IT WAS almost nine thirty when Justin got back to the apartment. He got a beer from the fridge and settled onto the couch with his laptop, intending to put a dent in the three hundred plus emails in his inbox. A lot of them he’d be able to delete without reading, but it would still take a chunk of time to go through them.
His cell buzzed, letting him know he had messages, and he pulled it out, wondering if Gabriella had tried to reach him. There were two missed calls, both from Brin.
“What the—” Justin broke off. Why the hell had she started calling him again all of a sudden? If she’d had a change of heart and wanted to try to work things out, he had no interest. He didn’t hate her, and he didn’t want to hurt her, but he also didn’t want to have to deal with an old girlfriend that he had no interest in seeing again.
Justin hated to admit he could have been so shallow, but the truth was he’d never loved her. They had started out as friends with common work goals, and they had just sort of evolved into being lovers. She’d used him and he’d probably used her, not intentionally, but they’d both gotten something out of it at the time. Their relationship had been one of mutual convenience. He wasn’t proud to have to admit it.
Brin was smart, driven, and initially, he’d admired the way she went after what she wanted. He just hadn’t realized how driven she was or that her loyalties only went as far as the next rung up the ladder.
He deleted the messages without listening to them. He had no intention of renewing their relationship and didn’t want to encourage her in any way by calling her back. Even if all she wanted was to be friends, he didn’t see any point.
Justin worked for about an hour before he started to get tired. He put the laptop on the table and turned on the television to watch the sports recap. Last night after getting back from dinner at Mary’s, he and Gabriella had watched a movie together. He smiled to himself. Neither one of them had seen much of the movie. After stretching out on his new couch together, he hadn’t been able to keep his hands off her. By the time they’d worked their way from the couch to his bed, most of their clothes had come off, not to be found until a search the next morning to locate the missing garments.
Everything about her turned him on. He’d known lots of pretty women, but there was something about Gabriella that made her unique. He couldn’t explain it. Yeah, she was gorgeous, and just looking at her could make him hard, but it went much deeper than that. He’d never felt such a desire to make a woman happy. He’d never gotten so much out of a woman’s smile or a look that made him feel connected on some other level. There was a bond between them that was special, easy, and felt so right it scared the shit out of him at times.
Justin stretched his arms up and put his hands under his head. He wished she were there with him, naked in his arms, molded against him. He closed his eyes. He’d never opened up to anyone like he had to her when he told her about his parents’ accident. The only one who knew how he felt until then was Blake. He hadn’t intended to burden her with so much, but once he’d started to talk about it, the words just kept coming.
He’d felt a little embarrassed afterward, worried she might have thought he was overemotional about what had happened. But she hadn’t judged. She sat there and listened, holding his hands, and let him unburden his soul. And then, when he’d needed to move away from the pain, she followed his lead in silent agreement to let it rest a while.
It had been obvious she’d been upset when he told her about Landfred, and he wasn’t sure if he would ever be able to feel comfortable in her house, but somehow they’d work through it. Just having the truth out in the open was a huge relief. He should have been open and honest with her about her house from the start. If he had, she never would have doubted his feelings for her.
It still amazed him that she didn’t know how crazy he was about her. He hoped he had allayed those concerns during the last couple of days. He’d never been one to rush things. Take your time…know what you’re getting into…study all the angles. He’d only been dating Gabriella a little over a month, but he’d seen her more in the last five weeks than he’d seen some of the women he’d dated over the course of four or five months.
None of that mattered. If he dated her five more years, he wouldn’t be any surer of his feelings for her than he was now. He was going to marry her if she would have him, and he thought there was a pretty good chance she would. He was going to spend the rest of his life with Gabriella Fiorelli. No, he thought, Gabriella Morrison.
He definitely liked the sound of that. And although he’d never in his life been one to jump in heart first, he knew it was too late for caution. He was already hers.
“ALL I can say is that if Kate is even a day late, Blake is going to be unbearable to live with.” Delaney passed the delicate bone china cream pitcher across the table to Gabriella. “You’d think he was the one having this baby.”
Gab poured some of the cream into her coffee and stirred. “Well, he is, sort of.” She was having a hard time containing her laughter. “I mean, he is the father.”
“Yes, of course, but I swear he’s ten times more nervous about my pregnancy than I am. It’s not like I’m the first woman to ever give birth.”
“No,” Gabriella agreed, “but none of those women were you.”
Delaney looked at her and then rolled her eyes. “Now you sound like my husband.”
Gab smiled. “Sorry, but I think it’s endearing that he is so concerned about you.”
“That’s because you’re not the one he doesn’t even want to get into a car to run to Speckles for a gallon of milk without a police escort.”
“Good afternoon, ladies.”
Gabriella and Delaney looked toward the kitchen doorway at the same time to see Justin walking into the room in his suit, looking like a model for All Gorgeous Male, All the Time. He treated them both to one of his killer smiles, and then his eyes slid to Gab. The look he gave her made her body temperature go up by about ten degrees.
He came over to the table and pulled out the chair next to where she was sitting.
