"You're welcome. You know what else I like?"
"What?"
"When you told your brother I was special."
Gabe bent over to kiss my forehead. "I meant it."
Gazing around the empty recording booth, I said, "Now that you're finished here, I guess we have the rest of the day to ourselves."
"Is there somewhere you'd like to go?" When I slowly nodded my head, he asked, "Where?"
"Your apartment."
A sexy smirk curved Gabe's lips. "I was hoping you would say that."
"Is it far from here?"
"Ten minutes across town, depending on traffic. Why?"
"Because I don't want to wait to be alone with you."
"Then let's get the hell out of here." He took my hand in his before gently tugging me forward, and I fell in step beside him as we made our way down the hallway of the studio.
Stopping in front of one of the dark and empty voiceover booths, Gabe turned to me with a lascivious leer. "We could slip inside and not have to wait."
I shot him a disgusted look. "You want our first time together to be some sleazy hookup in a voiceover booth?"
"Public sex is hot," he countered.
"That's true, but while I might sound like some doe-eyed virgin romanticizing the act, I want our first time to be special. Don't you?"
"I do, but my dick doesn't."
I laughed. "For once, think with the head above your shoulders, not the one below your waist."
Gabe exhaled a ragged sigh. "Got it." He then pulled me on down the hallway toward the elevators at a frantic pace.
"Would you slow down?" I called.
"I'm just trying to get you back to my place."
"Well, I'd like to get there with my arm still in my socket, and at the rate you're pulling on me, it's questionable whether it's going to stay in."
Gabe laughed. "Okay, okay. I'll take it easy."
"Thank you."
True to his word, Gabe managed a leisurely pace to the car. After he started the car, he even said, "If you're hungry, we can grab something to eat."
While my stomach did feel a little empty, I didn't think my nerves would allow me to eat anything. Normally, I didn't get too anxious when it came to having sex. Sure, there was a little apprehension the first time with someone, but I'd never quite experienced what I was feeling at the moment. "I'm good."
"Are you sure?"
"I am."
Gabe grinned. "I was so hoping you'd say that."
I laughed. "And I'm so not surprised that you were."
As we drove across town from the recording studio, Gabe and I rehashed everything that had happened in the studio. After thankfully not getting into much traffic, we also made a quick stop at a sandwich place, despite having said we would skip lunch. Since neither one of us had eaten breakfast, we were starving. After eating outside at one of the umbrella tables, we then made our way back to the car, and it was only a few more minutes before Gabe pulled into a gated high-rise building. He punched in his code on the keypad, drove through the gate, and then pulled into a numbered parking space not too far from the building's entrance.
"I see you're a VIP even in the parking lot," I mused.
Gabe laughed. "As much as I pay for that penthouse, I deserve some VIP status."
I widened my eyes at him. "Penthouse?"
He nodded. "I bought it off the drummer of Runaway Train. After he got married and had a family, he needed more space."
Sucking in a breath, I asked, "AJ Resendiz?"
"You know AJ?"
"Well, I don't know him, know him, but I do listen to Runaway Train."
"Just not my band."
"You're country, remember? Not my favorite."
"Yeah, yeah. I get it. You hate country music and have a lady boner for AJ."
With a laugh, I replied, "I do not have a lady boner for AJ. Do I find him good-looking? Yes, I do. There's just something about the whole Latin lover thing."
"The dude's married with two daughters."
I shrugged. "Just because I can't touch doesn't mean I can't look."
Gabe grunted as he shook his head. "If AJ finds out you think he's hot, he'll never let me hear the end of it."
"Thought," I corrected.
"Huh?" Gabe questioned.
"I thought he was hot, not think he is hot. I only have eyes for you now."
"You better."
I smiled at him. "I promise."
"Come on. Let's go."
After Gabe grabbed my bag out of the back of the car, we headed inside. When we stepped onto the marble-tiled foyer, I couldn't help craning my neck to take in all the opulence. "Wow. This is … wow," I murmured. Not my most eloquent moment.
