Passionate Addiction (10 page)

“Oh, Blake.” She kissed his neck, tiny teasing nips that made his thighs tense.

“Are you going to scream for me, gorgeous?” He moved his lips to her ear and scraped his teeth against her lobe. “I want to hear you call my name. I want everyone to hear, so they know you’re mine and will never doubt who you belong to.”

He thrust into her grip, so close to the edge, not wanting to go over without her. Placing more pressure on her clit, he sunk a third finger into her pussy and felt his balls tighten at her moan.

“I’m… Ah…”

Her voice drove him crazy. Then her core began to pulse around him. Blood rushed in his ears, deafening, and her hand on his cock tightened into a strong hold. He stood still, continuing the thrust of his fingers as she arched her back and gasped in pleasure.

From the corner of his eye, white foam caught his attention and he snapped his head around to see a wave looming above them.

There was no time to think.

“Gabi!” He slid his hands from her sheath and grabbed her arm.

Her eyes fluttered open, not registering the danger as he took a deep breath and went under. He tried to drag her with him, but the force of the wave against his back tore her arm from his grip. The torrent pulled at his legs, twisting his body, squeezing the breath from his lungs. Then just as quickly as it hit, it was gone.

He kicked to the surface, breaking the water with a gasp and turned in a quick circle to search for her. Where was she? Gabi always made it up before he did. She was the water baby, the one who loved to swim, yet he couldn’t see her anywhere.

His heart pounded and fear tightened his throat. He was about to put his hand up to call for a lifeguard, when her head came up from under the water over ten feet away. She was closer to shore, now stuck in the main area where the waves were breaking.

“Gabi.” He pushed off the sandy ground and swam to her. She didn’t smile, didn’t wipe the mass of tangled hair from her forehead. She simply stood there, the water now lapping at her breasts as she blinked in a daze.

He kicked harder and felt another wave pulling at his heels. “Gabi!”

Her chin lifted, searching for him.

“Gabi, get under.” His whole body stiffened, his erection now lost to torment.

She sighted the wave behind him and he waited for her to dive under before he did the same. He searched for her under the tumbling rush and came up holding her around the waist.

“Are you OK?”

She leaned into him and winced. “Worst…orgasm…ever.”

He squeezed her tighter and gave a half-hearted chuckle. “Yeah?” Something wasn’t right. She was swaying on her feet, staring into the distance as if disoriented. He needed to get her out of the water. “I thought it would’ve rated highly seeing as though you still look stunned.”

She gave a perfunctory laugh which amped his concern. There was nothing perfunctory about Gabi. She was enthusiastic, jovial, passionate. Always. Not the person who stood before him, glancing straight through him.

“I need to get you some help.”

She shook her head, then grimaced. “No, I’m fine.” She placed her fingers at her temples. “I just need to sit down. That’s the first time I’ve been dunked in years.”

He led her from the water, holding her close to make sure she didn’t fall with the continued pounding from the waves. When he reached the shore, a lifeguard came at them, running into the ankle high water in his bright red shorts and a yellow T-shirt.

“Gabi?” The guy went to her other side and placed his hand around her waist.

The familiarity between them blindsided Blake. He wasn’t the jealous type, but having this pretty boy wrap his arm around Gabi had the same result as waving a red flag at a bull. Nobody touched his woman.
She isn’t really your woman
.

“I’m fine, Troy. You’re both being melodramatic.”

Troy—her surfing instructor. Blake remembered Gabi speaking about him more than once.

They led her up the beach, helping her to sit on the soft sand near their towels.

“Seriously,” she shaded her eyes from the sun and peered up at them, “I’m fine. You can both drop the protective act. I just need to catch my breath.”

“She was dunked and stayed under for a while,” Blake gritted through clenched teeth. He had no medical training and if the blond, buff lifeguard was the only one he could rely on to check her, then so be it.

The douche gave Blake a dismissive glance, then turned his attention back to Gabi. “What the hell were you doing to get smashed so hard? You’re usually one with the ocean.”

