Chapter 31
Chapter thirty-one
Gavin stared at the door across the hall. For the first time in what felt like forever he slept in his own bed without her. Tossing and turning next to the empty spot beside him, could anyone even call that sleep?
With his chin propped on his fists he sat at the edge of his bed, never taking his eyes off the door across the hall.
His bag, which had been packed before the sun was up, sat by his door, looking just as lonely and desolate as he felt.
The house was too quiet, the kind of quiet that made every thought hit harder and louder.
Closing his eyes for a moment, he remembered last night and ground his teeth.
The taste of her, the sound of her, all of it had been exquisite. And he shouldn't have fucking left!
He inwardly cursed himself for the hundredth time since leaving her there spread across her bed nude and breathing hard.
Gavin tightened his grip around his other hand until his knuckles popped.
Fuck. He wanted to get up and go punch the bag in the gym.
But he couldn’t leave her door. The door that stayed fucking closed.
His pulse spiked as fear crept into his bloodstream and he looked at the clock.
It was almost time for the bus to come pick them up.
What if she didn’t choose him? What if she was in there right now in front of the mirror practicing her best smile reserved for a sibling?
A small part of him, a part that wanted to protect himself told him to be ready in case she didn’t choose him, but the thought barely made it out of his head before his chest tightened.
He couldn’t picture that future. Could not fucking tolerate it.
What would it be, her brushing past him, just smiling like nothing had changed, like she hadn't ridden his face to completion pulling at his hair crying for more?
They would just pretend they were siblings forever?
The thought made him ill. The thought made the muscles in his legs jump with the need to kick down her door and finish what he had started with her last night.
Maybe if he was buried balls deep inside of her and looking into her beautiful brown eyes as he fucked her then maybe he could convince her there was no fucking way she was getting rid of him.
Getting up, he began to pace. His eyes darted toward her door every few seconds. Every tick of the clock was a strain on his grip of his sanity. He never felt so ill in his life as he waited like a man bracing for an impact that could possibly destroy him.
A sound stilled him. With wild eyes he watched the turn of the knob, the almost silent creak of the hinges. He held his breath; his entire soul balanced on the knife edge between relief and devastation.
Rolling her pink and white suitcases ahead of her she stopped when she caught sight of him.
She looked amazing. Wearing jeans and a simple white button-down shirt, she looked a lot like her mom in that moment, he mused.
Polished and composed, every line of her relaxed posture whispering quiet control.
Gavin barely let himself breathe as he approached her. He needed to know. That was all he could think. He just needed her to deliver the final blow already.
Ebony reached for him, giving him an unreadable smile that made him want to shake her. Robotically he gave her his hand and let her pull him out into the hall.
She looked up to him and then to the camera at the far end.
He was beginning to frown when her hands, cool and soft, pulled his face down to meet her lips.
He made a sound, something deep and guttural in his throat as he wrapped his arms around her and lifted her high off the ground.
He nearly cried in relief as her legs wrapped around his waist. She was choosing him, despite their parents and despite convention, she chose him.
His mouth captured hers, His tongue finding hers.
She tasted of like sweet heat. Ebony moaned into his mouth, her tongue entwining with his.
He let out a low sound in his throat, part growl, part hum of satisfaction.
This. This was fucking it. No stolen kisses in the dark.
Just hunger. His hands squeezed her ass bracing her tighter against him until she could feel the hard rise of his cock pressing into her.
Ebony made a sound and pulled back and for a split second he feared she would pull away from him completely but her reassuring smile doused that fear.
"We have to go; the bus will be here any second."
"Fuck that bus,” he rasped. “We can fly there on uncle Grayson's jet or we can just not go." The thought of spending the week here in the house buried inside of her until they both couldn't walk made his cock twitch and his mouth water.
Ebony's eyes rounded, having felt him, and she gave him a smile that stole his soul before untangling herself from him.
"No, we have to go. Besides, we’ve been looking forward to this."
Gavin held her hand keeping her in place. "Tell me," he groaned. "I need to hear you say it."
