Gabe

by M. Malone

  "I could call them." She makes a face and pulls the comforter over her legs.

  "But you don't want to."

  "So they can say I told you so? They think I can't handle this. They think I should stick to being cute on stage, not trying to be the one in charge. I don't need to hear that right now."

  Even sick and exhausted, she's determined to be strong. If her sisters think she can't handle owning a business, I have to wonder if they're spending time with the same person I am.

  She shoves the pillows aside until she can get into a comfortable position.

  "Well, you know what that means. Until you're strong enough to kick me out, I'm here. Now sleep."

  "Thanks, Gabe." She tucks the covers under her chin and smiles up at me sweetly before her lashes drift down.

  There's an unfamiliar feeling in my chest as I look down at her, something I'm not sure I'm ready to examine yet. "I'll just move my car to the street and then go get your medicine."

  And then I make my escape.

  chapter nine

  GABE

  I wake to the sound of retching. A cough. Then another choked sound of agony. Sasha's guest bedroom is right next to hers and I crashed in here after calling Zack to let him know I wouldn't be coming home.

  I rub my eyes with my hands and glance over at the clock on the nightstand. It's a little after two in the morning. I climb out of bed and then walk down to the kitchen. I've got a pretty good immune system but I've had enough hangovers to know what helps when you've been vomiting. I fill a glass of water and then open the pantry. There's a box of crackers on the top shelf so I grab that. She won't be able to handle anything heavy right now.

  In Sasha's room, the only light is coming from the bathroom. "Sasha? I brought you some water."

  She pokes her head around the doorframe. "You're still here?" Despite how exhausted she looks, her eyes light up when she sees me.

  "I told you I wasn’t leaving. I’m here until you can kick me out. Are you okay?"

  "Fine. I just coughed so hard that it made me throw up. Which was both painful and gross."

  "Here, this should help." I hand over the water and she accepts it, wrapping both hands around the glass. "I've also got some crackers if your stomach is upset."

  I wait while she takes a sip of water and then walks back to bed. She puts the glass down on her nightstand and then crawls back under the covers. I don't want to leave her alone just yet so I crawl onto the other side of the bed, on top of the comforter, then open the box in my arms and hand her a cracker. She laughs softly.

  "You're pretty good at this." She looks up at me curiously before taking a small bite of cracker. "I know you said we're friends and all but I have friends I've known for years who wouldn't have stuck around for this."

  The way she's looking at me makes me a little uncomfortable. Like I'm some kind of savior. No way in hell I can live up to that.

  "It's not a big deal. Anyone would have done the same."

  "They really wouldn't have. Believe me, I know. There's no way I can see my last boyfriend measuring out my medicine and bringing me crackers when I'm nauseated."

  Hearing her talk about the bastard she was dating, the one who had the right to slip beneath these blankets and curl up with her, makes me want to hit something.

  "He sounds like an ass. I might not be your boyfriend but that doesn't mean I don't care about what happens to you. I like you, Sasha."

  She wrinkles her brow. "I don't think I've ever had a guy say he likes me. He might like how I look."

  "I'd be a liar if I said I didn't like how you look. You're beautiful. But you're also smart and vibrant and fun."

  "Most people would probably say I'm too silly. I've always had my head in the clouds and I know that gets on some people's nerves." She shrugs but her lashes come down to shade her eyes. I can see the characterization bothers her.

  It bothers me that the people around her consider her bubbly personality something to be ashamed of. When she looks at me, it's like she sees who I am and not what I've done. Even when she caught me picking the locks at the club, she didn't look at me like a criminal or assume the worst. Remembering her request for me to teach her to do it too makes me smile.

  She's one of the few people in my life that can make me laugh and makes me look for the extraordinary in the everyday.

  With a gentle finger beneath her chin, I tip her face up so she can’t hide from me. “There's nothing wrong with being a dreamer. You hope for the best and try to find joy wherever you are. You make me look at the world differently. And I like how I feel when I'm around you."

