by Claire Adams
She mulled over my words, the flush on her cheeks deepening. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I guess there are lots of men, and women, out there who operate like that.”
“You’re giving up your assumptions that easily?” It was hard to believe. Everything I’d seen from her so far had pointed to a seriously stubborn, headstrong woman.
She met my gaze and held it. The flickering from the candle on the table reflected in her eyes, making it look like ocean waves rolled in them. It was intriguing. Almost as intriguing as the fact that she wasn’t succumbing to my charm and was actually engaging in real conversation with me.
“I’m a big enough person to admit when I’ve made a mistake. I may have miscalculated. With you, at least. I’m not letting go of my assumptions altogether.” She smiled, then clapped her hands together in delight as the server entered the room and set our sizzling plates down on the table.
The heavenly aroma filled the room in a way that made my taste buds tingle. I had lived off shitty meals, fast food, and health shakes for long enough to appreciate good food. It was one of the reasons why I paid Mrs. W. as well as I did.
Gabrielle tucked into her meal with gusto. It surprised me from a girl with a body like hers, but her eyes actually sparkled. Then, she moaned when she took her first bite.
The moan shot like a bolt of lightning straight to my cock.
Down boy.
We were both quiet as we ate, but it wasn’t an awkward silence. It was comfortable, like we’d done it a million times before. It was kind of weird how easy things were with her. I’d never been in a serious relationship, but being with Gabrielle was how I imagined it would feel to sit down with a girlfriend, or God forbid, a wife.
Now that was one thing I never intended to do. Just the thought of marriage made me shudder. Nope, not for me. Harper was my happily ever after. Settling down with a girl like her mother was my darkest nightmare.
I briefly wondered if I should tell Gabrielle about Harper, but I decided against it. I’d known her all of a couple of days, and we weren’t even on a date, not really.
“That was amazing,” Gabrielle exclaimed when the server removed our plates. She twirled the stem of her wine glass between her thumb and forefinger, pausing to take a long sip.
“It was. They even remembered the garlic.” I smirked. “Probably only to avoid your wrath if they dared forget it.”
“Oh, ha!” she replied dryly. “I wasn’t the one who threw that tantrum, remember? Speaking of which, you never answered my question properly. What more is there to you?”
She leaned back in her chair and seemed to really listen to my answer, interrupting every now and then to ask another question or throw in a witty comment. We talked for hours, until the server came to tell us it was last call and they would be closing soon. I glanced down at my watch. It was nearly midnight.
Where the hell had the time gone?
Gabrielle stifled a yawn as she realized the time, but her eyes were still alert. We’d polished off the bottle of wine, but she didn’t look like she was even slightly tipsy. It seemed she could handle her liquor as well as I could. It was a welcome change.
“We should probably get going,” she said hesitantly, almost regrettably. “You know, my dad would kill us if he found out we’d had dinner. And that dinner had kept us out this late.”
“Yeah, let’s go. And I don’t think he’d kill us. He’s always liked me.” I settled the check, despite Gabrielle’s protests that she could pay for herself, and held the door for her, watching the sway of her hips for a second before following her into the main dining room.
Most of the tables had cleared, but there were a couple of people still hanging around. Gabrielle came to a complete stop ahead of me, her eyes fixed on a familiar blond man with his back towards us.
“Shit,” she breathed and took a few steps back. Right into my chest. I reached a hand out to steady her as I searched out an escape route that wouldn’t involve passing Richard, who was settling his check at the front desk. It didn’t seem like the right time to find out what his feelings about our dinner actually were.
I grasped Gabrielle’s hand and pulled her through a door nearby marked “staff only.” The owner didn’t bat an eye as I explained that we needed an alternative exit. She led us through the kitchen to the service entrance and waved us out.
“Thank you for a lovely evening,” I told the owner. “Everything was great. I’ll definitely recommend this place.” We stepped into a dark alley off the side of the restaurant.
