“But I am worrying about it.”
“It’s not a big deal.”
“If it weren’t a big deal, you’d tell me and you’d look at me.”
She turned toward me. “He was just making drunken suggestions.”
“What exactly is a drunken suggestion?” I had a pretty good idea, but I wanted to hear it from her.
“He uh, suggested we see if we ‘worked.’” She made quotes with her hands.
“Son of a bitch.”
“He was drunk, and he didn’t push it.”
“But it still upset you.” It was plain on her face.
“Yeah.”
I closed her door and walked around and got in. “Are you tired, or do you want to hang out?”
“It’s got to be after eleven, what’s there to do at this hour?”
“I don’t know. Want to just come over?”
“Come over? To your place?”
“Uh huh.”
I could tell she was mulling it over. I didn’t say anything, giving her time to decide. The fact that she was even considering it was good. Man, had I imagined that morning that I’d actually be inviting her over again that night, I’d never have believed it.
She bit her lip again. I made her nervous a lot. “Yes.” She nodded as if making a monumental decision.
“All right, good.” I started the car and pulled out of the driveway of Jake’s rental. As soon as I was back on the road, I reached over and picked up her hand. It was cold despite the warm evening. “Do you think Max will be happy to see me?” She broke the silence. Of all the things to ask about, she’d brought up my dog.
“Yeah, he’s a fan of you, all right.”
“I’ve never had a dog, but I think I might get one when I have more time.”
“We always had at least two growing up, but Max is the first dog that’s actually mine, you know?”
“Yeah, I bet it feels different.”
I pulled into my driveway and got out, glad to see that Becca waited long enough for me to help her out. Not only did I like doing it, but I liked having the excuse to hold her close. The fitted t-shirt she wore and those tight jeans did a number on me.
We walked up the steps, and I remembered the last time we’d climbed them together. I’d make sure we had a different ending this time.
“I need to take Max out. You’re welcome to come, or you can wait inside.”
I wanted her to come. I thought about offering her a drink, but after last time, I wanted the night to be alcohol free. I wasn’t sure if it would be awkward just sitting there.
“I’ll come.” I wondered if she was thinking the same thing.
Max waited by the door, so I put on his leash, and we walked toward the beach.
“Isn’t the beach closed this late?”
“Sure, but who’s to stop us?”
“I don’t know. No one, I guess.”
“Exactly.” I moved to her right side so I could hold her hand with my free one.
“It’s beautiful tonight.” She looked up at the sky.
“Definitely is. There’s nothing like a full moon over the ocean.”
“It almost feels magical.”
She looked so happy with a childlike expression of wonder on her face. I wanted to make her feel that way all the time.
“It doesn’t have to be almost.”
I tugged on her hand to pull her closer and claimed her lips. She responded, arms wrapping around my neck, and mouth opening up to me. I took full advantage and dropped Max’s leash so my hands could do what they’d wanted to do all night. I slipped a hand under her t-shirt and bra, loving the small groan it elicited. She was so sensitive to my smallest touch, and I didn’t want them to be small anymore.
I forced myself to break the kiss “Ready to go home?”
“Yes,” she said breathlessly.
Max waited obediently, so I whisked us home as fast as possible, glad we hadn’t made it too far down the beach.
She’d just closed the door behind her when I knew I had to have her. I pushed her back against the door and leaned in. I let my hands and lips wander, pulling off my shirt and then hers, loving what waited for me once I’d unclasped her bra.
“You’re not going to tell me to forget, are you?” She looked away from me.
I looked right into her eyes. “No. I’m going to make sure you never forget.” I saw her small nod and returned to her amazing body, sliding down her jeans while she undid my belt and pants. I stepped out of them, kicking them to the side.
I raked my eyes over her. She wore nothing but a pair of lacy black panties. I wondered if she’d worn them especially for me. As good as they looked, they were in my way. I took them off, and let my hands and lips continue to wander, shocked when she grabbed me, making quick work of my boxers. Her touch was hesitant at first but then grew more confident.
I had fully planned to take her to my bed, but we never made it that far. I picked her up and placed her on the kitchen table. It was as far as we were going to get. I needed her, and from the look in her eyes, she needed me. The first time had been incredible, but without the effects of alcohol, it was even better.
***
I’d forgotten to close the blinds when we finally went to bed around two a.m. I usually liked waking up to the sunrise, but I didn’t know if Becca would appreciate it after the long night we’d shared.
She stirred, likely feeling the light pouring in. She picked her head up from where it lay on my chest, her arm slung across me. She moved around a little, getting a few strands of her hair in my face.
“Mmm, I’m sorry. I should pull it up.”
“No. Don’t.”
“Okay.” She got this mischievous look in her eye, and I hoped it meant what I thought it meant.
She climbed on top of me, holding her head back for a moment, probably to feel the sun. The effect had to be the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen—the colors of the sunrise spilling in the window and onto her naked body—her perfect, naked body. In that moment, I knew there was no way I was ever letting Becca go.
