Level Up

by Hadley Quinn

  It didn’t happen.

  When she made the decision to go inside, she glanced at the cabin on her way to the house. Gabe wasn’t standing outside anymore. She sighed, wondering what the hell was driving her to act like such a teenage girl. Surely he could get any female that he wanted—he really was that attractive—but he did say he wasn’t that social these days. She was torn over how she felt about that; on one hand she was sad for anything and everything that he’d ever been through to feel that way, but on the other hand, she was glad there weren’t other girls mauling him.

  Yes, I’m a selfish bitch.

  Ava returned to the house and jumped in the shower. She conditioned her hair twice because she totally spaced out dreaming about Gabe and forgot she’d already done it.

  The house was quiet when she went downstairs. Too quiet. She figured she should probably go through it to make sure nobody forgot anything and to leave it as clean as they found it. Her dad had a cleaning lady that came in every so often, especially after the house had been used, but she just needed something to do.

  She made herself a sandwich for dinner but took it upstairs to her deck. The idea to take one to Gabe had crossed her mind but she decided against it. She just wanted to be wanted. She wished to be desired and sought after. She wanted to be loved and adored by someone, or at the very least, have someone care about her.

  She wanted that someone to be Gabe.

  With another heavy sigh she plopped into her padded chair and propped her feet up on the deck rail. The sandwich was only a means of filling a tiny empty spot in her stomach, but overall, it didn’t make her feel any better. She washed it down with some lemonade and finished off the last sliver of cherry pie.

  And then the cabin door opened again.

  Gabe came out but didn’t look up. He came right down his steps and crossed the open space between the two buildings. Good grief, he was coming to the house!

  She was going to hop up just before he was about to disappear around the side, but he slowed to a stop right where she could still see him and he looked up.

  She realized he already knew she was sitting up there.

  “How long are you staying, Ava?” he asked. He seemed annoyed, but her stomach fluttered anyway, just from hearing his sexy voice again.

  She took her feet off the railing and slowly stood. He was looking up at her, but almost with reluctance. “I’m not sure,” she replied honestly. “Maybe three or four days.”

  He considered that for a moment. “You don’t have a job to get home to?”

  She slowly shook her head. But instead she told him, “I’m an artist. I work my own hours and from wherever I want.” It was mostly true. She taught some art classes now and then too, and she also did proofreading and editing on the side to make ends meet.

  He gave her a funny look that she couldn’t read. Was he surprised? But he didn’t say anything for a long time and it made her worry. Then he looked toward the lake as he spoke. “I’d appreciate it if you don’t swim by yourself, then. Could you let me know next time.” It wasn’t a question; it was a statement.

  She was going to tease him about knowing when she swam anyway, but he turned to leave. Panic seized her chest. “Gabe,” she called out. It sounded pathetic and needy, but mostly all she heard was her desire for him to want her. Why did she go after guys that didn’t want her?

  He did stop, but he didn’t turn around. “Ava, you just don’t get it.”

  “Then talk to me. What don’t I get?”

  She not only saw him sigh but she heard him, and he even hung his head. He did that one thing with his hand, where he rubs it over his hair and then behind his neck. But his hand stayed there for a moment as he turned around.

  “What do you want from me?” he asked. His arm dropped to his side. “I mean…I’m not anything that you need in your life right now. And if this is about some goddamn summer fling, I got news for you, sweetie… I’m not interested. I’m not equipped for anything longer than that either, okay? I’m just… I’m not…”

  He groaned and was about to beeline it for the cabin. But she’d had enough and she quickly swung her legs over the railing to climb down to the main level.

  “What the fuck, Ava?” Gabe exhaled as he watched her stretched for the next deck railing. He looked like he was ready to pounce if she fell, but she completed her mission effortlessly until two feet were on the ground in front of him.

  He stared at her with his mouth open, questioning her reason for climbing down from the balcony, or maybe even how she could accomplish something like that so swiftly.

  “Years of practice,” she barely smiled.

  He closed his mouth but seemed totally uncomfortable that she was now within five feet of him. She wondered if he’d come out to talk to her because of the balcony that he apparently thought kept them apart.

  Well he thought wrong.

  “First of all, don’t you ever talk about yourself like you’re not good enough for someone,” she growled at him.

  He raised his eyebrows and then narrowed his eyes at her. “What are you, a damn therapist?”

  “And second of all, I’m not summer fling material. By saying that, you’re telling me that I’m not worth anything more.”

  “Hey, that’s not—”

  “And finally, you can stay away from people all you want, but you let me in, Gabe. And don’t you even deny it. You let me in and it scared you.”

  He looked angry with her, and had she not known how right she was, it might have worried her. But as the seconds ticked by, she could tell she was breaking him down. She was getting through the wall, even though he didn’t seem so sure about letting her.

  She took a few steps toward him as he watched her carefully. If she thought she’d have another chance to convince him, she wouldn’t have been so nervous. But she felt a bit of desperation set in, like this was it and she had to make it count.

