Scandal Never Sleeps Read online

  taste. I want to kiss you so long and hard that you’ll forget you were ever kissed before.” He lifted his head up and dragged in a breath. “So what do you say? Will you have dinner with me?”

  She swallowed. His words made everything but her need fall away. “It’s not dinner I’m interested in anymore.”

  THREE

  That’s one suite for the night, Mr. Bond. Do you need any help with your luggage?” The woman behind the counter at The Plaza arched a brow as she glanced at Eve, who stood in a corner, staring up at the coffered ceilings and the huge chandeliers of the elegant, marbled lobby. In fact, since they’d arrived, she’d looked everywhere but at him. Doubt was creeping in. Her darting gaze and tense body language told him that. She didn’t do this kind of thing often, he’d bet. If he let her think for too long, he could lose her.

  Gabe tapped his fingers impatiently at the desk clerk as Eve adjusted her purse, her hands skimming along the strap with nervous energy. She definitely wasn’t cool and calm about the one-night stand she’d agreed to.

  A gentleman would put her in a cab and send her home, but he wasn’t a gentleman tonight. Maybe he never had been and old Ogilvie had been right. Yes, he knew it wasn’t fair to mask his grief with the lust he planned to slake on her. But he needed her too much now to play fair.

  “I don’t need help with luggage, but I do need something else.” He fished out a couple of hundreds. “Keep my stay here quiet. I don’t need reporters showing up.”

  “Sir, at The Plaza we believe in the strictest confidentiality,” she said, but she took the cash anyway.

  When he was done in a few hours, he would leave out the back entrance, or better yet have Roman pick him up so they could start prepping for this meeting on Monday with Mad’s lawyer. If there was a person on earth who knew how to avoid the press, it was the White House chief of staff.

  Gabe knew that a smart man would not spend this evening with Eve, but would go home and prepare all weekend for Monday’s legal skirmish. He intended to fight for his niece’s or nephew’s rightful inheritance. He didn’t care what the will said or what charity Mad had left his money and worldly goods to. The safety and security of his fortune belonged to Sara, damn it. But Gabe didn’t want to think about that now, not when he had a warm, intriguing redhead to help him temporarily forget.

  He stared at her. She made his blood pump, made him feel alive. No way he would let her off his hook tonight. He needed some of her softness, a few hours where he didn’t have to think about anything but pleasure. Monday would be soon enough to battle Mad’s final wishes and his own demons.

  After taking the keycard and shoving it in his pocket, he strode to Eve and slipped his hand in hers, tangling their fingers together. He didn’t usually engage in public displays of affection, but the skin-on-skin contact made him feel connected to her. Knowing what they’d do next gave him something to look forward to. Even better, the gesture seemed to reassure her. He needed that because they were about to be alone. Gabe planned to have her aroused and naked in the next five minutes.

  As they strolled to the bank of elevators, her heels clacked against the sleek floors. He was grateful as hell that most of the tourists seemed to be out for the night, likely heading to Midtown for a show.

  With a ding, one of the elevator doors opened to reveal a uniformed attendant. “What floor, sir?”

  The young man’s earnest question made Gabe grit his teeth. There was already too much space between him and Eve, too much time between now and the moment he sank deep inside her. He fished out another bill. “I’ll give you fifty if you sit this ride out.”

  The attendant was more than happy to comply.

  Once they were alone, he hit the button for the nineteenth floor. The doors closed.

  Eve sent him a puzzled stare. “Why did you—”

  Gabe didn’t let her finish the question, merely backed her against the wall and fastened his mouth over hers. Demonstrating his hunger was way better than explaining it.

  The second his body pressed flush against hers, his senses rioted. He noticed a million things about Eve at once. She smelled decidedly feminine. Her curves were lush. Even in heels, she was petite, barely reaching past his shoulder. She fit naturally in his arms. And damn, she radiated warmth like the sun after a bitter winter.

  Eve gasped slightly before she yielded to his lips, but she kissed with a passion that stemmed from her whole being. The woman ignited him.

  Since the first kiss had already addicted him, Gabe went in for another.

  As he molded his lips to hers again, he buried his hands in the silk of her hair and tugged with enough force to tilt her face and grant him easier access to her mouth. She responded perfectly, following his lead, answering with abandon. When he let his tongue run along her bottom lip, her mouth flowered open for him.

  Fuck, he wanted to eat her up.

  His heart pounded as Eve kissed him with artless enthusiasm and anchored her hands on his waist—as if she needed to steady herself while he devoured her mouth. Her fingers explored the muscles of his back, clutching him as if she’d never let go.

  As the elevator ascended to their floor, she slid her leg against his in blatant invitation. Gabe wasn’t about to refuse her. He took total possession of her mouth, plunging his tongue deep to stroke hers.

  Normally, he preferred to play the smooth lover. He usually dated women who wanted to prove they were as good in the bedroom as they were in the boardroom. Most of his lovers had been cool and practiced—and not one of them had made him as crazy as Eve.

