The Matchmaker's Replacement [Kindle in Motion] (Wingmen Inc. Book 2) (16 page)

Chapter
Twenty-Eight

Lex

P
ride cometh before the fall.

I’d always prided myself on being able to catalogue every type of woman into tiny little boxes with neat little labels.

Gabi had no box.

No label.

And whenever I tried to shove her where I thought she needed to be, she rebelled and came barreling back toward me.

I realized.

Sex would be the exact same way.

I couldn’t be the usual Lex I’d always been in bed, because she was different—our situation was different.

And I needed to label it differently. As unromantic as that sounds, to me it was pure romance, because for a guy who thought in code—a guy who had a label, a place for everything in his life?

She.

Didn’t.

Fit.

“Just tell me if it’s too fast,” I whispered against her swollen lips. “Tell me if it hurts, scream when it feels good. And I’m not against you just saying my name over”—I kissed the right corner of her mouth, where her lips spread into a wide smile—“and over”—I moved to the other side, not wanting it to get jealous—“and over again.” I pressed my mouth to hers. The feel of her lips touching mine, the taste of her unique flavor, was so alarmingly arousing.

Then again.

I knew that.

I’d
always
known that.

“Okay.” Gabs nodded, and a shiver tore through her. “For now, the kissing is good.”

“Gabs . . .” I pulled back, regarding her with the most serious look I could muster. “The kissing needs to be great.”

“Oh.”

“Am
I
going to get fired?” I teased.

Gabi burst out laughing and then grabbed me by the back of my head, slamming our mouths together in such a hot kiss that I nearly blacked out.

Our lips teased and my tongue beckoned, sliding against hers, retreating, fighting for dominance, as I pressed my palm against her breast, my fingers splayed across her creamy flesh.

Moaning, she moved against me as I grazed my hand down her side, reaching between us, exploring, waiting for her body to respond to my exploration.

The minute my fingers brushed against her core, she stopped kissing me. I lifted my head, gazing into her eyes.

And continued slight pressure where I knew she needed it.

Her eyes locked on mine.

Watching my face as I pleasured her.

Making me desperate to join our bodies, to make this more than sex, more than a moment where shields were down and a white flag waved between us.

Her eyes snapped closed as she moved against me.

“That’s it,” I whispered along her neck, sweat beginning to make our bodies slide across each other. “Trust me.”

I’d never asked for her trust.

Gabi opened her eyes and whispered, “I do.” As she shattered right before my eyes, her body going taut before she slumped against my hand.

“That was . . .” I was jealous of every part of my body that got to experience her pleasure, jealous that I wasn’t inside her when it happened. “Beautiful.”

Eyes hazy, she brought my head down for a kiss. Her lips were tender. I pulled back and reached into the nightstand.

With wide eyes she watched me, and my freaking body responded like it was performing action stunts and deserved praise and adoration.

“You sure about this?” I murmured, tossing the wrapper onto the floor, praying she’d say no even as I longed for her to say yes.

Gabi reached for my hands. Our fingers linked together, and then I pinned them above her head, exposing her breasts to my mouth as I sank into her.

She arched off the bed.

“Relax.” My lips made their way up her smooth neck, licked across her lips, then suckled the bottom one as I started rocking my hips in a slow rhythm.

Gabi’s body went completely tense.

“Trust,” I urged, slowing down.

She nodded her head, then met my kiss with raw hunger as she started moving beneath me on her own.

My body wanted to join the party, but I knew she needed to get used to me . . . And if I moved with her, it was going to be over with before it even really started.

“It feels . . . different,” she said hoarsely, her hands clambering for my shoulders as she writhed beneath me. I watched, a smile spreading across my face as she used me without even really knowing it.

“You’re beautiful,” I said softly. “Just like this.”

She opened her eyes. “Full . . . I’m full.”

“Of me.” I couldn’t keep the pride out of my voice. “Now, are you ready?”

“Ready?” She frowned. “But . . . I thought that—”

“No mercy,” I growled against her neck, sinking deeper into her, so deep that my vision blurred with the feeling of it. Why had it never felt like this before?

I moved slowly as Gabs clutched my biceps, her fingers imprinting my muscle, leaving marks.

I quickened my pace as she clenched me harder. Sweat dripped from my temple and landed on her chest.

