Part 6 (1/2)

Nate nodded.

”f.u.c.k me,” Gavin muttered as he walked into the dining room and filled a lowball gla.s.s half full of whiskey. He drained the gla.s.s and then took the bottle into Sydney's bedroom.

”Thank you for the ride,” Sydney said demurely as she slid into the pa.s.senger seat of William's tiny yellow sports car.

”No problem.”

He guided the car away from the curb and Sydney leaned back in the b.u.t.tery soft leather seat, glad to be off her feet for the first time in over ten hours. When events fell on weekdays, it was always more difficult, because her office work still had to be done as well. And this particular event had been more stressful than most because the men in attendance had taken an unnatural liking to her.

It had been an intimate dinner party, a fundraiser, and most people in attendance were mated-no-married. Yet that did not stop the men from staring at her, flirting with her, even trying to slip her business cards with cell phone numbers scrawled on the backs. She'd never received so much attention from the male species before in her life. She had been flabbergasted, and completely out of her element.

It was daunting, to say the least, to have so many men all of a sudden vying for her attention. She wasn't normally the type of girl men noticed with such . . . intensity. She was pretty enough to warrant a casual glance, maybe even an occasional lingering appreciative look, but she was well aware she was no striking beauty.

Were they s.h.i.+fters? She couldn't be sure, because she had no idea how to figure it out, without coming right out and asking. That fissure of awareness she had just before Gavin walked into her life, and then again just before the Rakshasa attacked her, hadn't really happened while she'd been at work. Probably because she stayed in a perpetually heightened state of awareness all day today. She recalled the startling moment when she could have sworn she heard Gavin calling her name, and she frowned.

”I thought Gavin would pick me up, since he dropped me off earlier.” She hoped her tone sounded light and casual.

William made a face. ”He's pa.s.sed out face down on your bed at the moment.”

”What?”

William glanced at her and then turned back to the road. ”We have a few houseguests. He isn't handling it very well.”

”A few?” Sydney repeated, as she stood in the foyer twenty minutes later, surveying the scene in her living room. As a unit, five heads swiveled around and noticed her for the first time. An instant later, five s.h.i.+fters were gathered around her, taking her coat, her purse, offering to slip the boots off her feet, asking if she was hungry or thirsty or tired. Did she need a backrub? Ice cream? Was she free to go out next Tuesday?

”Next Tuesday?” she asked in confusion.

The young blond s.h.i.+fter looked apologetic. ”We've already drawn straws for who gets the first date when. I just wanted to be the first to ask.”

”You drew straws to see who gets to go out with me?” Sydney's voice rose with her disbelief.

She'd been on precious few dates in her life, and she'd had to work at it reasonably hard each time. Never had she imagined she would find herself surrounded by five men, all clamoring for her attention. Make that six, she thought, as she recalled William told her Gavin was pa.s.sed out on her bed. Of course, he wasn't clamoring for her attention like the rest of them. He simply a.s.sumed he had it.

”Excuse me,” she said as she pushed her way through the crowd, to get to the hall leading to the bedrooms. ”Pardon me. I'm just-I'm going back to my bedroom. I highly value my privacy,” she announced loudly. ”No one is allowed anywhere near my bedroom without my express permission. Does everyone understand?”

All five nodded solemnly.

”Great. Okay. Well, nice to meet you all.”

She hurried down the hall, slipped into her bedroom, and quickly closed the door, just in case someone out there wasn't a very good listener and decided to follow.

The light of a full moon shone through the windows, sending a pattern of white rectangles across the bed. She could see Gavin, who was indeed sprawled face down on her bed. She sighed and stepped farther into the room.

His head was buried between two pillows. One hand hung over the side, while the other was curled into his shoulder. His long legs stretched to the foot of the bed.

He'd changed, she noticed, into his own clothes. She spotted a black duffel bag parked on the dresser. Apparently, Gavin had gone home at some point during the day and gathered a few supplies. He, along with the five men in her living room, intended to stay awhile.

Gently, so as not to disturb him, Sydney sat on the edge of the bed and lifted the pillow covering his head. He s.h.i.+fted restlessly, turned his head to the side, smacked his lips, and then settled back into sleep. She saw the bottle of whiskey sitting on the bedside table and lifted it. Empty. She returned it to its perch and then allowed herself to do something she'd wanted to do since the moment she laid eyes on him: she ran her fingers along the stubble on his cheek. It was unexpectedly soft, which took her by surprise.

”What am I going to do with you?” she murmured as she continued to watch him sleep.

”End this charade. Make love to me.”

Sydney gasped and leaped off the bed. She hadn't expected him to be awake.

Gavin's arm shot out and grabbed the belt loop on her pants, pulling her back to him.

”Don't go,” he mumbled. ”Don't leave me. I'm always alone.”

”I'm not going to make love to you, Gavin.” But she did sit back down on the bed. His arm snaked around her waist and settled there.

”Have you ever?”

”Have I ever what?”

”Made love. To anyone.”

”Of course I have,” she said indignantly.

”What's it like?”

”Excuse me?”

”What's it like? I've never made love before. I just wonder if it's different.”

”Of course you've made love before,” Sydney insisted. He was far too s.e.xy, far too sure of himself to still be a virgin. Besides, just yesterday evening, he had bragged about the women he slept with.

”Nope. Never. Plenty of s.e.x. Never made love. Never thought I'd want to. But I do. With you.” He rolled over onto his back. The hand that had been around her waist lifted and draped across his forehead, while he wrapped the other around her, as if he couldn't keep himself from touching her.

”You'll let me someday, won't you?”

Sydney hesitated. It was on the tip of her tongue to say yes, but she wasn't sure if that was such a good idea. ”Will you remember this conversation in the morning, Gavin?” she asked instead.

”Probably not. Drank a lot of whiskey. Needed to. Otherwise I would have picked a fight with those five b.a.s.t.a.r.ds in your living room, and then your Fate would have had a h.e.l.l of a mess to clean up.”

”I appreciate your consideration for William's sake,” she said with a wry smile.

”Not consideration for him. I just didn't want you to pull that mojo c.r.a.p on me again. Or worse, refuse to sleep with me. Sleep with me, Sydney. I like the way your body fits with mine.”

Sydney stared at him.

”Your other option is to curl up with William. But I think he's stealing Quentin from you, so there might be three of you in the bed. You are not sleeping out there with all those h.o.r.n.y b.a.s.t.a.r.ds. Come to bed. I promise I won't do anything you don't want to do.”

Sydney blew out a breath. ”Okay.” She stood up, and after promising she was just going across the hall to the bathroom to prepare for bed, Gavin let her go. When she flipped on the light and looked in the mirror over the sink in the bathroom, she smiled.

He'd just called her by name.