Jacob's Ladder: Gabe (Jacob's Ladder #1)

But in the heat of the moment, as Gabe started to pull down my panties, I remembered how unprepared I was for this moment—like not lady-scaped at all kind of unprepared. It was one thing for his hand to feel it, but it was a completely different thing for him to see it. “Wait, no.”

His dark brows furrowed. “What’s wrong?”

“Um, it’s, well…” Embarrassed heat rushed to my face.

“What?”

“I’m not ready.”

A sexy smirk curved Gabe’s lips. “Babe, you’ve soaked my fingers—you’re more than ready.”

I ducked my head. “Not like that. I mean, it’s been a while, so I haven’t taken care of things…down there.”

He shocked the hell out of me by closing his eyes in bliss. “Are you telling me you have a full bush going on?”

I gasped. “Um, well, not a total bush, but it’s certainly not how I’d prefer you to see it.”

His eyes popped open. Before I could protest any more, Gabe jerked my panties down, and I shrieked when he widened my legs. Desire filled his gaze at the sight of what I felt was my overgrown jungle. “That is so fucking sexy.”

“You’re joking?”

He answered my question by burying his face in my pussy. I sucked in a breath before wheezing it out. “I guess you’re serious,” I said as I panted.

After his tongue traced in and out of my folds, he thrust it inside me. I moaned so loud it echoed through the kitchen. It had been so long since a man had gone down on me, and it had been even longer since it had been a man who knew what he was doing, one who swept his powerful tongue deep inside me. “Oh God, Gabe!”

“That’s it, say my name, baby,” he murmured, his voice vibrating against my sex.

I began lifting my hips to work against his tongue. Sweat broke out along my forehead. I was close—oh, so close—but it felt so damn good, I didn’t want it to stop.

Just as I started to go over the edge, the acrid smell of smoke entered my nostrils. Wait, were Gabe’s oral skills so good they’d set my vagina on fire? My eyes fluttered open to see smoke filling the kitchen.

“Oh shit! The brownies!!” I shrieked. I pushed Gabe’s head away before I jumped down off the counter. On wobbly legs, I hobbled over to the stove. When I threw open the door, smoke billowed back at me.

“Got a fire extinguisher?” Gabe questioned.

“Pantry!” I shouted over my shoulder.

While Gabe rushed to retrieve it, I turned off the oven. After arming my hand with an oven mitt, I reached inside to take out the charred remains of the baked goods. When Gabe appeared at my side with the extinguisher, I shook my head. “Fire’s out. Just open up the windows and doors to get the smoke out.”

“Got it.” After setting the extinguisher on the floor, he made quick work of opening the window over the sink and then the three over by the kitchen table. All I could do was stare at the mess on the stove. I didn’t even care that I was standing almost buck-naked in my kitchen.

Fighting the frustrated tears that threatened to overtake me, I yanked my hand through my hair. “Shit!”

Gabe placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. “Take it easy. We can make another batch.”

I glanced at the clock on the stove. “By the time I could get to Blair’s, it would be closed.

“But it’s only nine o’clock.”

“You’re in the boonies, city boy. Everything here closes early.”

“What about a Walmart or another store open all night?”

I wiggled my bra back down over my breasts. “It’s an hour away. I have to pick up Linc at Dad’s before ten.”

“Okay, while you go pick up Linc, I’ll go to Walmart for the ingredients.”

Gabe’s offer sent warmth spreading through my chest; I couldn’t believe he was so willing to do whatever it took to help me. But, the feeling of warmth was fleeting, and all too soon it was replaced by a sense of unease. Not only was what we had just done on the counter too fast, so was the whiplash of feelings I was experiencing about him.

“No, no, that’s okay. You’ve done plenty,” I replied as I hopped back into my panties and jeans.

“But I want to help,” he protested.

Shaking my head, I replied, “Just go. I need to sort this out myself.”

Gabe’s expression darkened. “Why are you pushing me away?”

Because I’m mortified that I was so easy, not to mention I’m scared to death we’ve just screwed up what we had by almost screwing in my kitchen.

“I’m not. I just need to clean up this mess and go get Linc.” When he started to protest again, I pinched my eyes shut. “Please. Just leave.”

After huffing out a frustrated breath, he brushed past me. Closing my eyes, I listened to his heavy footsteps as they pounded against the hallway floor. At the sound of the front door slamming, I jumped. Now that I was alone, I allowed the tears to flow. This time they weren’t about the burnt brownies. There was nothing I could do to rectify the mess I had made of those. Now I was thinking there was no way I could rectify the mess I’d just made with Gabe. So, my tears? They were all about Gabe.





I’m not sure how long I stood dumbfounded on Rae’s back porch. This rejection stung in a different way than her others, and I wasn’t just talking about my blue balls. Things had been changing emotionally between us, and I couldn’t help being annoyed at her for cutting me off the same way she had before she even knew me. Okay, if I were honest with myself, I would say I really felt hurt more than I did annoyance. My dick felt the annoyance that it hadn’t gotten to come buried deep inside Rae’s tight, wet pussy, but my heart was hurt by her dismissing me so quickly and once again alluding to the idea that I was just some self-centered prick. You’ve done plenty. What did the hell did that even mean?

Even though she’d told me I’d done enough, there was no way in hell I was letting this one go. As I started down the porch steps, I dug my phone out of my pocket. After scrolling through my contacts, I hit dial, and I wasn’t too surprised to hear Cumbia music blaring in the background when AJ answered. The drummer for Runaway Train, AJ Resendiz, always spent some of his down time in Mexico where his family was originally from. He and his wife, Mia, had a house in Puerto Vallarta.

“Hey Gabe, what’s up?” AJ yelled over the music.

“Not much. Listen, I know you guys are out of the country, but I need a favor.”

“Anything for you, my man.”

“Do you think Mia could get me the hookup for about fifty to a hundred cannoli from Mama Sofia’s?”

With a chuckle, AJ said, “You back on the weed and have the munchies?”

I snorted. “Not quite.”

“Then what the hell do you need that many cannoli for?”

“It’s a long story.”

“If I’m going to have my wife call back to her dad’s restaurant in Atlanta to request a shit-ton of cannoli, I think I’m owed an explanation.” After he said something in Spanish, the loud music cut off in the background.

Inwardly, I groaned. The last thing I wanted to do was tell AJ what had happened with Rae—he and the other guys would rag my ass for days. “Fine, there’s this woman named Rae, and I was—”

AJ sucked in a breath. “You’ve fallen for her.”