Chapter 11

 

Flynn fisted the back of Gabby’s sweater as she leaned in, hovering a whisper from his lips. He’d told her to decide because he didn’t know what else to do to fend off this desire anymore, and it seemed she was all systems go. He’d taken her throughout town, not only showing her but telling her all they had to lose by crossing the line.

And here she stood in his arms, smelling like honey and sweet torment, throwing the past twenty-five years of friendship out the window.

Her soft, full lips brushed his and her eyes drifted closed on a sigh. He felt the rush of hot breath all the way to his groin and back. His heart beat a staccato rhythm, his body tensed between hell, yes and don’t do this.

She barely touched him, her actions tentative and hesitant as he fought for some kind of guidance she was just as affected. Grazing her lips back and forth across his, she increased the pressure from ghosting to a caress and parted her lips.

And there was his sign. He tilted his head, sealing his mouth over hers, going deeper, seeking more. He darted his tongue past her lips, stroked his with hers...and that was lights out.

Her fingers clenched the short hairs at his nape, dragging him closer than the holy ghost and crushing her curves against him. She settled between his thighs, arching into him, cutting off his blood supply on everything south of his navel. He slid his hand under her sweater to the soft, warm skin of her back and higher until he drove his fingers into her hair, holding her to him.

It wasn’t enough. Raw, primal need coursed through him. Blinding. Fierce. He’d never known anything like it in his life. He grabbed the back of her thigh, lifting it to wrap her leg around his hips. She ground against him. He thrust up in response, seizing her hip in his hand to encourage more.

The kiss went from hot to scalding to he-required-life-support. She sucked his tongue into her mouth, nipped it, and stroked to ease the slight twinge of pain. Holy hell. He tilted his head the other way to draw in a quick breath, only dive right back in.

Her hands gripped his shoulders and he went flying. His back met the couch cushions and every...single...curve of her aligned perfectly with his. Their kiss never broke, but his sanity did. Her weight settled on his chest, between his legs. The strands of her hair teased his cheeks as she ran her fingers down his sides.

His hands went everywhere at once. Her hair, her jaw, her waist. Finally, he settled on her hips to hold her as he rocked against her.

A rumble battered his ribs. Whether the groan was his or hers, he hadn’t a clue. And she’d actually questioned whether they would like kissing each other. Had been worried they might...what word had she used? Sucked? He almost laughed, but that would require breaking apart for air.

Doubt niggled in his brain. This was too good, the need too intense. Christ.

He threw his head back, severing the connection, heaving in air. Shit. She’d kissed him blind. Wait. He opened his eyes, gaze landing on the ceiling.

He’d closed his eyes. Lost in her, he’d shut his eyes and succumbed. He’d never done that before. Always, always his focus stayed on his partner, hyperaware of their cues. But...he was flat on his back on the couch, Gabby sprawled over him, her hair a curtain around them, his fingers kneading her hips and hers tangled in his shirt. And he had almost no recollection of how they’d wound up this way.

Panic clutched his chest. He whipped his gaze to hers, hoping like hell he hadn’t pushed too hard. He couldn’t formulate an errant thought to save his life at the moment.

Her eyes were dilated to twilight and beginning to refocus. Her lips were red, swollen from his mouth, and her cheeks had stubble burn from his jaw. Her chest heaved in the same desperate attempt as his to bring in oxygen.

They stared at each other a suspended beat, until a wrinkle formed between her brows and her gaze dipped to her hands bunching his shirt. She unclenched her fingers and sat up as if still in a daze. A frisson of regret hit her eyes, pushing away the shock. Or maybe embarrassment? He lay frozen under her, having the sinking suspicion his world just began and ended right here in his living room.

Slowly, she scrambled off his lap and pressed her fingers to her lips. Her gaze darted around the room and settled on the floor. “Can you take me home?”

His heart pounded for an entirely different reason than lust. “Gabby...”

“Please?”

He got to his feet and stood in front of her, his hands itching to pull her to him and fix this somehow, erase the bewildered, tormented expression on her face. She wrapped her arms around her middle like she was trying to hold herself together.

At a loss, he nodded and pulled his keys from his pocket. She was out the door and in the passenger seat before he’d even made it to the other side of the room. Anxiety ripped through his gut as he climbed in the car and started the engine. His brain was functioning just enough to drive on autopilot to her house and park.

She reached for the handle and he stopped her with his hand on her arm. Except he didn’t know what to do from there, what to say. She turned to him, gaze roaming his features. He had no clue what she saw because a numb state of shock was the only thing registering.

Her shoulders slumped like he’d disappointed her. “For the record, I’m not upset you developed feelings for me.” She drew a ragged breath and his heart turned over behind his ribs. “What bothers me is that you don’t want those feelings.”

No kidding. Didn’t she get it? After everything he’d said, all the places they’d gone today, how could she not be as fucking freaked out about losing him as he was about her? Not be worried about disrupting the natural order of both their lives?

