EVEN FROM NINETY-FIVE feet up, Gabe could see Veronica’s wide grin when she touched down on solid ground. He checked the rope one last time, started the easy rappel down and hit the ground thirty seconds later.
“Rope!” he called, tugging it free of the loop above, then stepping aside to let it fall. He turned to see her sitting on a boulder behind him, grin still in place.
“So, did you like it?” he asked.
Her laugh was soft and breathless. “It was kind of amazing.”
“Only kind of?” he teased.
“Yes. And kind of awful. I need a drink, a shower and an orgasm.”
“In that order?”
“Yes.” She took a deep breath and rubbed her hands over her face, laughing again.
“What?” he asked.
“I really like having someone I can finally say that kind of thing to.”
Jesus, he was in deep. He’d gone climbing with a couple of girls before, but watching Veronica set her jaw and conquer that last stretch had made his heart swell and ache. He wanted to tell her he was proud of her, but you couldn’t say that to a woman you’d known for only a couple of weeks. He had nothing to do with how strong she was. And “You’re fucking awesome” wasn’t quite the sentiment he was going for.
So he bit the words back and winked. “You’ve been saving up a lot of filthy thoughts, have you?”
“Maybe.”
“Well, funny enough, I have all those things in my apartment right now. Booze.” He ticked them off on one hand. “A shower. And an orgasm. Maybe even several.”
“All for me?” she squealed.
“I’m seriously hoping you’ll share.”
“Okay, but you’d better not be lying about the liquor. I’m not kidding. And if you have a sippy cup so I can take it in the shower with me, even better.”
He grabbed her hand and tugged her up, giving in to the urge to kiss her beautiful smile. “I’ve got vodka,” he murmured between kisses. “And orange juice. And maybe a thermos.”
“I can work with that.”
Her neck was slick with sweat when he trailed his hand along her skin, and Gabe’s cock started to thicken. He wanted to lick her there. Lick her everywhere.
Someday, if she wanted to climb a few more times, he’d fuck her on the highest rock, under the sun and sky. He wanted that the way he wanted life. To be so utterly alone with her, inside her, the sun and breeze the only thing on their skin.
Someday. Before all the months left to him disappeared.
She got out her phone to take a few pictures of the wall they’d just rappelled down, and Gabe went to go coil ropes. He wasn’t smiling anymore. He didn’t know what to do. He’d meant to tell her the truth today, but it scared him. She’d probably break it off. At the very least, they’d have to have a discussion about where this was heading, and it was heading nowhere. Could he even ask her to be exclusive when it would last for only a few months?
The idea made his muscles tight. He rolled his neck, trying to ease out the knots. He didn’t want to stand by while she dated other guys. Hell, he didn’t even want to imagine moving back to New York and leaving her to have new experiences with other men. Sex. Sex on a hike. Sex and camping. Sex at the top of a climb.
Maybe they could date a little while longer before they had to talk about it at all. Was that manipulating her or just taking it slow? He couldn’t tell anymore.
He finished gathering the rope and they headed back to the rock face where they’d started, then packed up their gear and set off down the trail. Halfway to the trailhead, they passed a rock wall that had been empty during their hike up, but it was swarming with people now. Some stood on the ground controlling ropes that led up to anchors and then down to novice climbers.
“Wait,” Veronica said, “What’s that?”
“Top roping,” he answered.
She stopped in her tracks and stared at the scene for a moment, her eyes widening as each second passed. “What?” she finally gasped. “You mean we could have done that? It’s, like, thirty feet up at the most!”
“Oh, come on. You don’t want to do that. You did a full belay climb! Aren’t you proud of yourself?”
She stared bug-eyed at him, then looked back to the top ropers. “But I could have done that instead!”
“We can do it now if you want.”
“Fuck you!” she yelped.
Gabe tried to look contrite, but he couldn’t quite pull it off when he was laughing. “I’m sorry,” he gasped.
“Liar! You’re not sorry at all!”
“I told you I’d take you climbing, not to what amounts to a climbing gym. You did a real climb and you were a natural, just like I said.”
She glared at him, but all Gabe noticed was that the breeze had finally cooled her off and her nipples were hard beneath her tank top. She shook her head, drawing his gaze back up. “You’re not sorry and you’re ogling my breasts!”
“Okay, you’re right. I’m sorry, but they’re right there!” He gestured toward her nipples, then forced his hand down when he realized that probably wasn’t her point.
