Level Up

by Hadley Quinn

  He picked up a pair of weights and placed them on the rack again, and since she hadn’t made a move for the exit, he went to the door and opened it all the way for her departure.

  Ava felt mixed feelings at that moment, like she knew he didn’t want her to leave yet he felt obligated to give her the chance. He was a magnet though, and she was drawn to him somehow. She did turn around to leave, but did it in a way that brought her within inches of him. She was eye level with his shoulder, and while she was there, looked over the intricate compass tattoo that covered it.

  She finally looked at his face, unsurprised that he was looking at her too. His eyes were a mix of green with flecks of gold now, and they seemed to be storming with indecision. She felt bold again.

  “What are you doing at midnight?” she asked.

  If he was thrown, he didn’t show it. He just studied her for a moment. “Why?”

  “Because I’m going swimming and would like a lifeguard again.”

  And with that she left. She didn’t look back, didn’t falter, she just strode across the driveway with confidence.

  Okay, so it was false confidence. She quietly slipped inside the house and took a huge breath of air while she braced herself against the door. Oh my God, what did I just do? Am I really going to meet Gabe at midnight?

  She knew the answer to that. Yes.

  But first she had to spend time with her friends so they didn’t get suspicious, then head for bed just before twelve. Her heart was pounding as she hurried down the stairs, joining right in with whatever movie they were watching and whatever conversation they were having.

  Then a thought suddenly hit her a while later as the movie was about to finish up. What if Gabe doesn’t want to meet me out there? What if all this heat between us was just one-sided and I end up waiting out there like a fool?

  She groaned to herself, except it wasn’t actually to herself. Adam glanced at her with a tiny smile. “What’s the matter?”

  She scrambled for something to say, and it came in the form of, “Oh, uh, I’m just a little tired.”

  That wasn’t a stretch. She actually was feeling a little drained. Whatever her raging hormones were doing was wearing her out.

  “Well we were gonna go out in the hot tub when this is over. Maybe that will perk you up a bit?”

  She liked the fact that he seemed to want her to join them, but she smiled and said, “That usually makes me sleepier.” It was the truth, but she felt guilty for using it as an excuse in that instance.

  “Then maybe we should go for a swim in the lake?”

  She panicked for a second. “Actually I think I’ll go to bed early so I can kick everyone’s ass on the trails tomorrow.”

  He chuckled, just as the movie was finishing up. “That’s a good point. I feel a little tired too.”

  “What?” Trent said, catching their conversation. “We’re gonna party in the hot tub, people.”

  “I know that was the plan. We were just saying that we’re both tired,” Adam informed him.

  “I’m heading to bed early,” Ava said, standing up. Chelsea was cuddled up against Trent but she looked tired too.

  “I’m comfy here, don’t move,” she mumbled to him.

  “Sweet, we’ve got the hot tub to ourselves,” Roger said to Carrie.

  There were a few exclamations and general comments of repulsion, but in the end, they really were the only two going out in the hot tub. It was eleven forty-five and Ava needed to head upstairs.

  “Well goodnight, everyone. I’ll see you in the morning.”

  When she was finally in her room, she quickly selected the perfect bathing suit. It was a two-piece, but the halter-top covered more than a bikini but less than a one-piece. She slipped on a cotton dress over the top and grabbed a large towel. Even though she knew you couldn’t see the dock from the house at night, she looked out there anyway. There was still time to change her mind, but she didn’t want to.

  Ava was going to head out to the dock a few minutes early, but she stopped at the mirror by the door. Yeah, it was dark outside, so why bother with her hair? But she did bother and she put it into a loose braid that swept over her shoulder. She also put on some scented lotion, even though she knew the water would most likely take it right off.

  Then she listened at the top of the stairs for anyone’s presence, and quietly glided down them and out the front door.

  She was nervous again, but for opposite reasons. She was either going to see Gabe tonight, or she wasn’t. Either way was going to mean something and she wasn’t sure which result she preferred. Obviously her hormones were swaying one direction, but her head was in favor of the other.

  She could hear voices near the hot tub and took a detour around the garage where a separate path led down to the water. She crossed the lake deck quietly since she was barefoot, and when she got to the connecting dock, she froze.

  Ava could see Gabe’s silhouette standing at the very end of the dock.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  She decided to take her steps silently and made her way toward the end of the sixty-foot length of boards. She was proud of her stealth maneuvering.

  “Pretty good,” Gabe said with his back still to her. He turned around. “But not good enough.”

  He scared the hell out of her and she released a disappointed chuckle. “Man, and I thought I was doing well.”

  “You were,” she could see him nod. “Just not well enough.”

  “Pssh,” she said. Ava flipped her towel open onto the dock and removed her dress just as quickly. He was watching her and it gave her another rush of heat and tingles through her body. She stood next to him and said, “You gonna jump in with me?”

  He was wearing a t-shirt, baggy sweats, and a pair of Nikes. Unless he was prepared to strip to his skivvies, she didn’t think he planned on swimming.

  “I’m on duty,” he smirked.

