by Becca Dale
The lines on his forehead smoothed, and his grin returned when she wiggled again. “So do you want my tongue down there, then? Is that what you're asking for?”
“I don't know. I want what you promised. Please, Gavin. Show me what I've been missing.”
He kissed her stomach, exploring the dip of her bellybutton while his fingers slowly stroked just outside her slit. Shudders shook her, and she whimpered.
With a guttural moan, he traced his way over her body, deliberate and seductive. Arching and writhing, she tried to hurry him, but his nibbling kisses continued their languorous torture. When he finally reached her core, he blew across the wet folds. Depraved shivers shimmied along her nerves as she anticipated his intimate kiss. He kept her panties pulled aside with one hand as his mouth settled over her trembling pussy, sucking her tender folds into his mouth to be nipped erotically. His tongue outlined her opening then twisted upward to flick against her receptive clit.
Heat blazed to raw flames. She fought the urge to release the handle and jerk him closer. Naughty, tempting thoughts vanquished the nagging voice of her conscious. Gavin ignited desires no other man had ever even sparked. His seductive kiss teased mercilessly, but she craved so much more, had to experience whatever hovered just beyond her grasp. She wrapped her ankles around his waist lifting her hips to his talented mouth. One masculine hand slid beneath her to massage the curve of her ass, digging into the muscles there.
The tension he built intensified. Sighs and groans punctuated his every lick and stroke. The walls of the pickup cab closed in, restricting the oxygen available to her desperate lungs. Two fingers joined his tongue, wiggling barely inside her virgin sheathe, exploring just the rim, stimulating the nerves that circled the entrance.
Without warning, he sucked her clit between his teeth and bit down, not hard, but fast and unexpected, and her mind imploded. Thoughts fled and her body yielded to pure desire. Her back arched and her muscles trembled as the orgasm held her in its grip for endless, breathless moments. Then, it turned her loose, dropping her into a free-fall that thrilled more than frightened. Gavin's hands gripped her thighs, steadying her physically, but he didn't stop his demanding strokes, driving her over the cliff only to coax her back to the top and shove her off again and again in a mind-altering flight until tears ran down her cheeks and her body quivered with fatigue. She gasped in desperation. “Stop! Oh God, Gavin. I can't take any more.”
Gavin released her reluctantly. Aftershocks from her prolonged orgasm trembled through her sexy legs and shook her body. He stepped onto the running board. The new position nestled his hips between her shapely thighs. Despite his jeans and her underwear, the thick swell of his cock acknowledged her moist heat.
Thoughts of breaking his promise threatened the honorable guy he tried to be. It wouldn't take much to persuade her. After the way she had come, she'd let him fuck her if he pushed it, but he didn't want her that way, nor in the cab of his truck like some horny teen on prom night. He wanted her willing and eager in his bed where he could wake up and reach for her time after time.
Fuck. Did he really want that? If he were wrong about her, she was a damn good liar. She'd rip his heart out and serve it for breakfast. He didn't think he had misjudged her, and even if he had, the thought of letting her walk away without having her once more, maybe twice, slashed at his chest. The Wallace curse demanded he claim her before another man snatched her from his arms. He just had to keep things under control until she proved herself an innocent goddess or a seductive liar. He braced an arm on either side of her shoulders. She still clung to the door handle. Knuckles white, she looked a little dazed.
A wash of male pride swelled his chest. He had put that look on her face. Leaning down, he brushed a kiss over her lips. “You can let go now, beauty.”
Long dark lashed fluttered as she focused. Her arms slipped around his neck. “That was...”
“What?” Her confusion made him feel like the ultimate lover and urged him to accept that she belonged with him on more than a sexual level. He focused on the physical and ignored the sentimental part of desire. No matter what his genes and hormones demanded, he had no intention of caving to the family stupidity without at least a damned good fight.
She shook her head. “I have no words.”
