In Her Wildest Dreams (12 page)

She stared at him for several moments before she nodded, knowing exactly what he would do. Gavin leaned over and captured her mouth in a kiss that took her breath away. His tongue invaded her mouth, licking a bit of chocolate from the corner of her lips before plunging inside. He dipped his tongue in and out, jousting with hers, eliciting a moan from deep in Erica’s throat.

“Do you know how long I’ve wanted to kiss you this way?” he asked.

She shook her head.

“Yes, you have,” he accused. “I’ve wanted it just as long as you have. I won’t let you pretend that you haven’t felt this, Erica. We’ve danced around each other since we first met, ignoring this attraction. ” He tilted his head to the side, his eyes searching hers. “Why?” he asked. “I want a real answer this time.”

“That’s easy, Gavin. You were with someone else.”

“So, why didn’t you say anything after I left Whitney?”

She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. “That’s easy, too,” she said. “I didn’t want to lose you as a friend.”

His expression softened. “That would never happen,” Gavin told her. “Ever.” His eyes brightened, shimmering with a mixture of understanding and pure, unadulterated sin. “But now you’re going to get the best of both worlds. You’ll get both a friend and a lover.” He picked up the containers of chocolate and cherries. “I think we should move away from this nice furniture. This may get messy.”

“You promise?” she asked without thinking. Erica covered her mouth, a surprised gasp escaping.  

Shivers of anticipation cascaded down her spine as Gavin pulled her hand away and pressed a kiss to her palm. He nodded, his grin full of the promise she sought.

They moved to the area of open floor where the masseuses had set up their massage tables. Gavin placed a pillow on the floor and instructed her to lie back. Erica complied, situating herself on the floor and turning her body over to him. He played it like a maestro. With very little effort, he had her out of the lounge clothes she’d slipped on after her massage and stretched out before him, wearing nothing but her bra and panties.

“Good God,” Gavin whispered.

He dipped his head and ran his tongue over her nipple. The sensation of his wet tongue penetrating through the sheer fabric caused Erica’s stomach to clench.

With a roguish smile creasing his lips, Gavin pulled one of the bra cups down, releasing her breast. He picked up a cherry, coated it with chocolate, and swirled the velvety sauce around her nipple. His eyes smoldering with need, he lowered his head and circled her nipple with his tongue, lapping up the melted chocolate from her breast.

Erica’s back arched off of the floor as a whimper escaped her throat.

Why on Earth had she fought this for so long?

She ran her hands underneath the hem of Gavin’s shirt, dragging her nails up and down his spine.

He stopped just long enough to pull his shirt over his head and shuck off his pants. Then he knelt above her on all fours, dipped his head low, and traced his tongue up her chest, nipping at her collar bone, running his tongue up the column of her neck. Erica felt his erection gliding up her belly and moaned softly. It had been such a long time since she’d felt this way. It seemed so right, so natural, to have Gavin here with her, taking her on this sensual journey.  

He lifted himself slightly off of her and cupped her jaw.

“I need to know how far I can go, Erica.”

“All the way,” she answered.

“Are you sure?” he asked, the caution in his voice touching her heart. “You won’t freak out on me tomorrow morning and run away like you did after I kissed you?”

“No,” she said. She turned her head and kissed his palm. “I won’t. I promise. I want this, Gavin. I want you.”

The heat in his eyes turned to fire as he captured her wrists and pinned her down. His tongue continued to assail her body with its onslaught of sensual exploits, traveling south, until he reached the spot between her legs. Gavin gripped her hips and lifted her to his mouth. When his lips closed around her, Erica’s body started to quake.

She congealed into a massive heap of sensation, her entire being soaring as Gavin relentlessly worked his tongue and teeth on her. She lifted her head, peering down at him as his head moved between her thighs. Erica ran her hands through his hair, gripping it when his tongue plunged deep.

By the time he was done, her skin was humming in satisfaction, nearing the spontaneous combustion she’d predicted. She was completely spent, ready to do nothing more than sleep for at least a day.

Then he donned a condom, fitted himself between her legs and entered her.

