A Vow of Seduction Read online

  She shook her head. “I have not had enough alcohol for that. How did you know this was here, anyway?”

  “I have friends.” He laughed.

  “I guess you do. Okay, then. Since you’re so eager for the mic to get some use, how about you sing me something”

  He wasn’t sure why he flushed. He was so damn aware of her in the confined space. “Okay, I can sing you a song, but you have to take a seat and be a good audience. Tips are always accepted, in some cases exuberant applause will do just fine, but I prefer panties.”

  She folded her arms. “You’ll have to work harder for my panties. Go on. Get on with it. Let’s see these skills of yours.”

  He booted up the laptop, then pulled up the right track. “Okay, okay. Try not to be a groupie now.”

  Elina rolled her eyes. “Just sing for your supper, will you?”

  “Fine.” Then the music started and he closed his eyes. He’d always loved this song. He sang the first line of the song, giving it his all.

  Elina squealed with laughter and clapped excitedly. “Oh damn, you’re taking on Shai?”

  “Would you let a man finish a song?” He continued, dropping the last note to another octave.

  Elina rose from her seat laughing and walked toward him. He finished the song and before he knew it, she was up there with him singing. He lost track of how long they sang duets and giant hits from popular bands. Apparently, she was a Journey fan.

  Without thinking, he brushed a strand of hair off her face and tucked it behind her ear. He told himself he didn’t plan it this way. But it didn’t matter if he’d planned it or not. The moment she parted her lips, he knew he was a goner.

  Chapter 4

  Gabe brushed his lips over hers lightly, testing the waters. Elina sighed into his embrace, and he moaned. His nerve endings were going sizzle and pop. Sliding his fingers into her soft curls, he deepened the kiss. She tasted so sweet. Her lip gloss maybe? Fruity and light. Whatever it was, he liked it.

  Gabe slid his tongue between her sinfully soft lips, and she met it with hers. One hand smoothing over her waist, he deepened their kiss. Taking long drugging pulls at her lips and eliciting a moan out of her.

  So damn perfect. He felt like someone had hooked his body up to a defibrillator, the kiss was so charged. Their only points of contact were her hands on his waist, his hand in her hair and on her hip, and their lips. But it was enough to send his heart into a gallop and for the blood to rush in his ears.

  The kiss shook him. He’d kissed a lot of women. Certainly more than his fair share. But with Elina, his body hummed and his synapses shorted. Tugging her closer, he licked into her mouth. Elina moaned and slid her arms up to wind around his neck.

  This was more than want. This was more than lust. With one kiss, he knew he wanted her as his. How was she doing this to him? Her hands slipped into his hair and gave an impatient tug. She might not be in a guy phase right now, but maybe he could change her mind. Because right now, Elina Sinclair was rocking his soul.

  Gabe glided his fingers over the small of her back in the barest hint of a caress and he was shaking. Damn it. He pulled back and met her dark gaze. “What are you doing to me, Elina?”

  In her eyes he saw desire, uncertainty, trepidation. But he also saw her decision clearly when her beautiful smile spread over her lips. “Are you going to help me with this dress? I had a hell of a time getting the zipper up earlier.”

  He blinked. What had she said? He was having a hard time concentrating on anything other than how she tasted and how he wanted more. Somehow he could think more clearly when he was kissing her, or maybe that was instinct. She’d said something about her zipper. Right. He could do that.

  She pressed her body into his as he tugged the zip down. In the silence of the party room, the zik, zik, zik sound echoed off the walls with her groans. The dress fell away and over her hips, the fabric fluttering to the ground. Gabe released her and stepped back, and his breath caught. She wore a demi-cup bra and thong in red lace that matched the color of the dress. The material barely covered her nipples, but it did a stand-up job at trying.

  He muttered a low curse and tried to swallow around the sawdust in his mouth. “You’re so beautiful.”

  He watched in delight as the pink flush crept up under that pretty caramel skin. Her gaze never wavered from his. She might have been a little shy, but she was confident enough to know what she wanted. She reached back behind her and unclasped her bra, tugging the useless scraps from her breasts and her arms. “See something you want?”