I looked down at the small bead of sweat as it rolled between her breasts. The joining of our bodies was the most perfect thing I’d ever witnessed.

She tensed beneath me.

“Gabi . . .” I thrust faster, whispering her name over and over again as she jerked my head down to hers and our teeth clicked against one another as we fought for one another’s kisses.

I swallowed her moan as her body tightened around me, and with one last thrust released four years’ worth of waiting. I was torn between feeling complete because I was finally with her and pissed that I had waited so damn long. Every part of us being together felt right, even if I knew it was wrong to go behind Ian’s back. This moment with her, this wasn’t just sex. What exploded between us was . . . magic. Hell, one sexual experience with Gabs was turning me into a sap.

Our eyes locked on each other, and a lifetime of conversations took place in the look she gave me. It wasn’t confusion, just pure want, desire.

When we slowly pulled apart, our noses still touched, and I still kissed her, didn’t push her away, didn’t even pull out.

Because she wasn’t just any girl.

She wasn’t a one-night stand.

She was the girl I’d wanted ever since she blinked her big green cat eyes up at me in defiance.

I love you,
I wanted to say.

Instead I settled with “That was incredible.”

Leave it to Gabi to pat me on the back and retort with “You did
okay
 . . .”

Chapter
Twenty-Nine

Gabi

W
hat does a girl do after experiencing the most amazing bliss humanly possible at the hand of her sworn enemy? Throw a party? Jump off a cliff? Do it again?

Lex made the decision for me, when he got up from the bed and sauntered over to the bathroom. The sound of water being turned on was my only cue that things were done. Cold air bit at my body, reminding me that I was naked, that I’d just been naked for who knew how long with Lex’s hands all over me. My body was still trembling with the realization that I wasn’t the same.

Did I want to be?

Would I do it again?

Yes. Even if he was technically excusing me from his fortress. With a sigh, I grabbed the cold sheet and wrapped it around me as best I could.

Lex poked his head out of the bathroom doorway and held out his hand. “Come here.”

“You gonna drown me, Lex?” I teased, teeth chattering with nervousness as adrenaline continued to settle across my body. I needed the joking to break the insane tension I felt after what had just happened. Holy crap, I’d just slept with Lex Luthor. Ian was going to kill us. I’d dated guys before, but I knew Lex was different; he was a certified whore, and I was in his bed. If Ian found out . . .

If he found out.

If.

“If” was my new favorite word. I was going to make a sign in big block letters and tape it to my door.

“Gabs, don’t get me wrong, my dick really appreciates all the staring you’re doing right now, but since it’s not up for another performance for at least another hour, you need to stop before I get depressed.”

“What?” Realizing my gaze had been glued below Lex’s waist, I snapped my head up and caught a playful smile spreading across his chiseled face. “Holy crap. Sorry, I think I blacked out.”

“Great.” Lex nodded, making his way toward me. “That speaks really highly for my manhood, causing you to black out and all. Now get your sweet ass over here.”

Slowly, I rose from the bed and walked toward him, so aware of my own nakedness that I almost dove back under the covers and hid. Maybe if I closed my eyes I’d disappear?

Chuckling, he grabbed my hand and tugged me the rest of the way into the bathroom. Now, normally, I’d be grossed out. Guys’ bathrooms? Not always the cleanest. But both Ian and Lex were neat freaks, so Lex’s bathroom was sparkling. He even had a separate soaker tub.

Being in Lex’s bathroom was almost like being in a high-end hotel.

Did that make me a hooker if I was naked in it twice in one day?

“Get in,” he urged. His large hands dwarfed my shoulders as he gently pushed me toward the tub. “I promise you won’t drown, but I’ll grab a life jacket just in case.”

“Ha-ha,” I fake laughed. “Was that a short-person joke?”

“No-o-o.” Lex chuckled. “I would never. The last time I made fun of your height, you threw a fork at my face.”

“You’re lucky I don’t do worse.” I dipped my toe into the tub; the water was deliciously hot. Suddenly chilled, I put my right foot in and then lifted my left.

“Okay.” Lex hefted me up into his arms and plunked me into the tub, sending water sloshing up the sides.

“Hey!”

“Welcome.” He smiled broadly, hands on hips, still gloriously naked and seeming not to care.

