by Becca Dale
Once the bathroom door closed behind him, Savannah sat up with a sigh. She gathered her clothes and hurried to wash at the kitchen sink before he returned. She smoothed her shirt over her jeans as the door opened and he walked toward her wearing green plaid boxers and a smile.
The smile faded. “You're dressed.”
She fiddled with the forgotten mail. What was she supposed to say? Irritation rose as the situation made her feel stupid. “And you're observant.”
A scowl marred his gorgeous face a moment as he crossed the cold tile floor in his bare feet. Even his damned toes were sexy, a little long and perfectly formed to match the rest of him. “Why are you upset?”
“I'm not.” She looked down, but the relaxed bulge in his underwear simply reminded her that she was way out of her comfort zone. Too much nearly naked male stood before her. Gavin was overwhelming fully clothed, but with only the thin cotton to hide his privates, he made her question sanity.
One strong arm circled her waist, and he tipped her chin up. “Talk to me.”
The urge to lean against him, to play with his chest hair and tempting muscles, tugged at her. Every time he came within ten feet, all she wanted was to be in his arms. If she were honest, he didn't even have to be in the same building to make her want him. He did that well enough in her head. That couldn't be normal, not after such a short time.
She slipped from his hold and grabbed her tea. The ice had melted, leaving it tepid and weak. Dumping it down the drain gave her something to do with her hands. Why the hell were they shaking?
“Quit ignoring me.” He stole the glass from her and set it upside down in the sink then swept her into his arms and carried her to the sofa.
She started to protest, but he cut her off with a glare. Her butt hit a support beam under the cushion when he dropped her.
“Don't move.” He spun on his heel and strode across the room to his discarded clothes.
She rose on her knees to watch him dress but wasn't quite brave enough to move far from the spot he'd put her. “Who gave you the right to boss me around? This is my house, remember?”
With his jeans and T-shirt covering his tempting muscles, he returned and sat on the arm of the couch, one long leg stretched to the ground, the other bare foot on a cushion. “Tell me what set you off. Did I hurt you?'
Shit. She hadn't meant to make him think that way. “Of course not.”
“Then what?” He slid onto the seat facing her and took her hand, his thumb stroking her knuckles in a gentle caress. “Look at me.”
Did the man have to be so danged sweet? Weren't guys supposed to be jerks after sex? “I don't know what you expect from me.” She looked up and his steady gaze didn't waver. “I hate feeling like an idiot.”
He scowled. “You're not.” He lifted her hand to his mouth and turned it so he could kiss her palm. His tongue drew lazy circles on the sensitive skin, and her nerves sparked and burned.
“Are you about sick of tutoring me yet?”
A growl rumbled in his chest. “Come here.” He turned to rest against the sofa back and tugged her against his side, his arm a steel band around her shoulders. “What do you need to know?”
“Were you playing some sort of game? Why the condom if you weren't planning to actually...”
He chuckled. “Penetrate you?”
Heat flamed in her cheeks. “Must you be so graphic?”
“Yes. Why confuse you further?”
She shook her head. His honest logic worked as well as Kate's twisted way of looking at things. “Whatever. Are you going to answer?”
A gentle kiss feathered over her temple as he hugged her tighter. “Three reasons. One, I didn't want you to worry that sperm might get inside you. It's a major long shot, but you didn't need the added stress. Second, I didn't think you'd want to deal with the mess.”
He stopped talking. She waited, but he didn't continue. Sitting up, she looked at him, not sure she wanted to hear the third purpose. “That's only two. You said three.”
“I meant two.” His eyes shifted to his lap and their linked hands.
“You're lying. Tell me.”
Damn she's persistent. Gavin didn't want to tell her she made him lose control, that the feel of her hot mouth on him the night before had brought him off faster than any other woman ever had no matter the situation. The mere thought of sliding his naked cock over her wet pussy made him hard. Touching her without some sort of barrier would have guaranteed he'd lose it too soon.
“Fine. Don't tell me.”
She started to stand, but he jerked her off balance and back into his arms. “Don't go.”