“Hi.” He grinned down at her.
“Hi,” she said back, her lips twitching from the sheer pleasure of his unexpected visit.
He held her gaze for several seconds before breaking the spell and looking at Delaney. “How you feeling, sugar?”
Delaney looked amused. “Oh I’m fine, Justin. What about you?”
“Couldn’t be better, darlin’.”
“Gabriella’s fine, too,” Delaney informed him. “In case you were wondering.” She arched her brows at him, and Gab saw laughter dancing in her eyes.
Justin was grinning at his sister-in-law, and Gab got the feeling there was a private joke passing between them. When he gave Delaney some kind of eye signal, Gab knew something was up.
“Excuse me for a minute,” Delaney said, standing up. “Pregnancy calls.” After she walked out of the kitchen, Gab looked at Justin with a frown.
“What was all that about?”
“I wanted a minute alone with you.”
“And you two are that in tune with one another?”
“She told me last night that you were coming over for lunch this afternoon.”
“So?”
“So she knew when I showed up it was no coincidence.”
His admission made her smile. He’d come to see her. She glanced down, feeling uncharacteristically shy. Even though they had made love several times, what she felt for him was still new to her. It was unlike anything she had ever known, and she doubted there was another man alive who could stir her passions the way he did.
Justin reached out and lifted her head by the chin.
“Hi,” he said again, his voice low and sexy and temptingly sinful. He leaned forward and brushed his mouth over hers, sliding his hand around to cup the back of her head. “You’ve got the sweetest lips I’ve ever tasted.” He trailed his tongue over them and then slipped it into her mouth to play with hers.
Placing her
open palm against his chest, she ended the kiss before it had a chance to get too hot, which would only have taken one or two more seconds. “You,” she said, locking eyes with him, “are turning me into a loose woman.”
“My favorite kind.”
“Then you’re going to love me.”
“I already do.” He leaned forward for another quick kiss.
Gabriella stared at him, her breath halting in her throat. He was grinning one of his teasing, oh so sexy, charming grins, and she wasn’t sure if he had just been throwing the words out in jest or if he meant them. Although, she told herself, he hadn’t actually said I love you. She’d been the one to throw those words out.
“I don’t want to interrupt your lunch with Delaney any longer.” He sat back in his chair. “I was going to call you today to see if you wanted to go out tonight or tomorrow, and when Delaney said you were going to be here, I thought I’d stop by and do it in person.”
“I can’t tonight. I’ve got to finish up some work, but I’m free tomorrow night.”
“When’s Chloe getting home?”
“Sunday afternoon. My brother-in-law is driving her back.”
Justin rubbed his jaw, looking at her while he pondered something.
“What are you doing Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights?”
Gabriella started laughing. “I think I’m going to be spending them with you.”
His eyes sparked with amused warmth. “I like that answer.” He stood up, taking her with him, and pulled her against his hard body. His mouth descended on hers in a scorching kiss that took her breath away. When he lifted his head, gold was the color of passion, burning hot in his eyes.
“I’d better get out of here before I embarrass us both.” Justin took a step back, then another, and another. His lips quirked. “Distance does not make it any easier.”
She moved to the other side of the table. “I’ll walk out with you. I think I could use a little fresh air.”
When they entered the living room, Delaney was sitting on the couch leafing through a magazine.
“Oh.” She looked up a little sheepishly. “I got distracted by this magazine on the way back. There’s a really good recipe for chocolate cake with peanut butter icing in here.”
Justin and Gabriella looked at each other and smiled.
“See you later, sweetheart,” Justin said to Delaney. Gab glanced over at her friend.
“I’m going to walk out to the car with Justin. I’ll be right back.”
When she went back into the house several minutes later, Gabriella had no doubt her cheeks looked as flushed as they felt. She stopped into the entryway powder room to splash some cold water on her face. Looking up, she caught her reflection in the mirror and studied it for a moment. Her cheeks were definitely flushed, and her hair was mussed up, complements of Justin. Her lips, which were full to begin with, looked slightly swollen, again, thanks to Justin.
A thrill of giddy delight made her smile, like a kid who’d just been given a special treat, and she felt like jumping up and down and doing a dance. Justin really, really liked her. She didn’t know why. She wasn’t any great beauty; she didn’t have what most people would consider an interesting job; and her personal life was fairly mundane.
She studied the visage looking back at her but saw nothing special there, nothing that made her stand out, just a pair of eyes that were too big for her face, a mouth she thought was a little too wide, and at the moment, short black hair that could use some product to keep it in place. And, she had monkey arms. They were so long she could almost touch her knees with her fingertips without bending over.
It was much easier to understand her feelings for him. He was easy to talk to and charming and funny. He was smart and down-to-earth, and he was the sexiest man she’d ever known. What wasn’t there to love about the guy?
For now, all she knew was that he wanted to be with her…and that was enough.
Gabriella ran some water on her hands and brushed her fingers through her hair to give it some semblance of style. Justin wanted to spend as much time together as they could this week and so did she. Once Chloe got home, they would be busy getting ready for the start of school. Gab wouldn’t be able to spend her nights with him, and unless he came to her place, they probably wouldn’t see much of each other during the week.
