Covered: Part One (7 page)

“I’ve got a lot of work to do,” I said and grabbed my order sheets, “I think you should probably leave.”

“You know I’m right,” she said and giggled, “toodles. I’ll call you later.”

“If I don’t pick up, I’m on Skype with Gavin,” I said and let her leave. I wanted to run after her and shake her, make her believe that he was being honest, that he was a genuinely nice guy. Prove to her that he wasn’t lying to me, that there wasn’t some gorgeous young thing at the end of his dick right now.

Truth was, she got to me. Jenny knew me well enough to poke holes in whatever manufactured fantasy I had of Gavin and I. I resented her for it, but appreciated her keeping me on my toes. I couldn’t let my guard all the way down, not just yet, I really didn’t know him.

And from everything I’d read, he’d never been the most committed of boyfriends or somebody to rely on for the long term.

I marked down book orders on my clipboard for the rest of my shift. As I was closing up, I noticed the new Rebecca Hawk book display. Dozens of copies of Gavin’s abs plastered each book. I sat next to it in the darkened store and contemplated what was going on in my life, with Gavin and I.

In the book, the heroine had fallen for the improbably gorgeous hero. In the book she had been frumpy, a virgin and beautiful under her plain Jane clothing and depressing outlook on life. The millionaire CEO with the magic abs had fallen for her anyways, despite a few bumps in their road, they’d ended up together. All in all, it had been a nice story.

I pushed my glasses up my nose and sighed.

I knew real life wasn’t that nice. I knew girls like me didn’t get guys like him in the real world, not in any meaningful way anyhow. I knew it wasn’t going to end well, and he would break my heart after he got what he wanted.

I knew this.

And yet that little part of me couldn’t stop hoping and dreaming that happy ever afters did happen in real life.

And happyily ever afters did happen to girls like me.

We did Skype that night. And the night after. And the night after. He texted me constantly throughout each and every day. I was like his own private Instagram; he sent me pics of his food, his make up artist, the suits he was wearing, and the view from his hotel room. He was sharing as much of his world with me as possible, and I hated to admit it, but I was letting my guard down again.

Not hanging out with Jenny could do that to a girl, allow me to have confidence and hope for a fabulous future with Gavin.

She was pouting though, I could tell. She hadn’t expected her little text to Gavin to open up our communication like that. Now that I think about it, I’m sure she had expected Gavin to be too shocked to reply, or to get instantly dirty and want to use me for a little fun.

Oddly enough though, it has excited him and opened him up to me.

We did dirty talk. Well, dirty Skype, I can’t tell a lie, but it was sweet and hot, and very meaningful.

He was coming home today, flying in and heading right to my place. I was almost vibrating on the kitchen chair, trying to appear casual as I sipped my morning tea and nibbled my morning toast.

The kitchen had survived the watery disaster, thanks in part to Gavin.

“Your boyfriend coming back soon?” Auntie G asked and peered at me across the table. One of her cats jumped up and started to attack her toast; she swiped it off without even batting an eye. I looked down at my own toast, surveying quickly for cat bite marks or stray hairs.

Surprisingly there were none, the cats tended to stay away from me. I liked them well enough, but my aunt was definitely the center of their universe.

“He’s not my boyfriend,” I said defensively. Probably spurred on by the fanciful part of me that wished he was.

“Okay, your male friend. Is he coming back today?”

“Yes, he is,” I said and my breath caught in my throat. I couldn’t wait to see him.

“Thank goodness, you’ve been almost walking into walls around here, you’ve been so distracted.”

“I know,” I admitted, “I’m pathetic, aren’t I?”

“Not at all,” she said with a twinkle in her eye, “I think it’s cute. Your mother was much the same way when she met your father.”

“Oh I don’t think it’s that serious,” I replied, maybe a little too fast.

“It might not be serious now,” she said, “but it’s got the making of a serious thing. I can see it in your eyes, and I saw it in his.”

“We’ll see,” I said, “even if I were to admit that I like him, I don’t want to jinx it.”

“Makes sense. I get that,” she said and made some kind of loose sign in front of my face with her fingers. “Abracadabra,” she smiled and went back to her tea and toast.

