Touched (Thornton Brothers Book 1)

by Sabre Rose

  Pulling his shirt over his head and tugging his jeans off, Gabe just smiled and jumped into bed, shivering as he wriggled close to me.

  “You’re cold,” I said quietly, scared that my mother would be able to hear the slightest whisper. I pressed the length of my body against him and he reached across to clutch me, taking all the warmth he could from my body.

  “Well, that was an interesting night,” he said, shivering. “Shit it was cold out there!”

  “Shhh,” I hushed him. “You should have just gone home.” I rubbed his back, trying to coax some warmth into him.

  “But I wanted to see you. I didn’t even get the chance to wish you a proper happy birthday.”

  “What have you been doing out there?”

  He shivered again. “Just walking around, waiting for you to go to bed. You took your time.”

  “You could have just driven home.”

  He huddled closer. “I was afraid I would get caught getting into the jeep and ruin your perfectly planned excuse.” He pushed me away a little. “Can you roll over? I think I’ve drained all the warmth from this side.” I shook my head a little and smiled as he squished even closer. “Your mother’s just a lovely ray of sunshine, isn’t she?” He chuckled. “Clementine. You look an awful lot like her. It’s like getting a peek into your future.”

  I flicked his chest with my finger.

  “Ouch!”

  “Behave,” I warned.

  “It’s true,” he insisted, laughing softly.

  “Quiet. They’ll hear you,” I pleaded.

  He pressed cold lips to my ear. “Speaking of behaving, roll over.” He tickled me and I squirmed as noiselessly as I could until I relented and turned over. Gabe nestled into me, pulling me tight, and when my backside pressed against him, he surged with awareness. “I guess not all of me is cold.” He pressed his lips to the nape of my neck.

  “We can’t,” I whispered back and looked pointedly at the wall which my parents would be sleeping next to.

  “I’ll be quiet,” he whispered devilishly.

  Gabe ran his hand down my side and gripped the flesh of my hip, massaging it as he worked his hand down my thigh. He nudged his way under my arm curled across my chest and stroked my breast gently until he took my nipple between his thumb and forefinger and twisted it gently. My breath caught in my throat, then escaped with a small moan.

  “Shhh,” Gabe whispered again. He kept gently teasing me until I was grinding against him, virtually begging. Running his hand over my stomach and then trailing further down, he plunged his fingers into me.

  “My god, you’re wet,” he groaned. “I want to taste you.”

  “No,” I breathed, though my body language was saying otherwise. Before I could stop him, Gabe dove under the covers and I struggled to contain the pleasure surging through me. It was too much. It needed somewhere to escape, to release, or else I would come undone. I moaned and gripped the sheets. Gabe slid up me and pressed his finger to his lips, grinning wickedly. Then he covered himself and entered me, thrusting with sharp, hard movements. I couldn’t help the little yelps that escaped with each thrust, and Gabe covered my mouth with his hand, his eyes stuck on mine, dark and burning with the knowledge of the way he was making me feel. After tormenting me with ripples that reverberated through every inch of my being every time he moved, he plunged in deep and used his fingers to complete me. Afterwards, I turned limp beneath him, my body melting to liquid as Gabe bit his lip rather than cry out, and fell back to his side of the bed, spent.

  “Now I’m warm,” he said.

  27

  GABE

  Climbing out of windows in the early hours of the morning was not something I ever aspired to, but that’s exactly what I found myself doing. It wasn’t easy. I was sort of stuck, one foot on the ground, the other caught by the window frame.

  “I can’t believe you’re making me do this,” I said, yanking my foot free until I was finally firm on the ground.

  “What did you expect? It’s how you came in.” Lauren poked her tongue out and shut the window. She stood with her hair mussed up from our time in bed and wearing a pale nightshirt, looking at me. I could see the shape of her breasts and the curve of her hips outlined beneath the thin material. She looked so inviting. I wanted to crawl back through that window and pull her close, but she smiled slow and sexily, and shut the curtains to block me out. No more peeking for me.

