Ria listened to him attentively and then seemed to come to a decision. “I’m sorry if this seems abrupt, but are you married?”

Gabriel choked slightly on his scotch and needed a moment before he could respond. “Excuse me?” he finally said in a cool tone.

She flushed, but her eyes were steady as she met his gaze. “It’s just that you’re not wearing a ring, but I know many married men don’t wear rings any longer, or they take them off, and it’s not a reliable indicator. So that’s why I asked.”

“No, I’m not married—not now. My wife passed away a few years ago,” he said, feeling the familiar wave of grief at the thought of Elle. He had finally taken his wedding band off on the third anniversary of her death and his hand still felt naked.

“Oh, I’m so sorry! That was so clumsy of me. It’s just…I feel like so many men lie about their marital status, and I just wanted to be sure.” She bit her lip and looked distraught.

Gabriel arched a brow. “Tell me, how do you know I didn’t just lie to you?”

He had to admit he was finding himself enchanted with her. She was an intriguing mix of boldness and shyness. She obviously preferred the direct approach, but at the same time he had the distinct impression she had an ulterior motive for talking to him and it wasn’t just to flirt—of which she had actually done very little. She had been sincere in her praise of his skill with the piano and there was nothing seductive about her manner.

She wasn’t the first female to approach him by any means, but she was the first one he was actually interested in.

She grinned. “I know it seems silly, but I actually have a very good nose for lies. Put it down to my being raised by nuns.”

“You were raised by nuns?” he asked, fascinated.

Perhaps that accounted for how different she seemed from other girls. He was entranced with how expressive her face was. He could read every emotion on her face as it flitted by. He absently wondered what passion would look like on her.

She nodded. “Yes, my parents died when I was eight so I spent a few years in a Catholic orphanage before being placed in foster homes.”

She said it all matter-of-factly, without a hint of self-pity, but he still felt a wave of compassion.

“I’m sorry,” he said softly, meaning it.

“No, it’s all right. It was a long time ago. The nuns were very kind, and besides, it gave me a nose for lies,” she said with a smile, tapping the side of her nose.

“So why did you want to know,” he asked lightly, taking another sip of his scotch.

“Well, this is rather awkward, but I want to know if you’d like to sleep with me.”

For the second time that night, Gabriel nearly choked on his drink. When he finally gained enough control to look at her, Ria was biting her lip, anxiety all over her face.

“Why?” he finally asked, careful to keep his voice neutral. He really was curious about how she would answer.

She seemed to realize how important her answer was to him, and hesitated before she said slowly, “The biggest reason is that I’m very attracted to you, and I want to have sex with you.”

A blush rose in her cheeks at her bluntness, but her blue eyes met his directly and he was struck again by their sheer beauty and clarity. He felt as if he could see her soul in her eyes.

He nodded thoughtfully. He could finally admit to himself that he found her extremely attractive, and had from the moment he noticed her. He looked at her, at her bright hair and gorgeous eyes, the rosy flush on her creamy skin, the pink fullness of her mouth. He let his eyes trace the long, elegant neck and drop to the round, tempting curves of her breasts before he met her eyes again, now darkened with sexual awareness.

A fierce wave of lust swept through him, and he barely restrained a shudder at its strength. He welcomed it—welcomed the pure animal nature of it, the blood rushing through his veins, his pulse pounding swiftly with hot anticipation. It had been so long…

“Yes,” he said.

THE TRIP UP TO HIS room was silent and quick. They didn’t touch in the elevator, but the tension was thick between them. He led the way to his room and switched on the light after opening the door.

After a moment’s pause, she entered the room, looking around. It was actually a suite, and the bedroom was visible through the open connecting door. She glanced through it at the bed and quickly turned her attention to the sitting room instead.

“The view from your window must be amazing up here! Oh yes, there’s the Charles River and I can see Cambridge as well. I hope you’ve been enjoying the view while you’re here. And this is a really nice room, I’m really impressed with how nicely it’s furnished, it doesn’t seem like a hotel at all, more like someone’s home, don’t you think—”

He laid a finger on her lips and she instantly quieted. “Ria, I know you’re nervous. We don’t have to do this—if you’ve change your mind, I won’t be upset.”

Ria looked up at him, her eyes unreadable, but he could see some kind of conflict brewing in them. They suddenly cleared and instead of answering, she parted her lips and sucked his finger into her mouth.

He almost gasped at the bolt of lust that shot through him, straight to his groin. He could feel his cock surging and rising as she sucked steadily. Slowly, he thrust his finger back and forth, feeling it enclosed snugly in her hot, wet warmth.

He finally drew it out of her mouth and he raised his glistening finger to his own lips. Holding her gaze captive, he sucked her flavor off his finger. She was so sweet, yet there was an underlying musky spice to her taste and he knew he wanted more, much more.

Her eyes were now dark and glittering with desire, and her chest was rising and falling rapidly. Slowly, giving her time to resist and pull away, he stepped close to her until they were nearly touching. He gently tilted her chin up and holding her gaze, he brought his mouth to hers. At the last moment before their lips touched her eyes fluttered shut with a soft sigh.

He kept the kiss light at first, sipping at her mouth, nibbling on her lips. Slowly deepening the kiss, his tongue pressed against her lips, silently asking for entrance.

Her lips parted on a moan, and her own tongue came out and shyly stroked his. Pleasure burst through Gabriel at the intimate contact. With a growl, he swept into her mouth, stroking and sliding with his tongue, desperate to claim her mouth for his own. Her taste was even sweeter here, and he could quickly grow addicted to it.

When he finally lifted his mouth, they were both breathing heavily, faces and bodies flushed with heat and arousal. He said hoarsely, “Let’s go into the bedroom.”

