Chapter 16

Saturday evening, Gavin glanced around Zoe’s fancy work party, holding a glass of punch in his hands. The nonalcoholic kind, available because apparently he wasn’t the only person who didn’t want to booze it up. Then again, with the many doctors hanging around the place, it made sense some of them might have to be sober if on call.

“So, Gavin. Nice to see you again.” Mark Swanson—his archenemy. Not really, but he felt the need to laugh.

“Igor. How’s it hanging?”

Swanson blinked. “Igor?”

“The brains behind the Frankenstein outfit, or so I once witnessed during an incredibly bad musical about the guy, the doctor, and a bean.”

“Ah. So I’m not the only one who was forced to watch Frank Got Beans But Igor Got Brains. A theatrical masterpiece, or a mistake? You decide.”

Gavin blinked. “You saw that?”

“My sister forced me to go as her date many, many years ago. Sadly, hers stood her up when he realized she planned to watch a musical. Of course, the guy was sixteen and had better taste than amateur theater. I wanted to scrape my own eyes and ears out after the spectacle.”

Gavin laughed. “It was awful. My mom made me go because my little brother played the part of the bean.”

Swanson actually cracked a smile. “Does he still act?”

“Hell no. Thank God. Just graduated high school a few years ago. He’s figuring out what to do next.”

“A rough age.” Swanson nodded, then glanced around. “I take it you’re here with Zoe?”

“Yep. She’s…mingling.”

“She’s good at that. Keeps the peace around here often enough.” He grimaced when Cleo Brewer walked by. “Unlike others.” Beyond the loathing in the guy’s eyes, Gavin saw heated interest. So, that’s the way the wind blows, eh, Swanson?

“But she’s so tiny,” he said, lifting his glass at Cleo. “How can she make trouble?”

Swanson raised a brow. “You’ve met her, and you have to ask?”

Zoe’s friend had a mouth on her Gavin appreciated. “Good point.”

“So what do you do at the gym, Gavin? I know you were a Marine.”

“Am a Marine.”

“Excuse me?”

“Haven’t you heard, once a Marine, always a Marine?”

“No, but then, I’ve been stuck in business and medical texts for way too much of my life, it seems. I tend to miss a lot.”

Gavin considered the guy. Medical texts? “Are you a doctor? I thought Zoe said you were a clinic manager.”

“I am. I tried a year of medical school before realizing it wasn’t my thing. So I went back for a master’s in business. Now I’m invested in the medical group, doing my best to get rid of our laggy procedures. Our clinics are top-notch.”

“So I hear.” Zoe loved her job. “But you know, you don’t look like you spend too much time in books. You look like you work out.”

“It helps me balance. The job can get stressful.”

“I’ll bet. Being in the Corps, exercise was part of the job. But I’ve found it really helps me deal with everything better.”

Swanson nodded. “Exactly. There are so many benefits to exercise and good nutrition. I’m not talking diet fads or fitting into pant sizes. I’m talking about the coexistence of physical and mental well-being.”

“Huh. Makes sense.”

As Swanson continued to preach, Gavin agreed with everything the guy had to say, adding his own two cents from what he’d learned in the Corps and seen at the gym. Shocker, but Swanson wasn’t such a loser after all. And he didn’t seem to be panting after Zoe, so Gavin didn’t have to hurt him. Another bonus.

“I’m so sorry, Gavin,” Zoe apologized as she breezed up to them. “Dr. Garrison would not leave me alone.”

“Want me to shove his head through a wall?” Gavin asked lightly. Meaning it.

She blinked. Swanson narrowed his eyes.

“Ah, no. He was actually badgering me, in a good way, about some training concerns. But I told him to talk to Mark.” She smiled at Swanson. “You’re welcome.”

“Yep. A real ballbuster.” He grunted and turned to leave. “Oh, Gavin, if you ever feel like a game of racquetball, let me know. I’d love to continue our conversation. You have a real head for exercise science, you know. Some great ideas in an area I’ve been pursuing with one of our CEOs. I’d like to talk to you again about it.”

