I had to admit to myself that as a teenager, when I had been swooning over my favorite pop star, I had dreamed of just such a scenario; meeting him and that he fell in love with me.
Fact is stranger than fiction in this case, not that I was as naïve as to think that Gibson was in love with me. Facing facts; if I could fantasize about meeting a pop star, who’s to say that Gibson wasn’t living out that particular fantasy in reverse, by meeting a fan and getting me to fall in love with him. Not that I was…in lust, definitely, I’d admit to that.
The others had all set about bringing equipment out of the boat and setting it up. I was amazed at what they had brought. Two huge cool boxes full of beer, ready mixed cocktails and wine. Steaks, burgers, buns, salad and even the dressing. Chips and dips, and a sound system that ran on solar power. When I saw exactly how much they had brought I figured we were going to be here for quite a while.
Gibson must have had a thing for pop up sun shelters because there were eight of them and two massive multi-colored beach parasols that somehow screwed into the sand. Fold out beach chairs and a few beach mats completed the whole deal.
Jill sat beside me, smiling warmly and flicked sand off her legs. “Hey, Chloe, we’ve not had a chance to talk today. Gibson’s been kind of monopolizing you.” Naturally suspicious because of the look from Toby earlier, I waited to see what she wanted to say.
“Glad you took the prize and went to see Gibson, he looks happy honey. I’ve heard him talking to Toby about you. Who would have thought you two would cross paths again like that.” She smiled slowly at me I figured that Jill was just a girl like me, who found herself in a situation where she was in strange circumstances because of the guy she happened to be with.
“Well it’s only one day, Jill. We fly back tomorrow night. I’m just going to have fun today, I like him, I mean, who doesn’t? But I’m not going to fool myself that there is more to this. Gibson is only excited because he sees me as a challenge. Once he had me he’d move on.”
Shaking her head, Jill said, “Not so sure, Chloe. I’ve known Gibson for three years. I’ve never seen him go after a girl before. So this is a new one on me.” I smiled nervously and little butterflies fluttered in my stomach at what she had said.
Looking over at where Toby and Gibson were, I saw them in deep conversation until Gibson pulled out a plastic airtight bag took his cell out, and started talking to someone. Jill followed my gaze and cocked her chin up in their direction when I looked back at her.
“Those guys are incredible together but dangerous at the same time. Both magnets for women and dripping with pure unadulterated sex appeal. I always get nervous when they are together because I never know what they are going to do next.”
Intrigued by the word dangerous, I was about to quiz her when Gibson and Ruby both came over and sat down beside us. Ruby leaned in and spoke softly to Gibson, “So…which girl is Mick’s?” Gibson was taking the top off a bottle of beer, and stopped mid action to glance over at the group of girls from the other boat.
“None of those are Mick’s.” I could see Ruby do the math, then said, “Who’s that one on the end with the barely there bikini?” Gibson’s jaw twitched and his eyes got darker like he was annoyed with Ruby. “Tori. Not a girlfriend, a band member.”
Looking over at the girls, I realized she was the keyboard player that was with the band but I thought that she had been a sessional musician, because she played some songs at the gig but not all. And I hadn’t known they had a new band member.
Tori seemed to sense we were talking about her and looked directly at us. Jill turned to Gibson and asked, “So…when did that happen.”
Gibson shook his head, “She’s on trial we don’t know if we’re keeping her yet.” Gibson rose up off the blanket quickly and reached over for my hand.
“Come, I want to show you something.” Ruby made a high pitched ‘ohhh’ noise and attracted the attention of the others, teasing me because someone like Gibson wanted to, “Show me something.”
Starting to blush, I glanced nervously at Gibson again who pulled me into his chest and told Ruby to, “Go fuck yourself.”
Ruby wasn’t fazed by Gibson’s brush off and looked at Mick. Hmm I might just have to do that if there isn’t anyone man enough to do it for me around here,” she retorted with a salacious smile playing on her lips.
