Grounds for Seduction (Seattle Steam)

by Shelli Stevens

  “Don’t worry, there’s no danger of that.” His lips curved into a half smile as he touched a strand of her hair. “I stopped thinking of you as a little sister the night of Eric’s welcome-home party.”

  “You did?” She sighed and closed her hand around his fingers. “I couldn’t tell. You were so hard to read that night. I thought I was losing my touch.”

  “It took all my will not to bend you over the balcony.” He kissed the side of her neck. “And take you right then and there.”

  “Wow.” Madison giggled, heat coursing through her body. “There’s a visual. Maybe we should try that the next time you come to dinner at my parents.”

  “Maybe not.” His smile slipped slightly. “I don’t think your father would be too happy to know we’re sleeping together.”

  Madison gave a frustrated sigh. “Gabe, you’re sleeping with me, not my entire family.”

  He nodded but didn’t look convinced.

  “Has Eric ever said anything to you about keeping away from me?”

  “No, Eric’s never said a word.” He cleared his throat. “But your father has.”

  Madison frowned and sat up straighter on the blanket. “When? When did he say something? What did he say?”

  Gabe shrugged. “He just didn’t want you to get hurt again. Told me to be very careful when I was watching over you.”

  “Was this at lunch last week?”

  He nodded.

  “Why would he do that?” she asked, shaking her head. “It just doesn’t seem like something he’d do. I don’t think he was trying to warn you off, necessarily.”

  “He was worried about your breakup with Bradley,” Gabe pointed out. “He thinks you’re in a world of hurt.”

  “Bradley?” Madison snorted. “We’d been on the verge of breaking up since I moved back from Oregon. Even when we lived together, our relationship was dysfunctional.”

  “You lived together?” Gabe frowned, looking disturbed by the news.

  “Yeah,” she nudged him in the side and smiled. “Are you jealous?”

  He paused. “Yeah, a little.”

  Her eyes widened, pleasure curling in her belly. “Well, then I guess we’ve both had our dose of jealousy for the night.”

  He didn’t reply. What was he thinking about? Had she said the wrong thing?

  “How’s this rebound thing working out for you, Maddie?”

  Rebound? Was she still considering this a rebound relationship? Was he? She looked closely at his face, now really curious as to what he was thinking.

  “I think it’s going great,” she answered carefully. Lord, what should she say? What did he want her to say? “I’m definitely not regretting getting involved with you.”

  He grunted in response. “So, you think you’ll be wrapping up the buffer stage soon?”

  “Buffer stage?” Her eyebrows crinkled together. “What are you talking about?”

  “You told me I’m the buffer between you and your next relationship,” he reminded her. “Do you remember saying that?”

  “Oh.” She glanced down at her hands. “I guess I did say that.”

  “I’m just wondering how long you want to keep this up?”

  Keep this up? “I don’t know. I’m not interested in anyone else right now. I don’t see why we can’t keep what we’ve got going.”

  “Ah, but when you are interested in someone else, then that’s when our buffer relationship ends?”

  Madison gave a short laugh. Was he messing with her head? She sobered when his expression didn’t change. Wow, he was completely serious.

  “Gabe.” She hesitated. “I don’t understand. Aren’t you the guy who doesn’t do relationships?”

  “I thought I was.” He held her gaze. “But I’m not sure of anything anymore. Are you?”

  It hit her then. So hard that she couldn’t speak for a moment. She wasn’t sure what she wanted. But she was sure she didn’t want to consider Gabe just a fling anymore.

  “No. I’m not,” she answered in a soft voice. “Maybe we should just see what happens. Not put labels on anything, but just see how it goes.”

  “As long as we take away the rebound status.” Gabe smiled, looking a little more content. “I think it’s a little hard on my ego.”

  Madison laughed. “Would you answer a question? You can say no. I realize it’s personal.”

  He shrugged. “What do you want to know?”

