The Rebound Pact (22 page)

Dinner just got more complicated. She would sit across from him so she couldn’t feel his heat, so the scent of his cologne didn’t overwhelm her.

They followed the hostess to a booth. Her father slid in, and when she was about to sit beside him, Max tapped her out of the way. “You can’t hog Dad all to yourself.”

What? He wanted her to sit beside Holden?

She nearly did a double-take. Was this Max’s way of saying he was okay with it?
Okay with what?
she wanted to shout. Wow, she was reading way too much into this… Max would
never
be okay with them being together.

Gabrielle pretended not to be disturbed and instead slid into the booth, and smiled at her father.

“Like old times,” she said.

Her dad smiled and nodded.
“Yeah.” Then glanced around and Gabrielle realized it wasn’t really like old times because her mother wasn’t there. She blinked rapidly to ward off her tears, then focused on the menu even though she already knew she was ordering the veggie burger and sweet potato fries. Holden was right that the pain never really left, only dulled, and moments like this she really missed her mom the most.

The waitress came by and they ordered their meals—and Gabrielle added a margarita on the rocks to her list.
Maybe a little liquid courage would calm her completely overwhelmed nerves.

“How’s business
holding up with you being gone?” Holden asked Max.

“Good, I hope
. Wish it wasn’t so hectic. I’m surprised I even got out here when I did. But you know,” he gave Gabrielle a sweet brotherly smile, “Gabs needed me, so here I am.”

She leaned forward, folding her hands on the table and resting on her elbows. “You didn’t have to, Max. But I’m glad you did.”

“It’d been too long, anyway.”

A moment of silence passed, both of them remembering the last time he’d been in town.
Mom’s funeral. She hadn’t brought herself to ever visit the grave again, preferring to celebrate her mom’s memory as she was and not as a stone slab. What was supposed to be a joyous night was quickly turning somber. Not that she hadn’t already been uncomfortable.

Holden shifted, his thigh hitting hers. She pressed against him,
feeling the heat seep through the fabric of their clothes. She wanted nothing more than to lean her head on his shoulder, to feel him lift her chin for a kiss, his lips pressed to hers, tongue teasing open her mouth. Comforting her, distracting her.

“Margarita?” the waitress said
, handing her a cactus shaped glass rimmed with salt.

“Thank you.”
Gabrielle took a large gulp of her tangy beverage, feeling the tequila make its way into her blood stream.

Holden held up his beer.
“To great new times!”

“Here, here!” Max added in,
clinking his own frosted beer mug to Holden’s.

“I’ll second that,” her father said.

“New times,” Gabrielle said with a smile, clinking her glass to all of theirs, a bit of her margarita sloshing over and dribbling onto her fingers. She licked at the drops, catching Holden’s hungry gaze. It was all she could do not to slowly, tantalizingly, suck her fingers. When she smiled coyly, Max coughed across the table.

Both she and Holden jumped as if something had bitten them. She was prepared for a lecture from her brother, but instead he started talking about a new art museum he’d just visited she would really like and he hoped she would plan a visit to Paris soon.

The conversation hummed along. She and Holden both kept their eyes on Max or their food, silently agreeing not to draw any more attention to each other—but beneath the table, their legs pressed hotly together.

She hoped Max passed out early
, although she knew he was cured from his jet lag. She wasn’t sure she could go without having Holden’s touch tonight. She glanced toward the bathroom. Maybe somehow she could signal for him to meet her there, but that would be too obvious. Wishful thinking. Max would surely pick up on them both disappearing from the table.

She’d just have to bet
on Max drinking too many beers and going to bed super early because of it. With that in mind she ordered everyone another round of drinks.

True to her prediction, Max went straight to be
d when they got home. Holden had gone off to his own place after insisting on paying the bill. Gabrielle went to her room, dialing Holden’s number faster than her fingers could move. She got it wrong twice.

He picked up on the first ring. “Hello?”

“Hi. It’s me.”

“I’d recognize your voice anywhere.”

She sighed. “What are you doing?”

“I was sitting here, thinking about calling you. It’s the second time that’s happened today and you’ve called—well your brother the first time. I was relieved to hear your voice this time.”

“You’re thinking about me?” She couldn’t help the giddiness in her voice. She was pretty sure Len never thought about her, much less called her during the day. Always too busy, and really she probably wouldn’t have answered either. But with Holden…

“I can’t help it, Gabrielle. Your hot thigh pressed to mine all night. I nearly knocked the table over with my hard-on.”

She laughed, louder than she should have, and quickly silenced herself, not wanting to disturb her brother. “I want to come over. Are you busy?”

“No. I want you to come over
, too.”

“I can’t spend the night.”

“We won’t be sleeping.”

Thank heavens for a man with a wild libido.
“Hot tub?”

“Everywhere.”

She shivered, her nipples hardening and every other part of her straining to run out the door all the way to his place.

“I’ll be over in a few minutes.”

She hung up, ran into the bathroom to freshen up, made sure she had on another pair of Victoria’s Secret’s finest, and then dashed out the door, waving to her father as she passed him sitting in the den. Thank goodness her dad seemed to be on her side and was willing to keep her secrets.

She drove carefully to Belle Ami, even if she fidgeted the entire way.
Anticipation boiled inside her, making her feel strung as taut as a bow. She’d always been hot for Holden, uncontrollably hot, but this was different. This meant more somehow.