And that urge to sleep went out the window.

Chapter Ten

Gavin clenched his jaw against the urge to roar with pleasure. That’s how damn good Erica felt surrounding him, milking him. He tasted her on his lips, her deep, musky flavor intertwined with the sweet chocolate. She tasted better than anything he could ever develop in his kitchen. And she was all his.

Forever.

Gavin was determined to make sure he was the only man who ever had the pleasure of tasting her magnificent body again.

He plunged into her welcoming heat, his body becoming one with hers.

He knew she would feel this way, like heaven. He’d imagined this more times than he could count, and not surprisingly, it was better than anything he’d ever fantasized about.

Erica wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him tighter against her. Her aggressiveness elevated his ardor to a fever pitch, urging Gavin to drive deeper into her. He buried his face against her damp neck as he plunged over and over and over again.

Finally, with a cry that tore out of his throat, Gavin came in a rush of white hot light, sparks flashing behind his closed eyelids. His body shuddered, trembling with the force of his release.

He collapsed onto Erica, quickly rolling off of her and pulling her on top of him. He wrapped his arms around her, running his hands up and down her soft, moist skin. Just a few short years ago, Gavin had not even allowed himself to think that he could feel this kind of love again, but he was there. This was as real as it got. And he was never letting go.

***

“You know,” Gavin said. “The bed would be a lot more comfortable.”

“But then I would have to move,” Erica said with a laugh. She perched herself up on one arm and fed Gavin a piece of chocolate.

“Mmm…this is good.”

“You act as if you’ve never eaten your own chocolates before.”

He shrugged. “When you’re around chocolate all day, you lose the appetite for it.”

“I don’t think I’d ever get tired of this.”

“That’s a good thing, because I plan to keep you supplied in chocolates for a long time to come,” he said, giving her behind a firm pat.

“You know, you’ve never told me why you choose chocolates,” Erica said.

“
Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
was my favorite movie as a kid,” he replied.

She pinched him. “Stop playing around. You were a computer guy, Gavin. How do you go from that to making such amazing chocolates? There has to be a story there.”

“Actually, there’s not much of a story there,” he said. “There was no big lightning bolt that hit me. I started cooking with my mom when I was young, and always enjoyed it. Back when I was at Technology Concepts, it was nothing for folks to come in on a Monday and find a four-course meal sitting on the table in the break room. I could spend the entire weekend trying out new recipes.”

“How did I not know this about you?” she asked. She shot him an accusing look. “And how is it that you’ve never cooked for me?”

“Your fault,” he said. “When I finally worked up the nerve to invite you to dinner, you started going out with those jerks from that online dating Website.”

Erica started to speak, then stopped. “Well, it still doesn’t explain how you got so good at making chocolates.”

“A few years ago, while I was working in Italy, I went into this chocolate shop and fell in love with the process.”

“That’s where you got the name Decadente? It’s Italian, right?”

He nodded. “The chocolatier saw how interested I was and invited me to come back the next day. I took to it very quickly. He showed me techniques and how to combine just the right ingredients. I liked the science behind it and discovered that it was better at releasing anxiety than anything I’d ever tried. I lose myself when I’m in the kitchen and it’s just me and the chocolate.”

“You’re very good at what you do,” Erica said.

“Thank you,” Gavin returned. “I’m going to pretend you mean both with chocolate and with what we just did.”

She slapped his arm, laughing. “You’re pretty good at that, too,” she said. She trailed her finger along the hard line of his pectoral, marveling in the absolute perfection of the muscle.

“It’s funny, you know,” Gavin continued. “When I left Technology Concepts and opened Decadente, I thought all my troubles would be over. I get to make chocolates all day. Who wouldn’t want that, right?” He shook his head. “I never expected to come up against some of those same headaches. I guess nothing is ever easy all the time, huh?”

“Tell me about it,” Erica said, turning around and snuggling her back against his broad chest. “When those layoffs were handed down and I found myself jobless, I told myself that I would never face that kind of uncertainty again. So, what do I do? I decide to go into business for myself—the most uncertain career move I could make.”