Chuckling, he brushed a kiss over her mouth. “Did you enjoy yourself?”
“Tremendously.”
Everything about her made him smile. He wanted the right to please her any time she wanted him. Nothing more, just permission to make her scream his name as she came apart beneath his hands. Again and again. Covering her mouth with his, he took her timid kiss and deepened it, demanding she give herself to him, tasting her innocence on her tongue as questions swirled in his head. She had kept a promise for more than a decade. Such utter commitment to a pledge made so young said she kept her word. Still, telling her that she made him consider the possibility of forever would give her ammunition he couldn't fight if he were wrong.
She whimpered as he caught her lower lip in his teeth and nipped gently. Lifting his head, he studied her open expression. Her lips, moist and swollen from his kisses, drew his attention. Such a pretty mouth would not lie. “Marry me.” He cringed when the words slid off his tongue and possessiveness overrode his ingrained defenses.
She jerked in his arms, as if his abrupt proposal had ripped her from the sexual haze. Scowling, she shook her head. “You don't have to do that. You said you never wanted to get married.”
True, but I hadn't met you. Knowing how she affected him would give her all the power. Better to make light of it, shift to a more impersonal footing. “I don't want a lovey-dovey, go into this blind, kind of marriage. I want the old-fashioned arranged with wide-open eyes type.”
Pushing against his shoulders, she slid from under him. Her hands trembled as she hooked her bra and pulled her shirt over her lovely breasts. “I think that might be the most romantic proposal any girl has ever received.”
He sat beside her and took her hand in his. He wanted to protect her, and heaven forbid, perhaps even risk loving her for the rest of his life. Still the thought of laying his heart out there for her to stomp on scared him shitless. If it were nothing more than business, it wouldn't bother him if she walked away. When she walks away. “Think of it as a business proposal. It might not be romantic but it's honest. I want kids. Do you?”
She nodded but didn't respond further.
“All right then. We both want kids. I'm betting you don't intend to have them without a father in the picture, and I can't have them without a mother. I'd be a good dad, and you'll make a loving mom.”
“A marriage can't be just about children. There has to be more.”
“There would be. I've seen your work or I wouldn't have asked you to bid the Sherman project. We have compatible jobs, which means similar interests.”
Savannah shook her head. “And? So what happens at night when we're alone? There has to be some common ground beyond work.”
Was she serious? “You don't think we have common ground?”
“I don't know you.”
“You don't know yourself much either.” She tried to pull her hand away but he held tight. “What happened tonight is rare. We made one another laugh. For some reason you convinced me to share my darkest secrets, and I'm pretty sure you've shared some of yours.”
“So? Strangers in the check-out line have made me laugh.”
He squeezed her hand. “I wasn't done. To top it all off, we're sexually compatible beyond my wildest dreams. Your slightest touch makes me crazy.” Not even trying to hide his grin, he traced a fingertip over her pouting lower lip. “And, I am fairly certain I can make you come like no one else ever has.”
She shoved her shoulder against his. “Jerk.”
Lifting her onto his lap, he snuggled her head to his shoulder. If she refused him, he wasn't sure he could keep the Wallace curse from begging. “Say yes, beauty. You already have a drop-dead gorgeous dres
s, and we dance well together. That's another thing I didn't think about.”
“I can't say yes to something so ridiculous without thinking about it first. Can I have a day or two?”
Gavin hid his face against her throat so she could not see how much he needed her answer. “All right, I'll take you home.” Donning his best poker face, he tipped her chin up so she had to meet his eyes. “I'll give you two days.” He checked his watch. “If I don't have an answer by midnight Wednesday, I'll assume you decided against it and I won't bring it up again.”
“What about the job?”
“Two different things. We're both professional enough to work together even if you decide I'm insane, right?”
She didn't really look like she agreed. “I suppose.”
“Good.” What if she says no? He slid out of the truck and offered her a hand. “Come on. Get dressed and I'll take you to your car.”
