Weekend With Her Bachelor (Bachelor Auction Returns Book 4) (8 page)

Gavin held Ally
so close he could feel her heart beating. He dealt with life and death every day, but a crying woman brought him to his knees every damn time. That it was Ally grabbing onto his T-shirt made it worse. He held her head against his chest, whispered into her hair, anything he could think of to comfort her. And with each passing moment, he fell more and more under her spell.

Gavin had always been protective of Ally, ever since they were kids and she was picked on during recess. He beat up more than a couple of bullies for her, and took a lot of crap for it from the principal and his parents. But he wasn’t going to let anyone make her unhappy.

By high school, he was done for. He adored her, but he was a hotshot football player and she was a band geek. Marietta was a great place, but the social hierarchy was alive and well in their high school. Neither one of them had enough nerve to cross the line from friendship to something more. But the summer before he left for college, things started to change.

At least, he’d thought they did.

“Come on. Let’s talk.” Brushing her tears away with his thumbs, he could see the hesitancy in her eyes. “Trust me, okay?”

She nodded and he felt awful, like he was the bully this time.

Grasping her hand, he led her to the enclosed gazebo near one of the barns. It was a large space they used for parties and events on the farm. It was outfitted with tables and chairs and some lawn furniture, including an old couch. Walking around the space when he closed the door behind them, Ally seemed to relax, even smiling cautiously.

“I remember the football parties you used to have here.”

“Fun times. We drove my parents crazy, but they were glad we were all here instead of getting ourselves in trouble someplace else.”

“I was so shy. I think I stood in the corner most of the time. You always wanted me there, but I felt strange. I don’t think your friends liked me very much.”

“That’s not true. They liked you fine. But they didn’t know you like I did.”

That was true. “Fair enough.”

Gavin walked to her and remembered that awkward girl with the wide smile who could beat him at his favorite video game, who loved movies, and books, and horses. He looked up and saw the dangling twinkle lights his dad kept strung in the rafters at the gazebo’s peak. “I think this is where we had that dance the night before I left for college.”

Her eyes went soft, almost pleading with him to let go of the memory. Tears threatened again as he pulled Ally into his arms.

“What was the song that was playing?” He knew. He’d never forget it, but he wanted to see if she did.

“
When You Kiss Me
,” she whispered. “Why are we doing this? Are you still trying to make a point?”

Was he? Maybe. “I don’t think so. When you’re close, I go a little crazy. I’m sorry about today in the diner. I was out of line.”

“You aren’t the only one who goes crazy.”

“We’re probably going to regret it, but I’ll go with you to the wedding. I can’t get there until Friday though. Is that okay?”

“That’s actually fine. It will give me a day to deal with all the logistics up front. I’ll still have some work to do, but at least we’ll be able to have some fun.”

“We should probably set some ground rules,” he said. “So we both understand the boundaries.”

By this time, they were holding each other close and swaying to the music in their memories.

“Will the boundaries include dancing?” she asked as she looked in his eyes. “I mean, it is a wedding.”

“Agreed. That wouldn’t be a problem.” It absolutely would be. “But kissing would cross the line.”

Ally nodded her agreement. “Sex is absolutely out.”

Gavin froze. He didn’t even realize she thought about sex with him. He, on the other hand, had been dreaming of making love to her since forever. “Of course.”

They were still swaying to the imaginary music. “It kind of sucks that we’ll miss out on that.” Ally pulled back and leveled her eyes right at his, locking him in her molten gaze.

“The kissing?”

She grinned. “No, silly. The sex.” Immediately, it was like someone flipped a switch. Ally froze in his arms. “
Damn
. I can’t believe I said that out loud.”

“Yeah.” Gavin stepped back. “Me either.”

“I’m so sorry,” she said. “Of course, we’ll have a room with a pull out sofa, or a second room, you won’t have to worry about me losing my mind. I hope.”

There would be nothing he’d love to see more than Ally cutting loose in bed. Just the way she made the comment about sex threw him into a meltdown.

