Bent not Broken (97 page)

“You hardly ate anything,” I say, looking at Jess’ plate.

“I wasn’t hungry and I want to go for a quick run when I get home.”

“A run? I just ate an entire plate of Pad Thai!”

She laughs at me and stands, offering me her hand as she pulls me from the booth. Settled in the car, she inserts the key into the ignition. Stopping her from starting the car, I reach over and pull her into a kiss. I never want to stop kissing her. Taking my time, I explore her mouth, her neck, and her mouth again.

“Gabe,” she mumbles against my lips.

I stop her from speaking by deepening my kiss. “Let’s stay in tonight,” I mumble back against her lips.

She pulls away from me. “Who said I was doing anything with you tonight?” she says, laughing.

“You don’t want to spend the evening with your
boyfriend
?” I throw out, knowing that will get her attention. She turns her head to me quickly, her eyes wide.

“Say it again,” she says with the biggest smile I’ve ever seen. She’s biting her bottom lip as she waits for me to repeat what I just said.

“Do you want to spend the evening with your boyfriend?” I make sure to say it slow, enunciating the word “boyfriend,” hoping she’s affected by it.

“Yes, boyfriend, I’d love to spend my evening with you, but after our food settles, can we go for a quick run?”

“Are you going to try and kill me again?” I laugh, knowing that a quick run to her is a half marathon for me.

“No, just a few short miles, I promise. I’ll let you win if you want to race,” she says with a little grin.

“I always win. Remember that,” I say, giving her a little wink.

Chapter 9

Jess

I open the front door. Gabe is standing on my porch in his running shorts and a compression shirt, carrying a small duffle bag. I glance down at the bag and flash him a funny look.

“Moving in?”

“Want me to?” he says, stepping inside and planting a soft kiss on my lips.

“I’d love for you to,” I mumble against his lips. As I toss his bag on the floor next to the couch, I catch myself smiling as I imagine going to bed with him every night and waking up wrapped around him every morning.

“Ready to go?” he asks, pulling me out of my short daydream.

“Yeah. Ready for me to kick your ass?”

“You promised you’d let me win, remember?” He winks at me and smacks my butt hard.

“Ow. I remember.”

While we’re stretching, I plan out our short run. I decide to take us down our normal route to Washington Park where we always run, this time actually running into the park and on the paved trail that winds through the park. It’s a relatively short run there and back.

“Ready?” I ask him, jogging toward the street.

“Ready.”

“Let’s see if you can keep up this time, big guy.”

About a mile and a half into our run, we’re just inside the park entrance when I hear his breathing become a bit heavier.

“Jesus Christ, Jess. You said you weren’t going to kill me,” he says as I watch a small bead of sweat roll from his hairline, down his temple.

“I wasn’t. I was just pushing us since it’s a short run,” I say, slowing our pace so that we’re now in a light jog.

“Remember that hill?” He points at the hill where he brought me last night.

“How could I forget?” I can’t help but smile when I see that hill. Slowing us down to a walk, we spend a minute catching our breath, but I notice Gabe keeps looking at the hill.

“Want to go back to the top?” He smiles at me. “Never mind; I can’t wait that long to kiss you,” he says, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me down into the grass just off the paved path. I can’t help but giggle at how playful he’s being. Holding my arms over my head, he runs his finger down my cheek to my neck, continuing all the way down to my stomach. Still hovering over me, he leans in as if to kiss me, but instead, uses his finger to start tickling me.

“Ahhhh!” I scream, which turns into a fit of laughter. He continues his attack, moving his hand from one side of my stomach to the other and up to my underarms. With my hands still pinned above my head, I’m helpless. I wiggle beneath him, trying to escape his hold.

“Tease,” I yell at him while a tear runs out of my eye from laughing so hard.

“Got you, didn’t I?” He laughs, finally stopping his assault as he collapses onto me. Pressing a sweet kiss to my lips, he rolls off of me and positions himself on his back at my side.

“That was mean.” I giggle and slap his stomach softly.

“That was funny.”

“I wanted you to kiss me.” I pout.

“I did, when I was done tickling you.”

Rolling back over, he straddles me and moves my arms over my head just as he did before.

“No. Not again.” I laugh and try to lower my arms.

