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

Yes, she wrote back, making sure not to add fifteen exclamation points. There was no reason for him to know that she was tempted to walk out on dessert for him.

She looked up to find her friends staring. “Sorry,” she said, tucking her phone away.

“Sorry?” Lauren repeated. “Sorry you haven’t told us who you’re flirting with?”

“I’m not flirting with anyone!” she protested. Her lie didn’t work, apparently, because they both laughed at her. “What?” she demanded. “I was only returning a text.”

Isabelle rolled her eyes. “Judging by how ridiculously excited you were to hear from him, we’ll be getting some details soon. We can wait.”

“Speak for yourself,” Lauren countered. “I can’t wait.” But she didn’t press the issue. Instead they ordered desserts and one more round of drinks and Veronica tried not to imagine what might happen later. But she had a feeling this was going to be a birthday to remember. No...not just a feeling. This was her new life and she was going to make damn sure this birthday went the way she wanted.

She had her number three now.

Try new things.

She couldn’t wait to get home and put it on her fridge.

CHAPTER TEN

“BUT IT’S MY BIRTHDAY,” she murmured, her voice a purr in Gabe’s ear.

He nearly groaned. He had a plan. He was determined to go slow. He’d been fantasizing about it since the night she’d told him her secret. And now...now that he’d actually touched her, now that he’d actually felt how wet she got for him... Shit. He was determined to make it perfect.

“Please?” she whispered.

Gabe stroked his cock through his shorts and winced at the ache. “It’s late,” he said.

“I know. That’s why you should come over now. Don’t you want to?”

He did groan this time. “I’m hard as a rock, damn it.”

“Oh. Are you really?” The seductive purr had left her voice. She sounded a little breathless, a little doubtful, and hell, if that didn’t make him want to show her just how hard he was.

“Yes,” he finally said. “And you? Are you turned on?”

Her voice dropped to a whisper. “Yes. I like thinking of you that way.”

Oh, God, she was going to kill him. He gripped his cock through the fabric and squeezed it hard. “Have you touched yourself?” he asked, torturing himself further.

“No. I was hoping you’d do that for me.”

Gabe blew out a long sigh. It was after eleven. He had to work tomorrow. His muscles ached from the climb today. And this wasn’t part of his plan. He knew how to wait for something he wanted.

“Please?” she whispered again.

Fuck his plan. “I’ll be right there,” he said.

She was laughing as he hung up the phone, but he was in too much pain to laugh. If she wanted to be touched, he’d touch her. Hadn’t the girl waited long enough? And it was her birthday, after all.

He grabbed shoes, a jacket and his keys and stalked out. She didn’t want champagne and candles, but if this was part of her fantasy, he wanted to give it to her.

Gabe knew he had trouble with wanting to be an ideal. An ideal son. An ideal colleague. An ideal boyfriend. He wanted to be the kid his dad could count on. He liked being the male librarian who wasn’t shitty and chauvinistic. He’d always loved being told he was a great lover. The problem with being ideal was that it got tiring. Sometimes he wanted to be selfish. But right now his desire to make it good for Veronica lined up perfectly with what he wanted. To get her naked, to touch her, to make her come.

Fuck, he couldn’t wait to get his hands on her. Or...he could. He just didn’t want to.

By the time he knocked on Veronica’s door, he was calmer, at least. And when he saw her smile, he was damn glad he’d come over.

She looked different tonight. More confident. Her eyes sparkled and her chin was tipped up to meet his gaze.