Rematch (The Reed Brothers Book 22)

17. Gabby

“Ican’t believe you talked me into this,” I grumble as I walk up to where Tasha is finishing up a session with a different couple. They are holding hands, and they look like a pair, like they belong together, like they’ve known each other intimately for a long time.

“Did you find someone for me to do the shoot with?” I ask. I look around, but I don’t see anyone else.

Tasha ignores me, a small smile on her lips, as she says goodbye to the couple.

“Tash,” I warn. “I just climbed out of a very warm bed so I could be here.”

Actually, I climbed out of that warm bed, went home, showered, brushed my teeth, and blew out my hair. I put on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt—with a hoodie over them because it’s still cold outside—because she didn’t give me a dress code.

“Mm-hmm,” she hums. She fiddles with her camera, that small smile playing around her lips.

“Finally,” she says with a grin as she looks over my shoulder. I turn, and I find Seth grinning at me.

“What are you doing here?” I ask, but I do have to admit that my heart just leaped when I saw him. And my belly shot straight down to my toes. He’s wearing a pair of jeans and a school hoodie that matches mine. His hair is curly and wild, and it makes me want to run my fingers through it.

Tasha makes a move like she’s showing off a prize on a gameshow. “Gabby, meet your partner for the photo shoot.”

Seth grins.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I ask.

He somewhat sheepishly says, “Honestly, I forgot about it until you got that text this morning.” He looks at Tasha. “Sorry, Tasha.”

“Wait,” she says, her eyes bouncing from me to him and back. “You guys were together when I texted Gabby?”

“Well,” I begin. But Seth says, “Yes,” at the same time.

“Well, I’ll be damned.” She grins. “This is perfect.” She points a finger at me. “You owe me a story later.”

I pretend to lock my lips with a key and throw it away.

She laughs.

“So, what do we have to do?” Seth asks.

“Walk side by side. Hold hands. Smile at one another. Couple-y stuff,” she says. She winks at me. Seth grins.

“How did she talk you into this?” I ask Seth as I adjust my clothes.

“Stop fidgeting,” Tasha says. “And all I had to do was ask him nicely.”

He looks at me, his gaze hot. “If you think I’m going to let anybody else be your pretend boyfriend, you have lost your mind.” His gaze slides down my body, and my cheeks get hot.

“Where do you want us first?” I ask Tasha.

“Why don’t you go sit on the bench over there? Pretend to look out over the pond.”

She picks up a different camera and follows us over to the bench. “Like this?” I ask as I sit down. Seth sits down about a foot away from me. He brushes his hair from his eyes.

“A little closer,” she says, nudging Seth. He slides over so quickly that he startles me. His leg is warm where it rests against mine.

“Is this too close?” he asks quietly next to my ear. “Tell me if you get uncomfortable, okay?” he says.

I nod and tuck my hair behind my ear.

“Gabby, look up at Seth.” I hear the shutter click of her camera. “Perfect,” she says. “Seth, can you whisper in Gabby’s ear?”

He leans close to me, and his warm breath, which smells like he just ate a mint, brushes over the shell of my ear, making goosebumps rise on my arms. He rests one arm behind me on the bench. “You’re beautiful right now, but I liked the way you looked waking up in my bed even more,” he whispers.

My toes curl inside my sneakers. “Stop it,” I warn. But secretly, deep inside, I don’t want him to stop it at all. I want more.

“Your hair was all tangled, and you had a line from my pillow on the side of your face, and I wanted to kiss you so bad I could taste it.” He touches the side of my face, turning me all the way toward him. “I want to kiss you now, too,” he says.

“I have no idea what you two are talking about,” Tasha calls out, “but please keep it up!”

He leans toward me, and at the last minute, he kisses my cheek, which makes me laugh. “You’re a tease,” I say.

“Nah,” he says with a laugh. “I’m easy.” His eyes dance across my face. “You could get me to do just about anything right now. All you’d have to do is snap your fingers.”

“Kiss her cheek again, Seth,” Tasha says. “If you’re okay with it, Gabby.”

“It’s fine,” I say loudly.

“Are you sure?” he asks. The side of his bristly cheek rubs mine, and my nipples tighten.

“Yes,” I say. His lips touch the corner of my mouth.

“You’re playing with me,” I whisper.

He shakes his head. “No.”

“Yes, you are.”

“You want me to kiss you for real?” he asks. “Say the word. It’ll be tough on me, but I’ll do it.”

“You don’t want to kiss me,” I whisper. I know if I try to talk, my voice will crackle like a prepubescent boy.

He brushes a lock of hair from my face. “I’ve never wanted to do anything the way I want to kiss you. You have no idea.”

“You should totally do it.”

I look up at him and wait. My eyes lock with his. He stares down at me, and where he was playful a minute before, he’s suddenly completely serious.

“Tell me you really want it.” He glances toward Tasha. “Not because we’re faking, but because you want me to kiss you. And because you want to kiss me back.”

I hop up on my knees next to him, resting with my butt on the backs of my shoes. I look into his eyes, and I finally touch his hair. I brush it back from his forehead and stare into his eyes.

