So far things were going as planned, although there had been a few close calls with his family when he thought one of them would slip and give something away. He wanted Gemma to feel comfortable around him and his family, and the last thing he wanted was for her to feel as if she"d deliberately been set up in any way. He wanted her to feel a sense of freedom here that he believed she wouldn"t feel back in Denver.
For her to want to try new and different things, to embrace herself as a woman, topped his list. And for the first time, he would encourage her to indulge all her desires with a man. But not just any man. With him. He wanted her to see that not all men had only one thing in mind when it came to a woman, and for two people to desire each other wasn"t a bad thing.
He wanted her to understand and accept that no matter what happened between them, it would be okay because nothing they shared would be for the short term. He intended to make this forever.
Callum pulled into the gated condo community and drove directly to his home, which sat on a secluded stretch of beach, prized for the privacy he preferred. He planned to keep this place even after their home was fully decorated and ready to move in. But first he had to convince Gemma that he was worth it for her to leave the country where she"d been born, the country in which her family resided, and move here with him, to his side of the world.
He brought his car to a stop and killed the ignition. It was then that he turned toward her, keeping one hand on the steering wheel and draping the other across the back of the pa.s.senger seat. She looked beautiful, sleeping as if she didn"t have a care in the world-and in a way she didn"t. He would shoulder whatever problems she had from here on out.
With an a.n.a.lytical eye he studied her features. She was smiling while she slept and he wondered why. What pleasing thoughts were going through her mind? It had gotten dark, and the lights from the fixtures in front of his home cast a glow on her face at an angle that made it look even more beautiful. He could imagine having a little girl with her mouth and cheekbones, or a son with her ears and jaw. He thought she had cute ears.
With a tentative hand he reached out and brushed his fingers gently across her cheeks. She shifted and began mumbling something. He leaned closer to catch what she was saying and his gut tightened in a ball of ravenous desire when she murmured in her sleep, "Kiss me, Callum."
Gemma felt herself drowning in a sea of desire she"d never felt before. She and Callum were not on the ranch in Denver, but were back on the plane. This time the entire plane was empty. They were the only two people onboard.
He had adjusted their seats to pull her into his arms, but instead of kissing her he was torturing her mouth inside, nibbling from corner to corner, then taking his tongue and licking around the lines of her lips.
She moaned deep in her throat. She was ready for him to take her mouth and stop toying with it. She needed to feel his tongue sucking on hers, tasting it instead of teasing it, and then she wanted their tongues to tangle in a delirious and sensual duel.
She began mumbling words, telling him to stop toying with her and asking that he finish what he"d started. She wanted the kiss she"d almost gotten before-a kiss to lose herself in sensual pleasure. Close to her ear she heard a masculine growl, sensed the pa.s.sion of a man wanting to mate and breathed in the scent of a hot male.
Then suddenly she felt herself being gently shaken. "Gemma. Wake up, Gemma."
She lifted drowsy lids only to find Callum"s face right there in front of hers. Just as it had been on the plane. Just as it had been moments earlier in her dream. "Callum?"
"Yes," he replied in a warm voice that sent delicious shivers up her spine. His mouth was so close she could taste his breath on her lips. "Do you really want me to kiss you, Gemma? You are one Westmoreland that I"ll give whatever you want."
Seven
Gemma forced the realization into her mind that she wasn"t dreaming. This was the real deal. She was awake in Callum"s car and he was leaning over her with his face close to hers and there wasn"t a flight attendant to interrupt them if he decided to inch his mouth even closer. Would he?
That brought her back to his question. Did she want him to kiss her? Evidently, she had moaned out the request in her sleep and he"d heard it. From the look in the depth of his green eyes, he was ready to act on it. Is that what she wanted? He did say he would give her whatever she wanted.
More than anything, she wanted to be kissed by him. Although it wouldn"t be her first kiss, she believed it would be the first one she received with a semblance of pa.s.sion and desire on both sides. Before guys had wanted to kiss her, but she hadn"t really cared if she kissed them or not.
This time she would act first and worry about the consequences of her actions later.
Holding his gaze, she whispered against his lips, "Yes, I want you to kiss me." She saw him smiling and giving a small nod of satisfaction before he leaned in closer. Before she could catch her next breath, he seized her mouth with his.
