“Sweetheart, that’s never going to happen,” Gabe said from a position directly behind her, his voice husky, his drawl heavier than usual.
Chloe froze, realizing the men had come in while she was on a roll, spilling her guts.
Gabe continued to speak as though he couldn’t stop. “I think I’ve been in love with you ever since I kissed you on New Year’s Eve. I just didn’t see beyond how much I wanted you. And I do want you, Chloe. I want you forever. Marry me and I’ll baby you forever if I need to, and I’ll love you every step of the way.”
She turned in shock, certain she misheard him. “You love me?” she asked tearfully, her heart full of dawning hope.
“Desperately, darlin’,” he answered with a nod, his eyes intent on her.
“Oh, my God. What happened to you?” Her euphoria over hearing that he loved her was overshadowed as she looked at his face. He had a bleeding cut over his eye, and his jaw was swollen.
“Nothing much,” Blake answered calmly as he stepped up beside Gabe.
“You fought with James?” The cause of his injuries was immediately crystal-clear.
“Wasn’t much of a fight,” Zane answered from behind Blake. “They had to take James to the hospital. I don’t think he’s getting out anytime soon. And Gabe didn’t give any of us a chance to take a shot at the bastard.” His tone sounded disappointed and disgruntled.
“Oh, Gabe,” Chloe breathed out softly, moving forward to gently swipe at the blood dribbling from his cut. “You’re bleeding.”
“Don’t worry about that. You didn’t answer my question,” he grumbled, sticking his injured hand into his pocket to pull out a jewelry box. “I planned on doing this in a more romantic way, but I can’t wait.”
Chloe took the box from him, her heart racing as she popped it open to find the most gorgeous ring she’d ever seen. “Oh, my God. It’s amazing.” Her tears continued to fall, her emotions getting the better of her.
If she had to pick the perfect ring, the one nestled on a bed of red velvet in the box in her hand would have been it. It was large, but delicate and elegant, a round cut center stone surrounded by small diamonds, with even smaller stones dotting the sides.
“I’m not much good at picking jewelry, but I’ve heard that the woman who designed it is one of the best,” Gabe said anxiously.
Chloe reached out a finger to touch the gorgeous ring. “Who?”
“The wife of some billionaire in Florida. She’s a jewelry designer.”
“This is a Mia Hamilton ring? Her jewelry is amazing, but very exclusive. She’s so busy it’s hard to get her to take a commission. I know of her—she’s married to Max Hamilton from the charity…” Chloe knew that Max was one of the founding members of the charity for abused women that she and Lara were getting involved with on a regular basis. In fact, Max’s own sister, Asha, was one of the reasons the charity had been founded. Mia was just as involved, donating most of the proceeds of her jewelry business. That made the ring Gabe had gotten her so much more special than it already was.
Gabe shrugged. “She did it for me, although I have to admit that I called in a few favors from friends. Do you like it?”
Chloe looked up at him with her eyes full of love. “I love it. You know she donates a lot of the money she makes to a charity for abused women? It’s really special.”
“I know, and I’m glad it has meaning for you, and that you love it. But it has a whole different meaning to me,” he answered with a grin. “Are you going to let me put it on or not?”
Chloe’s heart squeezed tightly at Gabe’s thoughtfulness. “You must have ordered it awhile ago. Nothing happens fast when a designer is that in demand.”
“Right after I first kissed you.” He took the ring from the box. “I rationalized ordering it, thinking you deserved a damn ring. Period. But I never would have given it to James to put on your finger. It was always going to be me, Chloe.”
That New Year’s Eve had been a turning point for her. But she hadn’t realized how much their kiss had affected Gabe, too.
Slowly, she held out her left hand. “Yes,” she told him, her voice quivering with emotion. “Yes, I’ll marry you,” she reinforced, wanting to be joined with Gabe desperately.
He slipped the ring on her finger quickly, as though he were afraid she’d change her mind.
