Bedding The Best Man (Bedding the Bachelors Book 7) (10 page)

This was probably Eric’s side. He pushed the thought away and slid over next to her. She’ll be asleep in no time, and you can go as soon as she drifts off, he reminded himself.

Gabe crossed his ankles as Bri snuggled in next to him. He was determined not to get too comfortable, or to let her get comfortable on him, but he couldn’t resist laying a hand on her shoulder. He told himself he was just doing this to be a good friend. Even as he thought it, though, he knew it wasn’t entirely true. To keep himself awake, he started counting ashtrays in the dark. He didn’t even notice when his eyes started to get heavy. Pretty soon, they were closed, his breathing regular as he fell fast asleep.

Chapter Eight

Brianne woke hours before dawn. Her mouth felt as dry as the soles of her shoes, and she tried to pull herself together enough to go in search of a glass of water. She rolled over to find her bed was curiously full. Aghast, she panicked. She had gone out and done what Evie had suggested, and now she had a stranger in her bed, and she had no idea how to get rid of him, or what his name was, or even if she had done anything with him. As she still appeared to be fully dressed, she could hope that nothing much had happened, but she couldn’t be sure.

The body beside her was warm and solid—and also appeared to be fully clothed. That was reassuring, at least. There was something about the strong v-shaped back that seemed very familiar.

She gasped.

Holy shit, it was Gabe! Gabe was here with her.

She had only dim memories of the night before. As she lay there, trying not to move or disturb him in any way, tiny snippets began to flood back. She had begged him to be her one-night stand. The heat of embarrassment began to flood through her. She’d literally begged him, and he’d turned her down. So why was he here?

She must be dreaming again. Sliding her hand out from under the covers, she ran her fingers up his bare arm to the hem of his shirtsleeve, relishing the feel of his skin. It felt so real.
This is a damn good dream
, she thought. But she wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

He rolled over onto his back, his handsome face looking utterly relaxed and at peace. Trailing her fingers on top of his white t-shirt, Brianne ran her hand over to his chest, feeling the contours of his pectoral muscles, then his collarbone, then his shoulders. He was so firm and strong, yet warm from her bed and yielding in his sleep. He rolled closer to her, sighing softly.

His lips were inches from hers. They were ever so slightly parted, and she could feel his breath on her face. It was sweet and hot, not a trace of morning breath. It had to be a dream, and boy, her subconscious really knew how to whip up a good one! There was hardly any room between them, and she decided to take advantage of that fact.

Leaning in to him, she let her lips brush his, the warmth of contact immediately rushing to her core and making her body tingle all over. She darted her tongue out to taste him, just the slightest bit, and his eyes fluttered awake.

“Bri?” he whispered, not fully awake.

“Shhh,” she soothed, her hands still exploring his shoulders and chest, then dipping slightly lower to run over the plane of his abdomen. “This is what I want,” she muttered, their mouths almost touching again. “To have you warm, in my bed,” she said, brushing her lips against his, “I want this to happen.” Knowing it was all a dream, she could say what she liked—and it felt so good to be able to voice the truth.

Gabe squinted at her. He looked confused, but he didn’t immediately pull away. She could see that his brain was still full of cobwebs from sleep, but the lower half of his body was immediately awake, rearing eagerly at the possibilities.

“But, Bri,” he murmured, as she kissed him again. “What about Eric?”

“No Eric,” she said, softly but firmly, her left hand reaching the waistband of his jeans. “We’re done. You’re the one I want.”

Thankfully, he didn’t appear to doubt the truth of her words. Until he frowned, that is. Anticipating more talk of Eric, anticipating her dream spouting off all the doubts and objections the real Gabe had voiced only hours before, Brianne prepared to move away. Couldn’t she even have him in her dreams? All she wanted was one place where she could reveal her truest feelings, even if they were ephemeral and fleeting and would mean nothing come sunrise.

But before she could move away, Gabe surprised her. Usually in her dreams, she initiated everything, rode him like a goddamn cowgirl; being so forward and so dominant was something she had never done in real life, not even with Eric. But this dream, oh this dream was so much more intense.

