“I know that they’re close,” Gwen agreed, “and I would never do anything to get in the way of that. Truthfully, I assumed that it would make both you and Mac uncomfortable to have me around.”
“No, we don’t feel that way at all,” Ava assured her. “In fact, I think Mac would be relieved to keep you in his life. He’s not the type of man who cares about someone and then walks away. He will always look out for you—that’s the type of man that he is.” Chuckling, Ava added, “He’s probably already lectured Dominic about what will happen if he doesn’t treat you well.”
“I’d hate to be a fly on the walls of that office.” Gwen laughed. She thought about how strange it was to be laughing with the woman she had despised just days earlier. Maybe she should still be holding a grudge, but she found that there was no way she could feel about Dominic the way that she did and have lasting feelings for Mac. She knew now that she liked the idea of Mac more than anything. To her, he had represented stability in one hot package. He was the ideal husband material, just not for her. After the hell that Ava had gone through in her life, she deserved to be with the man who had been by her side the whole time. It was their moment to be happy, and Gwen just couldn’t begrudge them that. It might take some time before they could all comfortably enjoy one another’s company, but she felt confident that if she continued her relationship with Dominic, it would happen. Ava was correct; they were all too closely connected to have tension between them.
Gwen grimaced as she took a taste of her now cold soup. Her sandwich looked equally as unappetizing. Beside her, Ava picked at her salad before wrinkling her nose. “Now that we’ve talked and you didn’t stab me with your fork, I’m starving. I’d kill for a big greasy burger from Jack’s across the street.”
Knowing she should probably be embarrassed by her eagerness, Gwen still grabbed her wallet from her purse and threw enough money on the table to cover both of their meals. “I’d much rather have that, but I was afraid you were dedicated to the salad route.”
“Ugh, no.” Ava stood quickly, almost knocking her chair over. “I just ordered the first thing on the menu. I was too nervous to even think about food.”
Gwen stood and quickly rounded the table. “By all means, lead the way,” she motioned as she followed Ava out the door and across the street.
Maybe the other woman was okay, after all. She seemed far removed from the ice queen that Gwen had thought her to be. No one who enjoyed a good hamburger could be all bad.
Chapter Eight
It was early Saturday morning and Gwen was buried beneath her comforter when someone knocked at her door. She opened one eye to look at the bedside clock. It was just after eight so a visitor this early in the morning couldn’t be good news. She was afraid that it was Shannon needing a babysitter, which would make for a long Saturday. Or it could be Dominic. There had been a security issue at one of their locations last night, and he had left around midnight to check it out. He had said he would go to his place afterward to keep from waking her again. She had wanted to argue that he should come back since she was now pitifully spoiled and accustomed to waking up to his handsome face, and sweet heaven, he almost always put his morning wood to new and creative uses. He was most definitely a morning person. But she didn’t want to force the issue.
When another round of knocking reached her ears, Gwen reluctantly crawled from her warm cocoon and stumbled to the door. A quick look through the peephole showed a handsome man and made her heart skip a beat. Without a thought about her appearance or smoothing down her mass of hair, she unchained the door and threw it open. She unconsciously licked her lips at the sight of Dominic on her doorstep in faded jeans and a close fitting T-shirt. Black boots perfectly complemented his outfit, as did the day’s growth of scruff on his face. “Morning, baby,” he drawled as his eyes slid down her body. She knew that her tank top and skimpy sleep shorts left little to the imagination, but she saw nothing but approval and lust in his stare.
He crossed the threshold, forcing her to move backward as he closed the door behind him. His hands reached over, pulling her flush against his chest. He dropped his head, licking the seam of her lips until they parted for his tongue. He tasted her until her legs were weak, and he was all but supporting her weight. “Mmm,” she hummed against his lips. When he pulled back, she purred, “Good morning to you, too.” All she wanted to do was pull him to the nearest surface and beg him to fuck her. He had turned her into something of a sex fiend. He was her drug, and she was beyond addicted. She had gone from never having an orgasm during intercourse to having multiples each and every time. Oh, the things he could do with his cock. Heck, she’d even slipped around Mia and Crystal and admitted that she called it the “miracle cock,” because that was just what it was. Of course, those talented fingers that he used along with it were the proverbial icing on the cake.
