The Rules Page 10

  “You’re so wet,” he said in a hoarse voice behind her. She heard the zipper, and then he pried her legs open and penetrated her from behind. After two pumps, he groaned, his hands curling into fists beside her head. “I could stay up in you all damn day.”

  The rough denim of his jeans scraped her inner thigh as the strength of his thrusts pushed her into the soft mattress. They came fast, climaxing simultaneously, and Gavin released into the condom with a trembling groan before slumping across her back.

  With a soft curse, he kissed the heart tattoo on her shoulder blade and then let out a short laugh. Terri did, too, an exhausted, breathless, tired laugh.

  “Quiet evening at home, you said?” she teased.

  “We were pretty quiet, don’t you think?” He kissed the back of her neck.

  She wiggled from under him and he rolled onto his back.

  “Where are you going?” he asked when she slid off the bed.

  “I gotta go pee. You were pushing all up on my bladder.” She dragged the camisole top over her head, brazenly unfettering her breasts and letting them swing free in all their lushness.

  “You love blowing up my head up, don’t you? Hurry back.”

  “I’ll take this.” Terri slid off the condom and Gavin groaned as his penis jumped.

  “You’re gonna be the death of me.”

  “But you’ll die happy,” she quipped, before sauntering off. Naked and comfortable in her own skin.

  He rented hotel suites with bathrooms bigger than her entire apartment, yet the efficiency appealed to him. Or maybe it was the company. They usually slept here instead of his place, which crawled with party-goers all hours of the day and night—something he used to enjoy, but now found to be a nuisance.

  “Have you thought about what we discussed last night?” he called out.

  “You’re back on that again? It’s the worst idea you’ve ever had. Seriously,” Terri called back.

  “Come on, it’s not that bad. You’ll love it.” Gavin folded his arms behind his head, enjoying himself. He always enjoyed himself with Terri.

  Lounging around on Saturday morning had become his new favorite pastime. Who knew he could get such satisfaction from spending so much time with the same person—eating with her, sleeping wrapped around her, and then waking up and making sweet love in the morning. He’d been so accustomed to going, going, going, he never paused long enough to enjoy a slower pace, but now he saw what he’d been missing.

  Yeah, he could get used to this.

  “Please, you’re only saying that because you’re the giver and I’m the taker,” Terri said.

  She appeared in the doorway, still naked. And this was another reason he was enjoying himself. Terri walked around naked, draped in more confidence than most women did fully clothed. And he loved it, because he was the lucky recipient of all that beautiful brown skin on display. She was so damn sexy—with heavy breasts capped by chocolate areolas, bow-shaped hips, thick thighs, and an ass he hadn’t been able to convince her to let him penetrate. But he was working on it, hence their current conversation.

  “I think the reason you’re hesitant is because you had a bad experience. Some men go too hard and too fast. We’ll take it slow and easy. You’ll love it.”

  “Just because I’m a little freaky doesn’t mean I’ll let you stick your dick anywhere you want.”

  “No?”

  “No.”

  “Come here.”

  She walked over to the bed, feigning reluctance, and sat down.

  “It’ll be the best orgasm you’ve ever had,” Gavin said.

  “I already have the best orgasms I’ve ever had,” she said. “Get it through that thick skull of yours. I’m not doing it.”

  “I don’t understand. What does that even mean?” Gavin asked.

  She laughed. “It means exactly what I told you when we started this conversation yesterday. I don’t do anal.”

  Gavin scratched his head. “Sorry, I’m really confused. What language are you speaking?”

  Terri ran her tongue between her teeth and lip. She leaned forward and cupped a hand around his ear. “This. Is. English. I. Don’t. Do. Anal.” She sat up.

  “With an ass like that?” Gavin sat up and shook his head. “We’re gonna have to change that. That ass was made for fucking.”

  Terri rolled her eyes and popped up from the bed.

  “Where are you going now?” Selfishly, he wanted her close at all times.