“Then answer me.”
“I didn't want to embarrass myself.” When she didn't speak, he realized she needed a more specific answer. “Good God, woman, do you read or watch a film now and then?”
Her shoulders stiffened, clarifying that he was an ass. “I'm ignorant. I get it. Thanks for reminding me.”
Son-of-a-bitch. Catching her under her arms, he swung her astride his lap. Her thighs embraced his, and his cock rose to immediate, aching attention. “Look at me, Savannah.” He didn't continue until her beautiful eyes met his. “You're not ignorant. I'm a dick, or at least, I think with mine too often when you're around.” He took her hand and laid it over his straining zipper. “That's what you do to me. You don't even have to touch me and I want to come so bad I hurt. Restraint is not an easy thing when you're within twenty feet, but when I hold you, it becomes almost impossible.”
“So the condom slowed you down enough to wait for me?” At his nod, her confidence returned in a wicked grin. “Thank you.”
He laughed and pulled her in for a kiss. Bad idea. The shift pressed her against his already begging dick. Even if she said yes, he'd never survive until the wedding, not when every other thought involved sinking into her warm wet sheath and fucking her until she couldn't leave his bed. Palming her hips, he rocked her over him, stroking her toward arousal. “Marry me, Savannah. Loving you halfway is killing me.”
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* * *
Chapter Eight
Loving?
Savannah rolled off his lap and slid to the far end of the sofa. “Don't.”
He looked confused. “Don't what?”
“Stop saying what you think I need to hear. It won't help me make up my mind any faster.” Gavin reached for her hand. She pulled away and stood to pace on the far side of the coffee table. “This is a business deal, right? If it's not, then it's absurd and we're insane.”
A scowl darkened his gorgeous eyes, but he didn't say anything, waiting instead for her to finish.
Her stomach rolled. She wanted it to be more than business, but he'd been honest from the start about his feelings. Believing in the impossible would get her hurt.
“This thing is simply about two people with a mutual understanding.” She counted the reasons he'd given for the proposal on her fingers as she avoided his eyes. “We both want kids. We both have reasons that have kept us from developing normal relationships that would lead us to that point. We have a mutual respect for one another, and we both understand the value of an agreement. We get along well enough, and we're apparently sexually and professionally compatible.” She glanced his way. “Did I miss anything?”
“Nope, that about sums it up.” He looked pissed as hell.
What did he have to be angry about? Damn it, he'd suggested the arrangement. She swallowed hard not ready to hear his answer but unwilling to go on without knowing. “If I'm wrong, if this is just about the draw of screwing a virgin, tell me.”
He sat there and stared at her as if she'd spoken in tongues. Fine. If he wanted a virgin, he could have her without the ring. She didn't care anymore, had decided the minute he first touched her that the pact wasn't worth the paper it was written on. But, she could not go into marriage, even a business-like one, unsure if her husband was in it with her or if he'd walk away as soon as the novelty of her innocence was
gone.
Gathering courage about her like a cloak, she caught the hem of her polo and worked it up her body and over her head. When she dropped it into an armchair, Gavin sat straighter and glared. Her hand trembled as she undid the top button and zipper on her jeans then wiggled them over her hips and down her legs. She tried to go slow, to be seductive, but she wasn't fooling even herself. He had to see the uncertainty in her eyes.
His hands locked on his thighs, and his knuckles went white. “What the hell are you up to?”
“Ending the pledge. I want you to take my virginity before I answer the question. Then, if you want to walk away, you can. If you still want an answer, I'll give it to you before midnight tomorrow as planned.” The breeze from the ceiling fan tickled goose bumps over bare skin. Drawing a deep breath, she reached for her bra clasp.
“Don't unhook that.”
Had he lost interest already? Maybe he couldn't recover that fast, but he had felt marble-hard when she sat on his lap. “Why?”
“Just don't.”
The tiny hooks gave way, and she tossed the undergarment toward the rest of her clothes.