Ria blushed but nodded, silently following him to the bed. She darted a glance at the bed and then at him before fiddling with the tie on her dress. He could practically feel the nerves coming off of her and he wondered exactly how much experience she had. He really didn’t want her to change her mind about having sex with him, so he set about relaxing her again.

He quickly captured her lips for another kiss and she immediately melted, her arms coming up to entwine around his neck. Her tongue shyly played with his and he deepened the kiss, ravenous for her flavor. Slowly, he brought up one hand to caress the side of her breast and she trembled at the contact. His thumb found her nipple, hard and straining through the thin silk of her dress and her bra, and he gently rubbed it.

She tore her mouth away from his with a gasp, and he trailed kisses across her cheek and down her jaw to her neck. He nipped gently at her neck, inhaling her fresh, feminine scent. He stroked his tongue down the creamy length and softly bit her at the crook of her neck.

Ria cried out and shivered at his action, her hands clutching at his shoulders. “Oh, Gabriel!”

The helpless wonder in her voice sent another surge of lust through him. It had been years since he felt this kind of desire, felt so alive. He refused to think of why it had been so long—he didn’t want to feel any guilt for craving Ria so desperately, he just wanted to enjoy it, to savor it, to savor her.

His explorations were hindered the neckline of her dress and he tried to pull it down one shoulder, but the closure on the dress thwarted his efforts. He swore, his fingers fumbling with the tie of her dress. Damn it, why were his fingers all thumbs now?

Ria giggled and he looked up, surprised at the sound. Her eyes were still lambent with desire, but now they sparkled with humor too. Reluctant amusement curled through him and tugged at the corner of his mouth.

“It does seem rather ridiculous that you think I’m talented enough to be a professional pianist yet my fingers aren’t nimble enough to untie this bow, doesn’t it?” he said wryly.

Her giggle turned into a full-blown laugh and he caught his breath--it was one of the most beautiful sounds he’d ever heard and made her entire face even more radiant.

“That’s because it actually doesn’t untie—it’s sewn together.”

He scowled—how the hell was he getting her out of the dress then? His frustration was obviously clear on his face because then she said, “There’s a zipper at the side—let me do it.”

With that she stepped back from him and reached down one side to the zipper hidden there and pulled it down. She then grabbed the skirt and carefully pulled it over her body.

Gabriel’s mouth went dry as first her long, sleek legs and thighs were exposed, and then her smoothly curved hips and the ivory lace panties hugging them, and then a pale, taut stomach leading to full, round breasts barely encased in a matching ivory lace bra, before the dress finally cleared her head.

Ria stepped out of her heels, tossed her dress to a nearby chair and turned back to him. And then her face flushed crimson when she realized she was nearly naked while he was still fully dressed. Her hands flew to cover her body, but he caught them, gently holding them, refusing to let her hide.

“No, don’t—you have a beautiful body, don’t be shy.”

After a long moment, Ria nodded a little uncertainly. He could tell that her instinct was still to hide herself, so he slowly stroked his hands up from her hands to her arms, enjoying the feel of her smooth, supple skin and then over her shoulders and down her chest.

She gasped as his hands moved to her breasts and he said huskily, “If you have to cover these gorgeous breasts, then let me do it.”

Ria whimpered as he caressed her breasts, her hard nipples poking each palm through the whisper-thin bra. He used a circular motion, enjoying the weight and softness of her breasts, and then he gently tweaked her nipples through the lace. That brought a mewling cry from Ria and she arched her back, thrusting her breasts into his palms.

Cupping one breast in his hand so that the nipple plumped up, he bent his head and latched onto it through the lace, drawing it deep into his mouth. She made another one of those arousing sounds and clutched his head to her breast, her hands gripping his hair.

Hungry to feel her softness without any barriers, he let go of her nipple with a small pop and pushed the lacy cups down beneath the curves of her breasts, now beautifully framed by the bra like truly spectacular works of art. Her nipples were proudly erect, the areolas small and a deliciously tempting pink and one glistened from his ministrations.

He bent his head and laved the other breast, sucking the nipple deeply into his mouth, loving the taste of her, the contrast of her softness with the hard nipple. Ria was trembling fiercely and he loved hearing her gasps and cries of pleasure.

“Oh yes, please, suck me harder,” she moaned.

He could smell her arousal now and he felt a sharp stab of lust at the thought of tasting her pleasure. He trailed one hand down her body and over her lace covered mound to the crotch of her panties—the fabric there was completely soaked with her juices and he stroked her pussy through it, pressing gently against her entrance.

Suddenly her thighs clamped together, trapping his hand there as she gave a soft cry. “Gabriel!”

He realized that she was very close to climax and he was suddenly consumed with the idea of having her orgasm on his tongue. God, he couldn’t remember wanting a woman like this in years, maybe ever.

He gently but insistently nudged her towards the bed until the back of her knees hit the mattress and she sat down. He grabbed her hips and pulled her to the edge, her knees splayed wide. Then, as she watched with a confused look on her face, he quickly dropped to his knees and placed her feet over his shoulders. He could tell by her sharp inhalation that she realized what he was going to do and she leaned back, bracing herself on her elbows so that she could watch him down the length of her body.

Holding her gaze, he dropped a kiss on her mound and watched as her eyes darkened even more with arousal. Her lashes fluttered close and her mouth opened slightly as her breathing increased. Her elbows gave out and she dropped to the bed, one hand rising to her mouth, as if ready for her bite or to suppress her cries.

He smiled slightly, feeling his cock throbbing insistently against his trousers. He was determined to give her lots of reasons to scream.