Return of the Bad Girl Read online

  Sucking in air through his teeth, Gabe wrapped his arm around her waist and brought her flush against his body. All night he’d been watching her body move, and it had been impossible not to remember how it had felt to be connected to her, moving inside her body. Before the fight had ensued, he’d been tempted to get up and dance with her, if only to stop the teasing looks she’d been throwing his way.

  With her hand trapped between them, teasing his length, he trailed his hand over her hip and beneath the scrap of lace covering her. She liked to be in control, to drive him to distraction, but she needed to learn that when it came to sex, he was the boss.

  When his finger found her, he rubbed between her lips and circled her clit, enjoying her little gasp.

  “Speaking of slick . . .”

  “God,” she said hoarsely, reaching up to grab the back of his neck, trying to pull him down for a kiss. “You always have to have the last word.”

  He dipped his mouth to hers, nipping and sucking on her lips as he stroked her. Her breathing hitched, and one of her legs came up, trying to hook around his hip. Her little groan of frustration was damn hot; he loved the way she didn’t hold back what she wanted or needed from him.

  If she wanted to be closer, he could help her with that.

  Gabe grabbed her thighs and lifted her easily, carrying her the last few steps to his bedroom. As they came through the open door, he noticed Googlie and Possum sleeping on the bed.

  “Shit, we have company.”

  She looked over her shoulder at the sleeping kittens. “We could go to my room.”

  He did an about-face, mumbling about “damn cats,” and headed back down the hallway to her room. As he reached her cracked door, he forgot everything else but the feeling of her mouth on his neck, sucking hard before dragging her teeth across the wet spot.

  “You’re gonna kill me,” he said.

  “Don’t worry; you’ll like it,” she teased, running her nails across his back hard enough to bring a growl of pleasure from him.

  Once inside the room, Gabe dropped her to her feet. “Turn around.”

  She did as he asked, and he slid his hand up her back, unclasping her bra. The smooth skin of her back drew him to kiss his way up her spine. As he slid the straps off her shoulders and down her arms, he flung the lacy lingerie across the room before clasping her breasts in his hands. Squeezing her and massaging them, he pulled her back against him, nuzzling her neck as he rubbed his cock against her ass.

  Slowly, she reached back and wound her arms around his neck as he tweaked her nipples, pulling and pinching them into hard nubs that left her arching and gasping. He wanted her, to be inside her and make her scream; there was no question. But more than that, he didn’t want her to ever forget what was between them.

  Because no matter how hard he’d tried to convince himself that she deserved better, he couldn’t leave her alone now. She was his.

  “Bend over the bed.”

  She didn’t argue as he slid the lacy thong down her legs. She stepped out of it, one delicate foot at a time, while he ran his palm over her plump rear in awe.

  “Spread your legs, princess,” he said, the nickname rolling off his tongue sweetly. There was no mocking this time; he meant it. He wanted to worship at her feet and treat her like she was nothing less than royalty.

  “Shit, I need a condom,” he muttered, as his fingers slipped inside her, her hot, tight channel squeezing him.

  “Mmm, nightstand drawer,” she said breathlessly.

  He grinned and kissed his way down her back as his hand worked her. “I love that you’re prepared.”

  “Well, I’d love it if you would—oh!”

  His wet fingers had moved up to her clit, pressing into the tight little nub with fast, circular motions, playing with her flesh until she was quivering, and he felt her muscles spasm.

  “Oh, God, I’m . . . I’m gonna . . .”

  She screamed his name as she came, and he kept her riding the wave until her body relaxed under him. Swiftly reaching into the drawer, he pulled out a condom.

  Once he was sheathed, he gripped her hips and angled himself. Thrusting hard, he watched her hands grip the comforter in the dim light as he pulled out, heard her breathy moan as he went back in high and came out low. Then he stopped thinking about anything but the softness of her skin beneath his calloused hands and the way her channel squeezed him as he moved within her, and he realized he didn’t want to stop, didn’t want her to come up from this and tell him it was another fling, just a release or that it meant nothing. He’d never wanted a woman this way, and damn it, he wanted her to crave him. To want only him.