  After a few moments, her eyes leave mine and she reaches for another cracker. "I like how I feel around you, too."

  Over the next two days, Sasha gets better. When she finds out her parents are coming to check on her, I use the time to pick up some clothes but other than that, we stay holed up in our own little universe. In between her naps, she asks me about growing up with Zack and about my relationship with my father. I ask her about the violin in her closet and then tease her about the vibrator buried in the back drawer of the nightstand. We eat takeout and watch movies, most of which she falls asleep on.

  Mostly I watch her. Whether she's sleeping or eating or laughing or crying, everything about her fascinates me. I've never had so much fun doing nothing.

  “Wouldn’t it be great if we could just stay in this little bubble, just you and me?” Sasha sighs as the credits roll on the movie we just finished watching.

  During the film, she snuggled up closer and closer until she ended up with her head pillowed on my chest and one of her legs twisted around mine. I have no idea how the film ended because fighting an erection for the past hour took all my concentration.

  “Maybe if we don’t move, we can just stay like this forever. In our pajamas eating takeout and no one will bother us.”

  I know exactly what she means. The past few days have been a dream in a way. Away from my usual routine, my family, my job, I’ve been able to ignore the voice in the back of my head that warns me I’m playing with fire.

  “That’s not the way it is, beautiful. The outside always comes crashing in at some point.” I’m saying the words for her benefit and my own. Because when it’s just the two of us, it’s easy to forget why I shouldn’t be here. It’s so easy to fall into the fantasy that I’m the kind of guy that deserves this life.

  “But could we pretend? Just for a little while.” Sasha looks up at me, her nose brushing against my cheek. Longing, sharp and sweet, makes me squeeze her a little tighter. Looking down at her I have to face up to an uncomfortable truth. I’m not here because Sasha needs me anymore. The first two days she was ill but she got over her cold once she got some sleep. She’s not sick and hasn’t been for a while. I’m here because there’s nowhere else I’d rather be.

  I’m here because walking away from her is harder and harder every time.

  She seems to sense where my thoughts are because her lashes lower. “Don’t say it. Please. Just let me have this moment before we have to go back to reality.”

  She shifts and her hand lands on my chest to steady herself. My heart is banging beneath my ribs and when she feels it, her eyes lift to mine again. Whatever she sees there seems to make her brave because her hand slips down to the waistband of my sweatpants. Then she cups me through the soft cotton.

  “Fuck!” I can’t hold back at the jolt of pure pleasure that races up my spine.

  Sasha is just as bold as I would have expected because she’s got me in a firm grip, the kind that means business. Her brown eyes are heated as she swipes her thumb up and down the length of my cock, biting her lip when my fingers tighten around her waist.

  “You’re playing a very dangerous game, beautiful. Because my self-control is pretty much nonexistent when it comes to you already.”

  She slides one leg over my lap, straddling me. “Good. I don’t want you controlled. I don’t want your lines or that phony face you show
to the world. I want you. The real you.”

  * * * * *

  Sasha’s lips crash down on mine, hot and sweet and I have to grab the back of her nightshirt to keep my hands from going crazy. I want to touch every inch of her, stroke every bit of her smooth skin until she’s panting beneath me. But I know that I need to have slightly more finesse than that.

  She tears her mouth from mine finally, taking several deep gasping breaths. Already her eyes are slumberous, her cheeks flushed with her desire. An intensely masculine sense of satisfaction makes me grasp her tighter. I put that look on her face. I made her lose her breath.

  And I’m the one who’s going to have her screaming under me.

  Sasha pulls her nightshirt over her head and then squeals when I stand suddenly, holding her securely against my chest. Her arms tighten around my neck in a stranglehold and her legs wrap around my waist. It brings her right up against my dick in a way that she can’t avoid.

  “Oh!” She glances down and then back up at me, bashfully.

  “That’s right, beautiful. Get used to feeling him because he’s always ready around you.”

