parked car like a couple of horny teens?
Way to bring your A game, Lund, when it really matters.
So yeah, I felt a bit stalkerish parking in the Lakeside lot, waiting for her to lock up for the night. But I needed to see her in-person reaction to me, so I hadn’t texted her that I’d planned to stop by after work.
The last student had left ten minutes ago. Finally the interior lights in the building clicked off and Gabi pushed through the door, pausing outside to set the alarm.
As soon as she turned around, I flashed my car lights to get her attention and held my breath for her reaction.
She lifted her head and stopped on the sidewalk.
I’d rested my backside against the driver’s side door of my Bugatti, trying to look casual and cool, but my heart skipped. I managed a smile and a dorky, “Heya, Coach.”
Gabi’s face lit up and she ran toward me.
Ran.
Okay, then. Guess that answered that question.
I caught her, giving her a full-body hug, which she fully returned.
Everything inside me settled.
“I was just about to call you and see if you wanted to meet up,” she said against my chest.
I kissed the top of her head. “Where did you have in mind to meet?”
Gabi tipped her head back and looked at me. “My bedroom.”
For once, my focus didn’t get ensnared by her twinkling silvery-blue eyes. My gaze fell to her mouth.
Her mostly healed mouth. Her busted lip looked . . . nearly normal.
“How?”
“After you dropped me off Sunday, I knew if I wanted it to heal faster I’d have to rest it fully and do nothing to agitate it. Which meant no talking. At all. No eating besides drinking protein drinks. No constantly blowing a whistle. So I didn’t work yesterday or today. I came in half an hour before class ended to close up so Margene could go home. I kept the cut dry, using gauze and cotton—even when I slept, which was a lot—and that allowed me to use ointment to speed up the healing process.”
“You needed the rest. I’m glad you took it.” I scrutinized the rest of her face. The bruises looked more colorful, but that meant they’d be gone soon too. “Is it still sore?”
“Only one way to find out,” she whispered huskily.
I curled my hands around her face and lowered my mouth to hers.
We’d both formed our lips into an exaggerated pucker, and we remained like that for several long moments, just because we finally could. Then we smiled simultaneously, and our lips started to move against each other’s. Tentatively at first, not out of fear of reinjuring her lip, but to drag out each breathtaking second of our first kiss.
I willed time to stand still so I could remember every teasing glide of her soft flesh against mine. Every soft breath. Every gentle lick. Every needy moan rumbling between us. Her sweet taste on my tongue. The fervent sucking as she tasted me. The pliant give-and-take.
We were explorers, eager to experience each sensation until we were ready to move on. Greedy for the next one as we gorged on it in a dizzying rush of desire. Soul kissing. Openmouthed and hungry. Our heads in a constant state of movement as we attempted every angle to find the perfect fit of our lips. Our tongues twining, stroking lazily, teasing and retreating. We were lost to everything except sating this endless need for more.
Gabi shivered and I forced my mouth from hers, although not entirely as I continued to give her soft smooches as the fog of pleasure began to clear.
I opened my eyes to see her staring at me with the same awe I knew was reflected in my eyes.
“Nolan.”
“Mmm?”
“Did we just reinvent kissing?”
“Sure seems like it.”
“Come home with me. Now.”
“Yes.” I swept my lips up the strong line of her jaw to her ear. “But you have to let go of my jacket first, sweetheart.”
“Oh. Damn. Right.” She released her death grip on my lapels and stepped back. “Uh. See you there.”
But she didn’t move toward her truck.
“Gabriella? Are you okay to drive?”
“Not right at this second. Are you?”
“Not even fucking close.”
She made the time-out sign. “We need to stay in our separate corners to get our heads on straight before we hit the road, okay?”
I nodded.
In my car I turned the air conditioner on full blast, as well as Eminem to clear away the lust long enough to operate a damn vehicle.
When Gabi honked twice to get