Mine - HelenKay Dimon Page 0,96
A second later his body pressed against hers, his front to her back, and his mouth went to her hair.
She thought about how much they’d both changed in such a short time. He opened his house to her and now widened his trust circle to include Eli. Big steps for a man who proclaimed to be stuck in his ways and fine with that. “You like Eli. Admit it.”
“He apologized to Andy.”
It made sense Gabe would care about that part. Want to see his brother put back together again. She loved his family loyalty. “How is he?”
“Better.”
She didn’t press because Andy’s private life was just that. But Gabe most definitely counted as her business. “Well, you were very impressive.”
“You know what’s impressive . . .” Gabe’s palm traveled down her stomach to settle on the fly of her jeans.
The man did enjoy sex. He mixed it with talking and sharing. A sort of intimacy she’d never really experienced. So much deeper than the act. “I doubt Andy is even in his car yet.”
“He knows better than to barge into my house. Usually an alarm would trip, but this time he’d face my wrath, which is much worse.” Gabe slipped the file from her clenched fist and balanced it on the back of the couch. Then his fingers slipped through hers.
At the crinkling sound of the paper her gaze went to the still-sealed envelope, abandoned there but sitting so close. “Good, because we should really talk about something.”
His mouth traveled to her ear and his tongue licked around the outer rim. “Getting you naked.”
“Before that.” Because if he kept touching her, all that would matter would be touching him back.
“Kissing your neck.”
“Gabe . . . I . . .” She let her head fall back against his shoulder as his tongue tickled her sensitive skin. “Man, that feels good.”
With a flick of two fingers he opened the top button of her jeans. “It’s only the start.”
“I need—”
His fingers slipped behind the zipper and skimmed down the outside of her underwear. “Me.”
Now, it had to be now. She couldn’t sit on the information. That would make everything worse. She had to drag it out or forget it. There wasn’t a middle ground, and her good sense kept blinking out as need took over.
“Okay, look.” She forced her hands to let go of his and turned around. Still in the cocoon of his arms, she looked up and stared into those dark eyes. “I need my brain functioning, and when you touch me that can’t happen.”
His mouth flattened into a thin line and tension pulled at his eyes. “If this is about leaving, don’t say it.”
She actually had to shake her head. She’d been racing down one road and he was . . . where the hell was he? “What?”
“Eli comes in here and says you’re about to get the green light on your future, and now you want to have a big talk.” With his hands on her hips, Gabe pulled her in closer. “I don’t want to hear about you moving on.”
They’d gone off track. Leaving was the dead last thing on her mind. Her drive to stay with him kept pulling at her to do the right thing and fess up. To give him an answer he might not want but one he needed so he could prepare. “I didn’t say that.”
His fingers tightened on her. “But it’s coming, right?”
“You’ve been nice about—”
“Jesus, Natalie. I am not nice.”
She didn’t know how to respond to a guy who got ticked off at being told he was a good guy. “Okay.”
“The talk I gave you about staying here for your safety is bullshit.” He swore under his breath. Shook his head. Looked as if he had a battle going on inside him and was trying to fight through it. “Well, not completely, but that’s not really where my head was when I made the offer.”
She touched him then. Ran her hand along his jaw because he seemed like he needed comfort. “I don’t understand what you’re saying.”
“I want you to stay for me, Nat. I want you safe, sure, but this is way more selfish than that. I want you to be here with me.”
Her mind went blank. Every argument and thought shuddered to a halt in her head. “Gabe.”
“Yeah, it’s too fast and maybe a little stupid. I don’t give a damn.” He wrapped his arms around her. For a second he leaned his forehead against hers but then he lifted