AUDREYI froze. I wasn’t expecting that. Gabriel had a fiancée? Had he ever planned on telling me?“It’s not really my place to say this, but you should just talk to Gabriel more about this matter. But you and him?” He chuckled. “Start talking.”“Well.” I cleared my throat. I was still dazed at the bomb Coulson Stark tossed to me. Why didn’t Gabriel tell me? “I’m sorry about this morning, Mr. Stark, and I’m sorry because I know he’s the boss. I don’t want it to look like—”“It’s fine, Audrey,” he cut me off. “I just want to hear it from you.”“I guess.” I looked down at my lap.“Don’t be bothered with Carla. She’s just a past case Gabriel was trying to get rid of,” he assured.“I was just surprised, that’s all.”“You have every right to be surprised, but hey, why won’t you just come with us for dinner tonight? Our parents want to see him, and it’s their anniversary today. Didn’t he tell you?”Oh, I guess that’s why he’s coming home. “Maybe I shouldn’t, Mr. Stark—”“Just Coulson.”“Cou
AUDREYGabriel stared back at me in surprise. I traced my fingers on the bumps of his chest, down the lines of his chiseled abs, to his navel, without breaking eye contact, then I lowered myself and began kissing his bare torso. Little by little, and slowly savored the taste of his skin with my lips. It still wasn’t enough. I ran my tongue over his stomach and continued the tease with a mouthful of deep kisses and licks. Even the taste of his skin was delicious.“Audrey…” his voice tensed.Promptly, I sat up again and caught the buckle of his belt, and he grasped my wrist too.He scowled. “What are you doing?”I bit my lower lip. “I want to.”He raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure?”I nodded. “With your permission?”“Audrey.” His expression darkened. “You don’t need my permission. I’m just surprised.”The anticipation made me smile. I’d always wondered what it’d look like. I unbuckled his belt, then unbuttoned his trousers slowly, but it seemed he was intolerant. He helped me undo it.“A
AUDREYGabriel was outside the entire afternoon, and after the meeting with the designers, my desk was full of paperwork. It was pretty exhausting, in a good sense. It meant I was officially the CEO’s assistant, the employees trusted me, and I was in charge whenever he was not in the office.Jacey stopped by my desk five minutes before I shut my computer down. I was only waiting for Gabriel now to return to fetch me for dinner. I hadn’t told him about Coulson’s invitation yet.“I’m really sorry, Audrey, but your signature is just as important as Mr. Stark’s, and I might need you to sign this really fast.” She placed the documents in front of me. It was the HR’s file for the upcoming sports fest on Saturday, as they were primarily in charge of arranging it, and they needed my approval.Honestly, my eyeballs felt like they were falling off their socket from staring at too many numbers, designs, and documents the entire day. “Is this urgent?”“Collins needs it tomorrow at nine.”I nodde
AUDREYThe Stark’s mansion in the Hamptons was a three-story private residence on an oceanfront. The house was obviously new, as the landscape was appealingly modern. The surfaces were white with graphite walls, had a garden and a pool, and anyone could see into the house from a distance, and the party didn’t seem to be simple as I was told as I could see many people inside. We headed towards the main door, and the guests instantly greeted Coulson while I jammed myself at his side, completely out of place and intimidated. My eyes were wandering around, looking for Gabriel instead, but I couldn’t find him anywhere.“Where’s Gabriel?” I asked in a whisper.“He was supposed to be here first,” Coulson whispered back. “I guess he’s just around or in his old room upstairs. If you like, I can find him for you.”“No, no. Don’t leave me alone.” I caught his arm and brought him close to me. “I’m not accustomed to being around too many people I didn’t know. I’ll call him.”I picked up my phone
AUDREYWe walked past the guest, who seemed curious about me and why Gabriel was holding my wrist like a child, but he didn’t care.“Formal party starts in an hour. We still have time,” he said while dragging me upstairs.The Stark’s three-story mansion was probably just as extensive as my mother’s mansion in Phoenix, but this was definitely much more modern. We strolled through the French marble floors of the passage at the second level until Gabriel opened the last door on the left wing. He shoved me inside, and just right after he shut the door, he crushed his mouth with mine—relentlessly kissing like a hungry lion.Gabriel Stark was the lion, and I was the mouse.I slid my arms around his neck, and when I was going to respond, he stopped the kiss, and his eyes glared back at me.“Should I congratulate you?”I scowled. “What?”He ran his thumb over my lips. “You’re engaged to Noah now, aren’t you?”I rolled my eyes. “Seriously, Gabriel?” I lifted my finger with the ring Chelsea gave
AUDREY Gabriel’s eyes gleamed, a smile curved on the sides of his lips, and the tension on his shoulders relaxed. “Oh, angel. Are you sure?” I searched for his eyes. “I am. Because there’s no one else, I want.” He moved close to me and brought me into his arms, squeezing me tight in his body. “God. You don’t know how glad I am to hear that.” Because I fell in love with you, too, Gabriel. I mentally confessed. Then I saw a hint of tears pricking his eyes, and I could already tell that he felt the same. I knew Gabriel Stark loved me, too, even if he didn’t say it. He smiled briefly, making him look younger than he really was. He brushed his thumb on my cheek. “But my angel, there’s something you don’t know yet about me.” “I’m all ears, Gabriel.” “I didn’t mean to hide it from you.” “Is that serious?” “Very. You might run away from me.” I touched his face. I couldn’t imagine myself not being near him, much more running away. “What is this? A secret child?” He chuckled. “No.”
AUDREYIt wasn’t a surprise that the Starks siblings were well-mannered. They were raised by two wonderful parents. Elazar and Helen Stark were the definitions of a perfect parent. After the toast, the family and some close friends and relatives gathered in the spacious living room while the other guests were gone. “It really is a misunderstanding,” Noah explained to everyone present about the earlier incident. “I’m sorry about earlier.”I was now sitting in the living room with Gabriel and his family, his grandmother, Diana Stark, the Garner brothers, and the Williams.I was not new to this kind of family gathering, but seeing Gabriel’s ex-fiancée with us was slightly hitting a nerve in me. I had to admit that this was much calmer than being in front of my paternal relatives. The other Hopkins could be snobs. “You’ve been repeating that many times, dear,” his mother, Paulina, slightly patted her son’s arm. “I know because you wouldn’t do that without introducing the girl first, and
AUDREYLiam Gabriel Cross. Was I hearing things?My head was suddenly spinning, and I felt colder than ever. There was pressure building in my chest.“Maya…” I whispered with a hitched breath. “Is everything all right?”I held on to the counter, so I was losing balance. My legs felt numb. “Liam… He’s Liam,” I stated.Maya appeared next to me and held my arm. “Audrey, what’s wrong? You suddenly look very pale. Do you want me to call Gabriel?”“No!” I refused instantly, almost screaming at her; I didn’t mean to. “No… I’m sorry. I’m going to be fine. I’m just dizzy, I think.”What I heard was right. I didn’t hear things. All of a sudden, evidence came sparkling in my mind like a storm. Come to think of it, I was already aware. From the moment I saw his face during my interview, from the way he spoke as if we’ve known each other for a long time, Anton’s curiosity, and the way he mistook him when they first met (or met again) and how his interest in him lingered. I was blinded by his new