More Than Friends (Kendrick Place #1)

by Jody Holford

  Gabby laughed, delight filling her chest, her heart. “Maybe we should hang on to it. Just for moments like this.”

  A frown tugged at Owen’s lips and his brows moved together. “That’s not really financially responsible. There are—”

  She rose up and pressed a noisy kiss to his lips, then held his face in her hands. “I was joking. This is wonderful.”

  He held her chair for her, waited for her to sit before he sat across from her. “I wanted tonight to be special. I know you were hoping to plan something for my birthday, but all I wanted was a date with the woman I love.”

  She smiled at him. “Well, you’re getting that for sure. Your present is downstairs. Did you guess what it is?” She’d gotten him tickets to a computer-geek convention that he’d mentioned wanting to attend.

  “No, but I’m curious. I love you, Gabby. And I realized all I need for my birthday, or any day, to be special, is to spend it with you.”

  Happy butterflies danced in her stomach. “This is perfect. You are perfect.”

  Owen lifted the lids off their plates and chuckled. “Let’s hope you still think so when I make you alphabetize your movie collection.”

  Gabby laughed. She’d have a lifetime of this feeling with him, she realized. Laughter, happiness. There’d be times when the opposite was true—she knew all too well that life could pin her down and steal her breath. But they’d have each other, and that made everything seem so much more…possible.

  “This looks delicious,” Gabby said, breathing in the herb-roasted chicken. Tiny fingerling potatoes and sautéed vegetables completed the meal.

  “I ordered from Vinetti’s,” he said, his eyes glowing.

  “Which means you ordered triple-layer chocolate cake for dessert?” It was both of their favorites.

  He nodded. “It is my birthday. It’s in the fridge. We’ll head down after dinner.”

  She picked up her fork and knife while he poured them each a glass of wine. Before she cut into her chicken, she stopped, sighed, and set down the utensils.

  “You okay?” He set the bottle of white down between them.

  “I’ve imagined moments between us, just like this one, more times than I can count or want to tell you. But I don’t know if I ever really believed it would happen. That we’d be here like this. It’s more than I could have ever hoped for.”

  His eyes softened and he reached out for her hand. “Because I’m more obtuse than I realized, I didn’t imagine moments like this between us.”

  She frowned, but he squeezed her hand and continued. “But now, from the moment we kissed in your apartment that first time, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about all the moments, big and small, that we’ll have. That we’ll share. Now that it’s happened, I can’t imagine what my life would be like if we hadn’t taken this turn.”

  Emotion swamped Gabby, making her throat tight. “Well, your apartment would be cleaner,” she said, giving a watery laugh.

  Owen chuckled, let go of her hand. “That is true. But I wouldn’t trade this for anything. I’m sorry it took me so long to see it.”

  She took a bite of chicken; sighed in pleasure. “You’ve done an excellent job of making up for lost time, so I forgive you.”

  He laughed and dug into his own meal. In the light of the moon, with stars and flickering candlelight twirling around them, they chatted about nothing and everything and Gabby was filled with a sense of peace unlike anything she’d ever known.

  She was still feeling like the heroine of her own romantic movie when they floated down the hallway, back to their apartment. Owen slid the key into the lock while Gabby swayed, tipsy from wine and intoxicated with love.

  When he held the door for her, she was looking at him, but when she turned, her breath caught in her lungs. The room was lit by what seemed like hundreds of votive candles. The overhead lights had been dimmed, and the fire danced slowly in the hearth.

  She moved farther into the room, like she was floating into a dream. Music swelled softly. A silver bucket sat near the couch, filled with ice and a bottle of what she figured was champagne. The door clicked behind her and she whirled, throwing herself against him.

  “Owen, this is beautiful. It’s elegance and romance without having to deal with the crowds or the crazy. Like we’re in our own posh hotel.”

  He kissed the top of her head, squeezing her tight. “A little bit of both of us.”

  “It’s perfect.”

  “It’s just the beginning.”

  Owen led her to the couch, giving her a playful push so she sat down. When he kneeled in front of her, she inhaled sharply.

  He smiled. “Not yet.”

  His eyes were heavy lidded as he watched his own hands slide up one calf, over the fabric of her pants, then around to her upper thigh and before trailing back down. When he reached her foot, he slipped off her heel and placed it under the coffee table.

  Gabby was mesmerized. Their silhouettes moved with the same slowness on the wall, dancing in the flickering light. “How did you do all of this? There’s no way you left this burning for the entire time we were eating dinner.”

  Looking up from removing her other shoe, he smirked. “I had a little help.”

  Gabby arched her eyebrows. “Oh?”

  Owen put his hands on the cushions, on either side of Gabby, leaning toward her, and whispered, “Brady loves to help.”

  Gabby glanced around, trying to image Brady lighting all these little candles. She gave Owen a loud playful kiss. “You must owe him big time.”

  “Yeah. You could say that,” Owen agreed. He placed feather-light kisses on her jaw and Gabby arched her neck. When his lips touched her ear, he whispered, “But it was totally worth it.”

  Gabby’s heart pounded heavily—almost bursting with need to be closer, to show him how much she loved him.

  Her fingers moved to his buttons, quickly unfastening them. She pushed the shirt off his shoulders, taking a second to appreciate the hot, smooth feel of his skin.

  “Slow down,” he whispered.

  Gabby pushed off the couch so they were both on their knees, their bodies pressed together. “No. I don’t want to.”

  Owen chuckled until her lips pressed against his chest and she removed his shirt completely. She put her hands on his sides and pulled him closer, her nails pressing into his skin. “Jesus. Gabby, let me catch up or it’ll be over before it starts.”

