Tyler opened his mouth to respond, then shut it without saying anything.
“Exactly,” Ally said.
“We can’t drive off and leave her,” Tyler said.
Jon stood. “You guys go. I’ll take care of it.”
Ally gave him a warning look. “Jon…”
“Thanks for dinner,” he said.
He exited the restaurant. Hunching his shoulders against the rain, he crossed the road and strode to where he knew Gabby had parked.
He could hear her talking to herself as he approached. “Stupid…freaking…mechanic…”
She’d managed to undo three of the four nuts and was using all her body weight to bear down on the tire brace to try to budge the remaining one. He noted with approval that she hadn’t jacked the car up yet.
“Hey,” he said.
She sat back on her heels and wiped the rain out of her eyes.
“Jon, I swear, if you’ve come out here to try to change my tire for me—”
“You got an umbrella?”
She peered up at him suspiciously. “Yes. It’s on the backseat. Why?”
He didn’t bother responding. He pulled open the rear door and glanced around until he spotted the umbrella. It was one of those stupid little ones that women always favored, all folded in on itself. Still, it was better than nothing. He shut the door and hit the button to open the umbrella. Then he stepped closer to Gabby and angled the umbrella so that she would be sheltered while she worked.
She looked up at him in silence for a long moment. “Thank you.”
She meant it, too, he could tell.
“You’re welcome. I don’t suppose you’d let me loosen that nut for you?”
She thought about it for a second. “Yes. Thank you. That would be very helpful.”
He handed her the umbrella and she shuffled to one side as he gripped the tire brace. He pushed experimentally. The brace didn’t budge.
“Next time you get your tires checked, tell them not to use the air gun to finish up the nuts. Makes them too tight to undo by hand,” he said.
“Don’t worry, I’ve already made a mental note.”
He braced himself, flexed his shoulders and gave the brace a good turn. He was beginning to get worried when it finally gave.
He looked at her with new respect. “Man. How did you get the other three off?”
“Determination. And a lot of four-letter words.”
She handed him the umbrella and he moved out of the way. Gabby squatted and felt along the bottom of the chassis for the jacking point, then placed her jack and started winding. After a few turns of the lever she swore and yanked at the scarf around her neck, stuffing it into her pocket.
“Driving me crazy,” she explained as she went back to work.
Jon watched as she wound the jack until the rear wheel was off the ground, wishing like hell she’d let him take over. A couple walked past huddled under their own umbrella, both of them giving him a dirty look when they saw a woman was changing the tire.
“It’s okay. I do all the work in bed,” he said.
He heard a splutter of choked laughter at his feet. The couple quickened their pace without saying a word. When he looked down again Gabby was grinning.
“This is killing you, isn’t it?”
“Someone’s going to take a picture of me and I’m going to wind up on one of those email chain letters under the title Man of the Year or something.”
She laughed outright. “If it’s any consolation, I’m not having much fun, either. But you gotta do what you gotta do.”
It took her another fifteen minutes to remove the old tire, replace it with the spare, tighten the nuts, let the jack down and tidy everything away. Since the spare was a doughnut tire, she would have to get the damaged one repaired or replaced as soon as possible.
“Done. Thank God,” she said as she turned from dumping the ruined tire in the trunk.
Despite his best efforts with the umbrella, she was soaked to the skin, her T-shirt and arms streaked with dirt from lifting the tires.
“You’ve got something on your face.” He used his thumb to brush a smear of mud from her cheekbone.
She looked at him uncertainly. “Thanks.”
He spotted something on her neck. “What’s that?”
She clapped her hand to her neck. “Nothing.”
He tugged her hand away. Sure enough, she had a hickey. “I did that?” he asked, even though he knew. “It’ll fade.”
She started to move away from him, but he slid his hand around the back of her neck to keep her still.
“Does it hurt?” he asked, smoothing his thumb over the angry-looking mark.
“No. Haven’t you ever had a love bite?”
“No.”
