Gabriel Fallen (Empire Nightclub, #2)

by Nina West

Gabriel is my father’s only hope. This is my first thought as I crack my eyes at 5:55 a.m. It’s the second day in a row that I’ve woken before my alarm. And the third night that I’ve shared a bed with Gabriel Easton, son to the infamous Phoenix crime boss, Vlad Easton, a reality that still hasn’t quite sunk in.

The sheet does nothing to hide the impressive ridge between his legs where his morning erection awaits attention. Heat pools in my core as I imagine slipping my hand beneath the soft, white cotton to feel the velvety smooth skin against my palm, to wrap my fist around that firm, hot length and begin stroking. He’d surely wake up then.

Rage and hurt flare inside me. Caleb’s eyes narrow as he studies me closely. “Nah, I’m only kidding.” I match his gaze and try to decipher if he’s lying now or if he was lying before. He nods, as if deciding something. “Yeah … I thought so.” “You thought so, what?”

Glass emptied, he sets it down on the quartz countertop with a clank. “You’re as into my idiot brother as he is into you.”

“Do me a favor and don’t dick my brother around.” I can’t help it, I snort. “I think Gabriel is the one doing the dicking, and he’s quite happy about it.”

“What does that mean?” “Exactly what it sounds like.”

“I don’t think my little brother appreciates how dangerous the shitstorm he’s about to pull us into is.” “A shitstorm for what? Hiring a lawyer for my father?”

“Won’t start?” he asks in a raspy morning voice, reaching up to hook his hands on the underside of the garage door, stretching his body, making his pants sink lower.

Backing up toward the SUV, Gabriel fishes out a set of keys from his pocket. “Take the Lincoln. I was going to tell you to take it this morning anyway, if you hadn’t snuck out of bed.” His tone is accusatory. I eye the luxury vehicle. “I can’t,”

I saunter toward him, his dark gaze drifting over my emerald green sundress down to my bare legs, a hungry gleam in them. Much like the one he had last night from the moment he came around that corner in swim shorts to the moment he left the shower. The way he always seems to be looking at me.

“Were you with your brother and his friends last night?” I blurt out. Gabriel blinks, then frowns, seemingly caught off guard. “What do you mean by ‘with’?” “Did you fuck another woman last night?”

Our relationship—or whatever I should call it—changed yesterday. Somewhere between the soft kisses and the gentle strokes and the unguarded words, something between us changed.

Girl is folding

“Is something the matter?” he asks lightly, like he knows why I’m so distracted. He’s so damn erotic looking right now, with his messy bedhead and his sleepy eyes.

“I wasn’t with another woman last night, Mercy,” he says suddenly, in a more conciliatory tone, his steady gaze on mine, weighing me down. “I have no interest in touching anyone but you.”

“I’m not going to force you to do anything you don’t want to do.”

Whatever inclination I had to tell Gabriel to stop has faded from existence as I watch him drop to his knees on the hard concrete, his face at the perfect level. “You’re beautiful. Did you know that?” His fingertips prod, exposing everything that’s private and hidden. “So tight, so pink, so …” His mouth closes over me.

He smiles, pulling back just enough to let me watch the tip of his tongue slide through me. “You like my mouth on you, don’t you?” I hum my agreement.

“Someone’s prepared,” I mutter, though there’s no animosity in my tone. “Put it there yesterday, just for you.” His eyes twinkle as he catches the edge of the foil wrapper between his teeth and tears it open. “Right.”

“I like this color on you.” He reaches for the straps of the emerald green dress I chose for work and pushes them off my shoulders, allowing enough give to work the front down over my strapless bra. “Take it off. I want to see your tits move when I fuck you.”

“Jesus, I can’t last with you.” He smooths his palms up and down over my thighs as if to soothe where he gripped them so tightly. “I’m sorry if I was a bit rough. I got carried away.”

“How long was he watching for?” I dare ask, dreading the answer. “I don’t know, but don’t worry. He wouldn’t have seen much from there,”

“You good?” he asks, leaning in to lay teasing kisses against my jaw, his stubble scratching against my skin. I shiver. “I’m fine.” In truth, my brain is a little foggy. That he’s being so sweet and caring doesn’t help. That he’s still standing naked beside me definitely doesn’t help.