  “Gabe, I don’t know what you’ve been through over the years, but whatever it is, it doesn’t mean that you can’t have some happiness in your life. I can’t fully understand the hell that you’ve been through, but I can accept it. I can accept that you might not have had a sunshiny peaceful life. But there is such a thing called ‘the future.’ I’m not asking you to forget everything and be someone you’re not. I’m just asking that you let someone that cares about you share your life. The good and the bad. You did let me in, and I liked what I saw. I really liked what I saw. Please let me in a little bit more.”

  Ava studied his silence, and because of the pissed expression on his face, the only thing that gave her hope was that he was still standing in front of her.

  So she did what she felt was right, and she gave him a hug. She just wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head against him. She didn’t even expect anything in return at that point. She just wanted him to know that people cared—that she cared—and he didn’t have to feel alone.

  But to feel his arms enclose around her, to hold her close, made her feel something that she wasn’t expecting. It was almost like an answer; it was a total confirmation that she was right about him and being there for him was what he needed.

  And she needed him.

  They stood there, just holding each other, for an entire minute. Ava might have been kissing him at that point if it had been up to her, but it seemed to be Gabe’s choice to just hold her. She felt he needed that, and even though she couldn’t see his face and he didn’t speak, she believed that he was letting all the possibilities sink in.

  “You’re really sweet, Ava, but I don’t think I can do this.”

  Or not.

  Alarmed, she pulled back slightly to see his face. It was beautiful up close in broad daylight, and she took in every inch of it while she had the chance. However, she didn’t let him go. In fact, she wrapped her arms around his neck and locked her hands together in protest.

  He understood her intent. He sighed, but she couldn’t tell if it was a sigh of weakness or a
sigh of irritation. He took his hands to gently remove hers but she kept them firmly locked around his neck and wouldn’t budge. Ava had no doubt he could have removed them easily if he’d wanted to.

  “You’re gonna have to take me along, I guess,” she told him smugly.

  There was a tiny hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth, but he shrugged. “Fine.” He turned toward the cabin with her hanging off of his neck. “Guess you’re gonna join me for the big shit I gotta go take.”

  She laughed out loud and answered, “Fine. If you’re that comfortable with me, then it doesn’t bother me one bit. I think we’re making progress.”

  He shook his head and stopped, but she could tell he was trying not to laugh. But damn it, he dug his fingers in her ribs and she squealed as her hands came undone from his neck.

  “That’s cheating!” she screamed, smacking him in the chest.

  He only shrugged and replied, “It’s called knowing your enemy’s weaknesses.”

  She studied him carefully and gave him an assessing eye. “I am not the enemy, Gabe.”

  “Yeah, you kind of are. I’m not able to think straight around you, and I sure as hell can’t get you to do what I say. I can’t even get you out of my head. That’s a whole lot of trouble in my book.”

  So he saw her as an opponent, huh? Well, if outsmarting her and bossing her around was what he thought romance was all about, the boy needed a swift kick in the ass.

  “Hm,” she said. “So the other night on the dock, when I lured you out there because I wanted you to kiss me… You fell for that.”

  His eyes were full of intrigue and it turned her on. They were pale green with just a hint of gold again. “Yes ma’am, I did,” he answered.

  “And when I used my body to get you to touch me more, you fell for that too.”

  She saw him swallow. “Yes, I did.”

  “And when I brought you food to get behind enemy lines… You let me.”

  He stared at her but didn’t answer that time.

  “And when you told me that I turned you on, and that you wouldn’t reject anything that I offer, and when I was gone all day you were glad to hear that I missed you… Those are some good tactics, Gabe. You had me totally convinced that you cared about me.”

  He didn’t laugh or smile; he didn’t look annoyed or upset. He just continued to stare at her until he finally looked at the ground. “Ava, I didn’t mean to lead you—”

  “Bullshit. There was no leading on and no mixed signals. I know without a doubt from the way you kissed me.”

  He looked her in the eyes again and she saw it. Complete vulnerability and the very part of him that she’d easily succumbed to. He was beautifully rough on the outside, but damn, the man needed some tender loving care. He was hurt and broken, and whatever his life had given him over the years, he deserved better now.

  Gabe sighed and shook his head. “Out of all the guys you could land, why the hell would you make a fuss over me?” he spoke quietly. “You’re better off with that Adam guy. At least he seemed normal and had it together. He seemed to like you. Why don’t you like him back?”

  She didn’t say anything in response. She couldn’t for some reason. Just hearing him say words like that, doubting himself, made her want to cry.

  “I’m a wrecked man, Ava. A man that is fully capable of functioning like a man physically, but the emotional wires are all fucked up. Do you understand that? You…you’re perfect. And I’m a hardened soul. You can do better; you deserve better.”

  Her heart seemed to go through a physical change at that moment. She could literally feel it respond to his desire for her to have what was best for her.

  Well she needed to let him know exactly what that was.

