by Isabel North
Much as she enjoyed his enthusiasm for carrying her around like she weighed nothing, especially as there was squeezing and groping going on at the same time, Elle didn’t register the short trip back to the bedroom. Five condoms. She stared at her handful. He’d said three, and that daunted her enough. Now it was five?
“Wait,” she said. “Put me down. Alex! Put me down.”
His arms tightened before he relaxed his grip with obvious reluctance. He stared into her eyes. “You have to unwrap your legs first,” he said, “or I can’t put you down.”
Shit. Right. She stood, which was quite the achievement considering her knees were like jelly, and pushed her hair off her face. She watched warily as Alex circled her. His movements were fluid but edgy. Oh, yeah. She was out of her depth. She took a step back and bumped into the bed. “This is going fast.”
“Faster would be better.” His eyes were fixed on hers, burning.
“Maybe slower would be better.”
He stepped closer, bringing them toe-to-toe. “It wouldn’t. I don’t want slow. I want you. Now.” He pried open her clenched fist, took the condoms from her, and dropped them on the bed.
It was hard to think when he was this close. She could feel the heat pouring off him; the air around him damn near rippled. It was intensely arousing, but at the same time felt like a warning. Don’t touch. Too much. Danger. She scrambled for something to slow it down. “Think about your career!”
Yes. Career. Genius! You think about your career, while I freak out. Because I’ve just realized that I’m competing with my mythical idealized self here. Your perfect muse. No one can live up to this kind of expectation!
His straight black brows lowered. “Not right now.”
She braced her hands on his chest. “You should, though. Take a few minutes or, you know, a day or two if you need longer, and think about what it could mean. I told you what happened with Chris. Are you willing to risk your career to be with me?”
“Is Chris the cardigan guy?”
“Yes. Your art is based on passion. Your very livelihood could be at stake here.”
“You don’t have a superpower, and I’m not afraid of you. Stop trying to talk me out of this. You can’t.”
She was aware. Her palms made their way down his chest, over his spectacular abs, lower, and what could it hurt to appreciate the amazing architecture of his body while they were discussing this like rational adults? “I’m scared that…” She trailed off, getting distracted by her exploration. “The thing is, I want to do this, you have no idea how much, but…”
“Elle,” he said, fingers sliding along her jaw. He tilted her chin up and she was obliged to meet his dark eyes. “I know exactly how much you want to do this. You’ve got one of your hands in my pants.” He sucked in a sharp breath that came out fractured against her skin and he curled his body over hers. “Make that both hands in my pants. It’s pretty clear.” He straightened, picked her up and tossed her on the bed.
She bounced and scrambled backward as he put a knee to the mattress. “But it’s not all about what I want, is it? I’m trying to be a good person.” She’d made it to the headboard now, and he was almost on her. “Thinking about what’s best for everyone—”
“I know what’s best for everyone, don’t worry.” He hauled her down the bed, shocking a gasp out of her. He grinned.
“No, I meant… You’re not getting me!”
“Working on it.” He unsnapped her jeans.
She slapped him away. “Listen, you’re an artist—”
“Yes. I’m extremely creative. Brace yourself.”
At the gleam in his eyes, Elle’s entire body quivered. “This won’t work! I’m too practical for you.” This is going to blow my mind, and for you it’s going to…fizzle.
Alex let out a heavy sigh and sat back, fists resting on the bunched muscles of his thighs. His face, which had been tight with ravenous need, turned thoughtful. “All right.”
Crap. Had she managed to talk him out of this? On the brink of what promised to be, hell, what already was, the best sex of her life, had she managed to cockblock herself?
“I can see where I’ve been going wrong.” Alex hoisted her over him to straddle his lap, and slid his hands up her shirt. “Enough tender, subtle foreplay.” He lifted the shirt up and over her head, threw it to the floor, and got to work on her jeans.
Elle burst out laughing, half with relief, half with disbelief. “This is you being tender and subtle?”
“Yes. My mistake. It’s giving you too much time to get nervous and start coming up with ridiculous excuses, which is cute but not necessary, because you don’t have anything to be nervous about since you’re, well, you.”
