Gavin: Pure Passion (Hamptons Book 1) (9 page)

It’s late at night when Gavin finally comes in with Azer, half dragging, half carrying him. Mr. Young and I are still sitting at the table, but in the meantime I’m having a hard time keeping my eyes open. Not surprising at three in the morning. “Good work,” he says to Gavin as he stands up.

I get up, too, but remain standing by the table while Gavin greets his manager.

“He was in a bar near Times Square. A waitress I know called me an hour ago to tell me he was there and needed to be picked up,” Gavin says and looks at me. His eyes seem to be apologizing silently. I give him a small smile.

“Was he misbehaving?” Mr. Young asks.

“Apparently not. He was just deep in his cups,” he answers. I’ll bring him to the other bedroom now, so he can sleep it off. You can help me if you want, he’s damn heavy.”

Joel Young goes to Azer’s other side and puts an arm around him. He seems to be asleep. Together they manage to get him into the second bedroom. I was pretty sure from the start that this suite had several rooms, and now I know for certain.

I sit down again and consider how I can help Gavin. I have absolutely no clue how he feels about the situation. I felt more than helpless when Brooke put an end to her life, but it doesn’t seem to be that bad with Azer. At least I hope not.

“Thanks for your help, Joel,” Gavin says as they come back into the living room.

“No problem. I’ll go find the others and see how they’re doing. If anything happens with Azer, call me right away.”

“I will,” he says, and accompanies him to the door.

“See you tomorrow, Gavin.”

“Bye, Joel.” He closes the door behind his manager and rests his forehead on the polished wood. He looks relieved.

I slowly get up and go to him. Standing behind him, I put my arms around his waist and lay my cheek on his back. “How do you feel?”

“Tired,” he whispers with a sigh. Then he turns around and hugs me. “I’m sorry you had to sit here alone all evening.”

“I wasn’t alone. Your manager was here.”

“Did you get along well with him?”

“Actually, we didn’t talk much after he said I was a one-night stand.”

Gavin lets go of me and looks at me with his eyebrows raised. “He said
what
?”

“He assumed that we had a one-night stand,” I clarify. “But I explained to him that we’re friends, and that you invited me here. He was pretty embarrassed that he’d gotten it wrong.”

“I hope that didn’t make you mad,” he whispers and kisses my forehead.

“To tell the truth, I was pretty pissed off, but . . . I don’t think he meant it unkindly. No, I’m not angry,” I whisper. I step back from him. “Do you want to go to bed?”

He nods. “Very much, even, but first I desperately need a shower.”

“OK.” I take his hand and lead him into the bathroom.

“So you’re coming with me, or what?” he asks in surprise.

I grin. “Is that a problem for you?”

He comes closer and pushes up against me from behind. His hardness is obvious. “Absolutely not.” He pushes me gently ahead of him and reaches for the edge of my shirt. With one fluid motion, he pulls it off me. Then he turns me around, goes down on his knees, and helps me out of my jeans. When I’m standing there in front of him wearing nothing but my underwear, he stands up and kicks off his shoes, and quickly loses his T-shirt and jeans.

Finally we’re standing there naked, devouring each other with hungry glances. He leads me into the big, luxurious shower booth. Then he turns on the water, and the cold stream hits my back. I jump against him with a surprised shriek. Gavin laughs softly. “Cold?”

“You did that on purpose!”

“Maybe,” he says with amusement, and pushes me back under the water. It feels like raindrops stroking my skin.

“You did,” I say.

“I would never be so mean to you, Madeleine,” he says with a wicked grin.

“Why don’t I believe you?”

“Because I’m not very convincing,” he replies, and kisses me.

I’m overtaken by a wave of desire, and my response to his kiss becomes wilder. Desire can make you crazy, can’t it? But is there anything more beautiful?

Gavin presses me against the wall while our tongues meet in a desperate battle. I moan as his hand closes gently around my breast and begins to toy with it.

Suddenly he releases me. “Don’t move.” He slips out of the shower booth. Have I done something to drive him away? I blink the water out of my eyes and reach for the shower gel and begin to wash. After I’m soaped up, I turn toward the water to rinse off my breasts.

Suddenly I feel him behind me. “I told you not to move,” he whispers in my ear, and reaches around to put his hands on my breasts. He pinches my nipples between his fingers, and I lean into his body. My booty caresses his hard rod, and he groans. Suddenly he pulls me around to face him and kisses me greedily. I can hardly withstand the pressure as his tongue pushes wildly into my mouth. His hands explore my body—his fingers circle my navel and the heat that shoots unhindered through the very center of me almost drives me wild. One hand drifts lower, and his fingertips gently stroke my mound and inner thighs, making me quiver with delight.