  “Gabe, I’m going to say this once and a million times more. I want you and I want to be with you, and right now I’m begging you to give me a chance. Please don’t turn me away. Please don’t let your anger and grief overtake the good parts of your soul. I know how much good is in there and I want to help you counter the darkness. We could make more happy memories to push out the bad ones until they’re gone. Please let me, Gabe. If you just—”

  He grabbed her and pressed his lips to hers. He kissed her with all the passion and need that she’d seen in his eyes, and from the feel of his arms that held her tight, she hoped to heaven that he didn’t want to let her go. That was her desire at least, but she pushed the thought aside as she wrapped her arms around his neck again and kissed him back.

  “Take me to your bed,” she barely managed to say, and he picked her up and made it to the cabin door within three seconds.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  The cabin only had one lamp on in the living room, and when Gabe set Ava down in the bedroom, the light cast a simple glow across the bed. With the sun just going down, the feel of the room was pretty serene.

  He held her face in his hands and covered her mouth with kisses. His hands traveled down her back and to her waist, and when she pressed her body closer to his, he cupped his hands underneath her ass to assist.

  She slid her fingers under his shirt and it made him shiver. She liked that and it made her smile. “For such a tough guy you sure seem a little sensitive now and then.”

  He smiled as he carefully laid her on the bed. He stretched out beside her on his elbow and traced his finger along the waistband of her denim cutoffs. When she reacted the same way he said, “Uh huh, kind of sensitive for a tough girl.”

  “I’m no tough girl,” she argued. “I’m kind of bratty, but not tough.”

  “Bratty, yes—” She smacked him in the arm and he laughed. “But yeah, you’re also kind of tough. If you can conquer me, I’d say you’re pretty damn iron-willed.”

  He lifted her shirt a few inches and kissed her stomach. It made her heart race. He continued to kiss her, slowly, gently, and with a lot of purpose. This was a lot different than she thought falling into bed with him would be like. His touch was tender any other time they’d kissed, but she thought they’d be devouring each other by now.

  Ava was pleasantly surprised.

  Gabe returned to her lips and kissed them again, so she found the edge of his shirt and slid it up. He took the hint and easily reached back to remove it. It wasn’t light enough for her to study his tattoos—she would leave that to another glorious time—so for the time being, she indulged her senses by feeling his skin and the contours of his upper body.

  Gradually he ended up over her, and she opened her knees to hug his waist. She heard him breathe in sharply because he was pressing against her. Ava rolled into him, over and over, slowly and deliberately. He kissed her a bit harder and she welcomed it, and then he undid the button to her shorts.

  “May I?” he asked.

  She kind of giggled—a desperate but giddy response. “Yes. Please.”

  He smiled and said, “Well, maybe I should ask ‘should I’.”

  “Should you what?” she asked with a teasing voice.

  With a chuckle he answered, “Should I make you beg even more because you’re so facetious.”

  “What? Me?”

  That look in his eye that drove her crazy… Between that and the alluring smile she couldn’t get over, she probably would have begged.

  He kissed along the top of her panties, and then unzipped her. He paused as he looked over the lavender lace in front of him, and then he slipped off her shorts. “You have gorgeous legs,” he exhaled. He ran his fingers along her skin for a moment, and then he brought himself over the top of her again.

  She wrapped her legs around him and said, “The better to hold you with, my dear.”

  With a slight shake of his head he grinned, almost like the wolf ready to ravage her. He kissed her mouth again, a hot smoldering kiss that pulsed all the way down between her legs. She loved the feel of his shoulders and arms in her hands. His sides and chest competed for her attention equally.

  She worked to remove her own shirt, and when Gabe saw the matching lace bra, hi
s tongue flicked over his lips.

  “Damn, girl…”

  The kissing commenced; mouths, chins, necks, shoulders… He removed her bra and another exhale came out of his lips. He kissed her collarbone, and then her ribs, and then up between her breasts. His hand softly cupped around a nipple and when he rubbed it between his thumb and finger, the sensation shot down her body.

  Her hands were at his hips, working to slide his shorts down. He moved his mouth to her other nipple and put it into shock while he stripped to his boxers. Then his mouth glided downward, tickling her with his lips and tongue, and he stopped at the waist of her panties. She was eager for anything he was going to do to her, and she was sure he knew that.

  He slowly slid off her underwear, and just seeing his tongue wet his lower lip made her insides reel. He brought her knees up a little higher and buried his mouth into her heat.

  “Oh my God,” she moaned, and he kept kissing, and suckling, and using his tongue. Just the sheer pleasure he gave her from his mouth put her at the edge. She wanted to beg him not to stop, but she also wanted him to do it his way without her interference. He seemed to have things covered, and really…what did she even know?

  A few minutes later he surfaced, after it was obvious that he’d done his job and left her nearly breathless while she tried to recover.

  “I think you liked that,” Gabe said with a smile.

  Ava barely chuckled in between still feeling the effects of the orgasm that had rocked her body. “Oh yeah.” She watched him to see where he was going next. She wondered if it was going to be like the night on the dock where only one of them got satisfied. “What about you?” she asked. She made a movement to entice his lower half and he smiled.

  “Is that what you’re ready for?” he asked, his voice sounding husky and bedroom worthy.

  “Yes,” she replied in the same tone. “I want you, Gabe. Now.”