Mine

Admittedly it was not the most inviting bed he’d ever seen, but it had a mattress. Unlike the cabin, it also had an inch of breathing room around it. Even being the smallest bedroom, this one measured sixteen by sixteen. Hardly small, and the perfect size for what he had in mind.

“Go back to your big bed.” She whispered the comment, but those sexy eyes widened.

He had her intrigued. Exactly as he wanted.

He kicked off his shoes and sprawled across the bed on his side then patted the open space in front of him. “Have a seat.”

She took a step closer. Her knees actually knocked against the side of the mattress now. “Your son will hear us.”

Brandon wore headphones half the time and kept his music cranked up to deafening levels, so Gabe doubted it. Still, if she needed the reassurance, he’d reluctantly give it to her. “We’re not going to have sex.”

“No?” She almost sounded disappointed.

That made two of them. “We’re going to sit and then I’m going to head back to my big bed for a lonely night of sleep.”

“You poor thing.” The tone suggested she thought he needed to get a clue.

He refused to take the bait. She was an expert at sidelining them into a conversation he didn’t want to have. One that postponed what he actually wanted to do with her. “I know, right?”

“You could go now.”

“Oh, I don’t think so.” He reached out and ran a hand down her outer thigh. Felt her lean in, just a bit, to his touch.

“What are you pla

Now who was clueless? Rather than keep her guessing or risk having her be wrong, he gave her a pretty big hint. “It involves striping your pants off and touching and licking you until you come.”

Her knees buckled, but the mattress stopped her fall. “That’s sex.”

“Don’t have a condom on me.” He hadn’t put one in this pair of jeans. Didn’t think he needed to since he expected her to follow him back to the bedroom. Didn’t look like that was going to happen, so he went with improvisation.

“That’s not the test.”

He had no idea what she was talking about, so he kept on his subject. “There’s only one thing we need to worry about.”

“What?” She rested a knee on the bed.

He decided to take that as a good sign. Still, he waited. She needed to come to him. Once she raised the I decide question, there was no way he was moving until she did. “You’re a screamer.”

She shook her head. Looked half ready to slap him. “Shut up.”

“I’m not lying. You’ll need to cover your mouth or yell into a pillow.”

“Maybe you won’t excite me enough to scream.” She had both knees on the bed now as she sat back, just inches away from him.

“Challenge accepted.” He reached out and touched her hand. Laced her fingers through his and gave a little tug.

She tumbled onto the mattress then turned around until she lay down beside him. “I didn’t mean—”

He cut off the comment with a kiss. His lips met hers, and everything else fell away. His resistance shattered. When he felt her hands slide up his back he knew hers had as well.

In all the rolling her shirt had balled up around her midsection, treating him to a view of her stomach. He flattened his palm against her warm skin. “Still think you won’t like this?”

Her breath caught on a sharp inhale. “I know I will.”

“Then it’s your job to stay quiet.” He undid the button and zipper of her jeans and slipped his hand inside.

“You’re awful.” But her eyes glazed over and she relaxed into him.

“Do you want me to stop?” He needed to know. Had to hear her say it.

She pressed her hand against his through her clothes. “No.”

He could feel the heat pouring off her. “I’m thinking you mean that.”

“Enough talk.” She pulled his head down for another kiss. This one lingered as her lips danced over his. When he opened his mouth and deepened the touch, she fell back against the mattress and dragged him on top of her.

Tonight was for her. The touching, the tasting—he would love it all, but this was about her pleasure. He plunged his hand deeper into her pants, past her underwear to skin. His fingers went to work, preparing her body for his mouth.

He stared down at her. Brushed the hair off her cheek. “I like a woman who knows her mind.”

She shifted her legs. “That is not the part I’m thinking with right now.”

Green light. That was all the encouragement he needed.

He slid down her body, taking her jeans with him. He left the underwear in place because he wanted to strip that off with his teeth. When he settled again between her legs, that familiar scent hit him. This was not all he wanted tonight but he wasn’t about to complain.

He lowered his head and nipped at the front of the material covering her. Her body jerked at the contact and her hands knotted in the loose sheet.

She didn’t make a sound, but he teased her anyway. “Quiet.”

She pressed her heels into the mattress. “Do it.”

He hadn’t even touched her yet. Not really. He skimmed his fingertips over the elastic band by her leg then caught it between his teeth. With a slow and steady pull he stripped them off her. Over her and down to the tops of her legs. He had to sit up, put her legs together, to peel them off.

When he was done he opened her legs wide again. The back of her hand covered her mouth.

Now he’d make her scream.

His fingers touched her, and her back arched. He dropped down on his elbows and placed a kiss on the very center of her as his fingers slipped inside. No sound ever came from her but she grabbed a pillow. He sensed she would not lose this challenge. It didn’t matter, since in his mind he’d already won.

He’d gotten the girl.

•   •   •

An hour later Natalie walked around the house. She knew this was a bad idea. Like, on a scale of one to ten, it ranked as a hundred on the do-not-do-this side. Still, she had to help and this was the only way. A backdoor way of finding out.

Gabe insisted on control and depended on family. As a third party she could step in. Call in a few favors through Eli and Wade. Get the answer that plagued them all.

The plan was simple. She and her teams had done versions for years when it came time to collect blackmail material. She’d snagged an extra toothbrush from the hall closet. The thing had more supplies than some pharmacies. After a quick trip downstairs, she had the rest of what she needed for tonight’s adventure. The plastic bags and the will to follow through.

Gabe would be furious. She knew without asking him, not that she wanted to ask. He’d see this as an interference. But, really, she took this risk for him. For his family. The ripping and tearing wouldn’t stop until they had answers. Pretending the problem didn’t exist or that it would go away hadn’t worked. It was time to face it head-on.

In her life she’d always found knowing was better than not knowing. At least people could move forward.

With quiet steps she opened the door to the bathroom off the bedroom Gabe said Andy sometimes used when he stayed there. This room and Brandon’s shared the same bath. Peeking through from one door to the other, she could see the one to Brandon’s room stayed open a crack. Her gaze zoomed past the opening to the lump in his bed. Thanks to the darkness she couldn’t make out much else.

Careful not to make noise or drop anything, she reached across the counter of the double sink. Her gaze stayed locked on the unmoving figure asleep in the bedroom, but she kept going. She snagged the toothbrush and dropped it in a plastic bag, replacing it with the new one. Same color and same type. She hoped he didn’t figure it out.

Sneaking back around the corner she made it into the empty bedroom without getting caught or having alarms flashing or sirens roaring. She rested her back against the nearest wall and let out a quiet sigh as she struggled to bring her breathing back under control.