She pulled up behind his Jeep and practically ripped off the door handle in her haste to escape her car. He met her at the door, pulling her into his arms, his mouth capturing hers in a fiery kiss. All tongue, lips, soft breath.
Their hearts pounded against one another, and he’d barely closed the door before they were tearing at clothes.

They walked through his house toward the back door, their mouths only separating for a moment to discard some garment. A trail of clothes followed them from the front door to the back. By the time they
made it to the patio they were nude.

Holden gripped her thigh as she raised it to hook around his hip, feeling the hot length of his erection as he pressed it against her slick folds.

“Oh, Holden,” she said between frenzied kisses and stroking over his shoulders and massaging his scalp. “I feel like I’ll die if I don’t have you.”

“We can’t have that happening,” he said with a husky, sensual laugh. He pulled away for less than a minute, found his dropped pants and pulled out a foil packe
t. Once he was covered, he grabbed her thigh, hooking her leg back around his hip. “Where were we?”

“Here,” she said, canting her hips forward so the tip of his shaft slipped in a fraction of an inch.

He groaned. “You tease.”

“Now, Holden.
I want you inside me.”

“Anything.”
He gripped her other thigh, lifting her up so she wrapped both legs around his hips, and then thrust inside her.

Her forehead fell to his should
er as she moaned. Every time felt better than the last time. She licked, then nipped, at his neck, rocking her hips against his.

“Hold on to me.” He walked slowly toward the pool and hot tub. The dim lights bounced off the gently rocking water, and the sound of the waterfall
echoed in the air.

It was the perfect place for lovers.
Secluded, romantic, sensual.

He walked down the stone steps into the sultry water then sat on the bench
with her straddling him. The warm water lapped at her ass and hips.

“
You like?”

“Love it,”
she said softly, kissing him, her hands cradling his face. She wasn’t able to express in words how much he moved her, both physically and emotionally. What she could do was kiss him like this. Taste him, savor him.

His hands stroked slowly up and down her spine then over her ass, massaging her muscles
before making their path back up. He tilted his hips, pushing inside her warmth and then pulling back out. She rode his slow thrusts, delighting in every minute sensation as it hummed through her. With each movement, pressure built inside her at a dizzying pace.

An orgasm caught her off guard and she stiffened against him, sucking his tongue hard and then crying out.

“That’s it, baby,” he murmured against the flesh of her breast as he took a nipple into his mouth. He didn’t increase his speed, kept it the same as if he meant for her to come again and again. “God, you’re beautiful. How did I get so lucky?”

His words were soft, tickling her skin as he said them between licks of her nipple.

She wanted to ask herself the same question, because lucky was the only way to describe how they’d gotten together. Every time. Their rebound pact had become a lot more than a
re
bound. Instead it was more like…bound.

“I want to feel you come again,” he said, his
blue eyes meeting hers and almost glowing in the soft light.

The only way she could respond was by quickening her pace. Bracing herself on her knees, she rocked harder against him, lifting up to feel him slide out then impaling herself on his thick length.

“Gabrielle…”

She stroked the straining muscles of his abdomen. He was close, she could tell by the way he stiffened, the way his pupils dilated, and his mouth was half open as he tried to regulate his rapid breaths.

“Let go,” she managed. “Come with me.”

He reached up, his palm against her cheek as he pulled her down for a searing kiss. His tongue lashed hers, he nibbled at her lips, stroked her into oblivion as his cock thrust deep inside her. His reaction alon
e—the guttural moans from the back of his throat, his slightly trembling arms—all of it pushed her over the edge. Her body exploded with pleasure in every direction. Holden met her challenge, groaning and shuddering.

They stilled, holding onto each other as their bodies came down from their climb. Then she started to feel really hot.

As if reading her mind, Holden said, “Wanna go for a swim?”

“Yes.”
He’d taken the words from her mouth. The cooler temperature of the swimming pool called to her heated body.

She climbed off of him and walked up the stone stairs.

“Damn, you have a fine ass.”

She laughed. “Why
, thank you.”

“No, thank you…”

She turned around in time to see him licking his lips.

“I could stare at your ass all day.”

“It might affect your work.”

“Nah,” he waved his hand. “Everyone would understand.”

“Sorry, no wine today, too busy staring at her ass,” Gabrielle mocked.

“Exactly.”
Holden laughed, then grabbed her around the waist, lifting her into the air.

“What are you doing?” she said between laughs.

“Cooling off your hot body.”

“No
, don’t throw me!” she shouted, still laughing, as he tossed her into the pool.

She landed with a very unladylike splash that smacked her
butt cheeks with a bit of a sting. When she came up for air, he dove in, perfect form, his muscles rippling with each movement. He swam up to her, wrapping his arms around her waist.

“I’m glad you came over.”

“Me, too.”

He opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it again.

“What?”

He shook his head
, droplets of warm water landing on her cheeks. “Nothing. Just thinking.”

“About what?” she urged.

He kissed her, sucking gently on her lower lip. “How much I like being with you.”

Her heart lurched.
“I feel the same way.” She chewed on her lip, her gaze connecting and holding his. She ran her fingers through his damp hair. “What are we going to do?”

“About Max?”

“Max. Everything. Us.”

Holden frowned, and she wondered if she’d said too much
, if maybe she’d read him wrong and he didn’t feel the same thing after all.