Dominic cupped the cheeks of her ass, squeezing them lightly as he ground his hard length against her. He made no bones about the fact that he was an ass man. He constantly assured her, though, that it was just her ass that got him going. Whatever the reason, for the first time in her life she was grateful to the big butt gods for giving her more than her share in that department.
They were both primed and ready to move this party to the bedroom when he murmured against her neck between licks, “I’ve got something for you, babe.”
Reaching a hand between them to grip his steely length, she moaned, “You sure do—and I’m ready for it.”
He made a sound that was somewhere between a laugh and a groan. “Not that, Red, although it’s all yours as well.” He pulled back, dislodging her wandering hand and picked up a bag that she hadn’t noticed from the floor. “This is the first part of your surprise.”
She blinked like an owl before taking the bag that he thrust into her hand. She recognized the name of a popular store in the mall and wondered what he could have possibly bought for her there. “Why are you giving me anything?” she managed to get out before she opened the bag and began pulling out the contents.
“It’s a belated birthday gift. Don’t get me wrong,” he said, grinning, “I love how we celebrated your big day the night of your first . . . visit to my apartment, but you did most of the gift giving. I think it’s my turn to do something for my girl today.”
Her mouth dropped as she pulled out a new pair of boot-cut jeans, a white tank top, which looked about a size too small, a black leather jacket, and finally a pair of black boots that resembled the ones he was wearing. Bemused, she looked at the items now lying on the entryway table and then back at Dominic. “What’s all of this for?”
Gwen couldn’t help but think that he looked like an excited little boy as he rubbed his hands together. “I want us to take a trip on my bike today. I’ve been using the truck because I didn’t know if it was safe for you to ride on the bike until we knew if you were pregnant or not. So, yesterday I called my brother-in-law and asked him.”
“Er . . . isn’t your brother-in-law a veterinarian?” Gwen pointed out. “There are probably different rules for animals versus people.” Although she was touched that he had put that much thought into watching over her. She had never felt as cared for as she did with him. He treated her like a fragile piece of glass, and instead of it being annoying, she found that she quite liked it. It was a nice change from the men in her past who didn’t even open doors for her. She had felt like the man in most of those relationships.
Dominic tweaked her nose before dropping a kiss onto it. “Yes, smarty pants, but he’s quite knowledgeable. Plus, his best friend is a . . . you know, a doctor who deals with women and their . . . issues, so he asked him to confirm.”
Quirking a smile, Gwen couldn’t resist teasing him. “What kind of ‘issues’ does this doctor handle exactly?”
She was utterly charmed to see his face flush as he began to stammer. “Well . . . I . . . you know—stuff below the belt, I guess.”
Oh, this was just too good to stop, so acting deliberately obtus
e, Gwen wrinkled her nose and asked, “Below the belt? You mean a woman’s legs or feet?”
Her confident, alpha male’s face was now full-on flaming as he struggled to find the words. “No, babe, like your private business.” He pointed to the area between her legs before looking quickly away.
“Ohhh, you mean my vagina!” Popping a hand to her forehead dramatically, she said, “Duh, I’m slow today.”
He studied her for a moment, seeming to comprehend that he’d been played. Prowling toward her, he shook his head, saying, “Oh, I don’t think you’re slow at all, baby. I believe you were having a blast yanking my chain, weren’t you?”
Shaking with laughter, Gwen took a step back for every one he took forward. “Of course not, honey, I just didn’t know what you were talking about. I’d never try to intentionally embarrass you, now would I?” As she suddenly sprinted down the hallway, she yelled over her shoulder, “Vagina, vagina, vagina!”
