42 Hours

by Bethany Lopez

  I knew I was close already, so I placed my hands on her hips and pulled her tighter against me, giving myself room to reach around and gain access to her clit. As soon as I touched her, she bucked against me, and I was lost. I concentrated on pleasing her until I felt her walls pulsate around me, then I let go and followed her over the edge.

  When I was able to form a coherent thought again, I brought my lips to Gaby’s neck and kissed her delicately. “Are you okay?” I asked, grinning when I heard her panting beneath me.

  “Mmmmhmmm,” was her response.

  “I’m sorry,” I began, nowhere near sorry. “I meant to be more … civilized, our first time.”

  “That was perfect,” she purred beneath me. “Besides, it wasn’t our first time.”

  I opened my eyes to find her smiling over her shoulder at me.

  “True,” I said, returning her smile as I stood up and helped her do the same. “Still, I feel like I need to make up for my savage behavior, and show you that I know how to properly make love to a lady.”

  Gaby giggled, and I felt like I’d conquered the world at the site of her face, free of the worry and sadness that had been there the last couple days.

  I made a show of offering her my hand and escorting her back to my bedroom, causing her to laugh again.

  “I’m just going to take a minute,” Gaby said, pointing towards the master bath. I nodded and let her go, then sat on the edge of the bed.

  A few moments later, she opened the bed with a smile and gave me a quick kiss. When she climbed into my bed and laid back, her hair splayed out over my pillows and her naked body warm and rosy from our lovemaking, I knew that I had never had a happier moment in my life.

  Feeling more carefree than I probably ever had, I leaped onto the bed after her, laughing along with Gaby as she bounced around my king-sized bed.

  “I feel like I can be anyone when I’m with you,” I told her as I leaned over her and caressed her face. “I know that you won’t judge me. That there is no standard I have to uphold when I’m with you. You give me a freedom that no one ever has.”

  Her eyes softened at my declaration, and she brought her hand up to run her thumb over my lips, as if she wanted to feel the words I spoke.

  “That makes me so happy,” she whispered after a few moments. “I want you to be you. You’re a beautiful man, Scott.”

  I’d never felt the desire to be sweet … reverent. But as I looked down at the only person in the world with the ability to make my life better, I knew I wanted to worship her in a way that I’d never worshiped a woman. I ran the tip of my nose along hers, closing my eyes and letting the sensation of caressing her fill me, then I proceeded to keep my promise and make love to her properly.

  I started with her head. My fingers gently massaged her scalp as I feathered kisses along her forehead, eyelids, cheekbones, and jawline. I then licked the length of her throat from collarbone to the base of her ear with the tip of my tongue. I pulled her earlobe between my lips, nibbling lightly as I drew it out, then paused to whisper in her ear.

  “I want to feel every inch of you with my hands. Lips. Tongue. I want to fill my senses with your taste, smell, and touch. Then I want to slide my cock inside of you, so deeply, that it’ll feel like we’re one. I want to love you until you come, my name on your lips, and then I want to do it all over again.”

  Gaby whimpered at my words, and her hands came alive, running over any expanse of skin she could reach, and she turned her head to bring her lips to my neck.

  I trailed my lips lower, until I reached her perfect breasts. I suckled the soft pillowy flesh into my mouth, and laved my tongue around her nipple. She arched her back and groaned, bringing her hands to fist in my hair, at once urging my face closer while pulling my hair back. My dick hardened and throbbed as she bucked against me, and the whimpers coming from her throat drove me to distraction.

  I moved to pay homage to her other breast, nipping and licking as I explored the expanse of her flesh. Her legs came around me and I positioned myself in between them.

  “More,” Gaby moaned out and I brought my head up quickly, eager to feel her lips against mine. I hovered above her, my dick jumping to reach the warmth of her, but I held myself just far enough above her to deny myself the pleasure.

  “Greedy,” I murmured against her lips before I delved inside. “I fucking love it,” I said before I left her lips and began to kiss my way down her belly. I flicked my tongue inside her belly button, causing her to thrust up against me. When I felt her pussy hit my chest, I nearly lost my mind.