“Much appreciated, Mr. Skye. Don’t be a stranger.” She let the door swing closed behind her, and I could see her hurrying back to the kitchen through a foggy window in the door.
Gabrielle crashed into my side, shaking uncontrollably.
Shit, what the hell? I wrapped an arm around her and drew her tight into my body. My eyes dropped to her face, and my hand already rose to wipe away tears. I hated it when girls cried.
Only, Gabrielle wasn’t crying. She was laughing so hard that no sound came out of her mouth.
“Shit, that was close,” she sputtered when her laughter subsided. “Quick thinking on the escape.”
She was still standing under my arm, pressed to my side where’d she’d stayed as we laughed. When she looked up at me again, something in her eyes had changed. Before I could say another word, she leaned up and kissed me. Claiming my mouth with hers. Hard.
It took my brain no more than a second to catch up. I gathered her in both arms and slid my tongue against her lips. She let me in and reached her hands up to tug on my hair. A low groan escaped me as I walked her backward, until her back hit the wall.
I trapped her body with mine, and I kissed her hungrily.
“We should take this back to your place,” I growled and pressed my hips to hers.
She grinned wickedly, lust clouding her eyes as she scanned our surroundings. “This alley is dark enough.”
Her hands dropped from my shoulders. She shimmied out of her thong and stuffed it into my back pocket. “What? Are you afraid of a little exhibitionism, Mr. Big Shot Quarterback?”
Chapter Eight
Gabrielle
My heart beat so hard that I was sure he could feel it in his chest, as closely pressed together as we were.
What if he turns me down? The worry of rejection filtered through my lust-addled brain.
As if he could read the momentary lapse of confidence in my thoughts, he brought his strong fingers to my chin and tilted it up so that I would be forced to meet his eyes. They were dark with lust but glinted with determination. The sides of his mouth were pulled up in a small smirk.
“I’m not afraid of anything,” he growled.
He dropped his hands to grip my hips and licked the shell of my ear. Then his mouth crashed down onto mine in a kiss that made my toes curl and my blood catch fire.
His hands trailed up from my hips to my shoulders, where they slid over the straps of my dress and toyed with my neckline until finally, they went for my zipper.
He broke the kiss, fire blazing in his eyes. He ordered me to turn around, his voice deep and commanding. I didn’t hesitate to comply. I wanted to do whatever he wanted me to at that moment.
I turned to face the wall. James undid my zipper, almost painstakingly slowly, like he enjoyed dragging it out. My core clenched, and my back arched.
I didn’t know why I wanted him so badly. I barely knew him, but I ached for him. His hands caressed my shoulders, and he slid first the right strap off, and then the left, causing the fabric to slide down and collect at my waist.
His hands dropped and skimmed my hips under the dress until they were on my bare butt. “Your ass is amazing.”
I could feel my cheeks flush as I stammered a reply. “Thank you.”
His fingers dug into my flesh and then skimmed back to my hips, down my hipbones to my thighs. He drove me crazy. I needed him to touch me. I arched my back so that my amazing ass would push into his crotch.
“I want you to look at me,” he commanded. Again, I complied immediately, turning so that we faced each other again. His expression was intense with lust. It did all kinds of things to me, the way he looked at me. My knees threatened to buckle.
He moved to pin me against the wall with his body. The weight of his body holding me against the wall felt so good. My eyelids fluttered closed. I could barely breathe as I soaked in his scent. He smelled like ocean and spice and man. It was intoxicating.
His fingertips grazed my skin, and I shuddered. I should have been worried about getting caught. I’d thought that we would have a hard and fast quickie. This was not that. I couldn’t bring myself to worry, though. At that moment, it didn’t matter. All that mattered were his hands on my hips and his hot mouth on my neck.
He kissed his way to my ear, sucking at a sensitive spot behind it in a way that made me shiver. Then he kissed a path under my jawline and up to my lips. I leaned into him and pressed my body impossibly closer to his.