  “Why you became a cop.” She hurried on when his expression became shuttered. “I know you’ve said you don’t want to talk about it, but I was hoping you might have changed your mind. That maybe you could trust me—”

  “Why?” he interrupted, turning to look in the fire. “Why should you want to know about my past? What difference could it possibly make knowing?”

  “I’m not sure it’ll make any difference,” she admitted, laying a hand on his shoulder. “There’s just so much I still don’t know about you, things you’ve never told me.”

  His body went rigid, the previous atmosphere of relaxation and flirting gone.

  “Well, I’m not sure I’m ready to tell all just to appease your curiosity.”

  “It’s not just curiosity,” she replied in exasperation. “Like you just pointed out, things have changed between us. I care about you. Is that so hard to believe?”

  He didn’t look away from the fire. “You don’t want to care about me. I’m not worth it.”

  “Gabe.” Her heart ached for him. What was hidden behind that wall surrounding his emotions? “Whatever it is, I wish I could take away the pain.”

  He stayed quiet for a long time. “My pain is nothing compared to what happened to my brother.”

  Madison caught her breath at his words. What brother? With caution, she said, “I didn’t know you had a brother.”

  “I don’t anymore.” Gabe smiled, but it twisted his lips bitterly and lacked warmth. “I killed him.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  He stared at her as if he’d expected her to freak out, maybe shrink back with horror or run from the room terrified. But she didn’t believe it, not for moment.

  “No, you didn’t.” She shook her head. “I know you didn’t. Tell me the whole story.”

  “You want the whole story?” Gabe asked, his expression cold. “I had a brother who was six years older than me. His name was Ricardo. Everyone called him Ricky. Ricky was amazing. He graduated high school with a 4.0 average and was given a scholarship to UCLA. He never let circumstances like where we lived or who our parents were get in the way of his dreams. He raised me after Mom and Dad died.”

  Gabe stood, his body rigid as he began to pace in front of the fire.

  “He wanted to take me out of the shit-hole neighborhood we were living in.” He shrugged. “And I didn’t want to go. I didn’t see anything wrong with my life. I was a twelve-year-old wannabe gangbanger.”

  Maddie stayed silent, trying to associate the younger Gabe with the Gabe she knew now. It was impossible.

  “Not a pretty little picture, is it?” Gabe asked, misinterpreting her gesture.

  “No, I—”

  “It gets better,” he went on. “When my brother found out I was going to be initiated into a gang, he left school during a final exam. All to come back to stop me from ruining my life.”

  Madison held her breath.

  “My initiation was to beat up an elderly man walking his dog in the park.”

  “Did you do it?” she asked before she could stop herself. The horrific image flickered through her mind, and nausea raged through her as she waited for his answer.

  “I think I would have,” Gabe replied, “if Ricky hadn’t shown up.”

  Her relief was immediate, though her instincts deep down told her that he wouldn’t have done it.

  “No, you wouldn’t have. But thank God Ricky was there to stop you.”

  “Ricky being there was no blessing.” Gabe gave a harsh laugh. “It was his death sentence.”

  Madison�
�s insides twisted, and her throat grew tight. She almost didn’t want to know, but she could guess what happened next.

  “There were two of us getting initiated that day. Me and another boy a couple of years older than me. His initiation was different.” He paused. “He was told to shoot and wound, but not kill, the next person who came down the trail.”

  She clenched her fists. “Was it Ricky?”

  His silence she took as an affirmation. She stood and put a gentle hand on his arm.

  “The boy was either a terrible shot or an excellent one.” His tone had gone flat, his expression blank. “Because the bullet went straight through Ricky’s heart. He died right away.”

  “You didn’t kill him, Gabe.”

  “I may not have pulled the trigger, but I killed him.”

  “You were a messed-up kid,” she argued. “You were twelve years old, for goodness sake. You were a product of your environment.”

  “Oh, do you think so?” His tone mocked her now. “So then why wasn’t every kid on my block in a gang? Why didn’t Ricky join a gang instead of aiming for a college education?”

