Chapter 58: Gentlemen Wanted 7

Gem

“I’ve had a nice time.” Awkwardly I shifted my weight from one foot to another. I’d had a nice time, I wasn’t lying there, but that was the problem. It had just been nice. There was no chemistry, no sparks of attraction.

Which made standing in front of my closed door, waiting for him to try and kiss me goodnight, even worse. I knew he was going to try. I just didn’t know whether I was going to let him.

“Me as well.” He took a step forward, invading my space, so his bulk pressed me back against the door. “I’d like to see you again.” His lips lowered.

I had maybe a split second to decide what to do when the door I was pressed against opened. I fell backwards with a screech, my arms flailing. But I didn’t fall down. Instead, strong arms caught me, and a familiar warming smell filled my nostrils.

Gent was here.

I wasn’t sure why he was, but he was.

“Time to wrap it up, kids.” Easily he lifted me back to my feet, but he didn’t let go of me. Instead, he stepped against my back. So close I could feel his breath against my cheek.

“Gent?” I squeaked. “What are you doing here? Where’s Cali?” Ducking my head down, I hid the rapidly spreading blush that was spreading up from my neck.

“I’m watching Bobby. You do remember him, don’t you? He’s your son?”

My eyes blazed. “Fuck you, Gent.”

How dare he bring up my son like he had any right to have a say in my life.

Pulling myself from his hands, I stepped forward. Reaching up, I pressed my lips to my date’s mouth. Not because I wanted to but because I knew it would infuriate Gent. And I wasn’t disappointed.

He made a strangled sound in the back of his throat.

“I’ll call you, ok.” Finally, I pulled away slightly. But I didn’t look behind me. Gent had no right to be mad with me. We weren’t together. We had never been together.

“Thank you for the new tattoo. I love it.” I smiled up at my date.

“I’ll happily tattoo you again. There won’t even be a charge.”

Masculine laughter filled the small hallway, but it died quickly as Gent’s hand closed around my wrist. His face was twisted with rage.

“She won’t be calling, and she sure as hell won’t be having any more ink from you either.”

The door slammed behind us as he dragged me backwards.

“What the fuck do you think you are playing at Gent?” Seething, I strained my neck to glare up at him. “You had no right.”

“Shut up, Gem.” His arms came to trap me against the door, caging me inside. “Just shut up and let me think for a second.”

I bristled. What right did he have to talk to me like that? Like I was one of his many conquests.  “I don’t know who the hell you think you are….”

Gent’s eyes rolled. “Are you ever not talking, I mean ….” He froze. His warm eyes fixed on mine. And I knew what he was going to do. Just like I knew what my date had been going to do, out there in the hallway. “Fuck this.”

His mouth came down hard, his lips almost bruising on mine as his tongue probed at the line of my lips. Demanding entrance.

It was an angry kiss like he was punishing me for something. Punishing me for having a life. For daring to go on a coffee date with another man.

“Stop it.” I tore my face away, my hands beating at his chest. Not that it made any difference to him. He stayed right where he was. His chest melded to mine. “Gent, what’s got into you?”

This wasn’t the man I knew. The one who had held my hand throughout my labour, who had rocked my son to sleep when I was so exhausted I was crying more than Bobby. This Gent was rough, almost scary.

“I’m kissing you. What?” He looked offended. “You’re ok kissing strangers, but you draw the line at me?” There was real anger in his voice. It made it deeper. More rugged.

And god, it turned me on. What did that say about me?

“I’m not ok kissing strangers. And I am not ok with you kissing me because you’re angry at me. I want to be kissed because a guy wants to. Not because he’s trying to punish me for something.” I tried to duck under his arms, but his warning growl made me freeze.

“Is that what you think I’m doing, Gem?” Firm fingers clamped down on my chin, lifting my face so he could search my eyes. “Do you think I’m kissing you because I’m mad and jealous and want to stake some claim on you?”

“Yes.” Unblinkingly I nodded.

“And you would be right.” His lips softened into the slightest of smiles. “But that doesn’t mean I didn’t want to kiss you. That I don’t still want to kiss you.”

I swallowed hard.

“I don’t want you to see that guy again.”

The warmth that had spread around my heart vanished. “How dare you come in here and try to dictate who I can and cannot see. What am I meant to do? Stay single because…”

“I want you to date me. Be with me.” Even as I watched, he closed his eyes. Like the words pained him to say.