He was so fucking hard that I moaned out loud. From the feel of things against my stomach, he was huge. And he was still wearing his pants. Delicious anticipation coursed through me.
I rolled my hips, rubbing my aching core against him. It wasn’t enough. There were too many clothes in the way. Why are we wearing so much clothing? He slid a hand up my thigh and caught my lower lip with the thumb of his other hand.
I stared at him as he dragged his thumb over my lip, unable to break his intense gaze. He pushed his finger past my lips, clear into my mouth.
I closed my lips around it and pressed my tongue to his pad, moving my tongue around his finger as if it were his cock instead. A low, throaty groan fell from his lips.
He withdrew his finger from my mouth and lowered his head to plant a kiss on my neck. His hands moved to my back.
He unhooked my bra expertly and let his fingertips trail over my bare skin, slowly exploring every inch of me that was exposed. The ache building between my thighs became painful. I squeezed my legs together. It wasn’t enough.
He kissed a line down my neck, over my shoulders, shifting lower to plant a kiss on my chest. He was so close to my nipple. Anticipation tightened in my stomach and I clenched my thighs again.
He sucked a nipple into his wet, hot mouth, and my hands flew to his hair. He flicked it with his tongue before releasing it with a soft pop and doing the same with the other nipple.
My breathing became heavy. Ragged. But so was his. It did things to me, knowing that he wanted this as much as I did. Even if my breathing was slightly more of a pant than his.
His palm cupped my sex. I moaned in response.
“You’re so wet,” his voice was breathy, his breathing hard against my ear. “Do you want my fingers inside you?”
God, the mouth on this guy. I wasn’t shy by any stretch of the imagination, and I was too far gone, too needy, to be embarrassed, but I’d never been with anyone who was so effortless with the dirty talk. It made my sex clench.
“Yes,” I breathed. “Please.”
His lips sank to mine. My hands danced under the edge of his shirt, seeking out his taut stomach. His hands slid up my thighs, closer and closer to where I needed them to be. My legs trembled with anticipation. This time, he didn’t stop. His fingers skimmed my sex, and I nearly cried out.
His hand was steady and his touch light as he stroked my clit. I dug my fingers into the hard lines of his stomach. His fingers slid down, and I spread my legs. He dipped a finger inside me, and I nearly collapsed. Only the weight of his body pressing me against the wall kept me upright.
“James, don’t stop.”
His fingers moved faster, deeper as his kiss became harder, more aggressive. Tension knotted between my legs. I was getting so close. He was somehow tuned to my body, giving me exactly what I needed, when I needed it.
“Come for me, Gabrielle,” he said.
With his next stroke, pleasure welled up in me as the knot of tension released. I groaned his name as I toppled over the edge.
He kept me pressed against the wall with his hips as he stroked me through it.
“My name sounds good on your tongue when you come for me.” His voice was low, dangerously sexy. “I want to hear it again. Think you’ve got one more in you?”
“Only if it’s with you.” I wanted him deep inside me.
“Fuck yeah.” He produced a foil packet, stuck it between his teeth, and undid his button so fast, it was like it was all one movement. He tugged his pants and underwear off just far enough to expose his enormous, fully engorged cock.
I sucked in a breath. He sheathed himself and moved his hands to my ass. He held me against the wall, but paused. “You sure about this?”
“James Skye, do not even think about stopping.”
He nipped at my lower lip. “Yes, ma’am.” He gave a very quick mock salute and got down to business. “Wrap your legs around me.”
He brought his hands to my thighs to help me, lifting me against him. I hooked my ankles around his waist as he shifted our bodies closer. He kept his eyes on mine. The burning desire in his gaze stoked the fire in my veins.
His cock nudged at my sex, then slid in. We both exhaled in relief as he slid deeper. So deep that it was suddenly difficult to breathe. He slowed when he slid home, watching me intently. His breathing came in gasps, and he looked at me like he might die if I stopped him, but he was still so attentive.
“I’m okay,” I answered his unasked question. My hands went to the back of his neck, and I drew him in for a kiss.
