Temptation on Ocean Drive - Jennifer Probst Page 0,40
of tenderness washed over him. She tried so hard to please everyone all the time and be the best mom to Zoe. He wished she’d let him help.
He grabbed the blanket from the chair and tried to stretch out her legs so she’d be more comfortable. A tiny frown creased her brow, and she muttered something under her breath. He wondered if she was a sleep talker. Smiling, he tucked the blanket around her and leaned in to adjust the pillow, which was at an awkward angle and crushing half of her face.
Suddenly, she turned and rose up, wrapping her arms around his shoulders.
Gabe froze.
His body went on high alert, but he knew she was half-asleep. Slowly, trying not to wake her, he gently pulled back.
She pressed her mouth to his neck and breathed in, like she was savoring his scent.
Ah, shit.
His voice ripped from his throat. “You fell asleep, and I didn’t want to disturb you. Do you want to stay here or go to bed?”
“So tired,” she murmured, snuggling against his chest like she belonged there. “You smell good.”
A strangled laugh rose from his chest. His arms automatically hugged her back, savoring her closeness and the womanly curves pressed to his body. “And you’re exhausted. Do you need anything before I go?”
“Don’t go.”
He groaned, giving in to impulse, and kissed her temple. “I can stay till you fall back asleep.”
“Yes.”
He stroked her back.
“Feels so nice. Just until—” Suddenly she stiffened, her head tilting back. “Zoe?”
“I put her to bed. I figured you could use the sleep.”
She relaxed with a sigh. “Thank you. You’re good to her. To us.” She focused that heartbreaking gaze on him, her china-blue eyes filled with a longing that punched him in the gut. “You got everyone flowers for Valentine’s Day.”
Caught up in the fragility of the moment, he barely breathed, feeling as if something had suddenly changed. “Yes.”
“Why?”
He hesitated. But right now, he wanted her to know the truth. “Because you’re all important to me. Especially you.”
The air tightened with sensual tension. She blinked, as if trying to register his statement, and then slowly brought her hand to his cheek. His muscles stiffened at the delicacy of her touch, the wonder on her face as she searched his gaze, and in that moment, he realized this was the moment he’d been waiting for. And he couldn’t run or deny or pretend any longer.
He cupped her chin, his mouth descending until it was inches from hers. Those pink, plump lips parted with invitation. Her light floral scent danced around him. “I want to kiss you, Bella. I’ve wanted to since the first day I walked into Sunshine Bridal and saw you. The sun was streaming through your hair, and you had red paint smudged on the tip of your nose from playing with Zoe. You looked up at me with those beautiful blue eyes, and I knew nothing would be the same.”
“Gabe?” His name was both a question and an answer, a prayer and a melody. He waited for her to pull away, but she was motionless, staring at him with a raw mixture of emotions.
His thumb pressed lightly against her soft mouth. “I think you’re an extraordinary woman who rarely gives herself enough credit. And I’ve been trying like hell to get you to see me as a man, not a business partner or casual friend.”
She shuddered.
Fierce need shook through him, and he repeated his intention, giving her one last time to walk away. “I want to kiss you, Bella. I’ve imagined it too many damn times in my head, in my dreams, and I can’t wait any longer.”
Slowly, savoring every moment, his lips pressed to hers, lightly, teasingly. He slid his mouth over hers in a gentle caress of discovery, tamping down a groan at the sweet taste of her, the sudden rush of her breath, the fingers that suddenly dug into his shoulders.
He let her settle in, sipping at her like she was a fine wine, a juicy nectar hidden by a flower’s bloom. Already drunk on her scent and taste, his body ached for so much more. And then she parted her lips, and his tongue slipped inside.
He swallowed her throaty gasp and kissed her like he’d always dreamed. Long, and deep, his tongue tangling with hers, gathering every last drop of her intoxicating flavor of spice and sugar and sin all wrapped up in one. Her body melted beneath his, and he became half-mad at the feel of her