by Jess Dee
“You’re kidding, right?”
“Wish I was.” Gabe dropped his hands on the table. Damn, he wished he was.
“Is she involved with anyone?”
“Not anymore. She broke it off this morning.”
“How’d she respond to seeing you again?”
Gabe thought about the answer. “She was surprised at first, but forced herself to make small talk for a few minutes. Then she threw in a couple of sarcastic comments for good measure and walked away.”
Connor stared at him in disbelief. “And you let her go?”
“Fuck, no! I went after her. We spent a little time together.” Memories of the time raced through his mind, the images of her naked and convulsing in pleasure blindsiding him.
“Christ, Carter.” Connor chuckled. “You slept with her.”
Gabe grimaced. “Nah, mate. I didn’t. Wanted to, real bad, but never did.”
“So why the look on your face?”
That was the problem about sleeping with the same woman at the same time as your best friend. You couldn’t hide your sexual exploits from him when he knew you so well. “Things got heated. That’s all.”
“You saying you got T all hot and worked up and nothing came of it?” Connor frowned. “Doesn’t sound like the woman I remember. Doesn’t sound like you either, for that matter.”
Gabe took a mouthful of coffee. How much did he tell Connor? Sure, they’d always shared everything when it came to Tina. That’s how he’d gotten into this screwed-up situation in the first place. But now they’d gone their different paths. Connor had chosen Maddie, and Gabe had chosen Tina. They were no longer partners on a sexual journey. From this point on they both flew solo.
Well, Connor had Maddie. It was just Gabe flying solo.
Still, he needed a friend, and Connor was the one guy he’d trusted his whole life. He’d leave out the details about Tina getting naked, but the rest he could speak to Connor about. “I’m screwed,” he said after another minute’s deliberation. “When it comes to matters of the heart, I am good and fucked.” He slammed his mug on the table. Dark drops of liquids splashed over the sides and onto the wooden surface.
Connor jerked in surprise. “What happened between the two of you?”
“I spoke pretty frankly with her. Told her I left because I loved her.”
“And…?”
“And she told me that four years ago she loved me too. Me and you.”
Connor swore. “Both of us?”
“She thinks of us as a single entity. Two halves of a whole.”
Connor twisted his lips as he digested that bit of information. “Fuck me,” he muttered.
They sat in silence for several moments.
“Think it was the same for all of them?” Gabe asked. “We know Maddie didn’t have that outlook. But what about the others?”
Connor shrugged. “Until Maddie I’d never thought about our threesomes in terms of love. They were fun, sure. And satisfying. But love?” He shook his head. “It was never part of the equation for me. I’d never contemplated a love relationship with three of us.”
Gabe grimaced. “Me neither.” Especially not when it came to Tina. “Maybe I’m naïve, but I don’t think it was a question of love with the others. I think they were in it for the same reasons as we were. Sexual exploration and sexual gratification.”
Connor nodded. “Tina and Maddie are the only two who stand out as acting differently.”
“Maybe we were the ones acting differently with Tina and Maddie?”
“Because we loved them.”
Connor let out a long sigh. “What are you going to do now?”
“Fuck if I know,” Gabe told him.
“There’s only one thing you can do,” a feminine voice said from behind Gabe.
Connor’s gaze swung above Gabe’s head.
Gabe twisted around to see Maddie standing in the doorway.
She gave him a quick smile and answered his silent question. “I thought I’d wait in the living room while Connor and you spoke in private. I… I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation.”
Maddie glowed. She had a gleam to her eyes that he’d never seen before. A gleam that Connor had reflected when he’d looked up at her. Gabe tried to ignore the tightening in his chest. He wasn’t jealous of Connor’s relationship with his ex-girlfriend. He was envious of the love that flowed between them.
“You have to go after her, Gabe,” Maddie said with conviction. “You have to prove to her that you are man enough for any woman.”
