Day Sylvia - Captivated by you

I CY NEEDLES OF water bombarded my overheated skin, the sting chasing away the clinging shadows of a nightmare I couldnt fully remember.

Closing my eyes, I stepped deeper into the spray, willing the lingering fear and nausea to circle the drain at my feet. A shiver racked me, and my thoughts shifted to my wife. My angel who slept peacefully in the apartment next door. I wanted her urgently, wanted to lose myself in her, and hated that I couldnt. Couldnt hold her close. Couldnt pull her lush body under mine and sink into it, letting her touch chase the memories away.

Fuck. I placed my palms flat against the cool tile and absorbed the chill of the punishing deluge into my bones. I was a selfish asshole.

If Id been a better man, I wouldve walked away from Eva Cross the moment I saw her.

Instead, Id made her my wife. And I wanted the news of our marriage broadcast via every medium known to man, rather than hidden away as a secret between less than a handful of people. Worse, since I had no intention of letting her go, I would have to find a way to make up for the fact that I was such a fucking mess we couldnt even sleep in the same room together.

I lathered, quickly washing away the sticky sweat Id woken up in. Within minutes I was heading out to the bedroom, where I pulled on a pair of sweats before heading to my home office. It was just barely seven in the morning.

Id left the apartment Eva shared with her best friend, Cary Taylor, only a couple of hours earlier, wanting to give her time to catch a few hours of sleep before she headed into work. We had been at each other all night, both of us too needy and greedy. But thered been something else, too. An urgency on Evas part that gnawed at me and left me uneasy.

Something was bothering my wife.

My gaze drifted to the window and its view of Manhattan beyond it, then settled on the empty wall where photos of her and us hung in the same space in my penthouse office in our home on Fifth Avenue. I could imagine the collage clearly, having spent countless hours studying it over the last few months. Looking out at the city had once been the way I encapsulated my world. Now, I accomplished that by looking at Eva.

I sat at my desk and woke my computer with a shake of the mouse, taking a deep slow breath as my wifes face filled my monitor. She wore no makeup in the photo that was my desktop wallpaper, and a smattering of light freckles on her nose made her appear younger than her twenty-four years. My gaze slid over her featuresthe curve of her brows, the brightness of her gray eyes, the fullness of her lips. In the moments when I let myself think of it, I could almost feel those lips against my skin. Her kisses were benedictions, promises from my angel that made my life worth living.

With a determined exhalation, I picked up the phone and speed-dialed Ral Huerta. Despite the earliness of the hour, he answered swiftly and alertly.

Mrs. Cross and Cary Taylor are heading to San Diego today, I said, my hand curling into a fist at the thought. I didnt have to say more.

Got it.

I want a recent photo of Anne Lucas and a detailed rundown of where she was last night on my desk by noon.

At the latest, he affirmed.

I hung up and stared at Evas captivatingly beautiful face. Id caught her in a happy, unguarded moment, a state of being I was determined to keep her in for the rest of her life. But last night shed been distressed by a possible run-in with a woman Id once used. It had been a while since Id crossed paths with Anne, but if she was responsible for aggravating my wife, shed be seeing me again. Soon.

Opening my inbox, I started sifting through my e-mails, drafting quick answers when required and working my way toward the subject line that had caught my eye the moment my e-mail opened.

I felt Eva before I saw her.

I lifted my head and my keystrokes slowed. A sudden rush of desire soothed the agitation I felt whenever I wasnt with her.

I leaned back to better appreciate the view. Youre up early, angel.

Eva stood in the doorway with her keys in hand, her blond hair in a sexy tangle around her shoulders, her cheeks and lips flushed from sleep, her curvy body clad in a tank top and shorts. She was braless, her lush tits swelling softly beneath the ribbed cotton. Petite and built to take a man to his knees, she often pointed out how different she was from the women Id been photographed with before her.

I woke up missing you, she replied, with the throaty voice that never failed to make me hard. How long have you been up?

Not long. I pushed the keyboard drawer in to make room for her on my desk.

She padded over on bare feet, effortlessly seducing me. The moment I first saw her Id known she would wreck me. The promise was there in her eyes and the way she moved. Everywhere she went, men stared at her. Coveted her. Just like I did.

I caught her by the waist when she came close enough, choosing to pull her onto my lap instead. Bending my head, I caught her nipple in my mouth, drawing on her with long, deep sucks. I heard her gasp, felt her body jolt at the sensation, and smiled inwardly. I could do whatever I wanted to her. Shed given me that right. It was the greatest gift I had ever been given.

Gideon. Her hands went to my hair, sifting through it.

I felt infinitely better already.

Lifting my head, I kissed her, tasting the cinnamon of her toothpaste and the underlying flavor that was uniquely her. Hmm?

She touched my face, her gaze searching. Did you have another nightmare?

I exhaled in a rush. Shed always been able to see right through me. I wasnt sure I would ever get used to it.

I stroked the pad of my thumb over the damp cotton clinging to her nipple. Id rather talk about the wet dreams youre inspiring right now.

What was it about?

My lips thinned at her persistence. I dont remember.

Gideon

Drop it, angel.

Eva stiffened. I just want to help you.

You know how to do that.

She snorted. Sex fiend.

I cuddled her closer. I couldnt find the words to tell her how she felt in my arms, so I nuzzled her neck, breathing in the well-loved scent of her skin.

Ace.

Something in the tone of her voice set me on edge. I pulled back slowly, my gaze gliding over her face. Talk to me.

About San Diego Her eyes dropped and she caught her lower lip between her teeth.