“Thanks. Great. Yeah, I’m game for racquetball. Never played, but it can’t be hard to learn.” He held up his drink in salute as Swanson left, then turned to see Zoe staring at him. “What?”

“Did Mark just ask you out?”

“Shut up, Zoe.”

She laughed, wearing some clingy thing she called an A-line skirt and a silk blouse he wanted to peel off her shoulders, then lick his way down to her creamy center. Better than a Twinkie any day, and that was saying something.

“Gavin. Stop looking at me like that.”

“Like what?”

“Like you want to take me into the nearest closet and do me.”

“Oh? And where would that nearest closet be?” he teased. The Hotel Monaco was a pretty fancy place. The party had gourmet appetizers, high-end booze, and classy service. No question the medical group wanted to hold on to their people, as Zoe had told him on the way over. Nothing but the best for the doctors and staff at SMP Medical.

With Zoe running all over the place hobnobbing with folks, he’d had little to do but look pretty standing next to her. Then she’d gone off to talk to someone else, one of her bosses.

So except for his time with Swanson, Gavin had been bored stiff.

But Zoe had asked him to come. She’d made it seem like no big deal if he didn’t want to, but Gavin took it as a sign she wasn’t embarrassed to be seen with him. Sure, he was good looking. But she wanted him around her brainy friends and coworkers. She introduced him like he was God’s gift to fitness, respect in her voice, warmth in her gaze.

His stomach fluttered as he looked into her eyes. So fucking beautiful. And his.

The unworthy thoughts he continued to have came less of late. He thought he might finally be getting over the past. Even the lone nightmare he’d had last week hadn’t been so bad. Because Zoe erased the past, promising a future.

He hoped.

God, he hoped.

She continued to stare at him. Then she nodded and plucked a glass of champagne and a napkin from a tray going by. “Follow me. I was here earlier and found out where they’re keeping our coats. In a small closet in the back. But there’s a restroom near it that’s not too crowded.”

“Oh, sure.” Gavin followed her down the side hall toward the restrooms. Then she turned again. “Before that, let me show you something.”

With any luck, her etchings, he thought with amusement.

She turned once more, and he wondered where the hell they were going. This seemed like a section of more conference rooms, from the map he’d seen earlier. “Um, Zoe?”

“Almost there.” She headed for a door that looked slightly ajar. Then she opened it to reveal a large, dark room set with long tables and chairs. As he’d figured, a conference room.

She pulled him in with her, then shut the door behind them. Except for the faint light from the hallway under the door and the exit sign above it, he couldn’t see too much. But Zoe had been cast in a faint red light, and adjusting to the darkness, he could make her out no problem.

“O-kay.” Gavin glanced around. “So what did you want to show me?”

She sighed, then reached under her skirt and stepped out of her panties. “Do I need to spell it out for you?”

He stared, wide-eyed. “Um, no. Not at all.” Suddenly rock hard and ready, he took her drink with his and set them down on a nearby table, then came back to her and unzipped his pants.

“No, let me. You deserve it.”

“I do?” He moaned when she crouched in front of him and took his dick between her lips. In a darkened hotel conference room anyone could walk into? Jesus. “Oh, I do.” He watched her bob over him, pulled back her hair to see her more clearly, then started fucking her mouth.

His personal fantasy come to life.

She closed her eyes, her lashes thick shadows on her cheeks as she blew him. And fuck, those ripe lips sure the hell hugged him in all the right ways. Ready to come, and from a few tugs of her mouth. She stroked him with her tongue, and he jerked.

Zoe gave a low moan.

“Not yet,” he whispered, more to himself than to her. He stopped her with a hand to her shoulder, then pulled out. “Turn around and bend over.”

She licked her lips and looked up at him. So damn sexy. Smiling, she rose and slowly pulled her tight skirt up over her hips, exposing that perfect ass.

He prodded her to step away from the wall and bend over, then widened her stance. With her skirt around her waist, she had more room to move.

And after shoving down his pants and underwear, so did he.

Gavin was breathing hard, trying to be quiet, and so turned on it hurt. “You ready for me, baby?” he whispered as he prodded her pussy from behind.