He reached down and pulled her hands over her head, pinning her wrists against her headboard. Brianne pushed against him but found she couldn’t move. Her heart was already racing, but she found she liked this, that her imagination was going into an amazing erotic overdrive. She breathed out, not sure where any of this was going or how she’d lucked into a dream this good. “I want you, too, Bri,” Gabe growled. He kept her pinned beneath him, his growing erection pressed against her hip.

“So shut up and take me then, Gabe,” she challenged.

He leaned down to suck at her neck then gently bite down, as if he still couldn’t believe she was his and he was trying to mark her. He thrust his hips, grinding himself against her. Gabe kissed her hard, his tongue fighting hers for dominance, firm and slick in her mouth. He didn’t rest long. After a few, bruising kisses, he spared a small moment to bite her lip, his teeth grating on her sensitive flesh. Then he began to kiss her neck again, to lick and bite gently at her collar bone. His left hand clutched her wrists while his right was tender, yet firm as it caressed her breasts.

Purring from sheer pleasure, she unwound her body underneath him, opening up to his touch. Her hips rose on their own accord, pushing against his hard, muscular thighs. She rubbed herself hungrily against him.

Something almost feral danced across his expression. He ground into her again, his hips rough against her body, almost punishing her with their force. She loved the all-encompassing reality of her dream. He ripped at her skimpy clothes. They were soon in a heap on the floor and she revelled at being naked beneath him. Impatiently, she stripped him of his, wanting to feel his warm skin against her own. She could smell his aftershave, spicy and warm, but the scent that lay beneath it was all him; a musky, rich scent that overwhelmed her with every breath. She revelled in the weight of him leaning over her, the rough brush of his dark stubble against her skin—and the heat and hardness of him. Dear God, it was almost scorching her belly and the inside of her thighs as his hard length slid slowly into her channel. She gasped at the sheer size of him as he filled her whole, his hips moving in their own sensuous rhythm with each thrust.

Brianne felt her eyes roll back in her head, and let herself embrace fully all the sensations pouring over her. If this was all she could have of Gabe, his body in the confines of a dream, then at least she was going to damn well enjoy it.

* * *

Things were moving too fast. Gabe knew he needed to slow things down, but now Brianne—beautiful Brianne whom he’d wanted from the first moment he saw her—Brianne was warm and ready under him, desperate for his caress. Hell, judging by how wet she was, how eagerly she moaned for him, she was more than desperate.

Gabe had never been a saint, and he was out of willpower. It felt so good to slide into her, to feel her hot core spasm around him as he entered. He rocked his hips, and, damn it, he wanted to go slow, to worship her body as the goddess she was, as she had always deserved to be worshipped. But that had never been his style, and he felt like he’d been waiting all his adult life to make love to her.

For a moment, guilt trembled through him. Eric was his friend, damn it. This wasn’t right.

But Brianne was kissing him. Touching him. And he pushed all thoughts but her out of his head. Tonight was about claiming her, letting her know she was his. He’d deal with the consequences come what may. That was for later.

“God, you feel so tight, so amazing,” he said, and he reached down to highlight his point by pinching her hip. “I love every damn inch of you, all your sexy curves.” He leaned down and sucked on her left nipple, his tongue rolling in lazy circles over her areola even as his hips slammed into hers. He was fucking her hard now, his balls slapping against her ass with every thrust of his body. “You’re the fucking sexiest woman I’ve ever seen. You have the tightest cunt too, so hot and warm, like it was fucking made for me like a goddamn glove. You like that?” he asked, slamming into her with a forceful thrust.

Brianne shuddered under him and moaned her enjoyment, her face a picture of pure abandon. He slammed into her again, his balls slapping against her entrance and his left hand squeezing her wrists tight enough to bruise. “That’s right, you’re going to come hard for me, baby. I want to feel everything you give me from that ripe pussy of yours.”

