Chapter Five Emily
Chapter Five
Emily
In Gavin’s en suite, I finished getting dressed and putting myself together, and I walked into his bedroom, expecting to find him in there.
But it was empty, the room exactly the way I had left it a few minutes ago—the comforter, a ball of mess in the center of the bed, the sheets pulled up from each corner, the smell of sex thick in the air.
We’d done damage.
And God, I loved it.
But given that it was past four in the morning and I couldn’t be here when Ben woke up, it was time to go home.
I made my way out of his bedroom, and as soon as I went into the kitchen, I swore I got wet again. He was standing at the island in the sweatpants he’d been wearing earlier, and no shirt, facing away from me, the muscles in his back tight and flexed as he did something on his phone.
After five orgasms, getting wet was something I didn’t think was possible. Tonight gave satiated a whole new meaning. But Gavin’s presence had the power to make everything tingle, even the spots that were beyond sore.
“Hi.” I halted several feet behind him, my stare leaving his back to admire all the other parts I’d gripped and straddled and dug my nails into.
He turned around, a smile growing across his features as he took me in. “There isn’t a spot on your body that hasn’t been fucked tonight—I’m pretty sure I covered every inch of you with my tongue. Yet you look like you’re ready to go out.”
I laughed. “Yes to the fucking, you definitely gave me plenty of that. But no to the going out. The only place I’m going is home for a nap before I need to head to work.” I touched my hair, the long strands weaved into a messy bun after the two showers we’d ended up taking together.
“What time do you have to be at the rehab center?”
I looked at the clock on the microwave and sighed. “Eight.”
“Ouch. That’s going to be rough.”
I slowly nodded. “But worth it.” I reached into the pocket of my scrubs, my phone miraculously still in there. “I’m going to order an Uber so I can—”
“Your ride is already waiting for you downstairs.”
I glanced up from the screen. “You ordered me an Uber?”
“My personal driver is going to take you home.” He crossed his arms over his delicious chest.
“You have your own driver?” I didn’t know why I asked that, it wasn’t relevant. I also shouldn’t be surprised he had a driver. “Anyway, you didn’t have to do that.”
“Did you think I was going to let you get in some stranger’s car? At this hour? Fuck no. If Ben wasn’t asleep, I’d take you home myself. Since I can’t, this is the next best thing.” He came over to me, his hands surrounding my face as he stood in front of me.
His height wasn’t new to me, nor was his build—I was well acquainted with both after spending hours connected to him. But they were strangely taking me by surprise.
“I had a really good time tonight, Emily.”
I touched his sides, my fingers slipping toward his abs, immediately regretting the move because, once again, I was lost and swoony and on the verge of wanting him to bend me over the kitchen island.
“Same.”
“I hope you’re able to get some sleep before work.” His mouth was getting closer to mine.
This was the awkward “after” phase. When I was on borrowed time, the possibility of Ben coming down at any second combined with the realization that I wouldn’t be seeing Gavin again, at least not in the way I’d experienced here.
He was trying to be cordial. He was a nice guy, but ultimately, this was just sex for him.
There were no feelings involved. I’d satisfied his needs, nothing else.
And when I’d agreed to tonight, his purpose was solely for my needs.
But I’d be lying if I said I felt nothing.
I felt something before. I felt something during.
And I certainly felt something now.
“I’m a professional napper. I just need enough space where I can curl into a ball with a set of earbuds, and I can fall asleep anywhere.” Although I was staying still, his lips were getting so close to mine. “After an hour and a shot or two of espresso, I’ll be good to go.”
“That makes me feel a little better about keeping you here so late.”
I attempted a smile even though the placement of his hands was making that hard. “Do you really feel bad about it?”
His grip lowered to my ass, squeezing my cheeks.
For someone who wanted nothing, he sure was grabbing everything.
And, oh God, I liked it.
“Not even a little.” He moved in closer, and I swore there were only hairs between us. “Kiss me, Emily.”
Reluctantly, I left his abs and circled my arms around his neck, my forearms grazing the tops of his shoulders, my hands clasping behind his neck.
I was sure he thought I was getting in a position to give him what he asked for.
Really, I was just delaying things, making him want my mouth even more.