She spun and started down the trail, not looking at the climbers as she passed them. Gabe grimaced and hurried to catch up. He really should have kept his eyes above her neck. Especially when she was maybe justifiably angry.
“I’m sorry, Veronica. Really.” The trail widened and he jogged to get even with her.
She shrugged. “Yeah, well. I guess I was pretty amazing.”
“Climbing? Hell, yes, you were.”
“And maybe my breasts are too pretty to resist.”
A heartbeat passed before he realized that the corners of her mouth were tight because she was trying to hide a smile. “Are you screwing with me?”
Her grin was wicked. “Only a little. But you really should have told me about the top roping.”
“I still would’ve talked you into a real climb.”
“Maybe. But since you didn’t ask, you’ll have to make it up to me.”
Lust dropped into his blood with just that one flirtatious sentence. Oh, he was going to make it up to her, all right.
Thank God he’d brought her to the one climb that was close to town. He couldn’t bear a long hike and an even longer drive before he got her alone. He wanted her naked and in his shower right now. She could sip from a drink while he slid soap all over her body. She could soak in the tub while he stroked her cunt. Anything she wanted, just soon.
She got into his truck and crossed her arms tight, smiling at the road as he pulled onto the highway toward town. Gabe’s phone beeped, and he glanced down to see that his dad had sent a text. Shit. He flipped the phone over before she could see it. If she asked about his father, Gabe would have to explain a lot of things that he didn’t want to talk about today. Or tomorrow.
Maybe he could make her understand. They weren’t strangers anymore. They shared secrets and pleasure and trust.
He rolled his shoulders and tried to set the idea aside. He owed her something good tonight; he’d think about all this other shit some other time.
“Do you want to grab something to eat?” he asked.
“Drinks. Shower. Orgasm,” she replied. “I don’t have time for food.”
“Maybe we could order a pizza later?” he suggested.
“That sounds perfect. You’re really good at this whole seduction thing.”
“Hmm.” He shot her a doubtful look, trying to cover that he’d felt a shock of guilt at her words. “I’m not sure it can be called a seduction when I’m being ordered to sex you up.”
“Right. Just shut up and drive.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said with complete enthusiasm. “Anything new you want to learn tonight?”
He glanced over just in time to catch the blush that stole over her cheeks. She didn’t look at him. Her crossed arms tightened against her chest. “I want to suck your cock again,” she said.
Gabe nearly groaned. His foot pressed more firmly to the accelerator.
“Other than that,” she said softly, “I’ll leave it up to you.”
His hands went a little numb on the steering wheel, so he forced himself to loosen his grip. He was hard as a rock already. “I want you to suck my cock,” he said, lust shooting through him as he said vulgar words to this sweet girl. “And then I want you on top of me. I want to watch you ride me.”
She drew a deep breath before she nodded. “Yes. I’ll do that.”
He rolled his shoulders again, trying to get control of his body. They’d be in town in five minutes and at his place in ten. He couldn’t get out of the car this way, not at four in the afternoon.
He wasn’t sure what it was about her that turned him on like crazy. It wasn’t her inexperience. He didn’t give a shit about that kind of thing. Maybe it was her enthusiasm. Her strange mix of self-consciousness and knowledge. It made him want to show her every wicked thing. To watch her lick her lips in anticipation even as her face turned pink.
His line of thought wasn’t helping. He shifted in his seat and cleared his throat. Veronica glanced at him, mouth curving into a naughty smile.
“Shut up,” he growled. “This is your fault.”
“Good.”
He laughed despite the ache in his cock, but his laughter ended when her hand slid onto his thigh.
“Don’t,” he groaned.
“Don’t what?” she asked as her fingers slipped up to stroke over the bulge in his shorts.
He didn’t have the heart to tell her to stop.
“I’ve written plenty of times that women shouldn’t feel flattered about this kind of thing, but...I love how hard you get for me. It thrills me. Don’t tell anyone I said that.” Her hand pressed harder against his cock, the pleasure both a relief and a torment.
“I won’t,” he promised.
“I love it,” she whispered. He slid a little farther down in his seat and her fingers tightened around him as much as they could through the shorts.
“Me, too,” he moaned.
She laughed and let him go, and he desperately wanted to pull over and make her do it some more. He wanted to tell her to take it out and stroke it, right there in the car. Wanted to watch her bright eyes spark with wickedness as she told him they shouldn’t and then she did it, anyway.
But now they were at the outskirts of town, and she probably didn’t want her name in the paper quite like that. Local Advice Columnist Arrested for Public Indecency. Though it would destroy any doubts about her sexual experience.
