Gabe (Men of Clifton Montana Book 2)

by Susan Fisher-Davis

  * * * *

  Gabe knew Emma was nervous being alone with him. Really now, did she think him such a cad that he’d attack her? “Are you afraid of me, Emma?” he asked softly.

  “Should I be?”

  He stood, slowly moved toward her, and came to a stop in front of her.

  “No. I’d never intentionally hurt you.” He reached out to touch her hair and tugged lightly on her ponytail. He allowed his eyes to soak up the beauty of her face. Her eyes widened when he started to lower his head. His lips touched hers. Softly at first, then he deepened it when she opened to him. Gabe growled in the back of his throat when she shyly touched her tongue to his. Her hands slid around his neck as he backed Emma up until her back was against the kitchen counter. He leaned into her, letting her feel how much he wanted her against her belly. He smiled against her lips when she reached up, took his cowboy hat off, and tossed it to the floor. His lips traced across her cheek to her ear, taking the lobe into his mouth. He gently bit it, making her shiver. He trailed his mouth down her neck to her shoulder, before tasting his way back up to her lips.

  “I want you, Emma,” he said against her lips. She pulled back from him and gazed up at him. Those blue eyes were killing him. “Either tell me to go, or take me to your bed.”

  Gabe saw her swallow as she glanced away, then back. Emma reached for his hand, and as if in answer to a silent prayer, led him to her bedroom. Once in the bedroom, he kicked the door shut and moved to the bed with her. He picked her up and laid her on the bed before pulling his T-shirt over his head. Emma groaned. Gabe sat on the edge of the bed and pulled his boots off. Emma sat up and started pulling her shirt off, but he stopped her with his hand. She looked at him, confused. “I want to undress you…please,” he whispered and grinned when she blushed. He stood up and unsnapped his jeans, but stopped when she turned away from him. He put his knee on the bed and bent over her. His hand cupped her chin and he turned her to look at him. “I can stop any time, Emma. All you have to do is say no.”

  “You might be able to stop, Gabriel Stone, but I can’t. I’ve wanted this for too long,” Emma said softly, making him want her more.

  Gabe stood up and slowly unzipped his jeans. He was so hard he had trouble getting the zipper down. Shoving his jeans down and off his legs, he settled down beside her, leaving his boxer briefs on. His hand moved to her waist as he lowered his head to capture her lips with his in a slow kiss. When he felt her respond, he nibbled his way down to the silky skin of her neck, while his hand moved under her shirt and up to cup her breast. Emma groaned and arched into his hand giving him the permission he needed. He lifted her T-shirt over her head and groaned when he saw the peach colored bra. He gazed into her eyes while he unclasped the front closure. Her breasts spilled free making him close his eyes. He swallowed hard.

  “Gabe…”

  He kissed her. “I knew you’d be this beautiful,” he said, his voice a near moan. “I knew it.” His hand moved to the snap of her jeans and lowered the zipper. He kissed his way down along her neck, over her warm skin, until he reached her beautiful breasts. Taking one of her nipples into his mouth, he sucked on it, hearing her moan low in her throat. Emma’s fingers plowed through his hair urging him on, so he gave her other lovely breast some attention too. After he made her nipples distend into tight peaks, he lifted his head slightly, and blew on them.

  “Gabe…” Emma groaned as she shivered.

  He pulled her up into a sitting position, reached behind her, and let her ponytail down. His fingers moved through the long strands then he leaned over her as she lay back down, fanning her hair out over the pillow. His mouth moved along her belly, pressing kisses on her skin as he pushed her jeans down over her thighs. He raised himself up, straddled her, and pulled them off. She lay there in front of him in nothing but her peach colored boy-cut panties. His eyes met hers as he lowered his head to her stomach and kissed the soft skin just above her panties. Then he hooked his fingers in the waistband, and lowered them down her legs, removing them. Gabe let his gaze roam freely over her. The dark blonde curls between her legs beckoned to him. Lifting one of her legs, he ran his tongue along her inner thigh making her gasp, before moving to caress the other one. Emma’s hands were pulling his hair, but he didn’t care because he was going to take his time.