Gavin came off the couch. A raging bull to a red cape, he leaped the coffee table and caught her by the arms. Anger shimmered in his brown eyes as he shook her once. “You're playing with fire, Savannah. Knock it off.”
Frustrated with his stubborn refusal, she tried to wiggle closer. “Let's just get it over with.”
With a growl, he jerked her into his arms. His T-shirt was cottony soft against her bare breasts, his chest impossibly solid. Warm breath teased over her throat. “Tell me why you're doing this.”
Unsure how to explain, she shook off the need to run and stepped from his arms. He kept his gaze on her face, and a smile tugged at her heart despite her misgivings. Bastard my ass. “I don't want my sexual state to be a factor in the wedding, and right now, it is. If I weren't a virgin, you wouldn't want me.” She slid her thumbs under the waistband of her underwear.
“Drop those and you'll be sorry. I mean it, beauty.”
His voice vibrated impossibly low, sending shivers down her back but not from fear of his threat. The idea of shoving Gavin over the edge provided an irresistible titillation. She pushed the underwear to her ankles and kicked them aside. A silent dare rolled between them. Her pulse thundered in her ears, and her throat tightened as she straightened her spine and put her hands on her hips. “What now, soldier boy?”
He closed the distance between them, eyes dark, jaw hard. Despite her certainty that he wouldn't hurt her, she backed away. Four steps, her back collided with the wall. Gavin kept coming until less than an inch remained. She drew a deep, shuddering breath, and her nipples brushed his shirt. Her entire body sighed at the delicious, feathery caress. Why didn't he touch her? “Gavin?”
“Are you ready to listen or are you going to keep testing me?”
Savannah swallowed the need to plead. “I'm listening.”
A single finger traced her jaw, across her lips, down her chin to skim her breast. “You are unique in my experience, Savannah.”
She swallowed a whimper of need as he lightly circled her nipple. “I get that you think so. It's the why that's a problem.”
“It's not because you're virgin, although, I suppose that's part of it.” He braced an arm on either side of her shoulders, fencing her in, and she pressed her shoulders to the wall to keep from leaning forward. “Of course, that's also the reason I used the word loving instead of something stronger.”
“I'm not a child.”
His gaze dropped to her naked breasts but quickly rose again. A smirk teased the corner of his mouth. “Nope, didn't make that mistake.”
Heat swelled between them, swirling, and her legs threatened to give out. “Then what are you waiting for? If my stupid virginity isn't the draw, why not end it?”
“For the reasons you mentioned. I want to marry you. Your innocence was the impetus only in that I need someone who will commit to a family with the same zeal that you applied to that chastity pledge. Someone who will always be there for our kids even if something should happen to me.”
“I'd never walk away from a child.”
Gavin fought the desire rising in him. The compulsion to touch her became a spoiled brat demanding attention. “I know.” He couldn't resist tonguing the pulse throbbing at the base of her throat. The enticing scent of her perfume, light and welcoming, teased the yearning higher. He kissed his way to her ear, careful to avoid looking into her eyes as he fought with himself. “Despite how much I want to take you up on the offer, beauty, I won't encourage you to break one promise if I expect you to keep another.”
She sighed and tipped her head, exposing her lovely neck to his mouth.
With a grunt, he boosted her, urging her legs to circle his hips, thankful the thick fabric of his jeans separated them. Lifting his head, Gavin met her wide-eyed stare. He should be gentle, careful in the words he chose, but she seemed to read him wrong that way. He would not risk further misunderstanding.
“When I finally fuck you the way I want to, when my cock stretches your snug pussy and you welcome me into your body without reservation, my ring will circle your finger and the old promise will be fulfilled. If you decide not to marry me, you can go forward as before. No harm done.” He gripped her thighs, pressing her to the wall as he watched her reaction. “But if you walk down that aisle and take my name, I expect to be the only man who ever touches you until the day I die. Are we clear?”
A shiver raced through her, and she closed her eyes. When she opened them, the look she gave him called to his every protective instinct. “Yes or no, no matter what, nothing will ever be the same after touching you, Gavin.” She wiggled her hips in his hands. “Virgin or not, I can't go back to the way I was.”
