Page 16 of Say Yes

Gavin looked up to meet Sara’s eyes. Hot. His gaze was so hot, Sara hoped she never woke up. She liked having him look at her like that, as if he cared for her, as if maybe he loved her a little. It was a foolish notion, but if dreaming made it seem real, she’d willingly stay asleep.

“When I was younger, the schoolkids used to make fun of my teeth. Mom said she couldn’t afford cosmetic dentistry, and Dad kept forgetting. Now that I’m older, it really just doesn’t matter anymore.”

Gavin’s eyes narrowed just the tiniest bit, as if someone had just pinched him, then his gaze dropped to her mouth. “You have a beautiful smile, and the one tooth is only slightly turned, certainly nothing for kids to tease about. I’m glad you didn’t fix it.”

She chuckled again, finding his answer as bizarre as everything else that happened. She said, “A crooked tooth is a crooked tooth.”

Very slowly, Gavin leaned across her and took her coffee cup, setting it on the nightstand with his. As he moved, his broad, hard chest crowded her back and she inhaled his sleep-musky intoxicating scent. She had only a moment to contemplate his motives, and then he kissed her.

Just as he’d said, his tongue pressed between her lips, warm and soft and damp, then probed along the edge of her teeth. This was no dream. Sara made that acknowledgment the same instant she decided she didn’t care. It was too exciting, the way he teased her with his tongue. She opened her mouth wider, her hands moving against the firm contours of his chest. The hair there was crisp, but soft, tickling her palms and curling between her fingers. And the heat—there was so much heat.

He gave a low groan and urged her closer, then tilted her into the bed until he was lying on top of her.

“Sara,” he whispered, his lips moving over her cheek, her forehead, her mouth again. He lifted himself onto his elbows, caging her between his muscled arms. With one hand, he smoothed her wildly rambunctious hair away from her forehead, then gave her a tender smile. “You’re not drunk anymore.”

Sara blinked at the change of subject. Her mind was still back there with that kiss, with the damp heat and his talented tongue and…She shuddered. “No.”

“Hungover?”

Since she’d never been hungover before, she wasn’t sure. But it sounded vulgar, so despite her pounding head she rejected the idea. “Just tired. And a bit of a headache.”

With a slow thrust of his hips, he reminded her of all the places they touched, how intimately they were entwined. “Good. That’s good.” His gaze lifted to lock with hers. “Now tell me about these fantasies.”

Her eyes widened.

With the lightest touch, his mouth brushed over hers. “Last night, you said you fantasized about me. You even offered to tell me what those fantasies were.”

Even the air conditioning couldn’t counteract the flustered heat she generated, and she hadn’t even made it out of bed yet. “I…ah, I was drunk.”

His tender smile curled her toes and made her thigh muscles tingle. “I know. But you didn’t make it up, did you? Tell me now.”

“I should never have said anything.”

“I’m glad you did.”

“I feel so ridiculous.”

“I think you feel very soft and warm and sweet.” He pressed against her to emphasize his words, and groaned deeply. “Oh, yeah. Very sweet.”

His tone of voice, rumbling and deep, could be lethal. “Gavin…”

“Sara…” He mimicked her, then gave her another light, taunting, tell-me-all kiss. It was almost as if he couldn’t stop himself. Sara was considering that possibility, her eyes still wide, when he said, “When do you want me to move in?”

She reeled. True, she was lying flat on her back, and Gavin’s weight kept her securely stationed against the bed but still she reeled, at least mentally. Did he intend to keep her off balance all morning? “Uh…what are you talking about?”

His low sigh fanned her warm cheeks, her lips. “I can tell you’re not a morning person.” His kiss this time lingered, and left her bemused. “That might be a problem, babe, because I definitely am.”

“Am what?” In truth, she was a morning person. But then, she’d never awakened before with a gorgeous man looming around, endearments tripping off his oh-so-suave tongue, while flaunting his too tempting, mostly bare, exquisite body. So she understood her vast confusion even if he didn’t. It had very little to do with her sleeping habits. “Gavin, will you make sense?”

“All right.” He kissed her once more, short and sweet, then said, “I’m your new roommate. You do remember asking me to move in last night, don’t you?”

When she only continued to stare, waiting for the punch line, he added, “You were very convincing, shooting down all my arguments, even threatening me with that damn rake once. I had no choice. No choice at all. You insisted I see things your way. And of course, I did. Who could resist a begging woman?”

She narrowed her eyes, knowing she would never beg, not even in a drunken stupor. The rake attack…well, they both knew that was possible. But not begging. “I haven’t begged for anything since…well, since I was kid.”

His expression softened, the teasing gone to be replaced with tender understanding. “When you begged to keep your puppy?”

She didn’t want to talk about that, not now, not when her emotions already felt so raw and exposed. “You’re only playing with me, aren’t you?”

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