Two hours, two beignets, two mint juleps, and several dances later, Addison was definitely in a party mood. Gabe was hot enough in the tux, but when he showed her that he knew how to waltz, her panties nearly melted off. He’d been introducing her to people, touching her, even stealing kisses all night, and she felt like she was in the middle of a fairy tale. So when her phone rang just as she was returning to the dance floor with Gabe’s hand in hers, it took her a second to return to real life.
“Hello?”
“Hi, honey, it’s Caroline.”
“Hi, Caroline.” Addison pointed toward the huge French doors that led to the back patio, and Gabe nodded. “Just a minute, we’re going where it’s quieter.”
They stepped out onto the enormous stone patio, complete with a gurgling fountain and three stone paths that led into the flower garden. As soon as the doors swung shut, the music and conversation were cut off, and she said, “Is everything okay?”
“Oh, yes. I was just calling to let you know that Stella is fast asleep, and I was wondering if she could spend the night. We talked about my French toast earlier, and Cooper convinced her that she really had to try it.”
Addison smiled. “I’m so glad they’re getting along. But I don’t know—”
“She’s in one of Cooper’s shorts and T-shirts, I had an extra toothbrush, and she’s confiscated one of Logan’s favorite pillows.”
“Are you sure?”
“Honey, I’m completely sure. I’d love to have her. You and Gabe enjoy your night, and we’ll see you in the morning for French toast. It really is quite good.”
Addison laughed. “I don’t know how I can say no. But please call me if there are any problems at all.”
“Of course. Have fun.”
“What’s going on?” Gabe asked as she disconnected.
Addison explained, then said, “I think your mom is trying to get you laid,” she said.
He grinned. “She’s the best.”
“She really is.”
He nodded and lifted a hand to her cheek. “But be careful. My mom is this close to pulling out her wedding ring so I can give it to you.”
Addison laughed, but then she saw that he was clearly serious. Her heart thumped, and she felt her lungs freeze and a really strange ribbon of I-want-that snaked through her. Addison swallowed. “Really? She barely knows me.”
“But she knows me.”
“And you said something?” Surely not. No way would Gabe mention his mother’s wedding ring. She needed to keep calm. He was kidding around. Kind of. Maybe.
“I didn’t have to say anything. She knows me. She’s seen how happy I am.”
“It’s only been a few weeks,” Addison said weakly.
“It’s been seven months.”
She looked up at him. “You’ve been noticeably happier because of me for seven months?”
He nodded. “Maybe it’s not very manly to admit, but I’ve been pretty smitten with you since you first walked into my bar.”
Smitten. That was a really great word. And, wow. It wasn’t I love you, but it was as close to talking about feelings other than lust that they’d been.
“I have been, too,” she said honestly.
He pulled her close and kissed her. And it was the sweetest kiss of her life. Full of promise and, yeah, maybe they weren’t saying it, but that kiss felt like there was some love there. Tears pricked the backs of her eyes, and she had to blink a few times after opening them when he lifted his head.
“Want to go to the apartment where I can finally get this dress off you completely and worship your body from head to toe?” he asked.
“That’s quite a come-on line,” she teased, absolutely ready to let him do all that.
“Oh, there’s going to be coming involved. Nice, loud, Gabe-you’re-a-god coming.”
As desire swept through her, so did an emotion that felt like more than “some” love. She swallowed. “Yeah, I definitely want that.”
Gabe nodded, but he pinned her with an intense look and said, “I think I should be clear about something before we go. In case you want to change your mind.”
Oh boy. She wet her lips. “Okay.”
“You should know that if I take you to that apartment, where it all started, I will not be fucking you all night long.”
Addison couldn’t believe it, but she was pretty sure she knew what he was going to say. “Okay,” she replied softly.
“I will be making love to you. All night long.”
There was something in his voice she’d never heard before, and it made her heart squeeze even as her core tightened with need. “I thought we talked about my wearing just the thong and the heels.”
His eyes darkened. “We did. And trust me, Ad, I might be bending you over the table or putting you on all fours on the bed or thrusting into that beautiful mouth, but it will all still be making love.”
Wow.
She was in deep. And going to the apartment with him tonight would only make it worse.
But she was going to go.
Oh, God.
“Okay,” she said, lacing her fingers with his. “I’m ready.”
His hand tightened around hers as his jaw tensed, and Addison could see the emotions swirling in his eyes. He was all in here. She really had to be ready. But an instant later, she realized that she really was . . . she really was ready for this. For Gabe.
An hour later, they were climbing the stairs to the apartment over the bar. It felt very much like all the other times and yet, so different. She knew this man’s body so well, knew how explosive this would be, how bone-deep satisfying, and yet she also felt a swoop of nervous anticipation in her belly as he unlocked the door and pushed it open, standing back to let her pass by.
She stepped through the door, half expecting him to close it quickly and back her up against it. That was a familiar move. And she was a big fan. But instead, he stepped through and closed the door softly.
She turned to face him, feeling her heart pounding, the flutter of butterflies in her stomach both exciting and a little nerve-racking. Gabe pushed a hand through his hair and blew out a breath.