  Giddiness swamped her. They would never be over, and the truth of that washed through her. Slowing her movements, she pushed him until he lay back and she was over him, her pants bunching up as her legs settled on either side of his hips. With exquisite patience, she trailed her lips from one side of his chest to the other, then up the column of his neck. “Is this slow enough for you?”

  His hands gripped her thighs, one of them travelling up, over her back, to her shoulders, until he was pulling her down so he could kiss her. His lips were soft, but there was nothing gentle about the kiss. He shifted, rotated them so he was over her, looking down at her, like he could see everything. Like he wanted everything.

  She arched up, using her hands to bring his face to hers so she could give him all she had. They’d been friends for so long that when she’d realized her feelings had shifted, she had to work hard to keep it hidden. And now there was nothing to hide. His fingers found the zipper on her dress pants and the sound of it, the feel of the back of his fingers grazing her tummy, made her shiver. She shifted, helping him remove his pants and boxers. They had all night, but she couldn’t wait any longer.

  Gabby won the argument as to whether they’d go fast or slow, but as she stretched out on the blanket in front of the fireplace, she figured the victory had been shared.

  “I can’t stop asking myself how the hell I missed the chemistry between us.” Owen’s breathing was still labored and his slick skin was hot against Gabby’s. Her head was nestled in the crook of his arm and her fingers traced small circles on his chest.

&n
bsp; “Sometimes you’re not very observant.”

  Owen laughed, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “I had a carefully planned-out seduction, you know.”

  Gabby snorted, burying her face against his chest to hide her giggle. “Of course you did. I would expect no less.”

  With a mock frown, he told her, “I still plan to carry it out, you know. Though I might need some time to recover first.”

  Gabby’s cheeks hurt from smiling so hard. “Sometimes the best things are the ones you don’t plan on or for.”

  He tucked a tendril of hair behind her ear. “Turns out those are the scariest ones, too.”

  She nodded. “I guess so. For you. The only thing I was scared of was you not knowing or knowing and never feeling the same.”

  “But neither of those are true. I do know and I do feel the same. I can’t imagine my life, my world, without you in it. I want everything with you. I want the everyday quiet moments and I want the busy, messy ones. I want a family. I want a future with you.”

  Gabby was so used to painting her feelings, her words got stuck. Owen didn’t appear to notice. He stretched his arm over to his pants, rifled around in them until he pulled out a small square box.

  “Owen.” Her heart pounded as he sat up. “We’re naked.”

  Owen laughed, moved her to a sitting position, and then yanked the throw blanket off the couch and wrapped it around her. He pulled the blanket they’d been cuddling on around him.

  “There. Now we’re…mostly covered. And besides, you’re the one who just said the best things aren’t always planned. I’d thought to seduce you after.”

  With a somewhat teary laugh, Gabby said, “You still can, but it’s your birthday. I’m supposed to give you presents.”

  Owen paused and met her gaze steadily. “I know exactly what I want.”

  Gabby’s hands shook as she pulled the blanket tighter, and Owen opened the lid of the box. An oval diamond shimmered in the candlelight. Gabby gasped, covering her mouth with a shaking hand. His hands looked completely steady. His eyes never wavered. “I love you, Gabriella. You are my best friend and the greatest joy in my life. You are my life. You’re what makes it full and exciting and beautiful. Even if you are a bit messy,” he said, his eyes suspiciously bright. She knew he teased her to offset his emotion.

  Gabby laughed. “I’ll work on it,” she said quickly.

  “Don’t,” he said. “There’s nothing to work on. I want you exactly as you are. For the rest of my life. This is a ring that suits you. It’s timeless and elegant, and when I saw it, I knew it was made for you. Marry me?”

  Owen pulled the ring from the box. Gabby was all but vibrating as she held her hand out. The platinum band was thin, etched with a faint and intricate lace-like design, like it was woven with wire delicate enough to match her hands. It was simple. Elegant. Perfect.

  Gabby nodded because once again words weren’t enough. He slipped the ring on her third finger and pulled her close. And though emotions clogged her throat, she managed to whisper, “I love you.”

  “And knowing that, finally seeing it, is everything.”

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  Acknowledgments

  It’s hard to adequately express how grateful I am to be publishing my first book through Entangled. Thank you to Stacy and Alexa for being wonderful editors and giving me this chance. A special thank you to Stacy for dozens of emails that make me smile. Thank you to Fran, my agent. Meeting you, knowing this was in the works, was one of my favorite moments. Thank you for believing in me and always telling me to believe in myself.

  Thank you to everyone at Entangled for the opportunity to work with the Bliss line. To Lisa Felipe, thank you for not laughing too hard during our phone call and for your enthusiasm. Thank you to my family…always to my family. Their happiness is contagious and I feel so grateful for the support and love you give me every single day. To Matt, for feeding me like Owen feeds Gabby. I love you. To Kalie and Amy: you think it’s the other way around, but you both inspire me every single day.

  Thank you to everyone who has shared my news, liked my posts, connected with me, or read my books. It’s plural now and at one time, I didn’t believe I’d ever publish. Thank you for standing by me through an awesome journey that I truly hope is just beginning. To the very patient and special people that keep me going every single day when it comes to my writing: Bren, Tara, Christy, Kara….to the Romance Chicks. It’s just beginning; for all of us.

  About the Author

  Jody Holford lives in British Columbia with her family. She’s unintentionally funny and rarely on time for anything. She writes multiple genres but her favorite is romance.

  www.jodyholford.weebly.com

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