Run to You (11 page)

“Gabby, any guy that doesn't take time for his woman is a total dick. You have nothing to be embarrassed about.”

She squeezed her eyes shut, her cheeks blazing even darker.

“But just so you know…” He bent his head to nibble her jaw. “My policy is ladies first.”

She sucked in a breath, and he found himself wondering how long it had been since a man had gotten her off. Far too long, if his guess was right.

“It's not all Brad's fault,” she whispered. “I think I might just not be very good at it.”

Okay, he was
definitely
decking the schmuck if he ever laid eyes on him again. “Gabby, I promise you are not the problem.”

She looked up at him, her eyes wide and swimming with self-doubt.

He took her hand and pressed it against the front of his shorts, just enough for her to feel him. “See the effect you have on me? Just kissing you is enough to make me crazy. You are so damn sexy, and I want you so bad it hurts. But what I want even more is to watch you come. Will you do that for me?”

He stroked her through the front of her skirt, and her head fell back, her eyes closed. He moved his hand to the waistband of her skirt, silently seeking her permission. She whimpered.

He slid his hand inside her skirt and panties, skimming over her bare flesh.

Gabby cried out, her hips thrusting against his.

“You are so hot,” he whispered. “So sexy.” He slid two fingers inside her, thrusting in and out while his thumb circled her clit.

Her hips bucked against him, her head back as she panted for breath. He captured her mouth with his, kissing the daylights out of her while he pleasured her with his fingers.

“Ethan,” she gasped, her hips pumping against his to the rhythm of his fingers.

“Take your time, sweetheart.” He increased his tempo, his free hand holding her close so that each movement of her hips brought her firmly against his aching cock. For tonight, that would be enough.

Tonight was all about Gabby.

She moaned as she came, her body tensing against his, then she relaxed in his arms, her face against his chest. “Holy shit,” she whispered.

His thoughts exactly.

She peeked up at him through a wayward strand of hair that had fallen across her face. He brushed it back, then bent his head and kissed her. Holding her close, he savored the feel of her in his arms while they kissed.

After a few minutes, she lifted her head to give him a shy smile. “Would you like to stay for a bit?”

Hell yes, he would. “Yeah. Actually, there's something I was hoping you could do for me.”

“Okay.” Her pretty eyes clouded with worry.

“Can you show me how to play
King of the Desert
?”

Her mouth popped open. “Really?”

“Yeah. I want to see you in your element.”

She backed out of his arms, still looking all flushed and sexy, the doubt that had clouded her features a moment ago replaced now with excitement. “Even if I kick your butt?”

“You'll definitely kick my butt. I can take it.”

She grinned. “Okay then.”

Ten minutes later, they were seated side by side on her couch, game controllers in their hands, while Gabby indeed kicked his ass in
King of the Desert
. His character—some dude named Sven with long, flowing blond hair—fell from halfway up a rock face and lost half his game health.

“We need to find you some food,” Gabby said with a giggle as her character, a curvaceous brunette in a blue bustier, shimmied to the top of the cliff with no problem. “Press A to climb back up. X gives you a boost.”

“A, then X. Got it.” But he fell again, and this time his guy died. “Shit.”

They played for over an hour, and he was finally getting the hang of it when a three-headed monster came out of nowhere and killed him again. Gabby slayed it effortlessly.

“I like watching you play,” he said.

“Really?” She turned to look at him.

“Yeah. You smile a lot.”

Her lips curved, and the next thing he knew, he was flat on his back on the couch with Gabby sprawled on top of him, kissing him senseless. Her warmth enveloped him as he lost himself in her kisses, his tongue thrusting against hers while his hands roamed her body, memorizing the feel of her curves.

Her knees slid down on either side of his hips so that she straddled him. He unbuttoned her top and pushed it aside so that he could kiss and caress her breasts, bringing her nipples into hard peaks. Gabby whimpered as he sucked on first one, then the other. Her hands fisted in his hair, holding him close while her hips rocked restlessly against his, driving him out of his fucking mind with need.

He rolled to the side, tucking her in next to him. She whimpered, wiggling to bring her hips against his again. Yeah, he knew the feeling. But he shifted back, keeping a few inches between them. “Not happening, sweetheart. I don't even have a condom on me tonight.”

That was a flat-out lie. He never left the house without a condom, but he needed her to understand that tonight was all about her.

Her brow wrinkled. “But—”

“We're not having sex tonight.”

“Oh.” Her eyes widened. “Really?”

And dammit, he saw relief mixed with the disappointment in her eyes. She wasn't ready; maybe she never would be. And that was fine because already he could tell sex with Gabby would be so much more than just sex. He had sex for pleasure, not for the messy emotional entanglements that sometimes came with it.

