With the bed sheet around her, Gabby stepped onto the back deck to let Fletch out, leaving the patio door open while Flynn scrounged up something for them to eat. The temperature had cooled, but it was relatively comfortable with the humidity lingering. Stars winked overhead and she smiled remembering the other night out here with Flynn. The things he’d said. The way he’d kissed her.
Not wanting to get her feet wet in the dewy grass, she stayed on the stairs while Fletch did his doggy business.
Flynn had a great yard. Unlike her postage stamp she’d tried to make cute with a perennial garden, he had raw wilderness. Off in the distance, a thick copse of trees sheltered the creek loping through the forest. Its trickle was faint over the call of an owl. There were at least five acres of clearing he’d done little with aside from the wildflower patches she’d planted when he’d first built the cabin. That, coupled with birdfeeders, was about it besides grass. Maybe she’d try talking him into an outdoor fireplace, something cozy to cuddle up in front of on cool nights.
Fletch made his way to her and ran in circles. She squatted to pet him, clutching the bed sheet with her other hand. The material smelled like Flynn’s light woodsy cologne, and she buried her face in the white cotton to breathe him in. Fletch barked.
“I know. I’m being girly. I can’t help it.”
Head tilt. Tongue wag.
“He’s just so...perfect. He’s great in bed, he’s nice, he’s funny, and he’s good with animals. I’m not seeing a flaw here.” She rubbed the retriever’s ears. “You live with him. Tell me something bad. He leaves his dirty underwear on the floor, doesn’t he?”
Fletch barked.
She laughed. “I knew it. Give me all the dirt. I know he snores, but only when he’s lying on his back and it’s pretty quiet. Hardly disturbing. Does he leave the toilet seat up?”
Two barks.
Sigh. “Guess I’ll just have to look before I sit, right?”
Feet shuffled behind her and she rose, looking at Flynn over her shoulder. He had his cell in hand raised to take a picture. She turned fully to face him and made a goofy face. He grinned and set the phone on the counter just inside the door, then leaned on the jamb, arms crossed over his bare chest.
She hadn’t bothered with clothes, just the sheet, knowing they were going back to bed after they ate. He’d thrown on a pair of red boxers that made the natural strawberry highlights in his hair more pronounced. Wow. Such a great body, her best friend. Her gaze dipped to his feet and her cheeks heated. What was it about a man’s bare feet that was so sexy?
Amusement in his eyes, he stared at her as if he wanted to do so all night. The light from the kitchen illuminated behind him, creating shadows in the dips of muscle. Heck, she could stare at him all night, too.
She dropped her gaze to Fletch and back to Flynn. “Your dog told me all your secrets.”
That brought out his full watt grin, and...swoon. The guy smiled from his eyes, damn it. “Did he, now? What did my dog say?”
She rolled her eyes as if in thought and stepped closer. She wrapped her arms around his waist, holding the sheet to cocoon them. “He said you have terrible laundry habits.”
He breathed a laugh, playing with the ends of her hair. “I wash my own clothes every week, thank you very much.”
“And you leave the toilet seat up.” She kissed his chin, loving the scratch from his whiskers.
He glanced over her shoulder in thought. “Not sure on that one. Mom reinforced with me and my brothers to keep it down. Plus, you’re over a lot. I think I’m good on that bad habit.”
“Damn,” she said playfully. “Fletch lied to me. There must be a defect here. I’ll find it.”
He worried his brow, smile slipping as if not knowing whether to take her seriously. Tucking her hair behind her ear, he brushed his knuckles over her cheek, adamant affection warming his eyes. He studied her face, no aspect untouched by his gaze like he was memorizing her features or collecting a memory. He opened his mouth as if to speak, but then thought better and closed it again.
She brushed her thumb across his lower lip. She loved his mouth. Full, soft, warm. He could thin those lips with a frown when angry, twist them when nervous, or stop time with a smile. Even though he only used it to speak to her, his mouth was very expressive. And when he kissed her, it said a whole lot without words.
He cleared his throat. “I have lots of flaws, Gabby.”
Ah, her joking had upset him. “I don’t care.”
Letting out an uneven breath, he shook his head as if in awe. “You don’t, do you? I think you might be the only person who looks at me and sees me before the disability.”
God. Just...God. Way to reach in her chest and root around. She swallowed the unexpected emotion. “You’re right. Being a male is a terrible disability. Guys are inferior to women, of course. But I assure you, when I look at you, I notice you’re a man first.”
His chin dipped as he blinked those criminally long lashes and leveled her with a disbelieving look. Then he closed his eyes and threw his head back, laughing. He stared at the ceiling as if praying to a higher power and shook his head before looking at her again.
He shifted to serious the longer he stared at her, and her heart stuttered in response. “You level me, sweetheart. You really do. Two decades of friendship, and you can still surprise me.”
She shrugged. “Like I said, women are the superior gender. We’re just more clever.”
