Forever Buckhorn

by Lori Foster

  The last was muttered and it took a second for it to sink in. Gabe scowled and started toward her. “Now wait just a damn minute—”

  “Sorry! Gotta go.” She hesitated, then called, “I’ll see you tonight, Gabe!”

  She was out the door before he could catch her. He would have given pursuit if Jordan hadn’t started laughing. At that moment, Gabe’s frustration level tipped the scales and he decided Jordan would make a fine target. Slowly he turned, his nostrils flared. “You have something to say?”

  Jordan was his quietest brother, but also the deepest. He kept his thoughts to himself for the most part, and tended to view the world differently than the rest of them. He was more serious, more sensitive. Women loved him for those qualities.

  What had Elizabeth thought of him?

  Gabe waited and finally Jordan managed to wipe the grin off his face. “I’d say Elizabeth Parks is pretty special.”

  Gabe’s muscles tightened until they almost cramped. He hadn’t thought her special at first, but now that he did, he didn’t want anyone else—anyone male—to think it. “Me, too,” he snarled.

  Jordan was supremely unaffected by his anger. “Going to do anything about it?”

  “It?”

  Jordan shook his head as if he pitied Gabe. “You remind me of a junkyard dog who’s just sniffed a female in heat. You’re trying to guard the junkyard and still lay claim to the female.”

  “I’m not at all sure I like that analogy.”

  Jordan shrugged. “It fits. And if I was you, I’d get my head clear real quick.”

  Because he wasn’t sure how to do that, Gabe didn’t comment. Instead, he asked, “What did you think of her?”

  “Sexy.”

  That single word hit him like a solid punch in the ribs. He wheezed. “Damn it, Jordan…”

  “What? You think you’re the only one to notice?” Again, Jordan shook his head. “I’ve got a waiting room full of clients, so I’ll make this quick. No, Elizabeth’s sex appeal isn’t up-front and in your face. But it only takes about two minutes of talking with her, of watching her move and hearing her voice and looking into those incredible blue eyes to know she’s hotter than hell on the inside.”

  It was so unlike Jordan to speak that way that Gabe was rendered mute.

  “If you could have seen how gentle her hands were when she touched that frightened cat, well… You can imagine where a man’s mind wanders when seeing that. And the look of discovery on her face when the first kitten appeared, and her husky voice when she’s getting emotional…” Jordan shrugged. “It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know those same qualities would carry over into the rest of her life. She’s sensitive and tenderhearted and something about her is a little wounded, making her sympathetic to boot.”

  Gabe rubbed both hands over his face, those elusive emotions rising to choke him.

  Jordan slapped him on the back. “Add to that an incredible body… Well, there you have it.”

  “I’m sorry I asked,” Gabe moaned.

  Jordan turned his brother around and steered him toward the door. They were of a similar height and build, but Gabe was numb, so moving him was no problem. “Go. I have work to do.”

  Gabe was just over the threshold when Jordan said his name again. Turning, Gabe raised one brow.

  “I talked you up real nice, told her what a sterling character you have, but somehow I got the impression she’s given up on you already.” Jordan shrugged. “Not that she isn’t interested, because I could tell she is. I’m not sure what you’ve been doing with her, and it’s certainly none of my business, but every time she said your name, she blushed real cute.”

  Eyes narrowed, Gabe muttered, “That’s sunburn.”

  “No, that was arousal. Credit me with enough sense to know the difference.”

  Gabe started back in and Jordan flattened a hand on his sternum, holding him off. “The thing is,” Jordan said with quiet emphasis, “her thoughts are as clear as the written word, and from what I could tell, she’s determined that what she feels is only sexual. So if that’s not what you want, I’d say you have a problem. One that you better start working on real quick.”

  It was the second time in one day that Gabe had been given that advice. Without another word he stomped off, his mind churning with confusion. Yes, he wanted more, but how much more? Hell, he barely knew the woman. And she did have an education to finish, one that was obviously important to her.

  All he could do, Gabe decided, was take it day by day. He’d get inside her brick wall, get her to talk to him, and maybe, with any luck, he’d find out that Elizabeth wanted him for more than a sexual fling or a college thesis.