She was panting hard, making little growling noises in her throat that left his balls taut with need and his dick hard and rigid. He pounded into her again, all the while his tongue was working her nipple and the fingers of his other hand dug into her hip. He deliberately loosened his hold on her. He’d wanted this longer than he could even remember, and he felt almost out of control with his need, but this was Brianne. He couldn’t hurt her. He could only give her pleasure.

His rhythm was increasing and now his limbs felt on fire. He closed his eyes and bit her neck, just a little, and felt himself come, his seed pouring deeply inside of her.

“Oh Gabe,” she moaned as she dug her nails into his back, a bite of pain that he relished. Then he felt her shudder beneath him, her legs wrap tightly around his waist, and she screamed “Yes, Gabe, yes!”

Her release shook her body for several long moments, and he relished every moan and whimper that came from her. Finally, when she’d calmed and her breathing had slowed, he eased out of her and kissed her forehead tenderly. Already she was nodding off again; the mix of alcohol in her system and her own exhaustion from a satiating fuck had clearly overwhelmed her. He was glad for that, and relished the thought of falling asleep again with her in his arms.

But that didn’t happen. Instead, as his body cooled and the tremors of pleasure dissipated, he closed his eyes, and heard her say quite clearly, “What a great dream.” And then she was out.

Gabe lay there in stunned silence as realization coursed through him. A dream. She’d thought making love to him had been a dream.

Oh God, what had he done?

He lay with her for several anguished minutes, staring at her beautiful face, not knowing what to do. Finally, painfully, he forced himself to get up. He slipped on his t-shirt and boxers again, and then he scurried out of her bedroom and to the sofa.

Dropping his head into his hands, Gabe tried to get a handle on what was happening. He’d just had sex with Brianne. Crazy, wild, passionate sex. It had been every damn thing that he knew it would be, every bit of potential that he’d known they could live up to. It had been a goddamned revelation, and he’d never come that hard in his life. He’d been desperate to go again. Hell, a large part of him wanted to head back in there and pick up where they had left off. He’d given in to his passion too hard, but he wanted to prove to himself and to Brianne that he could cherish her the way she deserved.

But being too fast and a bit too rough was the least of his problems. The biggest problem was that she’d thought it was all some damn sex fantasy, didn’t know that he’d made love to her. He had no idea how to explain that to her in the cold light of day, how to deal with it when she saw the raw marks around her wrists and the bruises he had left on her ass.

He wasn’t sure he could, but even that seemed to pale in comparison to the ultimate betrayal: What he’d done to Eric. Yes, Eric had left her at the altar but that didn’t mean things were over forever between them. Once Eric came back…

Eric had been his best friend since college. He’d promised to always have his bud’s back, and there was no way he could do that and fall for Brianne. No, not fall. He
had
fallen. He had fallen hard and now Gabe how no idea what to do about it.

Chapter Nine

Brianne blinked awake and two things hit her at once: the intoxicating smell wafting in from the kitchen, and the fact she was sore all over, although the subtle ache in her hips and core felt good. As she sat up, realization began to dawn on her. None of this made sense. She was the only one who’d come home last night from the club. Waffles didn’t spontaneously make themselves, and sex dreams could be vivid, as hers had often been, but they couldn’t leave her feeling sore.

Oh God, it hadn’t been a dream! It had really happened. Suddenly, everything hit her hard. Gabe bringing her home from the club, her asking him to stay. She felt a cold chill sweeping over her and started to hyperventilate, her lungs taking in huge gulps of air.

How could she have done this?

She’d thrown herself at Gabe like some pathetic, love sick school girl. Bile rose in her throat, and she wanted to vomit, though that might just have been from the hideous hangover that lurked behind her embarrassment. What a fool she’d been.

But she couldn’t hide in her room all day.

What they’d shared last night had been the most intense, most erotic night of her life, and if they’d been different people, she’d drag Gabe’s ass back into bed right then and let breakfast burn. But they weren’t different people, and she needed to face what had happened and try to fix things if at all possible.