“I know you have a past to overcome, but we’ll build our future together, Chloe,” he said huskily. “I swear.”
She examined the ring on her finger, knowing in her gut that it was absolutely right. “I love you,” she whispered quietly, reverently, standing on her tiptoes to kiss him.
“I love you, baby. More than I ever knew it was possible to love somebody.” Gabe ignored the little peck she was going to give him and curled his uninjured hand around her neck and claimed her lips.
Everything was there in his kiss: love, devotion, understanding, and happiness and relief. Chloe kissed him back, forgetting that all of her family was watching.
Her face flushed when they finally broke apart and then everyone was clapping and shouting their congratulations at the same time.
“It’s going to take awhile for me to get used to seeing you make out with my little sister,” Blake joked, his voice containing humor and a little disgust as he slapped Gabe on the back. “But I can’t see her finding a better man.”
Chloe smiled at Blake and he winked back at her before pulling her into a hug. She hugged every person in the room, her heart overflowing with joy.
“I can wait until you’re ready before we get married. But I wanted that ring on your finger,” Gabe whispered huskily into her ear.
Everyone was milling around the living room chatting, giving them a break to be alone for a moment.
“What happened with you and James?” Chloe knew the bastard had gotten what he deserved. Still, she hated that Gabe had been hurt in the process. The cut over his eyes had clotted and stopped bleeding, but his jaw was still swollen.
“We settled things. He’ll go from the hospital to jail. Unfortunately, he’ll probably get out if he makes bail. There weren’t that many charges we could bring against him, nothing violent.”
“When do you think he’ll get out? Do you think he’ll try something else? What if he has other videos?” Chloe wondered if her fear would ever end.
“I’m pretty doubtful he’d ever have released the video. It doesn’t exactly put him in a good light either. He was careful when he didn’t email the video to you. I don’t think he wanted any copies out there. And I’m pretty sure he isn’t going to get out of the hospital any time soon.”
Chloe sighed as she put her arms around Gabe’s neck and rested her head on his chest. “I can’t believe you put him in the hospital. What if he presses charges?”
“He won’t. I have witnesses who will swear it was self-defense, one of them a senator. He’s already been warned that he can’t win. He hated that. The bastard always wants to win.”
Chloe knew Gabe was right. James did like to win. There was nothing that pissed him off more than losing.
“Let me clean up your cuts,” she said, pulling away from him. “You really should go to a hospital.” She could doctor him up a little, but for her peace of mind, he needed a professional assessment.
“That’s the last thing I need,” Gabe argued as he pulled her close to him again, tossing the jewelry box he was still holding onto a nearby counter. “I only need you.” He pulled her close and ran his hands up her back.
“You have me. Now let’s get you a doctor.”
“I think I already have one,” he said teasingly.
Chloe rolled her eyes. “If you were a horse, I’d know exactly what to do.”
“Pretend I’m a stallion,” he whispered naughtily.
“That’s hard to do when almost every member of my family is here.”
“Later,” he promised.
Chloe ached to be alone with him, but she wanted to thank her family first. All of them had be
en willing to let their own lives crash down around them because of James’s revenge porn. She wanted them all to know how much it meant to her that they loved her that much.
“Later,” she agreed, pulling him down for another kiss. She was gentle, careful not to aggravate his injuries. She settled for a short embrace before pulling away. “Now let’s go get you cleaned up.”
He let her lead him away from the crowd. She took him upstairs and cleaned his wounds, thinking the entire time that he acted just like the restless horses he loved so much. He changed clothes because he had blood all over his shirt from the cut on his forehead, and they headed back downstairs.
“That was fast,” Blake said with a smirk as they appeared. He looked Gabe up and down.
Chloe laughed, knowing her brother was teasing Gabe because they’d taken so little time upstairs. Blake was insinuating that they’d gone for a quickie.
“Fuck off, Colter,” Gabe grumbled.
The men stopped insulting each other as Chloe’s mother came rushing over. “Let me see the ring.”