  Gabe glanced up at Emma’s face as he slid his tongue across her skin and teased her belly button even as his fingers slipped between her legs. He pushed her legs apart, and moved a single finger along the crease in her folds. She was wet and ready for him, but he wanted more from her. Slowly he inserted his finger, and then another. Emma gasped. He moved his tongue down through her soft curls, and circled her clitoris, feeling her tense and move against him. He put his arm across her waist to keep her still as his tongue moved up and down through her folds, tasting her. Each time he moved back to her clitoris, she pulled on his hair. He knew she was close because he felt her clenching around his fingers. He sucked on her and rubbed her sensitive nub with his teeth. Emma screamed out his name as she came.

  Gabe practically tore his underwear off and reached for his jeans to get a condom. He was so hard he ached. Emma lay panting under him as he sheathed himself and slid between her legs. Kissing her deeply, he slowly tried to move into her. Damn, she was tight, he thought as he pushed into her. Then, he felt it—a resistance he hadn’t expected. He pulled back from her when she let out a loud gasp.

  “Emma?” He knew he should stop but when she wrapped her legs around his waist and tilted her hips, he groaned. Unable to resist her, he pushed hard. Catching her cry with his mouth, he pulled out of her, and then pushed back in. He caught her tears with his tongue. She groaned his name. Gabe was lost. He couldn’t hold back. “Emma, move with me, darlin’.”

  Emma did as he told her and moved her hips in rhythm with his. Gabe picked up the pace. Faster. Harder. Deeper. His hand slipped under her butt to pull her tighter against him. Her muscles tightened around him as she came again. He growled low in his chest and moved harder into her. His orgasm ripped through him, making him go rigid. He laid his forehead against hers, both of them breathing hard. Gently, he moved away to lie beside her. He wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her tightly against him. He’d known it would be amazing with her, but he sure as hell hadn’t expected her to be a virgin. Swallowing hard, he fought to catch his breath. “You want to tell me why you’re still a virgin?”

  Emma laughed through her breaths. “I’m certainly not anymore.” He ran his hand down her ass and swatted it making her gasp. “You know how I was, Gabe. I was shy and I’ve only dated a few guys. My nose was always stuck in the books and I helped around the ranch all the time, plus barrel racing.”

  He nodded. “I’m not unhappy about it, just surprised. Women in this day and age usually don’t remain virgins very long anymore.” He smiled down at her. “I’m not a chauvinist about it. I don’t believe in the double standard, but it never occurred to me you’d still be a virgin.” He kissed her before rolling away. “I’ll be right back.”

  Gabe got out of the bed and headed for the bathroom to dispose of the condom. Closing the door behind him, he reached down to remove it. Son of a bitch! It was broken. He closed his eyes and let his head fall back. When he opened his eyes, he saw beyond the ceiling and cursed his luck. Now what? Did he tell Emma or wait to see what happened? Gabe sighed. He couldn’t tell her. Not yet, not after it was so perfect. He cleaned up, and then taking a deep breath, he opened the door and walked back into the bedroom.

  Emma was sitting up in bed with the sheet tucked up under her arms. She looked so sexy and when she smiled shyly at him, he wanted to climb back in with her but the guilt was too much. Oh, man! He gathered up his clothes, putting them on way too fast. He leaned over and kissed her. “I need to get going.” He saw the disappointment in her eyes. He ran his hand over her hair. “I want to see you again. This was amazing.” He kissed her again and she nodded up at him as he pulled away.

&n
bsp; Gabe walked out of her apartment and found his hat on the kitchen floor where it had all started. He slammed it on his head and before he left, he glanced back to where he knew she was and silently prayed she wasn’t pregnant.

  Chapter Four

  Emma lay back among the pillows for a while after Gabe left. She couldn’t believe it had really happened. She closed her eyes and allowed her body to remember the sensation of Gabe making love to her. Finally, she forced herself out of the comfort of her bed, took a shower, and dressed. As she walked toward the kitchen, she realized she was a little sore. She smiled. Wow!

  Leaning her head against the refrigerator door, she closed her eyes. It had been amazing, just as Gabe had said. She glanced at the back door. Why had he left so fast though? She chastised herself as self-doubts began to crowd her good feelings. Had he just said it was amazing to make her feel better? Had he only made love to her because she let him?