Gabe laughed out loud at her words, although they were not amusing. “Just like I proved I was man enough for you?” Christ, talk about his ego taking a knock. Dumped by Maddie in favor of Connor in the wee hours of the morning and rejected by Tina not twelve hours later. Ah, yes, Gabe felt as much a man as a castrated bull might.
Maddie pointed her finger at him. “You were more than man enough for me, Gabriel Carter. Hell, you did things to me no one has ever done before. You ignited fires I never knew could be lit.”
Connor growled at her from across the table.
“Hush, Connor,” Maddie chided. “You know what Gabe did to me. You were there when he did it. You encouraged him to do it.”
Connor made a strangled sound but said nothing. Gabe appreciated the effort it must have taken.
“My point is, Gabe,” Maddie continued, “I’ve been alone with you, and I can say with complete confidence that you are all any woman would need. Tina may have once loved both of you, but she never got to know you alone. I’m not surprised she fell for you and Connor. You presented yourselves as a package deal. When you left, Gabe, the relationship didn’t last. Without you, Connor and Tina didn’t work anymore.”
Yep, and Tina had made it crystal clear that without Connor she and Gabe wouldn’t work either.
“You have a dubious look on your face,” Maddie informed Gabe. “Get rid of it.” She walked to the table and took a seat between Connor and Gabe. She took Gabe’s hand.
“Maddie…” Connor objected, but she silenced him with a look.
Gabe gave him an apologetic smile. He knew how he’d feel if Tina took Connor’s hand now.
Maddie continued as if no silent communication had passed between the two men. “The Gabe I know would not doubt his ability to woo a woman. You charmed me and seduced me all by yourself. You gave me a chance to get to know you before Connor entered the picture. Yes, it’s true that when I met Connor I fell for him. I chose him. But Tina didn’t. She had her chance with Connor after you left, and she gave it up. What she never had a chance at was getting to know you separately from Connor. Getting to choose you.”
His heart twisted again. “I gave her that chance this morning. She wasn’t interested.”
“That’s bullshit,” Maddie said. “How can you expect her to say anything else? After four years of complete silence you surprise her with an admission of love. You think she’s going to throw herself in your arms and confess her undying love for you? Not a chance, buddy. You dumped her. You walked away. And I’m betting you hurt her in the process. No way she’s going to come running back to you after all that.”
Gabe remained silent. There was little he could say in defense. Heck, Maddie was right on every count.
“Go after her. Go show her the real you. The individual. The man separate from Connor.”
“She’s right, Carter,” Connor said. “You owe it to yourself and to her. Give yourselves a chance to get to know each other.”
“C’mon,” Maddie said, “you told me yourself not a day goes by when you don’t think about her. Don’t let another day pass like that. Act now.”
Gabe remained silent.
“Damn it, Gabe!” Maddie yelled at him. “How can you be so dominant in bed and so fucking useless out of it? So what if she rebuffed you once? Go prove you’re bigger than that. A real man would not run away at the first hint of trouble.”
Gabe’
s spine stiffened. Until today his masculinity had never been questioned. He’d never questioned it. Now Tina had him doubting himself.
“How badly do you want her?” Connor asked.
“How badly did you want Maddie?” Gabe shot back at him.
Connor grimaced and nodded. “A damn lot.”
“Well, multiply that by four years and you might have an inkling.”
“Gabe,” Maddie said beside him. “Go get your girl. Go and prove to Tina that you are all the man she’ll ever need.”
Gabe stared at Maddie for a very long time.
“Do it, Carter,” Connor encouraged. “Pull out all the stops. Go and get your girl.”
Gabe squared his shoulders. Since when did one knock back mean he had to stop trying? Gabe was not the kind of guy who gave up without a fight, not when his goals meant something to him. And Tina meant something. Heck, Tina meant everything.
And that was all the decision time he needed.
Gabe leaned over and kissed Maddie on the cheek. Then he walked around the table to clap Connor on the back. “Mate,” he said to his friend, “you’re damn lucky Maddie loves you. If I wasn’t so hell-bent on winning Tina over, I’d pull out all the stops to get Maddie back.” He winked at Maddie who rolled her eyes in response. “Now if you’ll both excuse me, I have a woman to woo.”