  But for how much more was anyone’s guess.

  ELIZABETH FELT like a puddle of nerves on the drive to the movies that night. In quite a daring move, she’d changed from her earlier clothes into another dress, this one a tad shorter, landing just below her knees, and with a bodice that unbuttoned. She felt downright wanton. Not because the clothing was in any way revealing, but because of why she’d chosen it in the first place.

  Thinking of Gabe’s hands stealing under her skirt in search of second base or opening her buttons to linger on first base had her in a frenzy of anticipation.

  Nervously, she glanced at his profile. He was quiet, his jaw set as he concentrated on driving. His strange, introspective mood seemed to permeate the car. She cleared her throat and said boldly, “Do you realize how many firsts I’ve had since meeting you?”

  He jerked, his gaze swinging toward her for a brief instant. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  She had to make him understand, Elizabeth thought. The last thing she wanted to happen, now that she was getting into the novelty of this unique courtship, was for Gabe to feel pressured and back off. His sisters-in-law had been clearly concerned that she might get hurt. Perhaps Gabe would worry about the same thing. But if she reassured him that they wanted the same thing, a pleasant way to pass the time during her visit, with no strings attached, then he’d feel free to continue his wonderful attentions.

  And they were wonderful. Gabe made her feel sexy, when all her life she’d felt plain to the point of being invisible. He made her feel feminine when she’d never paid much attention to her softness before, except that it made her weaker, less competent in a crisis. And he made her feel sexually hungry when she hadn’t even known such a hunger existed.

  “I like your brother.”

  Gabe shot her a dark look. “Which one?”

  “Well, all of them, but I was talking about Jordan. He’s different from the rest of you.”

  Gabe’s hands squeezed the wheel tightly. “Yeah? How so?”

  “Quieter. More…intense. He’s so gentle with the animals. I felt totally at ease with him, and that was certainly a first.”

  Gabe’s jaw locked so hard she wondered that he didn’t get a headache. “You’re not at ease with me?”

  Around Gabe she was tense and so hot she thought she might catch fire. But she wouldn’t tell him that. “It was just different with Jordan. And he let me help with that cat. I’ve never seen babies born before.” Her voice softened, but she couldn’t help it. Seeing the tiny little wet creatures emerging was a true miracle. “Have you? Seen babies born, I mean?”

  “Sure.” Gabe glanced at her, then at the road. “Jordan keeps all kinds of pets around the house. We all like animals, Lizzy. He’s not different in that.”

  “But Jordan’s… I don’t know. More discreet than the rest of you. Softer.”

  “Ha!” Gabe shifted in his seat, looking disgruntled. “Don’t let Jordan fool you! He’s quieter, I’ll give you that. But he’s a man, same as I am.”

  “Gabe, I didn’t mean to draw a comparison.” She couldn’t understand his reaction. It was almost as if…no. There was no way Gabriel Kasper could be jealous of his brother. She decided to change the subject.

  “I had lunch with Honey and Misty today.”

  Gabe’s brows
pulled down the tiniest bit. “Did you enjoy yourself?”

  “Yes.” Elizabeth pleated the edge of her skirt with her fingertips. “I’ve never really hung out with other women before. It was fun. The things they talk about…”

  There was a strange darkness to his eyes as he asked, “What things?”

  She shrugged. “Women things.” She had no intention of telling him Honey was pregnant. Now that she’d been initiated into the wonders of doing lunch with the ladies, she’d didn’t want to do anything to ruin it. When Honey told her husband the news, then Gabe would find out. “Shopping, Amber, men. Things like that.”

  In a reflexive movement, Gabe’s hands tightened on the steering wheel. “What about men?”

  “Nothing in particular. Just fun stuff. It was a first for me. I hadn’t realized how enjoyable that could be, chatting and laughing with other women. I’ve never quite fit in like that before, but they’re so nice and accepting. I like your sisters-in-law.”

  Gabe stopped for a red light and turned to face her. “I like them, too. A lot.” He tilted his head, studying her, and there was something in his eyes, some vague shadow of consideration. “C’mere, Lizzy.”

