by Sandra Marie
“It’s not impossible,” Lauren said. “Your bar can be exactly what you want it to be; you just need to give it time. Rome wasn’t built in a day, you know?”
“It wasn’t? I could’ve sworn it was all erected in twenty-four hours.”
She swatted the book at his chest. “Smart ass.”
“How’s your ankle?” he asked, darting his gaze away from her and looking at the spot where the ice pack sat.
“It seems to be better.” She turned her foot from side to side. It hurt still, but the pain was manageable for the most part. Reluctantly, she swung her foot off his lap. “I should go actually.” It was getting late, and she had work in the morning.
Gavin turned his green eyes on her, and they sparkled under the overhead lighting. “Or you could stay.”
She tilted her head. “We haven’t even had a real date.”
“No, but you have, according to you at least, embarrassed yourself multiple times, stayed out past your bedtime, and we’ve texted well into the night. I think we’re past first dates.”
“We haven’t even kissed yet,” she said as a joke, but when she looked at Gavin, it didn’t feel like a joke; it felt more like a door opening to the possibility. “Not that we have to kiss. I was just saying that usually one would kiss someone before they sleep over their place. Because you know—”
Gavin’s hand reached out, tucking her hair behind her ear and cupping her cheek. “Kissing sounds nice,” he said.
“Uh huh,” was all she could manage because looking into those deep green eyes, all thoughts vanished from her mind. The only other thing she could focus on was his lips. Would they be as soft as they looked? And what kind of kisser was he? Slow and gentle or fast and fierce?
He moved closer, the heat of his body practically reaching out and wrapping around her like a comforting embrace. His head tilted, and he moved closer still. She swallowed down the uneasiness that lied in anticipation and helped close the gap between them.
Her eyes slid shut, and the anticipation turned into a flutter of butterflies in her stomach. The wait was becoming too much when his lips brushed gently against hers, a feather of a touch that sent an instant jolt through her entire body. She sucked in a jagged breath of pleasure and thrill as his mouth closed over hers in a sweeping movement.
He parted his mouth and deepened the kiss. Tiny heated swipes of his tongue sent warm chills coursing through her body. His hand rested on the back of her head, holding her close as his fingers laced into the long waves of her hair and bunched into his fist. Fiery sparks lit and exploded as she knotted her hand into his shirt, pulling him closer still.
Their lips synced as the soft gentle tenderness turned into a hurried frenzy of give and take before slowing again to a sweet caress of their mouths.
It was over before it began. His forehead rested against hers as short breaths came in quick succession. His thumb ran across her bottom lip, and she glanced up, catching the vibrant green of his eyes.
“That was wow,” he said, the edge of his mouth quirking upward.
“Yeah, butterflies in the stomach, heat coursing through the body, better than fiction wow.”
He laughed. “I like your definition better.”
“I didn’t think it could be like that,” she said, not even sure if she was in reality or if she was dreaming. Kisses like that simply didn’t exist outside the pages of books. With Dylan it had been nice but nothing to write home about, and she’d kissed other guys before, but this. This wasn’t a kiss. This was life changing, body numbing, bliss peaking euphoria.
His fingers skittered up her skin, leaving a trail of goosebumps in its path as he reached for the hair that had fallen in her face. He brushed it out of the way, his finger lingering on the curve of her ear. He kissed her forehead, then stood up.
“What are you doing?” Confusion pulled at the edges of her eyes.
“I want to kiss you again,” he said with a half-hearted smile.
“I’m okay with that,” she said, hoping she didn’t sound like a desperate floozy.
He groaned. “As much as I love hearing that, I know once I start, I’m not going to want to stop, and you have work tomorrow.”
“Are you kicking me out?”
He laughed, a loud bellowing bark that echoed through the apartment. “I would never do that, but you’re right, we haven’t even gone on an official date yet.”
“It didn’t bother you a few minutes ago when you asked me to stay.”