Some of the air leaked out of her bubble. She still hadn’t told him about her father. She swallowed, the back of her throat feeling tight. She knew she had to tell him, and soon, before Chloe got back, but she wanted the next couple of nights to love him before she chanced letting the cloud of her parentage rain down on them.
Deciding it would be better to focus on happier thoughts for the moment, Gab let her mind drift to the kiss Justin had given her just before he left. With a soft smile touching her lips, she set off for the kitchen to find Delaney.
GAB GOT the copy off to her client just after noon on Wednesday. She was meeting Justin at his place at six. He had called earlier to tell her he had a surprise planned for their date that evening and to dress casually.
She decided to go for a run and changed into a pair of cutoff navy sweats, a gray tee shirt, and running shoes. She went out onto the porch and took a couple of minutes to stretch, and then she set off down the driveway.
A cool front had moved through the day before, and the temperature was only in the mid-seventies. There was a light breeze and with the drier air it felt more like early October than mid-August.
Before moving to Glebe Point, she had tried to get out at least three mornings a week for a run. It always made her feel better and was a great way to clear her head before sitting down at the computer to work. On the days she ran, she had followed the same routine for over four years. Drop Chloe off at daycare, pick up a cup of coffee at Java Joe’s, check her emails and messages to make sure nothing urgent had cropped up, and then go out for a run.
The last few months had been a jumble of change. She’d decided to put Chloe into the three day summer camp program instead of an all week daycare, in part because she wanted to have a little extra time with her daughter before she started first grade in the fall. It seemed like such a big step going from half day kindergarten to full day school, with homework and computer lab and riding on a bus. It was only first grade, but to Gab it felt like they would be entering a whole new phase.
As she began to find her rhythm, Gab realized how much she missed her runs. She made a promise to herself that she’d get back on her old schedule as soon as Chloe started school. Their lives would settle into more of a routine then. Gab took comfort in that. She liked routine. There had been so many changes in their life these last few months that a part of her still felt unsettled, but that was to be expected, and it was temporary.
She headed up a small hill that angled to the right around a cornfield, her shoes kicking up little puffs of dust. The field came right up to the road, and the stalks were laden with plump ears. She wondered if anyone would miss them if she picked a couple on her way back home.
When she reached the top of the rise, her muscles complained from lack of use, and she felt more winded than she would have been if she hadn’t gotten out of her routine. She pushed on, telling herself she’d only do three miles instead of the five she was used to doing before the move. Once she got back on a regular schedule, she’d work back up to five.
She didn’t pick any corn on the way back. Although it was unlikely anyone would know if she had, she’d only feel guilty afterward and end up not enjoying the corn, no matter how sweet and plump it might be.
When she got to the mailbox at the end of her driveway, Gab stopped running and walked up the house, the gravel crunching under her shoes. At her front steps, she turned and walked back out to the street. She did that two more times to cool down and then went inside to get some water.
Her gray tee was damp with sweat, and she lifted the hem up to wipe off her forehead. She stood at the sink and downed half the water, then topped it off and w
ent out the back door and down to the dock. With the breeze whipping in off the bay it felt even cooler down here. Gab sat down on the wooden planks and took off her socks and shoes. She rubbed her feet a moment and then let them hang down, her toes just skimming the water. She peered down along the pylon closest to her and saw a blue crab clinging to the side, picking and nibbling at whatever it was they ate off the side of the piles.
She had yet to taste the local delicacies but knew that Marylanders were crazy about their famed crustaceans. When Justin had taken her to St. Michael’s for dinner, some of the other diners had ordered steamed crabs, and when the waiter brought them out, the smell of Old Bay seasoning mixed with the sweet meat had made her mouth water. She had considered getting them then, but eating them had looked like a lot of work, and messy, and she had opted for something a little less daunting for their first dinner out together.
She wasn’t sure where they were going tonight, but if there were crabs on the menu, she would give them a try. Although most of the restaurants got their crabs from commercial crabbers, a lot of the locals caught crabs right off their own piers with cages. When they went out in Blake’s boat, she had seen some people going back and forth between two floating milk jugs, holding a long pole with a wire net basket on the end of it. As they trolled along, they would scoop the net into the water and dump something into baskets on their boat. Justin had said they were trot lining, catching crabs by baiting a line with eel or chicken.
He’d told her crabs were easy to catch. Supposedly, if you tied a piece of chicken to a string and dangled it down in the water, the crabs would grab hold of the chicken. When you felt them tug, all you had to do was lift the string slowly and scoop them into a net when you saw them come into view. According to him, crabs were so reluctant to give up the chicken you could catch yourself a meal with very little effort. He informed her this method of catching crabs was called handlining, and it was one of the first ways kids learned to crab.
Gabriella didn’t know if she should believe him about the string and chicken method or not. He loved to tease her, and it would be just like him to tell her something like that and let her embarrass herself by trying it, or telling someone else about it before admitting he’d been kidding.
Letters to Gabriella Page 17