The first thing he did was seek out her tongue and the moment he captured it in his, she was a goner. He started off slow, plying her with a deep, thorough kiss as if he wanted to get acquainted with the taste and texture of her mouth, flicking the tip of his tongue all over the place, touching places she hadn"t known a tongue could reach, while stirring up even more pa.s.sion buried deep within her bones.
For a timeless moment, heat flooded her body in a way it had never done before, triggering her b.r.e.a.s.t.s to suddenly feel tender and the area between her thighs to throb. How could one man"s kiss deliver so much pleasure? Elicit things from her she never knew existed?
Before she could dwell on any answers to her questions, he deepened the kiss and began mating with her mouth with an intensity and hunger that made her stomach muscles quiver. It was a move she felt all the way to her toes. She felt herself becoming feverish, hot and needy. When it came to a man, she"d never been needy.
He slanted his head, taking the kiss deeper still, while tangling with her tongue in a way she had dreamed about only moments earlier. But now she was getting the real thing and not mere snippets of a fantasy. He wasn"t holding back on anything and his tongue was playing havoc with her senses in the process. It was a work of art, a sensuous skill. The way he"d managed to wrap his tongue around hers, only letting it go when it pleased him and capturing it again when he was ready to dispense even more pleasurable torture.
She had asked for this kiss and wasn"t disappointed. Far from it. He was taking her over the edge in a way that would keep her falling with pleasure. His mouth seemed to fit hers perfectly, no matter what angle he took. And the more it plowed her mouth hungrily, the more every part of her body came alive in a way she wasn"t used to.
She moaned deep in her throat when she felt the warmth of his fingers on her bare thigh and wondered when had he slid his hand under her skirt. When those fingers began inching toward her center, instinctively she shifted her body closer to his. The move immediately parted her thighs.
As if his fingers were fully aware of the impact they were having on her, they moved to stake a claim on her most intimate part. As his fingers slid beneath the waistband of her panties, she released another moan when his hand came into contact with her womanly folds. They were moist and she could feel the way his fingertips were spreading her juices all over it before he dipped a finger inside her.
The moment he touched her there, she pulled her mouth away from his to throw back her head in one deep moan. But he didn"t let her mouth stay free for long. He recaptured it as his fingers caressed her insides in a way that almost made her weep, while his mouth continued to ply her with hungry kisses.
Suddenly she felt a sensation that started at her midsection and then spread throughout her body like tentacles of fire, building tension and strains of sensuous pressure in its wake. Her body instinctively pushed against his hand just as something within her snapped and then exploded, sending emotions, awareness and all kinds of feeling shooting all through her, flooding her with ecstasy.
Although this was the first time she"d ever experienced anything like it, she knew what it was. Callum had brought her to her first earthshaking and shattering climax. She"d heard about them and read about them, but had never experienced one before. Now she understood what it felt like to respond without limitations to a man.
When the feelings intensified, she pulled her mouth from his, closed her eyes and let out a deep piercing scream, unable to hold it back.
"That"s it. Come for me, baby," he slurred thickly against her mouth before taking it again with a deep erotic thrust of his tongue.
And he kept kissing her in this devouring way of his until she felt deliciously sated and her body ceased its trembling. He finally released her mouth, but not before his tongue gave her lips a few parting licks. It was then that she opened her eyes, feeling completely drained but totally satisfied.
He held her gaze and she wondered what he was thinking. Had their business relationship been compromised? After all, he was her client and she had never been involved with a client before. And whether she"d planned it or not, they were involved. Just knowing there were more kisses where that one came from sent shivers of pleasure down her spine.
Better yet, if he could deliver this kind of pleasure to her mouth, she could just imagine what else he could do to other parts of her body, like her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, stomach, the area between her legs. The man possessed one h.e.l.l of a dynamic tongue and he certainly knew how to use it.
Heat filled her face from those thoughts and she wondered if he saw it. At least he had no idea what she was thinking. Or did he? He hadn"t said anything yet. He was just staring at her and licking his lips. She felt she should say something, but at the moment she was speechless. She"d just had her very first o.r.g.a.s.m and she still had her clothes on. Amazing.
Callum"s nostrils flared from the scent of a woman who"d been pleasured in the most primitive way. He would love to strip her naked and taste the dewy essence of her. Brand his tongue with her intimate juices, lap her up the way he"d dreamed of doing more times than he could count.
