Coming In Hot

by Carmen Cook

  Regan nodded, sensing Erin didn’t want to keep talking about it. To change the subject, Regan eyed the bit of lace she was holding. Did guys really like this stuff? Taking a deep breath, she puffed out her cheeks and slowly blew the air out. “So, how does this work? Do I get to try it on before I buy it, or do I just hope for the best?”

  After shopping, the girls headed back to Sapphire Creek, stopping at the Bitterroot for a late lunch and stiff drink, teasing Regan about her need for a little liquid courage before dropping her off back at Gavin’s house.

  Gwen used her key to let her in, closing the door behind them to keep the cold wind out. When she didn’t step further into the house, Regan turned to her. “There’s a basket in the hall closet,” Gwen told her.

  “A basket of what?”

  “I put it there earlier. It contains everything you need for tonight.”

  Puzzled, Regan lifted the bag that held her purchases from earlier in the day and gave it a small shake. It held massage oils, which claimed to be vanilla flavored and safe to ingest, what claimed to be an erotic dice game, and the red teddy that had made her feel completely unlike herself when she’d tried it on were inside. “I think this is all I’ll need tonight.”

  “Gwen laughed. “That’s a start, but the basket has some wine, candles, and some sheets that have such a high thread count they feel like silk.”

  “When did you do that?” Regan was surprised that her friend would go to such great lengths to help her seduce Gavin, yet not surprised at all. Gwen had always been a planner and was the one person who knew her better than anyone. She was Regan’s biggest cheerleader in everything and it made Regan laugh to think that she would be cheering her on even now.

  “When Bethany told me you were going to the shop with us I figured you’d come back here tonight.” Gwen shrugged and leaned against the doorjamb. Some of her humor seemed to disappear as she opened the door again and the wind whipped her hair around her face.

  “You deserve this,” she said so quietly Regan almost didn’t hear her. “You deserve to have someone love you for you, to stand by you, no matter what. And even though he can be a jerk, Gavin’s a good man. He can be what you need. And as much as he drives me crazy, he deserves it too. Someone to be there for him, through it all.”

  Without another word Gwen hurried back outside to the SUV, where Bethany was waiting to drive her home. Warmth filled Regan as she watched her friends drive away. Who knew getting her friend’s blessing would mean so much? Gwen had gone to a fair amount of trouble to help with a seduction that Regan hadn’t even been aware she’d be planning.

  A grin tugged her lips at the thought of how surprised Gavin was going to be to find her waiting for him. Anticipation had her laughing out loud. She had a seduction to stage.

  With her heart in her throat while her belly did flips, she raced to the hall closet and found the basket, exactly where Gwen described. Suppressing a giggle of excitement, she pulled out the sheets, which really were the softest things she’d ever felt. She was going to owe Gwen something major for doing this for her. For them.

  Springing into action, Regan raced to Gavin’s room, skidding to a halt right inside. His scent hung in the air and her smile widened. She was going to do this. Really do this. It wasn’t just about the seduction or sex, but she was going to try having a relationship with Gavin. Giving him her all and seeing where it went.

  Butterflies raced through her stomach as though carried by gale-force winds while she made the bed and smoothed the sheets in place and set the candles up on every available surface. Hopefully, he’d understand that this night meant more than just having fun—not that she begrudged the fun they’d been having. His patience showed her hints of what having a healthy relationship would be like.

  The slamming of a car door jolted her from her daydreaming. Shit. She wasn’t ready. Maybe she could fix him a drink and get him to agree to hang out in front of the television while she finished setting the stage. Wiping her suddenly sweaty palms on her jeans, she closed the door to the bedroom behind her, hoping to save the surprise, and made it to the entryway just as the door opened and Jackson and Savannah spilled in, followed by their father.

  Regan felt her mouth drop open as the kids’ excited chatter filled the air.