  “I’ll be right back.” She pushed aside the ivory curtain and left him in the bedroom. She came back almost right away and stood in the doorway. “If anal is so great, why don’t you try it?”

  “Er, that’s not the way this works, baby.”

  Terri strolled toward the bed and pulled a cucumber from behind her back. “You sure you don’t want to try it and prove to me how enjoyable it will be?” She slid her fingers along the length of the fruit.

  “It’s all about your enjoyment, not mine.”

  “Oh, I don’t know.” The tip of one slender finger traced the length. “What was it you said to me? ‘A little lubricant will fix you right up. You’ll barely feel a thing.’ Wasn’t it something like that?”

  “I might have possibly said something like that,” Gavin admitted, getting disturbingly turned on by her fingers caressing the green fruit.

  One of her eyebrows shot toward the ceiling. She used her eyebrows a lot. To challenge him, to express sarcasm or disbelief. “That’s exactly what you said. So why don’t you turn over on your stomach and I’ll test your theory.”

  “I have a better idea.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Let’s test it on you.”

  Her eyes widened, and she only made it as far as the coffee table before he grabbed her around the waist and lifted her from the floor.

  She screamed. “No! I was just playing.”

  “I got you now.” He yanked away the cucumber and wrestled her to the bed, face down, bottom up. “Let’s see if it fits.” He placed the cucumber at the crease of her ass. “What do you have to say for yourself now? Not so cocky anymore, are we?”

  She wiggled to get up, but he held her down. “Gavin, quit.”

  “I think you really want it.”

  “No.”

  “You sure? I promise you’ll like it. It’s smaller than me, but it’ll be a good way to prep you,” he said wickedly, pressing the fruit a little between her butt cheeks.

  “I said, no!” she shrieked, raw panic in her voice.

  Gavin stopped right away. “I was just kidding, baby.”

  “Stop. Get up. Get up.”

  He lifted off of her. She was shaking. Gavin tossed aside the cucumber. “Hey, I was just kidding, okay?”

  She stood up and away from him and folded her arms over her mid-section.

  “It’s not funny,” she said.

  “I’m sorry. I took it too far.” He held up his hands and remained seated so as not to crowd her or make her feel intimidated.

  Terri frowned at the floor, and Gavin had the distinct impression that this wasn’t really about him—but about something else. Perhaps someone else, who had hurt her.

  “Hey.” He extended his hand and she stared at it. She didn’t move, but he didn’t drop his hand. He held it out until she took it and he pulled her onto his lap.

  “I’m sorry,” he said to her neck. “Forgive me?”

  She dipped her head. “You didn’t do anything wrong. I shouldn’t have started the game. I just got...weird, that’s all.”

  “I would never do anything you didn’t want me to. I hope you know that.”

  “I do.”

  He tilted her chin up. “Do you?”

  She nodded.

  “And I would never hurt you, Terri. Never. That’s not my style.”

  “I know.” She offered him a trembling smile. “You’re not one of those freaky crazy rich men.”

  “I’m freaky, not crazy.” He grinned.

  S
he laughed, and he dragged a finger down her soft cheek.

  “Want to talk about it?” he asked. Anger burned in his belly at the thought of someone hurting her.

  Tears sprang to her eyes and she looked down. “Not today. Maybe another time,” she said huskily.

  Beneath the sensual bravado she exuded, he often sensed a vulnerability, but never more than now. As if her behavior was simply a cover. In some ways, she reminded him of himself.

  “Okay.” He pulled her close. “So, what’s on the agenda today?”

  “I don’t know. I have the whole day off.” Her voice sounded closer to normal, but not quite.

  “We need to take advantage of it. What do you want to do?”

  “Something really relaxing.”

  “Like what?”

  “Let’s go to a bookstore.” She wrinkled her nose, as if she expected him to reject the idea.

  “Sounds like a plan to me.”

  She grinned, her face lighting up like a little girl whose pony arrived as promised. “You sure?”

  “If that’s what you want to do, that’s what we’ll do.” He didn’t know why she acted surprised every time he agreed to go to a bookstore or do anything equally routine, though he guessed by his answers he’d passed some kind of test.

