Rock Hard (Rock Kiss #2)(91)

“I will,” he promised. There would come a day when he could fist his hand in her hair, direct her to do exactly what he wanted, but she’d already gone far beyond what either one of them could’ve expected.

So he lay there and took it, and f*ck, it was good.




CHARLOTTE KEPT BLUSHING AS she stood on the sidelines with Gabriel early the next day. A cold Saturday morning, and the high school team he coached was playing its heart out. Then she blushed through her eleven-o’clock pastry class, causing her new friends Juliet and Aroha to teasingly question her about her Friday night.

That just made her blush deepen. She couldn’t believe what she’d done with and to Gabriel. Not only had she taken him in her mouth, he’d then hauled her to the end of the bed and returned the favor with interest, one of his hands tight on her breast, her thigh thrown over a heavily muscled shoulder.

God, the man could be deliciously merciless when he had a goal in mind.

“One more time, Ms. Baird.”

The memory of his roughly coaxing words vivid in her thoughts, she certainly couldn’t look his parents in the eye when she and Gabriel joined the entire Bishop-Esera clan for an afternoon barbeque at a local park.

Full of tall trees, including cheerful cherry blossom trees that had anticipated the coming spring, the park, located at the foot of a dormant volcano like so many of Auckland’s parks, also had plenty of open space.

The barbeque was in honor of Joseph’s birthday, and Charlotte had bought him a DVD of great rugby moments that she hoped he liked. Before any presents were opened or food eaten, however, there was to be a “friendly” rugby game. It was why she’d worn a pair of jeans and a light sweater over a T-shirt, rather than a dress. Though she had her doubts about her skills on the field, no “shirking” was allowed.

“Game’s a tradition,” Gabriel had said, placing a hard kiss on her mouth. “Everyone plays except the one who’s refereeing. We occasionally excuse pregnant women and those with broken limbs, but that’s on a case-by-case basis.”

Now he stood with the oval-shaped ball under one arm, his other one slung loosely over Charlotte’s shoulders. “Where the hell is Sailor?”

Looking around, Charlotte saw that Sailor’s wife and daughter, ísa and Emmaline, were already here.

It was Alison who answered Gabriel’s question. “I asked him to bring Brian. They should be here soon.”

Charlotte expected Gabriel to lose his good mood at the mention of his father, but he just shook his head. “Don’t let him scam you, Mom, okay?”

Alison smiled, expression poignant. “I’ve learned that lesson well—but for better or worse, he did help give two of my boys life.” She came over to hug Gabriel. “Two wonderful boys who have hearts big enough to let him in even after what he did.”

Squeezing his mom, Gabriel said, “Those hearts come from you.”

Charlotte spoke only once Alison was out of earshot. “You’re a good man, Gabriel Bishop.”

A shrug, but he smiled. “I’m a better man because of you.” Kissing her to the accompaniment of giggles from Esme and Emmaline, he said, “You were right about the anger eating me up. It was poisonous.”

Sailor arrived then with Brian. Gabriel helped get the frail-appearing older man settled into a chair, a blanket over his lap, then put two fingers just inside his mouth and whistled. “On the field. Brian’s refereeing.”

Everyone tumbled out onto the open playing area. When Charlotte hesitated, Daniel, whom she’d met properly earlier, grabbed her hand and tugged her forward. “We’re playing touch, no tackling. Esme, show everyone an example touch.”

The little girl ran to Emmaline and tapped her cousin on the hips with both palms before breaking contact. “No holding, Uncle Danny,” she said seriously. “Just touching.”

“Jeez, Boo, I only did that once.”

Biting back a laugh at Daniel’s aggrieved tone, Charlotte listened as Gabriel said, “Normal rules. Pass before you’re touched, six touches to score or ball has to be turned over, no forward passes. Did I forget anything?”

Emmaline jumped up and down. “You gotta tap to start again.”

“Right.” Tugging one of her pigtails, Gabriel demonstrated the tap.

Alison was the one who split them into two teams, dividing the couples. “A little healthy competition,” she said with a wink.

Charlotte ended up on the team that got to wear pink armbands. Also on her team were Sailor, Esme, Daniel, and Alison.

“I’m the slowest,” Alison said, “and Danny’s got wings on his feet, so we even out.”

“You’ve also got me,” Charlotte pointed out. “I love rugby, but I’m not a player.”

“Give us a few years and you will be,” Sailor predicted. “Always pass to Esme if you can—the munchkin’s slippery when she gets going.”

“Here we go,” Gabriel called out and the game began.

The first time Danny passed the ball back to Charlotte, she dropped it forward, leading to it being turned over to the opposing side.

Esme patted her hand. “It’s okay, Charlie. I do that sometimes too.”

“Hey, less talking, more playing, Butterfingers!” Gabriel called out.