  Ava only eyed him for a second before she dove right into the water. When she emerged, she settled on her back for a minute, watching Gabe at the same time. He sat on the dock with one leg out and his arm resting on the other knee that was propped up.

  “You always do this?” he asked. “Swim at midnight?”

  She came closer to the dock, just so she could see him better. It was kind of sexy to hear his voice in the dark, but she wanted to give herself both thrills.

  “Well, I probably would have over the past few years if I’d actually come to this place. But before that, when I was sixteen/eighteen, yeah I came out here a lot at night.”

  She leisurely moved through the water a bit and then he spoke again.

  “And how come you haven’t been here since? How long has it actually been?”

  A question to find out her age. She smiled to herself.

  “It’s been over three years,” she answered. “And I haven’t been here because of something that happened and I just didn’t have it in me to return. The memory of that kind of sucks, but I’ve decided that I love this place too much to let other people’s choices take something so special from me.”

  Silence again. She felt it was kind of mysterious, really. The sound of the water, the darkness of night, and Gabe’s beautiful voice every so often. She was really glad that she’d set the whole thing up.

  Insert smiley face.

  She swam to the dock and held onto the edge. Gabe was close enough that she could have touched him, but she didn’t. She also could have gotten him pretty wet if she was feeling ornery enough, but she didn’t do that either.

  “How long have you been staying here?” she asked him.

  He adjusted his position so that both legs were extended, one ankle crossed over the other. Gabe actually looked casual like this, relaxed. She liked it.

  He leaned back onto his hands and answered, “About three weeks.”

  “Oh, that’s all? Wow, I thought you’ve been here a while.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “The place looks amazing. I’ve never actua
lly seen it so immaculate.”

  “Maybe it’s just been awhile and you don’t remember.”

  “Maybe,” she agreed. “But honestly. Charlie took care of everything pretty well—the basics, you know—but you seem to go the extra mile. I can tell,” she said knowingly. She pushed away from the dock and floated on her back again. “I thought it would be hard to come back, but I think because of the things you’ve done—re-staining the house, organizing the garage better, rebuilding the fire pits—it’s made this place totally exceed my expectations. It’s like…coming home from a rough day at school and you’re already excited to see your mom again, but you not only get your mom, she’s also got milk and cookies.”

  He chuckled, and it might have been the cold water that gave her goose bumps, but it could have been his laugh again.

  “That’s an interesting analogy,” he said.

  “Yeah, but I have no idea what the comfort of a mom is supposed to feel like,” she admitted bluntly. “My mom wasn’t exactly the warm and fuzzy kind growing up.”

  “But you know your milk and cookies, huh?” he seemed to tease.

  She swam closer to the dock again. “Yes I do,” she smiled. “So when I thank you for doing your job,” she emphasized… Ava paused deliberately and he nodded his head to let her know he understood. “I really do mean it,” she finished.

  “Message received. Sorry for sounding like such a dick.”

  “You’re forgiven,” she said. “On one condition.”

  He tilted his head to eye her carefully. “And what’s that?” he asked dryly.

  “Come swimming with me.”

  He didn’t say no right away, but he didn’t look thrilled either. She was beginning to wonder if he’d ever been in this lake.

  “Can you swim?” she asked

  He laughed. “Yes, I can swim.”

  “Ooh, did I just insult your masculinity?”

  “Maybe. But do you think I could actually have been in the military without knowing how to swim?”

  She pulled herself slightly up on the dock with just her forearms holding her up. She was inches from his legs and asked, “Will you tell me about that?”

  “The army?”

  “Yes. Are you still in the military? I mean…well, I guess I don’t know how these things work. You’re here, so obviously you’re not on a tour or whatever…”

  He sat forward again and brought his other knee up to lean on it. His body was now right in front of her, but since she was still half in the water, he had to look down at her. “I’m actually done with my services there,” he said. “I’m twenty-six, but I’ve put in my time and then some.”

  She tried to read between the lines. “It gets to a soldier,” she stated.

  He met her eyes for a few seconds and then looked away. “Yeah, it can get to a soldier,” he repeated. But it was like an empty, far away reality, one that he didn’t want to think too much about. But he turned to her again and added, “Some of the things we see are impossible to rid our thoughts of. It’s a harsh reality, almost a curse that every soldier agrees to when they sign on the dotted line. Many of us enter hell and back dozens of times until it finally breaks you. It can harden you in ways that you don’t understand, and it can tear you open in ways that you wish it didn’t.”

  The night was completely silent at that moment. It was like Gabe’s frankness just shushed the world into a moment of truth. Ava silently dropped herself back into the water, letting the cold and darkness complete the harsh reality that he’d described.

  She moved in the water a little bit, but the cold was beginning to set in. She returned to the dock and said, “I think I’m done.”

  Gabe stood and waited for her to climb the ladder. But instead, she pushed herself up to the dock onto her rear. He reached out a hand to help her stand, so she took it. They were inches from each other again. He was looking at her in such a way that her heart started racing, and if she was cold, she couldn’t even tell because heat began to surge through every inch of her body.