  “Well, I understand that. After all, I feel the same way. I want you, Gabe.” She nuzzles her nose against my cheek and does this little arch thing with her back. It rubs her right against me in a way that almost makes me come right then and there.

  “Fuck, baby. You are killing me here.” Blindly, I turn toward her bedroom, not even looking where I’m going, just determined to get her horizontal. Her hands tighten in my hair and she pulls my mouth back to hers, sucking my tongue into her mouth.

  I almost stub my toe as I stumble through the doorway into her room and it’s nothing more than blind luck that lands us on the bed when I finally collapse. Sasha drops her arms over her head, suddenly demure. Then she arches her hips. Without a word I understand her signal and hook my fingers into the sides of her panties and her pajama bottoms. Her eyes don’t leave mine as I slide them down.

  Her breathing speeds up as they hit the floor but she keeps her legs squeezed together.

  “Open up for me, baby.” My voice sounds heavier than usual, raspy but damn if I’m not already on the edge of insanity. I want to go slow, savor her and bring her more pleasure than she’s ever known but there’s a fierce need to dominate and possess riding me. A need to splay her open and sink in, to take her fast and hard until I’m so deep she’ll never even think another man’s name.

  “Gabe, you can’t look at it.” Her cheeks color pink and the contrast against her gorgeous brown skin tone is insanely arousing.

  “I’m going to be doing a lot more than looking at it, beautiful.” I gently nudge between her legs and then notch her legs over my shoulders. “I’m going to be looking and touching and tasting.”

  She lets out a little huff that morphs into a low moan at the first brush of my tongue against her pussy. Her mouth falls open and she lets out the sexiest little whimper that hits me right between the eyes.

  I work slowly, knowing that every soft brush of my tongue will push her higher, make her crave what I can give her. I trail my fingers up and down her legs. She's so soft. Everywhere. I can't get enough of her taste, drawing her little clit between my lips over and over.

  "Gabe!" Suddenly her back arches and her legs tighten around my head.

  It's a heady feeling, having her pliant and trusting beneath me like this. I want to get inside her in every way. I smile against her thigh, taking a little nip that makes her moan before giving her what she wants.

  When I take her clit beneath my teeth gently and thrust a finger inside, she lets out another soft cry and shudders beneath me. I want to lap it all up, every bit of her desire, and then do it all again.

  She's still panting when pull back and yank my shirt over my head. Kicking out of my sweatpants, I lower myself on top of her. Her hands immediately grip my hair, pulling me to her for another deep kiss.

  Making my way down her body, I skim my tongue over the tempting curves of her breasts, stopping to take a nipple deep. Her helpless sigh eggs me on and I tongue the sharp peak until she gasps and squirms beneath me. I feel drugged, the scent rising from her skin so enticing that I have the urge to rub myself against her until it's all over me.

  "Gabe, don't stop." She shudders when I move to the other side, treating her other nipple to the same teasing caress.

  “I'm not stopping, beautiful. I couldn't even if I tried.” I flex my hips and my cock nudges against her core. She gives an appreciative murmur and swivels her hips in response.

  "Jesus. You're a sexy little thing, you know that? You love to tease."

  She bites her lips and nods, her breath coming a little harder when I flex again.

  "Well, you're not the only one who can tease. I'm not giving you this until you beg me for it."

  Sasha's eyes light up and then her legs wrap around my waist. Her undulations rub her right against my dick. Fuck. She's so hot and wet. I hang my head, trying in vain to get control of myself. I groan when she kisses her way up my neck and then takes my lobe between her teeth.

  "I'm not the one who'll be begging," she whispers. Then her hands drop down until she grabs my ass and holds me against her.

  Control gone, I almost come right then. "Please tell me you have a condom."

