by Carmen Cook
When she’d mentioned it, he’d thought she’d be slapping some paint on the walls, maybe picking out new carpeting. Instead, it looked as though it would be easier if they simply tore the place down and started over.
After locking the front door he turned back. Regan still hadn’t come out from whichever room she’d disappeared. Did she want him to go too?
Forget it, he muttered, deciding to throw caution to the wind. The sudden appearance of her ex had rattled her and if she wanted to be alone, he’d abide by that. But he needed to make sure she was okay and wanted to be left alone before he left.
It was easy to find her. There was a dim light glowing around the partially opened door of one of the smaller bedrooms.
“Regan?” he asked, pushing the door open. He’d made plenty of noise so as not to startle her, but she jumped anyway at his voice. Gavin stepped into the room, waiting for her to acknowledge him. She stood at the window, looking out into the inky night.
When she didn’t immediately turn he let his eyes roam over the interior of the room. The white lacy curtains looked worn but delicately inviting. There were matching lacy bits of something on the top of the scarred dresser, those things his own grandmother used to constantly crochet that he’d never understood the point of. The effect made it obvious the room had been decorated by an octogenarian and made Gavin smile.
His gaze took in the wardrobe that stood sentry over the opened suitcases, which spilled their contents onto the floor. Then his eyes focused on something.
“What is that?”
At his shout, Regan finally turned, a small smile lighting her eyes. “That is my bed.”
The laughter started to rumble in his chest. “Well, if I had any doubt about why you told me not to bother coming inside, I now understand. An air mattress isn’t going to be sufficient for our next date.”
Shadows left Regan’s eyes as she gaped at his words. For a moment, he wondered if she was going to take offense, but then she laughed.
And laughed some more. Standing at the window, she threw her head back and chortled.
After several seconds, she wiped her eyes. “I hadn’t even considered my lack of a proper bed when I said that.”
He moved to stand next to her, looking out into the darkness. “What were you thinking about?”
She drew in a breath and shook her head. “I’m not sure anymore. Everything is twisting in my mind.”
“Why do you think your ex is here?” he asked bluntly. He couldn’t figure out any reason other than Todd’s desire to get back together with Regan. And who could blame him?
Gavin’s own claim on her was minuscule by comparison of their marriage, but he couldn’t help the stab of jealousy roaring through his veins at the idea of them getting back together.
Typically, he took his time. Think everything through and analyze all possible weak points and arguments. But he didn’t want to take his time. He didn’t want to think about why he shouldn’t follow his gut.
This woman twisted him up without even trying.
She took a small step toward him and he stopped thinking altogether.
Gavin moved swiftly, sliding his hands up her arms, wedging one into the hair at the nape of her neck while the other shifted back down, grazing her spine and rest on Regan’s hip. She let out a breath that tickled the skin of his neck and had him tightening—everywhere.
Standing on her toes she placed a soft kiss on his jaw, nibbling her way up to his ear where she took the lobe between her teeth. Gavin was afraid to move. Afraid to even breathe out of fear that she’d come to her senses.
“I don’t want to talk about that,” she whispered. “I want to do other things.”
“Things?” His voice cracked but he didn’t care. He forced his hands to remain gentle in their grip on her. He had no idea what she was talking about. Couldn’t remember what he’d asked her before she started kissing him.
He was in serious trouble.
Her smile came through her voice as she rubbed against him, drawing her breasts across his chest, her hip against his growing erection. Killing him. She was killing him with this slow, delicious torture. “You know what things I mean. Things we never really explored. Things that make this heat flare between us.”
He swallowed. “Those things.” Her lips captured his in a sweet kiss. He let her set the pace, the heat, all of it. When she released him, he grinned. “Those were very good things.”
Chapter Ten
Regan bit back a smile at Gavin’s gasp as she flattened her hands against his chest and slid them down, slowly, feeling every ridge and ripple of his muscles. He was trying hard to hold still and she loved that he was struggling with it.
She felt powerful. Alive. Something she hadn’t felt in the hands of a man in far too long. He was giving her the time she needed to explore and get comfortable with him, without even knowing why she needed the time.
If she wasn’t careful, she would be right back where she was before. But somehow the thought of being in a relationship with Gavin didn’t fill her with the same sense of panic and suffocation she’d associated with the idea.
Not wanting to think about it, she focused instead on the heat radiating off Gavin’s skin. The feel of his breath as he closed his eyes and tried to relax his stance. He continued to hold her, one hand tangled in her hair while the other gripped her hip, but he didn’t guide her with either of them. Instead, he just let them rest against her while she explored his body.
His very excellent, hard, toned body.
Blinking, she refocused her efforts and slipped her hands up under his T-shirt, smiling when he sucked in a breath, his abs quivering against her fingertips. She slid them up further under the fabric of his shirt, slowly exploring everything within her reach, thrilled he was standing still and letting her explore.
“This is nice,” she whispered, placing another kiss against his throat.
“That’s one word for it,” he muttered, flexing his fingers. “Regan, you’re killing me.”
