Going Down Easy (Boys of the Big Easy #1)(52)

She felt a shudder go through him, and he shifted. “God, Ad.”

Yeah, that sounded different from “Please fuck me.” It was so much . . . more.

She reached between them and found his fly. She unbuttoned and unzipped the pants, getting them and his boxers out of the way. When she wrapped her fingers around his shaft, another shudder went through him, and he caught his breath. Then he shifted, leaning in on one elbow and reaching for his pants pocket.

“Gabe, please, now.”

“Condom,” he said huskily, fumbling with his pants.

But she grabbed his wrist, stopping him. He looked up, and she shook her head. “Just you and me,” she said softly.

It wasn’t reckless. She still had the IUD. But making love to him without a condom, consciously deciding to not have any barrier between them rather than forgetting in the heat of the moment, felt important. And right.

He paused for a moment, taking in what she was saying. Then he kissed her and slid his hand from his pocket to her thigh, lifting her knee to his hip.

“I love you, Addison,” he told her gruffly, looking into her eyes.

She nodded. “I love you, too.”

Then, when she thought he was going to plunge into her, he grabbed the narrow strip of silk on her hip and yanked, literally ripping the thong off her. Then he took her hips and sank deep, the heat and friction perfect. Addison wrapped herself around him, arms and legs striving to get as close as she could.

Her orgasm came on quickly, but rather than a bright explosion of sensation and heat like usual, it was like a slowly rising wave of satisfaction that rolled over her and left no part of her unaffected.

Gabe’s climax had him shouting her name and then crushing her to his chest mere minutes later. And when he rolled to his back, he took her with him, keeping her up against him with one hand tangled in her hair and one splayed over her butt.

They stayed wrapped up tight like that, as close as two people could be, afterward, just breathing and thinking for nearly twenty minutes.

Addison felt completely sated. And yet, there was something niggling at her, telling her to not get too comfortable. She couldn’t get the thoughts pinned down, but there was something there, not letting her drift to sleep.

Gabe’s fingers were combing through her hair, and finally he said, “Ad?”

“Yeah?” she asked, not lifting her head from where it was resting on that perfect spot between his shoulder and chest.

“What would you say to going back to my place?”

“This is your place.” But she knew what he meant.

“This is my . . .”

She smiled, waiting for him to fill in that blank. Finally, she tipped her head to look up at him. “Your fuck pad?”

He shot her a sheepish smile. “Kind of.”

She knew that. Of course. It was where he’d taken her because he couldn’t take women to where he lived. With his mother. And his son.

“But I was thinking it feels kind of strange to be here instead of with the kids,” he said. He stroked her hair. “I like the idea of our kids together with my mom. And I feel like . . .”

“We should be there, too,” she said softly. And that was what had been nagging at her. This wasn’t a one-night stand or a quickie hookup or a secret fling. This was—well, more than that. And while she did love her grown-up time and time being just Addison—especially when that time was with Gabe—now, with Gabe, it felt like she could be all those things at once.

And that was a startling thought. That quickly sank into her heart and made her smile. She pushed herself up to sitting and smiled at Gabe. It was a huge step. Way bigger than coming back here to make love rather than have sex. But it felt good. “Yeah, we should go to your place.”



Gabe held Addison’s hand, but they didn’t talk as the cab took them to the house where his mother and their kids slept. She’d rented the limo for the night, but that night ended at midnight. But Gabe didn’t care what they were riding in, only that she was beside him when he was going home.

It had been only a month since they’d talked sarcastically about a long engagement rather than getting married right away. And he had no intention of having Stella and her move in with his mother. They’d get their own place. Or he and Cooper could move in with Addison and Stella. For a while. Until they needed a bigger house for more kids.

Gabe worked on relaxing his hold on her hand and breathing deep. She was going to notice his tension, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to let her in on his train of thought just yet. He’d told her he loved her. She’d said it back. They’d made love. She’d let her daughter spend the night with his mom and son. It was all huge. But he knew that marriage and more kids and all was a conversation for another time. Addison was warming up to Cooper, and she knew what being involved with Gabe meant as far as family was concerned. He was a package deal—he came with a family, not just a son. But Gabe wasn’t sure that Addison had really let all of that sink in. At least, not how it would affect Stella and her. In his mind, it would be in all positive, supportive ways. But he wasn’t sure he wanted to spook her with the whole my-family-is-involved-in-everything-and-that-will-include-you-and-Stella just yet. She’d admitted that she didn’t like other people giving advice and making decisions about her daughter. But Gabe definitely wanted her involved with decisions for Cooper. He wanted to talk out all the issues and get her input and have her sitting next to Coop on all the swamp boats—literal and figurative—from here on out. Because Gabe could absolutely be the one dealing with the alligators in Stella’s life.