Insecurity had Blake kneeling down to remain close to Gabi. Fuck irrationality, he didn’t care. He suddenly felt overwhelmed with the need to stake a claim. “This time she was ‘one’ with me.” A smirk pulled at his lips. Yeah, he was an arrogant prick, but he wanted the guy to know the score.

Gabi snorted and raised a brow as she turned her gaze to him. “Yes. It was entirely your fault.” She grinned.

“Ahh… Right,” the guy murmured, taking a step back.

Gabi’s grin deepened. “Blake, this is Troy. Troy, this is Blake, the bass guitarist for Reckless Beat.”

Blake still sported the I’m-sleeping-with-her-so-kiss-my-ass smirk when he turned on his haunches to Troy. The guy wasn’t impressed. He looked down his nose, his gaze roaming over Blake’s tattoos with disgust.

“G’day,” Troy muttered and thrust out a hand for Blake to shake.

“Hey.” Blake jerked his head in acknowledgement and shook the guy’s hand. They gripped for longer than necessary, staring each other down, neither one willing to break eye contact.

Gabi cleared her throat and pushed to her feet, and still the asshole didn’t loosen his grip. With a roll of his eyes, Blake dropped his hand and stood, ignoring the way Troy continued to size him up. Fuck the lifeguard and the little rubber duckies he floated in on. It wouldn’t be the last time Blake had to deal with someone’s disapproval where Gabi was concerned.

“Let’s go home,” Gabi said, dusting sand off her ass.

The way she said “home” made him swallow. It conjured images of a family and feelings of long-term togetherness. It was sweet relief against the anxiety that wracked him at the thought of being without her again. God, how he wanted that. He wanted to deserve that.

Troy stepped forward. “I need to check you over first.”

Gabi paused and pierced Troy with an incredulous stare. “Are you serious? It’s just a little headache. You’ve seen me take hits like this before.”

She wiped the wet sand off her tanned belly, jiggling her luscious breasts. Blake was pissed that he wasn’t the only one following the movements.

“I’m on shift, Gab. If you end up in hospital after I’ve let you walk away from here, I’ll be in the shit for not checking you properly.”

Gabi placed a hand on her hip and glared at Troy. Blake had no clue what a “proper check” involved and already hated the thought, however, he would step back and let the pretty boy handle the full force of her wrath.

Sadly, they looked good together. The surfer chick with the lifeguard. Both tanned, toned, and by societies aesthetic standards—perfect.

“Fine,” Gabi growled. “Check me.” She swung her arms out in annoyance.

Troy stepped into her. Their bodies close, intimate. When his hand gently gripped her chin so he could peer down into her eyes, Blake nearly lost his shit. All this time, he’d listened to Gabi share the details of who she dated, and although he’d wished to be in their place, he hadn’t dwelled on it. It had been out of his control. Now this asshole’s fingers were in her hair, roaming her scalp and Blake had the urge to castrate the fucker, just to take away any threat in the future.

“I don’t have a head injury, Troy.” Gabi looked back at him with annoyance.

“Like I said, I’ve gotta check.”

“Sure you do,” Blake mumbled and turned away. The thing that hurt the most was knowing Troy would be hanging around once Blake went back to the US. His relationship with Gabi wouldn’t be a case of living a few miles apart with visits on weekends. They had to deal with being in different countries, across the world from each other.

When Blake pivoted in the sand to glance back at her, she was staring at him, her brow furrowed in apology. Her lips moved, mouthing the words, “I love you,” and his heart lurched. She truly was an angel, and maybe he was kidding himself for thinking things between them would work.

He had no problem being faithful. That wasn’t an issue. However, living his life without her, no matter how temporary, would kill him. It’d been hard enough for the past four years. Going home now, knowing Gabi was so far away, knowing what they’d shared and how right it felt would be unforgiving torture.

“I love you, too.” He mouthed back.

She smiled, happiness twinkling in her bright blue eyes.