She was staring at him as if she was still trying to figure out why and how this thing had happened. He would allow her time to do that, but what he wouldn"t tolerate was her thinking that what they"d shared was wrong, because it wasn"t. He would not accept any regrets.
The one thing he"d taken note of with his fingers was that she was extremely tight. With most men that would send up a red flag, but not him because her s.e.xual experience, or lack thereof, didn"t matter. However, if she hadn"t been made love to before, he wanted to know it.
He opened his mouth to ask her, but she spoke before he could do so. "We should not have done that, Callum."
She could say that? While his hand was still inside of her? Maybe she had forgotten where his fingers were because they weren"t moving. He flexed them, and when she immediately sucked in a deep breath as her gaze darkened with desire, he knew he"d succeeded in reminding her.
And while she watched, he slid his hand from inside of her and moments later he brought it to his lips and licked every finger that had been inside her. He then raked one finger across her lips before leaning down and tracing with his tongue where his finger had touched her mouth before saying, "With that I have to disagree." He spoke in a voice so throaty he barely recognized it as his own.
Her taste sent even more desire shooting through him. "Why do you feel that way, Gemma?"
He saw her throat move when she swallowed with her eyes still latched on his. "You"re my client."
"Yes. And I just kissed you. One has nothing to do with the other. I hired you because I know you will do a good job. I just kissed you because-"
"I asked you to?"
He shook his head. "No, because I wanted to and because you wanted me to do it, too."
She nodded. "Yes," she said softly. "I wanted you to."
"Then there"s no place for regrets and our attraction to each other has nothing to do with your decorating my home, so you can kill that idea here and now."
She didn"t say anything for a moment and then she asked, "What about me being Ramsey"s sister? Does that mean anything to you?"
A smile skidded across his lips. "I consider myself one of Ramsey"s closest friends. Does that mean anything to you?"
She nervously nibbled on her bottom lip. "Yes. He will probably have a fit if he ever finds out we"re attracted to each other."
"You think so?"
"Yes," she said promptly, without thinking much about his question. "Don"t you?"
"No. Your brother is a fair man who recognizes you as the adult you are."
She rolled her eyes. "Are we talking about the same Ramsey Westmoreland?"
He couldn"t help but grin. "Yes, we"re talking about the same Ramsey Westmoreland. My best friend and your brother. You will always be one of his younger sisters, especially since he had a hand in raising you. Ramsey will always feel that he has a vested interest in your happiness and will always play the role of your protector, and understandably so. However, that doesn"t mean he doesn"t recognize that you"re old enough to make your own decisions about your life."
She didn"t say anything and he knew she was thinking hard about what he"d said. To reinforce the meaning of his words, he added. "Besides, Ramsey knows I would never take advantage of you, Gemma. I am not that kind of guy. I ask before I take. But remember, you always have the right to say no." A part of him hoped she would never say no to any direction their attraction might lead.
"I need to think about this some more, Callum."
He smiled. "Okay. That"s fine. Now it"s time for us to go inside."
He moved to open the door and she reached out and touched his hand. "And you won"t try kissing me again?"
He reached out and pushed a strand of hair away from her face. "No, not unless you ask me to or give me an indication that"s what you want me to do. But be forewarned, Gemma. If you ask, then I will deliver because I intend to be the man who will give you everything you want."
He then got out of the car and strolled to the other side to open the door for her.
He intended to being the man who gave her everything she wanted? A puzzled Gemma walked beside Callum toward his front door. When had he decided that? Before the kiss, during the kiss or after the kiss? A puzzled Gemma walked beside Callum toward his front door. When had he decided that? Before the kiss, during the kiss or after the kiss?
She shook her head. It definitely hadn"t been before. Granted, they"d come close to kissing on the plane, but that had been the heat of the moment, due to an attraction that had begun sizzling below the surface. But that attraction didn"t start until... When?
She pulled in a deep breath, really not certain. She"d always noticed him as a man from afar, but only in a complimentary way, since she"d a.s.sumed that he was taken. But she would be the first to admit that once he"d told her he wasn"t, she"d begun seeing him in a whole different light. But she"d been realistic enough to know that, given the ten-year difference in their ages and the fact he was Ramsey"s best friend, chances were that even if she was interested in him there was no way he would reciprocate that interest.
