“What you’re doing doesn’t make any sense.”
“Of course it makes sense. I want you to stay here.”
“Why? I can get another place. You don’t have to—”
“Terri.” Slowly, he came toward her and she looked up and saw the anger flickering in his eyes. “What kind of man do you think I am? How could I not take care of you when I have the means to do it?”
Terri glanced away, mind racing.
“I’m not going to impose on your space because I know how important it is to you to have your own place. I have a key, too, but I won’t use it unless you tell me it’s okay. Good enough?”
An affirmative answer should’ve tumbled easily from her mouth, but she worried about what this would mean. The control he’d have over her. A familiar fear squeezed her heart. “Gavin, I—”
He crowded her against the wall, forearms resting on either side of her head, not a single part of his body touching hers, but she felt his energy just the same. Their faces were less than six inches apart and his eyes burned into hers. “I was in Portland when I got your message and I couldn’t reach you. I felt so damn helpless.”
“You’re not responsible for me, Gavin.”
“Maybe I want to be.” Neither of them blinked. They just stared into each other’s eyes. “You’ll have a car and a driver, an allowance and accounts at any store you want to rebuild your wardrobe.”
The torture of being so close to him and not touching angled its way through her body.
“Thank you,” she said quietly. “I’ll pay you back.” She didn’t know how or when. If it meant working eighty hours a week, she intended to repay every cent.
“This isn’t a loan, and no matter what happens between us over the next year, this place is yours, free and clear. What else do you need? Tell me.”
“You’re such a good man. What you’ve done is enough.” She’d considered pawning the necklace he gave her as a gift, but didn’t have to now.
“You’re sure?”
“Yes, but I do have one question. Not just anyone can come up here, right? They must have a keycard?”
“If they don’t have a card giving them access, they can’t come up to the residence floors. Period.”
“Then I don’t need anything else.”
Gavin pulled her into his arms and she went willingly, eagerly, grabbing onto him and pressing her body flush against his.
He pressed his lips against hers and she extended the tip of her tongue to trace the seam of his lips.
“You’re mine,” he murmured, grasping the back of her head in the palm of his hand.
Head tilted back, Terri fell into the sensation of his mouth on the underside of her jaw. His hands roamed down her sides and grabbed her ass and squeezed, forcing her to acknowledge the solid length stretched in his pants.
“I’m yours.” The words came out of nowhere, simply erupting from her throat in a trembling whisper. A forced truth, glaringly obvious for them both to see.
As if her words lit a fire in his blood, Gavin stripped off her clothes, starting with her pants, revealing a pair of panties in wine-colored lace, and pulling her top over her head without ceremony. When he’d stripped down to gray boxer briefs, he lifted her onto the counter and pressed his face to her bosom, clawing at the straps of her bra until they hung loosely down her arms.
She was shaking, and he was, too.
“I take care of what’s mine.”
He grasped the back of her head again and hauled her toward him, mouth devouring, demanding her consent. The kiss lasted an eternity, and she savored the taste of him.
Gavin, Gavin, Gavin. Hope for a future with him soared in her chest.
Legs closed around his hips, she smoothed her hands over the contour of his hard arms and shoulders. She pressed kisses onto his face, showering affection on his nose, his chin, and his delicious mouth.
“I thought we were going to get something to eat,” she whispered, nipping at the lobe of his ear.
“We are.” He kissed her neck and collarbone, tongue flicking into the hollow of her throat. He dragged the crotch of the panties aside and stared at her shaved mound. “But I want to eat you first. Then we’ll order room service.”
His tongue game was spectacular, enough to make her ache and long for his mouth at random times—at work, at the supermarket, in the library. The stuff legends were made of. She would write poetry about it if she were poetically inclined.
Gavin lifted her knees, and she watched with breathless anticipation as he bent his head between her thighs.
Chapter Twenty-one
Gavin dropped into the chair across from Trenton’s desk. He always relaxed in this office. The dark furniture and dim lighting gave the room the air of a nightclub lounge rather than a corporate office.
He waited while Trenton’s executive assistant, Diana, flipped pages on contracts and pointed to the places his brother needed to sign. Tall and plus-sized with a short natural, she had an air of efficiency and no-nonsense. In the short time he’d been at the office, Gavin recognized the extent of Trenton’s dependence on her.
Diana eventually finished and left the brothers alone.
“Your social media department is mediocre,” Gavin said.
“I’m fine today, and how are you?” Trenton asked, setting his pen on the desk.
“That wasn’t the best greeting, but you know I’m right. All we do is talk about beer.”
“We’re a beer company.”
“I know that, but we need to inject some personality into the interactions with the followers. Ivy’s restaurant group has the same number of followers Johnson Brewing Company does on Twitter. Considering the size and position of JBC in the industry, we should have way more than seventy-five thousand.”
Trenton narrowed his eyes and smiled. “You have some ideas.”
“A few,” Gavin admitted. He rubbed his jaw. “There are a lot more things we can do besides tweeting about beerfests and the latest brew.”