“Really?” She gave him a speculative look.
“I’ve led a sheltered life.”
“Sure you have.” He was still rubbing her neck and she swallowed and shifted nervously.
“Shouldn’t we be fighting right about now?” she said, her voice low.
“Maybe we’ve got better things to do than fight.”
Her gaze went to his mouth as he lowered his head. He pressed his lips against hers gently, tasting her lower lip with his tongue. Her lips moved against his, butterfly light. He cupped the back of her head with his palm and moved closer. She shivered and reached up to wrap her arms around his neck.
Heat grew within him, but he kept things light, wanting to show her that he had it in him to be gentle after the craziness of last night. She curled her fingers into his shoulders and followed his lead.
He lost track of time as he explored her mouth with his own. A passing car sounded its horn, its occupants calling for them to get a room. They broke apart. Gabby took a step backward.
“I should probably get you home,” she said, not looking at him.
He let her hustle him into the passenger seat, mostly because he’d never seen Gabby shy before.
“I’ll head back up Brunswick Street to St. Georges Road,” she said as she started the car. “Sure.”
“Did you like your meal? I loved that smoky tomato thing I had with my starter. But I love anything smoky. You could smoke a piece of cardboard and I’d eat it.”
“Could I?”
She flashed a look at him before concentrating on the road. “Sorry. I’m a bit nervous.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. Maybe because I only know how to handle you when we’re disagreeing.”
“You want me to pick a fight?”
She smiled. “It’s not the same if you fake it.”
“I know.”
Her smile widened and he asked the question that had been on his mind all night.
“Are you really okay about Tyler and Ally having a baby?”
“I’m happy for them,” she said firmly. He got the sense she’d given the issue some thought. “I think they’ll make great parents. And that kid is going to score some awesome nursery furniture.”
He couldn’t doubt her sincerity. She really was pleased for them. Whatever sway Tyler still had over her heart wasn’t that powerful, then. Something in his chest relaxed.
“What about you?” she asked.
“What about me?”
“Are you happy for them?”
“Of course. Why wouldn’t I be? They both seem to want it. Like you said, they’ll make good parents.”
He wondered if she could hear the lack of conviction in his voice.
“I thought you seemed a little tense when they made the announcement.” She took her eyes off the road to glance at him. She didn’t miss much, then or now.
“Did I? I guess I was surprised.”
That, at least, was true. The list of things he and his brother had never discussed was as long as his arm, but he’d always assumed that, like him, Tyler would never risk having his own kids. Just in case. As far as he was concerned, the cycle of misery stopped here, period.
“Something occurr
ed to me,” she said as she signaled to make a right turn. “At my birthday dinner, when you didn’t drink a toast to me—that was because you weren’t drinking. Right?”
“You saw that?”
“I thought you didn’t drink because you didn’t like me.”
He frowned. “I never didn’t like you.”
She made a rude noise.
“I thought you were a pain in the ass, but I didn’t dislike you.” He realized with some surprise that it was true. Through all their ups and downs, a part of him had always sought her approval. Why else had he kept trying with her?
“So you don’t think I’m a pain in the ass anymore?”
She stopped at the curb in front of his apartment building.
“I think you have a great ass,” he said. “Want to come upstairs?”
She smiled at his joke but her eyes were uncertain. “Look, Jon—”
“You have a nice neck, too.”
She blinked. As though no one had ever paid her a compliment in her life.
“I don’t think—”
“And you have a very sexy mouth.”
“Jon—”
He silenced her with a kiss, his hand on her jaw as he slid his tongue along hers. She was breathless when he broke the contact. He could feel his own pulse thudding in his ears.
“Please don’t tell me I have great breasts because I will know you’re lying then.”
“You have perfect breasts. They’re like firm, ripe little plums. Juicy and delicious.”
He ducked his head and kissed her through her damp T-shirt, smiling as he felt her nipple bead against his lips. He pulled it into his mouth, fabric and all, sucking gently. When he lifted his head she looked a little dazed, her pupils hugely dilated.