  I sighed and crept down the path. When I passed the spare bedroom, Alistair was standing at the window and saw me. Lauren was not going to be happy. He looked back to the bed with his sleeping wife in it and then back at me. Shaking his head just the slightest bit and without a hint of a smile, he winked. I sort of waved, or gave the thumbs up or something as I passed him, and jogged out to my car.

  I knew what I saw in Lauren wasn’t what everyone saw. She tried to hide herself. But when she gave herself completely, if you were there in those moments when she was lost, it was hard to look away. I just wished I was enough for her.

  I didn’t want to be the one climbing out windows.

  * * *

  Stefan froze when I walked in, a bowl of cereal in his hand. He grinned stupidly. “You do exist! We were beginning to wonder if you were a figment of our delusional minds. ‘Remember our flatmate Gabe,’ I would say to Drew. ‘Gabe?’ Drew would ponder for a bit, ‘Why yes, there is something in the back of my mind.’” Stefan slapped me on the back, then reached down to grab at my crotch. I squirmed and ducked away. “Old codger a bit tender there, Gabe?” Stefan laughed and shovelled another spoonful of cereal into his mouth.

  “Fuck off,” I said, laughing, and flopped onto the couch. It was comfortable and I groaned loudly, feeling like the stress of pretending to only be Lauren's workmate in front of her parents could finally drain from me. “What are you doing up this time of night, anyway?”

  “Morning shift,” Stefan said with his mouth full. “We’ve got a shit load of work on at the moment.” He jerked his head in my direction. “What are you doing here? Mrs Robinson kick you out?”

  “Don’t ever call her that when she’s here, okay? I shouldn’t have fucking told you.”

  “No, you shouldn’t have.” Stefan grinned and shovelled in another few mouthfuls. “So why’d she kick you out?”

  “She didn’t kick me out.”

  “What are you doing home then?”

  “It’s where I live, you arsehole. I don’t need an excuse to come here.”

  “Did you not even get a birthday fuck?”

  I fumbled behind me until I found a cushion and threw it at him. He ducked out of the way and it hit the wall behind him. “Her family arrived.”

  “So?” Stefan said.

  “So, she hasn’t exactly told them about us.”

  Stefan grinned as he chewed and for some reason, it annoyed me. I had to look away.

  “You’re her dirty little secret.” He shoved in another mouthful but kept grinning so I could see the cereal mushed between his teeth.

  “She’s just worried about what people will say.”

  Stefan grinned wider. “Because she’s a cougar and you’re her little sex toy?” He laughed loudly.

  “Fuck up.”

  “Hit a bit of a sore spot there, did I?” Stefan put his bowl onto the table and picked up the discarded cushion. He tossed it at me hard and it hit the back of my head. “Pussy whipped!”

  I groaned into the couch. “Fuck off!”

  Stefan bowed ceremoniously. “As you wish, princess.” He went to walk out the door but, instead, turned around. “Pool Saturday night, or will Mrs Robinson’s family be gone by then and you won’t want to hang with your pathetic flatmates anymore?”

  * * *

  I called her the next day but she didn’t want me to come around. Not even to climb through the window. I knew I shouldn’t care. I knew I should just sit back and relax, enjoy the time to myself, hang with the boys, but I couldn’t stop thinking about her. I think it was th
e fact that she didn’t want me to come over. I wanted her to want me and when she didn’t, it drove me a little insane. Over the next few days, I worked, I drank, and I bet the shit out of my boxing bag. I saw her most evenings at work, of course, but with her family in town, she became even more paranoid someone would see us. She hid herself again and I couldn’t stand it. The sooner her family left the better. When her niece came into the café, which seemed to happen a lot, I was even tempted to flirt with her, just a little, to see if I could get something, some flash of emotion out of Lauren. Having her angry with me was better than ignoring me. I considered it, but I didn’t do it. To be honest, the girl was so obvious and keen, it would have been hard to flirt with her without ending up somewhere I really didn’t want to go.

  * * *

  It was five days before they left. When Lauren texted me to tell me, I was at the movies trying to distract myself with explosions and gunfire. I left in the middle, not caring what happened. Stefan gave me a sort of surprised glance, one eyebrow cocked, but then just shrugged and went back to stuffing his face with popcorn.