With Gabby, there would definitely be emotional entanglements. His emotions were already a tangled mess, and he hadn't even gotten naked with her—yet.

“Really,” he answered her, and he felt her relax beside him.

She pulled him in for another kiss, and he was lost in the feel of her, the taste of her. He brought his hand between them, teasing her through her skirt. She gasped, and her eyes fluttered shut as her hips thrust against his hand.

“Gabby, open your eyes.”

She did, her caramel eyes soft and glazed with lust.

“The problem was definitely not on your end, okay?” He kept stroking her. “I want to fuck you so bad right now, but even though I can't, I want you to know that you have absolutely brought me to my knees here tonight.”

She stared at him, her eyes wide.

“If I could”—he thrust his hips against hers, just once, hard enough to make them both gasp—“I have no doubt you would absolutely blow my mind.”

A single tear trailed down her cheek. “Really?”

“Oh, hell yes. Really.” He slid his hand inside her skirt and under her panties, trailing it over her skin until he reached her core, so hot and wet for him. “I want to bury myself in you until you're screaming my name.” He thrust his fingers inside her, and she cried out.

“But just feeling you like this is so fucking good.” He pumped his fingers harder and faster. Gabby met him thrust for thrust with her hips, whimpering and panting as she grew closer to her release. He slowed his tempo, taking time to kiss her, to nip at her exposed nipples while his thumb traced lazy circles around her clit. “You are so fucking amazing.”

“Please,” she whispered, her body tensing, eyes closed.

“So sexy,” he murmured as he gave her what she needed. He brought her to the edge, paused, then pushed her right over.

Her hips bucked against him as she came. “Ethan! Oh! Oh, Ethan.”

She lay on the couch, limp and panting, looking like she'd just had a spiritual awakening.

And ten minutes later, as he headed for the door, his dick still straining the front of his pants, he'd never felt more satisfied.

E
than, Mark, and Ryan worked long days the rest of the week. They spent their mornings in the office, working on details and plans for Off-the-Grid's grand opening. They'd decided to call the event the Adrenaline Rush. There would be a series of obstacles each team would need to work together to navigate, including a climbing wall and a ropes course. The final score would be determined based on overall time for the entire team to complete the course with deductions for any obstacles not completed along the way.

They hoped to not only bring the town together, but attract adventure-seeking tourists as well. Their event should be great publicity, both for the town and for Off-the-Grid. A win-win situation, or so they hoped. And while Ethan wasn't opposed to using his post-Olympic fame to their advantage, he wasn't trying to shine a spotlight on himself either.

In the afternoons, they worked on the property itself, putting finishing touches on the zip-line course and beginning installation of the ropes course that would be a part of the Adrenaline Rush as well as a new attraction at Off-the-Grid Adventures.

“This is sweet,” Ryan said as he navigated along the rope bridge he, Ethan, and Mark had just finished constructing. It ran from one tree to another, with ladders at both ends, boards to step between, and a rope to hold on to for balance as you made your way across.

“Jesus. Be careful.” Mark shook his head, reaching up to wipe the sweat from his brow.

They'd installed a line above that would connect to a safety harness, but the harness wasn't up yet. Ryan gleefully made his way across, unconcerned by the twenty-foot drop and his lack of safety equipment.

Ethan wasn't particularly worried either. They were all surefooted and athletic. But he sure as hell wouldn't be letting any paying customers up there without a harness.

“People are going to love this shit,” Ryan said when he'd reached the other side. “Hell,
I
love this shit.”

“Let's just hope the Town Council does, too,” Ethan said. Because without the proper zoning, they were dead in the water. Starting over someplace new just wasn't feasible, financially or otherwise. They'd already built Off-the-Grid here, and this was where they were going to stay.

The incident a few weeks ago with the teenage joyriders was still hanging over their heads, but the blame for that was all Ethan's. He wouldn't make the same mistake twice. The ropes course would be fully enclosed behind a ten-foot chain-link fence, and the gate would be padlocked unless one of them was personally overseeing a group on the course.

“It'll be fine,” Mark said.

“Fucking right.” Ethan fist-bumped his friend then started up the ladder to try out the ropes course himself.

Living life without a safety net, the way he did best.

It was after seven by the time Ethan left Off-the-Grid. He'd asked Gabby to take Gram to game night at the senior center and decided to stop by on his way home to make sure she was holding up okay. He'd been a handful of times, and the seniors took their board games pretty seriously. He'd been locked into a game of chess with old Mr. Harmon for almost two hours.

