“Lookin’ like you do, I can’t imagine your dance card isn’t full most of the time.”
Shaking his head slowly, he leaned in and nibbled on the tender points at the base of her neck. “I don’t dance with just anybody, Gabriella.”
“Oh, I see.” She relaxed under his touch. “Good to know.”
“You can ask around. There’s been no one in this town I’ve even asked out.”
“Flo told me.”
“She would know.”
She froze. “I’m glad because lying is a deal breaker for me.”
His conscience whispered, Tell her who you are. Tell her what you’re doing.
Shaking it off, he agreed with her before perfectly placing kisses along the swell of her breasts.
She sighed and ran her fingers through his hair. “Oh my, that’s, that’s—”
“Yes it is.” He laid a path of kisses from her cleavage to her collarbone as his fingers gently pulled the strap of her bra and tank top off her shoulder. He brushed his lips along the curve of her shoulder to her ear. “What can I do for you?”
She swallowed hard. “For me?”
“Yes. For you. To you.” Her shocked look made him wonder what raced through her brain. “Come on, Gabby. Tell me. What can I do for you?”
“You, you can let me, um, take your shirt off you.”
“Whatever the lady wants.” Leaning back against the cushions he put his hands behind his head giving her full access. He figured she’d sit by him, but when she stood, then straddled him, he thought he might lose it then and there.
With nervous fingers, she made quick work of the buttons.
As soon as she opened his shirt, lust replaced her uncertainty. “Oh my.” Placing her hands on his skin, she fanned out her fingers and let her fingertips trace along the lines of muscle. “Better than I’d hoped.”
“Glad to meet your expectations,” he murmured. His control hanging on by a thread. “A shirt for a shirt?”
She raised her arms over her head.
He moved his hands up her body, allowing his thumbs to graze over her bra-covered nipples. A soft sigh escaped her as he pulled the tank top off and threw it across the room.
Reaching around, she unhooked her bra and let it slowly fall. “You’re perfect.” Tentatively, he relished the feel of her skin as his palms glided across her hips, to her waist, and brushed the sides of her sensitive skin.
She leaned forward, resting her hands on either side of his head. “You’re pretty good, yourself.”
Nibbling on the pulse point of her neck, Kyle worked his way to her ear and whispered, “Let me show you just how good this peppermint mouthwash is.”
Not giving her time to answer, he kissed down between her breasts and around her nipple before taking the tender flesh into his mouth. His tongue ran around the pink of her breast before nibbling the tip.
“Wow, that’s intense.”
“You want me to stop?”
“Absolutely not.”
He smiled against her skin before suckling her breast while caressing the other one, rolling the nipple between his fingers.
She arched her back and moaned as she rocked against him. “That feels so good.”
His cock strained against his fly. He worried he’d pop before too long.
With a quick move he laid her on the couch and adjusted himself. She sat up and reached for his jeans, but he grabbed her wrists. “You first. Right now is all about you, Gabby.”
“But want to touch you.”
“You will, but…” He worked down her body. Licking the valley between her breasts. Feasting on each nipple before kissing her belly button. When he reached the top seam of her jeans, he ran his tongue along it. “Do you want me to stop?”
“No,” she panted as she unzipped and pushed her pants off her hips. “No, please don’t.”
He smirked as he helped her remove only the jeans and placed his hands on her when she tried to expedite things with her red lacy underpants. “Patience, sweetheart.”
Although, he didn’t know how much longer he’d hold out. She’d had him twisted tight for too long.
“Now, where were we?” Kyle moved back up her body and kissed her. Her arms wrapped around him as he relished her naked skin next to his. Slowly, he worked down her body again, but moved past her panties.
He chuckled at the disappointed look she shot him. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. I haven’t skipped anything.”
She moaned his name while he kissed the insides of her knees, her thighs, and over her panties. “Kyle, you’re killing me.”
Hooking his fingers under the sides of her underwear, he slid them off and marveled at her. How many times had he thought of her naked on his couch? In his house? On his bed?
Now, he marveled at his dreams come true. Her curves. Her scent. Her soft skin.
His mouth watered at the chance to taste her. With gentle brushes of his lips, he worked his way from the inside of her knee to her sensitive folds.
“You’re beautiful,” he whispered as his thumbs brushed the tender skin of her inner thighs.
Her hands rested on her stomach and she arched her back as he increased his pace.
Inch by torturous inch, he kissed her, inhaling her sweet scent as he moved closer the core of her sex.
She threaded her fingers through his hair as he flicked her swollen nub with his tongue, making her gasp.
“You like that?”
“Yes,” she softly moaned.
Tracing the seam of her outer lips with his tongue, he heard her whimper. “You want more?”
“Yes. More.”
“What about…this?” His tongue slid between her folds and he nibbled on her clit, relishing how she writhed with his touch.
She gasped, “Yes. More. Tingles. More tingles.”
He took her into his mouth and tenderly sucked her sensitive nub. He ran his hand along the curve of her hip and up her body until he cupped her breast. His thumb grazed over her peaked nipple as he increased the pressure of his tongue on her clit.
Her breathing increased as her hips began to rock. “Oh, it tingles. Oh my…so good.”
