Page 44 of Tangled Up In You

“Well, it’s not because no one wanted me,” she said with mock incredulity and he laughed. “I just never found the right connection.”

“Interesting.”

He still remembered well the way she’d undressed herself for him without any nervousness the first time they were together. The thought that no one else had touched her with this kind of intimacy was enormously satisfying to his male ego. And though he didn’t say it out loud, he was overcome with the desire to be not just her first, but her last.

24

SOPHIE

“Gavin, get your arse up! We need to get going.”

Sophie recognized Conor’s voice behind the door. His steady knock continued and it didn’t appear that he had any intention of stopping until he got an answer. His persistence worked because Gavin finally stirred.

“Leave it!” Gavin called.

“Let me in, ya fucker. What’d you get so busy chasing skirt last night, you forgot us lads?”

“Go ahead,” Sophie said quietly. She slipped on the hotel robe and went into the bathroom, leaving the door partially open.

She watched Gavin pull on his boxer briefs and go to the door, opening it three inches.

“It’s early yet, isn’t it?” Gavin asked.

There was impatience in Conor’s voice when he replied, “It’s half bloody ten. We’re meant to be in the car on the way to the venue at eleven.”

“I didn’t realize the time.”

“She that good?”

Sophie ducked behind the bathroom door when Conor looked over Gavin’s shoulder in an effort to see who had been keeping his friend so busy.

“Better than you can even imagine,” Gavin said and Sophie could hear the smile in his voice.

“Congratulations. Now, let’s fucking go.”

“I’ll meet you down in the lobby.”

“Don’t keep us waiting.”

Sophie emerged from the bathroom as Gavin closed the door. She knew the exchange she just heard meant their time was over. What a night it had been, though. It had been a delicious taste of what a real reunion might be like. They had amazing chemistry, of course, but the familiarity that came with knowing and understanding each other was even more exciting. There was an ache in her chest now that they had to say goodbye all over again.

“Looks like we need to be down in the lobby in less than a half hour,” he said, pulling her into his arms.

“I heard. I know you have to go.”

“Weneed to go, darlin’. You’re coming with us. Withme. Right?”

She knew that to spend the day with him was only prolonging the inevitable. He would soon be moving on to the next city. That didn’t stop her from wanting to be with him every second before then, though.

“Yeah, sure. I have VIP tickets, anyway, don’t I?” she said and he smiled.

Sophie knewthis wasn’t the best way to ingratiate herself with the other boys of Rogue all over again. Though she had done what she could to clean herself up, it would be obvious she had spent the night with Gavin. Her unbrushed hair was tied into a messy bun. Her makeup was mostly gone, leaving her with only the lip-gloss from her purse. And she wore no panties beneath her sundress, though only Gavin was privy to that.

Gavin led the way, holding her hand as she trailed behind him into the lobby. The large space had high ceilings with dark wood beams, arched entryways, and elegant Mission Oak furniture. There was a buzz of activity as other guests organized their excursions for the day. A couple decked out in matching denim shorts and tank tops scanned the room in a transparent celebrity sighting effort but they looked right past Gavin.

Conor saw his friend straightaway, though, because she heard him call out. “Let’s go, lover boy.”

His raised voice made some of the other guests turn his way, but it was his striking good looks that earned him a second glance. He was impeccably groomed, with his short black hair styled into a faux-hawk and his face cleanly shaven. He wore dark jeans, folded precisely at the cuff two times, and a soft gray cotton tee shirt that clung to his muscled chest, showcasing his devotion to fitness. A silver pocket chain that had become his signature, made a loop from his front pocket to his back jeans belt loop.

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