  “Hell yes.” He nodded, then grunted, as he pulled her close to his chest. He kissed her again, this time taking the kiss even deeper, licking into her mouth, dragging a response from her. All the while he could feel the stiff peaks of her nipples against his chest.

  The low moan that came from her throat sounded like a purr, rolling over him like a caress. Gabe picked her up easily and snatched her dress off the floor before carrying her out of the room and down the hall to the bedroom.

  When he deposited her on the large bed, he stripped himself of his tux clumsily, letting the pieces fall where they may. Before he kicked out of the tuxedo pants, he grabbed a condom from his wallet and tucked it in the back of his boxer briefs. “You know, there’s one thing I’ve been wondering all night,” he whispered against her skin as he crawled up her body.

  She smiled at him and arched her back. “What’s that?”

  Gabe nuzzled her neck with his nose. “How you taste right here.” He nipped at the spot behind her ear, but then soothed the injury with a lap of his tongue. “Mmm. Just what I thought. Sweet and spicy.”

  Elina hooked one of her legs around his back and rocked her hips. Her hot, slick center slid over the cotton-clad length of him and his eyes crossed. Damn. He fought for control, fought to stay steady. He didn’t want to go too fast. To ruin this.

  “Gabe,” she moaned. Her breathing harsh and labored and her back bowed beneath him. He ran his nose along her skin to the hollow of her throat.

  “I’ve been dying to kiss you here, too.” He blew a breath over her heated flesh down to one raised breast. Sliding his hands up her torso, he took his time, running his fingers over her ribs and her soft skin. When he palmed her, she moaned, arching into the caress.

  Her hips lifted again and again, starting them on a rhythm that wouldn’t stop. Placing kisses all along her chest and down her sternum, Gabe teased her nipple with his thumb, tested the weight of her breast, making the both of them crazy. Every time his mouth went near the peaked tip, she writhed beneath him.

  He teased the mocha-colored tip with his breath, deliberately making the both of them crazy. He ached to take her into his mouth, to taste her. And by the way she arched her body, she wanted him to. Every time he veered his kiss to the underside of her breast, or down toward a rib, she growled in frustration.

  When he finally took the stiff peak in his mouth, she drew in a shuddering breath, and he growled his satisfaction as his hand busied himself with her other breast. Sucking, licking and teasing with his tongue and his teeth he took her to the edge and back again.

  Finally, she dug her hands into his hair and held him steady at her breast while she rocked her hips into him. As he sucked, he slid his other hand down, over her taut flat belly, under the flimsy elastic of her thong. Elina’s hands clutched at the pillows and her hips bucked into his questing finger.

  Oh so gently, Gabe grazed her nipple with his teeth as his finger found her wet and inviting. Slowly, he dipped inside her sex, testing her, seeing how ready she was—how much she wanted him. He was in no hurry and could do this all night.

  This girl was different. This girl was magic. All he wanted to do was see her come alive under his hands.

  He released her breast and she whimpered, trying to bring him back. But instead,
he kissed his way back up her body. Taking her lips again, he timed his finger with the deep strokes of his tongue.

  Against his thigh, his erection throbbed and begged for relief, but this was about her—about seeing her fly. He could wait. Gritting his teeth against the need, he dragged his lips from hers, trailing them along her jawline to her neck, and she shivered.

  Her hands traced up his back, her nails digging into his bunched and flexed muscles. “Gabe, please, hurry, I need—” Before she could finish, her slick, slippery flesh quivered around his fingers.

  He pulled back to watch her wide-eyed, blissed-out expression. Seeing her lashes flutter closed and her mouth parted on a silent scream of ecstasy, he demanded, “Look at me, Elina. I want you to look at me while you come.”

  She opened her eyes and met his gaze with a shocked expression as her body tightened around his exploring fingers again. His thumb ghosted over her pleasure button, and his name was a moan on her lips as she came again.

