by Lee, Geneva
I left pleasantly full but not overly stuffed. By the time we walked back to the house, I’d be ready for more dessert. Gavin offered me his arm and I took it, marveling at the subtle electricity I felt whenever I touched him.
“Look,” he said, pointing to the sky, which was clear and full of stars, “a shooting star. Make a wish.”
I hoped it would always be like this. Simple and magical. I wished it would be.
Chapter 19
The next morning, I was actually sore. I left Gavin in bed still sleeping and decided to take a quick shower. The jacuzzi tub looked tempting, but if I played my cards right, I could sneak down and make Gavin breakfast before he was awake. It would be eggs—the only food I knew how to cook—but it was something and he was going to need to rebuild strength after last night.
It took an embarrassingly long time to figure out how to turn on each of the four separate shower heads, since I’d only been blessed with normal showers until this point in my life. But it seemed rude not to enjoy the whole experience. I stepped under the water and allowed the heat to wash over my tired muscles. I felt like I’d done hours at the gym yesterday. It was a cardio plan I could get behind. Gavin was tireless, which probably accounted for why he was still sleeping now.
I’d just begun to wash my hair when a pair of strong hands caught my hips. Startling and getting soap in my eye in the process, I stepped backwards into his embrace. God, his body felt amazing.
“That’s the second time I’ve woken alone,” he said. “I don’t like it.”
My heart did a little flip. Not that this was something to get used to. Tomorrow we would return to Seattle and to our separate lives, which meant figuring out a lot about how this was going to work. For now, I was going to soak up all the romance I could get.
I turned around, splashing water in my eyes to stop the burning from the shampoo.
“You scared me,” I accused him, rubbing at them until the irritation started to subside.
“It looks like you’re having a hard time. Let me help you.” Reaching up, he massaged the remaining shampoo through my hair, his fingers working magic on my scalp as he helped it rinse away. This man really did know all the ways to make me moan. He followed it with conditioner, his hand sliding down to knead my neck for a few seconds as though he sensed how sore I was.
“That feels good,” I murmured, allowing myself to press closer to him, the only thing between us a stream of water.
“I want you to feel good, baby.” Gavin grabbed a bar of soap and began to lather up his hands. Once they were covered, he began to massage me, rubbing across my shoulders, down to my breasts. He lingered there, rubbing and circling until they began to swell with interest.
“I’m not sure those are as dirty as you think they are,” I said wryly.
“If I was concerned about you being dirty, I’d be washing out your mouth.”
He might have a point. Gavin continued his attention downward, kneeling on the shower floor and sliding soaped up hands along my thighs down my calves, then back up toward the space between my legs, which he conveniently ignored. I had no doubt that was on purpose. He straightened back up and maneuvered me around so that my back was to him before he slipped his hand to my forbidden zone, which was off-limits to everyone but him.
“I’ve got to wash this”—he nipped my ear—“so I can get it dirty later.”
He continued to stroke me until the soap had washed away, his thumb delving until it settled over my clit. My palms found the tiled wall and braced myself for leverage. I had no problem with his thoroughness. In fact, I rather enjoyed it. Still, it was feeling a trifle one-sided.
“I thought we were taking a shower,” I said.
“This isn’t how you shower?” he asked. “I’m disappointed. I like the idea of you wet and touching yourself.”
“Is that so?” His teeth had found my ear again and he was beginning to nibble. It took all the self-control I had to squirm out of his arms. I stepped away, sliding my hand down the wet plane of my belly and found the spot he’d been so expertly manipulating a moment ago. Gavin watched as I put on a show for him, his eyes hooding with unrestrained desire. It wasn’t hard to find something to inspire my exhibition. Not with him standing under the shower, water flowing over his lean form. Little drops had begun to collect in the chiseled lines of his abdomen. They ran down to his groin where they collected off his most impressive organ.
Gavin always wanted to make sure that I felt good. I needed him to know that was important to me as well. Very carefully, so I didn’t bite it on the wet tile, I lowered down to one knee and then the other until I was on all fours. I crawled under the water until I was at his feet. Sitting back on my heels, I dipped my hand between my legs again before reaching up with my other one and grasping his shaft. I spluttered a little on the water as I began to suck him off. His hand fisted into my wet hair, urging me on faster. I began to build with him, my fingers massaging furiously until he released his grip on me, reached down and grabbed me under the arms. Gavin lifted my entire body up and slammed me into the tile wall, plunging into me with one powerful thrust.
I lost control. Filter off. “Oh God! Hell, yes!”
This was definitely new territory. Skin to skin. Nothing between us. We had the talk about me being on the pill and we hadn’t come to any conclusions, but right now I didn’t care. I wove my hands through his hair and crushed his mouth to mine. There was so much water I thought I might drown.
But not in it, in him. I was already lost, crashing against him, surging forward as his hips rolled against me. He had my thighs tightly clasped allowing him to control the amount of leverage he had over me and he used it to slam into me over and over until I was crying his name and a whole lot of other things that would make a porn star blush. I dissolved into him, melting as pleasure lit up every nerve ending in my body. My arms wrapped around his shoulders holding on to him as he continued towards his own release. When he finished, he kissed me as he lowered me carefully onto my feet.