“Gent.” My voice wobbled.

“Give me a chance, Gemma. I think we have proven we are good together. We get on.”

“You sound like you are talking yourself into it.” Shaking my head, I turned away. “We don’t know if we are compatible as a couple Gent. We haven’t even kissed and….”

Capturing my cheeks between his hands, he leant down, so his forehead was against mine. “I’ve kissed you.”

“Not properly,” I pouted.

“Let’s rectify that then, hey?” Rough fingers trailed up my cheek. His almond-shaped eyes darkened. “I’ve wanted to kiss you for so long, Gem. And I think you know it. So this is me asking. Can I kiss you? Properly? Not because…”

I was nodding even before he finished, and his smile grew even wider.

Holding my breath, my hand came up to rest against his chest, bracing myself for it.

Bobby’s wailing screech was ear piercing, and the two of us froze. Like we were two naughty teenagers who had just been caught by their parents.

Gent started to laugh. Low, rumbling belly laughs. “It’s a good job that I love that kid because he has lousy timing.”

“I’ll get him.”

“No, I will get him. You go and change into something more comfortable. I got him.”

I watched as he walked away. His back straight. His every move confident.

And I found myself smiling. Just like that, we had gone back to the way things were. Before we had come home and everything had gotten messed up.

I could feel his eyes on me in the darkened living room. I didn’t need to turn to know he was staring at me when he should have been watching the film he had put on.

It was so much like old times. Except that it was awkward. When we were living together on the run, I wouldn’t have hesitated to curl up against his side. And now I didn’t know what I was meant to do.

“He’s asleep, Gem.” Gent’s voice made me jump, and I finally turned. His face was illuminated by the blueish glow from the TV. “Milk drunk and snoring. Relax.”  Even in the dark, I could see the white flash of his teeth as he grinned.

“I know.”

“Then why are you sitting like that?” His dark hair fell into his eyes as he cocked his head to the side. “Come here.” Strong hands pulled me backwards, tucking me firmly into his side. “Much better like this, don’t you think?” His heavy arm went around my shoulders.

I sighed, content as I leant my head against him. Yes, it was better.

“You never have to feel weird around me, Gemma. We are a team.”

“I know.” I moved closer to him, my face tilting up expectantly.

For a moment, he searched my face and then his lips were on mine, softly sliding against them in the dark. His wet tongue traced my bottom lip, demanding entrance.

And this time, I didn’t hesitate. Moving slightly, I wrapped one arm around his neck, bringing him down closer to me so I could deepen the kiss.

Gent tasted like peppermint gum and beer.

Again and again, his lips came down on mine. His tongue tentatively touching mine.

And it wasn’t awkward. It was gentle and hot. And just like I had imagined kissing him would be. The perfect mixture of heat and tenderness.

A kiss from a gentleman. The kind of kiss women always dreamt of.

“I want you, Gem.” Gent’s hand came up to cover my own. “I want you so fucking much it’s painful.” Sliding my hand down, he pressed it against his crotch.

I could feel him under the denim. Swollen and hard, and my mouth watered.

It had been so long since I had been with a man.

“This needs to go.” The lips on my mouth drifted lower, trailing across my jaw and down my throat. And it felt good. Amazing even. But I couldn’t help but freeze as my oversized T-shirt was pushed up over my stomach.

Gent’s hand disappeared under it to cup my breast.

“I need to look at you, to taste you. Gem? Hey, what’s wrong?” He pulled away slightly, worry making his eyebrows slam together.

“I don’t know.” And I didn’t. I wanted him to do all of those things, so I didn’t know why I was suddenly so stiff.

“You don’t like me kissing you?”

“I like kissing you,” I admitted. My fingers tapped his chest as I tried to find the right words. “It’s just…it’s been a while and...”

Slowly he nodded. “I get that, Gem. We can go slow. As slow as you want us to.” His lips brushed against mine again.

“Are you sure?”

He smiled against my lips. “Yeah, I am sure, Gem. You haven’t been with anyone since Fender. You’ve just had a baby. We can go slow. It might mean I spend more time in the shower than normal, but we can go slow.” He chuckled.

I laughed right along with him. But I had noticed he hadn’t said that he hadn’t been with anyone new. And I wasn’t sure how I felt about that.