Reaching Gavin (Good Girls Don't Book 3)

by Geneva Lee

  I had wanted to ask if he’d come here before, but I’d been too nauseous during the flight. Walking through downtown, I realized everyone here knew him.

  Every corner we turned on and every street we walked down, someone waved hello or stopped to catch up. They knew his name. They felt comfortable around him. It was clear he came here often. By the third time I was introduced to a total stranger, it began to dawn on me that he hadn’t simply asked me on a weekend away, he had invited me into a deeply personal part of his life. I tucked that realization away for later contemplation.

  His familiarity worked in my favor because he knew exactly where the ice cream shop was. Friday Harbor Ice Cream Co was a local establishment, like everything else here, and given that it was the height of summer, there was a line. That was fine because there were 72 flavors to choose from. In the end, I opted for a classic: chocolate and strawberry mixed together. Gavin watched me nervously as I took my first sip, probably worried that it would come back up immediately. Instead, I moaned with pleasure. It had been a crazy summer and I hadn’t taken enough time for milkshakes.

  “You’re going to make me jealous,” he told me.

  I held it out to him. “You can try some if you want.”

  “I’m not jealous that you have a milkshake. I’m jealous that it makes you moan.”

  “Some girls know what they like.” I bit down on the tip of the straw trying to stop myself from jumping him on the spot.

  Gavin swallowed hard as though he was doing the same. His eyes lingered on my mouth and he cleared his throat. “Do you want to see the family house?”

  “Lead the way.” I hadn’t been sure exactly where we would be staying. After seeing him walk around downtown, I wasn’t surprised to hear that he had a family home here.

  We barely made it half a block before the door to a restaurant flew open and a man came running out with his apron still on. “Gavin!”

  “Thomas, it’s good to see you.” The men shook hands before Thomas pulled him into a hug. The other man had to be at least 20 years older than Gavin. I’d noticed a slight limp in his step as he’d come out to us. Gavin stepped away and smiled broadly at me. “Allow me to introduce my girlfriend, Cassie.”

  I was temporarily struck dumb. I fumbled, taking Thomas’s outstretched hand, and tried to come up with words. I got as far as “Hi.”

  The two of them didn’t seem to notice that I couldn’t speak and began to chat.

  So I was on holiday with Gavin. We’d messed around a few times. My entire weekend plans focused on having sex with him as many times as possible. But I hadn’t been sure until this moment that I was his girlfriend. I liked the way the title sounded.

  “He’s a good man,” Thomas informed me, taking my hand in his as if to impress this upon me. “You two must come to dinner tonight. On me. It’s the least that I can do.”

  We reassured him that we would. I was only mildly disappointed that there would have to be a break in tonight’s sexual Olympics to go out to eat. Then, I remembered how much I loved food. I surveyed the restaurant’s handprinted sign which read The Weekend Café with interest. With any luck, I’d be really hungry this evening.

  “He really likes you,” I told Gavin as we started up the hill and away from downtown. It had been charming, but I finally had him to myself.

  “I’ve known him my whole life. We’ve been going to his restaurant since my parents bought the house here.”

  “Why does he owe you?” I couldn’t help asking, curiosity getting the better of me. It had been clear that the two were old friends, despite their age difference, but there must have been more to it. Thomas had seemed grateful to Gavin and I wanted to know why.

  “A bad storm hit here last year. The restaurant was damaged and I helped him out.” Gavin spoke as if this was no big deal. That made me suspect there was more to the story, but I didn’t press him on it. He had said he wanted to make his mark and it was becoming pretty clear that he would leave the world a better place.

  Friday Harbor was hillier than I’d expected and I’d almost begun to regret not taking the motorcycle when Gavin finally paused and said, “Home sweet home.”

  The house was nothing like I had expected. The Sound family was full of surprises. Just like when we had taken the Cessna instead of a private jet. This looked like a family home, not the vacation house of one of the world’s most successful business men. True, it sat on the side of a hill overlooking the glorious waters of Friday Harbor. I could only imagine what it was valued at. As we got closer, I began to notice that it wasn’t a simple house either.