Chloe held her hand out for her mother to dutifully admire her engagement ring. “It’s a Mia Hamilton ring,” she told her happily, going on to explain how Mia and Max were related to Asha, who Aileen knew from hearing Chloe and Lara speak about her in conjunction with the charity they’d become involved with.
“It’s lovely. How many carats?” she asked Gabe curiously.
Chloe watched him shrug. “I thought about getting something bigger, but I was afraid Chloe wouldn’t wear it all the time if I did that. I think this one is around four carats.”
Aileen smiled at her, and Chloe smiled back, remembering their joking conversation about getting at least a three-carat ring from The One.
“It’s more than enough,” Aileen said happily and winked at Chloe.
“I think it’s perfect,” Chloe said with a contented sigh.
Her family started to leave one by one, and she thanked all of them even though they shrugged it off as no big deal.
Blake offered to get Chloe’s truck from James’s house.
“We’ll pick it up…later,” Gabe told his friend with a warning glance.
Chloe nodded, knowing she needed some time alone with him.
When everyone had gone and the home was quiet, Chloe breathed a sigh of relief. She loved her family, but right now she needed Gabe. Her fiancé. The man who really did love her and accepted her, mistakes and all.
She locked the front door. “I think I need a bath. And I feel like some company.” Chloe felt like she needed to wash all remnants of James from her body, and who better to help her but Gabe?
“So what are you waiting for, woman? Come on,” he encouraged, grabbing her hand to pull her toward the stairs.
Chloe laughed at his impatience as she followed him.
Chapter 18
“You have me where you want me. Now what are you going to do with me?” Gabe asked lazily, staring up at her with a devilish look on his face.
Chloe sighed as she stretched out next to him on the bed, both of them completely naked. She was more comfortable with her body now, and the instinct to hide what nature had given her was no longer an issue…thanks to Gabe. When a man looked at a woman the way he looked at her, it was hard to be self-conscious.
Lying on her side, she propped a hand under her head and looked at him stretched out comfortably on his back. She was relaxed after a long bath, having lain in Gabe’s arms until the warm water had started to grow cold, just experiencing the incredible feeling of being with him.
They hadn’t talked much during their bath, but they hadn’t needed to. Being together again was enough.
She smiled at him. “Did I say I want you flat on your back in bed?”
“You told me I needed to be in bed. I’m here. So now what?” he asked mischievously.
She had told him he needed to be in bed. He looked exhausted, and he was injured. “You need sleep. I can see the dark circles under your eyes.”
“Something about losing the woman who means everything to me isn’t real conducive to getting any sleep,” he told her huskily, reaching out to fondle a lock of her hair. “But I tried by downing a bottle of whiskey. Still didn’t work.”
He’d drank that much and hadn’t slept? No wonder he looked worn-out. Chloe had gotten a cold pack for his jaw and she’d kept it positioned during their bath. The swelling was going down, but now she could see that he was going to have some painful contusions tomorrow. They were already starting to form.
She’d taken more time with his hand, checking over the cuts carefully for any glass. After putting some more antibiotic ointment on the lacerations, she wrapped his palm up again. The worse cut was right beneath his fingers; the rest were superficial. The cut above his eye was small but deep, and he’d probably end up with a tiny scar.
“One sign of infection or pain, and you’re going to the hospital,” Chloe warned him, annoyed because he refused to be seen by a doctor. Stubborn man! “What really happened to your hand?”
“I think that glass table in the living room tried to attack me. I had to punch it, and it broke,” Gabe told her, deadpan, trying to be a smartass.
Chloe’s heart squeezed. “You were angry,” she concluded. “Mad at me because I lied to you on the phone.”
“I was angry,” he said with remembered pain. “But I was mostly pretty much destroyed. My heart was shattered, and I wasn’t thinking.”
“I’m so sorry,” she told him remorsefully, lifting her free hand to lightly stroke his cheek.
