Finding Beautiful

by Amanda Kaitlyn

  “Please, Gavin, faster,” I murmur, whispering his name over and over in hot desire. He slides out of me and squeezes my hips in his large, oh-so-delightful hands, his fingers delving into my waist as his lips press to my collarbone.

  “Jesus, baby.” His voice shakes with the gravity of this moment, where I give myself to him and he loves me in the most heavenly way.

  “Yes, Gavin. Please,” I beg, my mouth whispering against his.

  He pushes into me once more and I feel myself tighten around him as I call out his name in pure ecstasy. I find my release in the stars, whispering against his lips, never letting go.

  The pleasure rocks through my veins, making my skin tingle and my eyes flutter open as I watch his face. His mouth parts as he groans and whispers my name. His lips press to my neck.

  “Beautiful!” he roars, the grumble expanding his chest, and my nails sink into his shoulders.

  He stills inside me and I feel him let go as his body trembles and mine starts to come down from my high. I press my lips to his, passionately. My soul is ripped open, my heart healed. My head is not able to stop my heart from falling irrevocably in love with this man. Gavin smiles my smile and tugs my mouth back to his once I’ve pulled in a breath. His kiss leaves me breathless again as he sits up and pulls me into his arms, pressing his face to my hair. I wrap my arms around him while he does the same to me before he leans back and cups my cheeks. I feel the connection between us.

  “Gavin,” I whisper, holding onto his waist. We’re both panting, breathing into each other’s skin.

  “Amazing,” he whispers, kissing my forehead and laying me down on the mattress once more as he wraps his arms around me. I rest my head on his chest and gaze up at him through my lashes.

  “Thank you for making tonight perfect, Gavin. It was amazing.”

  He smiles boyishly and presses a kiss to my temple, his hand stroking my hair.

  “Sleep, baby.”

  Nine

  MY EYES FLUTTER OPEN after what seems like days and there is sunlight pouring in through the blinds. I see my gorgeous man lying peacefully next to me, one hand stretched across my stomach, the other arm hugging his pillow. I snuggle closer into Gavin’s chest, enjoying the warmth of his skin. His face is so handsome while he sleeps, and I can’t stop myself from gliding my hands down his happy trail to rest upon his hips.

  I kiss his jaw softly, rub my lips over the stubble there, and then step out of bed, intent on finding something to make breakfast for us. Once I’m in his spacious kitchen, I pull out a pan from the cabinet and some eggs, milk, grated cheese, and sliced ham from the fridge. I also grab bacon and sausage links to make a grand breakfast for Gavin before he wakes up. I turn on the radio, keeping the volume low and singing to myself along with Carrie Underwood. “Cowboy Casanova” has me dancing around his kitchen in my bare feet.

  Once the omelets are made, I start on the bacon and sausages, swaying my hips with the music. I hear Gavin approach and my eyes flick over to his sexy bed hair and blue-gray eyes.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” he whispers against my ear, his arms coming up to wrap around my waist. Gavin lets his hands glide up the front of the shirt I’m wearing. His shirt.

  “Um, isn’t it obvious?” I murmur, my voice turning into a breathy moan when he closes his mouth over my earlobe, tugging gently. I hum, my eyes closing as he reaches around me to turn off the burners and pulls me hard against him. I feel his hard length and bite my lip in arousal. I want him again. He’s just so damn beautiful. And sexy…

  “You should’ve stayed in bed with me, beautiful.” His voice is a low rumble against my neck. He reaches down and squeezes his hands around my ass, making my ache for him grow in my core. Those lips on my exposed neck make my head fall back against his chest, my eyes shutter closed. He turns me around and immediately my hands wrap around the back of his neck. Gavin picks me up, my legs wrapping around his hips instantly, the need to feel his hard body against mine palpable.

  He leans me against the counter and sits me on the surface.

  “You look so hot like this.” His voice is a caress, a promise of things to come.

  Running my hand down his faint chest hair, I press a kiss to the skin there.

  “So do you.”