  “Hey.” Gavin stepped over the threshold and kicked the door closed behind him, shutting out the cold air. “I didn’t expect you to be here.”

  He had his arms full of grocery bags and the kids were struggling to take off their boots, mittens, and coats. Why hadn’t she considered the fact that he’d already have plans? Or that his children might be with him tonight? She’d been so wrapped up in her own plans and ideas that it never occurred to her that he would be otherwise occupied. “I, um…” What could she say? I came to seduce you, but I see you’re on daddy duty tonight, so I’ll just go?

  Gavin leaned in and gave her a quick peck, still holding the bags of groceries. “You okay?”

  “Yeah, I—crap.” She could feel the heat flooding her chest and rapidly working its way up her face. “I should have called first.”

  The kids slammed into her with hugs and shouted greetings before they took off running to the living room. Seconds later a cartoon theme song blared. Before she could decide what she should do, Gavin had somehow steered her into the kitchen and was putting the groceries down on the counter. “You never have to call before coming over,” he told her as he started to unload the bags, handing her a box of stuffing. “The kids and I are celebrating Thanksgiving early since they’ll be with Kathy this weekend. She’s picking them up in the morning to head out of town.”

  “Oh.” Her earlier excitement fizzled. Suddenly her seduction felt juvenile. He was a father, a responsible adult, and here she was trying to sow her wild oats. Gavin didn’t seem to have a clue about the direction of her thoughts as he continued.

  “We were actually going to call and invite you to have dinner with us. Jackson was hoping he could talk you into making turkey kabobs instead of my buying the whole precooked turkey and the fixings.”

  Regan shook the box of stuffing she was still holding, a smile tugging her at her lips. “This is kind of sad, Gavin.”

  “Hey, it’s good.” He reached out and took the box from her, setting it on the counter behind her and leaned in, caging her between his arms and body. Regan could feel the heat radiating off him and resisted the urge to sway into him, to press herself against his chest. “You want to tell me what’s going on?”

  His question was like a bucket of ice water.

  “I—don’t know how to say it.” Her voice was small. She hated the embarrassment that crept in. If she couldn’t even say the words, how was she ever going to be able to actually put on that lacy teddy and talk him into letting her use that edible massage oil on him?

  This time the flush headed south and Regan clenched her thighs together. There were children in the other room and she was picturing licking their father up one side and down the other. What was wrong with her?

  Gavin shifted, framing her face with his hands and giving her a soft kiss. “Just say it, whatever it is.” He laid his forehead against hers and gave her another small kiss. “Today has been a shit show of epic proportions. Having you here when we got home was a wonderful surprise. There’s nothing you can say that’s going to change the fact that this, right here, is the best part of my day.”

  The smile she’d been wearing earlier bloomed again at his sweet words. “I came over to seduce you,” she whispered, once again feeling heat rush up her cheeks.

  His entire body stilled. “Please tell me you haven’t changed your mind.” His voice had gone husky and raked over her skin, making her nipples stand at attention. The words soothed her, which was crazy if she thought about it, but the warmth in her belly was spreading and pooled between her thighs.

  “Not even a little bit.”

  A quick boost had her sitting on the counter with Gavin standing between her legs. His chest
was pressed against hers and his kiss robbed her of her breath. He used his teeth to nibble along her jaw before gently sucking on her earlobe. The bulge he pressed against her core had her throbbing in all her most interesting places. She wrapped her legs around him to pull him even closer.

  “Daddy, did you ask her to make the bobs?”

  Regan’s legs dropped like weights had been tied to them, thudding against the cupboards under the countertop. How could she have forgotten, even for a second, that the kids were in the other room? Gavin’s breathing was uneven as he dropped his head to her shoulder, and then he started to laugh.

  His laugh was infectious and soon she was laughing with him. They’d been cockblocked, quite effectively, by a pair of five-year-olds.

