“Did you see that?”
Jolene turned to see Misty, a fellow waitress standing there. “Hard to miss since I was right in the middle of it myself. Or should I say since I caused it.”
“Not that,” Misty said, waving her hand. “Gavin vaulting over the swing door to the bar. I didn’t know he had it in him to move that fast.” She leaned in close. “Honey, I don’t know about you, but I might have had a tiny orgasm seeing that.”
Jolene choked on that. Misty was right up there with the Candy’s of the world that wanted Gavin’s attention. Now she was wondering how many other women or employees wouldn’t mind warming up Gavin’s sheets. Did she want that headache? Did she want to be labeled like that?
No, she didn’t. Which was why she steered clear of men like that. Only never wanting and staying clear of it were two different things.
None of that seemed to matter though at the end of the night when they were all cleaning up.
Gavin had been quiet again, back to the way things were before their second kiss the other night when he showed her his apartment or the third kiss by her car that was even steamier. He was probably ticked off at her for causing a scene even though he’d said otherwise the few times she’d apologized while getting drinks.
Misty was grabbing her jacket and walking out with Robbie. The kitchen had shut down two hours ago and now it was just Jolene and Gavin left.
She walked behind the bar to get her purse and jacket when Gavin reached his hand out and laid it on her arm. “You’ve been quiet.”
“I could say the same.”
He held her stare and said nothing for what seemed like minutes, but she knew it was only seconds. “I think we both deserve a drink to wind down for the night.”
She debated for less than a second and said, “Sure,” laying her jacket on the bar.
He got them both a beer and handed hers over. “Want to go upstairs and relax in comfort rather than sit on these hard chairs?”
Her aching back and feet were telling her that would feel marvelous, so she grabbed her stuff and followed him through the back of the building and up the stairs to his apartment again.
Once they were seated on his couch, she took a sip of her beer and watched him watching her. Her heart was racing, both with nerves and fear. Excitement and anticipation.
“I really am sorry,” she said again.
“If you tell me that one more time I might just fire you after all.” Her eyes went wide and her mouth opened, then shut again. “Don’t look at me like that either,” he said, his voice gruffer than normal too.
“Like what?” she asked.
“Like you’re afraid of me. I’m sorry. You did nothing wrong and everything right tonight. I warned all you girls this could happen and to let me know. I’d been watching him all night. You always think you’ve got it under control, but you didn’t this time. It didn’t matter though. I always do. I’ll always watch out for you.”
She laughed. “You think I’m quiet because I’m afraid of you?” Oh wait, did he just say he’d always watch out for her too? Okay, pushing that sweet thought aside for the moment.
“Aren’t you? I saw the fear in your eyes when I picked that loser up off the floor.”
“That’s because I thought you were going to fire me.”
He frowned. “You weren’t scared of what I did? Of me as I held back from knocking the guy out?”
She set her beer down on the coffee table, took his out of his hand and did the same. If that was why he was quiet, then she had nothing to worry about.
Nothing about Gavin scared her other than the loss of her job. The loss of spending time with him, seeing him as much as she had and being in his presence.
With her palms on his cheeks, she said, “This is how much you scared me tonight.” Then she lowered her mouth to his. Little pecks on his lips, his cheeks, his neck, her tongue around his ear. “What you did tonight? Maybe I shouldn’t tell you how it really made me feel.”
She was guessing her actions were speaking louder than the words she just whispered because the next thing she knew she was on her back and Gavin’s big frame was covering her, making her feel warm, making her feel right...almost cared for.
For such a big man, he really could be gentle when he wanted to and that’s what he was doing with her right now.
His large hand slid under her shirt and up her ribcage then over her bra, cupping and squeezing her.
If her back arched into him more, well, she had no control over that either. Just like she had no control over the feelings that had been building within her for weeks.
This was more than the physical and she wasn’t afraid to admit it to herself. She just wouldn’t admit it out loud.
“Tell me to stop if you want me to,” he said, his voice soft for once. It was always so loud and deep, but now he was trying to be someone else. Someone that wouldn’t make her afraid, even though she’d already said she wasn’t.
“I don’t want you to,” she said, lifting up and letting him pull her shirt over her head. His hands wiggled under her back and unclipped her bra, edging that aside too. She was bare to him now, bare to a man for the first time. Should she say something? She’d better since if it went much further, like she was wanting, he’d figure it out soon enough.
When his lips covered her nipple she was at a loss for words. She just wanted to feel. Just wanted to know he was there with her and he was going to give her what she’d been dreaming of for what seemed like forever.
She voiced her frustration when he moved his mouth from her breasts and started to travel down her waist. “Don’t worry,” he said. “I won’t stop.”
“You better not,” she said, then felt his fingers at the snap of her black pants. “Gavin.” Her voice was a little breathy and a whole lot of “Give me more. Make me feel like I’ve never felt before.”