His quiet laugh dug under her skin and took up space. “I think that’s just you, Gabby,” he said against her lips, then kissed her. He eased away. “You hungry?”
“Duh.” Fletch tugged at the sheet, and she glanced down. He wagged his tail. “I think my other boyfriend is jealous.”
Flynn rolled his eyes and stepped inside. “Heaven forbid.”
She followed and picked up his phone on the counter. Unlocking the screen, she found his camera roll and grinned. He’d taken a few shots of her outside. One with the goofy face. Another with her back to the camera looking over her shoulder at him. The white sheet against the night sky and woods in the background made it sexy and mysterious. She texted it to herself. The first picture from tonight was of her crouched in front of Fletch, smiling.
Scrolling through a couple more, she came across quite a few of his brothers and Fletch. She stopped on one of herself from last summer. It had been taken at the park where they played softball in one of Redwood Ridge’s leagues. A close up of her face, head thrown back, sunlight filtering through her hair. He’d caught her mid-laugh.
Flynn stepped beside her. “That one’s my favorite.” He kissed her cheek. “Food’s ready.”
He should’ve been a photographer. He had a great eye.
She sat at the table where he’d deposited two plates with scrambled eggs and toast. They ate in comfortable silence, and her mind started clicking back to the things he’d said earlier. About all he hadn’t experienced. Her former lovers had treated her like the good girl. Thus, sex had always been meh. It wasn’t as if she’d had a lot of practice when it came to positions either.
Flynn had been hesitant at first, but he’d let her blindfold him and take control. After he’d admitted what it had been like for him with other partners, she’d wanted him to experience someone giving him pleasure for a change. She knew how hard that must’ve been for him, yet he’d trusted her. She wondered how far he’d let her go with that trust.
Truth was, no one had made her feel so alive, so hyperaware of her needs like he did. He didn’t treat her like glass or like she was someone who couldn’t handle a little rough. Not that she’d bust out handcuffs and floggers, but why not branch out? Their lovemaking thus far had proven they could still be them in the bedroom. He was a very attentive lover who knew how to pluck heightened responses from her body.
She took a sip of juice and found both Flynn and Fletch were staring at her. Flynn’s plate was empty, his elbows on the table and fingers running across his lips. His eyes watched her every move. Fletch just appeared interested in her crust.
Tossing him a small piece, she stared the dog down. “Don’t tell him I just fed you from the table.”
Head tilt. Chops licked.
“Good boy. It’s a rare trait, a guy who can keep a secret. Carry on that way and the poodle you’ve been eyeing at the park is sure to notice you.”
Fletch barked. She laughed, rubbing his scruff.
“Did you just propose to my dog again? I’m bound to get a complex.”
Covering her face with her hand, she laughed until her side ached. She glanced at Fletch and shook her head before focusing on Flynn. “I’ll have you know, he proposes to me.”
The pine green on his kitchen walls brought out the mossy color in his eyes. Or maybe that was his easy humor. “Because you bribe him with bacon. Or toast, in this case.”
She gasped, pretending to be affronted. “He likes me for my intellect, too.”
Up went his eyebrows. “Duly noted.” His gaze skimmed over her and her girly parts got excited. “It’s late and we had an adventurous day.”
She dropped her elbow on the table and chin in her hand. “Some really hot veterinarian did wear me out with a couple rounds of great sex.” His eyes heated. “And before that, there was this little brush with a mountain lion.” She shuddered and his eyes narrowed. “You feeling a little calmer about that?” He’d been so worked up, she’d—
“Let’s not discuss it.” He slowly inhaled, gaze searching. “Are you tired, Gabby?”
Oh. His voice. Dangerously, deliciously low. It was as if the rough timbre had caressed her skin and touched her nerve endings. And by his expression, he knew it. Her lips curved. She shook her head to answer his question.
His Adam’s apple bobbed with a swallow. “Care to watch a movie?”
Uhn. This playful banter and his tone had her wet all over again. She shook her head.
Leaning forward, he singed her with a carnal look. “What would you like to do?”
Game on. She rose from the chair and walked backward toward the hallway, batting her eyelashes at him. She paused dramatically to drop the sheet, leaving her naked.
He surged from his seat and she squealed. She took off running for his bedroom. He caught up with her just past the threshold, his arms wrapping around her from behind. Pulling her flush against the hard wall of his body, he trailed his lips down her neck and ground his erection against her backside. She tilted her head for better access but, quickly, he turned her around and kissed her. Desperate. With purpose.
I’ve never taken a lover from behind.
His words came back to her and she broke the kiss. His gaze darted over her shoulder to the nightstand. The condoms. When he refocused on her, she smiled.
“I’m on the pill and safe.” Before him, she hadn’t had a partner in two years.
His breath hitched. “I’m safe, too.” He vibrated with interest, with need. He said everything with his eyes. “You sure?”
Not only was she sure, she had an idea. Slapping a hand to his chest, she urged him backward. Confusion in his eyes, he allowed it and complied. His calves hit the recliner in the corner and he plopped, gaze never leaving hers.