  “Is this one house?” I asked trying to figure it out as I followed him up the cobblestone path.

  “It was one house,” he explained, stopping to take a key from under a rock. This really was a whole, other world if they just left their house keys under a rock. Although, if the rest of Gavin’s family was as loved as he was by the town’s residents, the house was probably in safekeeping while they were absent. “My parents bought this part of it 20 years ago when Sound Coffee first really took off. Over the years they’ve added on. I think one wing came about when we were preteens and the other came about when we were teenagers. At first, they just needed to get away from us. Then, they needed to keep us apart. Imogen and I were always fighting.”

  “You don’t say,” I said dryly. I had been witness to their good-natured sibling disagreements myself. I found it endearing, but I could imagine why his parents wanted a break from it when they were on vacation.

  He unlocked the door with a grin and it swung open, creaking on its hinges. This was no lavish vacation home. It was the heart and soul of a family who worked hard, but had found a quiet spot to escape. We entered into a large living room that joined with a huge, country style kitchen. An island surrounded by barstools was the centerpiece. I could see Gavin and Imogen sitting here while his mom cooked. The floor was a warm oak that matched the wood trim and beams overhead, and the walls were painted a deep green. There was no fancy artwork on the walls. Instead, dozens of family photos had been hung.

  A lump formed in my throat. He’d brought me here. He’d chosen to share this with me.

  “This place is perfect,” I breathed.

  Gavin looked pleased, but he didn’t move from the doorway. He was still carrying both our bags and now he looked torn.

  “I usually stay over there.” He nodded toward one of the adjoining buildings. “But I can show you over to Imogen’s place. Or the guest room in here.”

  “Show me your room,” I said, putting an end to the gentlemanly charade. It was adorable that he wanted to pretend we’d come here for any other reason than to bone.

  We exited through a series of French doors onto a bridge that connected Gavin’s part of the property to the main house. It was lined on either side by lush Douglas firs. It was a bit like walking into the forest. It must have been tricky to add on to the property, given its hillside location, but the effect had an almost magical feeling. It was like finding a Woodland Castle or a fantastic treehouse.

  Gavin showed me to his quarters, setting our bags inside the door. He stood and shoved his hands into his pockets. “This is it. Is there anything I can get you?”

  Your penis? I thought to myself. I bit that back and stuck with “I’m good.”

  I looked around the room, taking it all in. There was a little balcony that looked out over the water. Not the marina side, but rather a calm, unbroken expanse. The view was breathtaking. The room itself was spartan save for a couple of book piles and a few more filled bookshelves. There was no television, which was just fine since I had other plans for entertainment.

  And in the dead center of the room was my favorite part: the biggest bed I’d ever seen.

  “The bathroom is in there if you’d like to freshen up,” he suggested.

  That was probably a good idea. I supposed that after throwing up all over the runway, I needed to do that. I grabbed my bag and ducked inside with a shy grin.
Digging into it, I found my toothbrush and brushed my teeth three times to be safe. While I did, I wandered around the bathroom. It was probably as big as his bedroom. It seemed like he’d decided to sprawl here. In the city, space was at a premium. Here, he had the freedom to indulge. Behind the duel sinks was a large walk-in shower with four rainwater heads. It looked like it belonged in a show home. But what really caught my eye was the large, jetted bathtub in the corner. It was surrounded by oversized windows that looked out over the trees. The condo didn’t have a bathtub. Neither had my dorm room. Maybe I had one more thing to add to this weekend’s to-do list.

  Once I’d finished my final brushing, I stepped back and surveyed myself in the mirror. My dark hair swung over my shoulders, still fresh thanks to Gavin’s intervention at the airfield. Since I’d opted for the natural look, I didn’t need to touch up my make-up. Despite my breakfast’s encore appearance I didn’t look half bad. I considered digging into my weekender for the one slip of a nightgown that I had brought along. I hadn’t been sure if we were at the full-blown lingerie stage, so I had decided to keep it simple. Would it be presumptuous to go back in there in something like that?