She felt Gavin’s chuckle rumbling in his chest. “But you’re happier, aren’t you?”

“Without a doubt,” Erica said. “But the uncertainty is still hanging over my head. As much as I enjoy what I do, it hasn’t been a cake walk.” She looked up at him over her shoulder. “You know that. I’ve talked your ear off with every dilemma I’ve faced.”

“I’m more than happy to lend an ear,” he said. He nudged her arm. “It’s your turn.”

“My turn for what?”

“You never told me how you came up with the concept for Your Wildest Dreams.”

“Yes, I have,” she argued.

He shook his head. “Nope.”

“Really?” She settled back against him. “Actually, I got the idea because of Sylvia’s bachelorette party,” Erica started. “I was in charge of planning it, but I was so busy at work that I knew I wouldn’t be able to do it all on my own. So I decided to go with a party planner. Problem was, they were all cheesy and generic, and no one offered room to incorporate things that were unique to Sylvia.”

“You found a gap in a very flooded market,” Gavin said. “That’s the reason The Hawthorn Group is courting you, you know. You should feel flattered.”

Funny, she didn’t feel all that flattered. She felt as confused as ever.

“I just don’t know, Gavin.” Erica sighed as she nestled more firmly against him. “I have put everything I have into this business. I’ve covered every square inch of this city, wheeling and dealing with vendors, doing everything I can to make some of the most impossible requests come true for my clients. It’s what Your Wildest Dreams is known for. If I allow The Hawthorn Group to come in and completely overhaul my business, it would be a slap in the face of everything I’ve worked for.

“I know I sound like a crazy person,” she continued. “I mean, who wouldn’t want to see their company grow into something bigger, right?”

“I wouldn’t,” he answered immediately. “It doesn’t sound crazy at all, Erica. There have been several smaller artisan chocolate companies that have started mass producing, and in my opinion, their products have suffered for it. I wouldn’t want to go that route with Decadente.”

He put his hand under her chin and tipped her face toward him. “I know exactly where you’re coming from,” Gavin said. “Your blood, sweat, and tears have gone into making this business a success. No one can truly understand just how much you’ve sacrificed for it.”

“You do get it,” she said.

He nodded, an understanding smile on his lips. “Remember who you’re talking to here. I know exactly what it means to grow a business from the ground up. It becomes a part of you.”

“Your baby,” Erica interjected.

“Yeah. You have to ask yourself, would you hand over your baby to just anybody, especially when you know they’re planning to completely change your vision of what you want it be?”

When he put it that way, it made her want to not just walk, but
run
, from the deal The Hawthorn Group had offered.

“Nothing can prepare you for what it feels like to see this business you’ve put so much of yourself into get taken over by others,” Gavin continued. “The answer to this franchise deal is simple, Erica. You didn’t put all this time and effort into building Your Wildest Dreams just to give it up.”

“You’re right,” she said. “I guess the answer
is
pretty simple.”

But as she drifted off to sleep, Erica knew the answer was anything but.

***

Erica stood on the wrought-iron balcony overlooking Manor Royale’s version of the quintessential French Quarter courtyard. The brick walkways and high walls were overwhelmed by the overflowing foliage: large banana leaves, climbing wisteria, and fragrant flowers whose perfume drifted up to her nose. The gurgling fountain, the courtyard’s centerpiece, provided the morning’s soundtrack, along with the rumbling of produce trucks delivering to French Quarter businesses and the cackle of hard-partying tourists making their way back to their hotels.

“What are you doing up so early?”

Erica turned at the sound of Gavin’s sleep-roughened voice. He climbed out of bed, dressed only in the pair of silky boxer shorts he’d pulled on the night before. He joined her on the balcony, wrapping his arms around her.

“Don’t you think you should put some clothes on?” she asked him.

“I was hoping I wouldn’t need any,” he said. “Check-out isn’t until eleven.”

“Didn’t Tonya ask you to be at Decadente by eight?”

He groaned. “I can pretend I didn’t see her text message.”