“I want you, Lane,” he whispers.

I look at him expectantly. His intense, shimmering gaze has completely robbed me of my power of speech. Gavin grabs me under my butt and pulls me up, and I wrap my legs around his hips. Then he reaches over and turns off the water, and carries me out of the shower. I’m a little afraid we’ll fall, because the floor is tiled and he’s wet and barefoot, but then he sets me on the counter next to the washbasin. His lips cover mine before I can say a word. He tears open a condom package and rolls one over his penis. It only takes a moment before he’s pressing into me. I quickly get used to the way he stretches me and fills me. I close my eyes and begin to caress his neck with my lips and tongue. He begins to move inside me slowly. He slides out and glides deeper inside, and every time he does, my lust increases. I arch my back and support myself with my hands on the cool ceramic surface, and Gavin pulls me closer to the edge. Now he plunges even deeper, and my moans become louder. He takes my left breast in his hand and his lips close around my nipple. He sucks, nibbles, and circles it with his tongue, sending shocks of pleasure through my entire body. I quake at every new thrust of his hips. I feel my legs, which are wrapped around his body, beginning to tremble with light spasms. He tenses, and his breath comes fast and tight right before he releases into me. His trembling brings me my own orgasm, and I arch my back as it hits me. As Gavin glides out of me, he leaves behind a feeling of warmth.

He kisses the valley between my breasts lightly, then rests his forehead there. “Oh, man . . . I could do that again and again,” he says softly.

I could, too!
I stroke the back of his neck. Suddenly he sits up, taking me with him. “I still have to shower,” he says with a laugh.

“I already did,” I reply with a smile.

He carries me into the bathroom and sets me on the counter again. “But I made you dirty again.”

I put a hand over my mouth to cover my giggle, but then I break into laughter.

“So you’re coming with me?”

“As a special favor,” I answer with a grin.

After our shower, which almost ended with sex again, we’re lying in bed. Gavin is singing to me softly, it’s a song he wrote recently. It’s a ballad about two people who are in love, but who live in totally different worlds. As he sings, he holds my left hand tightly between his own, and I watch as he plays with my fingertips.

“And there is still love between us,” he sings the last line to the end, and kisses the back of my hand. “Do you like it?”

“It’s very sweet . . . and somehow sad.”

“I just wanted to try writing in a different style for a change. Now I have to convince the guys and Joel that it’s a good song,” he says.

“I don’t think that will be very difficult.”

“Sometimes it’s more difficult to convince them than you’d think. I’ve known them for years, but as soon as I write a ballad, they say it’s corny, or it doesn’t fit with our style. The only song of mine they ever took was one I wrote with Thalia.”

“If they don’t want this song, you could record it as a solo,” I suggest. “It’s really a beautiful song, and it shouldn’t be lost just because your friends don’t want to sing it. It would make a better solo, anyway.”

“Do you think so?”

“I’m totally sure of it.”

Gavin turns and kisses my forehead. In the meantime, I’ve closed my eyes, because I’m incredibly tired. I was already almost falling asleep while he was singing—his deep voice is really relaxing. “Sleep well, Lane.”

“Sweet dreams, Gavin,” I whisper.

“Hopefully dreams of you,” he says, kissing me one more time and switching off the bedside lamp.

Chapter 6

There’s a crashing noise, and I startle out of my sleep. I realize I’m alone in the bedroom again, and I feel sick to my stomach. I’d hoped at least to be able to cuddle with Gavin this morning.

“Will you calm down, Azer?” I hear Gavin shout.

“Why? There’s no point anymore, anyway!” Azer replies loudly.

“Because I have a guest here, and yesterday we had to search all over the city for you. You’re acting like a complete asshole, so cut it out, you goddamn drama queen!”

I slip out of bed and dress quickly. Maybe I can try to smooth things out between them before they start getting physical. I actually doubt it will come to that, but I don’t really want to have to throw myself between them naked. As soon as I’m wearing jeans and a black top, I go into the living room. “Good morning . . . Why are you making so much noise?” I look at the clock, which is hanging above the fireplace, and start in surprise. It’s already eleven a.m.

“Morning, Lane,” Gavin grumbles.

“So you’re fucking the dancer?” Azer asks skeptically.

Gavin balls his hands into fists. “Take that back.”

“It was a totally normal question,” Azer responds.

Gavin slowly, threateningly approaches his red-haired friend. “I said, you should take that back. And you can apologize to Lane.”

Azer leans away from him. “Are you nuts? You’re not usually so oversensitive if I call things like I see them, and besides, that’s the way you talk about your conquests yourself, once you’ve gotten rid of them.”