  “Let me grab your towel,” he said softly, but he didn’t even budge. She hoped that he didn’t want to let her go because she was staring at his lips, dying for him to kiss her.

  He released her hand and touched her face. Just the lightest stroke of his thumb and Ava had tingles up her spine. Those eyes really got to her and she wanted to understand every part of him. She looked at his mouth again, and he finally leaned forward to kiss her.

  Every sensation went off in her body like an explosion of fireworks when his lips gently touched hers. And when he pressed a little harder, adding the tip of his tongue, those nerves between her legs reacted. She pulled her soaking wet body closer to him by sliding her arms around his waist, and just feeling the muscles in his back turned her on something fierce.

  Pretty soon they were sharing the most intense kiss she had ever experienced, and, thankful that her towel was slightly lain out on the dock, it was easy enough to shift into making out from a more comfortable position. Ava was just in a bathing suit, so really the act of hands wandering through clothing was absent on his part. But she loved how warm his hands were against her bare back, and when he slid them down to her hips to trace the lines of her bikini bottoms, another chorus of cheers traveled between her legs.

  His clothes were on though, and she was eager to get her hands in them. His abs were divine. She’d never felt a stomach that was so incredible to touch. She wanted access to his chest and shoulders, so after a silent request, he used one hand to yank his shirt off.

  “I’ve wanted to do this from the first time I saw you,” she said as she slid her hands up his chest.

  Gabe smiled against her lips and said, “I know, I could tell.”

  “Then why did you make me suffer for so long?”

  They continued to make out for a few more seconds and he gently laid her down so he was leaning on an elbow over her. “Because I didn’t want to come between you and your boyfriend.”

  She froze in surprise and then chuckled. “You mean Adam? He’s not my boyfriend.”

  He stopped kissing her neck to look at her. “He’s not? I thought…”

  She shook her head. “Nope, I don’t have a boyfriend.”

  He paused, like he was trying to assess the situation on the fly, but then he started kissing her again. Ava had never felt so attracted to a guy in all her life, and even though she was often really cautious while making out with someone, she felt comfortable with Gabe. He didn’t grope and paw at her chest like she sometimes had to put a stop to with guys, but he very gently cupped his hand under her breast, touching her in a way that made her want to scream for more.

  She loved how he ran a thumb over her nipple, feeling exactly where it was under the fabric, but pacing himself by keeping it covered. Eventually his kisses traveled from her mouth, to her neck, to her chest, and he ran his lips along the edges of her top.

  “You have the most beautiful body,” he told her softly.

  It did a number on her. He kissed around the top of her bathing suit until he softly slid it aside. She heard him suck in a breath of air before his tongue traced a circle around her nipple, and then his warm lips closed around it.

  She writhed a little with pleasure on that one. Just the way he kissed and suckled it made her feel like all he wanted to do was take care of her. He performed the same care on the other nipple and it was grateful not to be left out.

  By then Ava was on the edge. She wanted to rip the rest of his clothes off so she could be taken entirely. But he continued to take his time, and if Ava were to be honest, his kissing could have been enough to make her climax right there on the dock.

  When his hand slid down her stomach, he paused. She was already reeling inside, and when his fingers didn’t go any further than the waist of her bottoms, she did what she could to encourage him.

  His hand returned to her stomach but continued to kiss her lips so sensually she almost couldn’t remember that we were floating on
a dock in the middle of the water until she heard a fish jump.

  She was still giving him the go signals until finally his fingers slid into her bikini bottoms and he softly asked, “May I?”

  She was surprised he asked, but in a good way. “Please,” she said, wondering if it sounded as desperate as she felt.

  He continued to kiss her while her hands never stopped touching every square inch of his skin they could reach. Her nails dug into his back when she felt the pleasure of his finger between her legs. He softly moaned too, the result from how she felt and the feel of her hands on him.

  By this time Ava was participating in something that she’d never done before. She welcomed the attention between her legs with movements for more, and she thanked him for it with deep kisses and little noises that revealed her pleasure.

  He slid a second finger inside of her, and whatever he did after that, she couldn’t say. All of the tightly wound springs inside of her broke loose in exclamations of pure gratification when his thumb rubbed over her clit, and the dark sky above her that was speckled with white stars was now a ceiling of flashing colors.

  “Gabe,” she sighed quietly. This went on for several seconds as he continued to kiss her. Finally her vision started returning to normal and her body was trying to recover from his touch.

  He kissed her a few more times, and then slowly moved so that he was lying beside her, still propped up on an elbow. He traced a finger over her stomach, between her breasts, and along her shoulder. She enjoyed his touch, but she was surprised that they seemed to be done.

  She mirrored his position and faced him. With a smile she asked, “And what about you?” She’d felt his rock hard arousal the entire time, so she took her hand and rubbed against him again.

  Yep, he was still hard.

  He took her hand in his, lacing their fingers together. “Not tonight,” he told her.

  She gave him a questioning look, unsure if she understood correctly. He didn’t want to have sex with her?

  He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it. “Not out here,” he clarified.

  “Then let’s go somewhere else. Let’s go to your—”