  Of course, I was well past the point of presumptuous. We were here, in very close proximity to a very empty bed, and I was ready to seal the deal. I found the nightgown and changed into it. After a quick check in the mirror, I decided it wouldn’t do. It looked like I was ready to go to bed. And not in the way I was hoping for. Nope, I needed something that screamed ‘take me now.’ Or I would actually be screaming take me now. I whipped it off and dropped it back on my bag. Catching sight of myself in the mirror, I realized that I didn’t need anything at all if I wanted to send a clear message.

  Even with a summer of questionable fitness practices, I didn’t look half bad. There would also be no mistaking what I was after if I wore absolutely nothing out that door.

  I loved how careful Gavin was about making sure we were on the same page, but I was ready to let him take control of me—my body and my heart.

  “Now or never, Cassie,” I said in a firm voice. Squaring my shoulders I marched toward the door and stepped out, with a flourish, to an empty room.

  It was more than a bit of a letdown. Gavin was nowhere to be seen. No doubt he was off checking on some other part of the house. Or he’d gone to grab something. It wasn’t a blow to the ego exactly, it was more like the split second I needed to feel embarrassed by my complete and total nudity.

  I was naked and alone and really regretting my choices in life. I started to back toward the bathroom and the safety of my clothing when Gavin walked into the bedroom holding two bottles of water. He froze as soon as he spotted me.

  “Where’s a fig leaf when you need one?” I said under my breath. Instinctively, I tried to wrap an arm around my torso, but couldn’t decide what parts of me were most important to cover. My double Ds put up a fight, spilling over my arm and refusing to play along and I could nearly hide my cootchie if I crossed my legs right. “I’m so sorry.”

  It was all I could think to say. It was probably the first time a woman had ever apologized to a man for being naked.

  “Don’t be sorry and don’t leave,” he tacked on hurriedly as I kept backing into the bathroom.

  “I should put something on.”

  “Whatever you do don’t do that.” He tossed the water bottles onto the nightstand and strode quickly toward me. I’d given up on trying to cover my body and instead hid my face with my hands as though if I couldn’t see him he couldn’t see me. Gavin gripped my wrists and drew them from my face. “God, you’re beautiful. You should be ashamed.”

  “I’m feeling a little exposed,” I whispered. All the confidence I had when I walked out here had completely deflated, leaving half a Cassie in its wake.

  He dropped my hands and stepped away. With one fluid motion he pulled his shirt over his head. “Then allow me to even the playing field.”

  I’d already seen some very impressive parts of Gavin, but with his washboard abs on display, I almost forgot I was naked.

  “Better?”

  “Much.” I couldn’t tear my eyes away. Would my tongue vibrate if I licked that six-pack?

  He reached down and slowly began unbuttoning his jeans. “What about these?”

  All I could manage was a nod. Apparently, that was good enough, because they hit the floor. I’d seen what he was packing under his boxer briefs, but with his legs on display I realized that he must have spent a lot of time at the gym. I should have known they’d be as powerful as the rest of him after he had held me against that wall. He clucked his tongue, catching my attention. “Your eyes seem to be wandering.”

  “Hey, you can’t blame a girl for looking.” I was about to scream ‘show me your peen’ when his boxers hit the floor revealing the full Gavin package.

  He really was Mr. Right.

  “I kinda like this nudist lifestyle.” He strode around the room strutting and showcasing his lean, muscular body. “Are we going to do this all weekend? I’m not sure how they’ll take it at the restaurant. I wish I’d known you were into this.”

  I began to laugh, somehow he’d made the whole thing feel ridiculous. But not in a ‘I want to run and hide way’—in the way a friend would.

  Of course, he was a friend I wanted to fuck.

  He lit up at the sound of my laughter and before I knew it, he caught me in his arms and swept me off my feet.

