Temptation on Ocean Drive - Jennifer Probst Page 0,41

hard nipples against the cotton T-shirt; her arched hips; her damp, soft mouth beautifully responding to his.

He pulled back slowly. Dropped tiny kisses over her lips as he broke contact, already mourning the distance. Then he stared into her dazed blue eyes.

He’d taken the risk of his life. Kissing Bella could cause a chain reaction that could either spell disaster or finally allow him to show her how good things could be between them. Either way, he had no regrets, not when her taste still burned his lips and his body still shook from her touch.

Now there was only one thing left to do.

He waited for her reaction.

Gabe had kissed her.

She sagged against him, the taste of his mouth still imprinted on her tongue. Her body roared forth in pure feminine power, begging for more; her tight nipples greedy for his lips; the empty, wet ache between her thighs demanding satisfaction.

When he’d showed up at her door, she’d been surprised at how her heart leaped and how badly she wanted him to stay. They’d snuggled on the couch and watched TV like a family, and it had seemed so natural, she’d allowed her exhaustion to overtake her, feeling safe in his presence.

Caught halfway between sleep and wakefulness, she only remembered the strength and power of his arms wrapped around her, the hardness of his muscles, the intoxicating scent of his cologne. Safety turned into want, and a desperation to touch him. She’d wanted that kiss just as much as he had.

Oh God, the kiss.

He had tasted like sweetness and spice, emanating a fierce male hunger that made her want every bad, delicious thing he could do to her. But it was his words that ripped her safe world to shreds and rocked her foundation.

This wasn’t about one kiss.

This was so much more.

He was looking at her as if waiting for an answer, an answer she didn’t know how to give. She studied his gorgeous mouth, trying to unscramble her thoughts. Yes, his leading question at the Royal wedding hinted at something she hadn’t been ready to hear. She’d suspected an admission of attraction. A cracked door where he dangled the allure of a brief physical relationship, nothing more. That would better match his reputation. And she would have been tempted—the man was a god—but that was something she could be strong enough to walk away from in order to protect their business relationship and burgeoning friendship.

She hadn’t a clue he’d been having these types of feelings for her. Big feelings. Feelings he’d been hiding for a while. Feelings that threatened her safe, protected world because he wasn’t offering just his body.

He was offering his heart.

In a flash, all those glimpses from the past suddenly made sense. The way their gazes would occasionally connect and linger. The time their hands had brushed when they both reached for the laptop, and he jerked back as if burned. The day she’d gotten toppled by a wave at the beach and suddenly found herself swept up in his arms, protectively cradled against his chest, his heartbeat thundering madly in her ear.

Dear God, had the signs always been there and she’d been too stubborn to notice? Or was it more about fear? Because if she had noticed, she would have had to make a choice, and that would have been so much harder.

Now he waited, his gaze fixed on hers, the words he’d spoken no longer able to keep him hidden. He’d taken a risk by saying these things, by expressing his want, a longing to see what could be between them if she was interested.

Maybe, if he’d kissed her weeks ago, it would have been different. She hadn’t known the hidden depths of the man before.

Now, she did.

Now, she knew she’d craved his kiss just as much. Because underneath, in a place where she rarely visited, a low simmer burned—the fire of possibility. Barriers had crumbled she had no motivation to rebuild. It had happened slowly, but now as she stared back at him, her lips swollen from his kiss, she realized she owed him a deeper truth.

“I’m confused,” she said, her voice husky in the quiet. “I didn’t know.”

He nodded. “You didn’t want to.”

He was right. “I don’t want to hurt you, Gabe.”

His jaw clenched but his tone was gentle. “And I don’t want you to feel pressured because I decided I couldn’t hold back any longer. I’d just like to ask if you’d think about things. About us. If there’s any part