“Are you okay?” Addison asked, liking that he looked a little nervous, too.
“Just trying to find words other than ‘If you’re not naked in the next thirty seconds, I can’t be responsible for the damage to that dress.’”
She laughed and moved closer. That was pure Gabe. This was the same guy, and this was going to be great. “Why do you need other words than those?”
“Because since realizing that I’m in love with you, it feels like I should have better words.”
Her heart completely turned over in her chest at that. He was in love with her. That was . . . Wow. Now she wasn’t sure what words she should have. So instead, she took the step that brought her up right in front of him. “If you love me, you’ll never stop talking to me like that.”
He cupped her face and gave her a sexy, sweet smile. “Addison, if you’re not naked in the next thirty seconds, I can’t be responsible for potential damage to this dress.”
She reached behind her and unzipped, watching him the whole time. The bodice gaped and then fell away, leaving her naked from the waist up.
His eyes flared as she moved back and pushed the dress the rest of the way off. His gaze roamed over her as he shrugged out of his jacket. She stepped out of the dress and hooked her thumbs in the top of her thong, but suddenly Gabe scooped her up into his arms. “Okay, naked was an overreaction on my part. That thong stays.”
She undid his tie, pulling it loose and tossing it to the floor, then went to work on the buttons of his shirt as he carried her into the bedroom.
The wrought iron bed under the huge fan with the moonlight streaming through the French doors to the balcony was one of her favorite places. But when Gabe laid her down and started moving his mouth over her body with hot and tender kisses, she lost all track of where she was other than with Gabe. This man could make her for
get her name.
His lips and tongue and hands moved over her neck, shoulders, breasts, stomach, thighs—clear to her toes. He spent a little extra time at several places in between, lingering on her nipples, belly, inner thighs, and between her legs, where he pulled the thong to one side, but he didn’t leave one inch unexplored. She was wriggling and begging by the time he lifted his lips back to hers. His shirt was unbuttoned, and his belt was on the floor by the bed, but otherwise, he was mostly dressed to her mostly naked.
“Gabe, please.”
“I don’t think there’s anything I love hearing more than you begging me to make you come,” he said gruffly against her lips.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and arched closer. “Please make me come, Gabe. Please.”
He moved his hand between them, again finding her hot, slick folds. He teased her clit, then slipped two fingers inside. “Let me feel it, baby. Let me feel you come apart.”
“I want you.” She opened her knees farther. “All of you. Not just your fingers.”
“Just my fingers?” He curved them just right to hit the spot that made her toes curl and her core clench. “They’re just fingers?”
She moaned, and her hips lifted.
“So you want me to stop?” He stroked deeper.
It took her a second to form words. “I’m so close.”
“Just tell me, Ad. Tell me what you want.”
She gripped his shirt in both hands, nearly whimpering. “I don’t know,” she said huskily. “I just want you.”
“I know you do, baby,” he said against her neck. “And that makes me feel like a fucking king.”
She loved that she could make him feel that way. He made her feel things that no one else could, and she loved knowing that affected him.
“Please, Gabe.” She ran her hands through his hair. “Make love to me.”
She felt a shudder go through him, and he shifted. “God, Ad.”
Yeah, that sounded different from “Please fuck me.” It was so much . . . more.
She reached between them and found his fly. She unbuttoned and unzipped the pants, getting them and his boxers out of the way. When she wrapped her fingers around his shaft, another shudder went through him, and he caught his breath. Then he shifted, leaning in on one elbow and reaching for his pants pocket.
“Gabe, please, now.”
“Condom,” he said huskily, fumbling with his pants.
But she grabbed his wrist, stopping him. He looked up, and she shook her head. “Just you and me,” she said softly.
It wasn’t reckless. She still had the IUD. But making love to him without a condom, consciously deciding to not have any barrier between them rather than forgetting in the heat of the moment, felt important. And right.
He paused for a moment, taking in what she was saying. Then he kissed her and slid his hand from his pocket to her thigh, lifting her knee to his hip.
“I love you, Addison,” he told her gruffly, looking into her eyes.
She nodded. “I love you, too.”
Then, when she thought he was going to plunge into her, he grabbed the narrow strip of silk on her hip and yanked, literally ripping the thong off her. Then he took her hips and sank deep, the heat and friction perfect. Addison wrapped herself around him, arms and legs striving to get as close as she could.
Her orgasm came on quickly, but rather than a bright explosion of sensation and heat like usual, it was like a slowly rising wave of satisfaction that rolled over her and left no part of her unaffected.
Gabe’s climax had him shouting her name and then crushing her to his chest mere minutes later. And when he rolled to his back, he took her with him, keeping her up against him with one hand tangled in her hair and one splayed over her butt.
They stayed wrapped up tight like that, as close as two people could be, afterward, just breathing and thinking for nearly twenty minutes.
Addison felt completely sated. And yet, there was something niggling at her, telling her to not get too comfortable. She couldn’t get the thoughts pinned down, but there was something there, not letting her drift to sleep.