  She loved to spend a quiet night in and read, a personality trait he hadn’t expected, contradictory to the sex-kitten air she naturally exuded. Spending time with her made him wonder about himself. He couldn’t remember the last time the urge for speed or danger hit him.

  Terri hopped up. “Okay, let’s go take a shower. Last one in is a rotten egg!” She took off running.

  Gavin rose from the bed but didn’t follow right away. He took a long, hard look at the cucumber on the floor.

  He liked to think his disposition was more like his mother’s. He admired her even-tempered handling of problems over the years and thought the only characteristic he inherited from his father was the light color of his eyes. But the truth was, he had a bit of a temper, kicked in by a protective gene ten miles wide when a woman he cared about had been hurt—very much like his father. Years ago, Gavin used his fists to teach a lesson to a slimy young man by the name of Eric who’d shopped a video of himself and Ivy having sex. His brothers had to pull him off the piece of shit.

  So to think someone had hurt Terri infuriated him. If he had to guess, it was the man she didn’t want to talk about on their date at SkyCity Restaurant.

  Who was he and what exactly had he done to her?

  Gavin clenched his teeth.

  Whoever he was, he better hope Gavin never found out.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “Pull!” The target soared above the trees. Gavin followed it with his eye and then pulled the trigger on the shotgun. The clay exploded and the pieces fell to the earth.

  “Pull!” Xavier yelled to his left. He fired, but the target soared out of sight, like a bird. He swore and Gavin chuckled.

  “Pull!” To Xavier’s left, Ivy lined up the shot. Gavin couldn’t see her eyes behind the shooting glasses, but she had excellent aim. When she pulled the trigger, fragments dusted the air.

  They all removed their protective ear plugs and two attendants came running up to retrieve them, the guns, and Ivy’s glasses.

  “I beat you, little brother,” she teased, resting an arm on his shoulder as they walked toward the back porch of the cabin. She loved rubbing in that she was five minutes older than him. “You’ve gotten rusty. You suck now.”

  “Xavier’s the one who sucks,” Gavin said, tossing a glance over his shoulder.

  His brother scowled at him.

  Ivy ran lightly up the steps ahead of them. “Either way, I just made ten thousand dollars.” She held up all ten fingers.

  “Check’s in the mail,” Gavin muttered as he climbed the stairs.

  Ivy placed her hands on her hips. “Hey, don’t you dare treat me like Trenton. He never pays his debts, but I expect my money.”

  He and Xavier should have known better than to take a bet with Ivy, but neither could back down from her trash talking. She was the best shot in the family and had even won a few skeet shooting championships over the years. Gavin’s skills came in a close second, and he was the only one of his siblings to take his appreciation of firearms to another level. He owned a small collection of antique handguns from the early nineteenth century, including a set of dueling pistols purchased from a collector not too long ago. In his home, he kept guns stashed on every floor, just in case.

  Xavier fell somewhere behind Gavin in shooting proficiency. Cyrus Jr., their oldest brother, had never taken to skeet shooting, but he was decent. Trenton never participated because of a natural aversion to guns.

  Gavin and Ivy grabbed a seat in two of the Adirondack chairs on the rear porch of the cabin. Xavier stood facing them, with his back to the greenery. The “cabin” was really a luxurious eight-bedroom home they visited more often as children. Their mother used to love to take the drive in the fall when the leaves changed, and it was an easy way to pull their father away from work for a couple of days. They piled into five sports utility vehicles with nannies and servants, forming a little caravan to escape to the Cascade Mountains for the weekend.

  Gavin breathed in the cool, fresh air of late February and let his gaze sweep over the triangular-shaped western hemlock and shrubs that covered the landscape for miles. He couldn’t remember the last time he came up here. Now that the sound of gunfire had ceased, only the quiet of the woodlands could be heard.

  An attendant came out and handed them each a mug of hot chocolate. Another one behind him set up a portable table and then they both removed themselves as quietly as they’d come.

