Taking the Heat (29 page)

“I know.”

“Your family is a TV family.”

He cringed. “Which TV family?”

“I don't know. All of them at once?” She started laughing, then laughed so hard that she snorted. “I'm sorry,” she sobbed, covering her mouth to quiet the noise. “Your sister is meditating.”

Gabe fell back onto his bed and stared at the ceiling. “You were right about this being a terrible idea. They're a bit much. Maybe.”

“Maybe,” she gasped, giving in to one last bout of hysteria before she got her laughter under control. “But, Gabe, honestly...they're wonderful.”

He raised one eyebrow and glared at her.

“I'm serious. They're everything I always imagined about other people's families. When I was, like, eight years old and watched too much television.”

“Shut up.”

“Don't sass me, Gabe.”

He groaned and made a lunge for her, pulling her down on the bed beside him. “I've never made out with a girl in this bed,” he said, rising up on his elbow above her.

She wanted to tell him no. She meant to. But he looked so sweet above her, his hair flopping down to shade his eyes. Eyes that were looking at her mouth as she licked her lips.

This was a terrible idea. Even now she had no idea what she'd come here to say to him. That it was over forever. Or that maybe—just
maybe
—they could see what happened long-distance.

Whatever her decision, it wouldn't be made clearer by making out. But...

“You have dimples,” she whispered, reaching up to touch his cheek. Of course he did. She should have known. It would've been strange if Gabe MacKenzie
didn't
have adorable dimples. They flashed when he smiled, but then he kissed her and she closed her eyes.

Oh, God, he tasted so good. So right. She tangled her hands in his hair and pulled him tighter to her. She was instantly aroused, despite their weeks apart, despite her anger and hurt. She wanted nothing more than to pull up her skirt and tell him,
Hurry, shh, hurry. Just be quick before somebody knocks.

She'd never sneaked up to a boy's bedroom before, never let him run his hand over her breasts with his family only one floor away. She'd never groaned into his mouth and hoped that the sound was soft enough that his parents wouldn't hear.

“God, I want to fuck you,” he murmured against her lips. “I don't know if I should say that or not, but I do.”

She didn't answer, because she was thinking the exact same thing, but her lack of objection seemed to encourage him. His eyes darkened and he kissed her again.

“We shouldn't have come here,” he growled. “We should have gone to your hotel. Will you take me there later? Will you let me touch you again, Veronica?”

His fingers sneaked down her leg and under her skirt and he pressed his hand to her panties.

She gasped and pushed up toward him.

“I know you're mad,” he whispered. “I know you're pissed, but you feel so good.” He stroked her through the material until her hips rocked in time with his touch. His fingertips dragged over her clit.

“Will you take me back to your room, Veronica? Let me fuck you? Make you come?” He slipped beneath the fabric and she groaned at the new brightness of the pleasure.

“Yes,” she said. “Yes.” And then she was saying the things she'd imagined. Things she'd never say to someone else. “Here. Do it now. Just hurry. Before someone comes up.”

“Now?” he rasped as his fingers pressed inside her and she arched up to meet him.

“Yes. Please. I missed you.”

“Yes,” he agreed. He rose up and frantically unfastened his belt and pants, but before he could do more than tug his underwear down, a knock thumped at the door.

They both froze. She was sure her eyes were as wide as his.

“Gabe?” his mom said through the door. “Come on down—the coffee is ready!”

“Okay,” he said, the word unnaturally bright.

“We're going to walk to the restaurant afterward, show Veronica around.”

“Uh,” he croaked. “Sure.”

Her quiet footsteps moved away.

Veronica and Gabe stared at each other until she looked down to see half of his cock exposed. She couldn't help it. She started laughing again.

“Oh, Jesus,” he groaned.

“I'm sorry!”

“Now you know why I've never made out with a girl in this bed. Please tell me you'll invite me to your hotel.”

He started to tug up his pants, but Veronica stopped him. “Just let me...” she murmured, then leaned forward to press one very chaste kiss to the warm skin of his cock.

“Fuck. Veronica.”

“You taste so good,” she whispered.

“Stop,” he begged.

“Okay. Don't tell your mom I did that.”

He collapsed onto the bed with a desperate moan and tugged up his pants. “I distinctly remember telling her to wait on the coffee.”