My eyes wanted to turn away, but he was so comfortable with his body and I still felt like a virgin. Nakedness was meant to be covered, right? But with Lex, it was like he wanted me on full display all the time. It was completely unnerving for someone who’d never even had sex before. And he was absolutely gorgeous and seemed to encourage me to drink my fill and come back for seconds—and he looked at me the same way. I licked my lips. He was just so . . . manly.

Everywhere.

“Gabs,” Lex groaned, wiping a hand over his face. “What did I say about staring?”

“Er . . .” I jerked my head back and stared at the water pouring out of the faucet. “Don’t do it?”

Lex poured in some bubble bath, which foamed into mountains of lavender-scented white puffs. As the bubbles crested the edge of the tub, he turned off the faucet. I thought he was getting ready to leave, but instead he closed the door to the bathroom and crawled in across from me.

“Lex.” I licked my lips as chills erupted on my arms.

“Hmm?” He leaned back and exhaled. “What’s up?”

“We’re in the bathtub.”

“We are.”

“Together,” I explained.

He looked around in fake disbelief. “No shit?”

“Lex!” I hissed, slapping my hand against the water, causing droplets to splatter across his chiseled chin. “This is
not
typical behavior!” For us . . . But I left that part out. It wasn’t typical behavior for him either. We were laughing, joking, and completely naked in his bathtub. What alternate universe had I stumbled into? First, we didn’t hang out and joke around, especially not naked. And I knew the type of guy Lex was. Bang and conquer, then leave with some lame excuse about his house burning down or his puppy getting run over by a scooter.

As the droplets made their way down his face, I wondered, how was he making bath water sexy?

“And you know . . . how, exactly?”

“He asks how!” I burst out laughing. “Ian’s my best friend. I know all about your weird freak home disasters!”

“Huh?”

“Let’s see . . .” I tapped my chin. “A few months back, your basement flooded.”

“That it did.” The jerk threw his head back and laughed.

“And before that it was, what? A windstorm caused a tree to barrel into the kitchen?”

“I was so upset.” Lex looked down at the water and hunched his shoulders, giving the impression that he was trying to crawl into himself. “Do you know how much it costs to fix windows?”

“And I think one of my personal favorites: a bee infestation.”

“Those happen all the time. Trust me, I looked it up on Google.”

“Why doesn’t it surprise me that you use Google to find stupid facts so that when presented with an opportunity to sleep over with a girl after sex, you have a legit excuse to leave—or at least one that appears legit?”

“Want me to make up one for you so you feel better?”

“What?” I blurted. “No. Wait . . .” Frowning, I narrowed my eyes. “Do you seriously just have random crap in your head that you can pull at any given time in order to get out of a sticky situation?”

Lex’s face fell. “I was so worried . . .”

“Worried?”

“About Ian . . .”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

“When he called and said that the fire had started in his room, I panicked. I mean, I’m the one who left the iron on; I’m the asshole who was trying to iron a shirt before my interview with Microsoft.” He paused. “And it’s my fault that part of our house, the house we’ve lived in since freshman year, is gone.”

My mouth dropped open.

“We lost his goldfish, Kevin.”

“You have a goldfish named Kevin?”

“He died,” Lex explained. “Keep up, Gabs.”

“Let me guess, smoke inhalation?”

Lex grinned. “How’d you know?”

“Fish don’t breathe.”

“Right, but most girls don’t know that. Especially the ones who don’t eat meat because they want to protect the rights of all animals equally.” He paused. “One girl cried.”

“Over
Kevin
?”

“He was Edgar back then.”

“Your fish changes names,” I said in complete disbelief.

“Well, I can’t just use the same story with the same fish, Gabs.” Lex grabbed some soap that was green and smelled like Christmas. “Sometimes it’s Kevin that dies after the fire makes its way into the kitchen, other times it’s Edgar in the living room.”

“You’re literally your own Clue game, aren’t you?”

“The fish.” Lex nodded. “In the laundry room . . . with the fire.”

I burst out laughing. “I can’t decide if you’re a genius, a horrible human being, or a little bit of both.”

“Turn around.” He gripped my hips and slid me so that my back was against his chest. His lips grazed my ear. “A little bit of both, I suspect.”