Ouch!
“Guys?” I say.

They both look at me.

“If you want to beat each other up, maybe you could go find a room which isn’t decorated with sinfully expensive antique furniture.” Then I turn and go back to the bedroom, and sit down on the bed.

“Lane?” Gavin calls. I hear his footsteps and look up. “I’m really sorry you had to hear that.”

I shrug. “That’s OK.”

“Azer shouldn’t have talked about you that way.”

“Aha, but you’re allowed to, as soon as I’m out the door and out of your life?” I say softly.

He looks like he’s been slapped. “That’s bull. I would never talk about you like that.”

I clench my teeth together to keep from saying something I might regret. “I should go.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re not any different than any other guy,” I reply with annoyance as I stand up and start to pack my bag.

Gavin comes to me and grabs my wrist. “Did I do something wrong, Lane? Did I give you the feeling that you’re just a goddamn weekend fuck?” He’s almost shouting at me.

“Let go of me!” I order angrily and try to pull myself out of his grip.

“You want to go because you think I used you? Can’t you tell the difference? If not, then go!” he shouts, letting me go and storming out of the room.

I rub my wrist to soothe the burning sensation that his tight grip caused, and then I pack my things and slip into my shoes. I just want to go home, because it hurts that it ended like this. After I’ve gotten everything from the bedroom, I just need my laptop and cell phone, which are still in the living room. I slip through the door.

“What now?” Gavin asks angrily.

“I just need my laptop and phone, then I’ll be out of here,” I answer, taking both of them from the table.

“Good. You know where the door is, Madeleine.”

I stick the laptop in my duffle bag, and the phone in my handbag, then make my way to the exit. “Good luck, Gavin.”

“Have a nice life,” he says tonelessly.

I feel his gaze on me, and it feels like knives in my back.

As I leave the Plaza, I see Thalia coming toward me. “Hey, what are you doing out here, without Gavin?”

“I’m going home, because we had a fight,” I say.

“It’s possible to fight with Gavin?” she asks with surprise.

“Didn’t you know that?”

“No. I’ve never had problems with him. The opposite, in fact. We’re good friends, because he’s so easygoing,” she says.

I sigh. “Yeah, well, what was going on up there surprised me, but I’d rather find out now than later, how he really is.”

“What happened?” she asks, looking concerned.

I’m surprised by someone coming out the door behind me, so I jump a few steps to the side. Then I explain to her what Azer said and how Gavin reacted.

She sucks in her breath. “And you left because you thought you were just a one-night stand for him?”

“I left because I found out he’s just like any other guy,” I say, avoiding her searching gaze.

“Gavin isn’t anything like other guys at all. He’s . . . totally different. Honestly, Madeleine, I’ve rarely met men like Gavin or Linden, especially when I think of the ones I know from Miami,” she says.

“What’s Linden like?”

“Different from other guys I know, and I really know a lot from my . . . wild times, let me put it that way.”

“But you can’t really say Gavin is different, too, if you hardly spend any time with him,” I say.

Thalia smiles. “That’s true, but I know Gavin, and he’s not the asshole that you currently think he is.”

I take a deep breath. “In the meantime, I don’t really care anymore. I think we just botched up our friendship, anyway.”

“Are you honestly trying to tell me you’re just friends?” she says with a skeptical laugh.

“Yeah. It wasn’t more than that.”

“If you think so, you’re fooling yourself. The air was crackling between you . . . There were sparks flying! I’ve never seen Gavin that way.”

“And how often have you seen him?” I ask.

She smirks and pushes a strand of black hair behind her ear. “Oh, I know him well. It’s not important how often I’ve seen him.”

“That’s true,” I say softly. “But it doesn’t matter to me anymore. I . . . just want to go home.”

“Shall I drive you?”

“Would you? That would be great.”

“Of course. Linden isn’t expecting me anymore anyway, because I’d planned to go shopping. And besides, he’s probably still asleep.”

“When are you going shopping?”

“I was shopping a little already, but I didn’t find anything that really turned me on.” She hands a parking card to a valet. “I’ll bring you home, and I’ll be back here before Linden wakes up.”

“Thanks, Thalia.”

The car appears a moment later. Our conversation about Gavin has dried up, and I’m not unhappy about that, because I’m tired of talking about it. But I know Macey won’t give up so easily once she hears what happened. Sure, the weekend with Gavin was fun, but the fact that my inner voice is still speaking to him is a betrayal of my own decision. I just wanted to have fun, not a relationship, but my heart seems to see things differently. Sometime I’ll just tell the damn thing to shut up. I don’t know if it will listen to me, though.

Thalia stops in front of my building. “Will you give me your cell number? Maybe we can do something together next time I’m in New York.”

