I nod, but I still won’t let go of him.
He sighs and pries my fingers from the back of his neck, then he lies down next to me. Gavin pulls me into his arms and I cuddle up to him as closely as I can. His fingers stroke my hair until he reaches the back of my neck, which they start caressing.
“Why were you so angry before?”
I stiffen. “That was a touch of . . .”
“Jealousy,” he states.
“Yeah,” I admit, pouting. “I’m sorry. I know I’m not the only girl in your life, and there will probably be more after me, but . . . there’s nothing I can do about my jealousy.”
The laugh that vibrates through his chest tickles my cheek. “Being jealous isn’t so bad as long as it’s within limits.”
“It’s not like I’m going to beat up every girl who gets too close to you,” I reply.
“I don’t think you’d even be strong enough,” he teases me.
“A baseball bat will give anybody the necessary advantage,” I joke. I’m glad he’s distracting me from my fear.
“Well, do you own a baseball bat?” he asks, amused.
“Uh . . .”
“See, you’re no danger to anybody.”
“Only to you,” I murmur.
“Why to me?”
“I could withhold sex,” I answer seriously, but then I can’t hold it anymore and giggle.
“You wouldn’t be so cold,” he says with indignation.
“Who knows.”
“You know!” he says.
“Guys, have you finally realized you want each other bad, or is Lane not feeling OK?” Mike asks through the door.
“She doesn’t want to be alone!” Gavin answers loudly.
“Oh . . . Because it almost sounded like . . . Well, never mind! Joel wants to meet us as soon as we land in Miami, just so you know, Gavin.”
“Thanks, Mike.”
His footsteps move away from the door. In the time Gavin and Mike were talking, I calmed down a little.
He kisses the top of my head while his thumb caresses my temple.
“If I fall asleep, it’s all going to be your fault,” I whisper.
“Would it be so bad if you fell asleep?”
“Only if you don’t stay with me.”
“Then I’ll stay here and wake you up when we’re about to land, deal?”
“No,” I reply quietly.
“Why not?” he asks, confused.
“Because I’d like to sleep through the landing, too.” I cuddle up against his chest, smiling.
“All right then, I’ll let you sleep.”
I lift my head, turn around so I’m half on top of him, and grin at him. “Now I don’t want to anymore.”
“Then what do you want?”
“To cuddle,” I answer determinedly. I lay my head in the hollow of his neck while my hands wander over his body. “I just want to cuddle.”
“And I want to caress you.”
“Do that.” I laugh and put one of my hands against his stubbly cheek. Gavin is way too masculine. He only shaved a few hours ago, and he already has a shadow again. I slide up a little and nestle my cheeks against his, which sends a pleasurable shiver over my skin.
He grumbles quietly as I kiss him lightly on the nose. “Do you want a hotel in Miami or are you staying at Linden’s?”
I smile at him. “I think I prefer a room at Linden’s place.”
“I thought so. Besides, we should slowly tell the guys about us since they’re suspicious anyway, and I’ve had enough of avoiding their questions and lying to them.”
“I’m sorry you have to,” I whisper.
“I don’t have to, but I’m doing it for you so nobody can let anything slip,” he murmurs. “But I know I can trust them, they would never sell us out.”
“I . . . When are you telling them?”
“I don’t know, preferably right now.”
I lay my head back on his shoulder. “It would be better to let them know, but maybe we should wait a few more days, Gavin.”
“I’d say we tell them after visiting Linden’s and Thalia’s friends. By the way, she’s excited to see you.”
“I want to see her, too.”
“The two of you have become good friends, huh?”
“Not really. We got along well, but after she left we kind of lost touch.”
“I’m sure you’ll make it work again.”
“Huh.” I nod and curl back up in his arms.
“Where do you want to go?”
“I’m just where I want to be,” I answer quietly, laying my leg over his and closing my eyes. “I love you,” I whisper.
He stiffens. For God’s sake, why is he so rigid?
“What’s wrong?”