Gabe concentrated on navigating through town. Veronica smiled out at the streets. It was a close call, but by the time he pulled into his parking space, he was calm enough to get out of the car and unload the gear.
She stopped him with a hand on his arm. “Thank you. For today.”
“You’re welcome.”
“I was really scared, but I wanted to do it, anyway.”
He set down the bag he’d picked up and turned to give her a hug. “It’s supposed to be scary,” he said. “That’s why climbers do harder and harder climbs. To feel that adrenaline again. To push past their fear and instincts.”
“Really?” she breathed against his chest.
“Really.”
She nodded and he let her go, but she still looked uncertain. “I got a letter yesterday that scared me.”
Gabe’s hackles rose. “Threatening?”
“No, not like that. It was from a high school kid who felt like he didn’t want to live anymore.”
“Jesus,” Gabe breathed, alarm spiking through his body. “What did you do?”
She shrugged. “The only thing I could do. He’d used a temporary email address, so I consulted with a therapist and then posted an answer on my site. I hope he sees it.”
“He’ll see it. He wrote to you because he wanted help.”
“Do you think so?” she whispered.
He touched her face, but she didn’t look up at him. “I told you about yesterday. My first rescue situation.”
“Yeah.”
“I was fine until I got down there and saw how scared those people were. In pain and freezing and terrified. That was when it hit me that I could really help them, and that if I screwed up, I’d make everything so much worse.”
She shook her head. “I don’t know how you do that.”
He shrugged. “It was scary, but it was what I was there for. It’s what you’re there for, too. And I think what you deal with is a hell of a lot more frightening than a broken ankle. You’re scared because you’re taking it seriously and you care.”
She laughed. “Is that why I’m scared? I thought it was because I was scared of everything.”
“You do a good job of hiding it.”
“Yeah,” she breathed. “I’m good at that.”
“You’re good at a lot of things,” he said, not meaning it as a flirtation, but she looked up at him with a wicked smile and his mind immediately turned toward the shower that was only a few dozen feet away.
“I’m a quick learner,” she promised.
“Then let’s get your ass inside.”
She grabbed one of the bags and held out a hand. “Lead the way.” He did.
Some part of his brain was aware that the knob turned too easily under his key, but he was too distracted by Veronica’s naughty smile to be alarmed. The shower was only a dozen feet away now, and—
The door swung open. Someone rushed at him. And suddenly the wrong woman was in his arms.
“Gabe!” she shrieked, jumping up and hitting him with her full weight as she wrapped her arms and legs around him. He stumbled back under the assault, twisting to avoid bodychecking Veronica. His assailant’s bright red hair swung into his eyes.
“Naomi?” he gasped.
“Surprise!” she yelled as another woman stepped out of his apartment and waved.
His sister was here. And she’d brought a friend.
Oh, shit. His gaze slid to Veronica’s round eyes and slack jaw.
He shook his head, but there was no stopping this now. His family had dropped straight into Veronica’s lap. And the truth couldn’t be far behind.
* * *
THE MOST GORGEOUS WOMAN in the entire world was wrapped around Gabe’s body and clinging like a vine. Or maybe the second woman standing in his doorway was the most gorgeous woman in the world. Definitely one of them was and both were focused on Gabe.
The woman draped around Gabe tossed her head and laughed, her long red hair swinging back as if she was in a shampoo commercial. “Are you surprised?” she shrieked.
Yes. Veronica was surprised. And starting to feel a little sick.
Gabe wasn’t her boyfriend. She knew that. But she’d kind of been pretending that he would be.
Still, he was free to date other women at this point. Just...just not someone so utterly stunning.
The laughing redhead was disentangling herself from Gabe now as he gasped out, “Naomi?” one more time.
God, she even had a beautiful name. And as she put her feet down and stood straight, the beauty just kept going. In her heels, she was as tall as Gabe, maybe even taller. She wore red pumps and the tightest jeans Veronica had ever seen, which only made her impossibly long legs longer.
“What are you doing here?” Gabe asked, his eyes darting from Veronica to Naomi and back again. “You said maybe next week.”
“I missed you and I wanted to surprise you. Surprise!”
Yes, Veronica was definitely feeling sick now. This girl had missed Gabe. He’d just moved here. She was his ex from Cincinnati. Or not his ex. Veronica backed up a step. She was his girlfriend from Cincinnati.
“Oh, my God,” Naomi groaned, “You’re not even happy to see me. It’s been nine months!”
His girlfriend from somewhere else.