“Seriously, Chloe, your friend has a smart mouth on her.” Gibson scowled and I wondered what it was about Ruby that was off putting to him. I’d seen her smile at him pleasantly and that was met by furrowed brows as well.
Leading me by my hand, he wandered down to the edge of the shore and began paddling with me into the cool ocean. He stopped when he had taken us far enough away from the others not to be heard. Gibson began moving his foot slowly back and forth through the crystal water, making tiny ripples, and gave me a sideward glance.
“I didn’t really want to show you something, I just wanted you to myself. Are you feeling okay? I mean aft…after last night?” I was kind of wishing for last night again, after this morning. I nodded and my face became heated when I remembered my behavior at times.
“I’m really sorry, Gibson, I never really gave you a chance did I? There was no cause for me to behave the way I did toward you. Like I told you before, it isn’t you, it’s me. I’m the one with the problem.”
Gibson turned to face me and took my face in his hands, his eyes searching mine intensely. That concerned look from earlier was back. “What is going on in that pretty little head of yours, Chloe? Why are you so afraid in my company? Am I really that intimidating? I told you before, I don’t bite and I’m never going to push you to do anything you don’t want to happen.”
Holding his gaze, I swallowed audibly and tried to answer him honestly. “You have to understand, Gibson. I’m not used to being out there, having casual dates and doing things on the fly. My life has been…very structured in the past few years. Especially, during this past year.”
Drawing me close to him, Gibson gave me another tight hug. The kind of hug that left no question that it was genuine. When he didn’t break away from me, I stayed there with my cheek against his bare chest, and suddenly became emotional. Holding me that way was what Kace should have been doing for me, not kicking and punching me.
Dropping his head forward he kissed my neck and sent shivers radiating out from my core and down my spine. A soft gasp escaped my lips. “Oh.”
Gibson held me tighter, his hand sliding down to cup my ass and he growled into my neck. “Fuck, what you do to me, Chloe.” His voice was shaky and sounded urgent. “Come on, I want to be alone with you.” I grinned at him and shook my head, because the sand bar was a single strip of land about a hundred yards long and there were sixteen of us on it. How we were meant to achieve that, I had no idea.
Gibson dropped my hand and strode back over to the group who were all kind of milling around together by then, instead of the two group divide that we’d left. Some were sitting down relaxing and the music was on. Maroon 5’s “Love Somebody” was playing and Gibson turned and smirked before addressing his bandmates. “Can you both get up for a minute?”
Tori and Lennox stood up and Gibson swiped the mat that they were sitting on. “Thanks, I need this.” Throwing the mat over his forearm, amid protests about flying sand and being a selfish bastard, he then went over to the cooler and pulled out a bottle of wine and a small pack of plastic cups.
From where I was standing Gibson looked like he was on a mission, his alpha-male persona out in force for everyone to see. I was still confused about how we were going to be alone and amused to see what he was going to with the mat, chuckling softly to myself when I thought he may throw the mat over the top of us and pretend no one was there.
Once ‘caveman’ Gibson had done his hunting and gathering routine, he twisted his upper torso to check on me and then turned back. Leaning in he said something to Toby, who shook his head and threw his head back in raucous laughter. Gibson tur
ned back with a dark look on his face, Toby’s reaction obviously displeasing him.
“Stay here.” Gibson strode past me holding the mat and wine above his head and began wading into the water. At first I wondered what the heck he was doing, but quickly realized he was taking me on the boat that was moored about fifty yards out.
Tossing the mat on board, and placing the wine on the back board, Gibson pulled himself up on it with one strong fluid movement, stood and lifted the wine, placing it inside the boat before diving back in the water and swimming strongly towards me in about six strokes.
“Don’t look so worried, Chloe, I just want to have you to myself, is that such a bad thing?” My heart raced and something in the way he said it made my hormones leap into action. It wasn’t the having me to himself that was worrying me, it was what he was going to do when he had me to himself that was making me sweat.