He'd barely escaped with his sanity intact.

Fact: Ethan and board games did not mix well. Hoping Gabby had a higher tolerance, he pulled open the front door of the senior center. The noise greeted him first. Laughter, chatter, and the synthesized music of…video games?

He swept his eyes around the room, spotting all the usual suspects seated around tables containing their favorite board games. But across the room, Gram and Marlene stood in front of the TV, laughing and swaying from side to side. A video game was on the screen. In fact, it almost looked like Gram and Marlene were…

“Look, Ethan!” Gram called out to him. “I'm skiing!”

So she was. They were playing one of those games with a sensor where you controlled your player by moving your body. As he watched, Gram hopped in place, and her character went over a jump on the screen. She and Marlene bumped into each other, laughing themselves silly as the characters on the screen did the same.

He glanced around and spotted Gabby at a table in back, playing chess with Mr. Harmon. Oh boy. Gabby's face was scrunched in concentration as she contemplated her next move. He decided to give her a few minutes, then see if she needed a break.

Mrs. Muth, who might have been the oldest resident in Haven at ninety-five, sat at a table by herself, staring at an iPad, brows furrowed. Concerned, Ethan walked over and sat next to her. “How's it going, Mrs. Muth?”

She looked up, her dark eyes now crinkled in a smile. “I'm still alive, so I can't complain. How are you, Ethan?”

“I'm good. You need help?” He gestured to the iPad.

She shook her head. “It's the most amazing thing. Look, I'm playing solitaire.”

“Have you played it before?”

“Oh, yes. Solitaire has always been my favorite. I haven't been able to deal cards for years on account of my arthritis.” She rubbed the swollen joints in her bony fingers. “So this is a real treat. I just have to touch the screen to move the cards. Gabby set it up for me.”

“Did she now?” Ethan grinned, glancing at Gabby across the room. She caught his eye and smiled back.

“She's really livened things up for us here today,” Mrs. Muth said. “I don't know when I've seen folks have so much fun. I even tried the skiing game earlier.”

“That's great.”

Mrs. Muth nodded. “You caught yourself a good one, Ethan. Make sure you hang on to her.”

He laughed awkwardly. “I'll do my best, Mrs. Muth.”

Gram walked over, cheeks rosy and eyes sparkling. “It's official. Gabby has to come to game night every month.”

“And bring my video game equipment?” Gabby said with a smile, apparently having finished her game of chess, for she'd also joined them at Mrs. Muth's table.

Gram patted her shoulder. “It's you we love, although the video games sure have been fun, too.”

Gabby beamed at the compliment, and Ethan felt an uncomfortable pressure in his chest, like he'd been underwater for too long. He was torn between the desire to bolt for the nearest door or to pull Gabby into his arms and kiss her senseless.

She took his hand, tugging him toward the TV in back with that sweet smile that was always his undoing. “So what do you say, want to see if you can beat me on the virtual slopes?”

Hell, yeah, he did. “Lead the way.”

They walked into Town Hall on Friday morning feeling pretty damn good. Ryan had insisted they all wear button-down shirts and ties, and all three of them were freshly shaven. When Ethan had looked at himself in the mirror before leaving Gram's house, he thought he looked downright refined.

All hell-raising, bad boy attitude had been checked at the door.

After meeting and greeting their way across the room, he, Ryan, and Mark took their seats. Across from them were Lorraine Hanaford, Marlene Goodall, Helen Arkin, and the rest of the Haven Town Council. He was relieved to see that many of the council members were closer to his age than Gram's. Hopefully the younger members would be more enthusiastic about his new venture than Lorraine and her gang.

Ryan cleared his throat. “First of all, we'd like to thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning. We're extremely excited about our new business venture and look forward to showing you our vision for Off-the-Grid Adventures.”

Ethan merely nodded in agreement. Despite the fact that Off-the-Grid was his brainchild, they had agreed that Ryan would do most of the talking this morning. He was their PR guy, no question. Ethan would be the primary guide for guests on the zip-line and ropes course. And Mark was their behind-the-scenes guy. He got shit done, but he was a man of few words.

“We're excited to hear from you guys this morning,” said one of the younger men on the council. “It's not every day our own local Olympian opens a new business in town.”

“Thank you,” Ethan said as Lorraine shot him a withering look.

Ryan took the Town Council members through an overview of Off-the-Grid and the activities they planned to offer. He presented a shitload of information about outdoor adventure sports, the growing popularity of businesses like theirs as part of a mountain vacation getaway, and the amount of revenue similar businesses had brought into their hometowns. He'd even put together a splashy slideshow to go along with his presentation.

