’t mean to make you cry.”

She shook her head, her silky blond hair tickling his nose. “It is sweet, truly. Thoughtful. A wonderful gift.”

Kneeling in front of her, he wiped the tears off her pale cheeks. He’d wanted to get her something meaningful. Drawing her hands in his, he kissed the back of each one, then the insides of her wrists in the way he knew sent her pulse leaping. He could feel it even now as he rubbed his thumbs against her silky skin. “I want this to work. Tell me what I can do to make that happen. It is yours.”

Her eyes flooded with conflicting feelings. It was as if he could see into her thought process where she worked so hard to weigh the pros and cons of a future. Somehow he knew she was at the precipice of the answer she’d been looking for. One he was scared as hell to receive.

And, cursing himself for his weakness, he couldn’t resist this one last chance to sway the outcome. To make her want to stay. So he kissed her deeply, ebbing away the pressure of speech to make room for the pleasure they both needed.

Eleven

Gervais had Erika in his arms and he wanted that to go on for... He couldn’t think of a time he wouldn’t want her. Every cell inside him ached to have her. So much so his senses homed in to her. Almost to the exclusion of all else. Almost to the point where he lost sight of the fact he’d left the door ajar.

And now someone was knocking lightly on that door.

With more than a little regret, he set her away from him and struggled to regulate his breathing before turning to the door to find...a security guard?

Hell. How could he have forgotten for even a second that his family’s wealth and power carried risk? They needed to stay on watch at all times.

Security guard James Smithson stood on the other side of the half-open door, his chiseled face grave.

Gervais had always liked James—a young guy, athletic and focused. James had almost made the cut for the team. The poor kid was in an interesting position; he’d declined a college football scholarship when his high school girlfriend became pregnant. James attended an online school while helping raise their son, but he’d shown up at a couple of Hurricanes training camps with impressive drive, even though his stats weren’t quite strong enough.

So before Dempsey could send him home, Gervais had taken him aside and found out he had skills off the field, too. He’d offered him help forming his own security company, making him a part of the Hurricanes family.

“Sorry to disturb you, sir, but we have some unexpected company.”

“I don’t accept unexpected guests. You know that.” Gervais stared at the guard. Who, to be fair, was doing a damn good job at not looking at Erika in her tight-fitting sparkly tank top that revealed her killer curves. Even so, he found himself wanting to wrap her up in a sheet. Just to be safe.

“I understand that, sir,” James assured him. “But...”

Erika looked back and forth between the guard and Gervais. “I’ll leave the two of you to talk.” She closed the jewelry box and clutched it to her chest. “If you’ll excuse me.”