I could hear the footsteps of the bad guy coming closer. It was all so real. So when I got older, I wrote a book where something like that happens. The character isn’t a little girl, she’s a grown woman. But she’s kidnapped and held in a closet, just like I used to be afraid of.”
“Did it help? Are you still afraid of being kidnapped and held in a closet?”
“Nope, I’m not. I haven’t had that nightmare since I wrote the book.”
“Are all your books based on nightmares?”
“No, but I dig into my fears when I write. And I think it helps. I know I still get anxious about things, but writing suspenseful stories helps me temper some of my bigger, more outlandish fears.”
“But no scary movies?”
I took a deep breath. “I haven’t tried to watch one in a long time.”
“I was just thinking it might be fun to watch something similar to what you write. There’s this one that has a similar vibe, although it’s not nearly as good as your book. It’s not a gory horror movie, but it’s pretty intense.”
“We can give it a try.”
“Tell you what. If you hate it, we can turn it off and find something else.”
“Deal.”
Princess Squeaker seemed to have gotten her fill of snuggles from her cat mom. She crawled onto the arm of the couch and curled up to go to sleep.
Gavin grabbed a remote off the coffee table and got the movie started.
I could see why he’d suggested it. There were similarities to my books, particularly the one he’d been reading. But seeing it all on a screen was a different experience from writing. It was intense in a different way. The score added to the suspenseful atmosphere of the film, the music reverberating through me, making my hair stand on end.
Suddenly, my hypersensitivity-induced arousal was back. Heat bloomed in my core and a tingling sensation made me shift in my seat. The friction of my pants only made it worse. My heart beat faster and my cheeks warmed.
But maybe it wasn’t my hypersensitivity that was causing it.
Gavin smelled amazing—somehow clean and masculine and rugged all at once. I treated myself to sneaky glances out of the corner of my eye, taking in his sharp cheekbones and strong jaw. His muscular arms and broad chest stretching the confines of his t-shirt.
Hot firefighter, indeed. And the kitten only made it worse.
Dad’s subtle warning ran through my mind. A playboy firefighter with a charming smile. Gavin himself had admitted Dad was right about him. Obviously I didn’t know Gavin’s entire relationship history—nor did I want to—but I could fill in the pieces. He probably had a lot of flings, or at least avoided long-term attachments.
Which, right now, was kind of perfect.
I wasn’t ready to jump into a relationship. But I liked Gavin, and I was undeniably attracted to him. I’d slept with him a dozen times in my mind already, something my overactive imagination had never done before. I’d never fantasized about Cullen, or the few guys I’d dated before him.
No one had ever made me feel this way.
Would it be so bad if things got a little bit physical between us? Assuming Gavin was interested in getting physical with me.
He’d looked at me like he’d wanted to kiss me the other day in my bedroom. If my dad hadn’t come in, he might have done it. So it wasn’t too much of a leap to consider the possibility that Gavin Bailey was attracted to me too.
I took a deep breath and squirmed again. Movie, Skylar. Focus on the movie. Gavin was right, it was intense. I found myself captivated, almost holding my breath, waiting to see what would happen next.
“Boo!” Gavin said out of the blue, grabbing my thigh and giving me a startling shake.
Shrieking, I jumped in my seat, clutching my hands to my chest. “Oh my god, you scared me.”
He laughed. “Sorry, I couldn’t help myself.”
“Jerk,” I said, playfully shoving his arm.
He grabbed my wrist, twisted toward me, and wrapped his hand around the other one. Suddenly we were face to face, his nose almost brushing against mine, my arms immobilized in his grasp. My heart beat harder, my breath caught in my throat, and my eyes dipped to his mouth.
Kiss me, Gavin. I want you to. I want it so bad.
I didn’t know who closed the distance. Maybe we met in the middle. But in an instant, his mouth was on mine, his hands pinning my arms to