“Terms …” His fingertip settles on my chin, steering my face to his. Amusement flickers in his eyes. “What terms?” “I’ll let you know when I decide on them.” I hate that I sound breathless. “Hmm.”

“Maybe I should come up with a few of my own then.” “Go ahead. We can negotiate.”

“Though something tells me you won’t last too long.” His answering chuckle vibrates down to my core.

A glance in my rearview mirror finds Gabriel standing in the center of the now empty space, looking delectable as he watches me leave, unashamed of his nakedness. A deep ache stirs between my thighs. “I am so fucked,” I mutter, shaking my head.

“So, did she manage to screw the insanity out of you?” I smirk. “On the contrary, I think she just made me more insane.”

Does she have any idea what she does to me? Here she is, coming up with her “terms.” Little does she know, she could demand I wear a goddamn ball gag every day of the week and I might agree, as long as I’m doing it while my dick is buried inside her.

And the sooner Mercy sees that I’m not playing around here, the sooner she’ll stop pretending she doesn’t want a repeat of this morning … every day. That woman wants me as much as I want her, whether she’ll admit it or not. But I want her to fucking admit it. Hell, I need her to admit it.

“Do you normally represent Gabriel’s affairs?” “My firm is retained by the Easton family for their legal needs,”

Gabriel: The cute blond from Empire? Mercy: Yes. Gabriel: You should invite her over. I’m sure Caleb would love to meet her. Mercy: Why would I do that to my best friend?

I glance around to make sure no one’s watching, and then shift in my seat and slide the bottom of my dress up to show her the small, dark bruises on my thighs. I noticed them while using the restroom earlier. “From his fingers, this morning.”

Hey God, when is it my turn?

“He treats me well.” Better than well. He treats me like something to be cherished and protected.

I keep my stride in the pool, doing my daily laps, pretending my heart isn’t pumping that much harder and that it has nothing to do with the physical exertion. It’s a done deal. She’s mine.

“How long will this thing between us last?” “Until I decide it’s over.”

“So what happens when you decide you’re bored of me after a month? You’re going to keep paying for my dad’s legal fees for years after? You expect me to believe that?” “Yes.”

“I told you, my word is my bond.”

“Besides, don’t be so quick to dismiss how attrac...

“You’re really stuck on this deadline?” Her jaw tenses. “I need an end date.” I twist my lips, pretending to mull it over. “Fine. One month. And then we renegotiate.”

Studying me as if I’m a puzzle she can’t piece together. “You could have anyone you want. Why are you going through all this trouble for me?” There’s a hint of vulnerability in her voice now.

“How could I not?” It’s the truth. I’ve been inside her three times, and I’m aching with the need to feel the inside of her again. I need to hear her vulnerable cries and feel her inner muscles clamp down around my cock, to see her fall apart despite her determination to not want me. How could any man who’s had this woman ever move on? I can see why that lunatic was obsessed with her. He’s lucky her dad killed him. If not, I would have. But, I’m not sure anymore that it’s just my physical addiction to her that has me jumping through hoops like a show poodle.

“No other women.” I expected this one. “For me or you?” “For either of us. But definitely for you.” “But what if I’m in need and you’re not around?”

“I can’t be with you if I think you’re also with other women. Not if you care whether I enjoy myself. I’m not one of these dick-swappers you like to surround yourself with.”

“Well, like you said, I’ve already fucked half of Phoenix’s female population. Clearly I haven’t found what I want with promiscuity, so maybe monogamy is the way to go.”

“No other women.” “Not even rubbing sunscreen on naked bartenders on Sunday afternoons.” “She had bottoms on,”

“Would you like me putting sunscreen on Caleb ...

“No touching women for any reason.” She studies me another long moment as if assessing the truth in my words and then, seemingly satisfied, says, “Okay.” “But no men, either.” Her perfect eyebrow arches. “For you or me?” I laugh. “I don’t swing that way, baby. But I’ve seen the way you look at my brother.” “As if I’d …”

“And no shows for him or anyone else.” “What about for me?” I stroke myself from root to tip once, relishing in the way her eyes follow the move. “What if I ask you to put on a show for me? You’re not going to be shy, are you?”

“You didn’t think you were in the mood this morning in my garage, did you? And then I put you on your back and had you crying my name in about a minute.”

“It was early. You caught me off guard.” “And I’ll bet if I slipped my hand between your thighs right now, you’d be soaking wet for me.”