  He presses his mouth to mine, parting my lips with his tongue and tasting my mouth. I taste him back, pulling him closer and sliding his boxers off as his hands cradle my face, his kiss hungry yet gentle.

  “I want you, Gavin. Now.”

  He grins against my urgent lips and without another word slides into my damp sex, groaning at the feel of me. My mouth falls open in response. God, he feels like heaven. He fills me perfectly.

  “Christ, you feel good, Aria.” His voice tingles against my skin.

  I press my lips to his chest as he slides completely out of me and then fills me up again, going faster and faster. I cry out, my body buzzing with my building orgasm.

  “Gavin… Gavin… Gavin!” I repeat over and over, my mouth insistent against his neck, feeling myself so close to coming.

  “Come for me,” he whispers against my skin, igniting my blood as I scream his name in pleasure. Then I fall apart, the waves crashing around me as I tremble in the aftershock.

  “Oh, beautiful,” he groans, burying himself inside me while he calls out my name like a prayer. I watch as he finds his own pleasure within the walls of my center.

  “Aria,” he whispers, taking my mouth in a tender kiss that takes the breath from my lungs and has me longing to go back to bed with him.

  * * *

  “The food is getting cold,” I whisper against his lips, pouting. I feel his laugh rumble in his chest and I force myself to lean back to meet those deep eyes that sparkle in the sunlight.

  “You are too good for me, you know that?”

  I smile, not believing that at all.

  “Why? Because I make you breakfast?”

  He nods, running his mouth along my jaw, teasing the skin.

  “All I wanted to do was make love to you again and here you are making me breakfast. You amaze me.” The southern drawl I hear in his voice makes me want to close my eyes and listen to it all night long.

  I pull him in for another kiss just as there’s a hard, demanding knock on his door. His face falls to my shoulder and he chuckles into locks of my hair. I blush, pulling his lips to mine for a peck before he lifts me off the counter and sets me on my feet, a crooked smile across his face. God, I’d do anything for that smile.

  “Get dressed. I’ll answer the door.”

  I hold up a finger, telling him to wait. I run back into the bedroom and grab his jeans. I come back and hand them to him, giving him a quick kiss on the lips before dashing back to get dressed.

  Once he’s gone down the hall, I look through the drawers in Gavin’s dresser, finding a blue and white button-down shirt that is a bit too big for me. I pull it on and immediately his musky scent engulfs me. I slip on my silver flats I wore last night and grab my cell phone, dance bag, and Gavin’s phone off his dresser. I pick up his tee from last night and walk out of the bedroom as I check the missed text messages on my phone. There is only one.

  Kel—Hey. I can’t wait to hear everything!

  I stop when I see Gavin hugging a young girl with reddish brown hair. He wraps her tight in his embrace, cooing softly in her ear as she cries. Oh, poor girl. This must be Callie, his sister.

  “What happened, sweetheart?”

  “He didn’t show up, I just needed to talk to someone. Is it OK that I’m here?” she whispers just loud enough for my ears. My eyes meet hers and I nod, giving her what I hope is reassurance.

  Gavin leans back and brackets her face with his hands, softly wiping away her tears.

  “I’m sorry, Cal. I know you liked him. Why don’t you sit down? Aria made breakfast and you need to eat.” She nods, sitting on the couch and wiping away her tears. Gavin crouches down in front of her, kissing her knuckles as he tells her
everything’s all right. My heart stutters, seeing how good and nurturing he is with her.

  “Hey, I don’t want to interrupt, babe,” I say as I step forward, giving Callie a small smile. Gavin smiles at me, standing up and pulling me into his side.

  “You could never be an interruption, Aria.”

  He looks almost apologetic as he gazes down at me.

  I nod, kissing his cheek. I mouth the words “it’s okay” and he just shakes his head with a smile I know he reserves only for me.

  “Callie, sweetheart, this is the girl I told you about. Aria, this is my sister, Callie.”

  She stands and gives me a warm smile as we shake hands. She looks so young.

  “Callie, it’s great to meet you. Do you want to stay for breakfast?”