Knowing what he meant, she tilted her head and gave him a soft considering look. "Remember the time when Levi Sanderval nearly gave me a concussion in a match years ago?"
Gavin blinked and forced his mind from the haze of the moment to focus on her words.
"Yes. Sometimes when I see him in the halls, I think I should've done more than broken his jaw.
" He thought of the guy and how sometimes he gave him a grin that told him he was and would always be on his shitlist. The pale look of fear he always got in return would brighten his day.
Ebony slid her arms around his waist and stepped close until her breasts were flat against his stomach.
God help him. "That was the day I knew you stopped hating me. Or when I refused to learn piano and decided to learn the drums you took up the guitar although you didn’t have to but you did anyway just to make it hard for mom to yell at us both. I knew then you were my best friend."
Gavin swallowed.
Ebony continued. "But I knew I loved you when Jade and Gideon left town and you held me all night until I cried myself to sleep. I love you, Gavin, and though I won't lie and say I'm not nervous about what people will say, I do know I only want to spend my life with you."
Gavin didn’t speak. In the next breath he had her against the wall, his mouth slanted over hers when they heard the blaring horn from outside.
Gavin growled in frustration, cursing everyone on that fucking bus as Ebony laughed. Moving away from him and out of reach she grabbed her luggage.
"We could always fly out tomorrow," he tried one last time. His rock-hard dick practically forced him to at least try. There was a part of him that was almost afraid to leave the house, afraid to see if she would maintain her courage for their love in front of others.
Ebony gave him a knowing look and smiled. "No. Come on. It will be fun, besides," she paused down the hall, a shy look coming over her face. "We can spend time together at the resort. Especially since we did all that work to get me ready last night."
Gavin had to shut his eyes. His jaw clenched at the rush of even more blood rushing to his dick, making his balls pulse under the strain.
He called on every ounce of willpower he possessed.
God, she had no fucking idea. Hair or bald, he didn’t give a fuck.
But he supposed she would know that soon enough.
Opening his eyes, he managed a stiff nod and grabbed his suitcase and then hers. Within minutes they were saying goodbye to Duke, promising him that Garrett would come over with his girlfriend Ruby to babysit him, and were out the door toward the charter bus.
There were three buses total, all packed with their graduating class.
The large black chartered buses would take them from Stardust Cove to Houston Airport to a plane dedicated just for them, of course all paid for by the Rosebank family.
Scores of excited faces stared at them as they came out of the house watching as he handed the driver their bags.
Gavin's stomach tightened as he prepared himself for Ebony's polite sisterly smile.
It would be fine, he mentally assured himself. This was all still new to her. She hadn't had years and years of obsessing about him like he had for her. He just needed to be patient and-
His thoughts were cut short as she grabbed his hand and gave him a smile that he had no words to describe. Joy? Unspoken promise? Love? Fuck he wasn’t sure; all he could focus on was not tugging her right back to him and waving the buses on and spending days showing her how much she affected him.
As they walked into the bus hand in hand, Gavin could practically feel the rampant texts streaming through the air to one another.
People bit back full-on grins as they smiled and greeted Ebony as she led them to their seat.
Taylor, who sat behind him, was the least subtle; he just sat there grinning ear to ear at him.
Gavin chuckled, if he wasn't so fucking overtaken by the moment he would be too.
Settling in beside her, Gavin leaned over, inhaling her scent and whispered. "I can barely let you go," he squeezed her hand gently, enjoying the soft feel in his. "I feel like I'm going to wake up and this will all be gone and you will give me that damn safe and familial smile again."
She gave him a long look before grabbing his face and kissing him, slow and deep. He could’ve sworn he heard a choking noise somewhere behind him, followed by a sharp hushing sound and then the chorus of pinging texts.
"Does that reassure you?" she whispered.
"Yes," he said hoarsely. He needed about eighteen more but he feared if his blue balls got any worse it might just give him a stroke.
"Although," she let the word drag out and gave him a pinched look. "I shouldn’t."
His brows shot up to his hairline. "And why shouldn’t you?!"