“You like that?”
“Yes, eat me. Don’t stop.”
His tongue tickled her swollen clit before he tenderly sucked. Then he’d run his tongue along the seam of her before starting over again.
She writhed under his touch. Her reaction to him inched him to the edge of his own climax.
He’d imagined getting to taste her, but hearing her tell him what she wanted only turned him on more. Reaching down, he popped the button and unzipped his jeans to release the pressure and give him more time with her.
Her eyes went wide with lust. She sat up. “I want to see you. All of you.”
“But I’m not done with you yet.”
“We’ll take turns.” She threaded her fingers through his belt loops and pulled him to stand in front of her. “I’ve dreamed of stripping you down.”
“That’s me, the dream maker.” He let her slide his jeans off until they pooled to the floor. Before he could step out of them, he felt the warmth and the soft pressure of her mouth around his cock.
A moan escaped him as she tenderly sucked and slowly moved up and down. “Gabriella, damn, that’s…yes. Feels good.”
She ran her hand up his inner thigh before brushing over his balls.
She’d pull back to the head of his cock before taking him back into her mouth and sucking again. Her hands wandered, cupping his butt, brushing against his chest, caressing his thighs, inching him to closer to losing it.
Her tongue traced along the rim of the head before she slid him between her lips again.
Up and down in torturously slow movements.
“Damn, Gabby. Yes. I. Good. So good.” No rational thought existed in his brain but she shoved him to the edge when she cupped his butt and pushed him deep inside her mouth. He pulled away.
“Did I hurt you?” she asked.
&n
bsp; “No.” He pressed his lips to hers. “It’s my turn.”
Kyle marveled at her naked body. She had all the curves of a gently winding road and he planned to go on one long road trip.
He scanned her from the top of her head to her toes before leaning down and taking a nipple into his mouth.
She gasped as he applied a bit more suction this time while tracing along the seam of her with his finger and sliding it between her folds. Her back arched as she ran her fingers through his hair. “Oh! Yes.”
Kissing her down her stomach, he didn’t hesitate this time when he reached her sensitive nub. With his finger moving in and out of her, he feasted.
“Kyle, oh, yes, that, is a-a-a-mazing. Yes!” Her ragged breathing increased as she grabbed the sides of the couch.
Kissing her inner thigh, he growled, “You’re so tight. So close.”
“Yes. Please, Kyle. Don’t stop.”
“Cum for me, Gabby.” He slid another finger inside her and placed his thumb on her clit, wiggling it before nibbling her again.
“Yes. Yes. Yes. Kyle! Yes!” Within seconds, her inner walls clamped down on his fingers as she rode his hand.
Chapter Sixteen
A week had come and gone and, according to Gabriella, Trinity had settled in well to her new life.
“The locals have really welcomed us with open arms,” she sighed as she relaxed into the cushions. “But you’re the only one who’s welcomed me like that.”
“Glad to be part of the welcoming committee.” He kissed her inner thigh as bright rays of afternoon sun sparkled across Copper Mountain.
Gabriella panted as she laid back on the futon. “You’re right, the view from here is beautiful.”
Kyle smirked as he crawled up her body, his eyes raking over her perfect curves. “It really is. I could look at this view aaaaallll day.” And for the rest of my life.
Giggling, she playfully slapped his arm. “Animal.”
“Only around you.” He growled and nibbled her earlobe.
She sighed as he ran his tongue down the curve of her neck. “Goodness, the tingles! How I love peppermint mouthwash.”
It had been seven glorious days since that first fantastic morning with Gabriella and happily, they’d shared quite a few more dates since.
With Trinity in school during the day, they’d had a few alone hours here and there when the diner’s afternoon lull kicked in and he had the day off.
Hanging out together in the evenings when he wasn’t at the station or helping at Harry’s House had become routine. Kyle helped Trinity with her science homework and she’d helped him learn to draw something other than stick figures.
Avoiding his own relatives for so long, he’d all but forgotten the comfort and warmth of family. The unexpected laughter, the dinners together, the mundane moments that were made special because of the other people in the room.
Who would have thought he could have found his happy ending in a town like Marietta, Montana?
Just thinking about the woman next to him made his body hum. Of course, it helped that Gabriella wore nothing but a tank top and her panties…no wait.
He’d stripped her of those and tossed them somewhere in the room after the minx surprised him with a mint of her own.
After she’d pushed him down on the futon and made quick work of his jeans, she’d popped a couple of mini Altoids from a tin in her jeans pocket right before she’d taken him into her sweet mouth. He didn’t think he’d ever climaxed that fast in his life.
Then he returned the favor. Just thinking about tasting her again got him hard.
They’d yet to make it to his or her bedroom for an official date, but they’d had a helluva lot of fun with foreplay. He hadn’t blamed Gabriella for not wanting to take that step, but it had become more difficult not to want to make love to her. Still, he had no doubt she’d be worth waiting for.
The blissful look on her face made him ask, “What are you thinking?”
“Thinking about how quickly things change.”
He pulled her into his arms and she rested her head on his chest. Her soft hair fanned out over his shoulder as she ran her hand up and down his arm.
