Chapter Ten
Devlin awoke the next morning to the gray light of winter straining to break through the clouds. One look at the nightstand clock told her it was far too early for her to be awake. Her usual wake-up time was four a.m. and she was grateful that hour had long passed, but she could stand to catch a few more hours of sleep. She needed her wits about her for the long day ahead so she closed her eyes, willing herself to fall back asleep when the image of Gabe underneath her while she straddled him came unbidden into her mind.
Her eyes popped open, her skin flushing as she could almost feel the smoothness of his chest, his hands running up her sides to her breasts. Maybe she just needed a release then she could sleep. Her body had been strung tight like a bow since they’d made out in the old art gallery and last night’s sweet kiss hadn’t helped matters any.
She ran her hand down the smooth planes of her body, reliving what it had felt like, that night with Gabe, drawing on memories of him since they’d reconnected. Back then she’d felt frantic, not wanting to think about anything else in that moment. He’d tried to calm her, putting his hands on her hips to slow her movement, but her pace wouldn’t abate. She touched her clit in a lazy circle—he’d done this once he’d realized she wasn’t going to do anything but ride him hard and he’d used his fingers where they’d joined to give her the friction she’d strived for. It felt so good—a long moan escaped her lips—that night had been so good. She came in a long shudder, her fingers stilling.
She heard the faucet turn on in the bathroom and bolted upright. Her heart had been beating fast from her orgasm, but now it stopped. How long has he been in there? She hadn’t been loud, but she hadn’t been quiet either. Throwing off her covers, she slid out of bed and tip-toed to the bathroom, putting her ear to the door. The water shut off and silence permeated until the loud flush of the toilet made her squeak and jump back. She stood motionless, believing that standing still would erase the noise that just came out of her mouth, hoping he wouldn’t open the door while at the same time praying that he would. For a long moment she heard nothing, then the shower turned on.
She breathed a sigh of relief, glad he hadn’t come through the door, vulnerable after her release. She was going to work with Annabelle and Prudence today to go over her proposal and Gabe was going to do the same with Sebastian and Greyson. She had no more time for dalliances or make-outs or masturbating while dreaming of Gabe’s touch. The time to get down to business was now.
Devlin was making her bed when she heard the bathroom door open and close on the other side. She waited a few minutes before going in herself. The room was still steamy from Gabe’s shower, and she could smell his aftershave. She took a deep breath and noted his toiletries in a neat line on his side of the sink, feeling an intimacy with him that came with sharing this personal space. She felt her face heat, wondering again if he’d heard anything.
* * * *
Gabe turned on the shower, not paying attention to the temperature, and was doused with a spray of ice cold water. At this point he didn’t care, and let the water run over his body hoping to cool his burgeoning erection. He’d woken this morning already thinking about Devlin. He wasn’t sure he’d ever stopped—the night before, his dreams had been filled with her. They weren’t always erotic, but dreams of mundane daily life. From domestic tasks like making dinner or folding the laundry together while watching television, to her being in charge of her life, behind the counter of her shop, or in her office, on the computer, reading glasses perched on her nose while she did the books.
I’ve never been inside her shop.
He was puzzled at the nature of the dreams. The domesticity turned him on. The in charge boss lady turned him on. He was coming to realize that everything about her turned him on, even the parts of her he didn’t know, or that she’d tried so hard to keep hidden from him. He’d lain in bed until long past sunrise, the milky light of impending snow hiding the sun. When he decided he needed to get going for the day, he was sure that he had himself under control, that he’d get through the day seeing and being with Devlin without throwing himself prostrate at her feet, begging her to tell him all her secrets.
The simple act of entering the bathroom shattered his calm determination. At first he wasn’t sure what he was hearing. A low moan then a rustle of movement coming from Devlin’s room. Approaching the adjoining door, he put his ear to it and heard the unmistakable keen of a woman having an orgasm. A good one at that. He knew that sound—he’d been on the giving end of that sound.
Standing now under the shower, the sound of her coming pinged around him like a symphony. The cold water was doing next to nothing to deflate his libido, so he turned the faucet to hot. How the fuck was he supposed to get through the day now? His intimate knowledge of her was so far in the distant past that he was able to disconnect from it, but now? Now he wanted to knock down her door and continue whatever journey Devlin had just been on. This is pure foolishness. You don’t mix business with pleasure, no matter what. He finished in the shower, his anger at himself giving him just enough edge to get through the rest of his morning’s preparations without losing it.
Gabe followed the smell of freshly brewed coffee into the kitchen where Sebastian was sitting at the island, his back to him, looking like he was nursing a mug of the stuff. The open space was separated by the kitchen island with a large sectional and fireplace in the living room. Gabe wasn’t a big fan of the open concept layout, but it suited the cabin, since the fireplace helped to heat the main floor.
“Did the infernal woman make the pot, or were you able to figure it out?” Gabe asked, grabbing a winter-themed mug and pouring out a steaming coffee.