He gave her a surprisingly chaste press of his lips, surprising because he had her sitting right on top of the danger zone, and she could feel how much control he was exerting by the subtle vibrations running through his body. Despite all the warnings about fast and hard, he was being gentle with her.
“Change of plan,” he said. “I’m going to shock and awe you with my lovemaking.” He whipped her bra off, rolled her to her back, dropped between her parted thighs, and supported some—only some—of his weight on a forearm.
Gentle was over.
Thank God.
“Yes or no, Elle?”
Like there was ever a question. “Fine. Yes. But I warned you.”
“About the passion sucking? I’m looking forward to it. Saving it for later, though. Things I want to do to you first.”
It was early enough that the sun streamed through the window and lay on the bed in a rose-gold pool, but not so early that she needed to think about getting up. They were both awake, had been for a while, although neither of them had broken the silence yet. Elle didn’t feel any need for conversation. She was stretched out on Alex’s chest, every muscle in her body limp with satisfaction. Each breath he took lifted her up and then down a little, and his heart pounded in a steady rhythm beneath her ear. She could quite happily spend the rest of her life here.
Movement flashed outside, and she lifted her head to see Gargoyle do a fast-walk past the window. Oh, no. She pushed up to sitting. “Gargoyle! Did we leave him out? Has he been out all night?”
“Doubtful.” He ran a warm hand the length of her spine and back up to play with the hair at the nape of her neck. She got the hint and lay back down on him. “Got a dog flap. He can come and go as he pleases.”
Elle shivered at the gruff rumble. Alex’s voice was deeper in the morning. Or maybe it was from all the noise he’d made last night. He hadn’t been kidding. He really was a screamer.
Outside, Gargoyle shot a hunted look over his shoulder, tucked his tail in, butt low, and picked up the pace until he was out of sight.
“He seems spooked,” Elle said.
“Probably ran into a squirrel.”
“He’s scared of squirrels?”
“He’s scared of most things. Except bears. He loves bears. And the moon. He likes looking at the moon.”
“Does he howl at it?”
“Never heard him howl, not once. Just sits and stares at it.”
“He’s adorable.”
Alex shrugged, pleased. “I like him.”
Elle propped her chin on her hands. “I like him too. A lot.”
Alex’s eyes had been half closed, but as they made contact with hers, they heated and focused. Then they flickered to the left, and he screwed them shut, tipping his head back. “Fucking great.”
Elle blinked, realized the light in the room had changed, and glanced over at the doorway.
A big guy stood there, shoulder to the door jamb, arms crossed over his chest. He had dirt-blond hair in a fauxhawk, a tattoo up the side of his neck, more tattoos down both his brawny arms, and if Jenny found Derek Tate intimidating, this guy would send her running.
“Morning, Alex,” he said. “Morning, mystery lady.” He ran his gaze over her, and his grin turned speculative. “Don’t you look cozy i
n there. Room for one more?”
Elle rolled off Alex and made a grab for the covers. She gaped at the guy, struggling for words.
Alex sat up, tucked the covers higher over her. At her stunned silence, and the stranger’s growing smile, he said, “You’d better not be seriously contemplating that, Elle. Gabe was joking.”
Gabe held up a hand, pointed at Alex, but kept his eyes on Elle. “Let’s see what she says first, shall we? Then I’ll decide if I’m kidding.”
“Get out,” Alex bellowed, throwing back the covers and yanking on his jeans.
“I did knock,” Gabe shouted over his shoulder, disappearing into the passageway.
“When someone doesn’t answer, it means they don’t want to see you!” Alex squeezed Elle’s calf as he passed and stormed after Gabe. “Means they might be busy!”
The pair of them were so loud she could still hear them, even as she tugged her own jeans on and wrestled with her bra.
“Now, Alex, last time you were in desperate need of help.”
“I wasn’t!”
“You had a really bad beard happening, and you didn’t even know it.”