Chapter Six
Tina stared in disbelief at the hulking mountain of a man standing in her doorway. He’d come back. After the way he’d left earlier, she’d believed he’d never want to lay eyes on her again.
An intense wave of relief swept over her.
“Have dinner with me?” he invited, as if nothing had transpired between the two of them today. As if he hadn’t professed his love for her. As if he hadn’t brought her to orgasm several times over. As if she hadn’t watched his face shadow over when she’d told him she’d loved both him and Connor.
“Y-you want to have a meal together?”
He shrugged. “We both have to eat.”
Tina hoped her jaw hadn’t dropped in response. Two hours ago Gabe had left with a tortured look on his face. Now he was extending a casual invitation to dinner.
She said the first thing that came to mind. “Well, gosh, Gabe. I’m kinda busy right now. You know? Forgetting about you and forgetting about today. Just like you instructed. I don’t have the time to stop for a bite.”
Gabe’s answering smile was slow to develop. “Damn, T, maybe one day I’ll learn to take offense to your cynical nature.”
“Damn, G, maybe one day you won’t inspire cynicism in me.”
He nodded, every glimmer of his smile gone. “I can only hope. May I come in?”
She narrowed her eyes as she looked up at him belligerently. “That depends. Do you have any plans to raid the contents of my bedside drawer again?” Her stomach gave an unexpected quiver. Shit. She should know better than to refer to her toys. Gabe’s skill with a vibrator surpassed any man’s she’d known, even Connor’s.
A muscle ticked in his jaw. “That would—” Gabe shook his head and broke off mid-sentence. “I came to take you to dinner, that’s it.” He frowned. “I swear there will not be a repeat of this afternoon’s performance…” This time he let his words trail off.
Tina eyed him warily. He’d left way too much unsaid. He could have finished his sentence with…unless you want there to be one. And damn it, she did. Just standing opposite Gabe had her nerves jumping about in a state of useless confusion. Okay, not confusion. Longing. Being anywhere near the man brought out a deep-seated ache for the physical gratification he and Connor had once freely provided.
She pushed the lust aside. Five orgasms and a confession of love in one day was about as much as her body could handle. Or her mind, for that matter.
Lord, where’d Gabe learn how to do all of that? He was the only man she knew who could bring her to orgasm more than once in a single session of lovemaking. Even Connor, for all his skill, hadn’t had the ability. But Gabe. Damn, over and over again she came for him, until her body was limp and sated and exhausted.
With less reluctance than she would have liked, Tina stepped aside and let him in. She’d have to take him at his word. Gabe may have done a lot of things, but he’d never lied. If he swore nothing would happen, nothing would happen. Unless, of course, she changed the rules.
She gave a sharp mental shake of her head. She wouldn’t.
He walked into her flat, and she closed the door behind them. That was when the momentary panic set in. Christ, he was back. Now what? Did she have to relive old memories once again? The months when she was happiest with the men she loved? The days when nothing could have gotten her down because she had two gorgeous men whom she adored and who worshipped her?
At first it had been just her and Connor. That had been fun. Connor was a smart guy with a wicked sense of humor. Sleeping with him was a serious turn-on. Then Gabe entered the equation, and the sex had gone from good to explosive. Making love to Connor and Gabe was the most sensual, most satisfying, most thrilling experience of her life. Falling in love with them had been a natural progression in their relationship. If the choice had been hers, she would have stayed with both of them forever.
The choice hadn’t been hers. Gabe had left, destroying the most precious of bonds.
She thumped him on the back. Hard.
“Ugh!” He turned in surprise. “What was that for?”
“For walking out on me. On us.” She glowered at him, anger settling in the pit of her stomach.
“So you hit me?”
“Hit? Hah, I’d beat you senseless if I knew I stood a chance.”
His pupils dilated. “You stand every chance. Don’t you know you’ve rendered me senseless on more than one occasion?”
