By the Heart Bride: Gabe (Matchmaking A Marriage Book 3) Page 9

  “I’ve missed this,” he murmured, lowering his head to nibble lightly at her lips.

  While he bit softly at the plump flesh, his body moved against hers, driving her fever higher. Her hands moved over his back, remembering the firm flesh in sinful detail. He was broader now, more muscular and potently male. “You’re beautiful.”

  Gabe lifted his head, looking down at the woman beneath him. His body ached with throbbing intensity, urging him to take her quickly. But that wasn’t what he wanted. He wanted to savor the moment, to draw it out and make it last.

  For her.

  And for himself.

  “That’s my line, honey.” He leaned on one elbow while his other hand traced a line once more from her jaw to her throat, his dark eyes blazing as he dipped lower to undo the buttons of her shirt. Parting it, his breath hissed as he discovered the pink bra beneath and the firm flesh straining the delicate cups. “God,” he groaned, unsnapping the front hook. Pushing the bits of lace aside, he stared reverently at the twin mounds with their tightly budded brown centers. “I have to taste you, Millie.”

  He took her with his lips, his tongue, and his hands while Amelia thrashed beneath the sensual onslaught. Eyes wide, she saw nothing but the man loving her so wildly, felt the heavy thud of his heart against her, the slight tremor of his hands as he swept them over her, seeking remembered places.

  In one coordinated movement, he moved back, pulling her into a sitting position to swiftly divest her of her blouse and bra. Laying her down once more, he moved from the bed, turning his attention to the snap of her jeans. With a finesse that astounded her, he lowered the zipper and smoothed the soft denim down her legs, dropping them to his feet at the foot of the bed. With a devilish grin, he placed a knee on the bed, pushing her legs apart as he slowly worked his way between them. Crouching on his knees, he pierced her with a stinging look as he cupped warm hands around her hips, hooking his thumbs into the elastic band of her matching pink panties.

  She had a brief moment of insecurity. Their time together had been years ago. Her body had matured to say the least. While her breasts were flatteringly fuller, her hips and thighs were just…big. She started to push away, telling him they were moving too fast, but then she saw the unguarded look on his face as he looked down at her, spread before him in all her glory, every imperfection on full display. And still he looked, his face and eyes heavy with desire.

  And it was okay, she told herself. It was more than okay. This was Gabe. The cowboy who had swept her off her feet. Showered her with affection and desire. Amelia’s heart fluttered, and butterflies flapped in her stomach. She quivered with anticipation. It had been so long, and the reality of his touch was better than she’d remembered in her dreams. She felt sure that this time with him would be just as exciting, just as magical. Maybe more so.

  “Please, Gabe…Please.” She shivered.

  “I intend to, honey,” he said hoarsely. Taking the scrap of lace in one fist, he yanked, tearing the fabric from her body.

  Before Amelia could catch her breath, he was there, his mouth on the most intimate part of her. She squeezed her eyes shut, a moan escaping her as she lifted herself into his expert touch. Giving herself over to the sensation, she concentrated on the firm grip of his warm hands and the feel of his lips on her, his tongue bringing her to the brink as he repeatedly flicked her sensitive bud. Gripping the comforter, she twisted the thick fabric in her hands as she gave herself over to the climax shuddering through her.

  Vaguely, she felt him leave the bed. Forcing her eyes open, she found him, chest heaving as he removed his clothing in record time. When he noticed her watching, he stilled.

  Color heightened his cheekbones, highlighting the storm of emotion in his dark eyes. Amelia didn’t try to keep her eyes from straying. She’d seen it all before. Her gaze moved over broad shoulders, skittering down the ridges of his flat abdomen, over muscular thighs and…

  She swallowed past the sudden dryness in her throat as she focused on the indisputable evidence of his desire for her. The lethargy she’d experienced only moments before was gone, replaced by a hunger made even more ferocious.

  “Everything okay, honey?”

  His voice was raspy, drawing Amelia’s eyes back to his. Heat flooded her face at his look. “You’re…bigger than I remember.”