“I am happy to see you—I just...” His gaze focused on Veronica again, and Naomi’s eyes followed the path.
“Well, hello,” she said, looping her arm through Gabe’s and swinging him around to face Veronica. They looked like a team. A couple. “Who’s this?” she asked with a smile.
Veronica took another step back.
Gabe shook his head. “This is Veronica,” he answered. “Veronica, this is my sister Naomi. Apparently, she came to surprise me.”
Veronica had already taken another step back before she registered his words. “Your what?” she murmured, but her confusion was interrupted by the giant beautiful creature rushing forward to wrap Veronica in a hug. “Are you Gabe’s girlfriend?” she cooed.
“No! I mean...no, I...”
“Naomi, leave her alone,” Gabe said. “And tell me what the hell you’re doing here.”
“You said I could come.” She let Veronica go and shrugged at her brother, though she kept one slender arm slung around Veronica’s shoulder.
Gabe ran a hand through his wind-mussed hair, making it stick up in even stranger directions. “I assumed you would let me know in advance. You know, in case I had plans.”
Naomi stuck out her bottom lip. “Well, jeez. We can go stay at a hotel if you want.”
At the word we, Gabe looked toward the doorway. “Hello, Monique.”
Monique waved her fingers and smiled as if she showed up on people’s doorsteps every day and it had never been a problem before. It probably hadn’t. Who would turn her away? She was just as tall as Gabe’s sister and just as stunning. Her brown skin glowed with perfect health. Her black hair stood out in wild twists, and while a style like that would’ve made Veronica look like a madwoman, it somehow lent Monique’s face a delicate perfection.
And Gabe knew her name.
Veronica stopped herself from backing all the way to the sidewalk so she could bolt toward home, but it was a close call. She was dressed in sweaty hiking clothes, and her face felt greasy with sunscreen. She couldn’t imagine what her hair looked like, since she’d had to clip it back with three barrettes to keep it out of her face for the climb. She felt ugly, dirty and about four feet tall next to these elegant women. The perfect height to look up Monique’s very short white dress.
“Maybe we should—” Gabe started, but he stopped speaking when Naomi swept Veronica closer and directed her into Gabe’s apartment.
“How did you get into my place?” he sputtered, as if he’d just recognized that there’d been a little breaking and entering.
“Oh, please.” Naomi waved a hand. “You always keep a spare key nearby. I found it above the patio door frame. Not very smart, little brother.”
“Believe me,” he muttered, “it won’t happen again.”
Naomi finally let Veronica go, and Veronica found herself rocking a little unsteadily without the support.
“Would you like a beer?” Gabe’s sister asked, already breezing toward the kitchen, her heels clicking against the wood floors of his apartment.
Veronica nodded, then looked questioningly at Gabe. He looked a little horrified, but not nearly as shocked as Veronica was. I’m sorry, he mouthed as Veronica felt a cold bottle pressed into her hand. She murmured a thank-you and then sucked down half of the ice-cold beer.
“How long are you staying?” he asked.
“Just a few days. I’ve got a shoot uptown next week. I’m sorry, Gabe, but I couldn’t handle Dad anymore. I had to get out of there. He brought home burgers every night and then acted hurt when I wouldn’t eat. I told him I’m showing fall collections all month and I can’t afford not to fit into the damn clothes. All he wanted to do was talk about the next MacKenzie’s location. It was like he was trying to lure me to the dark side with grease. Mom sent cookies, by the way.” She waved toward the kitchen, and the motion of her hand sent Veronica’s head spinning.
Uptown. Fall collection. Showings.
No.
She looked at Naomi again, then Monique, who’d plopped down onto the couch to scroll through her phone.
They were tall and perfect and thin. They couldn’t eat burgers. They had to fit into clothes.
Oh, my God.
“Can you excuse us for a moment?” she heard Gabe say. He took her elbow and led her toward the open door of his bedroom.
“Sure,” Naomi called. “You two have fun.”
Veronica heard him close the door behind her. She shook her head, trying to clear the cobwebs that had draped over her brain. “They’re models,” she murmured.
“I’m so, so sorry, Veronica. You have to believe me.” He pulled her into his arms and tucked her head under his chin.
“Your sister is a fashion model.”
“Yes,” he said.
“In New York.”
“Sometimes.”
Veronica’s mind was working again and it kept turning things over and finding new details that she did not want to see. “MacKenzie’s,” she whispered.
Gabe didn’t have a response for that. She felt his chest rise beneath her as he inhaled.