So hot. He pushed, slowly, and had no trouble sliding inside her. “Touch yourself. Get off when I fill you up,” he ordered.

She reached down, pleasuring herself.

“Stroke that tight little clit,” he growled. “Harder.”

Gavin fucked her. Rapid strokes in and out as he pumped into his lover. Her breathing grew choppy, her tiny moans louder.

“Shh. Quiet, Mistress, or someone will hear us. You ready to come, baby? Because I’m just about there.”

“Yes, yes,” she hissed and rocked back, slamming into him. And then she must have come, because her body clamped down hard, and she shuddered.

Gavin had reached his end. “Fuck.” He gripped her hips tight while he came, the climax stretching out while he gave her everything he had. He couldn’t have said why he was so shaken, but when he withdrew from her, he felt unsteady.

She took the napkin he’d settled over the champagne glass and wiped herself, not looking at him. Zoe stepped back into her panties, straightening her skirt and clothes, then flipped her hair back.

She looked like a siren, her lips shiny, her eyes sparkling, smiling, bathed in the faint red light from above.

He just stared at her, bemused.

“Here. Let me tuck you in.” She gently put his cock back into his underwear, swiped a finger through his slit, then licked it.

“Zoe.” He kissed her while she set the rest of his clothes to rights. When he pulled back, he continued to stare down at her, unable to look away.

“Gavin?”

“Yes?” he answered, his voice as hushed as hers.

“I love you.” Her eyes widened, as if surprising herself. “You don’t have to say it back. I just wanted you to know.”

Then, before he could even think of how to respond, she pushed open the door and left him alone with a dozen empty tables and chairs in the darkened room. Just a glass of champagne, a cup of punch, and a dirty napkin for company.

* * *

Gavin didn’t say much to Zoe on the ride back to her house after the party. She didn’t know if she’d freaked him out or what, but she’d had to tell him. She couldn’t keep it in any longer. He’d been so patient, so great about coming with her to a work party. No complaints, no acting wounded or jealous surrounded by a bunch of pompous doctors and heads of departments. Just a sweetheart who supported her. Had she said the word, she knew he really would have put Garrison’s head through the wall.

But now, in the privacy of her home, she didn’t know if she’d done the wrong thing.

“Are you okay?” she asked him.

He didn’t speak, just walked down the hallway, stripping out of his sport coat, shirt, and tie. Talk about looking like a million bucks. He was hot in shorts and T-shirts. But in a suit? She’d had to tell more than one person at the party to keep their grubby hands to themselves. Yeah, because that’s how Zoe 2.0 rolled. No messing with her man. Telling him she loved him after boning him at the company party in a dark room. Classy all the way.

She covered her eyes. No more drinks for her at work. Oh God.

Yet she couldn’t blame the alcohol on her need to be honest with Gavin. He meant so much to her. She was done playing it safe. The time had come to put her heart on the line. Go big or go home. WWAD? Yeah, her sister would be proud of her for sharing herself, for experiencing love and taking a risk.

She kicked off her heels, yet her steps grew smaller as she moved to accept the repercussions from taking that big risk.

When she reached the bedroom, she wasn’t prepared to get jumped.

She shrieked as Gavin grabbed her in his arms and proceeded to seduce her. More like ravage her. He didn’t say a word. He just kissed her, stripping her out of her clothes with a fierceness that shocked and delighted her. Then he had her on the bed, and he was pounding into her while he stared into her eyes. He never looked away, and his honest need aroused her unbearably.

She came just as he did. His carnal agony lit her up, and she squeezed him tight and dragged him down for another kiss. She nipped his lip, tasted blood, and kept kissing him, only coming up for air when he let her.

Time meant nothing as they rolled around, tasting, touching. He had her on her hands and knees, his fist in her hair dragging her head back, the bite of pain both scary and fulfilling at the same time. Then he took her harder, hammering while he said naughty, raunchy things about what he planned to do to her for their encore.

She came crying his name, barely able to stay upright. But he didn’t come. Instead he pulled out and flipped her onto her back.

“We’re not done,” he growled.