He shrugged. “Now it does. You deserve to be wined and dined.”
“I don’t care about that stuff honestly.” All she cared about right now were his lips back on hers. “I prefer herbal tea and pizza.”
“Good to know,” he said.
Lauren glanced over at the TV and spotted the time on the cable box. “Is that really the time?” How is it so late already?” She didn’t want to leave, but she had no choice. If she was going to be a functioning human being tomorrow, she needed to get home and get to bed.
“Come on,” Gavin said. “I’ll drive you home.”
“No, that’s really not necessary.” She pushed up from the couch forgetting about her ankle. She winced and quickly sat back down. She took a deep breath. Next time she stood, she was going to do it slower in with less vigor.
“You hurt your driving foot. It would be irresponsible of me to send you on your way.”
“I don’t want to leave my car. How will I get to work tomorrow?”
“I’ll drive your car and call an Uber to bring me back here.”
“I couldn’t ask you to do that.”
He smiled at her, those damn eyes twinkling. “You didn’t.” He bent down and scooped her into his arms.
The couch disappeared from her back as Gavin stood. “What are you doing?” she asked.
“Giving you a lift.”
“I can walk,” she said.
“I saw you wince.”
“Did not.”
He tilted his head. “You’re right. My eyes must be playing tricks on me.”
She blinked at him, biting her inner cheeks to keep from smirking. “They probably are.”
“Humor me. Give it tonight to heal.” He bent down, leveling her with the couch. “Grab the ice pack. We’ll take it to go.”
She grabbed the ice pack and towel off the couch.
“Ready?” he asked.
She nodded. “Hold on tight.”
She planned on it.
Gavin rolled out of bed, checking the clock on his nightstand, and rubbed the tiredness from his eyes to make sure he was seeing the red numbers correctly. Eight in the morning was early for someone who didn’t go to bed until three. He had been up all night kicking himself for Lauren getting hurt. Lauren had said she was fine, though, and after he dropped her off, she seemed to be doing okay. He had checked her ankle before he left, but with her black tights on he couldn’t see much. He had no idea if it was bruised and as far as swelling, he didn’t have anything to compare it to. It was why he was getting dressed and heading over to her house. He needed to make sure she was okay.
If she wasn’t, he would volunteer to do whatever it was she needed done. If she needed to go grocery shopping or vacuum, he was her man. At least until two when he had to head back to the bar and open up for the day. He really needed to hire an employee to help him especially at times like these. Not that he was expecting anyone else falling in his bar and having to take care of them.
He got in his car by eight thirty-five. Lauren had said she didn’t have to be at work until nine-thirty, so he hoped he’d beat her before she left. He followed the directions she gave him last night when he drove her home and fifteen minutes later, he turned onto her street.
He pulled up to the house and threw the car in park. He spotted her car in the driveway, then wondered if he should’ve called first. It was too late for that unless he wanted to be a creeper and text her from the driveway. He was already here; he was just going to go to the do
or.
He got out of the car and headed to the front of the house. He walked up the few steps and lifted his hand to knock just as the door flew open. Lauren stood in front of him, long hair pulled back in a ponytail, revealing the soft contour of her face. Her black dress flared at the hips and stopped at her bare knees. She wasn’t in her usual tights.
His eyes drifted down, unable to resist a peek, but the porcelain skin melded into a nasty blue and black disaster of angry swirls. Her ankle the size of a golf ball.
“Hey, what are you—”
“Holy shit!” he exclaimed.
“Good morning to you too,” she said, leaning against the doorframe while she held the swollen leg off the ground.
“Did it look like this last night?” he asked.
She bit her lip, then nodded. “It’s a little more swollen today.”
“You can’t go to work like that.”
“I’m not. I’m actually heading to the doctor. You know just to make sure I didn’t do more damage than I think.”
“How are you getting there?” he asked.
She held up her keys, and he swiped them out of her hand.