  Oh, the way he said that. It was so much more than an invitation to close the space between them. The heat in his eyes made it more. The low growl of his voice made it more. She looked at the seat where Gabe’s large hand rested. Warming inside, she scooted over as much as her seat belt would allow. It was close enough to feel his heat, his energy, to breathe in his wonderfully musky male scent.

  Last night she had imagined burying her nose against his neck, drinking him in and tasting his hot skin with her tongue…. She gulped a large breath of air and tried to get control of herself. She was turning into a nymphomaniac!

  Immediately, Gabe’s rough palm settled on her thigh in a possessive hold that thrilled her.

  “How’s your sunburn today?” he murmured, gently caressing her.

  Staring at his dark hand on her leg, she shrugged. “Much better. It was a little tender this morning, but now I hardly notice it at all.”

  He slipped his fingers beneath the skirt of her dress and began tracing slow, easy circles on her flesh. Her breathing deepened. “And this? Does this hurt you, Lizzy?”

  She shook her head, too startled, too excited to speak.

  The light turned green and Gabe pulled away. He used one hand to steer while his gentle fingers continued to pet her bare skin. “Tell me what other firsts we’re talking about.”

  His warm touch was hypnotic and she found her legs parting just a bit so his searching fingers could drift lazily up the sensitive inside of her knee. “Swimming in a lake.”

  “Oh, yeah.” He flashed her a grin. “Think you might want to be daring and try it again sometime?”

  This must be old hat to him, Elizabeth thought, as he easily maneuvered the car one-handed while deliberately arousing her with the other. He was such a rogue.

  “Yes.” She’d try anything Gabe wanted her to. She trusted him.

  “Any other firsts?”

  “Well, there’s…this.” She indicated his hand beneath her skirt, slowly inching higher. She sucked in air and concentrated on speaking coherently. “The kissing and touching and the way you…talk to me.”

  He glanced at her and she said, “I love the way you talk to me, Gabe. No man has ever spoken so intimately with me, much less said the kinds of things you say.”

  “You’ve known a lot of fools, sweetheart.”

  Her smile trembled. “There, you see? And all this business with first base and drive-in movies. I feel like I’m just starting to really see the world.”

  Gabe squeezed his eyes closed for a heartbeat, and she added, “You’re also by far the most unique hero I’ve interviewed, so I suppose that’s a first, as well.”

  How in the world she’d managed to string so many words together, she had no idea. Her thoughts felt jumbled, her nerve endings raw. Leaning slightly toward him, she touched his shoulder. “Gabe, can I ask you something?”

  Twilight was settling in on the small town, making it almost dark enough to hide what they did with each other. Elizabeth smoothed her hand over his shoulder, then down to squeeze his biceps. She soaked in the feel of the soft cotton T-shirt over solid muscle. Gabe felt so good.

  He worked his jaw. “You can ask me anything, babe.”

  Hesitantly, she explained, “It’s sort of a request.”

  His hand left her as he pulled into a gravel lot behind several other cars, waiting to pay at the drive-in entrance. Elizabeth looked around in wonder. People milled about everywhere, some walking to a concrete-block building that she assumed housed the cameras and perhaps a concession stand. Others leaned in car windows talking to neighbors. Some were sitting outside their cars or trucks or vans, watching the sky darken and the stars appear. The screen was huge, situated in front of row after row of metal poles holding speakers. It fascinated her.

  “Ask away.”

  “Oh.” Turning to Gabe, she bit her bottom lip, then because she was unable to look at him and ask her question, she gave her attention to the surrounding lot. “Would it be okay if I touched you, too? I mean, like with first base and second base? Touching you last night…that was another first. I had no idea a man felt so…contradictory.”

  His Adam’s apple bobbed when he swallowed hard. He adjusted his jeans, slouched behind the wheel a bit more and closed his eyes. “Contradictory, how?”

  Elizabeth knew her face was flaming. Actually, her whole body was flaming. In a rough, strangled whisper, she said, “Soft in some places, so hard in others. Sleek and alive. I’d…I’d like to feel your chest, under your shirt, and I’d like to feel you…there, inside your jeans.”