“I wasn’t expecting that,” he murmurs.
“Is that a bad thing?”
“No.”
“And you’re not going to say anything else?”
“I love you, too, Madeleine,” he whispers, kissing me on the forehead for what seems like the thousandth time since we’ve been lying here.
A sigh escapes my lips as he caresses me. I notice that I’m slowly drifting off and finally fall asleep.
“Gosh, this is just as amazing as your place in the Hamptons,” I say as the stretch limo pulls up in front of the big mansion.
“Do you like it, Lane?” Linden asks.
“From the outside, definitely.” The car stops. Without waiting for the others, I get out and crane my neck to look up at the palm trees. It’s breathtakingly beautiful here. The air is warm and balmy. On the way to Linden’s house I was constantly pressing my face up against the window, because I was so impressed. I’ve never been to Miami before, I only ever heard about how beautiful it’s supposed to be, but all that I heard can’t even touch what I actually just saw.
Gavin comes to my side. “Are you feeling well?”
“Yeah, thanks,” I answer quietly, smiling up at him.
“Guys, you’ll have to carry your own bags, there’s no staff here right now . . . And nobody dare wake me with rock music again at such an ungodly hour . . . Oh yeah, and Azer?” Linden says.
Azer glances at him. “Huh?”
“If you turn my kitchen into a pigsty again . . . I swear I’m going to drag your face through the mess you make,” he threatens jokingly.
“Gavin can clean for us again,” Azer says, amused.
“In your dreams! I need to rehearse for the show, so clean up your own messes,” Gavin replies with a laugh.
“Aw, you’re such a killjoy. So Lane can do it,” Azer keeps teasing. “As the only woman with so many men . . .”
“You’re such a dick!” I tell him. “I’ll become your personal drill instructor before I clean up your mess.” I give him a wink and go get my bag from the open trunk of the limo.
“You’re giving him hell, that’s good. Thalia missed her chance and now he keeps annoying her,” Alexis says.
I smile at him. “I’m sure she keeps him happy, though.”
“True. It’s always fun listening to them bicker.”
I laugh lightly. “I guess it’s not so bad, then.”
“Not if you have a friend like Linden, who is much more sensitive to his teasing than she is. It’s happened a few times that he chased Azer around.”
“Did he catch him?”
Alexis shakes his head. “No, Azer is fast and clever, he knows how to get out of Linden’s way and make him laugh.”
“I can imagine it vividly, he makes me laugh, too.”
“So yeah, what’s the plan? Are you coming to Delsin’s place, too?” Linden asks.
“Aw, I wanted to take a nap!” Mike cries.
“And I was going to stop by my parents’ place,” Azer says.
“What about you guys, Gavin, Lane?” Linden asks, turning to us.
“Uh, sure,” Gavin replies.
“I’ll just tag along,” I reply with a smile and a shrug. It’ll be good for me after last night�
�s and this morning’s hate messages. I’d love to turn off my phone and never switch it on again, but that’s not an option, so I uninstalled the site manager app. Now at least I don’t have this sword of Damocles hovering over me everywhere I go.
“Good, let’s bring the luggage inside and get going. Thally is getting impatient, she won’t stop texting me,” Linden explains, laughing.
Gavin takes my bag. As I try to protest, he winks at me. I follow him inside as Linden calls after me, “Lane, you can have the room next to Gavin’s, he’ll show you!”
“Thanks,” I reply as we reach the front door, where a middle-aged woman is waiting for us.
“Hello, Gavin,” she greets him, giving him a warm smile.
“Hi, Mrs. Atkins. I’d shake your hand, but as you can see, my physical strength is being shamelessly exploited here,” he answers with a grin.
“Go on, be a gentleman and bring this young lady’s suitcases inside.”
I grin at him and then turn to her. “Hi, Mrs. Atkins, my name is Madeleine Dubois, but please just call me Lane.”
She shakes my hand. “It’s a pleasure, Lane.”