She smiled against his skin, enjoying the salty taste of him on her lips. Had she ever had so much fun during foreplay? “You seem pretty alive to me.” She pressed her hips against him, feeling every inch of his interest and smiled again. “Very much alive.”
Laughter bubbled up her throat as he growled low and grabbed her around her waist. Knee to neck, there was no way a whisper could fit between them. The laughter quickly transformed into a low moan as he moved against her core, inflaming the spark she’d brought to life.
Why were they still dressed? She should have taken the opportunity to strip him down when he was letting her play. Her regret was short-lived as he captured her mouth in a kiss that curled her toes.
She knew Gavin could kiss. She’d enjoyed his kisses before, but this was different. This was overwhelming. Empowering. Consuming.
Giving herself up to him, Regan wrapped her arms around his neck and lifted her leg, trying to wrap it around his waist. The haze of lust was so thick she was having trouble thinking about anything but getting closer to him.
“Easy,” Gavin rasped, boosting her up into the position she was straining to reach, his hands under her butt to hold her in place.
“I don’t want easy,” she told him, hooking her ankles at the small of his back. “I want fast. I want hard. And I want it now.” Regan punctuated each statement with a hard peck, holding his face still for her.
Gavin smiled and shifted her slightly, sliding along her core and making her eyes roll back in her head. “We’ll get to fast and hard, but first we need to take our time.”
She opened her mouth to argue her point, but then he started to walk. Regan’s toes curled as the friction at her core increased. She had no idea where he was taking her—not that there were a lot of options in the small house—but she just hoped he got there quickly.
She laid a long, hot kiss on Gavin’s mouth, making him stumble a bit. But she felt safe and secure in his arms. Gavin nudged the door to a
nother bedroom open and paused to turn on the light. Regan couldn’t wait to get him naked.
“You’ve got to be kidding.”
The words pierced Regan’s haze enough to realize Gavin had stopped moving. He stood just inside the room and was staring at something. She strained to look over his shoulder to see what had captured his attention. “What?” she asked, trying to figure out what was wrong this time.
There had better not be someone peeking in the window or she wouldn’t be responsible for her actions.
Sliding down from where Gavin was holding her against him, Regan moved to stand in front of him. There was nothing there. This room wasn’t even all that messy compared to the rest of the house. “What?” she repeated.
Gavin pointed across the room. Her eyes followed and her confusion increased. “The bed?”
“Isn’t there a real bed anywhere in this house?” He sounded incredulous.
Regan turned to him now, hands on her hips. “What’s wrong with it?”
“Honey, it’s another air mattress.”
“So? The air mattresses have worked just fine for me. And Chloe brought that one over for when she stays here.”
This time he did laugh. He pulled her into his arms when she was about to turn away from him. “An air mattress just isn’t going to work for us.”
Sighing, Regan took a step back into the hallway, only to be stopped by Gavin’s hand on her arm. “I didn’t say we weren’t going to do this,” he said, pulling her back and capturing her lips in a searing kiss.
Instantly, the haze developed again and Regan fell into him, letting him set the pace and guide her wherever he wanted her. She was tired of thinking. Tired of trying to be in charge and control everything around her. It was time to let someone else take care of her for a while.
Gavin steered her back down the hallway, back toward the main rooms. Goose bumps erupted over her skin as Gavin set his hands free, exploring her, the same way she’d explored him.
His fingers brushed along her skin, teasing her, revving her up into wanting more. “Come on, Gavin,” she moaned as he continued to stroke around the areas that she most wanted him to touch.
“You started this,” he reminded her, humor lacing his voice, refusing to increase the pressure of his touch as well as the speed with which he was winding her up. “All I’m doing is following your lead.”
“Damn it,” she groaned, trying not to laugh at his teasing. Her laughter quickly turned to a moan when his fingers slid along her waist along the bottom of her shirt and quickly tugged it over her head. She was glad she’d splurged after getting back from Central America and bought all new bras and panties. It was a cleansing of sorts, wanting nothing against her skin from her previous life.
Now, seeing the flare of Gavin’s eyes as he took in the dark purple lace of the matching set, she felt smug. He was the only one who had seen her like this. The new her.
Her shirt dropped behind him just as her butt hit the sturdy farm table she’d picked up at an estate sale. She stopped, letting Gavin decide how they should proceed. His gaze drifted from her breasts up to her face and a wicked grin split his lips.
“Better.” He captured her lips again, tugging her forward so she was sitting on the edge of the table and stepped between her thighs, still not touching her the way she wanted but getting closer.
Gavin leaned in to capture her lips in another sure to be searing kiss, but Regan held up her hand. “You sick of me already?” he said.
The words were said lightly, in that same teasing tone, but she could feel the tension radiating off him. If she said yes, she had no doubt he’d stop and walk right out the door. The decision was entirely hers. Regan flattened her hands against his chest and tilted her head, watching him. He didn’t move as he waited for her.
What a heady feeling, having this much power over him. She slid her hands up to his shoulders, then back down. “You’re wearing too many clothes,” she told him, catching the hem of his shirt and giving it a tug.