  Lauren was still in her dressing gown when I rang the doorbell. I was going to just barge in, but there was that little something that stopped me. Just in case something had gone wrong and her psycho mother was still there. I didn’t want to run into her.

  “Hi.” She smiled and I wrapped my arms around her, picking her up and inhaling her scent.

  “I’ve missed you,” I said into her hair.

  She laughed. The laugh that was all her again, not hidden, not the one she had around her family, not the one she had around her ex-boyfriend, or even the one she had around Peta. This laugh was all mine.

  “I’ve missed you too,” she said and wove her hands around my neck.

  I reached down and pulled her up so her legs wrapped around my waist, her backside snug in my hands, and I kissed her deeply. I moaned as I felt her melt into me. Slowly, I let her down. Must not get myself too excited.

  “Thank goodness they’re gone,” she exclaimed. “Mother Dearest was driving me insane.” She walked through into the kitchen. Since putting her down, the gap in her dressing gown had been mussed up, and I could see the swell of her breasts. “You want a cup of coffee?”

  I shook my head. If I tilted my gaze, just a fraction, I could see the rise of her nipple.

  “Do you know how many times she asked about Derek? Morgan told her to shut up in the end. It was actually the most fun I had the whole time they were here, watching Mother’s mouth flap open as Morgan ripped into her.” She reached for the coffee out of the cupboard and the hem of her gown rose to reveal the smooth rounds of her backside. As far as I could tell she was naked underneath.

  I shifted and adjusted the fit of my jeans.

  “And poor Alistair. Morgan berated him the entire time.”

  I didn’t know what berated meant, but I didn’t care.

  “Nag, nag, nag, and the man never said a word. He didn’t stick up for himself once.” She had her back to me and the material of her gown got caught between her butt cheeks.

  I couldn’t stand it anymore. Approaching her slowly, I turned her to face me.

  “Dad was fine though. Barely said a word, no surprises there, but he seemed happy enough.”

  I cupped her face and kissed her mouth softly. My cock strained against my jeans. My eyes were closed but I felt her smile against me.

  “Didn’t like doing nothing though. He fixed just about everything I needed to be fixed.”

  I groaned and kissed her again.

  “Cleaned that little patch of mould I couldn’t reach on the bathroom ceiling,” she mumbled against my mouth. “Fixed the trellis.”

  I reluctantly pulled away from her and opened my eyes to find hers twinkling with mirth.

  “You’re killing me,” I groaned. “Please, please let me fuck you.”

  With a slow and seductive smile, she dropped the gown and stood naked before me. My eyes fell to the swell of her breasts. They were so full. I wanted to take as much of them in my mouth as I could. I looked at her longingly and her smile vanished, to be replaced by a look I could only describe as need.

  I needed her and she needed me.

  The soft curve of her waist called out to me and I stroked my hand over it and brought it around to cup her backside. She trembled as I dug my fingers into her generous flesh, causing her to lift on her toes and push into me. Bending down, I took her breast in my mouth. Each time I flicked my tongue across her nipple, my cock twitched in response. Fumbling with my jeans, I stepped out of them, my mouth still at her breast, her hands tangled in my hair. Breaking away from her only long enough to rip my t-shirt off, I devoured her mouth, her breasts, her belly button, down and down until I reached the place I needed to be. She smelled divine. Parting her thighs, I licked her once. She sucked in her breath and my cock swelled. I took her by the hand and led her to the table where she lay down before me. Gently parting her legs, I lowered my mouth to her, holding her firm when she squirmed and pushing her back to the table when she rose off it. She began to pant.

  I loved hearing her pant.

  “Careful,” she warned, but I intensified my efforts. “I want to feel you,” she whimpered.

  I lifted my mouth only long enough to answer. “You will,” I assured her.

  “I want to come with you inside me.” She moaned and tried to push my head away.

  “You will,” I growled.

  She cried out and I lapped at her, holding the base of my cock with one hand, willing myself not to share in her pleasure just yet.