  Gabe gentled his strokes, but he didn’t stop. He wasn’t done with her yet. He wanted her boneless by the time they were done. Then he wanted to start all over again. With each gentle glide, he nuzzled at her neck, sipped at her lips, nipped at the flesh of her collarbone. “How are you feeling, beautiful?”

  She giggled and bit her bottom lip. “Warm, and sleepy, and for the first time in a long time, really, really relaxed.”

  He flicked his thumb over her clitoris again and Elina’s breath hitched. She swallowed her soft gasp as he added another finger. “You still feeling sleepy?” he whispered against her lips.

  She shivered and slid her hands in his hair again. “Not so much anymore. I wonder how that happened.”

  His lips quirked. “I have no idea.”

  “Gabe, please, I need you. I just—” Her legs clamped around his hips and she broke apart again in his arms.

  He grinned to himself as he gently pulled his fingers from her. “What was that you were saying, beautiful?” He rolled away, quickly shucked his boxers and made quick work of the condom he’d tucked away. When he crawled up over her bed, she reached for him.

  “Come here,” she whispered.

  “You don’t have to ask me twice.” He kissed her again. Pouring everything he had into it. Using his body to communicate the rush of emotion. When he drew back, her eyes were half lidded again and she stroked his hair back tenderly.

  “I need you, Gabe.”

  A shiver ran through him, and he bit his lip. When he lined his erection up with her sweet center and slid home, they both gasped, the breath rushing out of their lungs.

  God, she was tight. So tight. It didn’t take long before the need was tingling and spiraling along his spine. She stroked his back and met him thrust for thrust, holding eye contact as they made love. Gabe knew then he’d never been as connected to another human being in his life.

  When her legs locked around his hips again, he was lost. She pulsed around him, milking his erection, and he finally let the reins of control go. In one stroke, he followed her into blissful oblivion, knowing he would never be the same.

  Chapter 5

  Elina stretched languorously. That was the best night’s sleep she’d had in weeks. The last month or two she’d needed a light sleeping pill to help her get to bed. But last night... God, she needed more nights’ sleep like that. Wait, what time was it? She peeled open an eyelid trying to get a good look at her clock.

  It was only then that it hit her that she wasn’t at home in her own bed. She was in a foreign bed with soft white cotton sheets and a floppy duvet. The sun streamed in from the window, bringing diffused light. Behind her back was a furnace. A hard furnace. Then suddenly, that furnace wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close, kissing the nape of her neck.

  Then with sudden clarity, she knew where she was. She knew who she was with, and she knew what she had done. Holy hell. She’d slept with the best man. Damn Gabe and that crooked smile of his. What was a girl supposed to do?

  Jump him, clearly. Okay. Done that, but now what? She wasn’t normally so careless, but he’d been sweet, and fun, and there had been karaoke. It wasn’t her fault she’d given in. When in doubt, blame the karaoke. He sang Shai to her, for the love of God.

  And unlike the rest of Adam’s friends, he wasn’t just some bored rich kid spending his parents’ money. He had dreams, and he was trying to do something with his life. That doesn’t matter now. Right now, it was time to get out of Dodge.

  Elina slipped out from under his arm and froze when he rolled into her closer, as if in search of her heat. Would it really hurt to linger in bed for just another hour? Yes, yes it would. She had broken her own cardinal rule number one. No sleepovers. She hadn’t had a long-term boyfriend since college, and she wasn’t into sleeping around. But she knew what overnights generally meant. Attachment. And she wasn’t going to do that.

  When Gabe rolled over and snuggled her pillow, she stood up slowly and gathered her clothes off the floor. Holy walk of shame. Wait, not walk, swim. She was still on the damn boat.

  Elina dressed hurriedly and told herself she wasn’t going to look back at the sleeping Gabe. Don’t look back. Don’t look back. Do. Not. Look. Back. But of course, she turned and looked back. And unfortunately for her lady parts, he was just as good-looking asleep as he was when he was awake and flashing that grin of his.