And round three started.

She lost track of time after that.

But sometime in the morning, with the sun shining through her window, she woke to a gentle kiss on her lips, a hand stroking her hair. “Gavin?” She blinked her eyes open.

He smiled, his gaze soft. “Hey, baby. I have to get to the gym. I’m on today. I’ll see you later, okay?”

“Hmm. Love you.”

He didn’t answer. And then he was gone, and Zoe went back to sleep.

* * *

Gavin didn’t know how to feel, so he concentrated on work. He helped those at the gym, worked through some training clients, did his own reps and a short three-mile run—for speed, not endurance.

But the run only made it easier to think about Zoe and her scary-ass confession.

I love you.

Well, fuck. Hadn’t he been feeling the same for awhile now? So in love with the witchy black-haired woman that he’d do anything to make her happy? She talked about Aubrey with tears in her eyes and a smile. She confronted pushy doctors and put them in their place. She’d totally taken on his family and conquered Linda, for God’s sake. The queen of victory had actually conceded the win to Zoe.

So unselfish, so sweet, so cute in her bloodthirsty need to trounce him at something, then taunt him about losing.

How could he not love a woman like that?

But he was scared to tell her the truth of his feelings. To open himself and give her his whole heart—because it wasn’t whole yet. He still hadn’t talked to Nicole, still hadn’t gotten the closure that might finally allow him to put his past to rights. How could he give Zoe any less than all of him? He needed to talk to Lee again. He might have gone to Ava, but he didn’t want her talking about him to Landon. He knew she’d try not to, but she worried about him almost as much as his big brother did.

No, he didn’t want to pressure Ava with his issues. He wanted to stop being a damn pussy and just meet Nicole for lunch. Something simple, where they could share stories about the guys, laugh, maybe cry a little because yeah, they all missed them. Then they’d all move on, Gavin would realize even fucked-up dudes needed love, and he’d get the balls to talk Zoe into a more committed relationship.

Hell, as it was, they spent all their time together. He practically lived at her place, and going out and doing fun stuff together wasn’t cheap. He needed to figure out what to do with the rest of his life, career-wise. He had a few thoughts about that, but he’d been putting everything off, knowing he needed to be settled in his mind first.

“Yo, Gavin. You got a minute?” Mac asked, and Gavin realized he’d run a good mile past his three-mile cutoff.

“Sure.” Gavin slowed the machine to a walk, then stopped it and stepped off.

Mac handed him his towel, and he dried off his sweat and guzzled his water bottle.

“Mac?”

Mac was staring at him. “Oh…sorry. You look good, Gavin. A little frazzled, as usual, but not like you used to be.”

Gavin shook his head.

Mac frowned. “What?”

“Mac, I hate to tell you this, but I’m not interested. I have a girl, and I’m pretty sure Maggie loves you. If you left her for me, it would break her heart. Plus, I hear Elliot already called dibs.”

“You are such an asshole.” Mac scowled.

Gavin laughed. “That’s what they say.”

“Follow me, shithead.” Mac hustled away from the main gym down the corridor toward his office.

Gavin followed, hoping he hadn’t done anything to piss Mac off, yet not really caring, his mind too full of Zoe and how to make things right with her.

“Sit down.”

“You don’t outrank me, Top.” Top—what Marines called master sergeants in the Marine Corps.

“Funny. Sit your ass down, please.”

“Okay. But I’m kind of sweaty. But maybe you like that, some Gavin left in your office after I’m gone, so you won’t miss me as much. Kinky, but okay.”

Mac threw up his hands. “Fine, stand.” He started laughing. “You are such a pain in my ass.”

“I live to serve.” He saluted, then started stretching so he wouldn’t tighten up.

Mac rounded the desk and leaned against the wall, watching him. “Maggie thinks I should fire you.”

Gavin froze. “What?” What had he done to annoy Mac’s cute little wife? He couldn’t think of a thing.

“I know, right? She’s insane. But don’t tell her I said that. She’s pregnant, and her hormones are all over the place.”

Gavin sat on the floor, his legs outstretched though he no long reached for his feet. “Did I do something wrong?”