“What did you have in mind?” Trenton asked, sitting forward.
“I’m not sure yet. Let me take a look at the marketing campaign and see if I can come up with some tie-ins.”
He already had some ideas of how they could use videos. One idea was to partner with well-known chefs and have them create exclusive recipes using JBC’s beer as a main ingredient.
A grin spread across Trenton’s face. “Don’t tell me you want to work in my department.”
“And have you be my boss? Hell, no. Besides, I’m a science guy, not a marketer.”
Although, he did see a potential marriage between marketing and science if they educated consumers on the basics, such as proper glassware for the different styles of beer. Size and shape of the glass affected foam retention, and foam helped maintain the product’s volatiles, thereby affecting the aroma and ultimately the drinking experience, the same way the right stemware influenced the enjoyment of wine.
Gavin lifted from the chair. “When can I get the marketing materials?”
“By the end of the day. Sure you don’t want to work in my department?”
“I’m not working anywhere.” Gavin proceeded to the door.
“Oh, that’s right. You’re only here temporarily and learning what you can because Mother asked you to.”
Gavin didn’t miss the sarcastic tone in Trenton’s voice, but he chose not to respond to it.
****
The pat-pat sound of rain hitting the windows filled the bedroom like woodpeckers relentlessly attacking the trunk of a tree. In the past week, they’d christened the kitchen counter, the dining room table, the shower, and now lay naked in the bed fooling around.
Terri pouted. “You hit me too hard. My butt is sore.” She rolled over to snuggle up beside Gavin in the big bed.
“I wouldn’t have to hit you so hard if you’d behave.”
“Rub it and make it feel better.”
He let out an exaggerated sigh and sat up. Instead of r
ubbing, he pressed his lips into the fleshiness of each cheek and licked her bottom.
“Better?” he asked, bringing his face close to hers.
“Mhmm.” Terri smiled.
He flopped onto his back again and she reached up to trace the line where his lips came together. “You know what I thought when I first met you?”
“What?” He sucked her finger into his mouth and she giggled and pulled it back out.
“I thought you had such delicious-looking lips, I wanted to sit on your face.”
His head tilted toward her. “Is that why you did that the first time we had sex?”
Terri’s head popped up from the pillow. “I did not sit on your face the first night.”
“Damn near,” Gavin muttered.
“You’re so full of shit.” She cut her eyes at him.
“That’s why I have to keep spanking that ass. You curse like a sailor.”
“You curse more than I do. Should I spank your ass?” She dropped her head to the pillow again, keeping an eye on his profile.
“That’s not how ass spanking works,” he said, dead serious.
“Oh, really?”
“The only asses getting spanked around here are of the female persuasion.”
“Chauvinist pig.”
He chuckled to himself and closed his eyes, settling down, ready to sleep.
“You think you’re so funny.”
“I’m hilarious.”
“Take your act on the road, then.”
“Maybe I will.”
“Smart ass.”
“Keep talking,” he warned. He drew his bottom lip between his teeth and smacked one hand against the other, indicating what he’d do to her behind. She almost felt the sting of his hand against her soft bottom, and her nipples tightened.
She watched his chest move up and down in the dim room and dragged the tip of her finger along the scar running down his inner arm. “Are you still going to Hawaii for the free diving competition?”
“Yes.”
Fear knotted in her chest. She thought he’d abandoned the idea since he hadn’t mentioned it again. A few days ago, the committee contacted him to see if he was interested in participating. Having him there would attract great media attention to the event, and after some consideration, he agreed.
They didn’t talk about the future, and his desire to participate made her wonder if he planned to go back to the life he lived before the fall in the Andes. The thought of him leaving hurt her heart.
“You haven’t been training,” she said.
“I’ve done it dozens of times before.”
“You said you always train before you do any of your stunts, and you’ve been busy working,” Terri pointed out.
“It’ll be fine,” Gavin said, speaking over a wide yawn. “A few days before the event, I’ll head down to Maui and train.”
He was so unconcerned, while she was terrified. She hated the thought of him risking his life. Just because he’d done it before didn’t mean an accident couldn’t happen. Not too long ago, a famed free diver—a record holder and someone with more experience than Gavin—died underwater.
“Why do you really do it?” she asked.
He turned to her. “Do what? Free dive?”
“Any of it. Free diving, free singling—”
“Free soloing,” he corrected.
“I don’t care what you call it!” Terri lifted onto an elbow and looked into his startled eyes. Her outburst had taken him by surprise. “Why do you do it?”
“I told you before, it’s exciting. People like me—”
“I don’t want to know about people like you. I want to know why you take these risks. You’ve been here for months and haven’t done anything remotely dangerous. Why are you so keen to go out there and risk your life again?”
Gavin rubbed his forehead. “I don’t know, Terri. I guess my family’s right. I have a death wish.” He laughed, but it was a hollow sound.
“Is that why?” she asked quietly.
He swallowed and his face became as expressionless as a paper sack. Staring across at the far wall, he said, “I don’t know.” Silence cloaked the room. “I think there are times when I…want to die.”
