The Bromance Book Club (Bromance Book Club, #1)(33)

He winced inwardly but plowed forward. “You’ve left me with few options, Thea. Your conditions would have made it impossible for me to win.”

“Win? Is this a game to you?”

He lowered his gaze to her lips. “A game? No. A competition? Yes.”

Thea braced her hands on the edge of her dresser behind her as Gavin inched ever closer. Her eyes darted to his lips and lingered there. Blood roared through his ears as logic and reason failed him. Because instead of backing away like he should have, he leaned closer. Dipped his head. Nudged the tip of her nose with his.

“What’re you doing?” Thea whispered. She might have been aiming for angry, but the breathless anticipation in her voice gave her away. She was as turned on as he was.

“Sealing the deal,” he rasped.

Then he palmed the back of her head and he kissed her. He kissed her like he had last weekend, open-mouthed and probing. And just like last weekend, she greeted his passion with a split-second of resistance before all but melting into him with another one of those sighs that sent a surge of lust to his groin. Gavin changed the angle of his mouth and went deeper, pouring everything he couldn’t say and she didn’t want to hear into the push and pull of his lips against hers.

Thea’s hands fisted the front of his shirt. And when she pulled back enough to suck in a shaky breath, he took advantage. He lowered his lips to the hot, sensitive skin of her throat.

“I’m going to fix everything,” he whispered, heated and fervent. “I swear to God, I am going to make you trust me again, Thea. I’m going to make things perfect again.”

And just like that, she went stiff in his arms. She pushed him away and turned her face.

“What’s wrong?” Gavin panted, holding her hips to keep her from slipping away.

“There’s no such thing as perfect,” she said flatly.

Gavin begged for Lord Seduction’s guidance on what to say but came up empty. His delay gave her time to grab his wrists and pull his hands from her body. “I need you to leave now.”

“Thea—”

“Go, Gavin.”

Gavin stepped back and wished he was wearing a longer shirt to hide the hard bulge in the front of his jeans. Thea slid to the right and turned around, hands pressed to the top of her dresser as if she needed help standing up. He’d probably pay for it later, but he couldn’t stop himself from stepping closer once again. He lowered his mouth to her ear. Her shoulders tensed.

“I know what you’re doing,” he whispered. “And I know why. But I’m not going to let you push me away again. Not without a fight.”

Her breath caught. “Why are you doing this?” she rasped. “What do you possibly get out of this?”

A smile spread his lips wide. Thank you, Lord Benedict. “I get the best prize of all,” Gavin murmured, dragging a finger down the nape of her neck. “I win you.”



* * *



? ? ?

A strange sound woke Thea the next morning.

It sounded like rain, but the sky outside her window was lavender and clear.

It wasn’t until her skin felt the warm brush of humidity that she realized what it was. Thea shot up and kicked free of the sheets. The bathroom door stood ajar, letting out a soft billow of steamy air.

No. Oh, hell no. Gavin was using her shower? It was bad enough that he was essentially blackmailing her into kissing him every night. But the shower? That was so not going to happen every day.

The water suddenly turned off, and Thea sprang out of bed. She stumbled on her morning legs like a newborn colt learning to stand for the first time, and caught herself on the bedside table. She was not going to be in there when he got out, because there was no way she would give him that satisfaction. She heard the glass shower door open. Time to run. But just as she stepped forward to bolt, her pinkie toe collided with the same table that had saved her moments earlier.

“Motherfu—” She bit off the curse and hopped on one foot. But she was still in newborn-colt mode, and she toppled backward onto the bed. Dammit! She had to get out of there before—

The bathroom door swung open wide. And out walked her husband wearing nothing but a towel tied loosely around his hips. Another hung around his neck.

Sweet Jesus. His torso glistened with droplets of water that he’d missed in his hasty swipe with the towel. Gavin never dried off completely after a shower, and at this moment, she hated him for it. A line of water dripped between his massive, toned pec muscles, before getting lost in the tangle of dark hair that spanned his rock-hard abs.

His hair was wet. His chest was wet. She was suddenly wet.

Dammit! Why, dear God, WHY did she have to be married to a man whose job literally depended on him being in peak physical shape?

“Hey.” He smiled, dazzling white teeth sparkling, or actually not, but that’s how it seemed because he looked like a fucking TV commercial. “Happy Thanksgiving.”

Thea shot back to her feet, pinkie toe still throbbing. She welcomed it, though. It fueled her rage. “You’re cheating!”

“Um, what?”

“You’re using my shower. That’s cheating.”

“What are you talking about?” He laughed.

Where did he get off laughing about anything? “You using my shower was not part of our deal.”