I nibbled and perused the gossip blogs on my phone. It seemed the one time photograph of Gavin and I coming from the restaurant had faded into the background. Luckily there was enough going on in the world of celebrity stupidity to bump our night off the front pages.

I sighed and looked up at Auntie G. She was watching me with a crooked smile on her face. I screwed up my nose and stuck out my tongue at her. She laughed and picked up an out-dated magazine.

I loved these little moments, where I was secure and content in my little bubble.

But as much as I loved being safe and comfortable, Gavin was a big enough attraction that I dared myself to try it out…see what it felt like to date somebody like him.

I just had to kill the few hours until his return so I could figure out where the heck everything was headed.

***

The few hours felt like days. I paced and cleaned, showered, tried on twenty outfits, then did my make up over and over again. My face was almost ruddy by the time I heard a car pull up out front.

He literally had taken a taxi from the airport. I peeked out the window and watched him take our steps two at a time before he rang the doorbell. He seemed as excited as I was; this helped give me a little injection of confidence.

“Hey,” I said as I opened the door.

“Hey you,” he replied and swept me into his arms for a kiss. I folded against him and inhaled his scent, he smelled like the ocean, like warm sunlight and sandy beaches.

He tousled my hair with his hand as he reclaimed my mouth with his as his territory, as if I could have forgotten. I moaned against him and he responded with a small growl. He bit my lower lip as he pulled away.

He stared into my eyes; I hadn’t worn my glasses just for this moment. He ran his hand through my hair and breathed out, “Sarai, I missed you, love.”

“I missed you too,” I replied, even though we’d been in almost constant communication. There was something different though, being next to him in person.

“Do you want to come to my place?” he asked, even though we’d already agreed on it, “I really want you to come to my place. I want to cook for you, to have you in my space.”

“Of course,” I replied, “I should grab my bag.”

He popped in with me and asked Auntie G, “No more water problems?”

“None at all,” she replied. “What time are you going to have her back?”

“I believe that’s up to her,” Gavin said and smiled.

Auntie G had to smile back, she really did seem to have taken a shine to him.

I caught her checking out his ass when he bent to pick up my backpack though, and shot her a little glare.

She shrugged her shoulders and laughed.

“You take good care of her,” she told Gavin as we left.

“Always will,” he said and we were gone.

***

Gavin’s apartment was a little nicer than my place.

Scratch that, it was a whole heck of a lot nicer. It was another world. The kind of penthouse I read about in those books I loved.

“What do you think?” Gavin asked, depositing my grubby backpack on top of his Vuitton luggage in the entrance of his place.

“Give me a moment to take it in,” I replied. I kicked off my shoes and strolled around his space. It looked like the showroom of a high-end furniture boutique, and here I was hanging out like I belonged.

He was watching me, waiting for my opinion. Overall the place was gorgeous but it felt a little sterile. He needed a few more personal touches for it to really feel like a home.

“I think you need some photographs,” I said, “you know, friends and family and such. It doesn’t have much character.”

“I agree,” he replied and I relaxed. I was nervous giving him my opinion; afraid I’d offend him with the truth. I was slowly realizing Gavin really valued my view, I wasn’t just supposed to smile and keep my mouth shut when I was around him. “I just took the flat about a month ago. Why don’t we go shopping this weekend? Find some items? Do you know any antique malls?”

“I know a couple places,” I said and allowed myself the small thrill of knowing I would help furnish his apartment.

The view was incredible; he was on the top floor overlooking the water. I could see the city all the way across to Bainbridge island. It was magical. I felt like kind of a dork for thinking it was magical, but it really was.

“I love the view,” he said from behind me.

“I know, the island looks so close from here,” I said and turned. He crossed the living room and took me in his arms.

“I meant you,” he said and kissed me again. I was getting used to his kisses, how demanding his mouth was, how his hands travelled over my body like he owned me, but each and every time was a little different, a little more exciting.

This time I felt it from my knees to my head. A warm wave of desire coursed through my body and I pressed myself against him, felt his hardness press back.

He tasted of licorice, he still smelled of the beach but I could detect another underlying scent. His musky scent of lust, he wanted me and I could detect it on some animalistic level.

I wanted him, but not yet. Not until the sun went down.

I wasn’t some kind of horny vampire, but I didn’t want our first time to be in the dim light of a rainy afternoon. I wanted it to be more romantic, by candlelight maybe, or in some beam shining in from the moon overhead.

