Up by Five (15 page)

He flopped onto his back beside her. “Fuck,” he said again.

“Damn, Dixon, where’d you get that table? A garage sale?”

He turned his head to look at her. “What if I said yes?”

She laughed. “Well, I guess you’ve now done that one too many times.”

He chuckled too. “Never done that before. Glad the felt was on there or I might have splinters in my ass from the slide.”

She rolled to her side. “You’ve never done it on that table before?”

He shook his head.

“Why not? It’s the perfect size and height.”

She was…something. And she was right. “Guess I’ve never had anyone want to before.”

“
You’ve
never wanted to?”

Was the sky blue? “A gentleman lets the lady make those decisions.”

She laughed again. He loved her laugh.

“A gentleman lets the lady decide where he’s going to fuck her brains out?”

Heat grabbed him and he reached for her. Fucking
her
brains out sounded like a hell of an idea. Again. “Don’t want anyone to say I wasn’t considerate,” he said, pulling her close.

“I’ll say very nice things on my comment card,” she said, letting him pull her close. She put her hand against his cheek.

He grabbed her hand, nipping her fingertips, trying to distract her. The look of tenderness in her eyes—especially considering they’d just broken his table having sex—was too much.

“I had this picture of women batting their eyes and saying ‘whatever you want, Conner’,” Gabby said. “But that’s not what happens, huh? You make sure they have what
they
want, right?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” he asked lightly. “As much as I enjoyed breaking this table, if I get to see a naked woman, why would I care
where
I’m seeing her?”

Gabby grinned. “Okay, you got me there. I’m just surprised.”

“That I’m a gentleman?”

“That even when you’re being a man-whore, you’re sweet.”

Conner chuckled at that. “I don’t know about sweet. It’s pretty simple—happy women make me happy, and romance and great sex make women happy.”

“Well, ain’t that the truth,” Gabby said, resting her head on his chest.

He ran his hand over her hair, most definitely feeling happy. Maybe even more than happy. He hadn’t done much in the romance department with Gabby. They’d played poker and joked around with her family. That wasn’t romantic.

Or was it? And why did he feel like maybe
he’d
been romanced?

He prided himself on providing whatever experience the woman he was with needed. Whether it was a night of candlelight and pampering, or a chance to let loose and try some new naughty things, Conner was the man. He didn’t worry too much about what he wanted, one way or another. It was all good. He loved the flirting, the romance, the seduction and the sex—all the fun that happened at the beginning of a relationship.

So he kept his relationships at the beginning.

Once things moved beyond that to the place where things got emotional and complicated, where they were more involved in one another’s life—where it was harder to make women happy—he was out.

He’d done emotional and complicated for fifteen years with four very strong-willed women. Four women he couldn’t break up with—or get away from. He wasn’t about to
choose
to have a relationship that involved emotional and complicated.

“So how do you get away with it?” Gabby asked, her hand on his stomach, her breath teasing his chest.

“Get away with what?” He really wanted to run his hand down her back to her butt. He really loved her butt.

“Well, you like making women happy. How do you get away with breaking it off with them and still keeping them happy?” She draped her leg over his and scooted even closer.

Conner fought to pay attention to the conversation. “I tell them the truth—I can’t have a serious, lasting relationship with anyone because I have to worry about my sisters.”

That had been the truth. For a long time.

Gabby laughed. “You can’t use that excuse anymore, Dixon. Your sisters are all well taken care of by their guys.”

“And I’m loving every minute of it,” he said with feeling.

Gabby lifted her head to look him in the eye. “What? You’re
loving
that your sisters are all engaged to your best friends?”

He nodded. “Completely.”

“When did that happen? ’Cause that sure wasn’t the case about a month ago.”

A month ago he’d found out that his baby sister, Olivia, had fallen for the best of his best friends, Cody. That had not hit Conner particularly well at first. Olivia was—or at least had been—the most sweet and vulnerable of his sisters. And Cody had a history with women that made Conner adamant about keeping Olivia far away from him.