“Come upstairs.”
“Okay.”
JON LED HER THROUGH THE LIVING room and straight to his bedroom. Gabby caught her reflection in the mirror and pulled a face.
“God. I’m filthy,” she said, looking at her dirt-streaked arms. Either she really did have perfect breasts or Jon was more hard up than she thought.
“You want a shower?”
“That might be a good idea.”
He showed her the ensuite bathroom and handed her a clean towel. He started to leave the room then hesitated.
“You want me to wash your back?”
She flicked a glance at him through her lashes. The thought of him in the shower with her was enough to make her mouth go dry.
“Um, okay. If you like.”
He gave her a slow, lazy smile. “I like.”
She reached for her T-shirt and tugged it over her head. He yanked his T-shirt off. She toed off her sandals. He bent and pulled his boots off. A little surge of nerves hit her as she undid the button on her trousers. Last night, she’d been so crazy with need she hadn’t had time to think. This was a little different and she had plenty of time to think about how bright the fluorescent lights were and how exposed she was about to be. She glanced at him, her gaze sliding over the round mounds of his pecs and down his ripped belly.
Screw it. She wanted him. She was going to have to get naked to have him.
She stuck her thumbs into the waistband of her panties and shed them along with her trousers in one sweep of her hands. She flipped the catch of her bra open, then let it slide down her arms. And then she was standing naked in front of Jon, staring at his naked body and very nice erection.
He was looking at her breasts. He reached out to cup the one he’d marked last night.
“Tell me that didn’t hurt,” he said quietly.
“It didn’t.”
They both watched as he ran his thumb gently over the bruise. Her nipple puckered and he shifted his attention to it, brushing his thumb back and forth over it until her knees started to shake. He shot her a knowing glance before moving closer. He placed both hands around her waist and smoothed them upward until her breasts were plumped by his hands. He looked at one, then the other, then made an approving noise in the back of his throat before bending his head to take her left nipple into his mouth. She braced herself against the tiled wall behind her as her body went up in flames. He nuzzled and sucked and kissed and bit and played with her breasts until she was panting and ready to fall over.
“Jon…” Her voice was a ragged whisper.
He lifted his head, a far-off look in his eyes. “Sorry. Got a little carried away.”
“I’m not objecting. I just might not be able to stand up much longer.”
He laughed, a low sound that made her clench her thighs.
“Let’s get you clean so I can make you all dirty again.”
He turned on the water and followed her into the shower. For the next ten minutes he slicked soapy hands over her body, exploring every dip and hollow. She returned the favor, chasing her hands across his body with kisses, tasting his skin, savoring the feel of warm skin over firm, hard muscle.
“Okay, we’re done,” Jon said as she slid her tongue into his ear while simultaneously stroking her hand up and down his shaft.
“Having trouble standing?”
He turned off the water and kissed her. “Having trouble being patient.”
They fell onto the bed in a tangle of limbs. He rolled her till she was on her back and looked over her body with a hungry, approving eye.
“You drive me crazy,” he murmured, then he started kissing her breasts again.
She kneaded her fingers into his shoulder muscles and arched her back as he began to trail kisses down her belly. She made a small excited noise and he shot her a deeply amused look as he slid between her widespread thighs. She didn’t look away even as he lowered his head to take the first taste of her. She watched as he closed his eyes, savoring her, then she was utterly lost for endless, torturous minutes as he licked and lapped at her until the tension inside her reached a crescendo and she cried out her climax, her hands clutching his shoulders.
She collapsed onto the mattress, panting, while Jon kissed her thighs and her belly and worked his way up her body.
“Ask me how I feel about your—”
She pressed her fingers to his clever lips. “Trust me. I know.”
He grinned. She pushed him onto his back.
“Condom?” she asked.
He started to sit up. “Back pocket of my jeans.”
She liked that he didn’t have a bulk pack in his bedroom. Not that she thought he was a saint, but still.