  A smile teased the corners of his mobile lips. “And a hell of a lot older.”

  “Me too,” Amelia shrugged.

  Instead of answering, his gaze roamed over her. “You’re even more beautiful,” he said at last.

  “I’m not,” she denied quietly, shaking her head.

  “You are,” he murmured, climbing back into the bed beside her. “Let me show you.”

  Amelia once again gave herself over to him, losing herself in the mindless joy of being loved by Gabe. Sighs of pleasure drowned out the ticking clock on the bedside table. Time stilled as they remapped with hands, tongues and teeth remembered pleasure points. Each sensuous stroke fueled the fire blazing between them.

  After so long a time, Amelia had thought—when she’d allowed herself to imagine this happening again—that their coming together would be a frantic coupling, a feverish drive to the finish line. But that hadn’t been so.

  “I want you, honey. I can’t wait much longer.”

  His voice spoke softly in her ear right before he took the lobe between his teeth, nibbling gently before kissing his way to her breasts. Pulling one pebbled nipple between his lips, he suckled her, moving his delicious ministrations to the other breast as she arched against him.

  “Gabe,” she begged, her hips greedily rocking against his erection in an attempt to assuage the frustration rising inside of her.

  With eyes so dark they looked almost black, he rose above her, settling his hardness against her moist center. Holding himself still, he stared down at her, the familiar look of hunger overshadowed by something that filled her heart with renewed hope.

  Filled with a raw need that went beyond sensual hunger, Amelia could wait no longer. Reaching between them, she grasped his hardness, guiding him inside of her. She wrapped her legs around his waist, urging him deeper still.

  I love you. I never stopped. Oh, Gabe, I love you. The words circled in her head, over and over with each thrust until she could no longer think. Giving herself over to him, she followed his lead, surging into him as he pushed forward, her passion rising higher with each stroke.

  “Can’t…wait…,” she gasped, her body stiffening before convulsing into release a second time.

  Gabe continued to thrust, hard and deep until he found his own release. They lay together, their breathing ragged and their hearts thundering in their chests. Eventually, Gabe pulled away, resting on his back, pulling her close. Amelia didn’t want to fall asleep. She wanted to revel in the feel of the strong arms wrapped around her, the hard chest beneath her head and the beat of his heart in rhythm with her own. But exhaustion combined with repletion overtook her. Snuggling even deeper into him, she let her eyelids close.

  Although he woke her several times during the night to love her all over again, Amelia felt refreshed and ready to go when she awoke the next morning. Turning her head, her happy mood diminished as she found Gabe’s side of the bed empty.

  Had he gone back to the ranch?

  She couldn’t bear the thought that he’d once again left her without a word. Grabbing her robe, she slipped it on and tied the garment around her nakedness. Not bothering with shoes, she pushed her hair back from her eyes and headed from the room, grabbing her cell on the way. If he had left already, should she call him?

  Down the short hall, she stopped abruptly in the living room entrance. Gabe stood at the small table beside the front door, a sheaf of papers in his hand.

  “I thought you—,” she began, stopping midsentence at the look on his face as he pinned her with a glare.

  “You’re leaving?”

  “What?” A damning accusation was not what she’d been exp
ecting after last night.

  He held the papers up, and she recognized them immediately.

  “That’s not what it looks like.”

  “Really?” One black brow arched incredulously. “So it’s not an application for a position in Colorado?”

  “It is, but I…” Amelia frowned as her cell phone rang. “It’s not what you think, Gabe.” Pulling the phone from the pocket of her robe, she saw the caller’s name and groaned. She swiped the screen, cutting off the shrill sound of the ringer. “I have to take this.”

  She answered the call. “Hi, Betty, what’s up?”

  Amelia turned away from Gabe, unable to concentrate while looking at the scowl on his face. Part of her wanted to explain, while another part felt anger at his highhandedness. He’d once left her without a word. Forcing herself to put those thoughts aside, she listened to Betty, concern marring her brow. June Tanner had taken a fall, reinjuring her ankle and possibly suffering other injuries as well. At her age, a broken hip could be life-threatening. “I’ll be there in half an hour. In the meantime, get x-rays and keep her as comfortable as possible.”