Gibson lifted me out of the water in a fireman’s lift much to the delight of those on shore who were catcalling and whistling. Mortified, I felt a bit like a sacrifice being held up just before the kill. Wading with me to the back board, he spun me from his shoulder and around his neck to place me feet first on the board.
He must have seen the confusion on my face, because he inclined his head, “If we’re going to sit on the boat I figured you would be uncomfortable if you’re, suit was wet.” Once again, Gibson stunned me with his thoughtful gesture.
I must admit when we got on board, I was apprehensive and shaking slightly because I wasn’t sure what was happening and if something was going to happen, did I want it to? Or was Gibson tired of waiting and was going to do whatever he could get away with because time was running out? I might have won a prize but I couldn’t help but get the feeling it was coming at a price.
Suddenly I was feeling vulnerable again because someone was taking control without asking me, making me feel wary. Where in most cases, a female might like how he had taken charge, I found it hard to try and shake off the feelings from my past, and being there with Gibson gave me feelings at times of jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire.
“Men will say whatever they need to in order to get laid. My mom told me that when I was fourteen. “A true man won’t take you until he knows you are ready, so if one pushes and you don’t feel it’s right, then stand your ground.” Great mom, but I wasn’t on the ground, I was in a boat.
Gibson left the mat rolled up and I was confused about why he’d taken it when there were leather seats everywhere and nowhere to spread it. “Please, Chloe, sit down I’ll explain what we are doing in a minute. Actually, just a sec…” Gibson pulled his airtight bag out of his pocket and answered his vibrating cell, “Good five, okay.”
Swiping his phone off again, poking it back into its waterproof packaging and stuffed it back in his pocket. Moving to the control panel, he turned a key and pressed a couple of buttons.
Powerful vibrations rocked the boat as the engine fired up and Gibson walked to the bow and leaned over. I realized he was checking the automatic anchor lift had done the job. Turning his head Gibson said, “Stay sitting down and hold on.”
I dropped to a seat and lifting my legs, crossed them in front of me, wondering what all the mystery was about. Gibson pushed the throttle to open, and the boat immediately accelerated with quite a kick.
We sped away from the sandbar for about a minute to much deeper water and then he killed the engine again. Hearing the automatic winder lower the anchor again, I lifted my head to see that he’d taken us about half a mile off shore.
CHAPTER 30 – SUPERMAN
Gibson
Chloe gave me the fright of my life, tumbling through the air when she came off the tube. When I saw her being thrown like a rag doll and land flat on her belly, it made me feel sick. The force she hit the water with made me so worried that she had somehow been badly injured.
Without hesitation, I was in after her and briefly heard Toby telling me to wait. Fuck that— there was no way I was hanging around for another second when every single one counted in making sure she was safe. I swam frantically towards where she had entered the water, breathing steadily and trying not to let the panic take over. Clear head Gibson, she’ll be okay. You’ll find her.
At first I couldn’t find her and dived down twice in quick succession, rising to the surface again for air, spinning around to check she hadn’t surfaced on her own, feeling my anxiety levels rising with each time she hadn’t. Luckily, I found her about twenty feet down, on my third attempt.
Eyes wide with fear and with bubbles of air beginning to escape told me that she was close to taking in water. Grabbing her under her arms, I paddled my legs rapidly to get us to the surface as she tried to fight me off. Controlling her enough to bring her to air was so damn difficult.
When we broke through the surface she panicked, gasping for air and continued to fight me. My lungs were burning, bursting in my chest and my heart pounded hard then fluttered in an arrhythmic beat like it might have stopped at any second. Gasping and spluttering, coughing and struggling, Chloe had become disorientated because her brain had become starved of oxygen and was instinctively fighting me off like a wildcat.
I raised my voice to get her attention and she stopped and stared at me, then I spoke soft and gentle to gain her trust to get her back to safety. It was either that or I slapped her. I was a lot of things but there was no way I could never have contemplated hitting any woman, never mind Chloe. Eventually I handed her to Gavin and Eddie and breathed a sigh of relief that she was safe.
