Dare to Surrender

I glanced up at him. His eyes were dark, his jaw tight. “You need to relax,” I said, gliding my hand up and down his long, thick length, trying not to be too overwhelmed by the size.

Lance, thank God, hadn’t liked o**l s*x—in either direction—and to be honest, neither had I. Gabe had completely altered my perception of the act, and I wanted to give this to him. I needed to.

His hand came to rest on the top of my head at the same time I leaned forward and licked at the round head, already leaking. He groaned, and his touch turned into a firm grip on the back of my head. I moaned at his commanding touch at the same time I encased as much of him as I could inside my mouth.

I can’t say I knew what I was doing, especially not in this position. The few times with Lance had been early in our relationship, and he’d been lying on the bed. Instinct had guided me to my knees with Gabe, and instinct had me licking and sucking him now.

“You’re so damned good with that mouth, baby,” he said, the praise in his tone only making me want to keep going, to please him more.

I pulled him in deeper, inhaling his rich, musky scent as I slid my tongue up and down the length, grazing him lightly with my teeth.

He groaned and thrust forward, the head of his c**k hitting the back of my throat. My eyes watered, but I wanted to give him as much pleasure as he’d given me.

“Relax, kitten. You can take me if you do.”

His words and the certainty in his voice both inspired me and eased my sudden panic, and I did as he said, surprised when, with his next thrust forward, I was able to relax and swallow around him.

His big body shuddered, and his hand tightened in my hair. A steady pumping of his hips followed, and I managed to lick, suck, and take him deep each time.

Above me, he swore, shook, and I knew he was close. Without warning, he pulled out, reached down, and lifted me into his arms. “What’s wrong?”

“Not coming anywhere but inside you,” he muttered, backing me into the wall. He lifted my short robe and slammed into me on a rough groan, filling me completely.

I closed my eyes at the sheer rightness of the moment, but he tugged at my hair. “Look at me.”

No sooner had I opened my eyes than he pulled out and thrust back in, picking up a fast and furious rhythm that had me bucking between Gabe and the wall. Pressure built quickly, no doubt from the sheer intensity of how much he wanted me. It was intoxicating, knowing I made him so out of control and that I responded in exactly the same way.

I felt him, so big and hot inside me, pounding hard on my clit and hitting that spot inside me with every thrust home. I was so close, light-headed, everything whirling around me, as my world narrowed to just this. Me and Gabe and the perfection we created.

He twisted his hips, and I barely recognized the sound that came from my throat. “Oh God. More, harder.” I dug my nails into his back, pulling him into me, grinding myself against him as I spun out of control, pleasure overtaking every inch of me, every pore. “Gabe!”

“Fuck, Iz, need you,” he groaned, his sweat-slickened body gliding up against mine. “Need you.”

I pulled at his hair as I climaxed again—or was it still—and felt the hot spurt of him as he came inside me, finally stilling. His body held me in place, my breath coming in long gasps, his breath hot against my neck. Eventually he lifted me into his arms, slowly eased me to the floor, waiting until my legs were steady enough to hold me.

I excused myself and went to the bedroom to fix myself up. When I returned, he’d pulled his shorts back on and led me outside to the deck that overlooked the beach. A gorgeous stretch of sand extended to the clear blue water beyond. In front of me, breakfast had been laid out for us. Fruit and croissants and, blessedly, more coffee.

He pulled me onto his lap, wrapping me in his arms. Even though it was hot outside, the ocean beyond provided a breeze, and I didn’t mind being cuddled against him. In fact, I loved it.

I leaned against Gabe’s chest and relaxed, breathing in the salty air. “It’s gorgeous here.”

“I’m glad you came.”

He sounded like the admission hadn’t come easily. “Me too.” And I was. If we could find a compromise that let me feel independent, maybe we had a chance.

My stomach chose that moment to growl unattractively. I squirmed to move away, but he held fast. He picked up a piece of fruit and held it for me. “Open.”

I blinked. “Gabe, I can feed myself.”

“Humor me,” he said in a gruff voice. “I called Lucy, and she’s going to be here soon, at which point, she’ll keep you occupied for who knows how long.” He dangled the juicy-looking melon from his fingers.

I smiled and ate the cantaloupe, making sure to nip at his fingers as I did. “Watch yourself or you’ll end up skipping breakfast,” he said on a growl.

I grinned. “Promises, promises.”

He shook his head and held up another piece. The meal continued in comfortable silence, odd considering a man was feeding me and I’d had more sex in the last twelve hours than in my entire life.

“Tell me about your family,” Gabe said, taking me completely off guard.

“What? Why?” I never spoke about them. I didn’t see the point, and if nothing else, it was embarrassing to explain how unwanted I’d always been.

“What exactly do you think I want from you, Isabelle? If it was just sex, I could get that anywhere,” he said, a touch of hurt sounding beneath the gruff words.

I glanced down. “I don’t know.”

He blew out an obviously frustrated breath. “I want to know you better. So talk to me. You had no one to turn to when you left Daltry. I want to know why.”

I pulled up the walls that had kept me protected for most of my life and spoke in a detached voice. I liked to pretend my past belonged to someone else. It didn’t hurt as much that way. “I was a mistake. My parents didn’t want me, so I don’t have a relationship with them. What time is Lucy coming to get me?” I asked, attempting to pull off his lap.

He wasn’t letting me go. “I’m sorry. That’s an awful thing to know.”

“Yes, it is. But at least I know what to expect from people. I mean them,” I amended, not wanting him to realize how deep some hurts ran.

He stroked my hair, probably in an effort to get me to relax against him again, but he’d destroyed the moment.

“I’m assuming that when Daltry turned on the charm, you believed you’d found the one thing you were missing. Someone who cared. Who loved you.”