“Hey!”
“Sorry, but there is no way you’re driving when your ankle looks like that.” He eyed the swollen lump.
“I appreciate your concern, but really I can drive myself.” She went to reach for the keys, but he stepped back and held them above her head.
“What is it with guys taking things from me, then holding it out of my reach?”
“I’m sorry does that happen often?”
“Never mind,” she said, swiping her hand at the dangling keys. “Can I please have my keys? My appointment is in thirty minutes, and I like to get there early.”
“Excuse to sneak in a bit of reading?” he asked.
She reached into her bag and pulled out a book with a man chest on the cover.
“That’s a lot of abs,” he said.
She smirked. “Jealous?”
He lifted his shirt up and loved the way her eyes widened. He ran his hand over the defined ridges. “Not really.”
“That’s just not fair,” she said.
“What’s that?”
“You look like that.” She circled her finger around his face. “And have abs like that. It’s just wrong.” He stared at her, and her shoulders slumped. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“I’m trying to figure out if you think my abs are a bad thing.”
“No, of course not.” Her eyes drifted to the ground. “It’s just not fair. You think they would have distributed the good genes a little to the rest of us common folk.”
“You are anything but common. Have you ever looked in a mirror?”
Her attention snapped to him, then she shook her head. “I don’t have time for your charm. I have an appointment to get to.”
He turned around and bent down in front of her.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Giving you a lift.” It was the least he could do. Besides, he’d seen the tight set of her jaw and the uncomfortable gleam in her eyes. She might have been trying to put on a front, but there was a slight crack in her façade and he was seeing right through it.
“I am not getting on your back,” she scoffed.
“Why not?” He was bent down, ready and willing, all she had to do was jump on.
“First off, I’m in a skirt.”
“I won’t try to cop a feel, scouts honor,” he said, turning to her and holding up his fingers.
“You were a Boy Scout?” She shook her head and lifted her hand up. “Not important.”
He loved how fluttered she was getting. “I’m waiting,” he said, still bent over in front of her.
She sighed extra loud. “Are you always this insistent?”
“Are you always this stubborn?”
She crossed her arms over her chest, and he admired her resolve. He stood up and turned around to face her without craning his neck. “Fine, you can walk, but I’m still driving.”
Her lips pressed into a thin line, and he couldn’t help but laugh. “It’s really killing you that I want to help you, huh?”
“I’m used to doing things on my own is all.”
As someone who wanted to step outside of his brother’s footsteps and do his own thing by himself, it was something he could understand. “I can respect that.”
“Thank you.”
“But I’m still driving.”
She rolled her eyes. “Of course you are.”
He held his hand out to signal for her to go. Those light brown eyes of hers looked at him with disdain before settling into a determined stare. She pushed off the doorframe and put her bad ankle down. She barely put pressure on it as she quickly jumped back to the other foot. She did this three times, and he let her, even though he really wanted to scoop her up in his arms.
She got to the edge of the stairs, and she held onto the banister as she hobbled down. All she had to do was say the word, and she’d be in his arms, saving her the pain. He followed behind her, slowly.
“If you don’t hurry it along, you’re going to be late to your appointment,” he said, unable to help himself.
“I would’ve already been to my car if someone didn’t bend over in front of me, blocking my path.”
“You’re not a morning person, are you?” he asked.
She ignored him and continued on, finally making it to the last step. She stopped, looking from where they were to her car. Her shoulders slumped forward. Enough was enough. He walked over to her and lifted her into his arms. The scent of vanilla surrounded him, and he swallowed down the desire to bury his head in the crook of her neck.
“I told you I could walk,” she said as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
“I know, but you also don’t want to be late for your appointment, so I made an executive decision.”
“Is that what you’re calling it?” she asked.
He nodded. “I’m parked behind you, so we’ll take my car.”
“You really don’t have to drive me.”