Elle ran her fingers through her bedhead, smoothed it as flat as she could manage, and ventured in the direction of their voices. She found them in the kitchen. Alex had his back to the counter, arms crossed over his chest, scowling at the floor. Gabe was making coffee. They both glanced up and over when Elle came in.
Gabe looked from her to Alex, then said, “Cured the impotence, huh? Good on you, buddy.”
Alex grunted.
“You were impotent?” Elle said. “That’s normal. It’s fine, it happens. We’ve got pamphlets at the clinic. I’ll bring you one. You don’t need one right now, obviously, at all, but…you never can tell when it’ll happen again. Or…or not. I’ll bring a pamphlet anyway. It’s good to plan ahead.”
Alex waited for her to fumble to a finish and simply said, “Thank you.”
Gabe banged a mug of coffee down in front of Alex. “You spoil my fun, okay? You know that, don’t you?” He filled another mug, leaned over the island, and handed it to Elle. “His creative impotence,” he explained. “Not his manly abilities.”
Good to know. Elle took a sip of coffee, completely at a loss. Feeling the now-familiar press of his regard simmering over her skin, she sent Alex an uncertain smile.
He sighed. “Elle Finley—” a resigned gesture at his friend, “—Gabe Sterling.”
“Nice to meet you,” Elle said.
“Likewise. Take it you’re the muse?”
Reacting to the keen assessment she read behind his otherwise affable curiosity, Elle responded with a defensive and automatic, “No,” at the same time as Alex said, “Of course.” They stared at each other.
Gabe’s attention bounced between them, then lasered through the kitchen to the back door. “Hey, puppy!” he said in delight, and crouched. “Come say hi!”
Elle heard the rattle of scurrying claws behind her and felt Gargoyle fetch up against the back of her knees.
Gabe made kissy noises, shuffled forward a couple of steps. “Come on, boy,” he said, one hand on the floor and the other on Elle’s leg as he leaned around her. Gargoyle ducked the other way. Gabe came back to center, putting his eyes at her waist-level. “Oh,” he said, reached out, and did up the jeans button she’d forgotten. He stood up to his full height, towering over her for a moment. He stepped away before Elle’s brain finished sending the message to her arm to slap him.
“Boundaries!” Alex growled.
Gabe waved a hand. “She didn’t hit me. We’re good.” He snatched a battered backpack from the countertop beside the coffee machine. “Seriously. I’m offended. That dog has known me for years. How long’s he known this chick?”
Chick?
As if sensing her affront, Gabe sent her a wink and continued, “What do I have to do to win this beast over?”
“My guess, grow a set of ovaries.” Alex took the mug of coffee Gabe had poured for himself but not gotten around to drinking yet, and emptied it down the sink.
“I could do that,” Gabe said, “or I could bring out the big guns.” He dug into the backpack and whipped out a bright orange bear. He squeaked it rapid-fire. “Look. Look, Gargoyle! Look what Uncle Gabe bought for you! Another drooly bear!”
Gargoyle came out and slowly approached Gabe, who encouraged him with more squeaks of the bear. Giving him a wide berth, Elle crossed over to Alex, her brows high. He tucked her into his side.
“Gabe, tell me you didn’t drive all the way from San Francisco to ruin my weekend in an attempt to buy my dog’s affection?”
“It just bothers me. Why doesn’t he like me? I’m likeable. If I have to stoop to bribery to make him like me, I will. I’ll stoop low as I must to get what I want.”
“Gabe. You’re here. Why?”
Gargoyle whisked the bear out of Gabe’s grasp and bolted.
“Nearly had him,” Gabe muttered, picked up his coffee cup, and tilted it to his lips. He squinted at Alex when he realized it was empty.
“Decaf.”
“Fine.” He went back to the coffee pot, took a second bag of coffee from his backpack, and set about making another pot. “I came here to give you a heads-up.”
“You couldn’t phone?”
“That method of communication only works when you answer it. Remember our talk? Besides, I fancied the drive. I was restless.”
His energy crackled through the room. Elle could almost feel the hairs on her arms lifting.