“Shhh…” He leans down and kisses me. Pressing light kisses to my lips, then my cheeks, my forehead, and even my eyelids. He kisses every inch of skin on my face and neck with gentle kisses.

“Gabe,” I whisper against his lips, which have settled back on mine. “We need to finish our run.”

He sighs and drops his head to my chest. Pulling himself off of me, he reaches his hand out to me to pull me off the ground.

“Fine, but we need to stand here for a few minutes. I can’t walk right this minute,” he says, shaking his head and adjusting his crotch. I can’t help but laugh at my effect on him. Reaching out for my hand, he laces his fingers through mine and we begin walking. Suddenly, he drops my hand and takes off running, leaving me behind him.
Shit
.

“Damn you!” I yell at him, taking off in a sprint after him. He’s running as fast as he can, and I know he’s trying to beat me home. No way am I letting him win. We’re on the last quarter mile, and I pass him in a full sprint. Rounding the corner of our street, we are about six houses away and I’m still in front of him by a few strides. Finally making it home, I run up onto my porch, using the railing to lean against while bending over, trying to catch my breath. Gabe is doing the same.

“Competitive much?” he sputters. Both of us have sweat running down our faces and his shirt is drenched.

“Look who’s talking,” I manage to say between breaths. Standing on the porch, we take our time catching our breath.

“What are you thinking?” Gabe asks.

“See that house over there?” I point at an angle across the street to an old house.

“Yeah. Old Man Johnson lives there.”

“Every time I run or walk by there, I think about how beautiful that house must have been once.”

“Don’t bust his balls, Jess. He’s old and can’t keep it up.”

“I know that.” I roll my eyes at him. “I just look at all the potential it has. That small porch doesn’t do that house justice. Imagine a full covered porch that wraps around the front and down both sides of that house.” I find myself staring at this house, trying to see the beauty that’s there, hidden behind chipped paint and dry rot wood. “With a porch swing,” I say quietly.

“I love that you see potential where others see garbage,” he responds, wrapping his arms around me from behind. We stand looking at that house for another minute.

“I wish someone could help him,” I mutter.

“Dad has offered numerous times. He just tells him he’s too old to invest the time or money to fix the place up.”

“It’s kind of sad. He’s lived there his entire life; he raised his kids in that house.” I can’t help but think about raising kids in a house and the memories it must hold.

“Maybe that’s why he doesn’t want to change it. It holds too many memories for him.”

“I was just thinking the same thing,” I whisper. Gabe presses another kiss to my temple and unwraps his arms from around me.

“Let’s go inside.” He guides me towards the door.

“I’m going to grab a quick shower,” I say, walking down the hallway. “You’re welcome to use the other shower, or you can wait to use mine, unless you want to shower at home,” I mumble over my shoulder, closing the bathroom door behind me.

I grab my robe; then strip down and throw my sweaty running clothes on the bathroom floor into a pile. When I step into the shower, the warm water pelts my skin. I stand still under the water with my eyes closed, and I can feel the dirt and sweat being washed away as the water massages me. I reach for my body wash with my eyes closed, and suddenly feel a hand on my shoulder. Quickly turning, beautiful hazel eyes are staring back at me.

“No sense in wasting water,” he says, wrapping his muscular arms around me and pressing his mouth against my neck. Naturally, my head falls back, giving him more access to my sensitive skin. My stomach flips a little when his hands settle on my hips, pressing me against his firm body. Nervously, I place my hands on his shoulders; I’ve never seen nor been this close to a man naked, and to be pressed up against him has my mind racing. I gasp quietly as he gently nips at my neck.

I nervously run my hands down his firm chest to the hard ridges of his abs, feeling every muscle, every ridge, and goose bumps prick my skin. He groans against my lips as my hands explore him. I tilt my neck, and he moves his mouth there and finds that spot just behind my ear, leaving me trembling. I gasp, and my head falls back even further. The hot water from the shower is doing little to erase the goose bumps he has ignited across my body. My stomach is a ball of twisting nerves as his hands begin slowly exploring my body.

He reaches for the bottle of body wash and flips the cap open, squirting a generous amount into his hand. He starts massaging my arms and chest. My legs begin shaking as his large hands move up and down my sides, washing and massaging me. Reaching one of his arms around me, he finds my right nipple and gently pinches it, causing a shiver to spread across my trembling body.