"Does that mean you like it?" Gabe asked with a smile.
"How could I not?"
"Sometimes I think it's a little over the top. I think I'd like something a lot simpler." He dug his wallet out of his pocket then pulled out a keycard. "I mean, this whole process is a little excessive."
"True, but it's also probably a necessary evil for someone like you. It helps to ensure your security."
"I seriously doubt there's anyone out there obsessing over me."
After he swiped the card, we stepped into the elevator. To make it to the penthouse, he had to insert the keycard into a slot above the buttons. "Oh, I'm sure there's a horde of women out there obsessing about you, dreaming about the day they can get their hands on you."
Scratching his chin thoughtfully, Gabe replied, "I do have quite a lot of female admirers."
I cocked my brows at him. "How about focusing on the one female admirer in front of you?"
Gabe grinned. "It would be my pleasure. In fact, I plan to focus on every aspect of the sexy-as-hell female in front of me."
"Which aspect do you plan to focus on first?"
After closing me into the corner of the elevator, Gabe loomed over me. His nearness coupled with the lust glittering in his blue eyes made me shudder. "Your lips."
"Interesting choice. I imagined you starting farther south."
He slowly shook his head back and forth. "Ah, but any good lover knows you need to capture the north before you divide and conquer the south."
I laughed. "Is that right, General Renard?"
"Yes, it is."
The elevator dinged, and the doors opened to reveal Gabe's penthouse. Neither one of us moved.
Reaching out, I ran my thumb over his bottom lip. "So I should start here"-with my other hand, I reached out to cup his jean-clad cock-"instead of here?"
As I rubbed his growing erection, Gabe threw his head back and groaned. "Screw it. What do I know about military tactics? Just keeping touching my dick." When I pulled my hand away, he hissed.
"But I want your mouth on mine," I said quietly.
"And I want your mouth on my cock," Gabe growled.
Tsking at him, I replied, "Patience."
"Fuck that!" he exclaimed before pouncing on me. The next thing I knew my feet were flying off the floor as Gabe drew me up into his arms to carry me into the penthouse.
"I'm very capable of walking you know," I protested.
"It would take too much time," he replied as he power-walked me through the foyer.
Tilting my head, I gazed up at the glittering chandelier. "That's so beautiful."
Gabe's response to my compliment was to sprint through the living and burst into the bedroom.
"You know, you're acting like a released convict desperate for sex. Did you even stop to think I might have enjoyed a tour of your place?"
"I'll give you a tour after we have sex." After easing me back onto my feet, Gabe grinned down at me. "And as for the convict part, I can promise I'll last longer than a released convict."
"I certainly hope so."
"Trust me, Rae. You never have to doubt my stamina, especially not where you're concerned."
"Hmm, I think I'm going to need you to prove that to me before I can believe it."
"My pleasure." Once again, Gabe leapt at me like a wolf with its prey. We became a tangle of arms as our tongues battled each other, and there was a frantic desperation in Gabe's kisses. While wetness pooled in my underwear from the excitement of his need, I didn't want it to be so fast. I wanted to savor the feel of his hands on me. I wanted a small ember to grow into a crackling flame.
As Gabe's hands fumbled with the button on my jeans, I tore my lips away from his. "Slow down," I panted.
He gazed at me, eyes hooded with desire. "But I just want to be inside you. After having my fingers and tongue in you, I've been fantasizing for days about what your tight walls will feel like around my dick."
I shoved Gabe away. "No," I said firmly.
His hazy eyes stared questioningly at me. "No?"
"Sit." I then pointed to his bed across from us.
Gabe's brows shot up at my command. Instead of arguing with me, he obediently began backing away. I followed close behind him, keeping my eyes on his. When the backs of his knees hit the edge of the mattress, he flopped down on the bed.