“What?” A perplexed look crossed Sebastian’s face.
“You called Annabelle an ‘infernal woman’ in your sleep last night after you told her to leave you alone.”
“How on earth would you know that I was talking in my sleep? And to piggyback off that question—I talk in my sleep?”
“You were passed out in Devlin’s room last night. I think you startled her.”
Sebastian ran his hand over his face, a yawn splitting his features. “I swear, last night was the first night since smartphones were invented that I wasn’t up until all hours going through emails or texts.”
Gabe grabbed a bottle of creamer out of the fridge and offered it to Sebastian. “You don’t seem like you take a lot of vacations.”
“No, running a company is a full time job and then some. Even when I’m not at work, I’m at an event or someplace with Wi-Fi so I’m always connected.”
“Spotty reception can have its perks.”
They turned when they heard voices approaching. Devlin and Annabelle walked in, Annabelle looking perfect as usual and Devlin freshly washed with mussed-up, damp hair. Gabe could smell her shampoo, hear the echoes of her orgasm.
“Morning, ladies. We’re talking about vacations and bad cell reception,” he informed them, moving away from the coffee pot so they could pour some for themselves.
Annabelle shot a pointed look at Sebastian. “You’d better not be complaining. I told you we had no reception here.”
“I’m not complaining, Winters. In fact, I was just telling Gabe how nice it was not to have to answer a bunch of emails before I could go to bed. I slept like a baby.”
“In my bed,” Devlin pointed out.
“What?” Annabelle asked in a voice that was too loud for the situation.
“He passed out in my bed last night,” Devlin explained. “Imagine my surprise when I almost sat on him when I got to my room.”
Gabe’s mouth went dry at the imagery.
“Where did you sleep, then, Dev?” Annabelle looked between Sebastian and Devlin.
“It wasn’t worth waking him, so I just grabbed my stuff and went upstairs.”
Now Annabelle looked between Gabe and Devlin. “Really?” she asked, one eyebrow raised.
“Two rooms, AB,” Gabe stated. “Devlin stayed in the other room.”
Annabelle shrugged and propped one hip against the counter. “I’m just saying.”
“I’ll change the sheets before you go into the room, Devlin,” Sebastian said.
Devlin waved away his concern. “Don’t worry about it. Why bother with changing two sets of sheets? My luggage is already upstairs and toiletries in the bathroom. We’ve got enough to do today working on the proposals without room switching for just one more night.”
“Sounds good to me. I’ll grab my stuff later.” Sebastian stood and refilled his mug.
Annabelle sighed. “Seems like I’m going to end up sharing a bathroom with you anyways. At least I got in there first this morning.” She jumped as the rattle of the wind blowing at the sliding door stopped Sebastian from responding. “I know Grey keeps saying no storm is coming, but this wind is telling me otherwise.” She pulled her cell out of her back pocket and walked around the kitchen, holding it up in various locations. “Do you still have that old weather radio here?”
Gabe tried to picture various locations in the cabin and where the radio would’ve been stored. “I don’t remember the last time I saw it, or if it would still work.”
Devlin walked to the sliding door, peering out at the still gray sky. “The sun’s not coming out any time soon.”
Gabe moved to stand behind her, close enough that the warmth of her skin radiated to him, and reached around her to point to a group of pines about fifty feet from the house. “When we were kids, my dad would tell us that you can base the weather on how those trees move.”
Devlin moved back, almost leaning into Gabe’s chest.
“If the tips of the trees whip like a trebuchet, bad weather is on the way.”
Devlin’s laughter vibrated through Gabe and the impulse to wrap his arms around her was almost too much to bear. “A trebuchet, huh? That’s very specific imagery.”
“Dad likes all things medieval, what can I say?”
She leaned a fraction more into Gabe just as he shuffled his feet closer to her.
“I don’t think they’re quite at that level yet. Maybe a slingshot.” She lifted her head and her hair brushed against Gabe’s morning stubble. He breathed in the fresh scent of her, and was starting to lift his arms to embrace her when Annabelle’s voice broke in.
“I don’t know why I’m bothering.” Lowering her phone, she glanced to where Devlin and Gabe were standing and appeared startled. “All right, you two. We should focus on breakfast then proposals. We’re only going to be here one more night, I can live that long without cell reception.”
Gabe stepped back from Devlin and a chill seeped into him at the loss of contact. I’m getting moony over trebuchets and shampoo. Devlin had walked to the fridge and was bent over searching for something, her ass doing a delectable wiggle. Now this I can get moony over.
“Breakfast sandwiches are in the freezer,” he called out to Devlin. “Leo whipped up a batch and I figured that would be good enough for this morning.”
Devlin grabbed the sandwiches as Annabelle turned the oven on. “Works for me. If I get to eat I’m happy. Coffee isn’t enough for me in the morning.”
Annabelle pulled out cut fruit from the fridge and set the container on the table. “I’m good with just a cup or ten of coffee until lunch. Then more coffee.”