She found the condom and straddled him as she tore the packet open with her teeth. He was hot in her hands as she smoothed the latex on.
Taking him in hand, she raised her hips and slowly eased onto him. He closed his eyes, the muscles of his neck and shoulders tensing, his fingers tightening on her hips.
“Nice?” she whispered.
“Oh, yeah.”
She started to move, riding him with smooth, sure strokes. He teased her nipples and watched her through slitted eyes. She tried to make it last but she could feel herself tightening again.
“Jon,” she said, leaning forward to kiss him.
He gripped her tightly and rolled, never leaving her, and suddenly she was on her back, legs spread wide, as he stroked into her.
She forgot to breathe as he pushed her over the edge a second time. She was still shuddering around him when he plunged deep and stayed there.
“Gabby,” he grated, his jaw tight. She held the back of his head as he pressed his face against her shoulder and came and came.
She closed her eyes afterward, basking in the warm sensation of complete satisfaction. His body was heavy on hers, his heart thumping against her breast bone, his breath in her ear. She ran her hands lightly over his back, enjoying the bold valleys and planes of his body.
He rolled to one side and got out of bed. Thirty seconds later he was back, tugging the sheet over both of them and pulling her tightly against his side.
“Give me twenty minutes and I’ll make it hard for you to stand again,” he said, closing
his eyes.
She smiled sleepily. “You’re on.”
She woke two hours later to find Jon’s arm wrapped possessively around her waist, his body curled around hers. She lay in the dark enjoying the purely physical pleasure of lying skin to skin with another human being again.
She’d missed this so much.
Not that it had ever been like this before.
She’d always enjoyed sex, but it had never been so intense, so consuming, so demanding as it was with Jon. Not even with Tyler.
Staring at the faint outline of the moon through the blinds on his window, she reflected that he was probably going to cast a long shadow over her future lovers.
Now there’s a cheery thought.
Moving slowly, she eased out from under Jon’s arm. She used the bathroom, then went to the kitchen for a glass of water.
Her thoughts shifted to the conversation they’d had on the way here. When Jon had asked her if she was okay with Tyler and Ally’s pregnancy news, she’d honestly had to take a moment to understand what he meant.
She sipped the water. For someone who was supposed to still be in love with her ex, she was spending a lot of time naked with another man. A lot of time thinking about him, too. Just last week she’d been drunk and maudlin and ready to cry as she watched Tyler and Ally dance together, gazing into each other’s eyes, talking quietly, communing with one another. Even now, she could still feel an echo of that pain. She envied their happiness. She missed the closeness of having someone to share her life with. She was lonely, and scared that it would always be that way because she’d put all her eggs in Tyler’s basket and he’d turned out to be the wrong man.
It occurred to her that what she’d described didn’t sound like love. It sounded like yearning, and maybe a little like grief.
All of which would explain why she was currently standing naked in Jon’s kitchen, and why he’d been the starring attraction in her thoughts for quite some time.
Maybe she’d been a lot more ready to move on than she’d understood. Maybe she’d already moved on, in fact, on some unconscious level, and the rest of her was only now catching up. Maybe the angst and emotion she’d been experiencing in the past weeks was the curtain coming down on one phase in her life and rising on another.
She walked to the bedroom doorway. Jon was sprawled across the bed on his back, the sheets barely preserving his modesty. He looked ridiculously beautiful, his naked body stretched out, his sleek, powerful muscles loose and relaxed. It was impossible to see all that potent, undeniable masculinity and not feel a thrill of desire—not so long ago, this man had been inside her. They’d loved each other with hands and mouths and trusted each other with their pleasure. But it wasn’t only desire she felt when she looked at him. Mixed in with all the earthy stuff was a fond sort of admiration for his pigheadedness, along with an appreciation of the care and skill he brought to his work and a grudging, growing understanding that his need to look out for others was the expression of a caring, nurturing instinct and not an attempt to control her or anyone else.
One Good Reason Page 15