  “How are thing’s going at the office?” Ivy asked. She took a sip of hot chocolate and then set the mug on the table.

  “Good. Last week I was down in the mail room.” Gavin dragged another chair in front of him and propped his feet on it.

  “You haven’t heard him whistling in the halls?” Xavier asked.

  “I’ve been tied up in legal working on the franchise project the past few weeks. The numbers look good, but my biggest concern is maintaining the same quality in the restaurants once we don’t own them all.”

  “It’ll work out. There are lots of franchises out there,” Xavier said.

  “True. The consultants have been extremely helpful.” She turned to Gavin. “So what’s this about you whistling in the hallways?”

  “There’s nothing to tell,” Gavin said. He shot Xavier a look.

  “What was that?” Ivy demanded.

  “That was a don’t-tell-her-shit look.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because you talk too much,” Gavin and Xavier said in unison.

  “I do not!”

  “Actually, you do,” Xavier said.

  Ivy narrowed her eyes at him. “So this is a secret you guys have been keeping from me?”

  “Not really a secret, but I figured you’re on a need-to-know basis, otherwise you’ll run and tell Mother everything,” Gavin said.

  Ivy crossed her arms and fell silent, but Gavin knew she wasn’t finished. Sure enough, she asked, “What if I promise not to say anything?”

  Gavin shot his older brother a look. “What do you think?”

  Xavier shrugged. “It’s up to you.”

  Gavin pointed at his sister. “Not a word.”

  “Not a word.” Ivy made a motion with her hand to her mouth and turned, locking her lips with an imaginary key.

  Gavin let out a heavy breath. “I’m seeing someone, and I really like her.”

  Ivy leaned closer. “Who?”

  Gavin stared at her.

  “My lips are sealed. I promise.”

  “Her name’s Terri Slade. She’s a friend of Alannah’s.”

  “Why is that name so familiar? Do I know her? Who’s her family?”

  “She’s not from our circle of friends or the people we know, except for Alannah.”

/>   “Hmm…maybe that’s how I know her. I must have met her before.”

  “Probably.”

  “Soooo, how long have you been seeing Terri?” Ivy placed an elbow on the arm of the chair and rested her chin in her hand, gearing up for the juicy details.

  “Over a month.”

  “So you must like her a lot if you’re seeing her exclusively.”

  “He never said he was seeing her exclusively,” Xavier interjected.

  “Well, that’s implied.” Ivy turned to Gavin. “Isn’t it?”

  “I like her, okay? We’ll leave it at that.” True enough, he hadn’t been seeing anyone else. In fact, he’d even cut down the amount of time he spent with his entourage. When he wasn’t with Terri, he spent time working and learning the ropes at the family business. Xavier had him on a rotating schedule to learn different areas. At the time, he thought it was ridiculous. He hadn’t planned on staying for an extensive period in Seattle, but now, he wasn’t so sure. Every time he thought of leaving, the excitement of going off on another adventure didn’t hold the same appeal.

  “Is she the reason you’ve stuck around in Seattle?” Ivy asked.

  “The reason I’m still in Seattle is because I love being around my family.”

  Xavier snorted.

  “Yeah, right,” Ivy said. She crossed her legs. “So tell me about her. What’s she like?”

  “There’s nothing to tell.”

  “Come on. Stop being so secretive.” Ivy sipped the hot chocolate, waiting.

  Gavin gazed out at the trees. “I don’t know how to explain it. She’s not like any woman I’ve ever known or been involved with. She’s not an actress or socialite or any of those women. She’s just real and honest and…Terri.”

  He thought about her when they weren’t together, and though they hadn’t been together long, felt as if he’d known her much longer. They were so compatible. Same sense of humor and a desire to engage in the same activities. Nowadays, a fun night was laying his head in her lap while she read to him from one of the paperbacks on her shelf or the hundreds of books in her tablet. He popped popcorn for their quiet evenings at her apartment and searched out literary events they could attend together.