Page 8 of The Price of Power

Still, I couldn’t pretend I wasn’t curious.

“What exactly are you suggesting?”

His smile turned downright sinful. I can’t lie; it was the sexiest thing I’d ever seen. And with nothing but gin running through my veins, my pulse ran hard and fast at the sight.

“I’m not suggesting anything,” he said with the slightest shake of his head. “There’s nothing holding me back from doing what I want. This conversation is about you. The only thing I want to hear is what you want.”

Want. That was a loaded word.

There was so much I wanted, so much I craved. But at the same time, I couldn’t think of a single thing to say. At least nothing that I felt comfortable speaking in a crowded upscale lounge like this. To be honest, I doubted I’d be comfortable saying it anywhere.

“And what if I don’t know what I want?” I said.

“Well, then, it would be even more important to have someone there to guide you. To show you what was possible.”

Oh…

But there was no hiding my blush this time. Heat flooded my cheeks at his unwavering attention. Especially since the people nearby had to be overhearing our conversation.

I glanced over at the judgmental couple at the next table, and, sure enough, they were shooting me a disapproving stare.

“Don’t look at them,” Gabriel said, his voice low but firm. “They don’t matter. No one in here matters right now but you and me.”

As if to prove his point, he looked over at the couple and motioned for them to leave.

And surprisingly, a second later, after making sure everyone in the room heard their exasperated huff, they got up and left.

My mouth hung open in amazement. “How did you do that?”

“We’re not talking about me, remember?”

Yeah, but after that, maybe we should be. At least a little.

“But—“

“Just take it as proof that I’m not lying to you, Liv,” he said, cutting off my concerns with a wave of his hand. “If I say I can do something, then I can.”

I no longer doubted that. Not for a second.

Whoever Gabriel was, he was a powerful man. The kind of power that could make even the elite of New York society shake in fear.

If I’d been thinking clearly, I probably should have been shaking too. I should have been running for the hills.

But instead, I found myself leaning in even closer, pulled by the raw power of his magnetism.

“Okay…but when you say ‘guide’ me, what exactly do you mean?”

He tilted his head back, resting it against the seat back. Sitting like that, he reminded me of a king lounging on his throne. “I think you know, Liv.”

Heaven help me; I really liked the way he said my name. I could listen to him say it all night…and if this was going the way I thought it was, maybe I would.

Usually, I wasn’t the one-night stand type. Still, if anyone could make me reconsider that stance, it would be the brutally hot man sitting across from me.

“Are you asking to follow me up to my room?”

“Is that what you want?” Gabriel’s eyes didn’t flicker from mine as he shot the question right back at me. Not even for a second. “Is that all you want, Liv?”

I shifted in my seat, leaning forward as I lowered my voice to the barest whisper. “I’m sorry. I’m sure I sound naive, but what else is there?”