  She hesitated at first, her tongue tentative. But he persisted until she met him with an endearing hesitance that rapidly turned bold, then demanding. Gabe gladly accepted the challenge.

  He glided a hand down to cup one cheek of her incredible ass. The flesh in his grip was round and juicy, and he was sure she probably bemoaned her curves but they were perfect. His free hand joined his other, and he filled his palms with her lush derriere and used the leverage to drag her hard against his body, rubbing himself against her belly. She gasped.

  “Are you all right?”

  She blinked up at him, her eyes heavy with arousal. “Yes. I just . . . I don’t . . .”

  He shook his head. “No don’ts tonight. Tell me what you want. Tell me what you like.”

  Her lips curled up in the sexiest little grin. “I love it when you kiss me.”

  No problem. He was going to kiss her. Everywhere.

  The elevator stopped. The doors slid open. He felt like he was freaking sixteen again and he couldn’t wait. He needed her on a physical level and he wasn’t going to be satisfied with anything less than total possession.

  She headed out of the little car but walked too slow for him. Maybe she wasn’t comfortable in the heels she wore. Maybe her mind was hazy with arousal. Maybe she was rethinking everything. Gabe couldn’t allow that. Their suite was at the end of the hall, and he had to get her inside before she changed her mind.

  He bent and shoved an arm under her knees, his other around her back, and hauled her against his chest.

  “You picked me up.” She was very observant.

  “I’m a full-service lover,” he offered wryly as he strode down the elegant hallway, focused on getting inside that room and getting her naked.

  Her grin became a smile. “That’s good to know, Gabriel.”

  He liked how she said his name. Somehow she made it lyrical, as though she was savoring the syllables. She drew them out like his name was the most sensual word she’d ever spoken. He didn’t correct her. All of his friends called him Gabe, but he liked Gabriel with her. “You are incredibly beautiful. Did I mention that?”

  She wrapped her arm around his neck. “And you’re both gorgeous and strong. I don’t think a man has ever picked me up.”

  So strength was a turn-on for her? He could show her a thing or two because he definitely wanted to impress the lady.

  But mostly, he was desperate to get insid
e her. The need rode him hard.

  He had to set her down when he reached the suite and scrambled to find the key. He was never nervous and fumbling. Damn it, he was usually smooth, always in control. He blamed Mad. He blamed her.

  Gabe stopped caring whose fault it was the second he managed to slot the keycard in the lock and slide the door open. Finally, they would be alone.

  As he gestured her inside, Eve entered on shaky legs. He appreciated knowing he wasn’t the only one bowled over by the chemistry between them.

  He closed the door and scanned the room. The curtains gaped open, the lights from the street giving the room a glow that silhouetted her figure. He watched as she walked in, her hips moving in a sultry sway as she set her purse on the couch.

  “This is a really nice room,” she murmured.

  He didn’t give a shit about their surroundings. “I want to see you.”

  Even in the low light, he noticed her breath hitch. “You want me to turn on the lamp?”

  “That’s not what I meant.” He never took his burning gaze from her. “I want to see you naked. Take off your dress. Show me your breasts.”

  “I’ll close the curtains.” She started to turn to the windows.

  He caught her elbow, gently restraining her. “Don’t. We’re up high. No one can see in. Take off your dress. Let me see you in the moonlight.”

  Her gaze tangled with his, and he could see a hint of her trepidation. A gentleman might have backed down. But he knew what he wanted. She must want him, too, or she wouldn’t have agreed to spend the night with him. He wasn’t giving Eve the easy way out.

  Finally, she turned her back to him and lifted her arms, struggling to reach the metal tab. “There’s a zipper down the back.”

  He moved closer. “Let me.”

  Gabe ran his hands up her spine before finding the zipper. She lifted her curls out of his way, exposing the graceful column of her neck. Her skin looked pale, almost incandescent in the low light. He couldn’t help himself. He leaned over and kissed her nape, feeling her shiver under his touch.

  Slowly, he eased the zipper down, his fingertips brushing her spine. Once he passed her neck, she let her hair fall free, the strawberry-blond mass tumbling well past her shoulders, gliding over her fair skin. Her tresses were soft, too. Not severely flat-ironed. Different, like the woman herself. Fuck, he could lose himself in Eve.

  She shrugged, allowing the straps of her dress to fall past her shoulders and drop to her waist.

  Her bra looked plain and white. He was used to lacy garments meant to entice a man, so he had no idea why the sight of her utilitarian bra made his cock jerk. She hadn’t been seeking a man this evening, much less intending to seduce a lover. When she’d dressed, it had been for comfort. But now, she was here with him, slowly peeling away her clothes.