“Bull,” she sneered. “I’ve never even punched you before.” She corrected her error now, clenching her fist and striking out as hard as she could. Her hand connected with his stomach, and her breath left her body in a gasp. Damn it! She’d hit a wall of solid muscle, and the only pain she’d caused was to her own fingers.
Gabe gawked at her. “You don’t need to punch me. Just being with you takes my breath away.” He dropped his gaze to his stomach and then lifted it back up to meet hers again. His tone was lowered by several notches. “Making love to you… Damn, I never could think straight when I was inside you. Couldn’t see, couldn’t hear.” Gabe closed his eyes on a groan. “All I could do was feel.”
His words rolled through her like warm honey, slipping through her veins, heating her blood. “Shut up, Gabe.” Pain be damned. She punched him again and then again, this time on his arm. “I’m busy being pissed off at you.”
He tensed his biceps, accepting her blows without comment.
Shit, wasn’t that just typical Gabe behavior? Everything went by without comment. Everything. Even his departure from her life. She hit him harder. Then harder again. “Damn you, Gabriel Carter,” she spluttered. “You left us. You left me. You walked away from the best thing that ever happened to me. You bastard.” The hand she’d been attacking with throbbed so she switched arms and pummeled him good. Rage came bubbling to the surface, lending strength to her strikes. “I loved you, goddamn it. You and Connor. You were my world. My happiness. And. You. Walked. Away. You destroyed us.”
Four years, and who would have thought she still had so much emotion left in her? So much bloody anger and despair. Yes, he may have come back six months later, but by then it was already too late. She’d met Grant and tried to move on with her life.
“I destroyed me too,” Gabe whispered.
“Shut up,” she snapped. “You don’t get to have a say now. You don’t get to tell me how you felt. You’re four years too bloody late for that.”
She raised her arm to strike him again, but before her hand found its target, he acted. In less time than it took to blink, Tina hung suspended in space, her legs dangling uselessly below her. Gabe had her caught between his body and the wall. His chest pr
essed into hers, flattening her breasts against his pecs, against a barrier of super hard male flesh. His thigh was wedged between her legs, holding her up, pushing against her groin, making even the slightest move an exquisite form of torture. And his mouth was inches, centimeters, from hers. So close the rasping heat of his breath warmed her lips, tickled her nose and sent a blast of half-crazed lust careening down her spine.
“You were my world, T. But you were Connor’s first. I didn’t have a choice.” He thrust his thigh up, and she battled against him.
Oh, holy hell. She needed to stop struggling. The sensations smashing through her and lighting up her core had her writhing with need. Either she had to quit struggling—or she needed to go to war with him. All-out war, which would have only one result. An orgasm. And a damn hard one if her current state of desire was anything to go by.
“We all have choices,” she bit back and then added for good measure, “Sometimes we just make the wrong ones.”
“You think I don’t know how bad my decision was?” Gabe’s voice was hoarse, the look in his eyes tortured. “You think I didn’t spend the last three and a half years in hell wondering how you were? If you were married? Happy?” He ground his thigh against her pussy, and she bit back a whimper. “You think this is what I want? My leg here? Fuck, T, I want my whole body between your legs. I want…” He closed his eyes and groaned. “I want to be inside you. So goddamned deep inside you I lose myself. I want…need to feel your warm pussy wrapped around me, pulling me in deeper and deeper…”
Tina gulped, because now that he’d voiced it out loud, she wanted the very same thing. She had a maddening compulsion to tear off her clothes and his, draw him down to the floor and envelop his hard length with her pussy.
He dropped his head, resting his forehead against hers, taking in great gulps of air. She sucked in the air he exhaled, greedy for anything of his to become a part of her.
His voice was erotic as sin as he panted out, “Need to…make love…to you.”
She dissolved. Any reluctance that might have prevented her from responding dissipated in his words, in his raw desire for her. Her eyelids drooped, her lips parted, and she raised her chin to meet his mouth in the inevitability of a kiss. More than her next breath, she wanted his mouth on hers.