Slowly, he started to move. God, did he ever feel good. My sex stretched to accommodate him fully, but he moved slowly enough that it didn’t hurt. I was beyond the point of feeling anything but pleasure as he moved in and out of me.
He groaned as he continued his steady motions. “You feel so fucking good, Gabrielle.”
My thighs squeezed his hips in response. He needed to know how good he was making me feel, but all conscious thought had fled from my mind as moved inside me. Again and again. “James...”
My fingers found the buttons of his shirt, and I tugged at them, exposing his chest. I explored his chest with my fingers. He kissed me and drove into me. Harder. Faster. Until the speed was perfect.
I arched my back to press my clit against his pubic bone and lost myself in the pleasure that built inside me. My fingers dug into his skin. His hands stayed on my hips, pinning me in place as he timed his movements in reaction to my moans.
His lids were heavy; his breathing came in ragged pants. He groaned. He was close. “Fuck, Gabbi.”
His groans sent shockwaves of pleasure cascading through my body. The sound of his pleasure was enough to push me right back to the edge, and with his next stroke, I went flying over it as I came again.
One of his hands knotted into the hair at the nape of my neck as he followed me over.
“Gabbi.” He let out a low, heavy, groan. His cock twitched deep inside me as he emptied himself.
He held me steady against the wall and pressed his lips to my shoulder as our breathing returned to normal.
We dressed quickly. He held out my thong, offering it back to me.
“You keep it,” I said.
His eyes widened slightly, but he stuffed it back into his pocket with a grin and a slight shake of his head. “This was fun.”
I fished my phone out of my bag and summoned an Uber. “Yeah, it was. I had a good time tonight.”
I headed towards the mouth of the alley.
“I never even got your number,” he called just before I rounded the corner.
I grinned, taking in his tousled hair and slightly swollen lips in the soft light of the alley. I was sated, and then some, but it still sent a shiver down my spine to know that his just-fucked appearance had been caused by me. “If you want to see me again, you’ll figure out a way to get it.”
I replayed the scene in the alley in my head as I sat in the back of the Uber. I had to admit, the
sex had been mind-blowing. For the first time ever, I actually hoped the guy would call.
Chapter Nine
James
“How was your weekend?” Ryder grunted next to me. He’d just completed his set of leg curls. He grabbed his towel and wiped the sweat from his brow, then rose to stretch his muscles.
“It was good, mostly uneventful.” Except for Friday night. “Yours?”
“Same. My mom was in town. Sorry I had to cancel on Friday. She showed up just as I was about to hit the shower. Could have sworn she said she was coming next weekend. You end up doing anything interesting?”
I loved Ryder like a brother, and I trusted him with my life, but there was no way I was telling him the truth. “Not really. How is your mom?”
He didn’t question the change in topic. His dark eyes flashed with frustration. “Same as always, prattling on about finding myself a nice girl and settling down. Giving her some grandbabies. Same shit, different day.”
I was in the mood to jerk his chain. “Maybe you should do it, you know? Harper would love a playmate.”
Ryder fixed me with a death stare so intense, it would make weaker men crumble and go cry to their mommies. Then he snapped at me. “So, get off your lazy ass and make her one your fucking self.”
“Maybe I will. Kids are great. It’s the women that are aggravating.” Maybe not all women. One in particular came to mind. I was semi-hard just thinking about Gabrielle and those soft little moans that she had made.
I had to get her fucking number somehow. It couldn’t be that hard. I, however, could be. My dick became uncomfortable in my workout sweats while I talked to my best friend about kids in the goddamn gym.
Christ, what are you, a fucking teenager? Get a grip, Skye.
“True that.” Ryder was great with Harper. He was her favorite surrogate uncle. “But I ain’t even close to ready for that kind of responsibility.”
“And you think I was?”
Ryder knew better than anyone what I’d gone through back then. After he’d reamed me about wrapping it before I tapped it and all that shit. Like I hadn’t known that.