  “No, I didn’t get a chance to ask her about the kabobs yet, buddy. But we’re celebrating Thanksgiving, right?” He lifted his head and sent Regan a wink before stepping away, letting his hands drag over her hips and along her legs before he turned to face his children. “I think we should all just ask Regan to please stay and have dinner with us.”

  A chorus of small voices rang out with their pleas for her to join them, their hands replacing their fathers on her legs as they rushed to the room to express their sincerity.

  “I’ll be happy to join you,” she told them as she hopped off the counter. “And after dinner, we’ll have dessert.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Gavin closed the door after seeing his children off for the next five days. They were joining Shane’s family with a trip to California for the holiday. As the car disappeared around the turn, he realized he didn’t have the pang of disappointment and longing he usually did when he watched Kathy drive off with them. He always missed them when they weren’t with him, but the life he and Kathy had tried to build together was almost like a dream now. A little misty around the edges, with the details blurry. He was no longer full of the sharp disappointment or feeling that he’d failed them all somehow. Now, he realized, he was content. And the kids were happy. Hell, Kathy was happy. Their family might not be traditional, but it was solid.

  Walking into his kitchen, he found the main reason he’d finally been able to let go of that bitterness cradling a coffee cup in her hands, sipping the strong brew while she watched the dawn break over the mountains. She’d remained in the back when Kathy had come to get the kids, not wanting to cause any more awkwardness than she had the first time they’d met. The kids were excited for their trip and that excitement had been bubbling over all night, with them both talking a mile a minute and not falling into bed until much later than their usual bedtime.

  He pulled her against him, wrapping his arms around her waist and propping his chin on her shoulder to look out the window with her. “I was kind of hoping you’d still be in bed,” he whispered as he dropped a kiss against her neck, relishing how she leaned into him.

  She hummed low in her throat and pressed her rear against his groin. “I thought about it,” she admitted, “but the smell of coffee was too tempting.” Regan placed her mug onto the counter and turned in his arms, looping hers around his neck.

  His cock twitched at the feel of her breasts rubbing against his chest. He slid his hands down and filled them with the globes of her ass. Their night hadn’t gone as planned, but she’d taken his breath away when she’d tiptoed from the bathroom in a slip of red silk so tantalizing he’d nearly come right then and there. She’d kept shushing him, concerned that the kids would hear and come running.

  The memories filled him with warmth and made him rock hard. He was never going to forget seeing her in that nightie, a smile on her face as she whispered what she wanted to do.

  Spending the entire day wrapped up in this woman was the only thing he could think of. “Are you sure I can’t offer you something more tempting?”

  Regan rubbed against him and nibbled on his jaw. “Maybe. But it’s really good coffee.”

  “Tease.” His hand landed with a loud smack against her backside, making her laugh.

  Stepping out of his arms, she reached for her mug again. “I want to talk to you about something.”

  “Sure.” He refused to think about the fact that no good conversation ever started with those words. Instead, he reached around her and grabbed his own mug, filling it with coffee.

  She led the way to the living room, pulling the drapes back so they could see the lake with the mountains beyond. When she was close enough, he caught her hand and tugged her down onto the sofa with him. “What’s going on?” he asked. Her nervousness was rolling off her in waves and it was making him nervous and deflating his erection a bit. There’d been enough surprises in the past couple of days that he didn’t want to wait for her to finally work up the courage to say whatever it was she had on her mind.

  Taking her mug, he placed it on the coffee table before arranging them so her back was pressed against his chest and she sat between his thighs. He slowly stroked his thumbs along her neck, gently easing the corded muscles there. “Whatever it is, just say it.” He moved down to her shoulders and continued to knead the muscles as she let her head fall back and thud against his chest.

  “That feels so good,” she murmured, twisting to place a small kiss on the hand closest to her mouth.

  “I know something else that feels even better,” he joked, trying to help ease some of her tension. He cleared his throat, desperate to get this conversation moving so he could carry her back to the bedroom. “Whatever it is, just say it so we can get back to your seduction. I want to try that massage oil on you.”