Doubt reared. “So now that you know, to some extent, what you've missed, do you wonder what it would be like with someone else?”
Before she could answer, the back door banged. “Vanny!”
Savannah's eyes grew wide. “Kate.”
Gavin swung her away from the wall. “Go! Get dressed. I'll hold her off.”
He groaned as she gathered her clothes. Bending, she flashed her perfect heart-shaped ass then scurried down the hall to the bathroom. A scrap of purple caught Gavin's eye, and he scooped it up and stuffed it into his pocket as the door closed on Savannah's lovely body and her friend burst into the living room.
Savannah's heart thundered as she leaned against the bathroom door. The heat of Gavin's hands lingered on her waist. How the hell did he affect her so easily? He'd wondered if she would want another man after he'd shown her ecstasy, but the thought repulsed her. No man would or could stimulate her senses the way Gavin did. He surpassed fantasies she'd never admitted even to herself.
The rumble of his deep voice and Kate's hesitant response floated through the door. Savannah needed to get out there before her friend said or did something regrettable. Fumbling through her clothes, she searched for her underwear but they weren't there. Had she dropped them in the hall? Were they still on the floor, purple and damning against the beige carpet?
She washed away the evidence of her arousal and jerked the rest of her clothes on, smoothing her hair in the mirror. She looked guilty as hell. Kate would recognize that something had changed, but with luck, Savannah could get rid of Gavin before her loud friend started in.
Pasting on a smile, she strolled down the hall as if nothing had happened. Kate and Gavin stood in the living room, sizing one another up. “Why do I feel like I walked in on two bulls facing off at the fence line?”
Kate spun to look at her. “I thought you had until tomorrow at midnight.”
“I do.” Savannah wrapped her arm around her short friend. “Nothing's changed.”
“Then what's he doing here?”
Before Savannah could conjure any sort of plausible answer, Gavin stepped close and traced his thumb over her lower lip, his eyes locked to hers. “I promised forty
-eight hours before I quit asking. I never said I wouldn't try to convince you during that time.”
She released Kate and wrapped her hands around his biceps for balance. The man destroyed her ability to stand without aid. How the hell did he expect her to go forward as if he had never touched her?
His gaze almost burned before he claimed her mouth in a possessive kiss. A strong hand threaded through her hair and urged her to her toes without separating their mouths. She didn't care that they had an audience. All that mattered was the dominating caress of his lips on hers and the sweep of his tongue as he staked his claim.
When he broke away, her breath rushed in and out in desperate gasps while she clung to him. He feathered a kiss over her ear as he tucked something into her pocket and whispered, “Say yes, Savannah.”
He disappeared before her mind could register he had released her. Her hands and knees trembled.
Kate caught at her arm and steered her to the sofa. “Holy shit!”
Sinking into the cushions, Savannah tried to think of something to say, but words would not come. Holy shit summed it up nicely.
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* * *
Chapter Nine
Handing Savannah a soda from the fridge, Kate dropped onto the couch. She twisted open a beer before she spoke. “Is he always so intense?”
Was he? He destroyed her ability to think or act like a sane woman. She chuckled and tried to slow her racing heart. “Pretty much.”
“So how do you plan to make a rational decision if he's hanging around?”
Good question. “I have no clue.” Taking a long swallow of her cola, she almost snorted it out her nose at Kate's bemused expression. “Any ideas?”
“Yeah, kick me out, run after him, and beg him to go to bed with you.”
“Tried that.”
“What!” Kate set her beer down so hard foam swelled above the mouth of the bottle and oozed down the sides. “Tell me.”
Heat swept over Savannah as she thought about her behavior. She shifted and felt the wad he'd stuffed in her pocket. He'd used his kiss to hide the fact that he had returned her underwear. Did that make him sweet or just good at hiding things? Unsure of how much she was willing to share, even with her best friend, she studied the beads of moisture running down the aluminum can and struggled for an explanation that didn't make her sound like a kook or a desperate slut. “He came over today and...I'm not sure what happened.”