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Chapter Six
Savannah groaned and pulled the covers over her head to avoid the incessant call of her cell phone as it rang and vibrated on the nightstand. The incredibly erotic dream involving Gavin's talented mouth and hands, not to mention his forbidden cock, disappeared, but the effects still hummed through her body. The noise stopped only to start again for the fifth time.
Flipping back the sheet with a huff, she rolled over and grabbed the irritating thing. The alarm clock read five o'clock. “What?”
“It's morning. Why the hell didn't you call me?” Kate's worry sliced through grogginess.
Savannah rolled to her back and sighed. “I'm sorry. I got in after midnight. I didn't want to wake you.”
“Yeah, like I slept. What the hell did you do all night?”
Images of just what she had been doing burned through her head. “We talked. He's nice.”
“Nice? Really? I would have said delectable or at least yummy.” Kate's laugh drifted through the speaker. “If I didn't know better, I'd think you fooled around with him. You sound...I don't know...out of it maybe? Like you're on a sexual high. Are you sure you didn't get lucky last night?”
Savannah jerked the covers over her naked body with a groan. How the hell could Kate hear that through the damned phone? “I didn't sleep well, so I'm tired. That's all.” The thought of sharing her evening, even with her best friend, irritated her irrationally. Gavin's touch belonged to her, and she had no intention of giving a single bit of the night away.
“Why couldn't you sleep? Did you dream about him? Was he at least good in your mind?”
Kate's usual odd perspective made her laugh. Who else would judge a man based on fantasies? “In my mind, he's amazing. Tender yet masculine, considerate and passionate, dominating and accommodating, intelligent and funny, sweet and—”
“Shut-up, Vanny, and quit mocking me. I just wanted to know if you still felt the way you did the other day.”
A twinge of guilt tweaked her for not telling Kate everything. “I'm sorry. I wasn't mocking you, not too much anyway. Truth is, he really does strike me as all those things. Is that stupid?”
“No.” Kate sighed. “I told you it was fate. So did he remember you?”
“Yeah, I explained that I'm not engaged.”
“And?”
Savannah sat up against the smooth wood of her headboard. “He asked me to marry him.”
“What!” The sound of porcelain shattering blasted in her ear. “Damn it, that was my favorite cup, and now I have coffee all over the floor.”
“I'll buy you a new one. Go clean up. We can talk at work.” After I get enough sleep to function.
“Oh, no, I can clean and talk. I'm putting you on speaker. Did he really propose?”
“Sort of.”
A cupboard door banged shut followed by the distinct swish of a broom over tile. “Is he insane?”
With a sigh, Savannah tipped her head back and stared at the ceiling. How had her fan developed sweaters on the blades? She'd cleaned it less than a week before.
“Damn it, Savannah. Answer me.”
She returned her focus to her friend and the bizarre conversation. “I don't think he's crazy, but I might be.”
“Why?”
She sat up straighter and hugged her knees to her chest, the cell tucked under her chin. “Because I'm considering it? Is that bad?”
“Not if it's fate. How did he propose?”
Without understanding the situation, Kate would expect something romantic and mystical, impulsive maybe, not the practical arrangement Gavin had suggested, but Savannah had no intention of sharing his confidences. “We went to the lake to watch the sunset and, while we were sitting around talking,” after incredible oral sex, “he blurted it out.”
“Really? Like he'd been thinking about it and just couldn't hold back? That is so cool. I knew he was the one.”
Savannah laughed. “Only you would find that romantic, Kate. Weren't you the one freaking out last night because I was going off somewhere with a strange man.”
“Yeah, but that was before he proposed. Now, it's like he feels drawn to you. Fate. I'm telling you, you should go for it.”
Should she? Could she handle a one-sided marriage with little hope of ever having her husband's love? “I showed him the pact. Maybe he simply wants to get laid.”