Not that it had mattered. True love was true love. And now, a month later, Conner could admit that he’d been wrong. Not out loud. Not to the guys. But to himself, when he was feeling especially self-aware and mature.

And maybe to Gabby.

“My sisters being in loving, committed relationships is the best thing to ever happen to me.”

“Wow,” Gabby commented, clearly surprised. “You really, really sure that you haven’t had a stroke?”

He laughed and lifted her hand to his lips, needing to taste her again, even if it was just kissing her palm. “I’m really, really sure. In fact, I’ve never felt so clearheaded and rational in my life.”

She sighed softly as he drew his tongue over the middle ridge in her palm to her wrist. “What brought about this huge change of heart?”

“Being free.”

“Free?”

“I put in fifteen years with the girls.” He’d dealt with a plethora of emotions, mistakes and problems. He’d worried and lectured and advised and disciplined and shown up at every hour of the day or night and picked up the pieces. “And now I’m retired.”

He deserved a break. Any sane person would agree. He’d done okay. The girls had turned out great. Now he could relax.

Gabby curled her fingers against his jaw as he continued kissing up her arm to her elbow. “Retired, huh? No more worries? Just like that?”

The full truth of that had sunk in only over the past two weeks.

His sisters were grown and had wonderful men who loved them very much.

And they were now those wonderful men’s problems.

Conner could, for once, simply enjoy his sisters.

He shrugged and licked the inside of Gabby’s elbow. “It sank in when two weeks had gone by and none of the girls had called me for anything. I was sitting here one night and realized that I’d heard from them only about things like what time we were all getting together for dinner and that Emma’s OB appointment had gone well. Stuff like that. And it occurred to me that I wasn’t even worried. I knew the guys were there taking care of stuff.”

Conner tugged slightly, bringing Gabby up to lay on top of him. He kissed his way up to her shoulder, loving the little shiver he felt go through her.

“So you’re enjoying just being a big brother?” Gabby asked.

If she could still concentrate on their conversation, he wasn’t doing a very good job. Conner moved his lips to her neck. He ran his hands down her back to rest on her butt, pressing her against him.

“I am,” he told her. “I haven’t done much of that.”

She wiggled against him enticingly. But she kept talking. “You haven’t enjoyed your sisters?”

He chuckled. “Uh, no. I was a normal teenage boy, a typical big brother—teasing them, arguing with them, finding them incredibly annoying, staying out of their way as much as possible.”

No one wanted to be in the path of the whirlwind that the Dixon Divas created wherever they went, even when they were little. The noise and drama they’d produced had never been little.

“And then…” He trailed off. He simply didn’t talk about his father’s death much. Or at all.

“Your dad died,” Gabby said quietly.

He cleared his throat and nodded. “Massive heart attack. It was really sudden.”

Gabby lifted her head. “You jumped from typical big brother to not-so-typical father figure.”

Conner could only nod again. He’d become the only male in the house when Amanda, the oldest, had been fourteen.

“And now that the girls are in love and with these amazing men, you can relax a little,” she said.

“You got it.”

He could attend parties, buy gifts, show up for surprise lunches. The girls were in a fun time of life. They were planning weddings and getting ready for babies and enjoying being madly in love.

Conner loved seeing them happy and he loved being just their brother. Not their father figure, not their disciplinarian, not their guardian or protector.

“Now Ryan gets to deal with Amanda’s perfectionistic ways as she plans their wedding and Shane can deal with Isabelle’s meltdowns about her fibromyalgia getting in the way of things and Nate can deal with
everything
that goes with Emma being pregnant and Cody can deal with Olivia remodeling their kitchen.”

Gabby smiled. “You’re free.”

“I feel like I’m kicking back in a hammock on a sunny beach with a fricking piña colada in hand.”

“But not just a vacation?”

He shook his head. “Full retirement.”

“What if one of the guys bails?” Gabby asked.

“I’ll hunt him down, kick his ass and haul him back here.”

Gabby laughed. “Ironic, isn’t it? You’d now kick their asses for
leaving
your sisters?”