She felt a sadness that wasn't only about her unrequited lust. “They're so sweet, Gabe.” She slipped her fingers into his hair just to remind herself how soft it was. “I can see where you got it.”

He turned his head to watch her, his big brown eyes melting everything inside her into something dangerously soft. She sat up quickly before she could throw herself into his arms and confess her terrible, stupid love for him. “Let's go. What if your parents think you were fingering me in here?”

“They know the cutest girl they've ever met would never let me do something like that.”

Oh, God, she loved him so much. Him and his beautiful eyes and his stupid dimples and his ridiculously perfect family. She shouldn't have come here. She had to let him go.

Gabe checked his clothing and disappeared into his bathroom to wash his hands and then they tiptoed down the hallway as if his mom didn't already know they'd been locked in his room.

The party started again as soon as they stepped into the kitchen. There were stories and pictures and cups of coffee and an introduction to Claire, who was as beautiful as Naomi but calm and quiet. Gabe's dad showed her pictures of the new location he had planned. It wasn't that far from where Veronica had lived in Brooklyn, though in a much nicer neighborhood.

She noticed that Gabe said nothing about the restaurant, though. His dad did all the talking. Gabe changed the subject as quickly as he could. When everyone began getting ready to walk her over for a tour of MacKenzie's, Gabe whispered, “Sorry about this.”

Not exactly the response she'd expect from a man about to take over the business.

Still, he seemed cheerful as they stepped into the warm, sunny evening. Veronica felt cheerful, too, which was strange. She was in the city she hated, after all, with a man she'd been fighting with, and all while taking a slow stroll with his big family.

But it felt...cozy. Even the city felt cozy, as if she were cocooned in a warm family bubble that colored everything around her. Still, this wasn't the New York she was used to. There was no garbage piled on the curb. No men calling come-ons from across the street. This was a privileged part of New York she'd never been part of.

Granted, she knew there were nice working-class neighborhoods in the outer boroughs, but she hadn't even had the money to upgrade to working class. Hell, if she moved here today, she wouldn't be able to afford her old neighborhood.

But this part of the city...it was awfully nice if you could afford it, and she could imagine visiting. Spending time here. Walking to dinner with Gabe.

“Here it is!” his dad called out from ten feet ahead of her and Gabe. He swung an arm toward the glass-doored entrance of MacKenzie's. “Our third location. Unfortunately for them, it's my home base now.”

But the employees didn't seem to feel put-upon. The hostess gave both James and Mary big hugs when they came in, and several others gathered around to pat James's back and tell him he looked great.

It was only five-thirty, but the long bar was starting to fill with people ordering drinks or sipping spiked milkshakes. The hostess led the way to a big round table. “Who wants a drink?” James boomed.

“Not you,” said Mary. “And no sneaking a burger in the kitchen.”

“Why don't I just lie down and die right here, then?” he grumbled.

“That is not funny!” she snapped.

“Aw, I'm sorry, babe.” He kissed her cheek and all seemed forgiven. “No burgers today, all right?”

Naomi and Claire both ordered vodka sodas, but Veronica wasn't missing out on a spiked milkshake. She shoved down her self-consciousness and ordered a vanilla bourbon milkshake, happy when Gabe did the same. Before the drinks even arrived, though, she was scooted from the table by Gabe's dad.

“Take her on a tour!” he said to Gabe. “Show her around. This was the first location we designed from scratch. It used to be a shoe factory, if you can believe that. We gutted the whole thing, what...twenty-eight years ago now? Gabe was just a baby. We still had that place over on the West Side.”

Gabe took her hand, sending sparks up her arm as he led her through the dining room toward the swinging kitchen doors.

“Well,” he said as they walked into the white-tiled kitchen space, “this is it.”

The area was smaller than she'd expected. Space was at a premium in the city, of course, but the design of the big dining room made the public area feel expansive. As small and crowded with kitchen staff as it was, the area looked spotless. A couple of the guys on the line waved spatulas toward Gabe. He waved back. Two of the dishwashers burst out laughing at something. Gabe didn't seem interested. He guided her toward a big glass door at the back.

“My dad's office,” he said. “He likes to see what's going on.”

Small as it was, the office was comfortable. There was a desk and a couple of chairs and even a love seat pushed up against a wall. A big bouquet of fresh flowers sat in the middle of the desk with a note perched in the middle. The door closed behind them, shutting out the noise of the kitchen.