  Gabe took her hair gently in one hand and tugged lightly. Taking her from behind had just happened, but as she lifted up off the bed, the angle changed, sending him deeper.

  Shaking and fighting his desire to move inside her, he pressed his mouth against her ear. “Do you like this?”

  “Yes . . .”

  “Say you want me.”

  “I do. God, don’t stop . . .”

  “My name. Tell me you want me.”

  He noticed her body stiffen for a split second, but it was so brief, he wondered if he’d imagined it. He took her earlobe between his teeth, and she moaned. “Caroline. I want to hear you say my name.”

  She turned her face to the side so she could look back at him. Their gazes held in the twilight, and then she turned, breaking the connection of their bodies to wrap her arms around his neck. When she pushed at the back of his neck, he let her bring his mouth down to meet hers. The kiss was wet, messy, and damn, he loved it.

  Against his mouth, she whispered, “I want you, Gabriel.”

  CAROLINE PROTESTED AS Gabe pulled away from her. “Don’t go—”

  His dark eyes were so intense that her stomach twisted up. “I want to watch your face as you come.”

  Hotter words had never been spoken and despite his demanding, say-my-name bedroom manner, she had to admit it turned her on. Usually, she wore the pants in the bedroom—taking the lead and offering suggestions—but damn, Gabe didn’t need any help getting her off.

  As he laid her back on the bed, she arched up, waiting for him to cover her with that big, hard body, but he hovered above her on his hands. When she opened her eyes, she saw him watching her with a half-smile on his lips.

  “What?”

  He lifted one hand to smooth it over her cheek but didn’t answer. The moment was almost tender, and she swallowed back the panic.

  This was Gabe. Gabe, her savior. The man who played on the floor with four-week-old kittens and thrashed men who abused women. He was a good man, despite his protests. The look on his face wasn’t what she’d expected from the large, dark man, but she just kept telling herself there was nothing to be afraid of.

  She was safe with him.

  She placed her hands on his shoulders as he came down on his elbows and kissed her, stealing her breath and the last of her reservations. Gabe’s lips were like magic, sending tingles through her with every brush, and her arms wrapped around his neck, wanting to keep him there.

  He pulled back, and she lifted her hips to take him inside once more, an active participant as they moved together. Each time he thrust, the pressure built, and she held on tightly, chanting his name as pleasure erupted inside her. A few minutes later, he stiffened above her.

  When he came down on his elbows again, his lips buried themselves in the side of her neck and hair, his breath warming her as he tried to catch it.

  This was the moment she hated; usually, she wanted the man to just get up and go, so she could clean up and go to bed. Her first instinct was to tell him, “Time to go,” but the light kisses just under her ear were nice, relaxing her already liquid body as her eyes started to flutter shut. She didn’t even realize he had moved off her until he was bringing the covers up over her, and she reached out sleepily for his hand.

  “Stay.”

  The brush of his mouth on her shoulder was th
e last thing she felt as she fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

  Chapter Twenty

  “There are some people who can forgive and forget . . . and then there’s the rest of us.”

  —Miss Know It All

  “SON OF A bitch!”

  Gabe woke up to the sound of Caroline’s cursing in the kitchen and the smell of burning food. Groggily, he pushed himself up onto his arms and yelped as tiny claws dug into his back.

  He’d slept the whole night in her bed.

  A warmth of satisfaction spread through him as he remembered the aftermath of their lovemaking,

  “Stay.”

  Just like the night of her bad dream, he hadn’t been able to resist her request. He’d lain back down after he’d cleaned up and wrapped his arms around her waist. It wasn’t that he’d never slept with a woman before, but last night with Caroline had felt different.

  Because you’ve never felt this way about a woman before?