“I think I might have to wash you again.” He grinned crookedly as though he was proud of this fact.
I shooed him away, my legs still shaky and one hand firmly planted on the wall. “I’ll never be done with the shower if you keep helping me.”
“It’s built for two,” he argued.
“No way,” I said. “You can have it in a minute.”
I finished up my shower with record speed. Partially, because I expected him to come in and repeat what had just happened at any moment, but also because I wanted to get downstairs and make him breakfast before he finished. As soon as I was out, I sidled past him, having to dart away before he could get his hands on me. Throwing my hair up into a wet mess, I found a shirt hanging in his closet and threw it on. I buttoned it up to a point nearing modesty as I skipped down to the kitchen through the magical forest canopy. I was humming to myself, completely lost in my thoughts, my lips swollen, my face still flushed with post orgasmic glow when I walked into the kitchen and discovered his parents.
Richard Sound was flipping pancakes at the kitchen island while Gavin’s mom, whose name I didn’t even know yet, sipped coffee. They both looked up at me as I stumble in and froze in place. At least, I assumed they were his parents. Either that or two people who looked freakishly like him had broken in and decided to cook breakfast.
I didn’t know what to say. Was there something to say in a situation like this? I couldn’t imagine what they were thinking. A strange girl in their house, wearing nothing but their son’s shirt. I scrambled to fasten a few more buttons.
“You must be Cassie.” Richard looked up and smiled warmly before returning his attention to the sizzling griddle.
“Are you hungry?” Gavin’s mother asked me.
I had just entered an episode of The Twilight Zone. Gavin told me last night that they wanted to meet me. I tried to think back on when he possibly could have called them to invite them up here, but I’d kept him pretty busy. Had w
e all just conveniently wound up here?
“I was going to make some eggs,” I said lamely. My fingers found a lock of hair and began to twirl it absently. Was the polite thing to do to excuse myself and go get dressed? Warn Gavin his parents were here before he showed up naked? Sit down, half naked myself, and make conversation? It didn’t seem like there was a way to win the situation.
“I’m sorry for the intrusion.” Richard lifted a pancake off the griddle onto a plate and then turned to face me. “We couldn’t help ourselves. When I saw that Gavin filed a flight plan for the weekend… Well, we decided to surprise him.”
“I told you that we should have called him first,” his wife said archly. “The girl looks like a deer in the headlights. We scared her. That won’t do. We promised Imogen that we wouldn’t ruin this for Gavin.”
It wasn’t coincidence. His family had ambushed us. After having met Imogen, I couldn’t say that I was surprised exactly. Except that I was—as was evidenced by the fact that I was standing half naked in their kitchen.
“I’m going to go tell Gavin you’re here.” That seemed like a safe way out of the situation. It would also provide an opportunity to put on underwear.
“Tell him I made chocolate chip pancakes,” Richard called after me.
I heard Gavin’s mother scold him as the door closed, “Oh Richard!”
They didn’t seem shocked to meet their son’s girlfriend in this way. Nor do they seem terribly put off. In fact, it felt as if they were falling all over themselves to impress me. I hustled back up the interconnecting walkway, muttering under my breath the whole time. The first time I had met a boy’s family and I hadn’t been wearing panties. What were the girls going to say about that one?
Gavin, unlike me, was dressed when I entered his bedroom. He was towel drying his hair, and he dropped it on the bed when he spotted me.
“Hey, I was just about to come…” He stopped the moment he caught sight of my face. “Is everything okay?”
I planted my hands on my hips, took a deep breath and said, “Everything’s fine. Your dad wants you to know that he has chocolate chip pancakes downstairs.”
I was pretty certain the stricken look on Gavin’s face mirrored my own. He definitely hadn’t known they were coming. “They didn’t.”
“Oh they did.” I huffed as I started tugging his shirt off. I couldn’t find my clothes fast enough. “I’m pretty sure breakfast is getting cold, so we better hurry.”
Gavin didn’t move. He just watched me as I dashed around the room hoping to pull myself together enough to not look like a crazy person.
“I’m so sorry,” he said
“Don’t apologize,” I said, glancing over my shoulder to find he was still standing still, “and don’t just stand there. Help me find my bra.”
Why didn’t I pack another? The one from last night was missing in action. I would be damned if I was going downstairs without both a bra and panties this time.
“I can tell them to leave.” He joined the search, lifting the covers on the bed and checking on the floor. “Or we can leave. You don’t have to meet them like this.”
“That would be rude.” I stood up and whipped around to face him. “They’re here. They came to see you. I’m your girlfriend. That’s how this works.”
A strange look came over Gavin’s face and he strode across the room, grabbed me around the waist and kissed me. Breaking away, he looked past me. “I see a bra.”
It had fallen—or been tossed—onto the bookshelf.