It was. But he didn’t care.

Making women happy over the long term was hard work.

It wasn’t like he’d never worry or that he didn’t care if one of the girls was upset, but he wasn’t the
main
guy in charge of taking care of the problem and making them happy again anymore. And he knew too well that when one of the girls had a problem, the others got involved and made it their problem too.

Ryan, Shane, Nate and Cody deserved it all.

“Well, imagine that,” Gabby said, pushing up so she straddled him.

His hardening cock pressed against her butt as she ran her hands along his upper arms to his shoulders then up the sides of his neck. She laced her fingers at the back of his head and pulled him forward.

He sat up with her in his lap.

“Imagine what?” he asked, running his hands up and down her back.

“I was wrong.”

“About?”

“I thought maybe you were feeling a little left out now that all the girls are matched up with all your friends. You might be feeling like a…” she paused, looked up at the ceiling, then back him, “…ninth wheel,” she said with a grin.

He shrugged. There had been a few of those moments, but overall he was feeling quite content. “I’m pretty comfortable hanging out with them all. As long as there’s no kissing.”

Gabby leaned in and put her mouth against his. “But kissing is so fun.”

He gripped her butt and took her mouth.

Kissing was definitely fun.

The kiss got hot and intense, fast. Gabby ran her tongue along his lower lip, much the way he craved doing to other parts of her again.

“Where’s the other condom?” he asked against her lips.

“Right here.”

Without breaking contact with his mouth she reached between them and slid the condom on, then lifted herself and took him deep.

“Christ, Gabby,” Conner groaned.

She started moving immediately. Conner leaned back, needing to see her. Her hands were flat on his chest and her hair was falling over her shoulders.

“Put your hands up,” he said. “Hold your hair up.”

Her eyes on his, Gabby gathered her hair up on top of her head.

She looked gorgeous.

Conner took a nipple between his thumb and finger, rolling, tugging, then squeezing.

She gave a soft hiss and her hips ground harder and faster.

He lifted the whole breast to take the tip into his mouth and her hands went to his head, pressing him close.

“Hands up, G,” he ordered.

She complied and he sucked again.

“Conner.”

“I fucking love that,” he told her, sucking harder.

She started moving faster, her thighs flexing, her hips lifting and falling rapidly.

“You feel so good,” she said breathlessly. “I can’t move fast enough. I’m so close—”

He pressed his hand against her lower back, making her arch farther. “Take me, Gabby. Whatever you need.”

Her eyes snapped to his. “Whatever I need?” she asked.

“Anything.”

“I want you on top,” she said without pause. “I want you to take me hard, right here on the floor.”

He was buried deep, her breast in hand, and still lust flooded through him.

Without another word he flipped her to her back. He braced his hands on the floor beside her as her legs wrapped around his waist and he thrust hard.

“Yes, damn, yes, Conner,” she panted.

He had the sudden urge to get really dirty with her. It was stupid. It was amazing he was even able to
think
at all, but he sensed that Gabby would like things really naughty.

He pushed himself up until he was kneeling between her spread thighs.

Her neck was arched and her eyes shut.

“Gabby,” he said, holding still until she opened her eyes and met his gaze. “I want you to watch me fuck you.”

He felt her inner muscles tighten at that and he gave her a cocky smile.

She licked her lips and slowly propped up on her elbows.

He put a hand on either thigh, spreading her even wider. The sight was almost his undoing. It was hot as hell to see her like this. Not just the position, not just the look on her face, but that this was Gabby. He’d seen her stare down a guy who was pointing a gun at another guy in a bar. He’d seen her work even after spraining her ankle so badly that she’d been on crutches for a week after. He’d seen her give CPR while shoulder deep in the river.

She was courageous, caring, talented and driven.

And she was letting him see, taste and feel her in the most intimate way possible.

It was humbling.

Which was the stupidest thing he’d ever thought of during sex.

He moved slowly, pulling out and pressing in, watching her watching where their bodies were joined.