“That doesn’t surprise me,” Sebastian said as he grabbed plates. “No wonder you love Devlin so much, you were stuck with office coffee until Devlin opened up shop.”
“Really?” Devlin asked, surprised. “I can’t be the first coffee shop that’s been in Amber Falls.”
“The first good one,” Annabelle deadpanned.
“You and Pru always say that, but I figured you were joking.” Devlin spoke over her shoulder as she slid the pan into the oven. He wasn’t ashamed to be looking at her ass, but when it wiggled again, his eyes darted up to meet her gaze, a smile lighting her eyes, and he swallowed hard.
“I never joke about my coffee.” Annabelle refilled her cup, sitting next to Sebastian at the table.
“She’s telling the truth,” Gabe interjected, needing to think about something other than what he could do with that ass of Devlin’s. “I think AB and Pru started drinking coffee in grade school.”
“I had my first espresso shot in fifth grade,” Annabelle stated.
Sebastian gave her a look of obvious appall. “Please tell me you’re kidding.”
“Of course I’m kidding. I wasn’t raised by over-caffeinated wolves.” Annabelle appeared thoughtful. “Okay, I guess I do joke about my coffee.”
Devlin laughed and walked over to where Gabe had ended up by the sink and reached around him to grab the oven timer.
“What do you think,” she asked, her hip touching his. “Fifteen minutes?”
Gabe’s mouth went dry, and he gulped his too-hot coffee. He could do so much with her in fifteen minutes. He’d start with that ass. Then he’d make her touch herself, recreate the noises he heard through the bathroom door this morning. The moans, the—
“Gabe. Does that sound about right?” Devlin repeated.
“Oh yeah, fifteen should do it.”
The sound of laughter coming from the stairs grabbed everyone’s attention. Greyson and Prudence stopped at the bottom landing, smiles wiped off their faces as they saw the group staring, then they broke out into giggles once again.
“Did you already forget other people exist in the world?” Sebastian asked.
Greyson sauntered over to the kitchen island and pulled out a chair for Prudence, gesturing for her to sit. “When I’m with her, there really isn’t anyone else in the world.”
“Oh, Grey,” Prudence said, “you’re embarrassing me. But thank you.”
Greyson walked around the island to the kitchen counter, pulling a container of cleaning wipes from the cabinet. “I’m just gonna give this a good clean,” he said under his breath to Gabe, as he wiped off the surface and Gabe’s eyes widened in horror.
“You didn’t.”
“Well, I didn’t, but Pru did.”
“Is there any place else I need to avoid?”
Greyson glanced around the living area. “The couch should be dry by now, I won’t tell you where, and the staircase, we didn’t have enough time to make a mess there.”
“We haven’t been here for twenty-four hours. When did you get the time to do all that?”
“That woman has amazing stamina.”
“Grey, I didn’t need to know that. Too much information is a real thing.”
“Nothing about Pru is too much. Hey, here she is.” Greyson moved aside so Prudence could grab a cup for coffee.
“Whatcha talking about?” she asked.
Gabe evaded her eyes and she punched Greyson’s arm. “What did I tell you about oversharing?”
“That’s what I said!” Gabe exclaimed. “And he overshared just a tad too much. I’ll take it to the grave.”
“Thanks, Gabe.” Prudence gave Greyson another light punch as she walked away with her mug.
“Worth it,” Greyson explained. “Now she’ll have to punish me later.”
“For fuck’s sake, you don’t learn, do you?”
Greyson winked. “I never have.”
The kitchen timer went off and Annabelle called out, “All right, guys, butts in seats please.”
“Here.” Gabe opened the cabinet drawer and handed silverware to Greyson.
“So, what’s everyone’s plan for today?” Greyson asked as he set the table.
As the group dug in Sebastian said, “Guys call the living room.”
“You call it?” Annabelle sneered. “Can I call dibs on our bathroom later?”
“Yeah, you can’t call a room, Sebastian,” Devlin agreed. “The living room is the brightest, with the best setup for the flow of ideas. Plus”—she gestured to the kitchen—“coffee proximity.”
“I was kidding, but now I want the living room.” Sebastian speared a pineapple chunk with this statement.
“The den upstairs has just as much light,” Gabe pointed out. “I don’t care where we work, the guys can be up there.” He shot a small smile to Devlin, who nodded back.
“I was joking too, but I appreciate it,” Devlin acknowledged. “We can switch this afternoon if it makes a difference.”
“No need. Good ideas will come no matter where we are.” Greyson glanced at Devlin. He must have seen her shift in her seat as he added, “Sorry, Dev. It’s not personal.”
“It’s not,” Sebastian insisted. “I could just as easily join with you and give you all my expert advice.”
“None of this is personal,” Devlin acknowledged. “You’ve all become my friends and whatever happens here won’t change that. Now, if we’re all done, I’m ready to get started.”