  “You have to stop blaming yourself.” She reached up and took his face between both of her hands, forcing him to look at her. “You were a child. Look how far you’ve come since then.”

  “But if I hadn’t—”

  “Ricky chose to come after you. He must have known the risks involved. That showed how much he loved you. And what you’ve done with your life since shows how much you must have loved him.”

  “I’m on the verge of being promoted to head up the gang unit,” Gabe admitted, some of the anguish diminishing in his eyes. “It’s what I’ve wanted to do ever since Aunt Martha took me in and helped me get my life in order. If I can make a difference in their lives, just get these kids on track…”

  Warmth swept through her. “That’s wonderful, Gabe. I really do think it’s your calling.”

  He covered her hands with his and tightened around the wrists.

  “Why don’t you think I’m a terrible person?”

  “Because you’re not,” she cried. The need to convince him swelled stronger inside her. “God, you’re not. You’re a wonderful man who had a very difficult upbringing. Please, Gabe, forgive yourself and let it go.”

  He groaned and pulled her into his arms, his touch gentle as he caressed her cheek. “You should hate me for what I just told you.”

  “I could never hate you. Never.”

  …

  Gabe stared down at the woman in his arms. She was amazing. She hadn’t looked at him with repulsion when he told her about Ricky. The pain in her eyes had been a mirror to his soul. As if they were connected.

  He buried his hands in her hair and tilted her head up so he could close his mouth over her parted lips. Madison sighed and wound her arms around his neck.

  He loved her. God help him, he was in love with Maddie.

  Gabe’s throat tightened with emotion as he lowered her onto her back on the fur. His mouth urged her lips to part so he could slide his tongue inside. She mimicked the soft and gentle thrusting motion of his tongue as his hand cupped the side of her face.

  They made no move to go any further, but continued the slow, sensual kissing.

  After a while, Madison pulled away and urged him to lie down beside her.

  “Let me give you a back rub,” she said softly, giving him a glance from under her eyelashes.

  A back rub sounded amazing. Gabe didn’t argue, just rolled over onto his stomach and folded his arms under his head.

  “I’ll be right back. I need to grab some lotion.” Her feet made little padding sounds across the floor, and she came back and knelt beside him.

  “Just relax. Try to focus on the feel of my hands.”

  “That shouldn’t be too hard,” he mumbled against his arm.

  He heard lotion squirting, and the smell of vanilla reached his nose.

  Her soft hands began rubbing the lotion into his naked back. “Your skin is thirsty. It soaked all that lotion up.”

  He gave a sigh of pleasure when she started to knead him, moving up his shoulders.

  She pressed her fingers harder, probed each muscle deeper. His body relaxed under her touch, his eyes drifting shut with drowsiness.

  He felt the curtain of her hair tickle his back, and then she dropped a soft kiss on his neck. His body shuddered in response and he started to roll over. “Mmm.”

  “Not yet, sweetie. I’ve still got to do your lower back.”

  “It’s not necessary—”

  “Nonsense.” She gave him a gentle push onto the fur. “Just relax and enjoy.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” He lay back down, smiling as her hand traveled down his waist and farther down to his ass.

  “I suppose you know how great your butt is,” she told him. “It’s the best I’ve ever seen, not to mention felt.”

  Amusement pricked through him. “Like it that much, do you?” He flexed the muscles in his buttocks so the flesh contracted under her fingers.

  Madison giggled and continued to massage him. With the continuous movement of her fingers over his ass, Gabe’s cock stirred, and all thoughts of her as just a masseuse disappeared. Once again, she became Maddie Phillips, the woman he wanted to make love to.

  “My hands are starting to hurt. I think I need to stop. Do you mind?”

  “I was hoping you’d say that.” Gabe rolled over onto his back and reached for her hand. “How did I get so lucky to have you in my life? You’re wonderful, Maddie.”