  She nods and I make my way into the kitchen to finish, and maybe reheat the food and make an omelet for Callie, too.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t know she was going to just show up like this, Aria,” Gavin whispers as we eat, our left hands entwined across my lap. I hastily shake my head.

  “It’s okay. She needed you, Gavin. And she seems wonderful. I’m so glad I got to meet her.”

  He smiles, relieved, and looks over at Callie, who’s watching TV and nursing a Pepsi.

  Pulling on Gavin’s hand, I lead him into the kitchen and sit myself on the counter.

  “Look, I have a meeting this morning so I’ll probably just drop her off at my mom’s. I wish I could take her out and spend some time with her but with this merger… ”

  I place a hand on his mouth and shake my head. I bite my lip, having an idea that can cheer Callie up. “I could take her to the studio with me today. It might cheer her up, right?”

  Gavin’s eyes light up and I take my hand off his mouth.

  “You wouldn’t mind?”

  “No, of course not. Maybe I can get to know her, distract her for a bit. She loves to dance, right?”

  He nods, a smile on his lips. His palm skates over my cheek, his face brightening.

  “She’s going to be thrilled, Aria. Like I said, you’re too good for me.”

  I grin and give him a soft kiss on the lips.

  “That’s too bad because you’re stuck with me, baby.”

  His eyes heat and he pulls me in with his hands around my neck. I can feel his hot breath against my parted lips.

  “Oh.” Gavin presses his mouth to mine urgently and parts my lips with his tongue as one of his hands tangles in my hair. He nips softly at my bottom lip and I moan, gripping his shoulders while my tongue licks salaciously into his mouth. God, I’ll never get enough.

  I pout when he pulls away and leans his forehead against mine as we both struggle to catch our breath.

  “Dinner tonight?” he asks, that smile crossing his lips in suggestion.

  I lean back, now remembering that I made plans to have dinner and drinks with Kel.

  “Actually, I promised Kel I’d have dinner and drinks with her tonight. Do you want to join us? Luke will be there, too.”

  He smiles widely and kisses my temple.

  “Sure, baby.”

  “Gavin?” Callie calls from the living room, interrupting. I laugh softly and pull away from Gavin’s mouth, stepping down from the counter.

  “You want to meet for lunch?” Gavin’s mouth comes down to my throat with the question.

  I hook my hands over his shoulders and nod.

  “I’m there.”

  He kisses my knuckles and nods, his eyes bright with a joy that I hadn’t seen before when he takes his sister into his arms again.

  “Sweetheart, do you want to go with Aria to her dance studio?”

  Callie’s smile is infectious as she nods. “That would be great, but can you tell Mom? My phone’s dead.”

  “Sure. I have to go. I’ll see you later, sis. Stay strong, okay?”

  She grins, hugging Gavin before he pulls on the tee I hand him and picks up his sneakers off the living room floor.

  “See you soon, beautiful,” he whispers, giving me a lingering kiss before leaving out the front door.

  My heart races and my cheeks heat. I pick up the dishes, making small talk with Callie.

  “What kind of dance do you like?”

  She smiles, her cheeks taking on a dimple that reminds me of Gavin.

  “Modern ballet and some tap, but I never got that into it. It was more of my mother’s forte. You know?”

  “I can definitely relate to that. Come on, let’s go.”

  * * *

  “Aria! Where have you been?” Eli asks as we make our way into the studio.

  “Sorry, Eli. Traffic. This is my friend, Callie. She dances, too.”

  Eli comes up to her and shakes her hand, smiling charmingly.

  “Okay, let’s get started, Aria, and if you want to do a session too, Ms. Callie, I’d be honored.”

  He winks and takes us onto the floor without another word. After a trying session, I sit cross-legged on the floor as I watch Callie take the mats, her hair pulled up and a pair of white ballet flats on her feet.

  An instrumental of a Cindy Lauper song plays and Callie closes her eyes, finding her center. She moves across the floor gracefully, never missing a step. She’s one with the song. She effortlessly glides through her routine, surprising me by how intricate her style is. She’s so young, but when she dances, it’s effortless.

  “That was perfect, Callie,” I say, handing her a water as she sits next to me.