She looked around, trying to picture Gabe here at this desk. “Is this where you'll work?”

“I suppose,” he said. “I'm hoping I can have an office in my apartment, though. Get some quiet. I should probably rent out an official office, though. My dad liked being in the thick of things and he was always moving from location to location. But we need something more central.”

His voice was flat. Tired.

“The employees seem pretty happy,” she tried.

“Yeah, Dad likes to hire the best, so he doesn't pay minimum wage, even to the dishwashers. He has high expectations. He gets people who care. I think it's a great business strategy, but it's really just who he is.”

Gabe glanced up and Veronica realized someone had signaled him from the other side of the door. “Hold on,” Gabe said. “The manager needs something.”

She looked around the office for a moment, wondering what James would've pointed out if he were giving the tour. The original blueprints were framed and hung behind the desk. She studied those for a moment but then she caught sight of Gabe again and watched him instead.

He was flat mouthed. Tense. With his beard gone and that resigned expression on his face, he looked like a stranger. Something twisted deep in her chest, something close to fear. This wasn't right. He didn't belong here, but there was nothing she could say to change that. She couldn't come between him and his family. Gabe would die for them. She knew that. And this wasn't dying. Not quite.

He opened the door and flashed that familiar carefree smile she remembered. “Come on. Our milkshakes are melting.”

Yeah, so was her heart. Because she realized now that this was her last night with Gabe MacKenzie.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

G
ABE
'
S
 
HEART
 
STARTED
 
beating faster. Then it gained strength, the quick beats now thick with blood. And he and Veronica had only stepped onto the elevator.

They stood an inch apart, both facing the door, neither speaking as they rose toward the twelfth floor of her hotel. It was early yet. Still bright outside. After the milkshakes, he'd suggested they grab dinner later. Much later. She'd agreed.

Gabe was half-hard already, his body already imagining the moment when her hotel room door locked behind them. But it wasn't just that. She'd had fun tonight. She'd enjoyed his family and his neighborhood. She'd held his hand on the walk to her hotel.

She'd forgiven him.

The elevator doors slid open, and Veronica stepped out to lead the way. He followed, his hands tightening with the urge to touch her.

As she stopped in front of a door and got out her key card, Gabe told himself to go slow, be careful, but then he remembered her desperation back in his bedroom. Her dirty words urging him on. The way she'd pressed a sweet, small kiss to his cock and sent him to a new level of painful arousal.

Veronica being shy had turned him on. This new needy Veronica made him crazy. So as soon as he'd followed her through the door, he backed her against the wall and kissed her.

She didn't hesitate. She kissed him right back, moaning into his mouth as she twisted her fingers into his hair to pull him closer. He was rock hard in two seconds flat and tugging Veronica's shirt up with his next breath.

Do it now.
He heard her breathless words again.
Just hurry.

Yes. He needed to fuck her, taste her, remind her how good things were between them.

When he swung her toward the bed, she helpfully fell right into it, already kicking off her shoes. “I want you naked,” she said.

He stripped out of his shirt and pants, feeling a violent jolt of lust at the way her eyes glittered with hunger when they locked on to his cock. She slipped off her bra and reached to unbutton her skirt, but Gabe couldn't wait. He hooked his fingers beneath the fabric and peeled her underwear down her legs and when the skirt slid off, she was naked.

He moved between her thighs, his shoulders pushing them open. She gasped his name, a protest or a plea, he wasn't sure, but when he put his mouth to her, she was already wet, already flooding his tongue with that taste he'd been wanting.

She cried out sharply, her back arching as he found her clit with his tongue.

“Oh, fuck,” she groaned. “Oh, God, I missed that so much.”

So had he.

She planted her feet to the mattress and tipped her hips up to his mouth. He felt the sting of her hand gripping his hair and smiled against her. It hadn't taken her long to get over any shyness about this. She wasn't quiet anymore. She moaned and sighed as he licked her. Her thighs shook. “Yes,” she urged. “Yes.”

Gabe's cock throbbed at the way she began to work herself against his mouth, as if she couldn't wait to get fucked. And despite that she'd warned him just a few weeks before that she had trouble climaxing, she was coming now. Even she seemed surprised by how quick it was, her cry of release more a shocked gasp. Thighs still shaking, she muttered, “Oh, my God,” over and over, even as her orgasm subsided.