  I held her hips in my hand and tilted them up so I could look at her exposed before me. Looking at her, I felt totally possessive. I wanted every other man in the universe know that this was mine. That she was mine.

  My heated gaze met hers, and I kept it on her as I kissed the inside of one thigh, then the other. She bit her lip and moaned, head falling back as I brought my lips to the place she wanted them the most. I nuzzled her gently with my nose, then licked her seam, before focusing my tongue on her clit. I ran my hand up the inside of her thigh gently, pushing one finger inside her wet, hot opening … then added another, while I flicked my tongue and kept my eyes on her … Watching.

  Her head was back and her chest heaved as she pushed her hips against my hands. She became slick with sweat and she lifted her head to watch, her body quivering beneath me. I moved my tongue faster, and she braced up on one elbow, then brought the other hand to my hair and fisted in it once again. Her lips parted and her tongue darted out, but she kept her eyes on me as she came apart beneath my mouth and breathed my name.

  As she lay there, boneless and trying to catch her breath, I came up on my knees, hands still at her hips, and drove myself into her. Gaby cried out as I filled her, and I growled slightly when the aftershocks of her orgasm clenched me from within.

  Fuck … nothing had ever felt so good.

  I lifted her hips up farther and tilted mine, so as I thrusted I could feel the head of my dick hitting her g-spot. I watched her face at the new sensation, and closed my eyes briefly to try and block out the image, before I lost all control and came before I was ready. But when I closed my eyes, Gaby’s face was the only image I saw, and the sounds coming from her seemed magnified. Every moan, groan, whimper … and her skin felt hot and slick beneath my hands. Every thrust and gyration was magnified. I felt Gaby’s body tighten beneath mine, and her breathing labored, so I moved my ass faster to give us both what we wanted. And when we both came, it was with her crystal-blue gaze locked on mine, and our name on each other’s lips.

  Chapter 24 – Gaby

  I sighed, stretched, and smiled when I felt mild soreness in my body. Last night’s lovemaking came back to me in flashes as my eyes fluttered open to reveal Scott sleeping next to me. He was turned on his side, facing me, with one arm thrown over my waist and the other tucked under his chin. I took the opportunity look him over. The blankets were draped down over his waist, leaving his chest bare. His body was long and lean, a little more muscular than it had been in our youth, but it was obvious that he had a runner’s build. The shadow on his jawline made him look ruggedly handsome, not like the clean-cut businessman image he usually projected.

  I lay there and watched him sleep for a little while longer, then I started to feel like a creeper, so I decided to make him breakfast before I had to go to work. The last attempt hadn’t gone as planned, and I wanted to erase that memory with a new one.

  I slid out of bed, searching the floor for my clothes and coming up empty. I grabbed Scott’s T-shirt off the chair and threw it over my head. It smelled of Scott, spicy, yet sweet. I indulged in a quick sniff, then turned my head to make sure that he was still asleep, and hadn’t caught me being even creepier.

  Luckily, his eyes were still closed, so I eased myself quietly out of the room and headed to the kitchen to find the makings for breakfast.

  Thirty minutes later I finished making his plate of biscuits and gravy, hash
browns, and a small fruit salad. The sun still wasn’t out yet, and I hoped he didn’t get upset at being woken up at such an ungodly hour. Such was the life of a baker.

  I carried the plate and a cup of coffee to the bedroom and set it down on the end table next to his bed.

  He was in the same position I’d left him in, so I lifted the blanket and slid in behind him. Aligning my body flush against his, I wrapped my arm around his waist and sighed against the warmth of his back.

  “Good morning,” he mumbled, his voice thick with sleep.

  “Morning,” I returned with a smile, kissing his back softly as I spoke.

  “Something smells good,” Scott added as he turned in my arm and pulled me closer to him.

  I hugged him as tightly as I could with one arm, and burrowed my face in his neck. “Mmmmhmmm,” I murmured as I took a whiff. He smelled wonderful.

  I felt him chuckle and say, “I was talking about the food…”

  “Oh,” I said with a laugh, pulling away from his neck to look up at his smiling face. “Yeah … I made you breakfast.”

  “Thank you,” he replied, then leaned forward and kissed me lightly on the tip of my nose.