“That’s the thing that can destroy us, Flynn. Not the attraction or acting on it. We’d bounce back if it fizzled out or didn’t work. We always do.” He wasn’t so sure, and her expression said the same, but her eyes shimmered, so he didn’t respond. “But you not wanting to feel things for me... You, of all people, not wanting to be with me, even though the potential for something great is there? I can’t recover from that.”

Christ. He’d never thought of it that way. Was that really how she viewed things?

“You keep getting close, almost make a move, and then you...”

He so did not want her to finish that sentence. He thought he’d been an idiot for crossing the line, but somehow his good intentions to rectify that had twisted in her mind and he’d hurt her.

She wiped her tears before they could make much progress. “Every time, you back off like you regret it.” She bit her lip. “Regret me.”

Fuck, no. “Gabby...”

“Even after that kiss, and you know I was into it, you retracted.”

That’s not how he remembered it. He’d resurfaced for air to check on her...

His chest cracked wide open and he cupped her face, desperate to make her understand. Tears trailed down her cheeks. He swiped them with his thumbs, and because he didn’t want to let her go, he used his voice. “I wasn’t rejecting you. I don’t regret you. But you know what’s at stake. I tried to show you, to tell you today. You are everything to me.” He paused, at a loss. “I don’t know what to do here.”

She swallowed and wrapped her fingers around his wrists, gently removing his hands. “When you figure it out, let me know.” She drew a deep breath. “You asked me to decide. I have. Don’t toy with me unless you’re all in.” She turned toward the door. “I’ll send Fletch out to the car.”

And then she was gone.

* * * *

Gabby had needed girl power in the worst way, so after Flynn had dropped her off, she’d called in reinforcements. Zoe had gotten Gayle to watch her mom and had shown up with margarita mix. Hailey was with Cade, so Avery had come with brownies. Thank God.

Two drinks in, Gabby leaned back on the couch. “Men suck.”

From next to her, Zoe lifted her margarita in a mock toast. “Got that right.”

Gabby shifted to look at her, the tequila making her lose focus for a beat. She was nearing tipsy, but not there yet. Since Zoe and Avery had to drive home, they were taking it easy. “You don’t have any dating prospects, I thought.”

Snorting, Zoe ran her hand through her bright orange hair. She’d changed it again this week. “Ergo, their suckiness.”

Avery sighed, shaking her head, and curled her legs under her in the chair across from them. “You know, not all men suck.”

“Ha.” Gabby swallowed a mouthful of frozen concoction and pressed a hand to the icy headache in her temple. “Says the happily engaged woman who’s getting some nightly.”

A contented, dreamy expression crossed Avery’s face. “Yeah.” She sobered and waved her hand. “I don’t understand. You and Flynn talked, right?”

“Maybe that’s the issue.” Zoe grinned. “Too much talk, not enough action.”

Gabby agreed. Yet... “We’re not like other people. We can’t be a one-night stand, and a relationship could ruin things. We always talk to each other. It was necessary to discuss...things.”

“True, dat.” Zoe set her glass down. “But I don’t get it. I mean, sure, Flynn’s not as alpha as Drake or flirty as Cade, but it’s not as if he doesn’t have game. Why is he keeping it zipped? You’re a cutie. He’s a hottie. Why not release a little stress? Go for it?”

Gabby thought back to Flynn’s field trip today. Everything he’d said made sense. She couldn’t put up a decent argument for his hesitation. Half of what he’d shown her she hadn’t a clue he’d felt that strongly about until he’d put it right in her face. There was a lot at stake.

She’d also meant what she’d said, too. If they went for it and things didn’t work out, they could get past it. She hoped, anyway. But she couldn’t live in the constant what-if state. If he decided not to take the step, then they’d go back to what they were. It might be awkward for a while, but so be it.

The problem was, she feared Flynn was denying them both something that could wind up being really great just for the sake of their friendship, something that had always been there. He wasn’t seeing the potential, just one possible outcome.

Either way, she’d promised him he wouldn’t lose her. She didn’t know what else to do. The ball was in his court. If he could act on their attraction, yay. If he couldn’t, she’d bend over backward to put them right back in their normal routine.

Avery cleared her throat. “How long do you think he’s felt differently about you? I’ve never detected tension from either of you, not until lately.”

“Me, either,” Zoe said. “Honestly, I’m kind of shocked you guys have taken this long to notice each other. You already act like you’re together, minus the sex and fighting.” She leaned forward as if having an ah-ha moment. “That’s the damnedest thing about you two. You never fight.”

Rarely. Maybe that’s what was eating her raw. The fact they were in disagreement. She rubbed her forehead. “You want the truth? Part of me thinks if it took him this long to feel something beyond friendship, maybe it’s just a flash physical reaction and not meant to be.”

Avery narrowed her eyes.