Last but not least, he explained in great detail all the inspections and certifications that had been performed on Off-the-Grid's equipment. He talked about their insurance coverage and all the various new safety protocols that had been put in place to protect guests—both invited and uninvited.

Ethan was impressed. He already knew Off-the-Grid kicked ass, but if he hadn't, he'd surely buy in after Ryan's presentation.

Even Mark was smiling with confidence.

“Well.” Lorraine eyed her counterparts. “I certainly appreciate the time you've taken to come here today.”

“We have one more idea we'd like to discuss with you, ma'am,” Ryan said. They had agreed they'd save their ace in the hole for the end of the meeting, then go for broke.

“By all means,” Lorraine said.

“We'd like to host a grand opening event of sorts, similar to a charity run or walk, but in this case, teams would work together to complete an obstacle course and other team-building challenges to be crowned the winner. We're calling it the Adrenaline Rush.”

“Adrenaline Rush? Hmm.” Lorraine glanced at Betsy to her left, and the two women raised their eyebrows.

“Yes, ma'am. We hope to build morale as local teams work together and hopefully also bring in some tourists interested in the challenge. Events like this have become very popular recently. People come from all over the place to participate. We would like to donate all the proceeds from the Adrenaline Rush to the Pearcy County Food Bank.”

“Well, I think that sounds like a great idea and a lot of fun,” Marlene said. “Sign me up.”

“Ms. Hanaford?” Ryan asked. He sure looked the part today, with his brown hair neatly groomed, his tats hidden beneath a crisp blue button-down shirt. He might be hell on wheels when it came to his personal life, but he was also a hell of a businessman.

“You'd need a permit for the charity event, of course,” she said. “Would you gentlemen mind waiting out front for a few minutes while we discuss this?”

“Not at all. Take your time.” Ryan stood, and Ethan and Mark followed.

“Thank you so much for your time,” Ethan said.

Mark just smiled, tipping his head politely.

They walked out to the lobby together. Mark ambled over to the water bubbler and filled a paper cup with cold water. Ryan walked to the front window and looked out at the cloudless blue sky.

“I think that went pretty well,” Ethan said. “You kicked ass in there, bro.”

“Thanks, man.”

“You nailed it.” Mark downed his cup of water, then crumpled it in his fist and sank it in the trashcan on the far side of the room with an easy toss.

“Hope so,” Ryan said.

“We couldn't have done anything more. They'd be idiots not to give us our zoning,” Ethan said. “We're going to bring a fresh crop of tourists into town. It's a win-win.”

“In all fairness, if we weren't
us
, I think they'd have approved the application weeks ago,” Mark said.

Ethan felt his temper rising. It was ridiculous that those tight-collared idiots might stomp on his and his friends' dreams because they'd once been hell-raisers. Shouldn't they get this chance to redeem themselves? Hadn't they already redeemed themselves by turning into at least semi-reformed adults?

Fifteen minutes later, Ethan's temper was sizzling good and hot when Lorraine finally called them back into the conference room.

Marlene flashed a quick thumbs-up, and his chest loosened as he slid back into his chair. He smiled at her, and she winked in return. He'd always liked Marlene. She reminded him a bit of Gram. In fact, she and his grandmother went way back.

“We have some good news for you,” Lorraine said. “We all love the idea of your Adrenaline Rush competition. Charity events are always good for business, and as it happens, the Pearcy County Food Bank is a pet charity of mine.”

Yeah, they'd known that. Mark had found it online, but as former foster kids, they'd all benefited from the food bank at one time or another in their childhoods so it was a natural fit for them as well.

“As a charitable event, it could be held on private property without commercial zoning in place,” Lorraine continued, and Ethan felt disappointment sink in his gut. “We think this could be a great way to gauge public interest and get a better feel for your new venture before we approve your zoning request.”

“We appreciate the opportunity,” Ryan said, ever their peacekeeper.

Ethan swallowed his temper and kept his mouth firmly shut.

“So I wouldn't call it a grand opening event,” Betsy said. “We still have some concerns about safety. But if all goes well, you could be in business soon after. We just need to see for ourselves what type of clientele Off-the-Grid will draw and whether or not things seem too dangerous for a town like Haven.”

“Thank you very much,” Ryan said. The men stood. “We look forward to the opportunity to prove ourselves to you.”

Even if they shouldn't fucking have to. Ethan forced a smile as he followed his friends toward the door.

Gabby checked her duffel bag one last time. She'd dropped off Lance at Emma's house earlier that morning, and Ethan and Dixie should be here any minute to pick her up for their weekend at the beach.