She nodded. "I'm fine. Thank you."
Simms walked to the door. "Faraday, can I talk to you a minute?"
Abby glanced at the detective and then at Gage. What could Simms want with Gage now? She hoped he wasn't in any kind of trouble for interfering with their operation.
"It might be good if she weren't alone tonight. It's not uncommon for people to experience shock after the fact," she heard Simms say.
She looked up to see Gage glance over his shoulder at her.
"Don't worry," he said, holding her gaze. "She's not going to be alone."
Abby's imagination raced. What did he mean by that? He couldn't be planning on staying with her. No, of course not, why would she even think it? Because you'd like nothing better, she admitted.
She turned away. He was probably going to suggest she call Rachael to come spend the night. Whatever his thoughts, she wasn't his responsibility. He'd already done more than she had a right to expect.
~~~
Once they were alone, Gage insisted on making Abby a drink. "After what you've been through, I think you could use one." He walked over to her and cupped her jaw, lifting her face so she had to look up at him.
His expression confused her. If she believed her heart, she might be convinced it was love she saw in his eyes. Her heart had its own agenda, though.
"I could use one, too," he said, letting his fingers fall away from her face.
"Gage, if you want to go, it's okay. You've already done more than—"
He covered her mouth with his thumb. "If you say it, I'm probably going to get angry. You don't want to make me angry right now, do you?"
"Of course not, but I don't want you to feel—"
"Too late," he whispered, his eyes telling her those two simple words meant much more than they seemed on the surface.
She swallowed. Was her imagination playing tricks on her again? Did she see caring in his expression because she wanted him to care so desperately?
Gage left her sitting on the couch without another word and went into the kitchen to make them a drink.
Abby lasted about three minutes before the possibilities started to drive her crazy.
He looked over his shoulder when she walked into the kitchen.
"Hi," she said a little awkwardly. "I thought you might want some help."
He smiled. All he did was smile, and she wanted to burst into tears. She didn't know if she could do this. What if she was wrong? What if what she thought she'd seen in his eyes wasn't love? It was too damn hard to be this close to him and not want more.
He was too much like chocolate. As long as it wasn't in the house, she did all right without it. She swallowed. She was lying to herself. He was way worse than chocolate. She hadn't done all right when he wasn't around, and she wasn't doing all right now. She didn't know if she'd ever be all right again without him.
"What are you thinking about?" he asked.
"Chocolate." Abby took the drink he held out to her and smiled. "I was thinking about chocolate." She took a sip and shivered. "It's strong."
"I thought you could use something a little strong right now. What about chocolate?"
"How hard it is to do without. I guess that sounds weak. You've probably never had a chocolate craving in your life."
"I've craved other things. I know what it is to want something so bad you're willing to risk almost anything to get it."
They stood in the middle of her kitchen staring at each other. What had he ever wanted so badly? By the look in his eyes she guessed it had to be more than a couple of Lindt truffles.
"I can't believe I'm going on about chocolate after everything that happened tonight." Afraid he'd guess what she'd really been thinking, she took another quick drink. It went down her windpipe, and she started coughing.
Gage took her glass and set it on the counter with his own. "Take slow breaths." He patted her on the back until the spasms eased.
"Better?" he asked, slipping his arms around her waist and resting his chin on the top of her head.
She nodded and held on. It felt so good to be in his arms again. She really shouldn't take advantage of his concern this way, but she couldn't find the will to let go yet.
"I know I don't have a right to ask," she said, holding on tighter, "but I really don't want to be alone right now. Do you think you could stay with me a little longer?"
Gage slid his hands up her back and around to cradle her face. He gazed down at her, and Abby's breath caught in her throat at the aching tenderness she saw in his eyes.
"I plan to stay with you the rest of my life. Don't you think it's time you finally accepted that?"
"You, you mean you want to be with me again? Even after everything that's happened?"
He stroked his thumb over her cheek and smiled. "Again? I've never stopped wanting you. You're my chocolate, Abby."
"But why?" she asked, afraid to trust the hope blooming in her heart.
"Because, Abby, I love you."
"Oh, Gage." Abby threw her arms around his neck. "I love you, too. I love you so much it hurts. I never meant any of that stuff I said before. I just didn't know how else to protect you from everything other than sending you away."
He hugged her close. "I know."
"You do?"
"Of course." He loosened his hold and looked down at her, his eyes dancing. "What's not to love?"
Abby didn't even try to hold back her smile. "Indeed."
He claimed her mouth with a possession that made her knees go weak. She let all the feeling she'd bottled up over the last week pour into the kiss, returning his ardor as if she'd been starved just for this. Only for this.
He kissed her nose, her cheeks. He trailed hot lips down her neck then back up to her ear. She never wanted the moment to end, unless it ended upstairs in her bed and another one began.
Gage clutched her to his chest. "Marry me," he said against her lips. "Marry me, and I promise I'll never let you regret it."
Abby pulled away from him. She searched his expression for any sign he was jesting. All she saw was love. Gage loved her.
"Say yes, green eyes."
"Oh!" She threw herself at him. "Yes!" She rose on unsteady toes and kissed his chin.
Gage bent to swing her up into his arms and held her against his chest. "Do you have any idea how much I've missed you?"
Abby bit her lip. "I've got a feeling you're about to show me."
"Oh, I'm going to show you all right. I've already told you I'm much better at show than tell."
He carried her out of the kitchen, his long legs eating up the distance to the stairs. When he set her down beside the bed a couple of minutes later, a shiver of anticipation rolled through her. She raised trembling fingers to the first button of his shirt and slipped it open.
"Show me," she whispered. And with a heartbreaking tenderness that brought tears to her eyes, he showed her.
###
I hope you enjoyed reading Abby and Gage's story. When I'm writing a book, I enjoy spending time with my characters and am always a little sad when I enter that last word and bid them bon voyage. As I wrote this book, I thought about including a minor romance plot involving Rachael Gooding and T. Eugene Simms, but with all the sparks flying between these two characters, I wanted to give them their rightful due. You can find out what happens between them in Run Rachael Run, a romantic suspense that finds Rachael being threatened by a mysterious stalker, and the man she's forced to turn to for help may be a bigger threat to her peace of mind than the unknown person pursuing her.
Run Rachael Run is scheduled to be released early in 2013.
If you would like to know more about me and my books, please visit me at: http://www.patriciaeparis.blogspot.com/—
friends
A Murderous Game Page 29