Chapter 5

Gavin

Something soft and warm snuggled against my side. I didn’t want to open my eyes, too scared it was all a dream. But then I yawned, and I felt it move. My cock jerked in awareness too, just in time for my eyes to shoot open.

Oh hell. Not a dream. Not. A dream. At all.

A leg was thrown over my waist. Smooth, completely naked flesh was pressed against my thigh. McKenna sighed, and her hot breath tickled my skin, reminding me of the way she’d first responded to my touch in the back seat of that cab.

After we left the bar, we had the taxi driver take us to a gas station. There we got a bottle of peach schnapps and secretly drank it in the back seat like a couple of teenagers, only for her to crawl on my lap and ride me through my jeans. Just the thought of that had me growing harder and made me want her all over again.

“Mmm, what time is it?” she mumbled, rocking her hips against my leg.

I reached down, tempted to begin a repeat of the night before. “It’s noon.”

She flew up and out of my hold, only to lean back against the headboard. Wide blue eyes scanned the room, terrified, before they landed on me. “Shit.”

I frowned. That wasn’t the reaction I’d been hoping for. “What is it?”

Her wild hair fell over her nose, and when she huffed, bits and pieces flew everywhere. Before I could stop myself, I sat up too, reaching to brush the blond strands away. God, she was beautiful. Why the hell had I waited so long to work up the courage to do this with her?

“I-I gotta go.”

“Why?” I frowned. “It’s Sunday.”

“Um…” She looked around the room until she spotted some of her clothes, our empty bottle of schnapps right there in the middle of it all. Covering her breasts with one arm, she jumped out of bed, that ass of hers on display as she bent over to grab her clothes off the floor.

“Want to grab breakfast? I can take you home afterward.” I stretched out my arms, a rare smile on my face. Last night, I’d used muscles that had been dormant for a long time. Now all I wanted to do was use them again.

She shook her head, still not looking at me. “No. Addie, sh-she’ll take me home.”

“I doubt she’s in any shape to go anywhere.” Nerves long gone, I stood too, moving to stand behind her. She’d pulled up her skirt and panties, but her bra and shirt were still missing.

Slowly, carefully, I settled my hands on her naked waist and nuzzled my nose against her neck. She smelled like flowers and my cologne, a combination I could get used to.

“Gavin, I don’t think…”

I froze, my lips hovering over her pulse. Shit. I knew that voice. I also knew what the rest of her sentence was probably going to be. This will work.

“Please, don’t.” Desperation was suddenly my middle name. Max would have my ass, but I couldn’t let this go. Not yet. “Spend the afternoon with me. I’ll make us a late breakfast. Or I can take you out for lunch. Either one is fine by me.”

I tried to swallow the lump in my throat. After an amazing night together, she was ready to bolt?

She sighed, the sound like a death sentence to my heart. If she walked away, I wouldn’t chase her. Food. I’d been her motherfucking meal for the night. That was all. But did that keep me from trying?

“Breakfast, huh?”

“Just breakfast.” I turned her around to face me, needing to see her eyes. They always managed to tell me everything her words didn’t. I tipped her chin up with a finger, smiling…until I saw the emptiness in her stare. Shit. This was worse than I’d originally thought.

“Okay. Breakfast.” With a small nod, she patted me on the chest and turned to grab the rest of her clothes from the floor.

My sex life was scattered and infrequent, my experience with woman almost null and void. Before I left for boot camp, I’d had lots of opportunities, but one-night stands had never been my thing. What I did know, without a doubt, was that a friendly pat on the chest couldn’t be a clearer sign. Kenna wasn’t interested in anything beyond last night.

“Bathroom?” She held her clothes to her chest, a weak smile on her lips. She was uncomfortable, nothing like I’d thought she’d be. Which had me regretting every moment we’d spent together, no matter how amazing it was.

I cleared my throat. “Down the hall to the right.”

“Thanks.” She avoided my eyes as she moved around me, putting a good foot between us in the process.

My gut tightened once she was gone, and I let go of a heavy breath, refusing to think the worst. To keep myself focused, I went to the kitchen, fumbling with the coffee.

Five minutes passed, according to the clock on my microwave, but she still hadn’t finished. I frowned, already done with my first cup of coffee. Something itched at me, telling me to go check on her. With her cup of coffee in hand, I made my way to the bathroom. The door was open, but when I looked inside, she wasn’t there. Thinking she’d gone back to my room, I swung a left, finding the window wide open.

The one thing left behind? A torn piece of leather, maybe from a boot.

My shoulders fell as I walked over to look outside, the disappointment in my gut growing tighter. I set the mug aside and leaned out the window, my hands on the sill. I looked toward the street, my skin grazing over the ripped material still stuck in the window frame. Dark, muddy footprints led away from where she’d obviously jumped out, continuing down the sidewalk until they were out of sight.

Christ. The girl had pulled a Cinderella on me.