Of
course.”
“What is it about my paintings that made you
want to purchase them?” She leaned in,
placing her elbows on the table, even if it were a no-no. She wanted to see his expression as he
answered her.
“I believe I can better answer that than
Michel.” A rich, deep voice sounded from behind her.
Kadence twisted in her seat and looked over her right shoulder.
Expressively blue eyes were framed by a strong
brow and a straight nose. His cheekbones
were high, but the firm, chiseled edge of his chin didn’t allow his face to
look feminine in any way. Light, brown
hair was longer than what she usually liked in a man, but it looked right for
him. A very tall, thick, muscled body
was something hard to rage against her softness.
It was the man from her dreams. She felt her legs turn to rubber and her eyes
bug from her head. Her lips parted as
she ogled the man.
“I don’t think there is any explanation needed
at this point, hmm, querida ?” He stepped forward, pulling his seat back and
lowering his long frame into it.
There was nothing but questions running through
her head. Who was he? Why had she dreamed of this man? What did any of this mean?
He was so wrong. There was a lot of explaining that needed to happen, and fast.
He’d been with her almost every night for two
years. She’d woken to complete sexual
frustration because of him. It felt as
if she knew him, intimately, although she knew full well she didn’t. But he looked exactly like he did in her
dreams.
He was stunning.
The only part she hadn’t expected was the slight
Spanish accent to his voice. But the
deep rumble that had come from him was as equally effective as Michel’s
was. It was then she realized she was
still staring open-mouthed at him. Blood
and heat rushed to her face as she peeled her eyes from him and looked to
Michel, questions bubbling into her throat.
“What is this? Who are you?” Kadence looked between both men, her breath catching in her throat.
“This is the friend I was telling you
about. Kadence ,
it is my pleasure to introduce you to Don Francisco Gabriel Miguel Fernandez de
la Cueva , or as I like to call him, Gabriel.”
Gabriel reached a hand to her. She looked at it, feeling the room begin to
swirl around her. She was unsure if she
could move a muscle, let alone take his hand. He lowered his head and caught her gaze. Captured in his stare, she reached her palm into his. Time, and the room, stood still.
There was no one else there but the two of
them. Kadence felt an exquisite pull toward him. She
watched, unconnected, as he lifted her hand to his mouth before moving her
stare back to his crystal clear, blue eyes. His heat against the back of her hand sizzled down her arm and into her
entire body.
She was spellbound.
“So, querida , may I ask how I became the focus of your attention?”
“ Whaat ?” So, she was staring? He was beautiful.
“Your art. Do we know one another? I can’t imagine forgetting someone as
beautiful as you.”
Art. Oh, right, art. “I’ve been dreaming of your face for two
years. So, of course it would end up
bleeding into my work.” Wait a minute. Did he just call me beautiful?
“Dreaming? Of me?” A slight frown marred his gorgeous face.
“Yes, ever since I moved to
New York
.”
Gabriel turned to look at Michel, who wore the
same frown on his face. “And what
happens in these dreams?” Michel asked.
Heat flooded her face. How could she say that she nearly had sex
with Gabriel every single night in her sleep?
“Never mind, I can imagine from the look on your
face, chéri ,” Michel looked somewhat uncomfortable.
“Nothing ever happened in the dreams, not
really. Nothing was…” She was at a loss
for the right word.
“ Consumado ?” At her obvious look of not
understanding, Gabriel added,