23. Like Winning
LIKE WINNING
“Uh, what are you doing, Gabriela?”
His eyes had flung open the next morning, the bump in the sheets not nearly as alarming as his dick feeling wet and hard when he’d been sleeping.
The covers flew off his chest, over her head, her smile bright, wicked and oh, so tempting.
“If you have to ask what is going on, then you aren’t as good at anatomy as I thought. Where did you say you went to med school?”
Luca groaned, reached for the covers and yanked them back over her head to just shut her up.
She was right. Getting naked worked well for them.
Somehow yesterday had been both fun and light. Nothing more than letting him just slow up and breathe.
Last night was hot and heavy. A place he’d been missing for so long.
Only in the best way possible.
She hadn’t left his house once they returned from having breakfast out in public. They’d detoured to her place, she got a change of clothing because she said she was in for the day again and he wasn’t about to argue.
If yesterday was an easy day with no pressure, sign him up for double that. Triple.
Fuck that. Quadruple at this rate with her fist around his cock, her tongue tracing the tip.
At least he thought that was happening. It’s not like he could see and he was positive that had been her plan all along.
When her lips closed over him, he let out a low growl.
He should stop her. Shouldn’t he?
Jesus, how could he be so close to coming again?
He’d had more sex in the past two days than he’d had in the last few years in a week of his marriage.
Yep, nope. Not letting that runaway thought consume him.
When his hips lifted without thought, hopefully not gagging her, he realized he had no control over his body.
No thoughts either and that was probably for the best.
The sheets were moving now, almost flapping with the bobbing of her head.
He closed his eyes. If he watched that he’d be popping off faster than he wanted to.
But then her hand grabbed his balls and pulled down, not painful, but not exactly pleasant either. At least not the first time, but the second, fuck. What the hell was she doing? He just went from five to nine with that move.
His fist gripped the pillow under his head as he held on for a ride he wasn’t sure how much longer he could stay on.
She didn’t appear to be tapping the brake either.
“Gabriela.” No answer and she only worked faster. “Gabriela!” he snapped out.
The sheets lifted again. “Do you or don’t you want me to stop?”
“Is this a trick question?”
“That’s what I thought.” She yanked the covers over her head, but he heard her muffled voice under them, “Let me work in peace.”
That was more than answer enough for him.
She went right back to what she was doing, and when she sucked hard that time, encompassing his entire dick, he was pretty sure his eyes crossed.
The covers were flapping faster now, shit, any more they might take off in flight.
He had to close his eyes. There was just no way he could keep them open while she did this.
But then her other hand wrapped around him while she moved her mouth up and down. At least that was what he was envisioning, but he wasn’t positive at this point of anything other than there was wet tight pressure.
The best kind of pressure a man could get.
And it was building.
Climbing high.
A geyser ready to blow.
He should warn her, but he didn’t want to tick her off again.
And then there was no warning. Nothing at all.
He was coming, and he was all but shouting out his release, his fists cramping in his palms as he held on.
She wasn’t stopping, she wasn’t letting up.
She was taking everything he had to give, which was a lot more than he thought after the past thirty-six hours.
Finally, the covers flung back, she sat on his thighs and laughed.
“Man, you look wrecked.”
His eyes popped open. “Give me a second to catch my breath.”
“I’m pretty damn proud of myself there. I thought you were going to fight me.”
“You’ve warned me before that you’d still win.”
“I enjoy winning,” she said. “Didn’t you realize that yesterday with all our games?”
Why were they talking about this now?
“I let you win. Just like now.”
“Don’t kid yourself,” she said, laughing.
“That will teach you,” he said, moving fast and flopping her on her back, pinning her there and holding her arms over her head.
“Ohhh, that was sexy.”
He let go of her hands. “I need to even the score.”
He moved down her body, lifted the bottom of her baggy T-shirt she’d slept in, her hips rising enough to have it stop at her waist.
Now was his chance to play with her a little.
Everything else had been joint actions on their parts. Fast, urgent, mind blowing.
But it couldn’t always be that way. Could it?
“I’m just dripping, waiting for you,” she said, her voice almost singing it.
“Shut up, Gabriela. Let me work in peace.”
Her laughter was exactly what he wanted to hear, his arms going under her hips, lifting her, him lying on his stomach, getting comfortable and ready to go.
His tongue came out, tapped on her little swollen bud of pleasure. The one her hand had slipped down to touch herself in front of him last night.
She wasn’t afraid to go after what she wanted. It was a trait he was coming to appreciate.
He pulled the tender flesh between his lips, sucked on like she’d done to him. She was wiggling around, squirming some, but he held her in place.
He worked her up and close to over, then just stopped and pulled back.
Let her sit on the edge for a second, until she growled. “I didn’t leave you hanging.”
“Just showing you how to win.”
She lifted on her elbows. “Then let me watch. Go back at it.”
He’d have to get used to her always getting the last word in.
One arm came out from under her hip, he thrust two fingers in her, his eyes not leaving her face, watching the pleasure cross over her features before he dropped down for another taste.