“It’s not your fault. I was being stupid. You’re never the cause of a person’s actions, Chloe. I’m responsible for the dumbass things I do.”
She’d wondered what had happened to that pretty glass table in the living room. Now she knew.
“Me, too.” She laid her head on his chest carefully and he continued to play with her hair. “I just wish that my actions before I met you didn’t affect you so much. I hate that.”
“It’s over, Chloe, and none of it was your fault. I say we take a break for a while. Let’s go somewhere, see things that maybe we’ve always wanted to see but never had a chance,” he suggested emphatically. “I never really traveled much, and neither have you. I tried to pick up the reins for Dad right after he died, and you spent all of your adult years in school. Let’s travel.”
Oh, God, it was a tempting offer. She loved the ranch, but she hoped they had decades to spend here. She’d love to complete her healing by traveling the world with Gabe beside her. “But what about the ranch?”
He shrugged. “I can bring in all the help I need. Cal will know where I am. He can always reach me.”
“Will I still have a job when we get back?” she teased. He’d have to get a temporary vet on the premises.
“Absolutely,” he answered earnestly. “I wouldn’t have anyone else by my side on this ranch but you. I can get somebody to fill in.”
“I think it would be incredible if we could arrange it,” she agreed, already imagining being someplace warm and beautiful as the Colorado winter set in. “I’ve heard Thailand is nice this time of year.”
“Done. I’ll arrange it tomorrow. We’ll start there and then play it by ear.” He ran a comforting hand up and down her back.
“Tomorrow? When exactly do you want to leave?” They couldn’t exactly just pick up and go, could they?
“Baby, we’re both billionaires. There’s very little that we can’t do. When do you want to leave?”
Chloe heard the boyish excitement in his voice, and it made her smile. She was ready to begin their adventure any time they could arrange it. They’d both been so very responsible their entire lives. It was time to play. “Soon,” she answered simply.
“Your mama is going to want you married to me before I take you all over the world with me,” Gabe warned her.
“Then let’s get married. I already have a beautiful ring,” she answered dreamily.
“Sweethear
t, I’d marry you tomorrow, but this is something you need to be ready for. I’m not pushing. You’re mine, you’re wearing my ring, and that’s enough for me until you’re entirely sure you’re ready.” His voice was sincere.
I’m ready. I’m ready.
“I’m ready,” she told him aloud in an unwavering voice. “James was my youthful mistake. I think I’ve been waiting for you forever.” She’d needed Gabe; she just hadn’t known it.
“Darlin’, I know I’ve been waiting for you all my life,” he rasped. “I think I knew the moment I saw you after you came home for good.”
“Then marry me, run away with me,” Chloe cajoled, thinking of nothing now except escaping for a while with the man she loved.
“I can’t say no because I want it too badly,” Gabe answered, sounding disgusted with himself.
“I want it, too,” Chloe told him as she gently crawled over his body and straddled him, looking down at his beloved face. “Say yes,” she demanded, giving him an expectant look.
Gabe was the man she always should have had, but hadn’t been lucky enough to find until now. In her heart, she thought that somewhere along the way, they’d missed connecting like they should have done years ago. He was the missing piece of her soul that she’d always needed, always longed for but didn’t possess.
He lifted a brow at her. “Getting demanding?”
She tilted her chin. “If I need to be.”
He grinned at her evilly. “Convince me.”
Did he think she wouldn’t take the lead? She leaned down carefully and planted her arms beside his head. “Okay. Let me know when you’re finally persuaded,” she said seductively into his ear. “Don’t move around too much. I don’t want you to hurt yourself.”
She deliberately let her breasts abrade his chest as she leaned down to kiss him. Although she was on top, Gabe immediately responded. Possessive hands slid down her back as his tongue delved into her mouth. She opened and let him in, giving back exactly what he was dishing out, their mouths merging in a sweet passion that brought moist heat flooding between her thighs. Her tongue dueled with his, meeting, merging, and then pulling back to do it all over again.
More Than Love Page 35