Two to Tangle (A Tangle Valley Romance #2) - Melissa Brayden Page 0,119

with layers, complexities, and unanswered questions. She’d have to learn to trust more, to follow her heart instead of her fears. In the end, Ryan would give all she had to Gabriella, and then she’d give some more. All she wanted was to spend her days making Gabriella smile.

They kissed more on the sidewalk, on the porch stairs, in front of the door, and stumbling into the cottage, all hands and lips and eager hearts. While they tried to take their time, to go slow and savor the rediscovery, it was not to be. Gabriella had her naked and tumbling over the edge in the hallway just shy of the bedroom. She took Gabriella at the foot of the bed in a haze of heat and desire. Satisfied and happy, they laughed at their half-naked state as they lay side by side in the moonlit bedroom.

“I’m pretty sure your bra is around your waist,” Ryan whispered.

“And your jeans are around one of your ankles. We walked in here like that?”

Ryan kissed the underside of Gabriella’s jaw. “You think I can answer that question? You were topless, so my brain was busy.”

Her gaze danced across the breasts that did her in every damn time. Her skin tingled and her lips parted. Gabriella followed her eyes, amused. “Such a breast woman.”

“Except I’m not. Just yours.” She shook her head, leaned down, and took a nipple into her mouth. Gabriella slid her hand into Ryan’s unruly hair and exhaled sharply, pulling her in closer. That respite certainly hadn’t lasted long. “Oh, here we go,” Ryan said and slid on top, kicking off the jeans that clung to her ankle, with a laugh. She kissed her way up and down Gabriella’s body as she writhed against the sheets. Ryan systematically removed every lingering piece of her clothing, so she could properly worship the body beneath hers. Absolutely beautiful.

Gabriella began to roll her hips, pressing up into Ryan, searching. “You’re too good at this,” she breathed.

“Too good is not a thing.” Ryan kissed her neck slowly, her collarbone, her stomach. She then kissed her inner thighs, first one then the other.

“Dear God. Feels like a thing.”

“Should I stop?” Ryan asked with a grin against that gorgeous skin.

“Only if you want to die,” came the answer, which even in the midst of passion, pulled a smile.

* * *

Ryan decided to skip her run that next morning because when she woke to find herself in Gabriella’s bed, her face pressed into Gabriella’s hair that smelled so familiar of citrus and sunshine, she wasn’t about to move. This was literally her heaven, and the idea that she could wake up to this every morning had her not only energized for the life ahead of them, but content to enjoy the special moments like this one. With his giant bowl of food and his access to her back deck, she wasn’t sure Dale knew she was gone. Either way, she’d pick up the lug soon and see what Gabriella had in store for the day. Maybe she’d see if there was space for dinner at the bar at Tangled tonight. She could watch Gabriella in the kitchen if she chose the right stool, and she knew exactly which ones did the trick.

“What are you thinking about?” Gabriella turned in Ryan’s arms, warm and wonderful. She glowed like someone who’d had amazing sex the night before. Ryan could identify.

“Excuse me. Has it been ten minutes yet?” Ryan asked, incredulous.

Gabriella broke into a sleepy grin. “Yep. I’ve been watching the clock.”

“Sneaky. You were awake, and I didn’t know it.”

“You didn’t answer my question.”

Fair enough. “I was thinking about how happy I am. How different it all feels. I’m scared, but I’m also not at all. What were you thinking about, slugger?”

“How you effortlessly made me climax three times last night, and the ridiculous amount that I love you.”

Ryan swallowed. “You were really thinking that?”

Gabriella kissed her chin tenderly. “And more. When I woke up and saw it wasn’t all a dream, I got a little misty.”

Ryan kissed her nose. “No dreaming. We’re real.”

“We are.” Gabriella smiled and her eyes crinkled. “Let’s eat lots of food today. Sit in the sun. Maybe have a glass of wine with whoever’s about, and then maybe fool around before I go in to work.”

“I think you’ve just described my best day ever.”

“Shall we get started?” Gabriella asked. She stood up naked and beautiful and walked slowly into the bathroom, swaying her hips. Ryan nearly melted