Chapter Twenty-One
Becca
Waking up with Gavin was completely different the second time. For starters, it wasn’t just once. We were up at dawn when the gorgeous sunrise spilled its rays into the room. We eventually fell back to sleep after and woke up around nine.
“Good morning again,” he murmured into my hair. We were completely tangled up together in just the sheet. We’d kicked off his comforter sometime during the night.
“Good morning.” I tilted my head so I could look at him. A bright smile on his face let me know he’d enjoyed the night and morning as much as I had.
He smoothed out my hair and kissed me on the forehead. “So, what’s the verdict?”
“The verdict?”
“Yeah? Isn’t that lawyer-speak for your decision?”
I laughed. “What decision was I supposed to be making again?”
“Will you ever forget last night?”
“No, I think I’ll remember every moment.” I ran a hand down his chest, still marveling at how comfortable and confident I felt with him.
“I thought that first night was the best, but this surpassed it.” He kissed my lips lightly. “It was amazing.”
“Mmm,” I mumbled as his lips left mine and moved to my neck.
“You are amazing.”
“Gavin?”
“Yes?”
“Before you, uh, start anything, I need to go.”
“What? You can’t go.” He sat up on an elbow, face in a state of panic.
“Oh, no, not leave. I mean I need to go.” I pointed to the bathroom door.
He relaxed. “Oh, okay, you can do that.”
“I need your permission to use the bathroom now?”
“Not all the time, just when you’re naked in my bed. I’m kind of picky about when you get to leave then.” He tried to keep a straight face, but before long, a playful smile broke through.
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Even though he’d obviously seen me naked plenty, I felt funny getting out of bed with him looking. “Could you turn away?”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes.”
“No way. You’re not allowed to feel self-conscious in front of me. I love your body, and I don’t ever want you trying to hide it from me.”
Gavin seemed like such a contradiction. Sometimes, he was a real gentleman, others he was really aggressive and determined. I didn’t mind it. I liked the combination. I found both sides of him attractive in their own ways.
“You don’t feel self-conscious walking around naked in front of me?” I figured I’d make him put his money where his mouth was.
“Not at all.”
“Is that so?”
Instead of answering, he pulled back the sheet and got up. I couldn’t help staring—there was a lot to stare at.
“Your turn,” he said with an amused expression.
My hands went to the scars, but I took a deep breath and pulled off my side of the sheet. “There, I did it.”
I’d barely stood up before he had his arms around me. “That wasn’t so hard, was it?”
“Nope.”
“Good.” His lips moved to my neck again, so I shook him off.
“I’m going to the bathroom, remember?”
I didn’t give him a chance to respond. I slipped inside his bathroom and closed the door behind me.
I finished quickly and came back out to find him reclining on the bed, fully exposed.
“You’re really comfortable in your own skin, aren’t you?” I wished I could have even half of that confidence.
“Do I have any reason not to be?”
“Of course not,” I said quickly.
“Then come join me.”
I walked over and curled up with him again, pulling the sheet back over us because I felt more comfortable that way. “Don’t say anything.”
“I won’t.”
“That bathroom is so completely wasted on you, it’s ridiculous.”
He chuckled. “Why exactly is it wasted?”
“No man living alone needs a soaking tub, a shower to die for, and a double vanity. I mean, come on.”
“Well you’re welcome to come over and use it whenever you want, but just know you’re going to have company.”
“Very funny. But seriously, I think I’m in love with your place. It’s a loft, you have an amazing bathroom, incredible views of the ocean—is there anything better?”
“I’m glad you like it here. I hope you’ll decide to spend a lot of your time here, and I mean a lot.”
“I might be persuaded to spend another night or two.”
“A night or two? If that’s what you’re saying, I haven’t done my job.”
He pulled off the sheet, positioning himself over me.
“You can’t be serious.”
“Of course I am.” He grinned. “We have lost time to make up for.” His lips returned to my neck. They seemed to always find their way there.
I had difficulty finding the words I needed. “Lost time? We’ve only known each other a few weeks.”
“That means we have weeks to make up for.”
“What about breakfast? I’m pretty hungry.”
He laughed. “I’ll take you to breakfast. I promise.”
***
Gavin was true to his word. We headed hand in hand to breakfast at Surf Song. We were seated at a table right by the open windows, giving us a great view of the water. The beach was crowded. A few volleyball nets were strung up, and a group of girls were already lying out for the day. The surf was calm, and I watched as several kids ran out into the water.
“Well, hello there.” Kelly approached our table with Tom right behind her.
“Hey, man.” Gavin greeted Tom with a grin.
“Out for a breakfast date, huh?” Tom pulled out the table’s two remaining chairs.
“More of a continuation of a date that started last night.” Gavin found my hand and squeezed it under the table. Had he really just said that?
As if he’d read my mind, he leaned over and whispered in my ear. “Just so we have it straight, we definitely will not be keeping this between the two of us.”
I smiled and met Kelly’s wide eyes. “Nice,” she mouthed.