Then we go inside and Gavin leads me upstairs to the second floor. “Our rooms are at the end,” he explains as we’re walking down the wide hall.
I look around. Modern art is covering most of the walls. The furniture is an exclusive mix of modern and antique. I find the mix of wood types and styles very interesting, and especially pretty and harmonious. “Is this your house or Linden’s?”
“It’s Linden’s,” Gavin answers, glancing over his shoulder. “But we usually all hang out here together when we’re in town. It’s nicer than sitting around in a hotel room.”
“So why did you sell the penthouse in New York?”
“Because we were there so rarely after getting the house in the Hamptons.” He points at one of the doors. “This is your room.”
“What do you like better, New York or the Hamptons?” I ask curiously as we enter the bedroom.
“I feel best at home in Orlando, and I’ll probably be spending more time there once the show is over. Living with the guys is nice, but I miss my family.” Then he glances at me. “But I haven’t decided yet since I got closer to you, if I’ll stay with the guys.”
“It’s no good, though, if you don’t feel right.”
“Home is where the heart is, and mine is with you. I feel at home wherever you are, Lane.” He sets my luggage down next to the bed and turns around to face me.
“Does that mean you’d stay for me?”
Gavin sighs and tousles his dark brown hair. “I don’t know yet. What I’d like to do is go to Orlando, because my friends who I see rarely are waiting for me there, but I also don’t want to put such a big distance between us.”
“But you’re constantly on tour anyway, whether you’re in the States, Europe, or Asia . . . There will always be a big distance between the two of us, except for the few weeks when you can get some time off,” I point out.
“That’s why I think it’d be great if . . .” He shakes his head. “No, I can’t ask that of you.”
“What are you talking about?” I ask, confused.
Then he approaches me. “Come to Orlando with me.”
I raise my eyebrows.
“I said it was a dumb idea.”
“No, it’s just . . . It would mean rushing things. Let’s try it a different way first. I don’t know anybody in Orlando, and I don’t want to throw away all I’ve done in New York.”
“So what do you have in New York anyway?”
I look at him as though he’d just hit me. “My friends?!”
“So?”
“My family lives pretty close.”
“And?” he keeps pressing. “You won’t have a job once the dance show is over. All you have is your ex who you occasionally perform at tournaments with. I . . . could offer you the life you deserve, Lane, not just the little island fate has prepared for you . . . I could give you the whole world.”
I swallow, gritting my teeth and pressing my lips into a thin line. “Why don’t you just go ahead and tell me I’m a loser?” My voice is getting more quiet and shaky than I wanted, but I can’t change that anymore now.
“That’s not how I meant it, babe, I just want you to be happy.”
“I’m happy with the way things are now, Gavin.”
He wants to pull me into his arms, but I take a step back, which makes him click his tongue impatiently. “Oh, come on, Lane, don’t be angry at me now.”
“I’m not angry.”
“So what’s your problem?”
“You hurt me,” I answer quietly, turning away from him and walking over to my bag.
“That was never my intention,” he murmurs, suddenly standing behind me.
“For that, it sounded very intentionally worded.” Tears are burning in the corners of my eyes. If the person you love tells you that you have nothing except for your friends, that hurts. My friends make me richer than any billionaire could be. They’re there for me, they’re important to me, but all he can see is himself. It’s just egotistical.
“I’m sorry, babe,” he replies, slowly turning me around to face him.
I tilt my head back so I can look up at him. Before I have a chance to say something, he bends down to kiss me. It’s not a tender kiss, but a hard, demanding one, and he’s probably trying to show me he’s the boss in this relationship. As it starts to hurt, I pull away. “We should talk about this later,” I say quietly, turning back to my bag to get out my hairbrush. “Where’s the bathroom?”
“I think you have your own,” he replies, walking over to a door on the right side of the bed. “And what’s hiding behind door number one?” He opens it. “Look, it’s the bathroom.” Gavin smiles at me and steps aside as I walk toward it. “I’ll put away my luggage and wait for you downstairs. You can’t miss the living room, it’s to the left of the stairs when you come down.”