  At this rate, she’d be just as bad as her mother. As she carried her stilettos up the stairs and out, she saw that they were docked in the marina.

  Oh God. Reece must be looking for her. She turned on her phone and sure enough, there were five messages from her friend.

  “Hey, Elina, where are you? We’re about to toss the bouquet and I want you here.”

  Next message.

  “Hey, babe, you’re not sick, are you? Are you holed up in the bathrooms puking your guts out? Call me. Find me. I’m worried.”

  Next message.

  “Hey, slacker, is it a coincidence that you and Gabe are missing together? Or did you really decide to swim to shore and ruin that perfectly good Cavalli dress?”

  Next message.

  “Okay, I’m worried. Even if you’re with Gabe, call me as soon as you get this.”

  She didn’t bother to listen to the last message. She knew how it would go. Instead, she called. Checking her watch, she breathed a sigh of relief. It was only seven thirty. Reece and Adam didn’t leave for their honeymoon until ten. She wouldn’t be interrupting anything...hopefully.

  Reece answered on the first ring, and she was not happy. “Where the hell have you been? I have been worried sick. If you hadn’t gone missing with Gabe I would’ve assumed you were man overboard.”

  Elina skipped down to the dock, or rather did a half run, half skip since the dress had zero give. “I’m so sorry. I swear to God I will make this up to you. I didn’t mean to abandon you at your reception.”

  “What? You think I’m upset because you abandoned me? Dude, you’ve done your duty. I was married. I was busy dancing my ass off, eating some cake, throwing a bouquet, which you missed incidentally. I was just really worried. It’s not like you to vanish.”

  She felt terrible. “I am so sorry. I don’t even know what happened. First we were dancing, and then there was karaoke and...” She let her voice trail off.

  “Honey, I’m just giving you a hard time. Now that I know you’re okay, can we talk about exactly where you were?”

  Elina laughed as she waved down a taxi. “No, we cannot talk about it. Matter of fact, I never want to talk about it. We’ll just pretend the whole thing never happened.”

  “You know you can’t get away with that, right? Gabe Alexander? You sly dog, you. I mean, the man is positively smoking, but I thought you weren’t in a guy phase?”

  “I know what I said about the guy phase thing. And
I wasn’t. I mean I’m not.” Nope, she was just in the Gabe Alexander phase. Hell. No, she was not. “It was a onetime thing. We got carried away and that’s that.”

  “Uh-huh? And just where is the yacht-owning lover boy right now?”

  Elina winced. “He owns the freaking yacht? That’s just fantastic. I may or may not have sneaked out on him.”

  Reece laughed out loud. That kind of full belly laugh that only her best friend was capable of. “You know what, I’m sure that this is some kind of karmic payback for something he’s done in the past. Don’t worry about it.”

  Elina leaned forward and gave the taxi driver the address for her hotel. “Yeah, but I do feel terrible.”

  Reece stopped laughing. “Oh my God, was he bad?”

  Bad? No. Hell no. The man was made for sex. But it had felt like more than just sex. They’d been so connected. And then she’d run out. Like a freaking coward. Elina scrubbed a hand over her face. “No, he is very well practiced.”

  “I knew it. He’s just one of those guys that looks like he moves well, you know?”

  Did she ever know. “Look, Reece, this goes into the vault and we don’t talk about it. With any luck I won’t see him again for a very long time and I can just forget the whole thing ever happened.”

  “Why do you want to forget if it was good? Especially if he wants to see you again?”

  “Reece, have you forgotten who you’re talking to?”

  Reece sighed. “You’re really going to let him slip out of your fingers?”

  “He’s not mine, Reece. And I’ve got a different focus now. Someone like him is just going to distract me.”

  “I know you. You wouldn’t have slept with him if you didn’t feel a genuine connection. Are you sure this is the best move?”

  No, she wasn’t sure. And right about now her body was certain it was the wrong plan. But her brain would eventually wake up and realize she’d done the right thing. She was not her mother. Good sex didn’t equal love.