  I scooted back and he sat up, putting the pillow behind him as I reached for his plate.

  “This looks amazing,” Scott said. He looked a little awkward with the plate in his hands, as if unsure what to do next.

  “You’ve never eaten breakfast in bed before, have you?”

  Scott looked back at me, slightly embarrassed, and admitted, “No, I haven’t.”

  “Would you be more comfortable taking it to the table?” I asked, holding out my hand for the plate.

  He shook his head and said, “No, I can do this….” Then asked sheepishly, “Can you show me how so I don’t make a mess everywhere?”

  I laughed softly, tickled by how flustered he seemed.

  “Here.” I grabbed another pillow and put it on his lap, then took one side of the plate and urged him to place it on the pillow. When it was balanced, I handed him the fork and put a napkin in his lap. “That should work.”

  Scott grinned happily at me and dug in, taking care to bend over the plate so as not to drop anything.

  He was the cutest thing I’d ever seen in my life.

  After he had a few bites, I handed him the coffee mug, then took it back after he had a drink.

  “I could get used to this,” Scott said with a wink as he forked up another bite, and I thought, so could I.

  I looked at the clock and said regretfully, “I have to get to work. Sorry to wake you up so early. I know you’re probably used to getting a couple more hours of sleep.”

  Scott put his hand on my arm and tugged lightly, so I leaned in and met his soft lips. “You can wake me up anytime.” I felt him smile and brought my tongue out boldly to lick his lips. “Anytime,” he said again. “I’ll get a run in before work, breakfast, and a chance to spend some time with you … All those things are better than sleep.”

  I kissed him one more time before slipping out of bed to get a shower and get ready for work.

  When I came back out of the bathroom, the bed was made and all evidence of Scott and breakfast were gone. I frowned at the sight. I’d been looking forward to seeing him warm and rumpled again before I had to leave. But when I walked into the living room to see him dressed for running, bending over as he stretched, I found a new appreciation for workout gear.

  “I’d better get going, I have to stop at home and change before I go to work,” I said, all of a sudden worried that there would be some morning-after awkwardness.

  When Scott stood and walked over to pull me into his arms, I realized I had nothing to be worried about.

  “Do you want to get together for dinner tonight?” I asked, already anxious to see him again, even though I hadn’t even left yet.

  “I’m going to be working late tonight,” Scott said, his face full of regret. “I know I’ll be swamped after taking the long weekend off. We could meet late, but I know you have to be in early…”

  “Yeah, I usually go to bed pretty early,” I admitted, then suggested, “Tomorrow night?”

  “It’s a date,” Scott said with a smile. “I’ll have Maria make us a reservation. Italian?”

  “Sounds perfect.” I’d have to get used to the difference in our schedules, and Scott’s assistant making plans for us … It was all going to take some getting used to. Thinking of that, I asked, “The charity event on Friday, it’s black tie?”

  “Yes. We’ll need to arrive at six for drinks. Dinner will be at seven.”

  I made a mental note to contact Sasha. A shopping trip was definitely in order before Friday.

  “I’ll be ready,” I replied, then tiptoed up to give him a quick kiss goodbye. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Okay, I’ll give you a call later,” Scott said before pulling me in for another kiss, as if he were reluctant to let me go.

  He released me and walked me to the door.

  “Thanks for coming by last night, Gaby,” he said with a final smile as I turned to leave.

  “It was my pleasure.” I gave him a sassy smile over my shoulder and walked out, my smile wide as I felt his eyes watching me leave.

  Chapter 25 – Scott

  It had only been a day since I last saw Gaby, but I found myself anxious like a teenager as I pulled up to her house to pick her up. Work had kept me busy well into the night, just as I’d guessed, but when I got home and fell into bed, exhaustion had left me at the smell of her on my sheets. It had been a long and fitful night.

  I walked up to her door, just like I’d done a million times before, except this time, my palms were damp and there was a bundle of nerves rioting in the pit of my stomach.

  I raised my hand to knock, and was greeted with air when the door swung open before me and Gaby stood there, a huge smile on her face. I barely had a chance to register that fact when my arms were suddenly full her, and just like that, all of the nerves subsided.