“Right . . . See you soon,” I reply, shutting the door behind me.
It still bothers me that he basically said that my life isn’t as important as his, so the first thing I do is lean on the counter and take a deep breath. “How could he say that?” I ask my reflection, and notice I still have tears in my eyes. Luckily I don’t have any makeup on or I’d look like Rocket Raccoon from Guardians of the Galaxy. After taking a deep breath, I wash my face to get rid of the tears and cool my puffy eyes. Then I comb my hair and pull it into a high ponytail. With a critical glance at the mirror, I see that I don’t look like I was about to cry just two minutes ago. Sighing, I turn away and leave the bathroom, picking up my handbag to go downstairs. I can already hear the guys laughing even though I’m barely halfway down the stairs.
“What happened to Lane?” I can hear Alexis’s voice.
“She’ll probably be here in a sec,” Gavin answers.
I hurry up, taking the last few steps a little faster, and I suddenly feel pain shoot up from my knee. Dammit, I curse in my head. These are probably the first signs of wear and tear from years of dancing. Or I just came down with my foot wrong, which seems more likely to me. “Hey, sorry I took a little longer.”
The guys get up and walk toward me. “No problem, it’s just that Thally’s getting a little impatient,” Linden explains with a grin.
“How long since you’ve seen each other?” I ask.
“Since meeting you,” he answers.
“Looks like it’s going to be a loud night,” Alexis says with a mock sigh.
“Watch out, or you’ll be spending yours outside.”
He lifts his hands defensively. “I’m actually pretty glad I won’t be in the same room as you two.” Then he laughs.
Linden rolls his eyes. “You know what I mean.”
“Sure, but it’s too much fun ribbing you about it.” Alexis grins at him.
I walk outside next to Linden with Gavin and Alexis following us.
Linden looks back over his shoulder. “We have to
take two cars. Gavin, would you ride with Alexis? I’d probably strangle him on the way there.”
“No problem,” he replies.
“All right, then you’ll be riding with me, Lane.” Linden opens the garage, and I stare in awe as I see an entire row of cars parked there. There’s everything from an old-timer to the newest model there, but I’m particularly attracted to a Jeep covered in flecks of mud.
Linden holds the door open for me and I get inside. “Just pick any car, but keep your hands off the classics.”
“I guess we’ll take the fast one then,” Gavin says with a smile, opening the driver’s side door.
“Are the keys usually left in the ignition?” I ask, confused, as Linden sits down in the driver’s seat.
“Yeah, but only when I’m here.”
I nod slowly. “And you’re not worried about the cars being stolen?”
“The garage is just as thoroughly protected by an alarm system as the house, nothing can happen.” He takes off, waiting for the others to follow. As soon as Gavin has managed to maneuver outside, Linden closes the garage door with a remote control. “Besides, it’s only open when I need a car.”
“Still brave, though.”
“We’re in Coral Gables here, nobody’s walking around stealing cars uptown.” Linden drives on and we lapse into a comfortable silence.
Linden stops in front of a beach house. “We’re here.”
I look back, but I can’t make out Gavin and Alexis anywhere. “Where did the other two get to?”
“They’re probably taking advantage of the fact that they’ve got a fast, shiny sports car under their asses.”
“What do you mean?”
“I guess they’ll be driving around somewhere, heartily ignoring the speed limit,” Linden answers with a chuckle.
“Hmm.”
He opens his seat belt to get out, and I follow suit. “Thally’s friends are all right, a bit crazy maybe, but good people.”
“Sounds fine.” I smile at him as we walk toward the door.
Linden rings the bell and we wait for a moment for someone to open the door. About a minute later, a guy in a baseball cap opens up. “Hey, dude,” he greets Linden, giving him a short hug and then turning to me. “You must be Madeleine then.”
I nod. “Hi, yeah, and what’s your name?”
Gavin: Pure Passion (Hamptons Book 1) Page 20
