Chapter Seven ~ Gabe
I was having the hardest time not jacking off in the damn shed.
Just one little stroke, my inner demon urged.
Zoey’s lush t**s pressed against my back as we rode to the lake had been pure torture, and then I’d made the mistake of pausing before going into the shed to do inventory like I’d said I was going to. Instead, I watched as she sauntered down the dock, pulled the flimsy cover-up over her head, and revealed her body on perfect display in a little white bikini.
Damn … First the sweaty jog, then the four-wheeler ride, and then … I watched as she dove off the dock into the water and held my breath until she surfaced and ran her hands over her slicked-back hair. That was when I disappeared into the shed.
This girl was driving me to the brink of crazy.
That long, dark hair, those big eyes, and that body … s**t!
Get it together, Gabe. You’re a man in your damn thirties, for Christ sake. You’ve had plenty of beautiful women. The sight of another one shouldn’t have you on the brink of m**********g in the shed like a horny boy.
I closed my eyes and thought of getting tackled by a three-hundred-pound linebacker, then did a quick check of the equipment, before saying f**k it and strolling out and down the dock.
When I got to the edge I looked out at Zoey treading water and asked, “How is it?”
“Perfect,” she replied with a happy smile. “Just the right amount of chill to make it refreshing.”
Like a man possessed, I kicked off my sandals and dove in, gasping slightly when my body registered the temperature of the water, then swam back up to the surface. I wiped the water out of my eyes and saw that Zoey was only a few feet away, her face cautious but curious, and a little bit of something else.
Drawn to that look, I swam slowly toward her. Not saying a word, I reached my hand out and gently wiped a droplet of water off of her cheek.
I saw her shiver and, hoping it was from my touch rather than the water, I eased closer. Slowly, I drifted closer, to give her time and space to stop me if I was crowding her, or offering something she didn’t want.
When she stayed in place, those big eyes watching me, I put my other hand around her waist and drew her closer. Zoey gasped slightly, her plump lips parting, causing the heat of her breath to caress my neck. I looked down, and she looked up, and I saw the invitation in her eyes, so I took it.
Dipping low, I brushed my lips against hers. Softly at first, then I pulled her lower lip between my teeth and sucked at it gently. Doing so ignited something in her, because one second she was soft and pliant in my arms and the next she attacked, pulling me tightly against her as she locked her lips fully on mine and swept her tongue through my mouth.
Her enthusiasm would have been sexy as hell, but since we’d both been trying to tread water, her exuberance threw us off track, and we were both suddenly going under.
I placed my hands under her arms and kicked my feet, rocketing us both back up and out of the water. Gasping, I kept her in my arms and swam toward the shore, stopping once we were in water shallow enough to stand in.
“Are you okay?” I asked, stunned. She swiped the hair out of her face as she muttered something about being out of her mind, and I couldn’t stop the laughter from billowing out of me.
Zoey’s eyes shot up, and she looked briefly offended, before her wide mouth slanted up, and she began to laugh along with me.
I was still chuckling when I took a step closer and put my finger under her chin to tip her head up.
“Let’s try that again, now that we have our feet on the ground,” I murmured.
“Wait!” she yelled, causing me to still. “You’re single, right?”
I grinned, relieved that this was what had stopped her, and answered, “Yeah. You?”
“Yeah.”
“Good,” I replied, then swept down and slanted my head, groaning when the taste of her filled me. Her arms came around my neck and I felt her straining toward me, so I lifted her easily, my blood raging when she wrapped her legs around my waist and shoved her hands in my hair, pulling me closer and deepening the kiss.
I’m not sure how long we stood there, the water lapping at my waist as we made out under the summer sun.
She felt amazing, and tasted even better, and I would have loved to be there, in that moment, for the rest of the day.
My cousins, however, had other plans.
“Whew!” I heard Jasmine call, as someone let out a shrill whistle.
“f**k,” I muttered as I pulled back and turned my gaze toward the shore, where my cousins stood with various expressions.
Reardon was removing his fingers from his lips, so I knew he’d been the whistler, while Dillon grinned as he clapped his hands together slowly and loudly. Jasmine was grinning ear to ear, and Serena, who’d yet to meet Zoey, was looking at the two of us curiously.
“Um,” Zoey said, tapping my shoulder and drawing my attention back to her. “Can you put me down?”
Her voice was soft, and embarrassment flushed her cheeks, which only made me want to throw her down and give my family a real show. Instead, I did as she requested and placed her back down into the water.
“Are we checking the equipment, or do you two want some privacy?” Reardon asked with a smirk.
Jasmine reached over and punched him, likely defending her new friend, causing Rear to yell an exaggerated, “Ow!”
“Just give us a minute!” I yelled back, then waited until they all started walking toward the shed to turn to Zoey and ask, “You okay?”
“Yes, really good actually,” she said with a coy grin.
I leaned closer and nipped her earlobe gently before saying gruffly, “You’re too tempting … You’d better stay close to me for the rest of the day and keep me in line, otherwise I’m not sure what I’ll do.”
“Okay,” she whispered again, this time shyly, but I could see her pleasure at my words.
“Okay,” I repeated, casually threw my arm over her shoulder, and led her out of the water.