“Thing is,” he continued, bouncing lightly on his toes as the coffee spluttered to a finish, then snatched the mug and wrapped his fingers around it. “Ah, coffee. Thing is, Stephanie’s coming to town.”
“Stephanie? How the hell does she know I’m here?”
“Because she’s a journalist.” Gabe turned to Elle. “He didn’t sleep with her, if you’re wondering. I think that’s why she called him a creatively impotent monk. In print.”
“I’m not showing her my stuff,” Alex said.
“Can I see it?” Gabe asked. “Is it better than your hellscape?”
“Oh, yeah.” Alex slid his hand down Elle’s arm, threaded his fingers between hers. She tried to at least tone down the goofy smile she could feel taking over her face as they headed out the back. Gargoyle flashed past at the treeline of the woods that bordered Alex’s property, running full tilt with the bright orange bear in his jaws.
“Is it still all despair?” Gabe asked. He circled one of the twisted bits of junk hunkered in the long grass and tipped his head at it.
Was this his work, too? She thought it was car parts. Or old farm machinery.
Alex’s grasp tightened and he lifted her hand to his mouth, pressed a kiss to her knuckles. “No. No more despair.”
“Hmm,” Gabe said, his breath hot on the back of her neck. He drew level and bumped alongside her.
Elle eased him away with a warning look.
He smiled back companionably. “Think I might know the theme already.”
“You don’t have to be a genius to work that out.” Alex flipped the lights on in the barn.
Gabe halted abruptly. Did he trip? No, he seemed stunned by the piece. Oh, no. Don’t let him say anything bad about it. Alex loves it.
He strode over to the sculpture, put his hands on the top of his head, and stared for a long, silent moment.
“Hard to believe anything can shut him up, isn’t it?” Alex murmured.
Gabe shifted, hands drifting to the back of his neck, and continued to stare. Then he sucked in a breath, tipping his head a fraction to the side. A huge smile broke out. “Fuck me.” He laughed. “I want it!”
“I haven’t thought about selling it yet.”
“Start thinking. I’ll give you a hundred right now.”
A hundred dollars? The scrap metal value must be close to that.
Alex didn’t seem all that offended. “Don’t waste my time.”
“A
ll right. Two hundred.”
Alex lifted and lowered a shoulder. “Talk to Justine.” He glanced down at Elle. “My agent.”
Gabe shuddered. “I try very hard not to talk to Justine.”
“I don’t know what I’m going to do with this series anyway.”
“There’s more?” Gabe spotted the other pieces by the back wall and darted over. He walked down the line of them. “I might need to be left alone with these.”
“Come on, man,” Alex said, then slanted an unreadable look at Elle.
Gabe had a similar expression on his face, but his was mixed with obvious humor. He held her gaze, and his grin widened. “What do you think about it, Elle?”
“Uh…about Alex’s work?”
He nodded, strolling over, hands tucked in his pockets. “You being the inspiration and all.”
“It’s very moving.”
“I’ll say.”
“I’m not much for art. Sorry, but there it is. Kind of goes over my head.”
“I’ll say.”
Okaaay. “But he’s very dedicated. Very driven. It’s impressive.”
“Mmm. You don’t know what it is, do you?”
Shit. “Like I said, not a big art buff. My sister would probably get it.”
“Probably your sister wouldn’t want to get it.”
“Stop playing with her, Gabe,” Alex said. He sounded amused.
“But it’s fun. I’ll stop in a minute. Promise. First, may I?” He reached out and took her arm in a gentle grip. “Okay, stand here.” He positioned her, standing behind. “Bend your knees and— Hey. Easy.”
Alex had shoved him away, scowling. “I’ll show her.”
“Can’t believe you haven’t shown her already.”
“I like to let people respond to my art their own damn way, Gabe.” He tucked himself behind Elle, reached over her shoulder to take her chin in his long fingers and angle her head to one side. He curved over to check her eye line. “Now, bend your knees.”
“Stop messing with me—”
“I’m not. Just do it.”
Letting out an exasperated sigh, Elle did it. “I’m looking.”