Another grin emerged as he reached up and grabbed the neck of the shirt behind his head and tugged it off in one swift motion. Regan nearly swallowed her tongue seeing his chest and abs on full display—the light dusting of hair that tapered into that happy trail, disappearing under the waist of his jeans, leading right to the bulge she’d felt but not seen…until now.
She hummed in the back of her throat, barely aware she’d done so, and reached for the button on his jeans. “These too,” she ordered. Or tried to order him, anyway. Instead, she was pretty sure that she had just uttered some garbled nonsense. No matter, he seemed to follow along with what she wanted just fine as he slid the button free and let the jeans relax that tiny bit, just enough to have her mouth going even more dry than it had before. Or maybe that was from the condom that appeared from one of his pockets. He slid it onto the table next to her hip as his jeans threatened to up their precarious hold.
While she focused on sliding his jeans down those lean hips—and help me mama, she was going to lick those obliques before he left her house—he went to work removing her jeans too. And somehow, he had her out of hers before she’d managed to shove his down his hips. Gavin stepped away out of her reach, his jeans still riding low.
“My God, woman. You are the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.” His eyes blazed with a hunger that had her squirming against the cool wood of the table. This time he held out his hand to keep her in place and took another step back, even further from her reach. “Not yet,” he said, when she started to slide off her perch to rub up against him. “I want to look at you.”
She couldn’t remember ever being so turned on, particularly since he’d barely touched her. At least not in the way she most desired. Squirming again, she glared at him. Tried to glare at him. Really, she was so horny she wasn’t sure what look was actually on her face, but she was going to give it her best effort.
Planting her fists on her lace-clad hips, she thrust her chest in his direction. She wasn’t above playing dirty to get her way, and it was time he realized that. “Gavin McCabe, I swear if you don’t start touching me I won’t be responsible for my actions.”
Judging from the grin on Gavin’s face, her glare had missed its mark but her breasts had done the job of grabbing his attention and getting him moving back toward her. This time, once he was positioned between her thighs he dipped his head, licking along the lace edge of her bra, nibbling the swell of her breast. Her head fell back as her hand came up to hold him there.
Finally, he was touching her as she’d been dreaming about for—well, way longer than she was going to admit, or else she’d feel completely pathetic rather than the sex siren he’d made her feel like a moment ago.
She used her heels to shove his jeans and boxer briefs down over his ass and couldn’t help but fill her hands with the delectable butt she’d been drooling over. Before she could work her hands around to the front, he’d slipped down the lace cup holding one breast, and began feasting.
Chills and heat warred within her, the heat pooling in her lap while the chills raced along her limbs and spine. Regan couldn’t think, could barely breathe with what he was doing to her. His hands slipped into her panties to cup her ass and pull her flush with his newly released erection, his fingers flexing and awakening a dangerous temptation she hadn’t even been aware of.
His mouth moved across her, sliding up her neck and to her ear. Pleasure ripped through her just as his finger found her clit. One little touch and she was flying. Higher and harder than she could ever remember.
Her legs and arms had the strength of wet noodles when she finally came back to herself. Gavin had removed both her bra and panties while she was flying as well as the rest of his clothes, a slight smile playing about his lips.
“Hi,” he drawled.
“Hi,” she whispered. She was still feeling a little floaty and way too relaxed to do any thinking.
“You ready to keep going? Seemed to me like you wouldn’t have been able
to handle it fast like you wanted.”
“Hard and fast is easier,” she agreed.
Gavin moved back between her thighs, pulling her up so she was sitting rather than reclining on her elbows. He’d put a condom on while she’d been flying high with that orgasm. “Then I guess we should try it your way after all.”
Regan gasped when Gavin finally slammed into her. It was an invasion she was well prepared for and brought all her nerve endings back to the brink. Searching for some anchor, she bent her knees, tucking them up against him while he continued to move within her, pulling him deeper with each stroke.
This time it was his turn to groan as she forced his strokes to be short, hard and utterly blissful. He strained and she pulled, and together they worked, giving and taking, anticipating each other’s needs.
This time when the pleasure washed over her, Regan was prepared for the sheer sharp edge of it. She clamped down around Gavin and felt the groan vibrate through his chest. Knowing he wasn’t far behind she let herself go, trusting he’d catch her when she fell.
The coffee was terrible. There was no other way to describe the brew Connor had foisted on them when they arrived at the police station the next morning.
Gavin had tucked Regan into bed, if you could call her air mattress a bed, after their evening. He’d even crawled in next to her for a few hours, pleasantly surprised to find the mattress was heavy duty and withstood his weight, rather than sagging so his ass hit the ground. It wasn’t the most comfortable night he’d ever spent outside his own bed, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as he’d imagined.
Granted, having a naked Regan snuggled up next to him could have something to do with that.
“Do we need to reschedule, big brother?” Connor asked, his tone surly. “Or do you want to join us while we coordinate Erin’s security and figure out what the hell is going on?”