“Did you lose consciousness?” Troy asked, dropping his hands to his side.

“I dunno, maybe for a second.” Gabi shrugged. “It was more the shock of being blindsided that had me in a daze. I wasn’t expecting it.”

Troy stepped back. “And what about fatigue? Are you feeling tired?”

“Oh, come on, Troy. You know I’m fine.” Gabi moved toward Blake and reached for his hand. She entwined their fingers, placing a kiss on the
Reckless
tattoo that adorned his knuckles.

Troy’s gaze followed her actions, his jaw ticking. “It’s a simple question, Gabi.”

She scoffed and shook her head. “Yes, Troy, I’m tired. And do you want to know why?” She raised her brows, cocking her head on an angle to give him a full dose of attitude. “Cause I was riding Blake
all night long
.”

If Blake would’ve had a mouth full of water, it would’ve sprayed all over Troy’s shocked face. Neither one of them saw that coming.

“Yeah, you heard right. And don’t think I didn’t notice the distain in your gaze when you looked at him.” Gabi let go of Blake’s hand and bent over to pick up their towels. “I introduced you to my best friend, Troy,” she spoke over her shoulder, “and all you did was glare. So thank you for your concern, but I’m sure if I need anything, Blake will be able to provide it.”

Bam. Prissy boy just got served
.

Blake felt sorry for the dude. From the way Troy’s mouth gaped and his shoulders slumped, it was obvious the guy felt like his balls had been shredded. Blake contemplated sticking up for the douche… Fuck that. Muscle man would have time to suck up to her once Blake was gone. He believed in helping a brother out, but not when it came to Gabi.

She walked away, heading for the road, and he tried not to smirk when he followed.

Blake had always been a guy’s-guy. Bros before hos and all that crap. But as he caught up to her and they walked hand in hand to her apartment, he couldn’t stop thinking that no other brother—Mitchell or the other band members included—would ever mean more to him than Gabi.

“How are you feelin’?” Blake murmured into her neck from the seat beside her in business class.

He’d asked her the same question more times than she could count, his concern making her smile. Since the tumble at the beach, he’d acted like a complete gentleman—bathing her with soft kisses, gently washing her hair in the shower, and picking out a floral sundress for her to wear. The design was prim and proper, making her feel like a Stepford wife, especially when standing next to Blake, but she wore it anyway because of the way his gaze devoured her with it on.

He’d sat on the edge of her bed, watching her unpack the clothes from last night and re-pack warmer ones for the cooler, late-spring Melbourne weather. Not once did he act on the lust glazing his eyes. And she was thankful. Although her need for him hadn’t faded, she was still shaken from the hit she’d taken at the beach. Her legs had been pummeled by the ocean, her head hitting the ground hard, leaving her dazed and confused and possibly suffering from a minor concussion.

“Good.” She grabbed Blake’s hand on the arm rest and gave it a squeeze. Apart from a killer headache, she was fine. Once her feet were back on solid ground, she’d down a couple of aspirin and be right as rain.

“You look pale.”

That could have something to do with the stabbing pain that sliced through her head whenever the plane jolted from turbulence. “I’ll be fine once we land.” And if aspirin didn’t work, she planned to test the theory that sex cured headaches.

Taking a deep breath, she focused on the leather cuff around Blake’s wrist. Damn sexy. Damn naughty. It was strange that one piece of jewelry could melt her insides like butter. Then there were the tattoos that wove up his arm. With her index finger she followed the patterns, tracing over familiar song lyrics, tribal swirls, and musical notes, enjoying the way his gaze tracked her movements over the collage of images.

The plane jolted with another burst of turbulence and she squeezed her eyes shut, digging her nails into Blake’s skin at the sudden slash of blinding pain.

“Holy…shit.” Blake choked and grabbed her hand. “Retract the claws, kittycat.”

She opened one eye a crack and winced before closing it again. “Sorry.”

“Why don’t you get up and stretch your legs? It might make you feel better.”