His answer broke her heart and she blinked back tears. What burden did someone as carefree as him carry that made him say such a thing?
“Why?”
He didn’t answer, only shook his head.
“I don’t think you want to die. You just think you deserve to.”
Abruptly, he closed his eyes and cut her off. “Go to sleep.”
Terri stared at him for a while longer—the smooth brown skin, the short, wispy lashes, the strength in his arms and chest, and the power in his muscular thighs. If anything happened to him…
Heat exploded in her chest. What she felt for Gavin was much stronger than like and stronger than anything she’d felt for a man in a long time—perhaps ever. She didn’t want to think about what that meant.
She lived by certain rules. Most important, rule number two, never fall in love. This couldn’t be love. She was too smart to fall into that trap again. It never lasted and only brought pain.
Terri climbed on top of Gavin and nestled her head in the crook of his neck. Her breasts flattened against his hard chest, and she slid one leg between his hair-roughened thighs. She equated the rough sensation of his skin against hers with not only their differences as male and female, but with the word that always came to mind when she thought of him—safe.
“Good night.” She closed her eyes, settling in for the night.
“So you’re just going to lay on me like I’m a pillow or bed or something?” he asked, effecting a grumpy tone.
“You don’t mind, do you?”
Lying on top of him was such a comfy position. Her body slowly succumbed to sleep. Gavin didn’t answer right away, and she allowed herself to be tugged deeper into slumber.
“I don’t mind.” He placed a hand in the middle of her back. Big and warm, his hand was like a layer of security.
Her eyes fluttered open, and he traced a finger down the bridge of her nose. Their eyes met and held, and the moment felt as intimate as any sexual act they’d shared.
“Don’t go,” she whispered. She hadn’t meant to say the words on her heart, but didn’t regret them.
He didn’t respond right away. He looked into her eyes, searching for something.
“Go to sleep, Sweet Ass,” he whispered with a smile.
“Gavin…” she said, on the verge of begging. The thought of him going into the water and risking his life unsettled her so much her stomach felt queasy.
“I won’t go,” he said, solemnly.
The pain in her chest diminished somewhat.
Relieved, Terri touched his mouth. “Good night, Pretty Lips.”
Then she closed her eyes and drifted off.
Chapter Twenty-two
“So she’s just a friend?” Terri said into the phone to Gavin.
The woman hanging on his arm in the photo at the Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas didn’t look like a friend. Plus, Twiggle O’Hara, the singer/actress/model was gorgeous, with bone-straight raven tresses cut in a blunt bob, ruby lips, and piercing brown eyes that challenged the cameras to find a bad side.
“That’s what I said,” Gavin confirmed, tiredly.
“If you say so.”
“I invited you to come, remember?”
Terri had been tempted to accompany him but couldn’t risk having her photo splashed all over social media, and to date, she hadn’t told Gavin everything about her past. She preferred to keep their relationship low-key, but on the upside, the danger with Talon had safely passed. During the past six weeks, her online research indicated he remained in Atlanta, and according to her brother, local mumblings indicated he might start up another business—a legitimate one this time.
The fire at Stack Home Apartments turned out to be arson, started by her strange neighbor across the hall.
After numerous letters about lease violations involving the condition of his apartment, and complaints about the noise level, the landlord had finally asked him to move out. In retaliation, her neighbor set fire to the place but miscalculated and lost his life in the blaze.
“I told you I’m not one for the lights and camera. And is that your excuse for being caught kissing another woman?” Terri demanded. The nerve. He was actually blaming her.
“I kissed her on the cheek because she’s a good friend.”
“That looked like more than a kiss on the cheek.”
“It’s the angle of the photo,” Gavin said testily, sounding as if he spoke through clenched teeth. “I kissed her cheek.”
“What about the other images? Your arm is around her, touching her hip. It looks like a very familiar touch, like you’ve done it dozens of times before.” He touched Terri like that, resting his hand on her hip or just above her bottom. “I don’t understand why the two of you have to be all up on each other if you’re only friends—buddies, as you put it. And why did a headline say Back Together Again, as if you’ve reunited with a long lost love?”
She’d always been confident about her ability to hold a man’s interest and wasn’t the jealous type. Yet there was no doubt the burning sensation in her belly was ugly, putrid jealousy.
“To sell magazines. To get clicks on their website. I have to deal with this nonsense all the time.” Frustration poured through the lines.
“I thought you liked attention.”
“I like when I can control what the media says about me. Frankly, the stories never mattered before.”
“So it’s me?”
“Yeah, it’s you.”
That stung. “Fine. I’ll pretend I didn’t see you with another woman. I’ll pretend a famous floozy pawing all over you doesn’t bother me.”
“That’s not what I said. I just…” He sighed. “I’m coming back tonight.”
“You’re at an important event and have parties to go to. You can’t do that. We’re good. Have fun with your friend. Not like we both can’t have friends.”
“You know when you say shit like that, it drives me crazy.” Quiet rested on the line. “I’ll see you when I get back.”
The Rules Page 14