Which I did again as I dove into his hair, holding the longer strands the same way I had when he’d been eating me out in the shower.
And instead of leaning my face in to his, I moved back, scanning his eyes.
Right to left, left to right.
With each second that passed, he clenched me tighter, and eventually, when I could feel his hard-on through the sweatpants, pressing against my stomach, I caved.
But what I got was far more than a kiss.
It was an answer.
This man wanted me. There was no question about it.
When I felt like I’d given him enough, I wiggled out of his hold and pulled our mouths apart. As I was dragging my arms away, I stopped on his face, cupping it, giving him the briefest of grins before I fully separated us. “Your driver is downstairs? In front of your building?”
He nodded.
I pointed toward the living room. “I’m going to grab my bag.
” I felt his eyes on me as I turned my back to him, and I made my way over to the couch.
The bag was on the floor, the same place I’d left it when I’d been treating Ben.
I placed the strap over my shoulder and gave Gavin a quick glance.
“See you around.” I followed that up with a smile, and I headed for the elevator.
“Long night?” Maya asked, standing in front of the nurses’ station while I sat behind the desk, on the computer, yawning, doing everything I could to keep my eyes open.
Neither the nap nor the damn espresso had worked.
“Girl, you have bags under your eyes.” She was in the process of putting her long coffee-colored hair into a high ponytail.
I wiped the bottom of my eyelids as though that would make the bags disappear. “I didn’t get much sleep.”
“You didn’t text me when you got home. I woke up this morning, checked my messages, and panicked. So I immediately tracked your location.”
Shit.
I’d completely forgotten. But I couldn’t exactly text her at four-something in the morning. All that would do was trigger her to ask questions.
Questions I wanted to avoid since I wasn’t sure I was going to tell her about my evening with Gavin.
But then another thought hit me. My best friend was a runner. Whether she stayed at our apartment or Jordan’s, she got up long before the sun rose and put in multiple miles, so her wake-up time varied based on when she went to sleep.
When she’d checked on me, had I been on my way home? At home? Or at Gavin’s?
I needed to proceed with caution.
“Were you relieved when you saw I was at the apartment?” I held my breath as I waited for her response.
“Big-time.” She leaned over the top of the desk and pulled a strand of hair off my lip. “I swear, you need a bodyguard or something. Being on call, so late, I don’t like it. I worry about you.”
The guilt was setting in. I told Maya absolutely everything.
So why was I having a hard time telling her about this?
She never judged me for any of my decisions, she never gave me shit for sleeping with a man.
Gavin just felt different from anyone I’d been with in the past. Mostly because he was Jordan’s brother, and we’d had a one-night stand.
And things between Jordan and Maya had finally reached a good place after a very rocky start, and I didn’t want to make anything awkward by creating weird or unnecessary drama.
So, for now, I was keeping this to myself, despite there being a chance that Gavin could tell Jordan, and Jordan could then tell Maya. But I had a feeling Gavin wouldn’t do that. He just didn’t seem like the kind of guy who kissed and told everyone about it.
I crossed my legs, pulling down the top of my lime-green scrubs. “You know, the day shift isn’t any safer than the night shift. Someone could steal me at any hour, regardless of it being light or dark outside.”
“Let’s not put those thoughts into the universe. Nothing—and I mean nothing—can happen to my best friend during the day or at night.”
“Aw, I love you, too, but really, don’t worry, no one would want to take me.
I’m far too spicy.” I winked at her and exited out of the patient file I’d been looking at before she came over and reclined into the chair.
“How was last night and this morning? Did Jordan do anything extra dreamy that I need to be jealous of?”
“That man, Em.” She fanned her face, which instantly flushed the moment I mentioned him.
“Seriously, things are great. But he’s so slammed, him and Gavin are working on all the things, and they really have their hands full.
Gavin called him at least twice before dinner, and that’s after being at work together all day. ”
I’d heard Gavin’s name come out of her mouth many times. But this time set off every alarm.
I crossed my arms over my chest. “Seems, from what you’ve told me, they’re involved in so much.”
“There’s just many facets of their business, and the two of them run the show even though their dad’s still technically present in the company.”
I set my elbows on the desk. “Does that mean by the end of the day, they can’t stand each other? Or are they just as close outside of work as they are inside of work?”