Kate snorted. “You're insane. Men, especially ones as gorgeous as your hottie, do not propose marriage to get some, not in this day and age where women seek sex as freely and as eagerly as guys.”
“I don't.”
“Yes, but you are the exception to the rule, my friend.”
“Exactly, so maybe he's only interested in having what no one else has touched. Suppose he gets bored after the wedding night.”
“Savannah, you're drop-dead beautiful. No man would ever be bored with you in his bed. Trust me. If a man proposes after such a short time, he either wants a woman's money, of which you have very little at this point in time, or he's swept away by her. I'm voting for the later.”
Was that it? Was there more to his practical suggestion than she assumed? “Yeah, well, he gave me two days to think about it. So I don't have to answer right away.”
“Perfect.”
“What is?”
“In two days, my friend Connor can run an extensive background check and give you the dirty details so you can make an informed decision.”
“Since when do you base decisions on facts and not your gut, Kate?”
“I don't, but you do. Unlike the majority of people who joke about their first-ex-husband-to-be, once you commit to him, walking away won't be an option. I had a moment of doubt last night, but in the light of day, it's clear you two were meant to be together. There have already been too many signs to believe anything else, but I intend to make sure he isn't a loser before I encourage you to fall into his arms.”
“What if he turns out to be a habitual criminal?”
“Depends on the crime.” Kate laughed. “I'm calling Connor right now so he has time to get things done before your deadline. Talk to you later.”
Savannah didn't even get a chance to say good-bye before the phone clicked dead. Shaking her head, she put the cell back on the nightstand and snuggled under the covers. Two days to make up her mind about the rest of her life. That's insane as hell.
The sound of his feet pounding on the paved, running path did nothing to drive off the questions and doubts warring in Gavin's skull. Where the hell had that proposal come from? Would she say yes? Did he want her to? Could he trust that she was who and what she claimed to be? His head said fuck no. Everything else shouted that Savannah was the real thing.
He sprinted off the path and up a steep hill, pushing until his thigh muscles burned. Two days? Why the hell had he given her so long to make up her mind? She would convince herself he was as insane as he felt.
At the top of the hill, the path looped back. He dodged a slower runner and navigated the agility training course. His arms and legs
ached by the time he reached the far side. Since he'd left the Marines, he'd spent too much time working and not enough time taking care of himself.
“Gavin?”
Pausing to wipe sweat from his forehead, Gavin turned at the sound of his name. Dressed in a business suit, with a bottle of water in each hand, his favorite cousin stood at the edge of the park. “Connor, I didn't expect to bump into you out here. Do you always run in that getup?”
Holding out a water, Connor gestured toward a nearby bench. “I called the office. Your secretary said you'd gone for a run. I figured I'd find you here.”
Gavin swigged down half the bottle before dropping on the low cement seat beside the much smaller man. “What did ya need?”
“Have you changed your mind about women?”
Hell, had Marc called him or something? “No, not really, why?”
A scowl drew Connor's sandy brows together. “Wanna tell me why you proposed to Savannah then?”
Lightning shot through his gut. “How the hell did you hear about that?”
“Her best friend called me this morning.”
Of course she did. “Kate? Why would she call you?”
“We're friends. She doesn't know you and I are related.”
Gavin groaned. “I knew she'd be a pain in my ass.”
Connor hit him in the arm with his water. “Don't talk about her like that. She means well.”
He studied his cousin. Sandy brown hair swept over his forehead, adding to the man's baby-faced appearance. He'd always been short when they were kids so it wasn't surprising that he didn't stand over five-nine as an adult. Savannah's tiny friend would look good on Con's arm. “I see.”
“You don't see a damned thing.” With a glare, Connor shifted to watch a man and his dog play Frisbee on the hill. “So did you mean that proposal or not?”
“Wouldn't have offered it if I didn't.” The golden retriever shot past with the toy in his mouth, almost laughing in innocent glee.
“Why? You dislike women.”