He heard the message she was sending. “Patience. You need to have patience.”
His hand slid into her pants, then under her panties, and she all but bolted off the couch. She’d been lecturing herself about patience, but this was the last place she wanted to have any.
No. What she wanted right now was that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow she’d heard so much about. “There’s something you should know,” she forced out.
If she didn’t say it now she’d lose all ability to speak soon. She’d never felt this fabulous in her life.
“What’s that?” he asked, still kissing her, his lips moving from her hips and down a little bit lower to where his hands were working their magic.
“I’ve never done this before,” she blurted out. There. She’d said it and if he didn’t hear it, that wasn’t her problem because she wasn’t repeating it. She just wanted to marvel in these new wondrous feelings he was bringing to life in her body.
He must have heard because he stopped abruptly and sat up. “What?”
“Keep doing what you were,” she demanded. “You said you wouldn’t stop.”
“That was before you dropped that bombshell on me.”
“Why is it a bombshell?” she asked, sitting up and crossing her arms in front of her chest. “Did you think I was some slut? You saw me dump beer in a guy’s lap tonight.”
She was trying to keep the hurt out of her voice but wasn’t sure she was succeeding right now.
“No, I don’t think that of you.” He ran his hands through his hair and looked at her. When he didn’t say anything else, she started to look around for her bra and shirt, but he stopped her. “No, don’t. Not unless you want to. I’m sorry. I wasn’t expecting you to say you were a virgin.”
“Why?”
“You sure the hell don’t kiss like one.”
She grinned. “Thanks. I’ve had lots of practice there.”
Kissing was one thing but she’d never been around enough men to feel that they’d want some kind of relationship with her. She wasn’t giving herself over to any man unless she felt there could be more.
She felt it with Gavin.
He choked back a laugh. At least she thought that’s what it was. “Do you want me to stop?”
“You don’t listen very well,” she said, grinning at him, hoping the crisis was passing because even though he wasn’t touching her, her body was still on fire. “No. I want you to make me feel like a woman tonight.”
She held her breath as he processed those words. Then he pulled her into his arms and squeezed her tight. He didn’t say a word, just swung her up and carried her to his bedroom.
***
He was trying not to sweat. The last time he’d been with a virgin was when he was one himself. But he would make this as special as he could for her tonight. He’d make sure she remembered it years from now.
Laying her on the bed, he stepped back and pulled his shirt off. He wanted to turn the light on but figured they could see each other well enough with the light coming through from the living room.
When she stood up he thought for sure she was changing her mind, but all she did was lower her pants and then in a moment of bravado, she dropped her panties too. No use slowing down, so he did the same, then pulled a condom out of a drawer on his bedside table.
They climbed back in bed together, him pulling her in and letting her feel his body against hers. Getting used to his size, his heat, and his desire. If he was pulsing hard, he was trying not to let on.
“You can go back to what you were doing out there on the couch.”
“You’re okay with that?” he asked.
“I wouldn’t know. I’ve never had it before, but I’ve heard it’s pretty wonderful and I’d love to feel that way. I’d love you to make me feel that way.”
He couldn’t get a brighter green light than that, so he scooted down the bed and started to kiss her breasts again, sucking on her nipples, pulling them between his lips and moving all around.
She was squirming like she was before and it was feeding the beast within him. But he needed to let that beast go hungry for the moment. He needed to feed her first. Get her there and let her know it was going to be all right.
Moving down her body further, he brought his mouth right to the heat of her. Right to the core, and looked his fill. So wet and swollen. Just waiting for him to take that taste. He did because there was no way he could deny them both what they were craving.
He got her right where he wanted her. Right to the edge, then slid a finger in. She was tight but welcoming and then she was pulsing and moaning, so he put his mouth to work harder and had her screaming out his name.
At this point he didn’t think he could take much more, so he grabbed the condom and got ready, then positioned himself over her.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
“There’s more?” she asked, sighing. “Oh yeah, give me more.”
He nudged his way in, her heat surrounding him and setting him on fire. It was so tight, but he was determined to not rush it. Not to hurt her.
There was no worry there, not when she planted her feet on the bed, grabbed his hips and lifted herself all the way on him.
He groaned, or maybe it was her, but it didn’t matter because he couldn’t stop the movement of his hips at this point and it seemed she didn’t want him too. Not with the way she was matching his pace.
No time to slow down. No time to talk. No time to do anything other than feeling himself being transported into a universe he’d never thought he’d find. One that accepted him and made him forget who he was.
He kept the movements up. Kept giving it to her the way she was demanding it. And when he felt her tighten around him even more, he sent them both into a galaxy so far away.
Only he was brought back to earth when she whispered, “I think I’m in love with you.”