Gabe found the condoms he'd stashed in his pocket, rolled one on and slid back between her legs. Her eyes opened when his cock notched against her. They widened as he pushed in. Her tight heat squeezed him. He sighed with relief.

“I spent the past two weeks fantasizing about this,” he rasped as he pushed deeper. “How fucking wet you get for me. How hot your pussy is. How much I love filling you up.”

She moaned and wrapped her legs around his hips.

“You're perfect, Veronica.” He was finally pressed as deep as he could get. He closed his eyes and held himself still for a moment, feeling her body ease around him.

“I'm not,” she whispered.

“Yes, you are. So fucking perfect.”

“No,” she insisted, but when he moved within her, she stopped denying it. She only moaned and wrapped her legs tighter.

“Don't you feel perfect?” he growled. “Don't you feel like everything I want?”

She shook her head, but he kept fucking her until she said yes.
Yes
, she was perfect.
Yes
, she was everything he wanted.
Yes
, he loved filling her up more than he loved anything in the world.

He loved her pussy and her breasts and the way her sweet face melted into carnality as he sank his cock into her over and over. The way she dug her nails into his back. The way she began to meet his thrusts. The way she got wetter and wetter the longer he fucked her, her body wanting more, more, more.

Yes.

The pleasure descended over him, pushing against the pressure building inside until he couldn't bear it anymore. His orgasm seized him tight. With a gasp, he sank himself deeper, faster, coming so hard that he felt dizzy with it. Everything went dark except that painful pleasure. It felt like a full minute before it faded.

He opened his eyes to find Veronica watching with a strange, tender look on her face. She stroked a hand over his cheek, and he turned to press a kiss to her palm. “I love you, Veronica,” he said against her skin.

She let her hand fall away. “Don't say that.”

“I know it's too soon. But it's true.” When he leaned down to kiss her, she kissed him back. He didn't need her to say it. He didn't even need her to feel the same right now. But he wanted her to know how he felt.

He slid free of her body and went to the bathroom to clean up. When he got back, he slipped under the covers with her and pulled her into his arms.

“It's strange,” she whispered, “how quickly someone else's presence becomes comfortable.”

“It doesn't always happen,” he said, and felt her nod against him. “Sometimes you just want to get away from the other person as soon as you can.”

“Yeah, I remember that even from my few false starts. But it never felt strange with you. I always wanted to get closer.”

“I'm so happy to hear that,” he said with a chuckle. “How long are you staying?”

“Here? I leave tomorrow.”

The shock of that was almost a physical pain. “What?”

“I have two meetings in the morning, and I fly out around three. I didn't want to stay long. You know how I feel about the city.”

He scooted higher on the bed, sitting up so he could look at her. “But you had a good time today. Everything seemed...good.”

She looked up at him for a moment, but then she sat up, too, dragging the sheets high to cover herself. “It was good. Obviously. This was
really
good. But, Gabe... I'm going home.”

“Okay, fine,” he said, the warmth in his body starting to replace itself with something hotter. Anger or panic. “This was a preliminary trip. But I don't want this to be over. I meant it when I said I missed you. Being with you here feels right. Like I never left.”

She shook her head, still not looking at him. “I can't do this.”

Yes, the heat was definitely panic. “I know you're angry. You have a right to be.”

“That's not it,” she started, but he cut her off.

“You're in Jackson, yes, but I'll come out as often as I can.”

“What, twice a year?”

He took her hand. “We could do that for a little while. It could work. You like my family. You had a nice time today. I have friends here, and you could fit right in. You can't tell me there isn't still something you love about this city.”

“Gabe.” She shook her head.

“It'll be a few years. That's all. We can try it this way for a while, and you never know—maybe you'll come back to the city for a little while. With a syndicated column, you could work anywhere. A few years, Veronica. Then one of my sisters will step up.”

“Do you honestly believe that will happen, Gabe?”

“It has to,” he answered.

“No,” she said, pulling her hand away. She climbed from the bed and pulled her shirt on, then her skirt. He just sat there, dumb with shock. One minute everything had been perfect, and now...

“I'm not doing this,” she said. “I can't. And it's not because I'm afraid to live in New York again or because you lied to me or because it will be long-distance.”