  Gabe groaned, then laughed. He rested his forehead against the steering wheel for one second, then swiveled to snare her with his gaze. “Are you absolutely sure you want to see a movie?”

  Not quite understanding, Elizabeth glanced at the billboard announcing which titles would be playing tonight. The first movie was Tonya’s Revenge. Probably an action movie, she decided—not her favorite. But while it didn’t sound exactly scintillating, she was very curious. “I’d like to see at least a bit of it, since this is another first for me. Why?”

  Gabe hesitated to answer as he pulled up to the small cashier’s window and handed over a couple of bills. The attendant, evidently someone Gabe knew based on his greeting and his curiosity as he speared a flashlight into the car to check out Elizabeth, winked and handed Gabe his change. “Enjoy the movie,” he said with a wide grin. Gabe answered with a muttered oath.

  Elizabeth looked around as Gabe parked the car toward the back of the lot. Already people had set up lawn chairs and blankets or turned their trucks around to relax in the truck beds. Gabe moved as far away from the others as he could.

  “You don’t want to stay, do you?” Elizabeth didn’t want to force him into something he was reluctant to do.

  Gabe’s frown became more pronounced. “I’m having second thoughts, that’s all.”

  Her stomach pitched in very real dread. “Second thoughts? You mean you don’t want to—”

  In a sudden move, Gabe grabbed her by the back of the neck and hauled her close, then treated her to a hot, deep, tongue-licking kiss that left her shaken. With his mouth still touching hers, he said, “I want,” he assured her in a low growl. “But I’d rather be back at your apartment where I could get you naked and feast on you in private.”

  Elizabeth could barely get her heavy eyelids to open. Her heart felt ready to burst, her skin too tight, her breasts and belly too sensitive. Breathless, she asked, “And you’d let me touch you, too?”

  “Hell, yeah.” He kissed her again, short and sweet. “But I don’t want you to miss any firsts here, sugar. And every American woman should experience the drive-in at least once. Better late than never, I suppose.”

  Elizabeth nuzzled his warm throat, just as she’d imagined doing. She lu
xuriated in his exotic, enticing scent. What would it be like to have that scent surrounding her all night long? Trying to follow the conversation, she asked, “Because the movies are good?”

  Gabe grinned, but it was a carnal grin, filled with determination and sultry heat. “No, baby.” He held her a little closer, his hand splayed on the small of her back. “It’s because getting groped at the drive-in is practically a tradition. You can’t really be at the movies without doing at least a little petting. The lights are dim, the movie’s boring and all that body heat builds up. It’s just natural to get a little frisky.”

  Elizabeth considered that, then slowly slid both hands up Gabe’s chest to his shoulders, then around his neck. “How about if I want to do a lot of petting?”

  “Then I’ll maybe last through half a movie. Maybe.” He cradled her head between his hands and rubbed her cheekbones with his thumbs. “But I’m not making any promises, sweetheart, so don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

  CHAPTER NINE

  SHE WAS DRIVING him crazy. Lizzy’s sweet, hot mouth opened on his throat and she made a nearly incoherent sound of discovery and excitement. “You taste so good, Gabe. Do you taste the same all over?”

  Feeling her soft lips move against his skin, he tightened painfully from toes to scalp. He wanted to let her explore, to take her time and experience everything, but he wasn’t sure he’d live through it. “You can find out later,” he murmured, and just saying the words almost sent him off the deep end while images of her mouth on his abdomen, his thighs, in between, fired him. He groaned.

  She leaned back slightly and looked at the movie. “What?”

  There was a breathless excitement to her tone as she anticipated another love scene on the big screen. He’d had no idea Lizzy would be so receptive to the somewhat cheesy, low-grade erotic film that was playing. Watching her while she watched the movie, he wedged his palm beneath her breast and felt the frantic racing of her heartbeat.

  She amused him. And fascinated him. Grinning, he teased, “Lizzy. I’m surprised you can even see the movie the way we’ve steamed up the windows.”