“What?”

“You haven’t exactly jumped his bones before now either.” Avery shrugged. “Just saying, don’t put it all on him. This isn’t easy for him.”

Gabby’s shoulders slumped. “I know. You’re right.”

Zoe picked up her glass and stared into it. “I think I need to drink the Flabby Kool-Aid.”

Gabby blinked, looked at Avery, and back to Zoe. Yeah, um....no. She was still confused. “What? And no more tequila for you.”

Zoe grinned. “Flabby. Your couple name. Combining Flynn and Gabby.”

Avery threw her head back and laughed.

“That’s so wrong. I’m cutting you off.” Gabby took Zoe’s glass and set it aside. “And what do you mean by our Kool-Aid?”

Zoe shrugged. “It would be nice not to fight with the oldest O’Grady. That’s what I mean. I should drink your Kool-Aid. Live in harmony.”

Gabby opened her mouth and quickly shut it again. She looked to Avery for assistance, but got none. Avery shrugged, looking this side of concerned.

“You and Drake don’t fight.” Okay, maybe a little bickering that led to a mutual...tolerance. But they didn’t go at each other’s throats. In Gabby’s opinion, the two of them seemed to be flailing since Heather’s death, trying to figure out where they fit in one another’s lives.

Zoe closed her eyes and breathed a laugh without mirth. “Right.” She shook her head. “Where’s Brent? If we’re having a hate men party, he should be here.”

Gabby shared a ruh-roh expression with Avery and let Zoe’s comment drop. “I’m mad at Brent.”

“Do tell.” Zoe rubbed her hands together. “What did gay Batman do?”

Because she was annoyed and not nearly drunk enough, Gabby downed another mouthful of margarita. “I think he’s in cahoots with the Battleaxes. They’ve set their sights on me and Flynn.”

“Oh,” Zoe said, stretching the word out to five syllables. “Sucks to be you.” She patted Gabby’s knee and then retracted her hand as if she might catch the Battleaxes’ attention by touching her.

Avery had remained unusually silent, watching the interaction. Gabby chewed on her lip. “Thoughts, Avery?”

After eyeing each of them, Avery set her elbow on her knee and her chin in her hand. “You’re not going to like it, but I don’t think it’s a bad thing. Face it, if they weren’t spot on, you wouldn’t be upset. There’s obviously something between you and Flynn. They just shoved you along. The kiss was good, right?”

“No, it wasn’t good.” Gabby slumped back against the couch, her lips still tingling, her body humming. “It was panty-melting, moan-out-loud, holy-cow great.” She pouted. “I might be underselling it.”

Zoe laughed. “I’d kill to have my panties melted.”

Gabby turned her head. “You’re the town’s badass. Every chick wants to be you and every guy wants to do you.” It had been that way since high school. Zoe had always been confident and not afraid of anything. Even over the past couple years when her wattage had dimmed, Zoe was still someone Gabby aspired to be. “Go find someone to melt your panties. It should take you five seconds, tops.”

“Pfft. Who has time?” Zoe glanced at her phone. “Speaking of, I gotta go. Gayle said she could only watch Mama for a few hours.”

Gabby didn’t know how Zoe handled working full time, taking care of her late-stage dementia-diagnosed mother, and still have time to work on her art. “Thanks for coming and bringing tequila.”

“Happy birthday, babe.” Zoe hugged her and took off.

Gabby eyed Avery after the door closed. “You’re going to ditch me, too, aren’t you?”

“Yep. Going to go home and have sex with my future husband.” Avery slapped her thighs and stood.

“Show off.”

Avery laughed. “You know the Battleaxes screwed with Cade and I to get us together.” A statement, not a question, because everyone knew that. There was a Redwood Ridge Pinterest board dedicated to them. “Might not be a bad thing to let them, you know, prod things along.”

Gabby tilted her head. “Should I call them? Tell them you need more help with wedding plans?”

Avery’s eyes narrowed to slits as she seemed to fight a grin. “I will remove you as maid of honor.”

“Brent would make a better MOH, anyway.”

Bending down and pulling Gabby into a hug, Avery squeezed. “Hang in there. It’ll work out.”

“Love you. Have fabulous sex so I can live vicariously.”

After Avery left, Gabby flopped back on the couch and stretched her arms overhead. Popsicle hopped up next to her and butted Gabby’s breast. She eyed the cat. “At least my boobs are getting some action tonight. You’re a little hairy for me, though. And the wrong species.”

Meow.

“You’re totally right. And we’re not lesbians.” She pulled the cat in, nuzzling her orange fur. “You were a little slut today, by the way. Cuddling up to Fletch, winding around Flynn’s legs. You should play hard to get.”

Meow. Purr.

“Yeah, that’s not working for me either. I want to climb him like a scratching post, too.” She sighed. “How about we eat all the brownies and watch Sex and the City reruns instead?”

Meow.