  He didn’t want to examine that possibility; it was too soon. Just being with her and sharing that level of intimacy had allowed him to experience another emotion he’d thought lost to him.

  Hope.

  Hope for a future with a woman who made him feel good about who he was. Who knew about his past and accepted him, not because she wanted to fix him, but because she saw something more.

  Turning slowly, he felt the kittens slide farther beneath him, and he sat up, twisting to look at the two furballs blinking up at him grumpily.

  “Little shits, what’s your problem? You clawed the hell out of my back.”

  Googlie was the first one to stretch and pad toward him, rubbing against his arm. Gabe had never been much of a cat person, but damn if these ones hadn’t gotten him, hook, line, and sinker.

  Kind of like their mama.

  “Damn, damn, double damn!” Caroline shouted beyond the closed door.

  Grabbing his boxer briefs, he pulled them into place and walked into the kitchen. Caroline was standing in her robe with her back to him, in front of the stove, her long hair on top of her head in a messy bun. He came up behind her and looked down at a charred, smoking rectangle on the counter.

  “If you were making me breakfast, I guess it’s the thought that counts.”

  She jumped and turned so that their bodies were mere inches apart.

  Gabe loved that she seemed nervous.

  “It’s Valerie’s birthday, and I’m in charge of the cake. But it seems like my culinary skills come only in the form of microwavable dinners and boiled pasta.”

  “Why don’t you pick one up at Hall’s?” he asked.

  She threw her hands up. “Exactly, right? But no, Ellie said it had to be this rainbow chip crap, and Val’s party is tonight, and—”

  “And it only takes about an hour to bake, two to cool, and fifteen minutes to ice it,” he said and then shrugged at her shocked expression. “What? My mom worked a lot, and when she wasn’t working, she was gambling.”

  “What about you and your sister?” Caroline asked, her dark eyes shining with sympathy, but he didn’t want her to feel sorry for him. He understood why she would, but there was nothing that pity could change about his past. So he’d had a shitty parent—a lot of people did. Those were just the cards he’d been dealt.

  Still, he could remember his public defender planning his defense and telling him that it wasn’t his fault. A lot of kids who got into drugs and alcohol were raised by abusive, single parents. If his arm hadn’t been broken in the accident, he probably would have decked the guy for assuming shit. It didn’t matter that his mother had been abusive as hell and just plain mean.

  It had been on him to protect Honey, and he’d failed her, time and again.

  “Honey and I were usually on our own unless Mom had enough for a sitter, which wasn’t often. We were usually the last on her priority list, so I learned to cook dinners and make birthday cakes for my sister and me. We never really had parties, but at least we had cake.”

  She took his hand and squeezed it. “I’m sorry.”

  Again, with the sympathy; he tried to be gentle, but his reply probably came off sharper than he meant. “Don’t be; we had fun.” Then, remembering, he added, “We used to make each other homemade gifts, but this one Christmas, Honey wanted this doll at the mall. I had almost saved up enough for it, but my mom found my coffee can and took everything I had. So Christmas Eve, I went into the store and tried to sneak it out in my backpack.”

  He didn’t know why he was telling her this story; as a kid, it had been terrifying. He’d almost made it out the door and onto the street when the sales clerk had grabbed him.

  Would Caroline consider his early shoplifting a prelude to his ending up in prison? He didn’t think of it that way, but he could see why she would. He just thought back on that memory as a time when he’d tried to give Honey everything she deserved. After all, it wasn’t her fault she’d been born to a loser of a mother. And as for him, well, he wasn’t a gem either. Honey had deserved better than both of them.

  Damn it. His eyes were starting to sting, and he coughed to hide the emotion this story roused in him.

  He felt her squeeze his hand and step closer, her warmth comforting him. “You don’t have to tell me.”

  “Ah, it’s fine. I just had a tickle in my throat.”

  “Okay,” she said, releasing his hand to wrap her arms around his waist. “Go on, then.”