“Then why?” he pressed. “And don't tell me it's because you don't feel it, too. There's something special between us. In bed, yes, but out of it, too.”

“There is,” she agreed. “It's special and good and it
hurts
, Gabe.” She swiped at a tear that escaped her eye. “Because I want it so much and I can't have it.”

“You can.” He stood up and pulled on his pants, then reached toward her, trying to offer comfort, but she shook her head.

“No. I've spent my entire life pretending. Pretending I wasn't shy and scared and lonely. I faked my way through high school and college. I faked my way through New York City. I've faked my way through Dear Veronica, too, and I'm not doing it anymore. Not ever again.”

He shook his head. “I'd never ask you to be someone you're not.”

“No. Not
me
,
 
Gabe.
You
. You want me to come here and live your fake life with
you
.”

His head drew back as if he were trying to escape a blow. “What?” A huff of breath escaped him on a laugh. “Me?”

“You're always telling me to be myself,” she said, “but how can you say that? You're planning a whole fake life for yourself, doing something you hate in a place you don't want to be.”

“I don't have a choice!”

“Fine, but I'm not going back, and I'm not going to watch you do that to yourself.”

“I'll still be me, Veronica.”

“No, you won't. Everything about you was different at the restaurant today, and that will hurt you the same way it hurt me. I won't encourage it. I won't be a part of it. Claire isn't going to walk away from her life and run a burger place. She's a vegan, Gabe! And Naomi? You think she's going to run MacKenzie's? She just told me tonight that she wants to buy a place in Paris!”

She wiped another tear from her cheek, but this time Gabe was too shocked to try to comfort her. His limbs felt numb. “What the hell am I supposed to do?” he asked. “Just watch my dad work until he dies?”

“I don't know!” she cried. Then she took a deep breath and seemed to calm. “I have no idea, but I don't think the answer is to give up everything you are because he's stubborn. I've tried that kind of thing. It doesn't work.”

He snatched up his shirt, the panic finally flowing into fury. “I don't have any choice. Don't you get that?”

“Okay,” she whispered. “But I do.”

Wow. She was really walking away from him. How could she not understand? “You don't even like your dad and you can't stand up to him. I'm doing this out of love, at least.” As soon as the words left his mouth, he hated himself for them, but she nodded.

“That's changing,” she said. “I'm learning. But for you... It's like you only want people to know the good things, Gabe. You did that with me. You're doing that with your dad. It's protective, I think. You want to take care of the bad stuff yourself. You want to shield them. But you're shielding yourself, too. Nobody has to be disappointed with you, because you'll make it all okay.”

“I'm not one of your columns,” he snapped.

“Right. I'm sorry. That was...” She shrugged. “I'm sorry.”

Gabe fastened his belt and shoved his feet into his shoes. “Call me if you change your mind,” he said.

Lips pressed tight together, she nodded.

“Good luck tomorrow.”

“Thank you.”

He left before he said something else that was hurtful. Something he wouldn't be able to take back.

She couldn't understand family, because her dad had never done the things he should have. But Gabe's dad was different. He'd always taken care of them. Always watched out. Always made sure they had the best. He'd
protected
all of them, and now it was Gabe's turn to do the same.

He couldn't walk away from that, not even for Veronica. So he rode down the elevator and felt another thing he wanted dropping away, and he knew there was nothing he could do about it.

* * *

H
E
 
DIDN
'
T
 
SLEEP
 
a wink. He dragged himself from bed at 5:00 a.m. to go for a run and try to get Veronica out of his head, but all he thought about while running through the dawn streets was how much she'd like it this time of morning. How clean it all was. How the birds were singing and the pink sun glinted off the river and how much he wished she were with him.

He was cleaned up and on the subway by seven, heading to Brooklyn to check in on the new location. His dad had been begging him to, and frankly, Gabe needed off the island. Veronica was only a few dozen blocks away. If he stayed that close, he'd go see her. So he went to Brooklyn and watched the contractors work for a while, pretending he gave a damn about it all.

But her words stung him as if they were new wounds on his skin. Maybe it was pretending. He'd told himself sacrifice was just part of growing up, but now he didn't know if he was sacrificing his happiness for something good or if he was just giving in.

He wasn't bad at this job. He could do it. He was organized and sharp and dedicated to keeping his father's vision going. It was a lot of work, but he was young and healthy—he could push himself just as hard as his dad had.