He fastened on her flesh again, his fingers pumping in and out, his mouth refusing to release her until she screamed out his name.
She didn’t leave him waiting long. He was relentless to get her there.
His name was almost a chant now. As if she was on the very ledge and couldn’t work up the nerve to take the leap.
But he curved the tips of his fingers just right, found that soft location he was searching for and rubbed inside.
She all but shot off the bed. “Luca!”
And then she was coming. Hard.
Pulsing around his fingers, but he didn’t stop. Not until he was ready to let her go.
When she yanked at his hair, he knew it was time and moved back.
“Guess my med school was better than you thought.”
“Huh?”
“You mean I knocked you speechless.”
Her head nodded, her eyes shut and she reached her arms out wide.
He wasn’t sure what she wanted, but moved up and lay next to her.
She curled into his side, snuggling for the first time, so he gave in to it and held her.
Like he’d been wanting to do the past two nights, but she’d given no sign of wanting or needing it like him.
“Nap time,” she murmured, then drifted off.
He must have too because the next time he opened his eyes, Gabriela was back on the other side of the bed curled in a ball.
He threw the covers back, put his feet on the floor and made his way to the bathroom after grabbing a change of clothes.
She still hadn’t moved from what he could see, so he showered, dressed and went to make breakfast.
By the time the last pancake was on a plate, she stumbled into the kitchen in her baggy T-shirt, leggings and fuzzy socks on her feet.
Her hair was in a messy bun on the top of her head, a few strands falling out.
There might be nothing more beautiful than that sight.
“Hungry?” he asked.
“Starving. Are you making more for you?”
“You’re going to eat six pancakes?” he asked.
“I might. I burned a lot of calories.”
“Well, I’ll make eggs then for protein because you’re going to burn more at the gym with me.”
“Noooooo,” she whined. “I got my workout in.”
“I’m not a wimp. I’m still going.”
She snarled, just half-heartedly. “Is that a challenge?”
“I thought you liked them.” He stabbed his fork into two pancakes and plopped them on his plate while Gabriela moved to the one-cup coffee maker and waited for her cup.
He turned and got the creamer out for her. Since they hadn’t wanted to leave the house yesterday, DoorDash had been their friend for the necessities. Pancake mix on the list for this morning.
“I’m supposed to be making you breakfast.” She reached for the creamer and added it to her coffee the minute it was done, then put it to her lips, letting out a sigh of pleasure.
“Then you should have gotten up before me.”
“Oh, I was up before you. The first time. Don’t you forget that.”
He walked over and placed a kiss on her forehead. “Sit and eat.”
“Don’t mind if I do.”
“I really am going to the gym, but you don’t have to.”
“I’ll go,” she said. “Though I need workout clothes. Why don’t you drop me at my place and I’ll get my car. As much fun as we’ve been having, I’m sure you need some space.”
He wasn’t sure if she needed it or was just being considerate enough to give it to him.
She’d be back to work in two days, then they wouldn’t see each other again for ten. He wouldn’t mind spending time with her today and tomorrow, but he was positive she had things to do.
“I’m good, but it might be smart.”
“No reason to rush. I don’t want you getting sick of me. But if we want to meet up for dinner later after the gym, I can return the favor and cook for you. I’ve got laundry to do.”
“Me too,” he said.
“And grocery shopping so I’ve got food before I go back on shift.”
“I get it,” he said. “I’m living the same life as you. Simple means not making these explanations.”
“I know that. I just wasn’t sure if you did or not.”
Because she was more used to the dating life than him.
He got it. He was fine with it too.
Maybe they both could learn from each other.
“Have you ever been in a serious long-term relationship?”
“I’ve been in a long-term relationship, but I’m sure Jack would tell you I wasn’t serious.”
It was the wiggle of her eyebrows that had him laughing. “I like your personality, but we both know you can be and are serious also.”
“True. Maybe I’m taking the easy light thing too far, but I think every relationship needs laughter.”
“Agreed.”
Something he didn’t always have in his marriage.
Thinking back, it wasn’t really his and Zoe’s dynamic.
Maybe early on, but slowly the fun was overtaken by responsibility, wants, dreams, and heartbreak when things didn’t work out the way they’d planned.
“So... are you good with my family knowing that maybe we aren’t only friends?”
“I’m pretty sure the constant time we’ve spent together out in public the past few days gave it away, but sure, it’s all good. Are you thinking of telling people at work?”
“Nope.” She munched on her pancake some. “Like we said, we don’t work the same shifts. No one is going to see us together there. If it comes up, and it will, but we’ll see how long it takes, then we’ll deal with it. Simple, remember?”
“At some point it will stop being simple, Gabriela. Even I know that.”
“And we’ll deal with that when it happens.”
“You don’t have to be this way because of me. I can handle it,” he said, his eyes searching hers.
“Maybe I’m being this way because of me? Did you ever stop to think of that?”
She went back to eating and something told him he wasn’t going to get an explanation to her statement.