  “Really? I was nervous, actually.”

  “It was great. I can’t believe how graceful your style is. How old are you?”

  “Seventeen.”

  I pull her in for a hug and then pull back, surprised and awed at the talent of this girl.

  “You’re really talented, Callie. Truly.”

  “Thanks, so are you!”

  We both laugh, easily comfortable with each other.

  “So what happened with this boy?”

  She sighs and her eyes take on a sadness.

  “My boyfriend, Jude. We had dinner plans for our six-month anniversary and he didn’t show up.”

  Oh my God, this poor girl.

  “Oh, sweetie. It’s his loss. Don’t let him upset you like this. You have so much ahead of you, okay?”

  She nods, giving me a small smile. I check the time to see it’s almost one o’clock.

  “Do you want to grab some lunch? Gavin and my friend Farah are going to meet us downtown.”

  She nods and stands, pulling me up with her.

  “Thanks for cheering me up, Aria.” I grin and we head out to my Jeep.

  “No problem, we girls have to stick together. Right?”

  She laughs, agreeing.

  I dial Gavin’s number as I pull out of the parking lot. It seems like just yesterday that I met him here, so closed off to love. And now I’m falling for him. I’m breathless at the realization that I’m falling in love with Gavin Thomas. Is that possible after, what? Two weeks? But yet, here we are.

  “Hello?” His gravelly voice shoots through me instantly.

  “Hi, Gavin.”

  “Hey, beautiful. How’s it going?” I feel the ache in my chest from missing him and it terrifies me.

  “Good. We’re on our way to Johnny’s now. Your sister is such a good dancer, I couldn’t believe it.” He laughs and I hear a horn on his end.

  “She is. She trained in Paris, after all. See you soon, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  I hang up and park before turning to Callie who’s staring intently at her phone.

  “Hey, stop waiting. He’ll call. If he loves you, he’ll call you. Let’s go eat.”

  She nods and smiles, hopping out of the Jeep and heading straight inside the restaurant. I sigh, feeling badly for her heartbreak, knowing that normally waiting by the phone is a long, sad process that all teenage girls go through.

  Gavin leans against the railing leading into Johnny’s Grille, dressed in a white button-up dress shirt and black dr
ess pants, and with a ruggedly handsome smile across his face.

  “Better stop staring, handsome stranger. My boyfriend is going to be here any moment.”

  His smile widens and his eyes blaze with hunger for me.

  “Is that so?” He walks up to me and cages me to the car door with his arms on each side of my face. His eyes are filled with lust and amused mischief.

  “You’re such a tease, Ms. Morgan,” he whispers, trailing kisses up my jaw, and my blood heats in anticipation for his mouth on mine.

  “So are you, Mr. Thomas.”

  He grins, finally closing his lips around mine, igniting my blood and taking my breath away as he sucks lazily on my lower lip, nipping the skin. When his tongue coerces my lips apart and it slides along mine, I moan softly and I grip onto his hair.

  “Is it weird that I missed you, beautiful?” he murmurs as his forehead leans against mine.

  “If it’s weird then so be it. Because I missed you, too.”

  He pulls back and cups my cheeks, smiling boyishly. All I can think is I’m in so much trouble with this man. I’m falling in love with him. Hell, I’ve already fallen.

  Ten

  “YOU LOOK GORGEOUS, by the way.” Gavin’s blue-gray eyes are all I see and a shy smile comes to my mouth. He takes my hand and kisses my wrist, pulling back while he looks down at it for a long moment. A pit of fear forms low in my stomach.

  “I wanted to ask you about these, baby. Don’t think I didn’t notice last night.”

  I gasp in response. Hearing his voice so domineering is both exciting and worrying. My eyes drop to the four long cuts along my wrist from when my grief from Jeremy and the rejection and blame of my mother and myself got to be too much. The pain helped at the time, but I’ve never told anyone that. They’re faded now, but they’ll always be there to remind me of my weakness at the worst time in my life.

  Gavin’s hand gently grasps my chin and lifts my gaze to his clear blue eyes.