  Regan melted into him, letting his hands roam over her. Taking it as a good sign he moved to her front, sliding his fingertips under her shirt and up her ribcage.

  “You aren’t helping me figure out how to say this.”

  “I’m not trying to help,” he told her, trailing kisses along her shoulder where her shirt had slipped to expose the collarbone. “I’m trying to seduce you, but if you didn’t know that, I must not be as good at it as you are.”

  She huffed out a laugh. “I wasn’t good at it. I was terrified.”

  “Why?” He was baffled by her admission. She had permeated his every thought since he found her in his kitchen, taking care of his kids. There hadn’t been a day since that he didn’t think about her and wish he was spending time with her.

  She fit him. He obviously hadn’t been doing a good job letting her know how much she’d come to mean to him if she was that uncertain about his reaction to her seduction.

  “Well,” she began, biting her lip, “it’s not something I’ve ever done before.”

  Gavin’s hands slipped off her shoulders. “Seducing someone? You’re kidding. Why?” Regan was a fun person, someone who didn’t have a problem laughing at herself. Sex with her was a full-body affair, so why on earth had she never explored something as simple as wearing a sexy nightgown before?

  Not that he was complaining. Being her first in that aspect sent a shot of lust straight to his groin that had him thinking he might just shatter if she so much as brushed against him.

  Regan laughed and turned to look at him. “You’re kidding, right?”

  Before he had a chance to respond, her phone rang with that shrill train whistle she hadn’t changed yet. She was starting to get used to it. Her eyes cut in the direction of the kitchen where she’d left it, but she didn’t move to answer it. The tension that had left her shoulders was suddenly back and Gavin scowled. Eventually the ringing stopped when her voicemail picked up. “You want to talk about it?”

  “Todd’s been calling.” The way she said it, calm and devoid of any emotion, pricked his interest.

  “What does he want now?”

  “I don’t know. I haven’t listened to any of the messages.”

  Gavin felt the band that had squeezed his chest when she mentioned her ex’s name ease a bit. “Do you think he’s serious about trying to get you back? Or maybe try to apologize again?”

  Regan was shaking her head before he
’d finished. “He tried that when he was here. I heard him out, which is more than I had to do. It doesn’t matter what he wants. I don’t want to talk to him.”

  “Okay.” The moment had changed. There was no way he was going to get her back in the bedroom now. Tucking a strand of hair back behind her ear, he let his fingers linger there, stroking the soft skin along the shell of her ear as he tried to think of something to lighten the mood. “Want to tell me about that shopping trip that had you deciding to try your hand at seduction?”

  Color flooded her face and she bit her lip, but her eyes smiling. “It was quite the shopping trip. Bethany wanted to surprise Connor, so she asked me to go with her. She figured I’d want to get a little something for myself. Or you. Us.”

  He smiled at her stumbling over the words. “I love Bethany.”

  This time she laughed, which made him smile wider. The tension was leaving her shoulders again and she leaned back against his chest and continued her story. “So we all went to the store and Erin tried to get me to buy this black scrap of lace, but Gwen told me your favorite color was red, so— “

  “Wait. My sister was there? I don’t want to hear this story after all.”

  She laughed at him again, picking up his arms to wrap them around herself like she would a blanket. “I’d never bought a teddy before. I thought they were useless.”

  “Trust me, they aren’t useless. It was very, very useful.” The color stayed high in her cheeks as she shook her head, but her smile was smug.

  Regan tucked her head under his chin so he couldn’t see her face. “I always thought it was stupid to spend the money on something like that when it would just end up on the floor after a few minutes.”

  Gavin weighed his words, not sure of the right thing to say. He didn’t consider himself overly adventurous in the bedroom, but he knew what he liked. And Regan fit the bill right down to her willingness to try new things. “It didn’t make you feel sexy? Or,” he struggled to find the right word, “empowered?”