Twenty Eight
I lean against the door jam and listen while Gavin talks on the phone with his sister. Not that I’m eavesdropping, but the sweet affection in his voice melts my heart.
"You sure about him, Cal? First he stands you up and now he’s moving? Is this boy even worth it?" He pauses to listen and in that moment I see the concern in his eyes that I hadn’t heard in his voice.
He’s truly worried about Callie and this boy she’s seeing. I can’t say I blame him, but if he’s worth it to her, that’s what counts.
"Yeah, I know he’s had a rough life. I promise, Cal."
His eyes flick up to mine then and the blue grays immediately fill with softness.
I can tell his sister says something else and it makes him smile.
"You too."
"You look beautiful." Gavin murmurs when he reaches me, grabbing my waist to pull me into his body.
"Thank you, I got it," I whisper into his chest as he holds me. I feel his smile against my hair and before I know what he’s doing, I’m being spun around in a circle.
"I knew you would, baby. Congratulations."
When he stops spinning me, I tangle my fingers in his hair and press my mouth to his for a kiss. I feel his joy and hunger for me immediately.
"It felt so good to dance again, Gavin. You have no idea."
His hand tugs me to follow him and as I’m laid out on the bed, Gavin hovers over me and cups my chin gently. He urges me to look at him.
"Trust me, I do have an idea. When you dance, Christ it’s nothing like I’ve seen before. Your free spirit, your innocence comes out and you shine. You shine."
God, when he says that to me, all I want to do is get up and dance for him right here and now. But my feet hurt and I really want to do something else.
"You really love me, huh?" I ask, running my hand down his chest toward his belt buckle. When I come in contact with his shaft he sucks in a rough breath.
"Unconditionally."
***
When I wake, I’m still buzzing with contentment from Gavin’s love making. I hear the shower running in the bathroom across the hall and before I can go there, my phone buzzes with a text. When I open it, the number is blocked.
I can still see you, Princess.
My blood runs cold reading those five words. There isn’t a doubt in my mind who it is. Who it could be. My eyes dart around the bedroom as if Bryce will bust down the door at any second. I squeeze my eyes shut and try to talk my nerves down from the brink. I’m OK. I’m here with Gavin in our home and Bryce is in the past. He is in the past. Most likely the text is just to scare me. He wants to know he still has that power to yield over me. I refuse to be powerless again. I refuse to be scared. I take a deep breath and step into a pair of worn yoga pants then pull on my favorite of Gavin’s tees, determined to forget about the text and focus on my day.
Once in the kitchen, I set in to make breakfast and let the text slide to the back of my mind for the rest of my morning.
The air seems to shift around me when I hear the bedroom door open and light footsteps approach from the hallway. Gavin comes up behind me and gives my behind a little squeeze.
"Sexy girl. Are you cooking? I thought that was dangerous."
I laugh softly and lean up to kiss his cheek.
"Morning, Gavin." I turn in his arms and wrap a hand around his neck.
"I can handle it, I think. Go have some coffee and I’ll bring this out when it’s done."
Gavin smiles warmly and plants a hard kiss on my mouth before sauntering out to find coffee.
While eating my only offering of cooking I can muster, I remember I promised Kel we’d go dress shopping today. Her friend Melody is coming too, I think.
"I forgot to tell you, Kel wants to dress shop today. The rehearsal is tonight."
Gavin looks up from his plate and nods, taking my hand that sits across my lap.
"Do you want to have dinner with Callie and her boyfriend tonight before the rehearsal? She’s been asking." I leave my half empty plate and climb onto his lap.
"Sure. We have an hour to waste, though."
Gavin tips his head down and kisses along my jaw. It elicits a low moan of arousal out of me.
"I’m sure we’ll find something to occupy us."