Page 17
I look to Alyssa and plead with my eyes for her to keep her mouth shut. Confusion overtakes her face but she gives me a slight nod, and I breathe a small sigh of relief.
I turn to Casey just as she pulls a beer out of the refrigerator. “About the new project I’m doing at Last Call. A wall to hang Hunter’s trophies on. ”
“Cool,” Casey says, smiling broadly and heading back out of the kitchen. “I’d stay and chat but Wyatt brought a friend of his to the party, and he’s totally hot. I’m going to go see if I can corrupt him. ”
I roll my eyes as Casey saunters out and then turn to look at Hunter. “Do you mind giving Alyssa and me a moment?”
“Sure,” he says with a small smile that seems a bit sad, and then he leaves. I watch his retreating back, wondering if I’ve hurt his feelings by perpetuating this secret of ours. He certainly didn’t seem to mind when Alyssa walked in on us, but I freaked for sure.
“What the hell is going on, Gabby?”
Turning back toward Alyssa, I take her by the hand and pull her through Hunter’s house. I push her out the front door, satisfied that the porch is empty and will give us a bit more privacy since the kitchen was a little too close to the rest of the party.
I close my eyes briefly and take a deep breath. When I open them, I look at Alyssa and tell her my story, starting five years ago.
When I finish, she asks, “I don’t understand why you want to keep this secret. I think the idea of you and Hunter together is wonderful. ”
Sighing, I say with defeat, “I don’t know, Alyssa. I guess I’m scared. Scared of what Casey will think, what our parents will think. I mean… we’re practically family. ”
Alyssa snorts. “But you’re not family. You’re in no way related, and there is nothing wrong with you two seeing each other. ”
I’m silent, chewing on my bottom lip as I look down at my feet.
“There’s something else,” Alyssa guesses.
Looking up at her, I tell her miserably. “I just don’t think I can let this amount to anything. I think sex is all I’ll let it be, and how well do you think that’s going to go over with Casey?”
“How well do you think that’s going to go over with Hunter?” Alyssa challenges me.
“What?” I ask confused. “Hunter is fine with this just being sex. ”
“I don’t think so, Gabby. The way he looked at you, it just looked like a whole lot more to me. ”
“Well, it’s not,” I snap. “Trust me… this is just physical. ”
“Okay, put that issue aside for just a moment. I guess I don’t understand why that’s all you want. ”
I take a few steps over to the porch railing and lean my elbows down on it, gazing across the street at the next row of beach houses that stand proud on their stilts. Turning to look at Alyssa, I tell her, “Because… if I let it be any more, then I’ll be crushed if this doesn’t work out. It’s safer this way. ”
Alyssa stares at me silently, her face sympathetic and understanding. She takes a step closer to me, leaning her hip against the rail. “Gabby, I think you’re looking at this the wrong way. I think you should open yourself up. Hunter cares for you a lot, and he could be the one. ”
I snort in condescending amusement. “See… that’s just it, Alyssa. I know he’s the one. He’s been the one for me most of my life. I just don’t think that I’m the one for him. I can’t risk falling, knowing that he might not be there to catch me. ”
Opening her arms up, Alyssa pulls me in for a hug and whispers in my ear. “I never took you for a coward, girl. But I respect what you’re saying. ”
When she releases me, I grab onto her hand. “Promise me you won’t tell Casey. ”
“I promise. But I think you should tell her. She’d understand where you’re coming from, and she’s just going to be more pissed the longer you wait. ”
“I know,” I say quietly. “I just need to wrap my head around this. I’ll tell her… soon. Once I figure out what all of this with Hunter means. ”
12
Yes, I could get used to waking up with Gabby in my arms each morning. She’s so soft and warm, and she makes the cutest little sounds in her sleep.
Tightening my arms around her, I put my lips to her ear and whisper, “Gabs… wake up. ”
She groans and swats her hand back at me, so I grab onto it and bite the end of her finger. That causes her to groan again, but it’s a different type of groan now.
“What time is it?” she asks groggily.
“About a quarter after six. I’m going to go surfing, but why don’t you come out on the beach with me and watch the sunrise first?”
“Mmmmm,” she says, still half asleep. “What’s the temperature?”
I roll over and grab my iPhone to check the weather. Setting it back down, I roll back toward her, resting my chin on her shoulder. “It’s fifty-seven. ”
Gabby reaches down, pulls the covers over her head, and mumbles. “No way, it’s too cold out there right now. ”
Pulling the covers back off her, I grab her shoulder and roll her on her. Leaning down, I kiss her lips. “Come on, sleepyhead. Let’s go watch the dolphins play and canoodle on the beach while the sun comes up. ”
Giggling, she pushes against my chest but it’s a halfhearted attempt. She finally opens one bleary eye and looks at me. “You seriously want to go watch the sunrise?”
“Yup. Then you can watch your man shred some waves. ”
“My man?” she asks, giving a smiling yawn.
“Your man,” I confirm.
She stretches her arms up, which brings my attention to her bare br**sts. I hear her yawn again, but I’m mesmerized by the round globes of soft flesh. I start to bend down to lick one of her ni**les, when her hand slaps against my chest and pushes me back.