I hadn’t packed anything that was meet the parents appropriate. Not that I knew exactly what would fall into that category. It wasn’t like I’d brought a bunch of stripper clothes or anything. But I hadn’t brought another dress or a blouse. Those seem like the appropriate attire for what I was about to do. Instead, I was stuck with a pair of cropped jeans and a nice but somewhat casual tank top. I thought this weekend was about going away. I hadn’t expected that I would need to be dressed up. I considered the dress I’d wore to last night’s dinner, but I’d left that on the floor as soon as we got in and it had turned into a wrinkled mess. Since Gavin was also in jeans and a T-shirt, I decided to follow suit. I couldn’t remember what his parents had been wearing downstairs. I’d been too preoccupied by what I hadn’t been wearing.
We made our way toward the main house with grim determination. Gavin still hadn’t said much, but I got the feeling he was a little pissed.
“What your mom’s name?” I whispered, clutching his hand like a life preserver.
“Rebecca,” He told me. He breathed a heavy sigh and paused before we went in. “Thank you.”
“For what?” I asked him.
“For being you. I’m still sorry to put you in this position. You have every right if you want to run.”
“That would be a tad dramatic. Besides they already saw me without underwear on. It can’t get much worse.” It was worth the look on his face to say it, but I added quickly, “I had that shirt on, remember? I don’t think they saw anything. It’s just not how I would’ve chosen to meet your parents.”
“Believe me, this isn’t how I wanted it to be either.”
I did my best to sound upbeat. “Maybe this way there’s less pressure.”
I would’ve been obsessing for days over what to wear or worrying about spilling wine all over myself. Now, I didn’t need to worry about embarrassing myself, because I already had.
“You’re really an optimist aren’t you?” Gavin reached for the doorknob. “You ready?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
It was distinctly more comfortable to enter fully clothed. In the mad dash I’d made to get dressed, they’d set the table and laid out a full breakfast. My stomach rumbled at the scent of vanilla and chocolate chips. I thought I even smelled bacon. At least if they were going to ambush us, they had brought food.
“Morning, honey. Would you like some coffee?” Rebecca Sound beamed at her son, French press in her hand. She looked so much like him: dark hair and blue eyes, although she was more petite than either of her children.
“Mom.” Gavin went over and hugged her, kissing her on the cheek. “I wasn’t expecting you.”
There was no missing the edge to his words.
“I tried to tell your father,” she said defensively.
“She did,” Richard carried pancakes to the table. “But I didn’t listen.”
He was where his kids got their height. He looked older than his wife, but in that distinguished way. His hair had grayed but he wore his age with grace.
“You could have at least called,” Gavin reprimanded them as Rebecca brushed some invisible lint off his shirt.
“You are too skinny. Are you eating enough?” She bypassed his comments altogether.
“I don’t cook,” I said apologetically, feeling like I needed to put a foot into this conversation and only realizing at the last moment that it was the wrong thing to say. Foot in mouth struck again.
“Well, that’s no excuse. It’s not your job to do it for him,” Rebecca spoke as though this suggestion was ludicrous. “My son can cook. You look too skinny, too. Gavin, you need to be cooking this girl dinner. I taught you better.”
I watched as Richard Sound, the founder and CEO of one of the most successful businesses in the world, prepared the table and made everyone plates. She obviously believed in this philosophy. I liked her already. No wonder Imogen had such a mind of her own.
“What are your plans for today?” Richard asked as we all sat down and began to take in to our ready-made plates.
I decided to let Gavin field that question. He was the one that knew this island. Besides, he was probably going to have to come up with something. I doubted he had plans to get farther than the bedroom.
I’d just lifted the first bite of pancake to my lips when Rebecca shook her head. “Richard, they were probably going to spend the whole day in bed, having sex like normal twenty-somethings, and you decided this was going to be a
family weekend.”
The bite of pancake I had just taken lodged in my throat and I tried to get it back up. Hopefully, my choking would explain the way my cheeks colored. Gavin knocked me on the back as though that would be helpful, but I finally got it back up. I swallowed hard and reached for my glass of orange juice, hoping that Gavin’s mother didn’t continue to be so forthright.
“Mom, can you try not to kill my girlfriend?” Gavin requested. He hadn’t started eating yet. Instead, he was pinching the bridge of his nose and looking rather ruffled.
“They can have sex later. He has his own wing of the house.” Richard seemed oblivious to everything that had happened.
“Dad!”
“You’re an adult. Which is why we never see you. Okay, I’m sorry,” His dad gave in. “I just want to spend some time with you.”
“What did you have in mind?” Gavin asked. “Piling into bed with me and my girlfriend?”
It still sent a thrill bursting through me when he said girlfriend.
“We’ll call next time,” Rebecca promised. She reached over and patted Gavin’s hand in reassurance. Then, she turned her attention to me. “So you’re an intern at NorthWest Investments.”
I wasn’t sure what to make of the tone of her voice. Would his parents not approve of him dating a lowly intern? I guessed there was nothing I could do about that. I nodded. “For the summer.”
“With any luck, I’ll be able to keep her longer,” Gavin said, his voice taking on a suggestive undertone. I knew he meant at the company. I couldn’t even consider us not being together.
It was a weird feeling—this certainty that had settled inside me, centering me like an anchor.
“I have to finish school first,” I stammered, aware that I was gawking at him.
“But then you’ll come back to work there full-time?” she asked.