  Gavin carried me to the bad and laid me across it. Dropping down beside me, he ran a finger lazily from my collarbone to my bellybutton. His touch practically sizzled on my skin.

  “I can’t decide where I want to start with you. Long and slow? Fast and hard?” His hand circled back and wandered to my breast where his thumb began to stroke my nipple. It pebbled under his touch and I bit my lip as new sensations crowded my body.

  “Part of me can’t wait a second longer to be inside of you,” he continued. “The rest of me wants to see how many new ways I can make you come first.”

  I practically came on his words alone.

  “Option D,” I panted. He pulled back, his eyebrows arching into a question mark. “All of the above.”

  A slow, self-satisfied smirk spread over his handsome face before he lowered his mouth to take over for his thumb. I felt the wet heat of his tongue as it flicked across the furl of my nipple, then circled around it, before he took it into his mouth and began to suck. My head fell back into the pillows and I reached up to grab one, needing some type of leverage. Gavin took this as an invitation to continue. His mouth moved to my other breast, repeating the same action until both breasts were swollen and tender. He trailed downward, leaving a wake of kisses until he reached my bellybutton.

  I decided I didn’t need to eat after all. I could live on this alone—feast on the way he touched me.

  A hand pressed between my legs, urging them to part and I felt his finger stroke along my sex. I pulled the pillow over my head, afraid that I would scream as he plunged inside me and began to work. But Gavin had a free hand and he reached up and took the pillow away.

  “We’re all alone here. I want to hear you,” he said in a husky voice that left little room to doubt the sincerity of his words. He continued his gentle assault until I was breathing heavily and nearly there. He seemed to sense that I was close, so he lowered his lips to my ear and whispered, “There’s a condom in the drawer.”

  “Bring a lot of girls here?” I asked through gritted teeth, circling my hips against his hand. A wave of jealousy broke over me, which only made me want him more.

  He loosed a gruff laugh that made my stomach clench. “We’ll be lucky if they aren’t expired.”

  I reached for the drawer and fumbled around inside, barely in control of my own body. Gavin wasn’t helping as he continued to cajole me toward my breaking point. When my fingers closed over a foil packet, I grabbed it and checked the date. I found an unexpired condom at the same moment his thumb found my clit. I bolted up at the c
ontact, coming with a throaty cry that tore through me.

  Gavin caught me around the waist with his other hand and kept me up right. It took me a second to stop shaking and then I reached for the condom I’d dropped. That had been more than enough foreplay. I tore it open. Then with a pretty smile I popped it between my lips, careful not to catch it on my teeth and dropped my head to his lap.

  So it was a college trick, but it was still a showstopper.

  “Holy shit,” he hissed between his gritted teeth. He flipped me onto my back and hovered over me before pausing. He seemed to think better of it before he sat up and propped himself against the headboard. “Come here, baby.”

  I didn’t need him to ask twice. Crawling onto his lap, I lowered myself carefully. Having seen the full size of him, I knew I would need a second to adjust. He stayed sitting up, his arms wrapping around my waist as my legs wrapped around him, and guided me onto his dick. Our gazes locked as we shared the moment. It was incredibly hot and undeniably intimate. When I finally was sheathed to the root, I groaned with the pent-up desire that I’d been holding back since the moment we met.

  He began to move, at first with no urgency. We found our rhythm together—a slow, steady rocking. My head fell back, eyes closed, as I savored the fullness of him. Soon, though, nature took its course and I began to feel anticipation building inside my body. It clawed at my skin, which felt too tight to contain everything I was feeling. I bucked against him, wanting more contact, wanting more of him, and he responded matching me thrust for thrust. As I felt the first ripples of my climax, his hand tipped my chin down and he murmured gruffly, “Open your eyes, baby. I want to see.”

  I pried my eyes open, feeling vulnerable and secure at the same time, and met his smoldering gaze. It was the final push and I fell over the edge, safely in his arms the whole time. I rode out my orgasm as his body went rigid. He groaned and brought his mouth to mine and we shattered together.