“Tell me to stop if this makes you uncomfortable,” he whispers in my ear. Pressing myself back against his firm chest, I balance myself as his other hand reaches around me, finding my other nipple and giving it a gentle pinch. Immediately, I feel the heat spread between my legs, and my stomach clenches as a small groan escapes me.

“Are you okay?” he whispers as he alternates between massaging my breasts and pinching my nipples.

“Mmm hmm,” I mutter, and his hands move from my breasts to my stomach. I flinch and am self-conscious when his hands find my soft stomach, but he continues making small circles across my flesh with his fingers. He continues downward with one hand, reaching the top of my pubic bone, gliding until his fingers reach the pulsing flesh just below.

I gasp as one of his fingers slides across my labia, and I press back against him further, giving him better access. I can feel his erection pressing into my back, but I’m focused on the heat that has taken over my body and the feeling of his finger sliding gently back and forth across me.

Leaning into my neck, he whispers into my ear, “We need to get out of this shower. Now.”

“But, I …” I start to say, but am interrupted immediately. I don’t want him to stop.

“Now, Jess.” He pulls the shower curtain back and reaches around me to shut off the water. Grabbing two large bath towels off the counter, he wraps one around his waist and the other around me. Stepping out of the shower, I reach for another towel and use it to towel dry my hair. Seconds later, I’m being pulled out of the bathroom, across the hallway, and into my room.

Walking to the edge of my bed, Gabe sits down, the towel still firmly in place around his waist. Pulling me towards him, he wraps his arms around my waist, resting his head on my stomach. My arms instinctively wrap around his neck, holding him in place. “I didn’t want you to stop,” I admit.

“I don’t want to pressure you to do anything you’re not ready for,” he says, looking up at me, his eyes meeting mine. “You’re not some girl I picked up at a party to take home and fuck. For as long as I can remember, I’ve cared about you, but now it’s different; now I’m in love with you,” he whispers against my belly, kissing it through the bath towel.

“I love you too, but I’ve never done this before,” I admit nervously, pushing his head back slightly so I can look him in the eyes. I see confusion spread across his face.

“You never had a boyfriend before?”

“Yes, I’ve had a boyfriend before, but I’m a virgin,” I whisper. “I’ve never let anyone touch me like you just did.” He inhales sharply with what I’ve just told him.

“But, I saw your birth control pills on the counter. I assumed that you’ve…”

I interrupt, “I take those for other reasons. I’ve never
been
with anyone before.” My heart is racing, and my hands are shaking with the admission that I’m still a virgin.

“I want nothing more than to touch you, be with you, and love you, but I will understand if you’re not ready. I’ll wait until you are,” he says, his arms still wrapped around me. I nod my head as I take in the last few minutes: the shower, and my body’s reaction to his hands touching me.

“Gabe?” I say, my voice trembling from being nervous.

“Yeah?”

I pull away from him and sit down on the edge of the bed, in hopes of stopping my legs from shaking. I’ve always imagined what my first time would be like, and I can’t imagine anyone I’d rather give this to, than him.

“I want you to be my first—and my last,” I manage to say, my lip quivering. My entire body is trembling from fear, nervousness, and anticipation of this moment I want to share with him. “I don’t want to wait any longer. I’ve always wanted
you
. Please, make love to me.”

A small sigh escapes his lips as he turns toward me, pulling me into an embrace. Clinging to him, I can feel the rapid beat of his heart against my chest.

Urging me down to my back, he holds my head in both of his hands. His eyes are intense but full of concern. “Are you sure? You will never get this back,” he whispers. It comforts me to know that he is concerned about me and my feelings.

My heart is racing, and I can feel my pulse in my ears. “I’ve never been more sure about anything. I love you,” I say, closing my eyes, a small tear escaping. Hovering over me, he wipes that stray tear, then tugs at the small knot in the towel that was holding it closed. The towel falls open and lies on either side of me. With a sharp inhale, I watch him slowly taking in the sight of me fully naked. Instinctively, I lay my arm across my stomach, and as quickly as I move it there, he pushes it away.