Page 8 of The Grandmaster's Pawn (Checkmate)

Gemma shimmies her hips as I ease the thong down her hips, and then her reddish curls beckon me. So wet, she’s dripping for me.

“Fuck me, Gemma. Hold on. I do not know that I will be able to control myself once I taste you.”

My precious jewel’s sharp breath and whimper as I take my first taste are matched by my groan, and she tastes like spring. Like everything I have ever wanted before and everything I will never be able to have again.

I have to make this last. Maketonightlast, so that the memories will carry me through the rest of my life, because I know for certain, I will never find another woman like Gemma.

* * *

Gemma

“Oh, my God,” I manage as I sink back against the pillows in Daniel’s bed.

“I am not a god,bijou. Prince will suffice.” He twirls a lock of my hair around his finger as we both laugh.

He’s wrong, though. He is some sort of god. He has to be. That was the best sex of my life, and I feel so…comfortable with him, even though we’ve only known each other in person for a few days.

But now we’re entering that awkward phase of any night together. What do I do? Get up and try to find my clothes? Snuggle closer and hope he asks me to stay? Do I even want to stay?

Daniel reaches over and flips off the lamp, and the darkness sends my heart into overdrive. “No,” I gasp. “Please…turn…the lights—”

In an instant, he’s sitting up, the lamp casting a gentle glow over his concerned expression, and I’m cradled in his lap, his arms tight around me. “I’m sorry, Gemma. I’m a proper dolt. I forgot.”

“S’okay,” I manage through my threatening tears. “I just can’t…”

“Will you tell me why?” His soothing voice, the luxurious sheets and duvet he draws around us, and the strength of his embrace calm me, and though I don’t know why…I trust him.

“When I was eleven, I…lost my sister. Nora was nine.” I sniffle once, though I think I can keep the tears at bay as long as he holds me. “We were exploring this old barn on the edge of the neighbor’s property not too long before sunset. Backcountry. Way the hell out there. So the barn was over a mile from any other building. And Nora…she jumped off a bale of hay, and…and…”

Daniel presses a kiss to the top of my head. “You do not have to—”

“I want to. I’ve…never told anyone before. Not…like this.” Tipping my head to meet his gaze, I blink hard. He’s in soft focus now, my tears lending a subtle shimmer to the room. “We fell through the floor into this underground storage silo. I broke my leg. But Nora…there was a rake. A big one. And she…landed on it.”

“Fuck.” He tightens his embrace, and I take a deep, shuddering breath.

“I couldn’t move much. And Nora…the rake punctured her lung and her liver. She…died holding my hand. And it got so dark. So cold.” I shiver, and for a brief moment, I’m back in that silo, my sister’s blood coating my hands. “No one came until well after noon the next day. There were…spiders. And rats. And I lay there all night, calling for help, and no one—no one came.”

Daniel slides down with me still held in his arms as I lose the battle to keep my tears from falling. “You’re safe, Gemma. Safe with me. And we’ll keep the light on. All night.”

Five

Daniel

“Where are my panties?” Gemma asks as she hops around trying to fasten her thigh-high stockings into the garters.

Swiping the scrap of peach lace off the floor and tucking it under my pillow while her back is turned, I smile innocently at her as I lift one corner of the duvet. “I’m afraid I don’t know, luv.”

“Never mind. I have to get home and change. I’m going to be late for work. Shit. I don’t even know where in London we are.”

She’s brilliant in the morning. Mussed waves of chestnut hair cascade around her face, a hint of her red lipstick still staining the corner of her lips—and my cock. And the most adorable flush to her cheeks.

“Chelsea. And the car will be here in five minutes,” I say as I check my mobile, then catch her hand. “Sit with me for just a moment?”

I gently turn her so I can do up the buttons on her blouse, then brush a kiss to the delicate curve of her neck. “I have some business to attend to the next few days. Out of town. But I would very much like to see you again.”

She scoots back to face me, her lips curve into a shy smile, and she drops her gaze when I take her hands. “I’d like that. Will you…uh…be online to play chess while you’re gone?”

“Not tonight. But after that, nothing could keep me away.” The alarms ringing in my head are loud enough to deafen me. I don’t do relationships. Attachments. And…in eighteen hours, I’ll have the Lewis Chessmen in my bag, and Gemma… Bloody hell, how will I face her again? I’m going soft. Guilt has never been an emotion I allowed myself, but I’m in danger of falling for this woman.

---