  28

  LAUREN

  I was undone. But Gabe wasn’t.

  My skin gripped against the wood as he pulled my limp body towards him. After covering himself, he gripped my thighs at the end of the table and entered me forcefully and repeatedly, staring at me in such a manner that I soon found myself quivering to maintain control again. And then I lost what control I had the same moment he lost his.

  Gabe flopped down on the table beside me. He held one hand to his chest, ran the other through his hair, and laughed. Sitting up, he kissed me firmly. “Thank you.”

  “You’re thanking me?”

  He nodded slowly and ran his hand through his hair again. “Yep. I needed that.”

  I couldn’t help the grin that spread over my lips. His was a smile of utter satisfaction. And I had put it there. “You’re welcome?” I said and laughed a little. Sitting up, I gathered my robe. “Best I go shower. Again.”

  Gabe sat bolt upright. “I’m not done with you yet.”

  “Well, you’re going to have to wait. I start work in half an hour.”

  He grabbed my hand. “Call in sick.”

  “Gabe,” I scolded gently.

  “I’ll pack a picnic and we could go back to that house.” He tugged me toward him. “Please?”

  I pulled my hand away, but he gripped hard and peered at me with exaggerated sad eyes.

  “Gabe,” I warned again.

  He jiggled my hand, dropped my fingers and grinned. “See you tonight?”

  “You know how Peta has that awards dinner thing?”

  He nodded slowly. Peta had been nominated in a local competition for the business woman of the year. Tonight was the night she found out if she won.

  “Well, she needed a babysitter, so I offered and she swapped my close shift with Jordan.”

  “So you’re not even going to be at work tonight?” He sighed and frowned. “I haven’t seen you in days.”

  “You’re seeing me now. In fact, you just saw quite a lot of me.”

  “That’s not the same thing.” He grinned. “That was just so I could calm down and actually concentrate on what you were saying.”

  “Well, it’s all you’re going to get today.”

  Gabe shrugged his t-shirt over his head. “Tomorrow?”

  “After work tomorrow night, I’m all yours.” I walked over and kissed his forehead.

  He pulle
d me against him and dipped his head to my chest. “The boys want to play pool tomorrow night and I said I’d go with them.” He looked back up.

  “Oh, okay.” I shrugged. “Maybe Sunday?”

  “I want you to come with me.”

  I started to draw back but he held me tight.

  “Not, you know, with me, with me. Just come hang out, like we did that other time. Just as friends. I’ll keep my hands off you, I promise. I just want to do something with you, something other than this.” He buried his head into my chest and found some exposed flesh to nuzzle into. Then he froze and looked back up warily. “Not that I want to stop doing this. I like this.” He grinned again. “Very much.”

  He was hard to say no to. “Okay.”

  “Okay?”

  I nodded and smiled a little. “Okay. Just as friends though.”

  Gabe held his hands up. “Strictly as friends.” Then he placed them gently on each cheek of my backside. “Unless, of course,” he said, with mock severity. “You turn up wearing something similar to the top you did last time. If you do that, Mrs Robinson, all promises are off.”

  * * *

  Peta’s house was chaotic when I arrived. The middle boy, Charlie, was tearing down the stairs shooting his Nerf gun.

  Peta walked down the stairs, Henry on her hip. “Charlie! I told you to go have a shower and change into your pyjamas. Now, go do as you’re told!”

  Charlie ignored her and Shrek walked down the stairs, knotting his tie. “Do as your mother says. Scram!” He ordered and Charlie flew back up the stairs, laughing, but heading in the right direction at least.

  “Ren.” Shrek nodded and grinned at me. “Looking as young as you feel, I assume?” His head almost wobbled with his smile as he walked past me. I just narrowed my eyes and shook my head. “Speaking of young, how’s Gabe these days? I hear he’s proving to be rather useful to you.”

  “Enough,” Peta said, walking over and dumping Henry in his arms. “He needs to be changed. You can do it before we leave.” Turning to me, Peta sighed. “Sorry.”

  “You look pretty,” I said, stepping back and admiring her dress. She was dressed all in black. “Understated but elegant,” I offered.