“Blake, I need . . .” Swallowing my absolute need to be already inside her, I cleared my throat and tried again. “Condom?”
With a lazy smile, she pointed to the nightstand. “I didn’t presume, I mean, ever, but this used to be Gabs’s room, and—”
“Stop”—I jerked open the drawer—“right there.”
She giggled as I ripped open the wrapper and covered my length. Eyes wide, she reached for me, but I batted her hand away.
“If it’s your first time,” I whispered, ignoring her confused look and slowly inching myself into her, “make it count. And focus on me, only me.”
With clenched teeth, I pushed forward.
She let out a little gasp and nearly fell off the bed. Her eyes fluttered closed and then opened again. “If protection’s rule nine, what’s rule number ten?”
Slowly, I started to move. “Never forget it’s me who makes you feel this way.”
“That’s a rule?”
“My new rule.” I arched back and then slammed forward again. “You’re mine, Blake, you hear me? Mine.”
“Yes.” She gasped, pulling my head down, her lips meeting mine with desperation. “Yes.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
I wish I could say that I was a gentleman, that I let her sleep it off and then very tenderly drew her bath and asked, “Where does it hurt?”
Instead, I’d officially lost my damn mind.
And made love to her three more times before finally collapsing halfway on top of her.
I was in such a deep state of exhaustion that I’m sure if the world had somehow ended between five and six a.m. and the only way to save it was to join forces against the zombies with Channing Tatum, I would have said, “Pass,” yawned, and turned on my side to get a few more minutes of sleep.
Hours later, the sun was starting to seep into the room. I stretched across the bed and felt an empty cold spot beside me.
Another first.
I jerked up and came face-to-face with a very pissed-off best friend, who was holding a pillow above her head as a look of pure hate crossed her features.
“Gabs.” I held up my hands. “Were you going to suffocate me?”
“Thought about it,” she said through clenched teeth. “For at least ten minutes.”
“Shit.” I rubbed my eyes, my voice hoarse from sleep. “Are you telling me you hovered over me with a killer pillow and contemplated murdering me for a whole ten-minute period?”
“Yes.” She didn’t look apologetic. Her eyes were wild; her auburn hair was pulled back into a baseball cap. She looked like she’d just returned from her morning run.
I glanced down at her pink Nike Frees. “Cool shoes. Those new?”
“Don’t!” Her nostrils flared. “Don’t you dare change the subject.”
“Ah, yes.” I sighed. “My impending death. Well, get it over with.”
“How could you!”
“How could I . . . live? Breathe? Well, it’s simple. I’m sure our mutual best friend, Lex, could explain the mechanics behind the human body if you’re so inclined.”
“Ian.” Gabi slammed the pillow into my face.
Repeatedly.
Every time I tried to get a word in, she slammed me again.
“Stop!” I tackled her against the bed and tossed the pillow to the side, only then realizing that I was still naked.
“NO!!!!!” Gabi shouted so loud my eardrum nearly burst and fell out of my ear.
“Oh, please!” I hurried to cover myself. “Like you’ve never seen a penis!”
“It’s yours!” She pointed.
My lower appendage had the good sense to be mortified that it was getting yelled and pointed at.
“Gabs . . .” Once I was safely covered, I tried again. “Why are you pissed?”
“My roommate!”
“You do realize Lex screwed Serena within twenty-four hours of her moving in, right?”
“But that’s Lex! He’s a horrible human being!”
“I’m sure he’ll be happy to know you approve.”
“Blake’s a friend.” Gabi sighed. “And now it’s going to be awkward. Not to mention she’s your freaking client! What the hell were you thinking?”
“Easy.”
“She’s not easy!” she shouted.
“Let me finish.” I leveled her with a glare. “I was thinking, easy, I really like her, I care for her, David’s a freaking douche, and I’d rather die than let him even touch her. And if you must know, I was also thinking, ‘Damn, she’s hot. Hell, I want her—’”
“You mean you aren’t bailing?”
I frowned. “Do I look like I’m jumping out the window and making an excuse about my sick dog right now?”
“You don’t have a dog.”
“Even so, if I regretted last night, which I don’t, I’d be in a hell of a hurry to make sure old Fido made it after that Honda hit him overnight.”
Gabi was still frowning at me. “She likes you.”
“Oh, thank God!” I shouted. “And here I thought she hated me when she started screaming my name—”
Gabi glared.
I stopped talking to offer her a teasing smile. “Say, where is Blake?”