Gabe’s fingers were combing through her hair, and finally he said, “Ad?”
“Yeah?” she asked, not lifting her head from where it was resting on that perfect spot between his shoulder and chest.
“What would you say to going back to my place?”
“This is your place.” But she knew what he meant.
“This is my . . .”
She smiled, waiting for him to fill in that blank. Finally, she tipped her head to look up at him. “Your fuck pad?”
He shot her a sheepish smile. “Kind of.”
She knew that. Of course. It was where he’d taken her because he couldn’t take women to where he lived. With his mother. And his son.
“But I was thinking it feels kind of strange to be here instead of with the kids,” he said. He stroked her hair. “I like the idea of our kids together with my mom. And I feel like . . .”
“We should be there, too,” she said softly. And that was what had been nagging at her. This wasn’t a one-night stand or a quickie hookup or a secret fling. This was—well, more than that. And while she did love her grown-up time and time being just Addison—especially when that time was with Gabe—now, with Gabe, it felt like she could be all those things at once.
And that was a startling thought. That quickly sank into her heart and made her smile. She pushed herself up to sitting and smiled at Gabe. It was a huge step. Way bigger than coming back here to make love rather than have sex. But it felt good. “Yeah, we should go to your place.”
Gabe held Addison’s hand, but they didn’t talk as the cab took them to the house where his mother and their kids slept. She’d rented the limo for the night, but that night ended at midnight. But Gabe didn’t care what they were riding in, only that she was beside him when he was going home.
It had been only a month since they’d talked sarcastically about a long engagement rather than getting married right away. And he had no intention of having Stella and her move in with his mother. They’d get their own place. Or he and Cooper could move in with Addison and Stella. For a while. Until they needed a bigger house for more kids.
Gabe worked on relaxing his hold on her hand and breathing deep. She was going to notice his tension, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to let her in on his train of thought just yet. He’d told her he loved her. She’d said it back. They’d made love. She’d let her daughter spend the night with his mom and son. It was all huge. But he knew that marriage and more kids and all was a conversation for another time. Addison was warming up to Cooper, and she knew what being involved with Gabe meant as far as family was concerned. He was a package deal—he came with a family, not just a son. But Gabe wasn’t sure that Addison had really let all of that sink in. At least, not how it would affect Stella and her. In his mind, it would be in all positive, supportive ways. But he wasn’t sure he wanted to spook her with the whole my-family-is-involved-in-everything-and-that-will-include-you-and-Stella just yet. She’d admitted that she didn’t like other people giving advice and making decisions about her daughter. But Gabe definitely wanted her involved with decisions for Cooper. He wanted to talk out all the issues and get her input and have her sitting next to Coop on all the swamp boats—literal and figurative—from here on out. Because Gabe could absolutely be the one dealing with the alligators in Stella’s life.
Yeah, he needed to not lay all of that on Addison right now.
So he simply lifted her hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it as the car pulled up at the curb. He paid the driver, then helped Addison out of the back seat. They made their way into the house quietly. There was a lamp glowing on the table next to his mother’s reading chair, but she had long gone up to bed. Logan was at the bar and would be for at least another hour or so. Cooper and Stella were nestled on the two couches in the living room that sat in an L shape. They each had pillows and blankets and stuf
fed animals. There were two glasses of water on the table that sat between the couches, and the television over the fireplace was tuned to a kids’ music station.
Gabe looked over at Addison and grinned. She squeezed his hand.
“This is nice,” she whispered.
“It really is.” Though nice seemed like an understatement. This was, bottom line, what he wanted to come home to after every night out. With this woman by his side. And yeah, he needed to reel all of that in, dammit.
“So . . .” Addison looked around. “I guess I didn’t think about how this would work. Where should I sleep?”
In my bed. There was never going to be another answer he wanted to give to that question. But that wouldn’t be appropriate tonight. Not when they’d be waking up with the kids in the morning. Sure, they could try to get up before Cooper and Stella, but it was risky, and he didn’t want to confuse them. “Here.” He tossed his tux jacket onto the banister at the bottom of the stairs, then unbuttoned his shirt and shrugged it off.
Addison’s eyes widened, and she certainly didn’t look away. Her eyes on him heated his blood nearly instantly. But that wasn’t what this was about. He handed her the shirt. “Take off your dress and put this on,” he said, handing it over.
She took the shirt with a little smile. “Okay,” she said. “But I don’t have panties, if you remember.”
Gabe had to swallow hard at that reminder. Oh yeah. “Stay here.” He bounded up the stairs as quietly as he could and returned with a pair of his boxers. “These will work for tonight, right?” He did not want her going home because he’d literally torn off her thong during sex.
She smirked. “Yeah, these will work. I assume we’ll be having breakfast with your mother?”
He nodded. “I’m sure.”
“Well, this will be interesting.”
That was one word for it. Wonderful was another. But instead of saying that, Gabe wrapped an arm around her waist and dipped her back, planting a hot but quick kiss on her lips. “I’m glad you’re staying,” he told her huskily.
She nodded. “Me, too.”
Going Down Easy (Boys of the Big Easy) Page 16
