“I need to get one of these,” he said.
“You need to get lost,” Jacob said.
“You know a lot about women,” Gabe said to Jacob. His gaze dropped on Amanda, who was using Jacob’s arm to shield as much of her body as possible. Gabe’s jaw dropped and he pointed a finger at her. “Wait? Aren’t you Tina’s sister?”
“You didn’t see her,” Jacob said in a low voice.
“Fuck, Jacob,” Gabe said, his head swiveling in Jacob’s direction. “Are you a complete idiot?”
“It’s none of your business.” He scowled. “And don’t call me an idiot.”
Amanda’s fingers curled into his belly, and she gave him a weak hug. She was too exhausted and relaxed to give him proper support. She hated that he believed he was stupid and wondered how many people had made him feel that way over the course of his life for him to be so sensitive about it. Especially since she knew it wasn’t true.
Gabe ran a finger along the margin of his hairline. “I came over here to ask your advice about a woman, but I think I’ll go ask one of the roadies. You obviously don’t have a lick of good sense when it comes to females.”
Interest piqued, Amanda straightened. “What kind of advice about a woman?”
Gabe stared into the water and then lifted his gaze to meet hers. He had the most striking green eyes she’d ever encountered. Perhaps it was the contrast of the black and red tattoos on his scalp and his equally bright mohawk that made his eyes look so green, but she got sucked into his gaze and couldn’t look away.
“Maybe it would be better to ask a woman’s advice instead of a dude’s,” he said. “I’m dating this woman from Wichita.”
“By dating, he means he had a one-night stand with her.” Jacob chuckled.
“Fuck you,” Gabe said. “This is why none of us date regularly,” he said to Amanda. “Ever since Jacob’s divorce, everyone in the band seems to think women are only after one thing.”
“Sex?” she blurted. Because that’s what she was after.
Gabe’s eyes widened, and then he laughed. “I meant money.”
Amanda’s face went hot and she couldn’t blame it on the heat of the water. “Oh.”
“We have each other’s backs now,” Jacob said.
“Except when we find someone we do want to get serious about, the rest of the band tries to f**k it up as soon as possible,” Gabe said. “Anyway, I’m dating this girl who lives near Wichita.” He paused and stared at Jacob as if daring him to deny his claim. “Named Melanie.” He paused again. When Jacob didn’t tease him, Gabe shifted his gaze to Amanda. “She’s all pissed off because I didn’t invite her down to hang out on my one night off this week.”
“I’m sure she just wants to spend time with you,” Amanda said.
“She thinks I’m fooling around on her.”
“Well, you are in hot tub with a naked woman,” Jacob pointed out.
Gabe jerked his feet out of the water and extended them across the deck. Amanda stifled a chuckle. This was obviously bothering him.
“When did you meet her?” Amanda asked.
“Two nights ago.”
Shocked, Amanda blinked at him. Why was he so concerned about a woman he just met? But he was worried if he was here asking for advice. Most guys would try to muddle through and then f**k things up before they started. “Maybe she’s worried that you’re just stringing her along. Do you have plans to see her again soon?”
“Yeah, the band has a three-day break next weekend and she’s planning to visit me here in Austin for the duration.”
Jacob stiffened beside Amanda, and she looked at him to find him offering Gabe pointed shut-the-hell-up looks. So he didn’t want her to know that he’d be home next weekend? Not that she expected this hook-up to lead to anything even remotely permanent, but if she was good enough to f**k, she should be good enough to know such a small tidbit of information. She wasn’t going to stalk him or anything. Or try to trap him. They were going to have a talk as soon as Gabe left so he realized that she wasn’t like her sister. She wasn’t a gold-digger. She didn’t want anything from him but a good time.
“Tonight I was working on a surprise for Mel,” Gabe said. “That’s the main reason I didn’t want her here. Plus it’s a long trip to take to spend only a couple of hours together.”
“Did you tell her you were working on a surprise for her?” Amanda asked.
Jacob stifled a chuckle. Now Gabe was sending him pointed shut-the-hell-up looks. “It wouldn’t be a surprise if I told her about it,” Gabe said.
“You don’t have to tell her what it is,” Amanda pointed out.
“True.” He scratched behind his ear. “Um, say, Amanda,” he said, “what do women find more pleasing? Length or girth?”
Jacob burst out laughing. “Are you lacking in both departments, Force?” he asked, using Gabe’s stage name.
Gabe kicked water at him. “No. I just wondered.”
“A bit of both,” Amanda said. “Too long and it can beat the hell out of your cervix. After a while it starts to hurt. Too thick… Well, I’ve never had one that was too thick.”
Jacob stared at her in astonishment and then laughed even harder. His arm tightened around her to press her into his side. “Woman, I never know what to expect out of you.”
Gabe seemed to be taking mental notes. “That’s what I thought. So in regards to the motion when it’s inside the vagina, what’s best? Repetitive, equally spaced thrusts or more variety in the rhythm? Shallow or deep? Fast or slow? And is it better to drive it straight in, at a certain angle, or move in circles?” He mimicked various erotic motions with two fingers.
Amanda had no idea why he was asking her advice on pleasing a vagina, but hers was starting to swell again at all the thoughts he suddenly had churning through her mind. “Um, why don’t you ask her what she likes?”
“I do,” he said, “but this is for her surprise.”
“What, are you going to jump on her the moment she steps through your door?” Jacob asked. Beneath the water, his hand skimmed over Amanda’s hip. Was Gabe’s battery of questions turning him on as much as it was her? She’d never met a man who was so openly inquisitive about such things. At least not with a woman he scarcely knew.