Our fingers still intertwined, he pulls me in close, settling his mouth on mine without an ounce of hesitation. His kiss is confident, swiftly taking but also offering so much too, and I open to him immediately, trying my best to shut off my brain, to stop thinking and just feel. That’s all I want, is to feel Gabe’s hands on me, his lips on mine, his tongue in my mouth. He releases my hand and cups my face, making me feel cherished. Cared about.
Silly. We’ve only just met. I don’t know much about him, not really. We’ve hung out a few times, we’ve kissed. We’ve fought our sexual attraction and right about now, it looks like we’ve lost.
Not that I’m protesting…
But he’s practically a stranger and I don’t do this sort of thing with men I don’t know. I do know Gabe doesn’t really like his parents. He’s very protective of his sister, though he plays it off. He’s thoughtful. Funny. Kind. A drill sergeant when it comes to exercise. He tastes good—like, really good. I like his smile. He’s sexy. Those eyes of his seem to see everything, even the things I absolutely don’t want him to know. He’s a good driver, though a little reckless. In fact, he’s a little reckless with everything he does, not that that’s necessarily a bad trait. He’s smart. I like talking to him. I really like kissing him.
Huh. Maybe I know him better than I thought.
“Your brain.” He pulls away from me, his brows furrowed, his thumbs smoothing over my cheeks in this soothing back and forth motion that makes me want to purr like a cat.
Or jump him. Hmm, yeah jump him. That sounds perfect.
Wait, where did that thought come from? I’m a virgin for a reason. I don’t give in easily. I never have. I’ve never really been tempted.
Until Gabe.
“My what?” I ask, confused. Aroused. Wait, did he say my brain?
“Your brain. You’re thinking too much.” He kisses my temple tenderly, his soft lips lingering on my skin and making my knees weak. “You need to relax.”
Thinking too much. He’s right. And that’s exactly what I didn’t want to do—overthinking everything. It’s such an ingrained habit though. “I can’t help it,” I admit, closing my eyes on a sigh when he kisses my cheek, my ear, the left corner of my mouth. The right. Teasing, sweet kisses that make my head swim. “You make me nervous.”
He pulls away, frowning again. “That’s the last thing I want to do.”
“I know. It’s not really you. This is all on me.” I rest my hands on his chest, slowly dragging my fingers down the muscular planes. Wow, he’s so incredibly hard. I glance up to see a pained expression cross his face and I immediately remove my hands from him, thinking I’m the cause.
“Christ, don’t stop,” he mutters, shaking his head. “Put your hands back on me, Luce. Please.”
I do as he says, running my hands over his pecs, up to his shoulders, then back down, along his stomach, until I reach the hem of his T-shirt. Lifting my head, I see that he’s watching me, his neck bent, his intense gaze locked on my hands. I want to say something. Demand he let me take his shirt off. I mean, I don’t want to take this all the way, not tonight. I’m not ready.
But if he’ll let me explore and…play, I’ll gladly return the favor.
My cheeks burn just thinking about it.
“Are you trying to strip me?” he finally asks when I remain silent. Amusement laces his voice and he’s smiling. This is encouraging.
I raise my brows. “Will you let me?” Please say yes.
All traces of amusement evaporate. Just like that. “I’ll let you do just about anything you want to if I can get those hands of yours on me.”
Okay. That was hot. Gabe always knows just what to say. “Let’s take your shirt off then,” I whisper.
He takes a step back and reaches behind his neck, pulling his shirt off in that easy, wholly masculine way guys do. I watch, breathless when he reveals all that hard, bare skin, my gaze roving over him like a starving woman who just caught sight of her first meal in years.
I’ve seen his chest before. Many times. He roams around here in only his swim trunks approximately eighty-five percent of the time, I swear. He’s on vacation after all. Mama told me a lot of the houses in the neighborhood are rented out during the summer. That I lucked out with the Walkers renting the house while I’m next door is a wondrous little fact I haven’t failed to notice.
As in, I’m feeling pretty damn lucky this summer. Even luckier that he’s so interested me. Boring, poor little me. I’m a nobody. I’ve always been a nobody but Gabe makes me feel…special. Like I’m sexy. Like I’m the only girl that matters to him. And I like that. I love it.
But enough about me and how Gabe makes me feel. Right now, I’m interested in examining his chest in an up close and personal way. He’s not outrageously built. Not too intimidating like some overly muscular guy with bulging, rippling muscles and six pack abs. Gabe’s got a sexy body but it’s not over the top. Firm, not an inch of fat on him anywhere, with normal abs, with just a hint of definition.
I better touch his stomach to make sure.
I skim my fingers over his stomach, the muscles flinching beneath my touch. I’m fascinated with his reaction and touch him again, tracing a circle around his navel, running that same finger down the thin path of hair that leads from his belly button straight down, past the waistband of his shorts. His skin is so hot and the dark hair is so soft…