  With practiced ease, he unhooked her bra with a twist of his hand and slid his fingers under the straps to strip them off. He closed his eyes and allowed his hands to roam across the wealth of smooth skin he’d exposed. He drew her back against his chest and grazed his way up her abdomen until he found her breasts. Full and real, he loved the weight of them in his palms. He drew his thumbs over the nubs of her nipples and Eve rewarded him with a long intake of breath.

  “That feels so good.” As she leaned back against him for support, she shuddered and thrust her breasts up like twin offerings.

  He would absolutely take everything she had to give.

  Gabe filled his hands with her flesh, cupping and rubbing and discovering every inch of her breasts before he grew impatient to have her totally bare and pushed the dress over the curve of her hips. It pooled on the floor at her feet.

  Her underwear matched her bra. If she were his, he would buy her La Perla. He would dress her like a goddess in silk and lace and know that she wore the most come-hither lingerie for his eyes only. She could wear her ladylike dresses and cover herself with all appropriate modesty if she wanted—but only until they were alone.

  As he stripped off her panties, a wild possessiveness blazed through his system. Gabe turned her to face him, well aware that he needed to slow down but utterly incapable of doing so. He took in the sight of her breasts. They looked every bit as perfect as they’d felt.

  “You’re beautiful.”

  “I don’t feel that way.” She tilted her face up to his, drinking him in with her stare. There was nothing coy about her expression. She looked at him with naked yearning. “Not most of the time. But you make me feel sexy.”

  “You are. I want to be very clear about how beautiful I think you are.” He kissed her again, lifting her up and out of her dress, heading back to the bedroom while his mouth ate hungrily at hers.

  She didn’t fight him, didn’t fidget to make him set her back on the ground. She simply wrapped her arms around his neck and let him carry her. Her fingers sank into his hair and she held tight while her tongue danced against his.

  Luckily, he knew Plaza suites like the back of his hand. He maneuvered her toward the bed, his cock throbbing insistently.

  He wouldn’t last long. God, he couldn’t believe he was even thinking that. Usually, he could go for hours, but Gabe knew the minute he got inside Eve, he was going to lose control. He needed to make it good for her now because he’d barely touched her and already he wanted to throw her against the wall and shove his way inside her.

  As he approached the mattress, he stopped and eased her onto the luxurious bedding. She lay back on the elegant duvet, her hair fanned out and her legs spread. Wanton and yet so innocent. He pulled at his shirt, hearing a button or two pop off, but at the moment he didn’t give a shit. The need to be skin to skin with her drove him to haste. He unbuckled his belt and shoved his pants down.

  “Foreplay.” Freaking hell. He was so ready to go, he’d forgotten about that. Women liked foreplay. It tended to be necessary for them.

  She shook her head. “The kissing was foreplay. We’re totally good.”

  I wish. He had to slow down. He wasn’t exactly a small guy. She needed to be ready to take all of him.

  Gabe drew in a deep breath. “Need you aroused. It’s okay. Give me a minute.”

  “Gabriel, I am more aroused than I have ever been in my life. I’m a little worried about what kind of stain I’m going to leave for the staff on their pretty white linens. So really, can we get this train moving?”

  He gripped her ankles and slid her down the bed, spreading her legs wider in the process. His cock twitched when he saw that she was right. Her pussy was wet. Juicy. He could see its slick gloss from above, even in the shadows. A little kissing, some groping, and she was ready to go. He’d never had a woman respond to him so readily. “Tell me again.”

  “I’m ready,” she vowed. “I am really ready.”

  “No, tell me this isn’t normal for you,” he corrected. It was stupid. She was right there, able and willing to give him the pleasure he sought—but he craved more. He needed to know that tonight was special for her. “Tell me you want me and not just sex.”

  She gave him a sheepish smile. “This isn’t at all normal. I guess I’ve gone a little crazy tonight, but I don’t do one-night stands. I can count the men I’ve had sex with on one hand and I wouldn’t need all my fingers. And I’ve never, never wanted anyone as much as I want you right now. Gabriel, I don’t need foreplay, just you.”

  Hallelujah. He needed her, too.

  Gabe fumbled for his wallet, looking for the one condom he kept in case of emergency sex. He hadn’t needed it lately. The sucker had sat there for months while he dealt with everything that had gone wrong in his world. Now something was finally going right.

  He tore the little foil wrapper open and managed to roll it over his dick with shaking hands. He didn’t need to stroke himself to get hard. He was a fucking rock, as though every available ounce of blood in his body had rushed south and stayed.

  Once the condom was secure, Gabe was all over her. He gave Eve his weight, climbing on top of her
while parting her legs wider. He pinned her wrists above her head, leaving her open and vulnerable, spread beneath him, a feast for his every sense.

  As he buried his face in her neck and inhaled her scent, he crushed her breasts against his chest. “Wrap your legs around me.”

  His command sounded gruff and thick, but Eve complied, her legs winding around his waist, opening herself fully to him. Gabe groaned. Hell, yes. He didn’t need to work to align their bodies. He rubbed his cock against her soft opening. It knew right where