  Her appetite suddenly gone, she sat down at the table. She was feeling so confused. Never having sex before, she was amazed at how good it had been. Oh, she was a big fan of romance novels, and she’d always thought the sex overrated for the sake of the story but after what just happened with Gabe, she knew she was wrong. She blushed when she thought of the things he’d done to her and whispered to her. He really was a fantastic lover. Although she had nothing to compare it to, she still knew he was. She released a long sigh. It was early yet, so she returned to her apartment to watch television. She wished Gabe had stayed longer. She’d like to have cuddled, and perhaps talked. Maybe he wasn’t a cuddling kind of man. The sex had been great, but afterwards…not so much.

  A couple hours later, she heard Olivia come in. Emma opened her door slowly and peeked out in case Olivia was taking Ryder to her apartment. She was relieved to see her alone. “Liv?” Emma whispered so as not to scare her.

  “Shit. Emma, you scared me to death,” Olivia exclaimed placing her hand over her heart.

  Emma laughed with an apologetic grin, so much for her not wanting to scare Olivia. “Did you have a good time?”

  Olivia jerked her head for Emma to follow her into her apartment. Emma followed her in and took a seat on the small sofa while Olivia went to her bedroom to change. When Olivia returned, she was wearing a pair of man’s boxers and a plain camisole. She poured them each a glass of wine, and then sat next to Emma on the sofa, curling her feet under her. Emma waited, taking a sip.

  “I had a great time with Ryder. He’s so nice, kind, sweet, sexy and gorgeous but…” Olivia swirled the liquid in her glass.

  “After all that, there’s a but?” Emma asked then sipped her wine.

  Olivia nodded. “He took me to dinner in Hartland. A very nice restaurant, by the way, I know it was expensive too. We talked about everything and never seemed to run out of things to say, and we laughed a lot, but…”

  Emma laughed. “There’s that but again.”

  Olivia laughed. “When he walked me to the door, he kissed me, and don’t get me wrong, it was nice. I mean, the man can kiss but…when he pulled back, he grinned at me and shrugged. Then he said, ‘you didn’t feel anything either, did you?’ I shook my head and we both laughed.” She shrugged her shoulders. “So we decided to stay friends. There was just no spark at all.” Olivia sipped her wine. “I think I’ve got my heart set on another cowboy. One who doesn’t even know I exist.”

  Emma reached over to touch Olivia’s hand but stopped when she saw the sudden change in expression on Olivia’s face. “Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked.

  Olivia sat forward as if examining Emma’s face for evidence. “You had sex.”

  Emma’s mouth dropped open, but then she snapped it shut. “I did not.”

  Olivia chuckled. “Oh yes, you did.”

  “I’m not saying I did, but what makes you think so?” Emma folded her arms across her chest and glared at Olivia.

  “If the whisker burn didn’t give it away, then the hickey definitely did.” Olivia burst out laughing at what Emma could only assume was a look of sheer horror on her face. Hickey?

  Emma jumped up, ran to Olivia’s bathroom, and looked in the mirror. There it was the proof—whisker burns and a hickey—on her neck. She was going to kill Gabriel Stone. Olivia stood behind her grinning. Emma spun around. “It isn’t funny, Liv.”

  Olivia snorted. “Yes. It. Is.”

  “I’m going to kill him,” Emma mumbled as she examined the purplish mark on her skin.

  “Him being Gabe?”

  “Yes,” Emma hissed. She looked at her neck again. “How am I supposed to hide this? It’s summertime for heaven’s sake. I can’t wear a turtleneck in the summer.”

  Olivia shrugged and turned, leaving the bathroom. Emma followed her. They settled on the sofa again with their glasses of wine. “So, how was it?” Olivia asked with gentle curiosity, but then laughed when Emma blushed. “Ooh…that good, huh?”

  “I thought it was amazing but he didn’t stay very long. Why did he do that?”

  Olivia shrugged. “Who knows? How long after, you know, did he leave?”

  “It seemed like immediately…within half an hour, I guess,” Emma whispered, embarrassed by Gabe’s behavior.

  Olivia didn’t say anything for a few minutes. “Why did he say he was leaving?”

  Emma told her the conversation and how he left, but saying he wanted to see her again. Wondering what Olivia was thinking, she nibbled on her bottom lip still swollen from Gabe’s kisses.

  “Em, don’t worry over nothing. I’m sure he’ll call you, or come by again.”

  Emma nodded. She loved being able to talk with Olivia. She knew Olivia didn’t sugarcoat anything. After an hour of drinking and snacking, they decided to get some sleep. After returning to her bed where her thoughts immediately went to Gabe, she wondered when she would see him again. It had only been a few hours but she already wanted him again. She fell asleep with a smile on her face.