“Sweet Jesus,” she whispered. “I need to leave. It was the dancing. It made me… crazy.” He watched her face flush from embarrassment. Gorgeous. “I… I haven’t been touched like that in so long. It was nice.”

There would be no hardship in touching her. He’d do it as much as she wanted, but at the same time, he was fighting to keep his physical response to her under control. Taking her in, everything about Ally was perfect, from her gorgeous hair and soft skin, to her big round eyes and her luscious curves… all Gavin wanted to do was put his hands on her. He was doing okay, until he caught her chewing on her plump, pink lips. That’s when he snapped.

There was a catch in her breath when he pulled her into him, hard and tight, and lifted her up. Ally was right with him, though, arms looping around his neck and long legs slipping over his ass. Her skirt was riding up, showing the creamy skin of her thighs, and he had every intention of helping that skirt ride up a little more. His hands slid up, caressing the soft skin, and finally cupping the globes of her ass. Touching her was heaven, and with the slightest suggestion, he’d take her right there.

There were a couple of things wrong with his plan. First, the only place he could lay her back was an old picnic table. No. When he made love to Ally, he wanted her in a big soft bed that they’d stay in for days. Second, even though the gazebo was a distance from the house, it was too public for what he wanted to do to her.

“God—” Gavin was holding her so close, he could feel every muscle, every movement, every breath. His memory flashed back to nights she’d fall asleep on the couch, curled next to him, while they watched TV. He loved the way she felt, how she smelled. Even now, the light scent of baby shampoo tickled his nose.

“Gavin? Are you going to kiss me, or what?” Her breathing was heavy; he could see her pulse firing rapidly in her neck. She was as worked up as he was.

“Yeah,” he replied. “Yeah.”

And he did. They clung to each other while Gavin’s mouth came down on hers with an edge of brutality. It was a consuming kiss, something meant to possess and devour. Earlier, when he kissed her in the diner, he’d been gentler, more deliberate, but this kiss was about control for him and for her. Their lips never stopped moving, allowing the friction to build; his tongue slipped into her mouth and she welcomed him, teasing it with her own.

This was the kiss they were too scared to share in high school, that they shouldn’t be sharing now because their paths were too different. But this woman, who pressed herself against his erection, who nibbled his neck and who made the most wonderful dirty noises, deserved all of him.

Gavin moved his hands from her ass to her hips; gripping her, he let his thumbs travel underneath the wispy edge of her panties. He teased the soft folds, and as she ground into his hand, welcoming the intimacy, Gavin felt warm wetness. She was ready for him, if that’s where they wanted to go.

Arching slightly, Ally tossed her head back, as little sounds escaped her throat. She smiled. “God, that feels so good. Going away together is probably a really bad idea.”

“Or a really good one,” he ground out. “Damn, Ally.” Her perfume—light and floral, feminine—gave him a buzz. Resting his head on hers, he let it seep into him. “You feel so good. Smell so good.”

Her head dropped onto his chest, and she made another little sound in her throat. “And you smell so…
bad
.”

Stepping down and back, Ally squinted her eyes at him. “Holy hell, Gavin,” she said on a laugh. “I know you were working on the fences, but did you roll in horse shit, too?”

Dumbfounded, it took him a second to catch what she said. He smelled
bad
? Sniffing his own armpits, he reeled. Then, he laughed, because the reaction was so Ally. Honest, no bullshit, she could always tell him the truth. The mood was broken, but that was probably a good thing.

That moment, strange as it was, drove home how much he’d missed her. But knowing they had to move past their near sex experience, he dished an insult right back.

“Excuse me,
Princess
,” he snapped sarcastically. “I didn’t just clean a few stalls today. I really worked.”

She stuck her tongue out at him in defiance, and the two of them dissolved into fits of laughter. It felt good to laugh like this, to sit with someone who knew you well, and find the humor in an awkward situation. Thank God she’d stopped where they were headed. Gavin was two seconds from carrying her behind the big barn and making love to her against the wall. They might not have even got that far.

Even if it were the greatest sex of his life, the fallout would have sucked for both of them.

“I think we dodged the bullet there.” Ally sat on a picnic bench and crossed her legs. “That would have been awkward.”