“And you really don’t have to argue with me, but that doesn’t stop you.”
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, her chest rising and falling. “I’m sorry,” she said, looking up to meet his eyes. “I’m used to doing things for myself. I’m not used to people going out of their way to help me.”
“Probably because you don’t let them.”
“You may have a point there. It’s just that”—she shook her head—“Never mind. It’s not important.”
The tight set of her eyes told him differently, but he understood wanting to keep things to yourself. She would open up to him in her own time. The last thing he wanted was to push her. Right now, the only thing that mattered was getting her to the doctor and making sure she was okay.
He walked them the rest of the way to his car, opened the door, and set her in the seat. When he reached for the seatbelt, their hands touched. His gaze lowered and met her eyes. “Hi,” he said.
“Hi.”
And because he’d been holding back long enough, he leaned in. His lips brushed hers for the briefest of seconds, but that explosive spark that wracked his body last night when she was in his arms ignited again.
He controlled his urges and stood up. “Please make sure all body parts are inside of the door and away from any exits.”
She laughed. “All clear.”
He shut the door, hurried around to the driver side, and slid into the driver seat. He loved how his car already smelled like Lauren.
“Let’s go get that ankle taken care of,” he said.
“Gavin?” she said, her voice a mere whisper.
“Yeah?”
“Thank you.”
The sincerity of those two single words reached into his chest and wrapped around his heart. But he didn’t deserve that. “It’s the least I can do,” he said. After all, it was his fault.
The doctor’s office w
as busy, but Lauren and Gavin managed to find two open seats in a secluded corner of the waiting room. Lauren had refused to let Gavin carry her into the doctor’s office even though he insisted, finally settling on wrapping a secure arm around her waist while she made her trek.
She glanced over at him; his hands rested on his knees, and he rocked slightly back and forth. His fingers tapped an impatient beat.
Lauren appreciated Gavin being there for her, she really did, it was just hard for her to accept help. While her grandparents had been there for her growing up, she was fiercely independent and had been used to fending for herself. Allowing someone to help her meant she had to open herself up, and that wasn’t something she was comfortable doing.
Grandma was right. Her parents abandoning her had affected her more than she’d ever realized. Dylan had tried in the beginning to get her to open up, but she didn’t feel comfortable discussing her family drama, and if she were being completely honest with herself, she was embarrassed that her parents cared more for themselves than their own daughter. Not exactly the kind of thing you want to admit to your boyfriend.
Dylan wasn’t the easiest person to confide in either. He could be extremely judgmental, and maybe deep down she thought he would dump her if he knew she was a product of selfish parents, so she shut him down time and again until Dylan gave up, opting to bury his nose in his cell phone rather than keep trying.
That was the difference between Gavin and Dylan. Gavin was open-minded and determined, the type of guy that wouldn’t give up so easily. But what if she pushed him away too? And he got fed up with her. They hadn’t even gone on their first date yet, but she was already afraid of losing him.
He took her out of the pages and showed her that life could be just as swoon worthy as her favorite books, that kisses could make a million sensations course through her body, and that falling head over heels in love was possible. She knew falling in love with Gavin was far off, but she could see herself falling down that endless abyss the more time she spent with him.
But what if she lost him before she got the chance to fall?
“My grandparents raised me,” she said, and his fingers came to a stop on his jeans, his leg stilled. He turned to look at her. She swallowed, finding the courage in his quiet assurance. “The reason they raised me was because my parents abandoned me. They were more concerned with getting their next fix than having a daughter to take care of. When I was five, they left me at home and went on an all-night binger. The neighbor heard me crying and called the cops. I got taken away from them, and instead of trying to clean up to get me back, they just took off. My grandparents found out I was in foster care and fought to get custody. Without them, I don’t know where I would be today. What my life would be like. I owe them everything. But because of my parents, because they abandoned me, I have a hard time opening up to people, which you might find surprising since I just word vomited all over you.”