  She smiled and pleasure flickered in her gaze before her eyelashes swept down to cover it. Her soft features flickered in the firelight. God, he wanted her. In every way, not just in bed.

  “Come here.” Gabe pulled her back down next to him. She giggled and snuggled close to him. Her warm breath feathered over his chin. “You’re so beautiful.”

  He lifted her chin and closed his mouth over hers. Reaching down, he slid her silk nightgown up her body, his hand caressing each inch of skin he revealed.

  “So soft,” he murmured against her mouth. “Here.” His fingers danced over the softness of her thigh. “And especially here.”

  He moved his hand to the silk panties between her legs and found the fabric soaked with her arousal. He hooked a finger on each side of the material and pulled them from her body.

  “You’re so sexy here.” He caressed the small swell of her belly and up to her aching breasts. He stroked her nipples until they tightened into firm peaks that he could take into his mouth. His tongue swirled over her, tasting and suckling.

  “Gabe…” She sighed, running a hand down his chest and then lower to his erection.

  He groaned when she wrapped her fingers around him, burying his face against the curve of her neck while she stroked him. Needing to touch her, he delved his fingers between her legs and inside her. The heat and wetness of her sheath finally drove him to the edge.

  “Now, I need you now.”

  He sat up to put on the necessary protection and stared down at her.

  The image of her lying on the fur riveted him. Her mouth swollen and parted, her legs spread. But her eyes were the most amazing. They stared up at him with an expression of desire, tenderness, and complete trust.

  Gabe knelt in front of her and hooked his hands under her knees, pulling her toward him. He slid her legs up over his shoulders and entered her with one smooth thrust.

  It was all he could do to keep control. But he did, thrusting slow and deep, and then increasing the pace.

  He watched Maddie grip the fur blanket, her head thrown back. Her cries spurred him on, and he pushed harder into her. Each thrust brought a tightness in his chest and further bonded her to him.

  With a ragged groan, he came, and her inner muscles clenched around him through his explosion. A second later, she cried out with her own climax.

  He lowered her legs back to the blanket and stroked a hand down her quivering stomach.

  “I’l
l be right back.” He stood and left her alone in the gentle flicker of firelight.

  He disposed of the condom and went to grab another blanket. When he returned, Maddie waited for him exactly as he’d left her. She gave him a lazy smile and patted the fur next to her.

  Gabe lay down and scooted close to her, pulling the blanket over their bodies. She snuggled against him and buried her face against his chest.

  “Thank you, Maddie.” His lips brushed over her forehead.

  She kissed his chest in response.

  He closed his eyes, listening to the crackling of the fire.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Gabe woke the next morning and listened to the sound of the rain coming down on the roof of the log cabin. The power hadn’t yet come on, and the soft light of early morning spilled through the windows. With the fire out, the room had turned drafty, but he didn’t feel the cold with the fur blanket and the warmth of his woman in his arms.

  His woman. Feathering a hand down her back, he pondered that thought. What a primal way of putting it. His caress became more possessive when he thought back to last night. It still blew his mind that she hadn’t looked at him like he was some kind of monster when he’d told her about Ricky.

  For the first time is his life, he realized he was almost ready to forgive himself. No matter how many times in the past Eric or his aunt had told him to let it go, he’d always held onto that self-destructive guilt. And then Maddie had come and changed everything. There wasn’t a single part of him she hadn’t changed.

  She stirred in his arms, nuzzling her cheek against his chest and emitting a soft sigh. Gabe dropped his chin to the top of her head and closed his eyes again.

  He just lay there, listening to the rain and enjoying the feel of holding Maddie. The ringing of his cell finally encouraged him to get up.

  Setting her gently aside, he slid out from the blanket and went to find his phone.

  …

  Madison woke to the sound of Gabe’s voice. She stretched her body under the blanket and enjoyed the sensual softness of the fur against her naked skin. A languid smile passed over her face. Had she ever been more relaxed and just plain happy?