He didn’t speak, just walked down the hallway, stripping out of his sport coat, shirt, and tie. Talk about looking like a million bucks. He was hot in shorts and T-shirts. But in a suit? She’d had to tell more than one person at the party to keep their grubby hands to themselves. Yeah, because that’s how Zoe 2.0 rolled. No messing with her man. Telling him she loved him after boning him at the company party in a dark room. Classy all the way.
She covered her eyes. No more drinks for her at work. Oh God.
Yet she couldn’t blame the alcohol on her need to be honest with Gavin. He meant so much to her. She was done playing it safe. The time had come to put her heart on the line. Go big or go home. WWAD? Yeah, her sister would be proud of her for sharing herself, for experiencing love and taking a risk.
She kicked off her heels, yet her steps grew smaller as she moved to accept the repercussions from taking that big risk.
When she reached the bedroom, she wasn’t prepared to get jumped.
She shrieked as Gavin grabbed her in his arms and proceeded to seduce her. More like ravage her. He didn’t say a word. He just kissed her, stripping her out of her clothes with a fierceness that shocked and delighted her. Then he had her on the bed, and he was pounding into her while he stared into her eyes. He never looked away, and his honest need aroused her unbearably.
She came just as he did. His carnal agony lit her up, and she squeezed him tight and dragged him down for another kiss. She nipped his lip, tasted blood, and kept kissing him, only coming up for air when he let her.
Time meant nothing as they rolled around, tasting, touching. He had her on her hands and knees, his fist in her hair dragging her head back, the bite of pain both scary and fulfilling at the same time. Then he took her harder, hammering while he said naughty, raunchy things about what he planned to do to her for their encore.
She came crying his name, barely able to stay upright. But he didn’t come. Instead he pulled out and flipped her onto her back.
“We’re not done,” he growled.
And round three started.
She lost track of time after that.
But sometime in the morning, with the sun shining through her window, she woke to a gentle kiss on her lips, a hand stroking her hair. “Gavin?” She blinked her eyes open.
He smiled, his gaze soft. “Hey, baby. I have to get to the gym. I’m on today. I’ll see you later, okay?”
“Hmm. Love you.”
He didn’t answer. And then he was gone, and Zoe went back to sleep.
* * *
Gavin didn’t know how to feel, so he concentrated on work. He helped those at the gym, worked through some training clients, did his own reps and a short three-mile run—for speed, not endurance.
But the run only made it easier to think about Zoe and her scary-ass confession.
I love you.
Well, fuck. Hadn’t he been feeling the same for awhile now? So in love with the witchy black-haired woman that he’d do anything to make her happy? She talked about Aubrey with tears in her eyes and a smile. She confronted pushy doctors and put them in their place. She’d totally taken on his family and conquered Linda, for God’s sake. The queen of victory had actually conceded the win to Zoe.
So unselfish, so sweet, so cute in her bloodthirsty need to trounce him at something, then taunt him about losing.
How could he not love a woman like that?
But he was scared to tell her the truth of his feelings. To open himself and give her his whole heart—because it wasn’t whole yet. He still hadn’t talked to Nicole, still hadn’t gotten the closure that might finally allow him to put his past to rights. How could he give Zoe any less than all of him? He needed to talk to Lee again. He might have gone to Ava, but he didn’t want her talking about him to Landon. He knew she’d try not to, but she worried about him almost as much as his big brother did.
No, he didn’t want to pressure Ava with his issues. He wanted to stop being a damn pussy and just meet Nicole for lunch. Something simple, where they could share stories about the guys, laugh, maybe cry a little because yeah, they all missed them. Then they’d all move on, Gavin would realize even fucked-up dudes needed love, and he’d get the balls to talk Zoe into a more committed relationship.
Hell, as it was, they spent all their time together. He practically lived at her place, and going out and doing fun stuff together wasn’t cheap. He needed to figure out what to do with the rest of his life, career-wise. He had a few thoughts about that, but he’d been putting everything off, knowing he needed to be settled in his mind first.
“Yo, Gavin. You got a minute?” Mac asked, and Gavin realized he’d run a good mile past his three-mile cutoff.
“Sure.” Gavin slowed the machine to a walk, then stopped it and stepped off.
Mac handed him his towel, and he dried off his sweat and guzzled his water bottle.
“Mac?”