  Gabe could tell Caroline wasn’t buying his throat clearing but appreciated that she didn’t tease him about it. Lord knew this was the only time he’d ever told this story to anyone besides Chase, and if she teased him, well, he wouldn’t be able to take it.

  Isn’t that why you’re telling her, though? Because deep down, you know you can trust her with your past and your baggage?

  It was true. Despite their rough start, Caroline was the most understanding woman he’d ever met, and he knew she wouldn’t judge him for his mistakes.

  Realizing she was poking his back for him to continue, he said, “Anyway, that was the first time I got arrested. I felt like shit, especially when my mom showed up and started screaming at me about having to quit during her winning streak. Then I got pissed, and told her if she hadn’t stolen all the money I’d earned, I wouldn’t have had to steal. I called her a thief in front of the whole police department, and she slapped me.”

  “Oh my God, that’s awful,” Caroline said, pulling far enough away to look up at him, her expression appalled. “They didn’t let you go home with her, did they?”

  “One of the officers stepped in and threatened to arrest her. She started crying and apologizing, giving him a sob story about raising the two of us all alone and that it would never happen again. She was just emotional. The officer was an older guy who bought her shit and started talking about how he had three teenagers. His advice to her was to let him drive her home, since she was obviously distraught.”

  “I can’t believe no one did anything!” Caroline said furiously. “They should have taken her into custody, and—”

  “It was a small town during the holidays,” Gabe broke in, rubbing her back to calm her down, although he was secretly pleased that she was angry on his behalf. Made him think that maybe she cared a little.

  “I’m sorry, but I think it’s ridiculous that no one protected you from her,” Caroline said, adding weight to his suspicion. Though really, it wasn’t just that he wanted her to care but that he wanted to believe there could be something between them. If sharing a painful part of his childhood could show her he was trying, it was worth opening up old wounds.

  Especially when she looked so adorably ferocious, ready to go back in time and challenge his mom.

  Without thinking, he leaned over and kissed her, softly. Just a brush of lips before he said, “Maybe if there had been someone like you there, it might have gone differently, but there weren’t a lot of choices for us. They might have been able to put me with one of the families at church temporarily, but then I wou
ldn’t have been home with Honey. Honestly, I thank God he didn’t do that. I don’t think Honey and I would have been any better off in the system, and I doubt if, once she lost us, my mother would have fought very hard to get us back.”

  “But she’s your mother,” Caroline protested. “How could she not fight for her children? I couldn’t do that.”

  He shrugged. “It turned out okay, actually. The next day, an officer and some woman showed up at our door. It turned out that one of the guys at the station had called child protective services after my mom slapped me. While my mom and the woman talked in the other room, the officer pulled out two packages and a stocking for each of us, filled with candy and toys. When my sister opened her gift, it was the doll she’d wanted.”

  “Oh! What a wonderful man. Did child protective services ever come back?”

  “No,” Gabe said, thinking back on what happened next with sadness. “We were in good health, without a mark on us, and the house was clean, though mostly because Honey and I did all the housework. I guess she determined it was a one-time deal, and there were other children at higher risk than us.”

  “Well, that was still nice of the officer to do that,” Caroline said, squeezing him around the waist.

  Gabe tried for irony, but his tone sounded bitter, even to his ears. “Yeah, except my mother took the toys and threw them in the Dumpster right after they left. Something about punishing us for causing her trouble and being greedy or some shit.” It was hard not to think of that Christmas and want to smash his fist into something.

  Caroline’s face flushed. “What a bitch!”

  Gabe let loose with surprised laughter and hugged her. “Thanks.”

  “I’m sorry, but—”

  “You don’t have to apologize to me. I fully agree with you,” he said, rubbing her back. “We didn’t have it as bad as some, but after Honey’s accident, I wasn’t there to protect her.”

  “Protect her from what? Your mother?” Caroline said with disbelief. “What did she do to her?”