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Young nerd, a little voice whispers in my ear.
“Your legs will thank me.”
The first touch of vibration to my calf makes me question his statement. I suck in a sharp breath, using all my willpower to stay still when everything in me wants to move away from the pressure.
It doesn’t get any easier as he moves up and down my leg. The rounded head drills into my muscles with shocking precision. A firm, warm hand follows the progression, kneading the aches away.
Fuck. This should not be a turn-on.
“Breathe, Gabriel.”
I let out the breath I’ve been holding and reach for a throw pillow, curling around it. My childhood was full of hard manual labor and plenty of beatings from my older brothers. A little pain is nothing new. A thing of the past, blessedly, but this is something else entirely.
King clamps a hand behind my left knee.
My brain skitters, imagining his palm rubbing higher. Those strong fingers teasing me.
I suck in a breath and mentally recount the alphabet backward. Z, Y, X...
Seriously, I’m a sweaty, writhing mass of humanity on Katherine’s couch. X-rated thoughts should not be flitting through my brain right now.
“Are we gonna talk about it?” he asks, digging into my thigh.
“About how I’m not gonna be able to walk later?”
The dull pain mingles with the pleasure of his touch. Oh hell, is this a new kink being unlocked?
24
KINGSTON/GABE
Gabe’s question hangs in the air as I work my hand down the back of his calf. The coarse hair tickles my palm, but I keep up a steady manipulation of his muscle. Between the heat of my hand and the massager, he should be right as rain.
However, he’s full of shit.
He knows what I’m talking about. How we woke up on his sofa like two octopi—or is it octopuses?—wrapped around each other. Also, that he snores. Just a little. It was actually sort of endearing.
However, I’m not that surprised by his deflection. He has a reputation to protect, and I can respect that.
So when his phone rings, I back away, giving him privacy. I turn the massager off and stow it back in the drawer as Gabe pushes up into a sitting position and connects the call.
“Yeah?”
Disappointment clangs through me, and I both love and hate that I’m self-aware enough to recognize it. Losing his attention is an odd thing to be unhappy about. But the hollowness in my chest is undeniable, like an empty little sphere waiting for him to ask me to join him for breakfast.
Dramatic much?
Like I haven’t been eating breakfast by myself for a decade. And yet, suddenly, I don’t want to be alone.
Sighing, I circle the sectional and head for the shower.
The apartment feels extra empty without Katherine in it, and I make a mental note to check on the jungle of plants. If all else fails, I’ll call Simon for help.
I turn the water on and strip out of my clothing.
What is she doing right now?
Never mind, I know what she’s probably doing. And how ironic is it that I flew halfway around the world for her, and now she’s not that far away from my sailboat? With another man.