His Desire

Julian

I gently wiped the sweat from Gemma’ forehead with the tissue, watching as her brows furrowed slightly in discomfort.

A few seconds later, she stirred softly against the bed.

Her lashes fluttered open slowly, confusion immediately filling her sleepy eyes as she glanced around the room, then her gaze landed on me.

“What happened?” she asked weakly. “How did you get here?”

She tried to sit up immediately, but I placed a hand lightly on her shoulder and carefully helped her sit up against the headboard.

“I was talking to you on the phone, then suddenly you stopped responding. I had a bad feeling and had to make inquiries about where you lived so I could come check on you. The estate management was of great help, and I also called a doctor. He should be here soon to—”

“No. Don’t bother with the doctor. I’m fine now. I just got stressed out.”

She muttered under her breath, irritation flashing across her face.

“That idiot Richard came over here yelling and screaming like a lunatic this morning. He probably stressed me enough to black out.”

My expression darkened immediately.

I didn’t like the sound of that at all.

“Then you should place a restraining order against him. At least that way he won’t be able to bother you anymore.”

Gemma chuckled dismissively.

“I’m not scared of Richard. He’s all bark and no bite. Just a loudmouth throwing around empty threats because his ego got bruised.”

She turned toward me and smiled faintly. “Thank you for coming to check on me. I really appreciate it.”

“You’re welcome.”

For a brief moment, none of us spoke.

I slowly reached out, my fingers brushing gently against her cheek. Her skin was warm and soft beneath my touch, and I felt her breath hitch.

“You’ve been avoiding me after that night, Gemma,” I said quietly, my thumb brushing lightly against her cheekbone.

“You only answered my call today because I used another number.”

Those beautiful brown eyes of hers looked up at me, wide and guarded all at once, and for a second, I completely lost my train of thought.

She avoided my eyes immediately and cleared her throat awkwardly.

“I’ve been under the weather lately,” she muttered before quickly changing the subject. “Errm… can you get me a bottle of water from the kitchen, please? I’m really thirsty. The kitchen is just to the right across the hallway.”

Smooth.

But I didn’t push her and simply stood up to get it.

The moment I stepped into the kitchen, I pulled out my phone immediately and dialed Steve’s number.

He answered almost instantly.

“Yes, sir?”

“I want everything Richard Black has been doing since he got fired. Every meeting, every call, every move. I want all of it.”

“Yes, sir.”

I ended the call shortly afterward and glanced toward the bedroom quietly.

Gemma.

She truly had no idea how much I had wanted her.

Even before the summit.

Even before that night.

The first time I ever saw her was months ago when she visited the company on her wedding anniversary to surprise Richard.

I had been there that day for an executive meeting. She never saw me, but I saw her.

She had walked through the lobby carrying a small gift bag and smiling softly while speaking to the receptionist.

Simple. Elegant. Beautiful.

There had been something warm and genuine about her smile back then. And somehow, despite only seeing her briefly, her face stayed in my mind long after she left the building.

At first, I had dismissed the attraction immediately after discovering she was married. I wasn’t the type to involve myself with another man’s wife.

Then the rumors about Richard’s affair began spreading through the company. Not long after that came the news about the divorce.

And suddenly, the attraction I thought I had buried resurfaced all over again.

Stronger this time.

I had honestly been surprised when Gemma approached me at the summit event, but I pretended not to know anything about the divorce.

And when she sat across from me with those determined eyes and proposed ruining Richard’s promotion as revenge… something about it fascinated me.

Gemma looked soft, beautiful, almost innocent. Yet beneath all of that was anger sharp enough to destroy someone.

And strangely… I admired it, maybe more than I should have.

The moment she walked into my private lounge that night, I already knew I wanted her.

So I asked directly.

No games.

Honestly, part of me expected her to slap me across the face and walk out. Instead, she agreed, and that night with her had been one of the most unforgettable nights I’d had in years.

Even now, merely remembering it made my jaw tighten slightly.

The way she moved beneath me. The sounds she made. The fire hidden underneath all that elegance. It had gotten under my skin far more deeply than I cared to admit.

And afterward?

I couldn’t stop thinking about her and investigated everything there was to know.

Richard’s betrayal. The divorce. The way Gemma had changed afterward. The nightlife, the one-night stands, the emotional walls she built around herself.

Every single thing I learned only made me want her more.

Thinking about Richard again made irritation flare inside me. That idiot truly didn’t understand what he had thrown away.

A woman like Gemma wasn’t someone a man betrayed. She was someone a man treasured and protected, and Richard had failed miserably.

Which was exactly why I had no guilt whatsoever about firing him. That sleazebag didn’t deserve the career I helped him build.

More importantly…

Now that Richard was completely out of the picture, nothing was stopping me from going after Gemma anymore.

And I fully intended to make her mine.

I grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and headed back toward the bedroom.

But just as I approached the door, I heard Gemma speaking on the phone.

“…Honestly, Gigi, I think I just need a vacation at this point.”

I paused quietly outside the room.

“Tropical beaches. Good food. No Richard. No Angela. No fake perfect family nonsense. Meanwhile, Richard can sit somewhere miserable trying to glue his pathetic life back together.”

There was a brief pause before Gemma groaned softly.

“Exactly why I don’t want to go alone,” she complained. “That sounds depressing. Can’t you skip work and come with me instead?”

The image waiting inside the bedroom nearly made me lose focus for a second.

Gemma sat against the bed with slightly messy hair spilling over her shoulders, her soft lips pushed into a small pout while she complained to her friend.

Cute.

Dangerously cute.

And suddenly, an idea formed in my head.

Quickly, I pulled out my phone again and sent Steve a short message.

“Clear my schedule for the weekend.”