I follow him down the hall to the staircase at the back of the building.
Gabe’s lived in the apartment above the clubhouse since he graduated. It’s rare that he lets me come up to his place. We typically hang out at my house, but we’ve both had too much to drive there.
When he opens the door, I traipse in, slipping off my shoes before padding over to the fridge. I pull out a bottle of water andslide onto his kitchen counter. After twisting off the cap, I suck down half the bottle in a few gulps.
He places his shit on the table by the door, kicks his shoes off next to mine, and moves toward me. His living room and kitchen are basically just one room with only an island and change in flooring to set them apart.
He keeps it pretty tidy—not much out of place except a bowl and glass in the sink. I hold out the water to him, and he finishes it off before tossing it in the trash and leaning back on the counter in front of me.
“Guess it’s just us again.” I shrug.
He grins. “I feel so used.”
Rolling my eyes, I ask, “Would you rather I use someone else?”
“Nah. I hate to break it to you, but I’m kind of using you too.”
I fake offense, placing a hand on my chest with a gasp. “No way. You mean to tell me after allowing you to deflower me, you’re not planning to ask for my hand in marriage?”
“I’d rather put my balls in a meat grinder.”
I throw my head back and laugh. “Like you’re some prize!”
“True. Maybe we should just get married and save our future spouses the trouble of dealing with us.”
“Yeah, maybe…” I trail off, the silence stretching a beat too long as our laughter slowly dies.
He stares at me for a moment before saying, “If I thought I could love you the way you deserve to be loved, I’d marry you in an instant.”
A half-smile ghosts my lips as I pick at a string on my dress. When I finally look up at him with tears in my eyes, I say, “We’re gonna be alright.”
He pushes off the counter, takes a big stride toward me, eating up the space between us before scooping me up andcarrying me to the couch. He sits down, and I position myself with my head in his lap.
“You think all the good ones will be taken by the time I’m ready to settle down?” I ask, looking up at him.
“No. When you’re ready, there’ll be a long line of men waiting for their shot.”
That makes me smile. “Do you think it’s silly that I’m not ready to give all this up yet?”
He shakes his head. “But I think the right guy wouldn’t expect you to give it all up.”
I sigh, letting that sink in before whispering, “You’ll move on some day.”
“Lil, don’t. Please.” His voice is desperate, leaving me no choice but to drop it. Gabe’s the big, tough president, but there are cracks deep enough to break him apart if you pry hard enough.
Something presses against my head, and I shoot up. “Oh my fucking God. Are you hard?”
A crease forms between his brows. “I can’t help it!”
I swear you can’t have a real moment with this man without him trying to take his damn clothes off.
As I move to my knees between his legs, I tease, “Your dick really is tethered to your stupid soft heart, you know that?”
“Shut up!” he shouts, holding a hand in front of his erection. “If you’re gonna be an asshole, I won’t give it to you.”
I roll my eyes. “You’re a child. Take your fucking pants off.”
“Ask nicely.” He laughs.