I didn’t have to hide my grin since I was staring at the wall. “So I’m the lucky one, huh?”

“How do you figure?”

“No fake story?”

“I can’t fake burn down the house you live in, Gabs, and I think we both know that if I had a fish, the poor bastard’s survival rate would be, like, point one percent.”

His hands moved smoothly across my back and then down my sides before he reached around my body and cupped me. “Are you sore?”

I froze. “I uh, no, maybe. I’m not sure. I can’t really think right now.”

“I’m sorry.” His mouth hovered around my neck. “You may be a bit over the next few days . . .”

“I’ll be sure to tell Ian it’s because I went horseback riding,” I joked.

Lex about died laughing, his mouth touching my neck, his lips sliding across my wet skin. “I guess you did ride, sort of, but next time I’ll give you a better lesson.”

My ears perked up.
Down, girl
.
Sleeping with the enemy, sleeping with the enemy!
“Next time?”

“I didn’t burn the house down, Gabs.”

“Ri-ight.” I drew out the word. “Because I live here.”

“That’s not my only excuse. I have hundreds, thousands, but with you my only excuse is a mutual friend who may cut off my balls if he discovers I breathed in your direction.”

I let out a breathy sigh. “Our secret, then?”

“For now,” he agreed, turning me back around so we could face each other.

I don’t know if I leaned in first, or if he did, but suddenly we were kissing again, his mouth covering mine as his hands slid across my wet body.

“Lex!” Ian shouted from just outside the bathroom door.

I shoved Lex away as water sloshed over the sides of the tub. “I thought the door was locked?”

“Bastard picked it. He’s done that a few times, but only when he’s feeling prickly.” Lex hissed out a curse. “What, Ian?”

“Are you with someone?” Ian asked.

“Yes,” Lex answered.

I smacked him in the shoulder.

He mouthed an “ouch.” “But she’s really . . . naked.”

I slapped my hand against my forehead.
Idiot.

“And sick.”

“Sick?” I mouthed.

“What do you mean, sick? And what the hell, man? You know the rules about girls in the house at night!”

“Puking all over the place.” Lex shrugged and then went, “It’s okay, baby, let it out.”

“Oh, good grief,” I grumbled, and then made a whimpering noise, causing Lex to crack up and lose all composure.

“Like the flu?” Ian sounded horrified. Then again, Ian was one of those people who believed in quarantine if someone had as much as a head cold. He carried wet wipes with him everywhere.

“Yeah, maybe the swine flu. She doesn’t look good, man, not good at all. I wouldn’t come in—oh shit!”

“What?” Ian yelled. “What happened?”

“You didn’t touch the doorknob, did you?”

Ian started cursing. “How else am I supposed to break in, you jackass? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Why would I need to? You’re the one breaking and entering!”

“You weren’t answering your phone, and it’s important.”

Lex shoved me, mouthing the word “cough.”

I started coughing wildly and moaned.

“Dude, whatever it is, it’s going to need to wait. In fact, if I were you, I’d go to the store and get some vitamin C mixes for your water.”

“I can’t get sick.” Ian groaned. “I was just sick a few weeks ago. I nearly died from the plague, Lex. What the hell? You know the rules about girls in our house!”

“What did you want me to do? She was shivering!”

“Don’t bring in strays!” Ian yelled. “Shit, I’m going to Walgreens. I’ll be back and then we can talk, but I’m getting you a mask.”

“Bye, Ian!”

“Son of a—” Ian could be heard cursing until a door slammed.

“Want to know another useless fact?” Lex asked.

“I’m listening.” I ran my hands over his buzzed hair.

Lex leaned into me and pressed a kiss against my mouth. “The closest Walgreens is three point seven miles from our house. With traffic, it’s a good fifteen minutes there and back, and then add in possibly ten minutes of Ian trying to locate what he needs. You know how he gets distracted.”

“Are you telling me we have close to forty minutes until he’s back?”

“Forty minutes, give or take a few seconds.”

“If only we had something to do,” I teased.

Lex smirked. “Here’s a thought . . .”

My smile fell as his hands reached for my hips and lifted me onto his lap. “You know, just off the top of my head.”

“You’re right.” I cupped his cheek. “You are a genius.”

“That’s
evil
genius to you, Sunshine.”