“No, no. Shit. I’m not saying this right.” Mac pulled a chair close and sat, and they both pretended it was because he wanted to, and not because the guy’s knee ached. “Gavin, you’re the best trainer in the place. You work harder than everyone else. Everyone loves you, and the only reason you don’t have as many clients as Pete is because Pete has the schooling behind him that some of these folks want.”

“The science behind the training. I get that.” Which was why he wanted to talk to Mark Swanson again about the guy’s thoughts on exercise science.

“You’re smart. You could have that if you wanted. What I’m trying to say is, are you happy here? Maggie thinks it’s too easy for you, and that if I fired you, you’d go back to school or get a better job that would truly suit you.”

“But I love my job here.” Surprisingly, he did. He’d finally found a place where he fit in.

“Good.” Mac smiled. “But be honest. It’s easy, isn’t it?”

“Yeah. But sometimes easy is good. You know I was in a bad way when I started working here. I couldn’t handle anything too taxing. Exercising my demons away, helping others do the same, it was just what I needed.”

“You’re not the only guy who came back with issues, you know. We all have them. Even my man Shane.”

“Really?”

“Well, maybe not. He’s a real Boy Scout. But he also isn’t as good at taking orders as he needs to be sometimes. And come on, he was an officer. He and Landon didn’t really work that hard in the Corps.”

“True.” They smiled, bonding as only hardworking enlisted men could.

“I really appreciate you taking me on, Mac. I know Landon put you up to it.”

“Landon? Nah.” Mac leaned back. “I was—”

“Please. Don’t bullshit a bullshitter. I know it was Big Brother behind it. But you said yes. So thank you.”

Mac flushed. “No big deal. It’s not like you’re a charity case, you know. In case it’s escaped your notice, I pay you for the work you do.”

“Well, since that pay is so minuscule, I did wonder.”

“Ha-ha.”

“Look, this place has given me the time and space to get my head together. I still want to work here, but I do have plans to do a little more in the future. So tell Maggie not to get rid of me yet.”

“Christ. Don’t breathe a word of what I told you to her. I’ll just say we talked and you’re good. If she knew I’d told you what she’d said, she’d feel terrible, then cry forever. And man, I do not do tears well.”

“Oh. Right.” Maggie was a beautiful, sweet, and now apparently pregnant blond. He didn’t think he’d be able to handle seeing her cry either. “We never talked. Everything is just great. I love my job.” Mac nodded, so Gavin continued. “You’re giving me a raise, and—”

“Whoa, Marine. Nice try.”

Gavin stood slowly and shrugged. “It was worth trying.” He laughed and pulled Mac to his feet. “Thanks, old man. I really do appreciate everything.”

“Shut up. Old man? I’m only a few years older than you, asshole. Now get out of my office and go home. You stink.”

“Thanks so much.” Gavin headed to the door, then turned and paused. “And Mac? You know, if you let us go back to our own gym clothes, or at least get a better color and T-shirt manufacturer than this, I might be able to quiet those rumors about you and Elliot hooking up.” He plucked his shirt. “The material sucks, and the color is awful.”

Mac shot him the finger. “Ha-ha. But come on, man. They’re Marine Corps colors. Scarlet and gold.”

“This is fire-engine red with white lettering. Try again.”

“Fine. You’re not the only one to complain. We’ll go with the more expensive shirts,” Mac said with disgust. “And now I’m going to have to hear it from Maggie and Shane about how wrong I was. I hate the smug I told you so.”

“You and me both, brother.” Gavin whipped off his shirt. “But damn. I told you so a month ago.”

“Get out.”

“Leaving, boss, leaving.”

Gavin left, a new spring in his step and a real sense of purpose. He needed to talk to Lee, and to keep it together with Zoe until he did. He might not be ready to tell her what was in his heart, but he could show her. As he had been by loving her until neither could move, night after night.

He glanced at the clock on his way back to her place…to home.

And smiled as he thought about his plans for tonight—that bottle of chocolate syrup, the whipped cream, and Zoe. Three of his favorite things.