Every time they had that conversation, it always ended the same way. With Oliver telling her how much he loved her, how he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, and how she would always be enough for him.
And she’d never doubted the truth of those words because she had felt the same way.
She knew now they’d both been lying to themselves and to each other. There had been a piece missing.
As they entered her bedroom, Gavin turned and reached out for her. Drawing her close, he kissed her deeply, passionately, and she suddenly realized he’d been holding back earlier.
When they parted, she glanced over her shoulder and saw Oliver leaning against the doorframe—watching them but apart.
He shook his head at her curious look. “Not tonight.”
Before she could question him about that, Gavin cupped her cheek and turned her face back to him, resuming the kiss. It was clear Gavin and Oliver had talked about this, about how things would go. And she was more than happy to follow their lead.
“Take off her shirt,” Oliver murmured from the door.
Gavin broke their kiss, never taking his eyes off her, as he reached for the hem of her top—she was still in her scrubs—and pulled it over her head. She recalled doing the exact same thing last night, standing before him in just her bra, so that she could wash out the stain.
However, unlike last night, Gavin didn’t look away, didn’t try to avoid looking at her body. Tonight, he drank it all in. His gaze felt like a caress as his eyes drifted lower, taking in every part of her.
“Touch her,” Oliver whispered.
Erin had been a fool to think Oliver wasn’t a part of this. He might not be touching her, but every word he said fueled her arousal, turned her on more.
Gavin ran the tip of one finger along the lace at the top of her bra, gently stroking the curve of one breast, traveling to the valley between, then starting the journey back over her other breast.
Erin took several shallow breaths, suddenly struggling to draw air into her lungs. It was a simple, almost innocent caress, but it packed a punch.
Gavin lifted his hand to her shoulder, slowly drawing her bra strap down, before repeating the same process on the other arm. Using both hands, he drew the lace lower until her breasts were completely revealed.
“Stroke her nipples,” Oliver said. “Run your fingers over them. Feel how tight they are.”
Gavin responded to everything Oliver told him to do, allowing him to guide them through this experience. Oliver was an intense lover, his dominance in the bedroom completely opposite from his easygoing attitude everywhere else. She, like Gavin, trusted him to know exactly how this should play out.
Erin gasped slightly when Gavin touched her nipples, first with the back of his fingers, then again with his fingertips.
“So tight,” he whispered. Erin wasn’t sure if he was talking to her or Oliver or, God, maybe himself.
“Pinch them,” Oliver said, his voice suddenly husky. He was still in the doorway, too far away, but it was obvious he was feeling the heat, the sexual tension in the room thick as a heavy fog.
Gavin’s gaze left her for a moment, traveling over her shoulder to Oliver.
Oliver chuckled softly. “She likes a rough touch. Trust me.”
Gavin resumed stroking her and then, he did exactly as Oliver suggested, pinching both of her nipples firmly.
Erin’s hands flew up and she gripped Gavin’s forearms, not to pull him away but for support. “God,” she said, her eyes drifting closed. “Gavin.”
He pinched them again, tugging on them as well. “Open your eyes, Erin. I want to see.”
She blinked several times, trying to focus. “See?”
“See what this does to you. How it makes you feel. I need to know you like it.”
Erin smiled. “I love it. Do you…”
Suddenly, she understood Gavin’s need for reassurance.
This was uncharted territory. For both of them. He’d never been with a woman. And she’d never slept with…well…basically a virgin, at least a heterosexual one. Part of her was terrified he’d figure out he’d been wrong about his desires and call it to a halt.
Gavin cupped her breasts, squeezing them tightly. Then he lowered his head and kissed her again. “You’re beautiful. Jesus. I’m blown away by you.”
She giggled softly, too happy to keep the sound inside.
“Less talk, more action,” Oliver said from the doorway.
Erin glanced over her shoulder, narrowing her eyes. “Come closer.”
Oliver sucked in a deep breath, but then did as she said. While he was only a few feet away from them, he still didn’t seek to join in. “Reach around her and unfasten her bra.”
Erin started to turn around, thinking it might make things easier, but Gavin halted her with firm hands on her shoulders. “Don’t move.”
He reached around her to unhook her bra. With his arms wrapped around her, it felt almost like an embrace, and she couldn’t stop herself from shifting closer, resting her cheek against his strong chest. She longed to see him as well, to strip him of his clothing, but after last night’s revelations, she thought it best that he take the lead on undressing himself.
He unfastened her bra with surprising skill, managing the task so quickly and efficiently, she lifted her head and gave him a curious look as he pulled the lace away completely and dropped it to the floor.
“Beginner’s luck,” he murmured, as she and Oliver laughed lightly.
Erin’s laughter ended on a gasp when he resumed his ministrations on her breasts, wasting no time teasing her tight nipples with more pinches, more pulling. He wasn’t holding back a thing, and Erin loved it.
“Suck on them,” Oliver said at last. Erin had been mere seconds away from making that same demand.
Gavin bent his head, wrapping his lips around one of her nipples. Again, he didn’t use kid gloves, but instead took her with a passion that was dizzying. He sucked her nipple hard enough she saw stars. When he grunted, she realized she was gripping his hair, pulling it. She loosened her hold, but Gavin shook his head.
“Pull it harder,” he said, just before taking her other nipple into his mouth.
“Gavin likes it rough too,” Oliver said.
Erin ran her hands through his hair. She’d foolishly chastised him a few days earlier, telling him he was overdue for a haircut. Now she was grateful he hadn’t listened. She loved running her fingers through his thick mass of dark hair, and loved even more the way his groan trembled against her sensitive nipple when she tugged on it, pulled it.
Her back arched with delight.
Gavin lifted his head, his eyes soft with wonder. “Can you come from this?” he asked curiously.
She shook her head. “Not just that. Though it turns me on. A lot.” She reached for the bottom of his T-shirt but didn’t try to remove it. “May I?” she asked.
Gavin nodded, then helped her pull his T-shirt over his head. She leaned forward, losing no time in running her tongue over his nipple, teasing the tiny bit of flesh with her front teeth. Gavin moaned, his hands gripping her head firmly, holding her lips to his chest.
“Fuck, that feels good.”
“Now you know how I feel,” she whispered against his tattooed skin. There were fewer scars on his chest, but she was closer to them than she’d been last night, and now—like then—her heart ached for the young boy who’d been so brutalized by his own mother.