  Turning with a ready apology, she was shocked to see that she was alone. Gabe had slipped out while she’d been on the phone. Her eyes shifted to the table, seeing for the first time a white bag and a container holding two cups of coffee. He’d gone out to get them breakfast. Had he intended to stay the day?

  Dammit, she groaned, heading to the bedroom. Would anything ever go right where they were concerned?

  Amelia blew her nose and dried her eyes. She’d cried all the way to the Ace in the Hole. Throughout the morning, she’d vacillated about confronting Gabe. Not that she was scared to do it. She had to wonder if it would matter, though. Oddly enough, it had been June Tanner who had made up her mind.

  The older woman had sprained her ankle again and had bruising along the hip and down the leg which, while nasty looking, was not serious. Luckily, she hadn’t broken anything. Amelia had decided to admit her to the hospital since she didn’t have anyone at home to take care of her. As she had explained to June that she had no life-threatening injuries, she’d been surprised to see her eyes fill with tears.

  “I wasn’t afraid, Doctor. My Daniel is waiting for me. And I miss him so very terribly.”

  Amelia had listened to her for several more minutes as she’d extolled the virtues of the man that had stolen her heart from the first moment she’d laid eyes on him. And how their romance almost hadn’t happened after a misunderstanding between the two. Intrigued, she’d wanted to hear more but the sedative she’d given the older lady had taken effect, stopping further conversation.

  Still, it had been enough to make up her mind. She was going to talk to Gabe; to get the past settled once and for all. If they had a future, she’d be thrilled. If not, at least she’d know she’d done all that she could.

  The weather had turned cool again, and rain was in the forecast for later in the evening. Amelia pulled her sweater closer around her as she made her way toward the group of men at the corral. Among them, she noticed Cal, Ryder, Gramps, and Pops, as well as Colby Benson and Naola. With all eyes intently watching what was happening in the corral, no one had noticed her arrival. She slipped into an empty spot at the rail nearest the barn and her heart jumped into her throat. Inside the ring, Gabe was using every bit of his formidable strength to stay atop a particularly wicked-looking sorrel. The animal bucked and thrashed as though in pain, snorting angrily, with eyes rolling wildly. For an instant, Amelia felt sympathy for the wild animal that balked at being broken.

  Was that how Gabe had felt ten years ago?

  Was it why he’d run this morning instead of staying for an explanation?

  Had he been looking for a reason?

  Amelia lifted her eyes just in time to see Gabe go flying through the air. Her breath stalled as his body hit the ground with a decided thud. Stunned into immobility, she could only watch as cowboys entered the ring, gathering around his prone form. Only when she was unable to see whether he was alert or unconscious did she find her feet moving. Roughly shoving aside the men blocking her way, she knelt beside Gabe, cradling his head between her hands.

  “Gabe, can you hear me?”

  His eyes blinked once, twice, then focused on her with their normal laser-like intensity.

  “Are you okay?” Her hands smoothed over his forehead, through his hair, searching for injuries. “Can you move?”

  “Yeah,” Gabe muttered, sitting up abruptly. Her hands on his head were having a decided effect on his lower body. One that would get him ribbed for a month if he didn’t redirect everybody’s attention. “I don’t need a doctor. I’m fine.” He couldn’t stop the groan that escaped him as he pushed himself to his feet. Damn, he’d be sore tomorrow, he thought, taking a step towards the entrance of the corral.

  “You’re obviously not fine,” she argued as he stumbled, her hand reaching out to steady him. Her eyes roved over him in more than clinical fashion as her heart threatened to beat out of her chest. If he were injured internally…

  “I told you, I’m fine.” He jerked away, careful to put a few inches between them.

  “So you’re just going to walk away like you did this morning? Like you did ten years ago?”

  She settled her hands on her hips as though ready to do battle, but the longing in her pretty eyes caught Gabe by surprise. He held her gaze, not caring if his own mirrored her emotions.