She gave a squeal of surprise when he swung her up into his arms inside her bedroom door. He turned to absorb the impact of their fall as they tumbled onto her disheveled bedcovers. She felt his chest move against her head as he rumbled with laughter. “You’re a little minx this morning, aren’t you?” he said against the top of her head.
She lifted her head to give him a lopsided grin. “Aw, come on. You’ve been below my belt quite a few times now. I can’t believe you’d have a hard time talking about a female body part. You seem to know your way around them very well.” Instead of responding to her teasing, his hands began to roam her body. He pushed inside the elastic band of her sleep shorts, palming her ass and kneading it. The skin-on-skin contact had her quickly squirming against him. Her moan was swallowed by his mouth as he crushed his lips to hers.
Gwen was busy trying to unbuckle his belt to release the bulge that was driving her crazy when Dominic removed his hands from her shorts and clamped them onto her wrists. “No, no, baby, that’s not part of your birthday surprise. If you’re a good girl, I’ll let you unwrap that present later, though. Right now we need to get going.” He sat up, pulling her with him. “Now, go dress that gorgeous body of yours in what I brought you.”
Gwen let out a huff of frustration as she stood. Scowling, she said, “Do we have to be somewhere at a certain time or something?”
Dominic left the room, only to return with the clothing he had bought for her. “Nope, we aren’t on a set schedule for today. We’ll just relax and enjoy ourselves.”
She looked from the bed to the front of his jeans where the evidence of his arousal was still pressing against his zipper. “Oookayyy.” Pointing to the bed, she snapped, “Well, if that’s the case, then why can’t we finish what we started there?”
Dominic bit his lip as if trying to keep from smiling. “Are you pouting because I’m not fucking you?” Dammit, Gwen wanted to stomp her feet. He had managed to challenge her with his last sentence, and there was no way she was begging him. Everyone knew that women had more self-control than men did when it came to sex. No matter how horny she was at this moment, she would be damned if she would give him the pleasure of knowing it. Game on, Mr. Brady . . . game on.
Grabbing the clothing he was holding, she sashayed toward the bathroom making sure she put more swing in her hips than usual. If his quick intake of breath was any indication, he had noticed it. She shut the door behind her with a soft click and then locked it for good measure. She wasn’t sure if she was trying to keep him out or her in.
She took a quick shower—cold—and then quickly dried her hair before realizing that she would need to go back into the bedroom for a bra and panties. Unless . . . did she dare to go bare today, just to torture him? It might take a while for him to clue in to her lack of panties, but going braless would be readily apparently in the thin tank top. She could always keep her jacket on if they stopped anywhere in public. She stood there trying to decide until he pounded on the door, hurrying her along. With an evil grin, she pulled the jeans on, marveling at how soft they were and how well they fit. She figured he had to have looked through her clothes to know the correct size. Men were usually completely off in the guessing department on women’s sizes in one extreme direction or the other.
Of course, as she had suspected, the top was very form fitting and about a size too small. Probably on purpose since the pants were perfect. The jacket as well could have been tailor-made for her. The rich, buttery leather was as comfortable as wearing an old bathrobe, but way more stylish. The man did have good taste. She knew without even guessing that the boots would fit as well. Dominic wasn’t a man to leave much to chance.
Gwen stood studying her reflection in the mirror. It wasn’t a style that she was used to, but she had to admit that she looked good—sexy even. Her breasts had never looked as impressive as they did now pressing against the too-small top. One glance was all it would take for him to know that she wasn’t wearing a bra. Her nipples were practically shouting, “check me out!”
She pulled her hair back into a ponytail to keep it out of her face, and then she was ready. She’d ridden a motorcycle once before, but that had been back in college. She was excited by the thought of sharing something with Dominic that she knew he loved. And having him between her legs wasn’t exactly a hardship, either. Maybe the vibrations from the bike would give her some relief from the slow burn that she’d been experiencing since the moment he had shown up looking so damn sexy.