He sensed this and pulled back, stroked my hair and whispered, “I’m starving, love.” I knew he meant starving for me, but he was a perfect gentleman and let me set the pace.

“What are you going to cook for me?” I asked and turned back around to see the view. He wrapped his arms around me and brushed my hair aside to nibble the nape of my neck. I just about stripped naked right then and there, and let him take me in the window, in front of God and the city of Seattle.

Instead I shivered and pulled his arms tighter.

“Whatever,” he said and nibbled up to the back of one ear, “you desire,” he finished breathily in my ear.

I knew exactly what I desired right then, but I resisted…not very well, but I tried. “Something simple?” I suggested, “maybe something fast? Should we just order in?”

He continued to kiss my neck, nibble my ear, and murmured, “As you wish,” against my lobe.

I shivered and said, “Japanese?”

“Sounds perfect.”

With an almost painful motion, we pulled ourselves apart and he found a menu online. We ordered and managed to talk amicably while waiting for our food.

My stomach growled, my stomach did flip-flops and my stomach was in knots when I thought about being naked with him tonight.

The sun started to set over the water by the time the food arrived. Gavin handed the delivery guy a couple hundred dollars and closed the door before the surprised guy could say a thing.

He set the paper bags on the counter and crossed back towards me, the light was growing dim as the sun was finally sliding beyond the horizon and leaving us for other places. He looked absolutely predatory, his muscular body cat-like in its grace and power, and his features shadowed and fierce.

“Dinner is served,” he smiled and reached for my hand. He pulled me off his low, leather sofa and I stumbled, falling into his arms.

I laughed at my awkwardness and looked up as he leaned into me, his lips met mine again but there was something different this time. He had a hunger that was greater than before, as though the delivery had whet more than just his appetite for food. His tongue pinned mine and I whimpered against him, unable to break free, whether I wanted to or not.

And I did not.

He pulled me up against him, his hands cupping me and lifting me. I felt light in his arms, dainty almost. As though I didn’t have my father’s chin that made my face too strong, or my flabby tummy that had Jenny curling her lip up in disapproval every time she saw it.

As though I was beautiful. As beautiful as he was.

His lips left my mouth and traveled along my neck, my collar bone and lower. He started to lick and suck the skin just above my neckline, and pushed it lower with his chin. His stubble scratched against me and the sensations were almost too much.

He was kissing the swell of my breasts above my bra when I thought I was going to faint. I don’t know if it was the lack of food or the fact that I had feelings coursing through me that I’d never felt before, but in typical clumsy Sarai fashion, I fell backwards.

“Are you all right, love?” he asked and came up for air. He supported my head and held me upright when he set me to the floor.

“I might be hungry,” I said and offered him a crooked grin. What else could I say? That his mouth on my breast had almost given me a seizure, it felt so good? I could never admit such a thing, and what the hell was going to happen when he took one of my nipples between his lips? Was I going to have a heart attack? A stroke?

I mentally went through the checklist for a stroke and noted nothing unusual on my body.

Maybe it was just hunger, I hadn’t been able to eat anything that day; my nerves had been so shot from waiting.

“Let’s eat,” he said and grinned, “then we’ll work on making you pass out for good reasons, not simply because I’m starving you.”

He winked, flicked on the lights and set out unpacking all the food and laying it out on the table.

It was an exquisite feast paired with what I assumed was an expensive wine. My peasant’s palate couldn’t tell the difference, but I went along with his assessment, nodding like a bobble head with a chunk of sashimi in my mouth.

I wish I could possess even a tenth of the poise and grace he had, even a tenth would be more than I’d ever had. He remained so cool and calm when I felt like I had an overheating freight engine roaring inside my chest.

I guess it made me nervous, how easy this all was. In every book I read, the hero who looked like Gavin was a possessive, cocky asshole who bragged about his lack of commitment. The heroine of course changed him, but not until there were chapters and chapters of witty banter and steamy make out sessions.

She was always feisty and fought against him, but gave in of course, and he always broke down his walls and fell in love with her.

What was happening between Gavin and I felt so different, it felt real, it felt authentic. There were no roles to play, not parts to rehearse…there was just he and I, hanging out and talking.