when he called me honey. Loved it even more when he said it while he was moving inside of me. But right then and there I decided I loved hearing Gabe breathe my name the best of all.
A beat of silence turned into three and I watched as he came back to himself. Eyes still linked, bodies still connected, hearts still pounding. And he gave me something more when his lips curved up into a smile, the likes of which I’d never seen.
“Do you have any idea how gorgeous you are?”
Gabe’s hand glided from my hip and over my ribs. His knuckles skimmed the side of my breast then continued until his big palm cupped my cheek.
Throughout this, my eyes remained riveted on his but his had dropped to my mouth.
“Take a chance on me.”
His voice was so soft I couldn’t be sure I heard what I thought I’d heard.
“A chance?”
“Forget everything I said and take a chance. You and me.”
Now my heart wasn’t pounding, it was dancing. Until my brain clicked back to reality.
“I live—”
“We’ll worry about that later.”
But now that my mind had wandered there I couldn’t let it go. Worrying about it later meant a painful goodbye when I had to leave. It meant ruin. And besides, worrying was what I did.
“Gabe…” I started and trailed off because I didn’t know what to say. I knew what I wanted to say. I knew I’d happily pack up my lonely, boring life in California if it meant I got a shot at Gabe.
I knew what I wanted but I also knew it was insane.
Love at first sight wasn’t real.
Moving across the country for a man I barely knew was a fool thing to do.
Yet I’d fallen in love with Gabe at a glance.
It was on the tip of my tongue to agree. To be crazy and brave and take a chance.
“I know what I said and I know why I said it,” Gabe said. “And I knew I was lying when I said it. I gave you an out, honey, and you didn’t take it.”
He was right about that. I’d asked him for more time.
“I give up,” he murmured, and unconsciously my legs still wrapped around him tightened.
The corners of Gabe’s eyes crinkled and his thumb lazily brushed over my jaw.
“Give up?” I whispered when he didn’t continue.
“I can’t even remember why I was fighting it, but I give up. I lost one battle, but, Evette, honey, you gotta know in doing that I won’t lose this next round. I’m gonna fight like hell to keep you here with me. I’m gonna keep at you until there is no doubt you are mine. Until you trust I am yours.”
Gabe is mine?
“I’m yours?”
Gabe flexed his hips, bringing my attention back to our connection.
“You uncomfortable?” As a matter of fact, I wasn’t but Gabe didn’t wait for me to respond. “I’m still pinning your hands above your head. You’re stretched out under me with your legs wrapped around me tight. And just to point out the obvious, my dick’s still inside you, baby.”
All of that was true. Gabe hadn’t disconnected and rolled off after he’d made love to me. He stayed planted deep and commenced what amounted to a heart-to-heart. He hadn’t let go of my hands though I wouldn’t say he was pinning them to the bed. I could move them if I so chose to do so but I hadn’t. Neither had I attempted to disengage in any way.
I was exactly where I wanted to be.
I was unclear how exactly that made me his; it was just at that point Gabe swiveled his hips and ground down and I no longer cared.
“Gabe,” I breathed.
“Mine,” he growled.
I was no longer looking into his beautiful brown eyes. I wasn’t looking at anything because my eyes were closed and Gabe’s mouth was on mine. Then I wasn’t thinking about anything at all except how good his tongue felt against mine. It didn’t take but a second for Gabe to deepen the kiss. When he did all I could do was feel, and what I felt was so sweet, so beautiful, I knew I’d told him the truth—I’d give Gabe Harris anything he wanted.
Chapter 19
Evette made a noise that was somewhere between a moan and plea, the sound so hot my cock throbbed. Not since never had I finished one round, stayed hard, and was ready to go again. Not once. Not ever. Only for Evette.