She put her hand up and pushed him back until he let her go. “MacKenzie’s,” she repeated. “As in the famous New York burger place?”
He winced and let out a long breath before he answered. “Yeah.”
“You said you lived in New York when you were a kid.”
His head dipped in a careful nod. “I did. I left when I was eighteen. My family is still there, but I haven’t lived there in thirteen years.”
“Oh.” The cold creeping up her fingers reminded her she was still holding the beer and she downed the rest of it. She wasn’t quite sure why she felt so hurt. She couldn’t get mad at him for where he was from, could she? But she was mad. She’d trusted him. Trusted that she could be awkward and honest and uncertain with him, because his world hadn’t been filled with girls like the ones who were lounging on his couch right now. Girls who were everything Veronica had never been. “I didn’t know,” she finally managed to say.
“That’s not my life,” he said, and she could hear the pleading in those words.
“But...” She frowned. “Did you keep that from me on purpose? When I talked about the city, you never said anything about your parents living there. You didn’t say anything about MacKenzie’s. I mean, that’s kind of big. Everybody goes there. I’ve been there!”
He paced over to the window of his bedroom and then back. She was in his bedroom for the first time and she wasn’t even sure she should bother looking around. She might never be here again.
“Okay,” he started. “When we met, I played it down on purpose, because Lauren introduced us like we had Manhattan in common. I didn’t want to encourage it. I didn’t want to date a girl from Manhattan.”
She nodded. He’d already told her most of that.
“And then... I don’t know. We haven’t talked much about our families yet.”
“We talked about the city,” she cut in.
He tipped his head in acknowledgment. “I’m sorry. It was wrong not to be more up-front about it. It seemed like you’d think of me as one of those guys you dated in New York. And you didn’t like any of those guys.”
She hugged her arms tight together and tried to figure out what she felt. It wasn’t his fault that she’d revealed so much of herself right from the start. It wasn’t as if he’d demanded to know everything about her and then he’d refused to say anything about himself. “Why did you leave?” she asked. The question so many people had asked her. The thing she’d lied about a hundred times.
“Because it wasn’t the right place for me. I don’t hate it. I could imagine living there. It’s where I grew up and almost everyone I love is there. But if I had a choice, I’d choose this.”
That was what really mattered, wasn’t it? He couldn’t help where he was from. Hell, there wasn’t even anything wrong with New York; it just intimidated her, and she didn’t want to be intimidated by Gabe.
“Your sister is a New York model,” she said flatly.
“She’s really nice, though.”
Yes, Veronica could see that. “Tell me that you never dated Monique.”
“Never,” he said, then added, “ever,” with a hopeful smile.
“Did you date any of her other model friends?” Veronica hated the sullenness in her voice, but that was how she felt. Sullen. It was childish, but true.
He cleared his throat. “I dated one of her friends when I was eighteen. For maybe two weeks.”
If Gabe hadn’t been watching, she would have lifted her fists to the sky and shaken them, cursing God or the moon or the Fates.
“Other than that,” he continued, “I’ve never shared the same interests with Naomi’s friends. Or Naomi. But I love her to death.”
Right. That beautiful, intimidating creature was his sister.
Veronica felt suddenly guilty. She was sure that Naomi and her friends were perfectly lovely. Veronica just...kind of didn’t want them to be lovely. She wanted them to be awful. Which made her feel even worse.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “This isn’t the way I would’ve explained, obviously. I was thinking today that I needed to tell you about my family. I wasn’t going to keep it from you forever. I just told myself that we’d barely started dating, so it was okay.”
She nodded. “It is okay. I understand. We hardly know each other.”
“I wouldn’t say that.”
She smiled despite her tension. “I should go.”
“No, don’t go. Hang out with us.”
“Gabe, I’m sweaty and dirty and bruised and I’m wearing this.” She swept a hand up and down her body. “I’m leaving.”
“Fuck, this is not how I wanted this day to end. Not even close.”
“Me, neither.” She looked at his bed and wanted to kick it. She should have been naked and in his shower by now. This wasn’t fair at all. Her muscles were already starting to stiffen from the climb.
“I’m going to go take a bath,” she said.
“I could come over and help?” he suggested.
“No, have fun with your sister.” And Monique, her shitty, insecure brain added. She reached behind her for the knob and pulled the door open. “I’ll talk to you later.”
She turned before he could talk her into staying and called out, “Nice meeting you!” as she hurried through the living room. She started jogging as soon as she hit the sidewalk, and she was home in two minutes and shutting the door hard behind her. Her apartment felt dark and safe and lonely. It was free of Gabe and beautiful women and what he might be thinking about them.