The early spring winds blew softly against the windows. He looked forward to the less chilly weather so he could take Gabriella and Trinity into the mountains, show them a close to bird’s eye view of Marietta.
“I’d forgotten you were in the military.” She motioned to the shadow box. “UCLA, huh? Your family live in California?”
He froze.
Immediately, she turned to face him. “You okay?”
His heart leapt to his throat, but he managed to squeak out, “My mother and most of my brothers and sisters are still there.”
“Your dad not around?”
Depends on who you ask. “No. He’s not.”
“Was that a bad question?”
“It’s fine.” Letting his fingers walk down her back, he watched her eyes close and the corners of her mouth twitch.
“Mmmmm, that feels good.”
“It’s supposed to.” As his fingers approached the base of her spine, he flattened his hand and ran it over her luscious backside.
She let out a long, satisfied exhalation. “Kyle?”
“Yes, Gabriella.”
“Why don’t you want to answer questions about your family?”
The honest question sideswiped him. Jerking his hand away from her glorious ass, he gave her a friendly pat on the shoulder as rational excuses flip-flopped over in his mind. “I dunno. Not much to say. We’re kind of boring.”
Her eyes slowly opened. “Everyone thinks their family is boring or weird or crazy or whatever.”
Or scandalous. “True.”
“Okay, your family is boring. What about you?”
“What do you mean?”
“After living in Southern California and serving in the military, after all that, how in the world did you end up in a town like Marietta?”
For a moment, he didn’t say anything. The words wouldn’t come. He’d never spoken about Patrick with anyone other than his family.
“Kyle?”
The sweetness of her voice brought down his angst. He began draw lazy circles on her naked shoulder. “My dad, Patrick, was the one who brought me to Marietta years ago. Ski trip. Just the guys.”
Gabriella propped herself up on her elbow as her tank top shifted, giving him a perfect view of her cleavage.
His mouth watered at the potential of another go-round.
A slow smirk spread across her face. “Eyes up here, Kyle.”
“Sorry.” Not really.
“You’ve mentioned him several times. That’s where you learned to fix all the stuff for Harry’s House?” Subtly, she pointed. “Is that him? With you?”
Across the room, the photo of Kyle and Patrick sat on the side table near the treadmill.
Sadness lodged in his throat, but he swallowed it down. He wouldn’t go there. “Dad made sure I could fix anything. Said it was better to know, than to be a dumbass about it. Pay someone for a job I could easily do myself.”
“Seems like good advice. My mom and dad taught all of us the basics. Tools. Home repairs. How to know when someone was trying to sell you something that you didn’t need. I learned a lot listening to them and my grandparents.” She flipped her hair out of her face. “I know it sounds very stereotypical, Mexicans being able to use tools, fix things, but it’s a seriously underappreciated skill.”
Without thinking, he rested his hand on her bare hip. “Agreed. People need to quit thinking that basic life skills are something you farm out. Not everyone out there does a good or honest job.”
Nodding, she snuggled in again. “My grandfather wasn’t a big fan of the girls learning such things, but my dad disagreed. He said his girls were going to be independent and not have to rely on a man to help them through life.”
“Your dad sounds like a good guy.”
“He is. Still tries to do e
verything even with his back all messed up.”
“How did that happen?”
She shrugged. “He fell off a ladder during a job. He’s mobile, but his endurance isn’t what it used to be. Where did Patrick learn his skills?”
His heart beat a little faster for her innocent want for information. “My great-grandfather taught my grandfather and so on. Then my dad taught me.”
“My grandmother let me help in the kitchen when my mom was watching the other kids. No one else seemed to be as interested in cooking or baking as I was.” She sighed as he ran his fingers through her hair. “Those teaching moments are special. Unforgettable. I hope Trinity has a few with me.”
“I know it’s hard with a teenager. I gave my mom lots of grief at that age.” For a damned good reason, though. He shook off that frustration. “It looks like Trinity has settled in.”
“For now. I hope it sticks, but she was so unhappy in Lone Star Crossing.” She smiled against his bare skin. “I know it’s all normal, the teenage angst, but there are times I wish she were more like me and less like…her mom.”
The pain in her voice hurt his heart. “She’s a lot like you.”
“Really, how so?”
“She’s smart. Driven. Intelligent.”
“Flatterer. You just want to get lucky again.”
Cupping her butt, he growled, “That is true.”
As he tried to kiss her, she placed her fingers on his lips. “Kyle, you do this when I ask anything about your family.”
His libido quelled for a moment. Tell her everything.
“Sweetie.” Her sweet voice momentarily calmed his angst. “Kyle?”
After taking a deep breath, he let it out and the words flowed. “My dad died when I was about twenty-three. Right after I’d finished my biology degree. He made it to the graduation ceremony, even though he looked like hell. Died a couple of days later.”
“Was it sudden?”
“No, he’d been diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia a few years before. Had a bone marrow transplant.”
“You matched?”
“No, my sister did. The procedure just gave him more time.” And broke his heart.
“I’m so sorry you lost your father. The way you’ve spoken of him, he sounds like a good man.” The warm wet of tears caught him off guard and only made him like her more.
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