Once I got her back in the boat I had to hold her. No. I needed desperately to hold her after that. My stupid coercion had almost cost her, her life. Gibson the big shot pushing her to do it when she had already told me she was scared of it. If anything had happened to her I’d never have forgiven myself.
When Chloe was cradled in my arms on my lap, she looked up at me and smiled. The relief I felt was immense when she did that. Staring at her with all that emotion running through me, I definitely fell a bit deeper for her. Until the accident we had been making progress and I was in no hurry to let her go.
One minute I was gazing into her eyes and then I’m not sure what the hell happened, but she was suddenly off my lap like I was on fire. My eyes followed her, trying to figure out what the hell was going on? I’d been trying to tell her how I felt but I’ll admit the way it had come out it sounded like I was spinning her a line but it was just that I couldn’t really explain the feelings I had going on inside.
Anger festered in my gut at the thought that she was upset. I couldn’t figure out what the deal was and what had changed in that few seconds. So I wondered how the hell I was supposed to earn trust from someone like her in one day with a whole fucking group of people around me.
Even on a boat with everyone present, I couldn’t keep my eyes off her. She was just mesmerizing. Strong feelings that I needed to be close to her and to touch her were almost overwhelming at times. It physically hurt for me not to be able put my hands on her when I could see her.
Toby winked at me and snuck me an okay sign with his fingers to show his approval of her and when I turned to see where she was again, she was stripping out of her wetsuit. Fuck.
Arranging for Toby and the other guys to come for a sand bar party had been Johnny’s idea. Personally I had felt it was a waste of the time I had because I wanted her to myself, but he insisted I’d only scare her off.
On the way back after dropping Chloe at her hotel, Johnny said that the only chance I had to get closer was to be myself, and the best way to do that was to hang out in a natural way. So he thought the sandbar with friends shouldn’t have been too stressful for her. That was before the fucking tubing incident and feeling like I was losing any ground I had made on the phone that morning.
Standing with her back to me gave me a fantastic view of her beautiful tight body. She was all soft womanly curves, and slender but not skinny, long legged but not tall, classically beautiful not trendy. Chloe
was definitely not the average pretty girl and she made me hard just to look at her. No one had done that apart from her since I was about fifteen.
Rising from my seat, I padded over to her and slid my hand around her waist, drawing her nearer to me. She felt perfect in my hands and I leaned over her shoulder from behind to speak to her, asking what had happened for her to suddenly bolt away from me like she’d been told I had leprosy or something.
Tilting her face up to me, she had told me she had delayed shock and it had just hit her, so she wanted to take a moment. I could accept that, but my hands felt too good on her and I didn’t want to let her go, so I blurted out that I was having trouble not touching her.
Chloe blushed when I said my wish was to have her alone, her eyes widening in recognition of when we said that to each other during our impromptu phone sex session. That was fucking hot. When she didn’t object to my hands being on her I turned her around and walked backwards until I had pinned her against the back of the leather co- pilot seat.
Chloe sighed deeply, making my eyes drop to the rise and fall of her pert breasts. The ‘tankini’ latex material covering them left very little to the imagination. Her nipples were erect and my fingers and mouth were itching to be on them. Smiling seductively, I told Chloe that as well.
By now my dick was stretched to capacity in my swimmers and there was no way I could hide the effect she was having on me. Nervously, Chloe glanced past my shoulder, then rose on tiptoe to plant a soft kiss on my closed lips.
Once she did that there was never going to be any chance of her walking away and leaving me to deal with the feelings going on inside me, feelings and emotions that I wanted to share with her because I couldn’t put them into words adequately.
So I pressed my body against hers and gave her my undivided attention, taking her mouth in a slow, smoldering and tender kiss. Fighting my instincts to devour her, I kissed her gently for as long as I could before the passion began to take over and my tongue had to penetrate into her mouth deeply.
Romance: Gibson's Legacy ( New Adult Contemporary Erotic Romance) (Last Score Book 1) Page 24