  She points to her nightstand. I lean over and yank the top drawer out. There's a strip of three in the back of the drawer. Rolling one on should give me the time I need to pull back from the edge but then Sasha rolls over and touches me tentatively. My cock jumps in her hand and she glances up with a naughty look before she licks the tip. Fire races over every inch of my skin as she sweeps her hair over her shoulder and opens wider, trying to take in more. When I bump the back of her throat, I almost black out when she swallows around me.

  "Fuck it, you win." I pull back and get the condom on in record time. Then I crawl over her, pulling her legs around my waist. Before she can say anything, I thrust deep.

  Her head falls back and she lets out a long, agonized moan. Her pussy clenches around me, holding me tight.

  "Oh my god, I'm pretty sure we're both winning right now."

  The laugh takes me by surprise and I have to smother it against her neck. Only Sasha could make me laugh at a moment like this. A sudden rush of affection takes me off guard. She has such a pure heart. I shouldn't be here, reveling in her sweetness. I'm more aware in that moment of how utterly unworthy I am of her. My heart is black, covered in years of grime from all the questionable choices I've made in my life.

  But here in this moment, she makes me feel brand new.

  "You don't even know what you do to me." My words are spoken so softly that I doubt she hears me but her arms tighten around my shoulders.

  Before long, we have a perfect rhythm and as my hips roll against hers, I swear I'm getting deeper every time. She grasps at my forearms helplessly, her eyes widening when I hit a certain spot.

  "Gabe! Yes, right there." She comes with a sharp cry and her nails dig into my skin until I'm sure she's drawn blood. Her pussy flutters and the strong contractions pull me over the edge, too. I groan against her hair and squeeze her tighter, feeling like I've died and come back to life simultaneously.

  We stay like that, breathing hard and wrapped up in each other's arms for a long time. She traces circles on my shoulder and rubs one of her legs up and down mine. Those little touches seem almost as intimate as what we just did. It's like she doesn't want to be separated from me yet.

  When I turn my head, she's watching me but there's no regret in her gaze. She looks completely satisfied. Replete.

  Every masculine instinct I have roars to life at having put that look on her face. It may be wrong but I'm going to take this stolen moment in time and enjoy it. I can't be what she deserves but I can give her this. I will worship at the altar of her body and give her the one thing I can.

  Pleasure.

  * * * * *

  Thursday morning I cram my feet in the flimsy pair o
f flip-flops that Sasha keeps near the door. When I went home, I just grabbed a pair of sweatpants, clean underwear and a few shirts. I didn’t think about footwear. I really need to keep a gym bag with sneakers and a change of clothes in my car from now on. Not that I'm planning on more sleepovers in the future but just in case.

  Just in case she gets sick again? Yeah, right.

  I'm shamelessly taking advantage of the situation to spend time with her but even I know it's unlikely that Sasha will ever need my help like this again.

  When I got up this morning, I spent a long time just staring at Sasha. I'd intended to get up after she fell asleep last night and go back to the guest room. I've never particularly liked sleeping next to someone. You end up getting too hot and fighting for the blankets. But I fell asleep with her ensconced in the cradle of my arms and woke up feeling warm. In more ways than one. I haven't slept this well in a long time and I can't even begin to examine what that means.

  I open the front door, trash bag in hand, and then stop at the sight of a black SUV in the driveway. Sasha seems pretty concerned about her neighbors seeing a man at her place, which seems really old-fashioned to me. But I don't want her getting shit about me being here so I turn around to go back in when the guy calls out my name. He slams the door and walks up the driveway.

  "Eli? I didn't recognize you at first."

  I've met him a few times at Tank's place before seeing him at the engagement party so it's not like we don't know each other. But with the way he's glaring at me, it's clear he's not thrilled to see me at Sasha's house this early in the morning. Maybe she had a point about not wanting anyone to know I'm here.

  "Sasha hasn't been answering her phone. Kay was getting worried."

  The first day, Sasha's phone had been ringing constantly. I knew that she'd called her family to let them know she wouldn't be coming by so I'd assumed that she'd called her friends, too.