  “I didn’t…” He shook his head, then winced at the movement. “You’re the one running.”

  “I never ran, Gabe. I stayed right where you left me.” She took an angry breath. “Without a word, I might add.”

  “Hey,” Gabe’s eyes narrowed, his voice rising to match her tone, “I never hid from you. I never said one thing and did another.”

  “That’s just it,” she shouted, “You didn’t say anything at all. Just like this morning when you left without a word.”

  “Either I took a harder fall than I thought or you’re not making any sense.” He blinked, looking around as if just noticing they had a rapt audience. The horse that had thrown him stood unattended at the far end of the corral. “Don’t you all have things to do?” He shouted.

  “Nope,” Gramps denied with a pleasant smile.

  “Uh-uh,” Pops crossed his arms, relaxing against a corral post.

  Mumblings of no and wouldn’t miss this came from Ryder and Cal. Naola and Colby simply stood their ground, eyes wide.

  “Dammit,” Gabe ran a hand over the back of his neck in frustration. The woman in front of him had turned his life upside down—again. “Look,” he faced her once more, “I don’t think this is the place for this conversation.”

  “Well, normally I’d agree,” Amelia said with faux sweetness, “but then that would give you another chance to run.”

  “Dammit,” Gabe cursed again, “I’ve never run from anything or anyone.”

  Amelia stepped into his space, closing the few inches that separated them. Pushing a finger into his chest, she glared up at him, “You made a promise to me ten years ago, Gabe. Then you left without a word. Tell me why. This time, I deserve to know.”

  Gabe had been accused of a lot of things in his life—and most of them were true, but her accusation rankled. “I kept every promise I made you, Millie. Especially that one.” His voice dropped. “I came for you and your…roommate…said you’d changed your mind. You can’t imagine how that felt.”

  “No,” Amelia began, “Andy wouldn’t…”

  “Andy did.” His eyes narrowed. “You know he always had a thing for you?”

  “He didn’t,” Amelia denied without conviction, recalling the talk she’d had with him only a week after Gabe’s disappearance. He’d fancied himself in love with her, he’d said. At the time, she’d been too distraught over Gabe’s leaving to take him seriously. She’d told him she loved him too—like a sister. And that had been that. Soon after, he’d started dating Mona.

  “If yo
u didn’t want me anymore, why couldn’t you just tell me? Why have him do it?”

  “Not want you?” Amelia felt the anger and hurt she’d been carrying so long slip away. “Gabe, I love you. I would follow you anywhere.”

  She realized what she’d said at the same time Gabe did.

  “You love me?”

  “Yes, I do.” She smiled at the look on his face—one of amazement and disbelief all rolled into one.

  When Gabe just stood there staring at her, the men around them got involved.

  “Tell her you love her, too, idiot,” Cal shouted.

  “Don’t let her go again, son,” Pops added.

  Amelia tried to take a step back when he just continued to stand there, but Gabe reached for her, holding her arm in a firm grasp. “Oh no, you’re not getting away from me again.”

  “Gabe, I…”

  “Because I love you, too, Millie. The last ten years have been hell on earth.”

  “For me too,” Amelia confided breathlessly as his arms wrapped around her, pulling her solidly against his hard length. Suddenly, she didn’t care that the whole ranch was watching. All that mattered was that Gabe loved her. “And I’m not going to Colorado. I only filled out the application because I couldn’t stay here and love you from afar. It hurt too much.”

  “If that’s the job you want, honey, take it.”

  Amelia’s heart began to sink. Was he playing her again?

  “Because I’ll follow you anywhere, too.” His arms tightened around her. “I should have tried harder, Millie. I shouldn’t have given up so easily. I promise I won’t make that mistake again.”

  “Good Lord, just kiss her already,” Gramps yelled.

  Amelia barely heard the cheers over the roar in her ears as Gabe followed his grandfather’s command. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she gave in to the passion that burned between them, uncaring of their rapt audience. The fever that seethed constantly below the surface rose. One look, one touch, and it raged into a roaring flame.