“Coffee,” she demands sternly. “Then we’ll go out on the beach. ”
“I changed my mind. I don’t want to watch the sunrise. I want to f**k you instead. ” I reach my hand out for her but she rolls away, nimbly jumping out of the bed with surprising dexterity, given that she was sound asleep thirty seconds ago.
“Coffee. Then beach,” she says as she slips on her t-shirt and pulls on the underwear and shorts that she discarded the night before.
“Cock blocked by the sunrise,” I mutter, but I roll out of my side of the bed and head toward my closet. It is chilly this morning, so I need to wear my wetsuit. I pull out one of the dozen or so I have hanging in there, all compliments of my sponsors, and worm my way in. I leave the top half hanging around my waist.
After we each drink a quick cup of coffee, I grab one of my surfboards from the spare bedroom. Gabby grabs two blankets, and we make our way down to the beach. The surf looks okay, breaking at only about three feet, but I’ll be able to play around out there for a bit.
Gabby spreads one of the blankets out at the base of the dunes, while I stick my board in the soft sand. She takes a seat in the middle, pulling the other blanket up over her legs and, rather than sit down to her side, I plop down behind her, pulling her back into my arms.
We gaze out over the water, watching the sun make its appearance. Before too long, we see bottlenose dolphins break the surface of the water, making their way south down the coast.
“I never get tired of seeing that,” Gabby murmurs.
“Me either,” I agree.
We’re quiet for a few more moments, but then I ask, “What are your plans the rest of the day?”
She shrugs her shoulders. “I don’t know. What about you?”
“Well,” I start out as I lean down to nuzzle my nose into her neck. “I thought I would surf for a bit, then I thought I’d bring you back inside and make wild love to you. Sound like a plan?”
She laughs softly, leaning her head back on my shoulder. “Yeah… sounds like a plan. ”
“Oh, I forgot to tell you… my buddy John is coming in tomorrow to visit for a while. He’s going to be staying here,
so I need to head to the grocery store today and stock up. ”
“Oh,” she says quietly, and I know exactly what she’s thinking. She’s just too unsure of herself and of us to come out and say it. So I let her off the hook quickly.
“I still want you to stay over here with me, Gabs. You’ll love John… and he wouldn’t say anything to anyone. ”
She’s quiet, reflective, and this doesn’t bode well.
Tightening my arms around her, I say, “Please say you’ll stay. I really want you to meet John but, more than that, I want you here. ”
My heart sighs in relief when she quietly says, “Okay. ”
Leaning around to her left so I can see her face, she turns to look at me. “Okay? So you’ll stay?”
She gives me a small smile and nods. “I’ll stay. ”
I reach up with my right hand and slip my fingers in her hair, grabbing a fistful and turning her head toward me further. Leaning in, I run my lips over hers lightly, and then pull back to look at her. “Good. I don’t think I can go a single night without you. ”
Her eyes grow warm over my sentiment and, for the first time, I think Gabby may let her walls down around me a bit. Oh, she’s fully engaged with me when I’m lodged deep inside her body, but when sexual heat isn’t swirling between us, she’s remained a tiny bit guarded.
I lean back into my original position and pull her back against me again, wrapping my arms around her stomach to hold her tight. The wind has kicked up a little and she shivers, pulling the blanket further up her chest.
“Cold?” I ask.
“A little. ”
“Bet I can warm you up,” I tease her, resting my chin on her shoulder.
“Oh yeah?” she asks. “How’s that?”
Rather than answer, I show her instead. I take one of my hands and move it down her stomach until I reach the button on her shorts. I can feel her sharp intake of breath when I pop it open.
She stiffens slightly when I grab onto the zipper and lower it.
“What are you doing?” she gasps.
I push my lips against her ear and say, “I’m warming you up. ”
Her hand reaches down and covers mine, halting my progress. “Hunter, we’re out in public. Someone could walk by at any moment. ”
“So,” I tell her as I grab her hand and push it away. “Besides… you have a blanket covering you. No one can see what we’re doing. Just don’t go screaming my name or anything. ”
When I skim my fingers under the top band of her underwear, she holds her body stiff for a moment but then capitulates. I know this because her legs fall open, giving me access.
I push my hand down the front of her underwear but, unfortunately, her shorts are too tight and my access is restricted.
“Need to get rid of the shorts, baby,” I breathe into her ear.
“No,” she says, shaking her head.
“Yes,” I tell her as I start pushing the material down her hips. “Just lift your butt up a little, and I can get them off. ”
I know she wants to argue, and I know she’s nervous about being seen, but I know more than anything she wants my hand between her legs. She looks down the beach left and then right, apparently satisfied no one is coming at the moment.
She lifts her butt up, and I push the material down. She adds her own hands into the mix and, within a few seconds, both her shorts and panties are down around her knees, and she’s kicking them off. If anyone had been walking by, I’m sure all the motion under the blanket would have been a dead giveaway that she was stripping.
Settling the blanket back over her and pulling it up to her chest, she leans back against my chest, her head resting on my shoulder.