  * * * *

  Becca called Emma the next day to invite her to dinner. It wasn’t going to be anything fancy, just the Stones, Becca, Olivia, and of course, her. As she was getting dressed for the event, Olivia called her name from outside her door. Emma told her to come in and watched with envy as Olivia glided into the room. She wore a pair of skinny jeans with an amethyst colored blouse, which matched those amazing eyes, and she wore black stilettos on her feet. The woman was a knockout. Her black hair held back from her face with barrettes completed the look. She smiled at Emma. “I’m glad we have Stacy to cover for us here so we can both go to dinner together.”

  Stacy Miller helped at the front counter most days and agreed to work tonight so she and Olivia could attend dinner with Becca and Jake. “Me too. You look amazing, Liv,” Emma said feeling envious.

  “You do too, Emma. That blouse really brings out the blue in your eyes.” Emma’s blouse was a short-sleeved silk top she’d tucked into a pair of Levi’s. On her feet were blue wedge sandals.

  “I don’t look half as good as you.”

  Olivia snorted. “Do you not see how gorgeous you are?” She ambled over to Emma and put her arm around her. “Don’t you think Gabe is gorgeous and sexy?”

  Emma frowned, wondering where she was going with this. “Yes, of course he is.”

  “Then why would a man that gorgeous and sexy want you if you weren’t gorgeous and sexy?” Olivia looked smug then she turned Emma to face the mirror. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She shook her head. Olivia laughed and hugged her. “Emma girl, you are one fine woman. Trust me on that.” Olivia grinned at her from the reflection.

  When they arrived at Jake’s place, Emma saw Gabe’s truck but not Wyatt’s. She glanced over to Olivia, but she either hadn’t noticed or preferred not to say anything about it. When they entered through the back door, Jake and Becca were standing together by the table, and Gabe stood leaning back against the counter. Emma’s gaze met his and held there a moment longer than she should have. He winked at her, making he
r blush. She watched him pour her and Olivia a glass of wine each, but after accepting hers, when she made a move away from him, he grabbed her arm and pulled her back next to him.

  Olivia stood by the table looking at the finger food. “Can I have something to eat?” When everyone laughed, a look of confusion crossed her beautiful face. “What?” she asked annoyed, settling a hand on her hip.

  “You eat constantly. How do you stay so slim?” Jake asked her.

  Olivia laughed and winked. “I have ways of working the calories off.”

  Gabe choked on his beer and as if by design, the back door opened and Wyatt stepped in, his attention going directly to Olivia. He raised an eyebrow when he saw her grinning. Emma couldn’t resist smiling. She knew Wyatt didn’t stand a chance against Olivia. She used to think Olivia would never have him but since coming to know her, she felt sorry for Wyatt. Once Olivia made up her mind about what she wanted, nothing stood in her way. Emma wasn’t sure what Olivia was waiting on but if anyone knew what she was doing, it was her new best friend.

  Later, when everyone was in the living room, Jake cleared his throat and everyone looked in his direction. He glanced at Becca, and grinned. “Becca and I are getting married in May,” he announced with pride.

  “We all knew that, Jake,” Gabe reminded him.

  Becca stuck her left hand out and something glittered on it. “Yes, but now it’s official.” Olivia and Emma squealed, hopped up from their seats, and rushed forward to hug Becca and check out her ring, while Gabe and Wyatt slapped Jake on the back. Each brother, in turn, kissed Becca on the cheek.

  After all the excitement died down, Olivia announced she wanted to leave, but Emma wasn’t ready to go home. Gabe said he’d take Emma home and she was happy he would, but knew it wasn’t like Olivia to end an evening so early. Emma walked outside with Olivia. “What’s wrong, Liv?”

  Olivia blinked back tears. “It is so hard being around Wyatt. He completely ignores me, and it hurts, Em.” She shook her head. “You know I’m tough but when it comes to that cowboy, I just crumble and I hate it. I thought going out with Ryder would help, but it didn’t. I’ll just go home and go to bed. I have to run the front desk tomorrow so I need to get some sleep anyway. I’ll see you tomorrow.” She got into her car and left. Emma watched the taillights disappear down the long drive. She wished she could do something to help her friend. When she heard the door open behind her, she glanced over her shoulder to see Gabe coming toward her.