Gwen debated leaving the jacket off so that Dominic would notice her braless state but decided it would be more fun to spring the girls on him later.
He was patiently waiting on her sofa when she stepped into the living room. She walked in front of him and did a slow twirl. When she was facing him again, he swallowed audibly before getting slowly to his feet. “How do I look?” she asked, even though the answer was written all over his face. It seemed that Dominic liked her in leather. He reached out to pull her to him, and she sidestepped him, walking toward the door. “No, no, none of that, baby. We need to hit the road.” She wanted to burst out laughing as she repeated his earlier words to him. He gave her a strained smile in return, and then attempted to discreetly adjust himself as they walked out the door. His eyes were glued to her ass, and Gwen couldn’t help but think that one man’s big butt was another man’s nirvana.
When they reached his gleaming Harley, he took a few moments to go over the basics of riding before handing her a helmet. She grimaced at it, knowing that her sexy factor was going to go down a few levels with the hat hair she would soon be sporting. Dominic chucked her chin, saying, “I’m sorry, baby, but I won’t take chances with your safety. I need for you to wear it.”
Gwen did something she rarely did after that. She stood on her tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his mouth. He was just so darn cute in his concern for her. “Okay,” she whispered as she pulled back. He looked thrilled at her show of affection, that she had taken the lead, and she vowed to do it more today.
He threw his leg over the bike and settled on the seat. He motioned for her to do the same. She hadn’t taken the weight of her new boots into account, though. As she held on to his arm to get on the bike, her leg went wide when she tried to put it over and she kicked him in the side. He let out a pained grunt, but simply said, “Easy, babe, you’ll hurt yourself.” The poor man was entirely too nice for his own good. She could probably kick him in the balls and he would warn her about breaking a toe.
“Whoops, sorry,” she murmured, glad that he couldn’t see the blush that she knew was on her cheeks. She had lost a few more sexy points with that less than graceful move. Luckily, she still had her unfettered breasts to bring him back around.
Soon, they were coasting through the streets of Myrtle Beach. Gwen relaxed her death grip on Dominic as she got more comfortable with the feel of the bike. Having him nestled between her thighs had been a little distracting at first, but now she was able to enjoy the wind in her hair and the freedom of the road. They hadn’t been riding for long when he slo
wed to make a turn. She looked around in interest and was surprised by what she saw. When he parked the bike in a busy lot, she hugged him excitedly. “We’re going to the zoo?” God, she couldn’t remember the last time she had been. She had tried to take Maddy and Megan, but they always begged for Chuck E. Cheese instead.
He turned in his seat, looking at her over his shoulder. “Yeah, is this okay with you?”
“Oh, yes! This is wonderful.” She laughed. “I can’t believe you thought of it.”
Dominic got off the bike and helped her up before answering. “I was just here last week. They’re interested in hiring us to replace their current security company. There’s also a park and some nature trails. I hoped it might be something you’d like.”
“Thank you,” she beamed. “I haven’t been to the zoo since I was in college.”
Dominic stored their helmets before clasping her hand in his. “I take my nephews almost every time I visit.” Looking amused, he added, “I think the zoo there is about ready to pay me never to bring them back again. Last time we were there, they had the monkeys all pissed off by trying to impersonate the sounds that they made. I thought we were going to get kicked out.”
Gwen laughed, imagining the scene he had described. It sounded like the perfect day to her. “I’m afraid things weren’t that crazy when I went. My sister got me a yearly membership for my birthday because I liked spending the day there studying when I was in school. It might not sound ideal, but I would find a bench in one of the quieter areas and spread my books out. It was much better than sitting in a dark corner of the library for hours.”
Dominic stopped to purchase their tickets before asking, “Where did you go to school?”
Snuggling into his side as he dropped his arm around her, Gwen said, “I went to the University of South Carolina.” Pointing to her chest, she added, “You’ve got a loyal Gamecock fan right here. Hey, how about you? Did you go to college or straight into the military?”
Watch Over Me Page 10