“The sex would have been amazing.” Beyond amazing, more than likely. Gavin already missed the feel of her. “But yeah, you’re right.”

“Amazing, but awkward,” she agreed.

He sat next to her and patted her knee. “Nice save.”

Her face softened and she dropped her head to the top of his shoulder. It was how they’d always been with each other. Close. Affectionate. It was nice. “You’re a fantastic kisser,” she said.

“You’re pretty good yourself.”

“Pretty good?” She was mildly indignant at his assessment.

“Gavin! Ally! I know you two are in that gazebo.” His eyebrows shot up as he heard his mother call from the house. “Come in to supper or I’ll send your brothers out to embarrass the two of you.”

“Great. We’d better get inside.” He grabbed her hand, and the moment wasn’t lost on either of them. Touching her was as natural as breathing to Gavin. He just didn’t think they had a chance.

“I think I’ll go home.”

“Mom won’t accept that, and you know it. Once she knows you’re here, you’d better be prepared to eat.”

As if on cue, his mother called out, “I made smothered chicken, Ally! I know it’s your favorite, so don’t you dare go sneaking off.”

Gavin bent over laughing when Ally’s eyes went wide in shock. “Did she hear me or something? That was weird.”

“Nah, it’s just Christine.” Gavin loved his mother with all his heart, but how she knew some of the things she knew, freaked him out. “Come on. Let’s eat.”

A
lly could have
flown back to Seattle for a few days to deal with some projects, but she decided to stick around Marietta for a while and work remotely. Hell, she was the boss and that’s why she had a laptop and a cell phone. Gavin had left for Bozeman the day after their bone-melting kiss in the gazebo, but he wasn’t really gone.

For the last few days, she’d been getting pretty regular text messages from him about their weekend, mostly concerning what he should bring with him. She’d sent him a list of clothes and gear, and since he was bringing his truck, he’d have plenty of room. She’d arranged for them to have one of the glamping tents. Part cabin, part tent, it was a more rustic approach to the lodge, while still having a lot of perks.

One of those perks was a pull-out sofa. There would be no need for them to share the king sized bed, and the more Ally thought about it, the better it was. Maybe they could be friends again. They’d gone on for years that way until their emotions started messing them up.

Lisa had suggested a friends-with-benefits arrangement with Gavin, but Ally didn’t see how that would work. She and Gavin had a lot of strong feelings towards each other, and friends with bennies sounded like a disaster waiting to happen.

But her insides warmed at the thought of him touching her again. Memories from the other day, when he kissed her like a starving man and teased her close to orgasm, lingered in her mind. If she closed her eyes, she could feel him again.

The days she’d been home had been pretty perfect, even the tough ones. Ally found herself torn between her life in Seattle and the one she missed in Montana. For the first time in years, she had no burning desire to head back to the city she’d made her home, and she wished she knew why.

Being with her parents was nice, but it wasn’t like she wanted to move back in. She loved town, but she could see it getting boring. There was no nightlife. Few restaurants. Trendy shopping was a big no. Yet the charm of it all had gotten to her.

Gavin had gotten to her, as well. And as long as she was in the same state, she felt more at peace.

Crossing Court Street, Ally made her way to the library. She was going to try lunch at the diner again. Hopefully with her mother she’d be able to actually eat a meal. People in town were still chattering about the soul kiss Gavin laid on her in public last week. It had caused quite the stir, and Ally was getting the side eye from more than a few women.

And for some reason, Ally didn’t mind. She kinda liked it.

Being linked to Gavin romantically was strange for her, but again, she didn’t care. Maybe it was because they weren’t romantic, or maybe because it was keeping people guessing.

Also a new feeling for a girl who was known as being more than a little nerdy and predictable.

The library in Marietta was a small, pretty building that served the residents with a variety of programs. Her mother was thrilled to find a part time job working in the children’s department when she retired from teaching elementary school.

Louise Jenkins, the children’s librarian, was reading a story to a group of preschoolers and her mother was helping a young patron with a book on dinosaurs. It was a warm and wonderful place, and Ally smiled just taking in the vibe.