“I guess it’s a little late to ask, but mind if we join you?” Tom signaled for the waiter.
“No, be our guests.”
“What are you guys up to today?” Kelly perused the menu. I already knew I wanted the strawberry French toast again. I was starving.
“I thought we’d take the boat out,” Gavin answered for us.
“Cool. It’s a nice day for that.” Tom picked up his menu.
“Tom, if you guys want to come, it’s fine. I’m sure Becca won’t mind. You’ll keep me well-behaved.”
Where was this side of Gavin coming from? It was like when he told Ronny we were together, but worse. Was that really just the night before? So much had happened in less than twenty-four hours.
“No way. We are not crashing your date. We already crashed breakfast. Besides, we’ll see you at Molly and Ben’s tonight, right?” Kelly asked.
“Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that.” I took a sip of water, hoping the waitress would be over soon to take our orders.
“Are they having something tonight?”
“Yeah, Ben’s barbequing.”
“I don’t recall getting an invitation to this shindig, but I’m guessing Becca’s unofficially came with a plus one.”
“Shindig?” I laughed.
He smiled. “Yeah, you have a problem with my choice of words?”
“God, no. If you are as sensitive about that as you are about your accent, I’m in trouble.”
“I don’t have an accent.”
I groaned. “Please no.” There was no way I was going down that road again.
***
I’d never been one for boats. It’s not that I didn’t like them; it was more of a trust issue. For a girl who loved swimming, it probably didn’t make much sense, but I hated the idea of being out on the water. When I tried to explain it to Gavin, he’d laughed. It wasn’t a mean laugh, but he pretty much told me I was crazy.
“I promise, we’ll be perfectly safe.”
“Yeah, that doesn’t really change anything.”
“My promise doesn’t mean anything?” He sounded slightly offended. We were having this conversation through the partially closed door of my bathroom. I still felt weird changing into a swim suit with him watching.
“It’s not about your promise. It’s about the boat.” I walked out of the bathroom, enjoying the expression on Gavin’s face.
He’d asked me to wear the red bikini again, but I figured he’d like the yellow one just as much. “Did you hear me?” I teased. His eyes still hadn’t moved back up to my face.
“You’re really refusing to come out on the boat?”
“No. I didn’t say I wouldn’t go, just that I was nervous about it.”
“Oh.” He smiled. “That’s different.”
“I don’t usually let my fears get in the way of living.” I wanted the statement to be true, even though it usually wasn’t.
“Are you ready?”
I slipped on a white cotton cover up dress and some flip flops. “Sure, let’s do this.”
He laughed. “Don’t make it sound like I’m taking you to your execution.”
“For all you know, you are.”
He took my hand, pulling me against him. “I’m not.”
“You promise?”
“Uh huh.” His voice was husky as his lips brushed against my neck. “But we can stay here if you really want.”
“Two minutes ago, you were pushing me out the door.”
“That was before you came out wearing that bikini.” His lips barely left my skin, and he started to slip a hand under my cover up.
I pushed his hand away. He groaned.
“We’re l
eaving.” There was no way we were hooking up in the Mathews’s pool house. Besides, I’d finally geared myself up for the boat ride. I wasn’t backing out.
He reluctantly moved away a little. “You’re no fun.”
“That’s not what you said a few hours ago.”
“You were fun a few hours ago…”
“If you keep this up, I’m going to think you’re only using me for sex.”
He straightened up and practically towed me from the house. “That’s ridiculous. Don’t ever think that.” I could feel tension in him.
He rushed us out to his car and helped me in. “Gavin?”
“Yeah?” He pulled away from the curb and headed toward the dock where he kept his boat.
“I was only joking back there.”
“Are you sure? I hope so. I can’t help the way I am around you, but I want you for a lot more than that.”
“I’ll take your word for it.”
He put a hand on my leg. “Please do.”
We parked at the marina, and he led me over to a small white boat. As we boarded, I tried to swallow my nerves. He squeezed my hand reassuringly. “You’re going to be fine.”
I took a seat, holding on as Gavin started up the motor.
I closed my eyes as he got ready to steer us out of the marina. “I can do this.”
He laughed. “You can open your eyes. I swear it’s okay.”
We skimmed quickly over the gentle swells, and the breeze off the water felt great with the mid-day heat. He drove us out for a few more minutes before stopping and turning off the engine.
I leaned back on my arms, enjoying the way the sun felt on my skin. If I concentrated on the sun, I could almost forget we were out on the water.
“You’re gorgeous.”
I looked up. Gavin watched me.
“Thank you.”
“I mean it.”
“You don’t look so bad yourself, you know.” What an understatement. I don’t think I’d ever get tired of looking at Gavin—especially with his shirt off.
“Tell me something about you that no one else knows.” He shifted so that he faced me.
Talk about a conversation change. “Something no one knows?”
“Yeah. I want to know a secret.”
A few months ago, it would have been hard to come up with something, but with Mom gone, I now had lots of secrets. I glanced at him. He was still watching me carefully.
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