But when she rushed to the fridge to grab a bottle of wine, she saw her notes and felt immediately ashamed.
#4—Stop being afraid.
She’d actually run home as if she’d been terrorized by those perfectly lovely women. All because she was afraid that Gabe would like them more. That wasn’t normal, was it? What the hell was wrong with her?
When thirty seconds of hard thought didn’t solve the riddle for her, she decided wine and a hot bath couldn’t hurt anything. An unquestionably less satisfying plan than the one she’d hatched at the bottom of that climb, but it would have to do.
She deeply regretted the loss of the orgasms Gabe had promised her, but as she eased her sore body into the hot bathwater, she wondered if this was just as good. She moaned so loudly she was afraid her neighbors might hear, then decided she didn’t care. It felt too damn perfect.
The wine and water soaked warmth into her muscles and she slid deeper into the tub, letting go of her tension.
She didn’t want Gabe to be a man who was used to hanging out with models. She didn’t want him to be someone who loved the city that had scared her so much. But he probably didn’t want her to be the type of girl who felt jealous and insecure, so maybe neither of them was perfect.
“No, wait,” she murmured. “That’s all me.” She laughed and sipped her wine, stretching her tired feet under the water. He’d been pretty damn perfect from the start. Or maybe not.
Her insecurities were all her fault, but Gabe was at fault, too. He’d withheld information that he’d known was important. A mistake, but not an unforgivable one, not this early in their relationship. Assuming she wanted it to continue.
She rolled her eyes at her own thought. There was no doubt she wanted it to continue. If she’d written in to her own column, she knew the advice she’d give. Have you told him all of your secrets? Did you sweep all the skeletons out of your closet on the first date and let him examine each one? Just because he gave you your first good lay doesn’t mean you’re married. Lighten up.
Lighten up. And stop being scared. There was good news to be had here. Gabe had spent time around the sophisticated women of Manhattan. He’d hung out with models. Hell, maybe he’d even had sex with them. And he liked Veronica.
“Don’t be flattered that a man wants to have sex with you,” she said aloud.
She sunk her head under the water to wet her hair. “Yeah, right,” she sputtered when she came up. She was so flattered she was squirming.
When the water grew cold, she forced herself out of the tub. It was still early. She could get some work done.
“Sure,” she muttered, “I’ll work instead of getting fucked a few times. That’ll be great.” Yeah, the bath definitely hadn’t washed away that bitterness.
She put on her feeling-sorry-for-herself clothes: yoga pants and a big sweatshirt. Then she found her phone. Her heart skipped at the sight of two missed texts from Gabe, but it fell to the pit of her stomach when she read the first.
We’re going out tonight with some of my friends. Come with? The second one had arrived a few minutes later. Please?
She didn’t want to go. She could be weird and awkward around Gabe, but she didn’t want to be herself in front of his friends, and she didn’t have the energy to be edgy Dear Veronica tonight. But the idea of sitting around her lonely apartment without Gabe was too much to bear.
She wrote back before she could overthink it. You promised me drinks and orgasms. I doubt I’ll get the latter at a bar.
His reply buzzed within seconds. Drinks first, then orgasms, I promise.
You already promised that, and look where I am right now. She pouted at the phone.
Where are you right now? he asked.
She looked down at her fleece and the pink fuzzy socks she wore. I just got out of the bath.
Oh, God. You didn’t come yet, did you?
She laughed, imagining husky desperation in his words. Not YET, no...
Please, he wrote. Tonight.
With your sister in the next room?
The phone stayed silent for a long moment, and then his reply appeared. I’ll give Naomi and Monique my bed for tonight if you’re willing to share yours?
“God,” she sighed. She wanted that so much. Wanted Gabe in her bed, making love to her until she fell asleep and then waking her with more later.
My bed’s kind of small for a big man like you.
We’ll cuddle, he answered.
Laughing, she collapsed onto her bed and wished he were there already. All right. I’ll see you tonight.
As soon as he sent the details about the plans, her anxiety returned, but this time instead of indulging it, Veronica jumped to her feet and stormed into the kitchen. She jerked open the drawer, got out her marker and paper, and wrote a new note.
“Perfect,” she growled as she slapped it onto the fridge and used her last magnet to hold it in place.
#5—Have a little fucking confidence and enjoy yourself for once.
She was not going to be defeated by New York City. Not this time.