Or had it been during the kiss, when he had shown her just what a real kiss was like? Had he detected that this was her first real kiss? She"d tried following his lead, but when that lead began taking her so many different places and had made her feel a mult.i.tude of emotions and sensations she hadn"t been used to, she just gave up following and let him take complete control. She had not been disappointed.
Her first o.r.g.a.s.m had left every cell in her body feeling strung from one end to the other. She wondered just how many women could be kissed into an o.r.g.a.s.m? She wondered how it would be if she and Callum actually made love. The pleasure just might kill her.
But then, he might have decided that he was the man to give her whatever she wanted after the kiss, when she was trying to regain control of her senses. Did he see her as a novelty? Did he want to rid her of her naivete about certain things that happen between a man and a woman?
Evidently, he thought differently about how her oldest brother saw things. Well, she wasn"t as certain as he was about Ramsey"s reaction. She was well aware that she was an adult, old enough to call the shots about her own life. But with all the trouble the twins, Bane and Bailey had given everyone while growing up, she had promised herself never to cause Ramsey any unnecessary grief.
Although she would be the first to admit that she had a tendency to speak her mind whenever it suited her and she could be stubborn to a fault at times, she basically didn"t cross people unless they crossed her. Those who"d known her great-grandmother-the first Gemma Westmoreland-who"d been married to Raphel, said she had inherited that att.i.tude from her namesake. That"s probably why so many family members believed there was more to the story about her great-grandfather Raphel and his bigamist ways that was yet to be uncovered. She wasn"t as anxious about uncovering the truth as Dillon had been, but she knew Megan and some of her cousins were.
She stopped walking once they reached the door and Callum pulled a key from his pocket. She glanced around and saw that this particular building was set apart from the others on a secluded cul-de-sac. And it was also on a lot larger than the others, although, to her way of thinking, all of them appeared ma.s.sive. "Why is your condo sitting on a street all by itself?" she asked.
"I wanted it that way for privacy."
"And they obliged you?"
He smiled. "Yes, since I bought all the other lots on this side of the complex as buffers. I didn"t want to feel crowded. I"m used to a lot of s.p.a.ce, but I liked the area because the beach is practically in my backyard."
She couldn"t wait to see that, since Denver didn"t have beaches. There was the Rocky Mountain Beach that included a stretch of sand but wasn"t connected to an ocean like a real beach.
"Welcome to my home, Gemma."
He stood back and she stepped over the threshold at the same exact moment that he flicked a switch and the lights came on. She glanced around in awe. The interior of his home was simply beautiful and unless he had hidden decorating skills she wasn"t aware of, she had to a.s.sume that he"d retained the services of a professional designer for this place, too. His colors, masculine in nature, were well-coordinated and blended together perfectly.
She moved farther into the room, taking note of everything-from the Persian rugs on the beautifully polished walnut floors, to the decorative throw pillows on the sofa, to the style of curtains and blinds that covered the ma.s.sive windows. The light colors of the window treatments made each room appear larger in dimension and the banister of the spiral staircase that led to another floor gave the condo a sophisticated air.
When Callum crossed the room and lifted the blinds, she caught her breath. He hadn"t lied when he"d said the beach was practically in his backyard. Even at night, thanks to the full moon overhead, she could see the beautiful waters of the Pacific Ocean.
Living away from home while attending college had taken care of any wanderl.u.s.t she might have had at one time. Seeing the world had never topped her list. She was more than satisfied with the one hundred acres she had acquired on her twenty-first birthday-an inheritance for each of the Westmorelands. The section of Denver most folks considered as Westmoreland Country was all the home she"d ever known and had ever wanted. But she would have to admit that all she"d seen of Sydney so far was making it a close second.
Callum turned back to her. "So what do you think?"
Gemma smiled. "I think I"m going to love it here."
Eight
The next morning, after taking his shower, Callum dressed as he gazed out his bedroom window at the beautiful waters of the ocean. For some reason he believed it was going to be a wonderful day. He was back home and the woman he intended to share his life with was sleeping under his roof.
As he stepped into his shoes, he had to admit that he missed being back in Denver, working the ranch and spending time with the men he"d come to know over the past three years. During that time Ramsey had needed his help and they"d formed a close bond. Now Ramsey"s life had moved in another direction. Ramsey was truly happy. He had a wife and a baby on the way and Callum was happy for his friend.