  She’d missed me too.

  I gathered her close and dropped my chin to her head, inhaling the sweet smell of her.

  Gaby giggled in my arms and pulled back to look up at me, her face still alight with happiness. “Hi.”

  “Hi, yourself,” I replied, bending down to kiss her lightly on the nose. “You ready?”

  Gaby nodded and turned to get her purse, then shut the door behind her. She looked magnificent in a blue dress that matched the color of her eyes perfectly. It wrapped around her body snuggly and made me yearn to skip dinner, throw her over my shoulder, and get straight to dessert. Instead, I held out my hand for her and led her to the passenger side of my car.

  On the ride to the restaurant, she talked about the upcoming order for Cal and TJ’s grand opening and I talked about my work on the Veteran’s Memorial account. It was comfortable and easy, like we’d been together for years, and I guess in a way we had.

  Everything about Gaby just felt right.

  “Have you been here before?” I asked Gaby when we parked at the restaurant.

  “I haven’t been inside, but I’ve had their takeout before,” she replied as I helped her out of the car.

  “I love that they offer the separate area for takeout. It’s gotten me through many long nights at work, but I enjoy the atmosphere of the restaurant itself even more.”

  I trailed behind her, my hand at the small of her back, as we followed the hostess to my favorite table in the back corner near the large fireplace. The lighting was low, giving it a romantic feel, with most of the visibility in the dining room coming from the fireplace and candlelight. There was a lot of exposed brick and low beams, giving the restaurant a rustic feel.

  “It’s beautiful,” Gaby murmured as she was seated.

  “I’m glad you like it.”

  I thanked the hostess for the menu, although I knew what I wanted to eat. I ordered the same meal every time. Instead, I watched Gaby’s face sparkle in the light of the candle as
she perused her menu.

  “Would you like wine?” I asked.

  “That sounds lovely.”

  “Red?”

  “Yes, please.” She smiled at me over the top of her menu.

  I looked up to signal the waiter, who was waiting a few feet away, and was met by the Brock’s stony gaze. I saw him swear under his breath, but caught myself before smiling at his reaction. Not that I thought it was funny for him to be upset at seeing Gaby and me together, but because I would have had the exact same reaction.

  “Excuse me, I need to go to the restroom,” I said to Gaby as I stood. She was still looking at her menu, and hadn’t seen Brock, since her back was to him.

  I walked out to the pick up area where Brock was standing by the window.

  I cleared my throat nervously, not quite sure what to say, but eager to clear the air between us.

  He looked up at my approach, his face closed off.

  I held out my hand and said, “Brock.”

  He looked down at my offered hand, then up at me, staring at me for a few beats before taking my hand and shaking it briefly. “Scott.”

  “I won’t keep you … I just wanted to apologize for the way I handled things with Gaby.” I was watching him closely, so I saw him nod slightly, and was encouraged to go on. “And not just that, but for the way I’ve acted toward you for the last few years. I was always standoffish, and if I’m being honest, it was because I knew that you liked Gaby. I didn’t give you a fair shot, and I’m sorry for that. I just hope you won’t let this situation affect your relationship with Cal and TJ.”

  Brock’s jaw clenched and I saw him take a deep breath, “Look, Scott … I appreciate that you and Gaby are sorry for what happened. Apparently she and I were only dating, although I think you and I both know that I saw her as more than just a casual relationship. I get that the two of you have a history, and now that you’re single again, you took your opportunity to make a play for her, even though you knew she and I were dating.” He kept his gaze steady on mine, and I felt a stab of shame as the truth of his words hit me. “I’ll get over it … I will. And I won’t hold it against either of you. Shit happens, especially when it comes to matters of the heart, but I’m not over it yet. It’s only been a couple days, for fuck’s sake, and all I want to do is get dinner for me and my brothers and get the hell out of here. What I don’t get, is why you and Gaby both seem to think that I’m going to hold some grudge against TJ and Cal. I consider them my boys. Maybe you just don’t know me very well, but it would take a lot more than a failed relationship with a woman to make me turn my back on anyone that I consider my boy. Now, if we’re done here, I’d like to go. Go back to Gaby, and I’ll see you both around.”