I smile at her. “Sure, I’d be very happy if it worked out.”

“Me, too.”

I save her number after I’ve given her mine. “But don’t give my number to Gavin.”

“I won’t, I promise,” she replies cheerfully, and hugs me. “It would be great if we could get together every now and then.”

“I’d love to, Thally.” I let her go and get out of the car.

She drives off in her car, or maybe Linden’s, waving from the open window. When she’s out of sight, I walk up the stairs to the apartment, preparing myself mentally for one of Macey’s question-and-answer sessions. When I come in and call out a greeting, I’m that much more surprised to find she’s not at home.

Three days later I have to practice with Jonah, and he wants to talk to me about what happened on Friday. As I enter the main room of the Dance Academy, he’s already waiting. If I know him like I think I do, he’s already warmed up. “Hey,” I say, and put my bag down in the corner by the door. I’m already wearing my practice clothes. We’re only taking part in competitions because I don’t have enough money. But Jonah teaches here, because he’s one of the best. He’s an exceptionally gifted dancer.

“Hi, Lane,” he says, turning around. His gaze is hard as stone, just like his body language.

“What’s your problem?” I ask with a smile, trying to distract him from the fact that I promised to talk to him about the other night. I don’t really feel like talking about Gavin or about the weekend in general.

“How about the Friday night problem?”

I roll my eyes. “Do we have to do this now? Let’s talk about it after we practice, then there won’t be any danger of my walking away before we’ve done what we have to do.” I laugh a little, trying to defuse the situation.

“We should talk about it now, so there’s nothing hanging between us,” he says moodily.

“OK . . . What happened on Friday . . . sucked. You behaved like a shit, I wasn’t nice either, and my friend was a complete idiot. Are you happy?”

“Who is that guy, anyway? Your new boyfriend?”

I laugh. “No. Just a friend, not more.” I’m still lying to myself, I guess.

“Then why did he get so pushy?”

“Jonah,
you
were really pushy, and he thought you were threatening me . . . Let’s just forget about it, OK?” I try to sound rueful, because that’s always softened him up in the past.

“Then why didn’t you tell him to fuck off?” he wants to know.

“Jonah!” I complain. “Let’s just practice, OK? I don’t want to talk about it, and the competition is already on Friday.”

He sighs. “OK. Then let’s get to it, but afterward, we’re going to talk again.”

“Thanks.” I’m relieved that he’s given in, because I don’t know what else I would have done. I don’t like fighting with anyone. With Gavin, it was probably due to a misunderstanding on my part, or because I blew things out of proportion. But Jonah and I fight like cats and dogs if we get riled up.

Then he switches the music on. This will be a ballroom dance competition on Friday. Jonah and I have taken the gold several times, but that was just national. This competition will be international.

“What’s wrong with you? You’re always falling out of step,” he says impatiently when I step on his toes for the third time. “You’re not normally so flighty.”

I take a deep breath. “I’m sorry, my mind is on a roller coaster and I just keep . . . flying off the track.”

“Why?”

“Because something else happened this weekend, but it’s not so important. Let’s keep trying, I promise I’ll concentrate now.”

“OK,” Jonah says, pulling me toward him again. As we execute the choreography, I fall out of step again, and his feet are paying the price. “Lane!”

“I’m sorry!” I say.

“Good. If you want to dance dirty, that’s fine with me.” He takes a step back and spreads his arms wide. “This is my space,” he says, drawing an imaginary half circle around him with a finger in the air. “And that’s yours.”

“Are you for real? Am I supposed to call you Johnny now, or what?” I ask, deadpan.

“If I can call you Baby.” He laughs.

“You always used to, so it wouldn’t bother me that much.”

We take each other’s hands and try again, and this time I manage it. Jonah seems to trust me again. He pulls me close again, and this time it works in tight formation without a hitch. From the basic step to a lift, back to the basic step, into a spin, and so on. I like the salsa—you can really bring in your own ideas. This time, the entire choreography has to contain Latin American elements
only
. We’ve decided on a mix of several dance styles: salsa, tango, and rumba. We take typical tango patterns, the basic steps of the rumba, and a few elements of salsa that aren’t too serious. It’s just a combination of dances that we like. We’ll dance to three songs in various rhythms, each one giving one of the styles its own emphasis.

Four hours later, we stop practicing and sit down on the floor. “Wow, that worked really well after you pulled yourself together.”

“Thanks,” I reply, and lie down on my back.

“So what are our chances of winning, do you think?” Jonah asks as he lies down next to me.

“With you as the leading man and me as the sexy dancing girl? I would say we should wait and see, because some of our competitors will be real stars,” I answer.