Taking the Heat (Jackson: Girls' Night Out 3)

“Now let’s get you that orgasm,” he said with a grin.

“What?”

One of his eyebrows rose. “Don’t tell me you’re too tired. All you have to do is lie there.”

“I—” she started, but he’d already ducked down and dragged his tongue over her clit. “Oh!” she gasped at the hard shock of pleasure. For some reason, she hadn’t imagined he’d want to do that after he’d fucked her. She already felt wet and warm and slightly used, but he put his whole mouth over her and sucked at her clit.

“Oh, God,” she groaned, raising her knees and spreading them wider. “You’re like my own personal fantasy, Gabe MacKenzie.”

His mouth left her for the barest moment. She glanced down to see him watching her, the naughty smile gone from his face. But he didn’t say anything, and then his tongue was on her clit again, and Veronica let her head fall back and her eyes close as she tangled her fingers in his hair.

He was her fantasy, and even better than that, this was all going to be okay. She could feel it. And then all she could feel was his mouth.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

VERONICA WOKE TO a sensation of being bound by something hot and heavy and comforting. When she stretched, Gabe’s hand spread over her naked waist and pulled her more snug against him.

“Mmm,” she sighed as she turned her head into his shoulder and inhaled the scent of his sleep-warmed skin. He smelled like spice and sex. Despite that she’d come right before falling asleep, lust still settled into her belly as she breathed him in.

“I’m sure it’s just my sister,” he murmured into her hair, and she realized what had woken her as his phone gave another brief buzz. His hand stroked her hip, then stilled again.

Veronica entertained the idea of rousing herself enough to initiate sex, but she must have fallen back asleep before she could act on it, because the next thing she knew, she was jerked awake again.

Gabe’s phone was buzzing again.

“I swear to God,” he rasped, “if she’s calling because she can’t find the bottle opener...”

Cold seared her back when he left the bed, and she quickly rolled over into his spot. He cursed and she heard something on the dresser fall over, but then he must have found his phone, because the glow of the screen lit his naked chest.

“It’s my mom,” he said, all the sleepiness leaving his voice.

Veronica sat up and turned on the lamp next to her bed, sheet clutched to her chest in deference to his faraway mother.

“Mom?” he said. “What’s wrong?”

When Veronica saw the way fear fell over him, taking all the color in his face with it, she almost wished she’d left the room dark.

“You’re at the hospital?” he asked. “What are they saying?” He paced toward the dark doorway that led to her living room, then back, scrubbing his free hand over his hair.

“I...I don’t get it. Didn’t he just go to the doctor last month? I know, but— Okay. Okay.”

Veronica watched his eyes search the room until they found the clock.

“I’ll get a flight out for me and Naomi, but it won’t be for at least six hours, and we’ll have to connect. I’ll call as soon as I have something. Leave your phone on, Mom, okay? Let me know if anything changes.”

Veronica was already out of bed and pulling on clothes when he hung up. “What’s wrong?”

“My dad. He had a heart attack.”

“Oh, Gabe.” He looked so lost, just staring at her, the hand holding the phone still raised halfway to his ear. She crossed the room and wrapped her arms around his waist. “I’m so sorry. Is he going to be okay?”

“I don’t know. They said he’s critical but stable. Stable is good, right?”

“Yes,” she agreed, “stable is really good.”

“His doctor has been warning him to get healthier, but he was just there a month ago and he was fine.”

She squeezed him harder. “Does your sister know?”