Kneeling in front of him, she dipped her fingers into the waistband of his boxers and tugged them down. His beautiful erection sprang free and he lifted his hips so she could remove them the rest of the way.
Rising, she leaned over the chair and his heated gaze scorched a path over her body. When it stopped at her eyes, she smiled. “Breathe.” His brow wrinkled as if he didn’t understand. “In five seconds, I want you to remember to breathe.”
His lips parted to speak, but she lightly kissed his mouth and swiftly turned around to straddle his lap backwards. His erection wedged between her cheeks and his arms instinctually came around her middle. Yet, his chest didn’t move with air exchange.
She turned her head, tilting it back to look in his eyes. “Breathe.”
He exhaled. Hard. “Gabby, I can’t. We—”
“Look at me. You can.” It wasn’t totally from behind, like he’d said, but it was a start. In this position, he could see her face if need be. She circled her hips and he hissed, his lids dropping to half-mast.
Grabbing the back of her head, he brought her mouth to his. Though he was still tense, he stroked her tongue with his as if he was completely lost in her. His hand drifted up from her belly to mold her breast while the other left her hair to cup her mound. She sucked air through her nose, not breaking their connection, and bore down to encourage more.
He slid his fingers between her folds and groaned. She swallowed the guttural vibrations, shifting her hips to bring his shaft to her opening. He stilled, mouth still fused to hers, but opened his eyes. She guided him inside her and took him slowly, every inch making his eyes dilate darker. When he was as deep as the position allowed, she paused and dropped the back of her head on his shoulder, severing their kiss and eye contact.
He didn’t move for several heartbeats, but then gingerly thrust his hips as if testing things out. “Christ, you feel so good.”
Shivering in delight at his words, she rocked her hips, and the arm he’d placed around her waist tightened. He throbbed inside her and dropped his lips to the crook of her neck when she did it again, mouth wide. Breaths rasping, he stroked her clit with his thumb.
Her back arched, pulling him deeper, and he thrust again. And again. She rocked with his movements, urging her hips down to take him. His rock-hard thighs shifted beneath her, his abs constricting as he moved. She was so close, she pinched her eyes closed, reveling in the tight fit of him inside her and the way his fingers stroked.
He whispered her name over and over against the skin below her ear, and she detonated. Sparks shot behind her closed lids and tingles zinged through her body. He pistoned his hips faster and emitted a hoarse groan, body rigid as he spilled inside her.
After several seconds, he pulled out and turned her in his arms so she lay sideways across his lap. Cupping her cheek, this thumb stroked her jaw as he stared down at her, eyes a riot of emotion. His jaw ticked, and she grew concerned.
She placed her palm on his chest where his heart pounded. “Are you okay?” Had she pushed him too hard? He’d come, but that was a basic response, right?
He shook his head, then closed his eyes and nodded.
She waited for his eyes to open. “Talk to me.”
Glancing away, he swallowed. Just when she thought he wouldn’t respond, he looked back at her and smiled. “I don’t... I’m fine.”
“I don’t believe you. Something’s bothering you.”
He let out a frustrated breath. “I don’t know how to express this and have it make sense.” His eyes glazed over as his gaze skimmed her face. “Before tonight, I never realized how much I was holding back. With other women, I couldn’t be myself. Half the time, I was left feeling emasculated.”
His gaze bored into hers. Hard. Penetrating. “You have no idea how fucking embarrassing that is to admit. But, damn it, Gabby. You just... I’m leveled, to be honest.”
Good God. Moving quickly, she straddled his hips and brought her arms around him, holding his head to her shoulder. They stayed like that a few moments, his arms banding her back like letting go would cause pain, and her struggling to find words.
He buried his face in her neck and sighed. “I love my family. I love my friends. All of them have been supportive. But I don’t know what in the hell I’d do without you. Stupid as that sounds, pathetic as that makes me, you need to know. Because, Christ Almighty, you’re the only person in my life who never made me feel weak, yet you render me powerless.”
Tears burned behind her lids, her lip quivering. Unable to hold in the sob, she trembled in the aftershocks of his statement. Torn. Ravaged. She never realized he’d felt this way. He wasn’t weak or pathetic. He was brave and funny and sweet. She suspected he’d put a lot of these issues on himself trying to live up to unrealistic expectations or inserting criticism where it wasn’t implied. But to know he had doubts, to think he’d questioned himself, had her chest ripping apart.
Encouraging her to look at him by tugging her hair, he smoothed her strands and shook his head. “If you wouldn’t mind, could you please decline my dog’s proposal next time he asks. It just might be the nail in the coffin.”
See? That right there. How many men could use self-depreciating humor after slicing a vein for the sake of brutal honesty? For that matter, how many guys would be that truthful? Unable to help it, she laughed through the tears and kissed him. She was sunk so deep she’d never crawl out, and she didn’t ever want to try.