“Tell me to kiss you, Gabby,” he prompts again, his voice as harsh and gravelly as a rockslide.

“Why?” Why can’t he just kiss me?

He grins. “I think consent is sexy.”

But this time, I don’t wait. I press my lips against his. I start it, but he’s the one who goes for it. He tips his head, taking my mouth. This kiss is not like any that I have ever shared with anyone before. He sucks my lower lip between his and then resets his mouth, taking more and more of me each time. He reaches up and holds my face.

Suddenly, he breaks free. “Jesus,” he growls. His breath falls in harsh pants. Almost as harsh as mine.

“Are you okay?” I ask.

“Yeah,” he says, but he’s panting. His eyes skitter over my face, from my eyes to my mouth and back again like he’s taking in all my features at once.

“Let’s reset, guys,” Tasha calls out. “Can you guys walk over to the pond?”

“I’ll need a minute,” Seth says with a chuckle. He sits forward.

I look down at his lap, and he raises his eyebrows.

“Oh,” I say, as my face floods with heat.

“Yeah,” he says, laughing.

I jerk a thumb toward Tasha. “I’ll just walk over there.”

“If you want me ever to be able to get up, you probably should.” He laughs again. It’s a deep, rich sound, completely unashamed. He might even sound a little proud. He takes my hand and squeezes it. “You have no idea what you do to me, do you?” he asks me quietly.

My belly flips. “You should tell me. Later.” I grin at him and get up. I walk over to talk to Tasha.

“Girl,” she mutters, “you have some explaining to do.”

“How did the pictures turn out?” I ask my face on fire.

“Fuck the pictures,” she says. “Where the hell did that come from?”

I laugh. “I don’t know, but it was really good.” That was the best kiss ever, by far. No other kiss can even compare. Not even my first kiss on my fourteenth birthday.

I watch out of the corner of my eye as Seth gets up and walks around. He pulls a stalk of tall grass, and then he stands there, playing with it, facing away from us.

“That man is so fucking hot,” Tasha says as she turns to stare at Seth’s ass.

Scorching, I think to myself.

She grabs my shoulders and gives me a playful shake. “And he’s all yours, Gabby,” she whisper-hisses.

“Is he?” I ask.

“He is,” he says as he walks over to us. He looks into my eyes. “He totally is,” he says with conviction. He looks at Tasha. “Where do you want us now?” He takes my hand in his.

“You guys walk toward the pond. Then do whatever feels natural when you get there.”

He gently tugs my hand, and we stroll toward the pond. He looks down at me, and I can’t stop looking up at his face.

When we get to the pond, he stops, turns to face me, and gently jerks me toward him. He tugs me close, and my soft front meets his hardness. His hands land on my hips, and he kisses the tip of my nose.

“I’m about to do something,” he says. “And I don’t want to scare you off, but my mother always said that when you know, you know. And I know. Okay?”

“What are you going to do?” I ask, but before I can even get the words out, he drops to one knee.

“Perfect!” Tasha calls out.

He ignores her completely. He holds out his hand, and I see that in it rests a small circle made of long, dried pieces of grass that he has braided together. It’s loose and not at all pretty. But it’s perfect at the same time.

I cover my mouth with my hands to smother a gasp.

“I’m not asking you to marry me, Gabby,” he says quietly, so only I can hear. “But I’m asking you to accept that I will one day, and when I do, I hope you’re as in love with me as I am with you.”

“Insta-love isn’t real,” I warn. “It’s really not.”

He chuckles. “You can believe whatever you want.”

He lifts the ring and holds it out between his thumb and index finger. I can hear Tasha’s camera click, click, click. “I promise to be someone you can trust,” he says, staring into my eyes from where he’s still on his knee.

“We’ve only kissed once,” I hiss.

He chuckles. “My mom said that when I found the right one, I would know. And I know. So don’t prove my mom a liar.” He’s still on his knees with the ring between us. “Will you wear it?” he asks, completely serious.

“I’ll wear it,” I whisper, and my voice cracks.

“Thank God,” he says as he slides it over my finger, past my knuckle, and nestles it at the base of my ring finger.

“This is a lot,” I warn.

“And still not enough,” he says.

He gets to his feet, draws me close, and kisses me. He doesn’t waste time with niceness. This kiss is full of heat and want and passion, and when he finally lifts his head, I sway on my feet.

His phone chirps in his pocket just as Tasha says, “I think I got enough, guys.”

He steps back, pulls his phone out, and frowns down at it. “I have to go and take care of something,” he says. “Can I come and see you tonight?”

I nod. My belly is in knots. He kisses me, glances back down at his phone with a frown, and walks away.

Tasha comes to stand next to me, watching him as he climbs the small hill back toward campus. “Girl,” she says, “does he kiss like a god? Or is he all tongue and teeth and slobber?”

He kisses me like we’re the only two people in the whole world.

I heave out a sigh. “What am I going to do, Tash?”

“Him,” she says. “Do him. Definitely do him.”

I laugh. My knees are still weak, and my head is still swimmy.

I look down at the ring made of dried grass and smile. It’s the best ring ever.