So much earnestness warmed his eyes, I couldn't say no to him.
“I had a slightly inappropriate dream.” Maybe I could leave the details out.
His brows crept up his forehead. “Like bad?”
I shook my head. “No, not bad.”
He bit his lip, and I could practically see his mind trying to figure it out. “Inappropriate,” he said to himself. “Like a sex dream?”
I nearly choked. I didn’t want to talk about this anymore.
“Ave.” He rubbed my leg while fighting what sounded like a laugh, “There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. We all have them.”
“That’s what Sky said.” I crossed my arms.
“Was it bad or something?” He ducked his head to catch my gaze.
“No.”
His lips curled. “So it was good.”
Okay. Either the floor needed to open up or a lightning bolt needed to strike. Anything to end this torture.
“It was interesting.” Good didn’t do it justice, but I wasn’t going to tell him that.
He watched me for a moment, and I shifted, uncomfortable with the way he always seemed to figure me out.
“You liked it.” Ding! Ding! Ding! Of course, he got right to the point.
“I did.” I blinked up and looked away.
He leaned forward. “And that’s confusing.”
My eyes shot to his. How did he know?
“It’s okay. Enjoying a dream and being ready for it in real life are two very different things.”
I sighed. That's what I needed to hear. “I feel guilty.”
“You don’t need to. You can’t control your dreams.” His kind smile warmed my chest. “So you’re curious about things. We all are. It’s completely normal and doesn't mean you have to act on it. It doesn't have to change anything.”
But what if I wanted it to? What if my reservations had kind of gone away because of the dream? What if my curiosity was growing into something else? Something more like desire. Part of what was stopping me was the big mystery that seemed to hang over being intimate. I was embarrassed by my lack of knowledge or experience, but now, I was rethinking everything. Maybe I didn’t need any of that to have a perfect experience with the guys I loved.
Nothing had to happen now. That was the point both Sky and Gavin made. There was no rush. The other guys didn’t know about this, and I didn't need to tell them.
“Thanks.” I smiled, and he relaxed.
“You can talk to me about anything, you know. You don’t need to be embarrassed. I’m not here to judge or laugh at you.”
“I know.”
His gaze flickered to my lips for a half-second. “I love you, Ave.”
Before his words registered, he sat up straight with wide eyes. “I didn’t mean to just blurt that.” He ran his fingers through the front of his hair. “Shit. Damn it.” I watched him mentally berate himself in stunned silence.
“I’m sorry. I had a whole romantic night planned where I was going to tell you, but it just slipped.” He deflated, staring down at the space between our legs.
I pushed my textbook away and crawled toward him. I took his face in my hands and made him look up at me. He blinked while I waited for a second for him to calm down.
“I love you too, Gavin.” I smiled. “So much. I’ve been waiting for a perfect moment, but this is better than I could have imagined.”
He grinned and pulled me down to meet him. Our lips crashed together, and I finally got my wish as I raked my fingers through his thick hair. The kiss started off desperate, but we melted together into sweet bliss before separating.
I stared back at him with a smile that felt like it would last forever.
“I love you so much,” he said the words as if he could no longer contain them. Like the dam finally broke, and there was no stopping them.
My heart felt like it was going to burst out of my chest and the flood of joy and awe couldn’t be able to be contained. I brushed a finger along his jaw and stopped at his chin, pulling him in again. I pressed a single kiss to his gentle lips, hoping he felt how strong my love for him was.