Safe from Harm (16 page)

He wanted to say something seductive and charming, but the breath had left his lungs, making it impossible to speak.

When she reached behind her, unfastening her bra to let it slowly slide down her arms, all he could do was swallow hard as he took in the beautiful, perfect breasts before him. He knew he'd caught a glimpse of them the night after Chris had died, but they'd been in his completely darkened room. Now, with the twilight allowing him enough light to see just how beautiful and full they were, Gabe couldn't help the slow grin that curved his mouth.

Careful to take his time and savor the moment, he reached up to Elle's cheek, running the back of his fingers along the curve of her jaw and along her neck, where her pulse pounded so powerfully he could see it beating beneath her skin. Then his fingers traced a path along her collarbone to the swell of her left breast. Elle's head dropped back with a little moan as he reached her already-erect nipple, which seemed to harden even more at his touch.

“Please, Gabe,” she whispered.

He didn't have to ask what she was asking for. He lifted her breast and leaned forward to bring it into his mouth. He sucked hard, grazing her nipple with his teeth, causing her to gasp in pleasure. When his tongue swirled against the rosy tip, she moaned and ground her hips against his groin. With a groan, he switched to the other breast, his teeth grazing her skin a little harder as he pulled back, not bothering to hide his grin when she cried out his name.

Then, without a word, she began to fumble with the buttons of his shirt, her brows coming together in an adorable frown when her fingers wouldn't work as efficiently as she'd like. He joined in, making short work of his shirt and tossing it onto the floor, and pulled his T-shirt over his head and adding it to the pile.

Then he dragged her close, until her breasts were pressed against his bare chest, and ravaged her mouth once more, determined to kiss her until she was breathless. When she suddenly broke their kiss and pulled away, they both were panting.

For a moment he thought something was wrong when Elle opened the door and climbed out. But she was smiling when she turned back. “You said no one comes back here.”

He wasn't quite sure what she had in mind until she unfastened the button on her cutoffs and slowly slid down the zipper. He gulped, his eyes hungry as he watched her oh-so-slowly slide the cutoffs over her hips to reveal a tiny scrap of white panties.

“Oh sweet Jesus,” he murmured, scrambling out of the backseat in an instant, gathering her into his arms and kissing the hell out of her as her fingers worked on the button of his jeans. It popped open and his mind barely registered that the zipper had slid down. But when he felt her slip her hand between them and grasp him, he nearly lost his shit right then and there.

He sent up a curse and squeezed his eyes shut, clenching his teeth.

“Do you like this?” she murmured, pressing kisses to his chest. Her hand slid a little lower, cupping his sac and stealing any response that came to mind. A moment later, she slid his jeans over his hips and shoved them down his thighs. “How about this?”

He opened his eyes and looked down just in time to see her take him into her mouth.

Holy. Fucking. Hell.

His legs turned to jelly and he ass-planted onto the front passenger seat, but that apparently just gave her more access. She sucked him hard, taking him deep, her hand working his shaft at the base. When she drew back enough for her tongue to circle the tip of him, he jerked, an orgasm rapidly building at the base of his spine.

* * *

“Elle, stop,” he demanded, gently taking her head in his hands. He blew out a harsh string of curses when she merely lifted her eyes defiantly and took him full into her mouth again. He groaned deep in his chest and his head fell back, his hips beginning to thrust. She loved the power she had over him at that moment, the pleasure she saw in his handsome face as he braced himself, gripping the headrest of the front seat with one hand and the dashboard with the other.

Dear God, he was a beautiful man. She'd always thought him devastatingly handsome, but since coming to know him better in the last few weeks and getting beyond the cocky facade he wore like a shield, in her eyes, he was the most beautiful man she'd ever seen.

The muscles in his neck and arms bulged with the effort to keep from coming. When the head of his penis began to weep, the salty taste of him tingling her tongue, she withdrew with one long, hard suck that made him swallow a cry.

In the next moment, he was sweeping her off her feet to switch places with her, tearing off her panties with such haste that she heard the satin tear, but she didn't care. As close as he'd been to coming, she expected him to plunge into her and nearly bowed off the seat when she felt the flick of his tongue against her clit.

“Oh God,” she gasped when his tongue teased lightly, tickling and tasting. He pulled back at her words and her eyes popped open to make sure everything was okay, only to find him giving her a self-satisfied grin as he peered at her. “Gabe?”

“I want to look at you,” he said. “I want to see your face when I make you come.”

She opened her mouth to inquire exactly how he planned to make her come when he was just kneeling there grinning at her, but then she felt a long finger ease into her and his thumb brushed her clit, making her arch. As his thumb moved in a slow, sensual motion, his finger moved within her, searching. And then—

“Holy shit!” she cried as a sensation so intense shook her to her bones.

“That's it,” he encouraged as his tempo increased, making her writhe against his hand. “Do you like that, Elle?”

Did she like it? Was he kidding?

“Oh God, yes!” she panted, leaning back on her elbows.

Between the onslaught of sensation from the way he was working her clit and stroking her G-spot, she felt like her entire body was about to shatter into a million pieces. It briefly crossed her mind that she shouldn't let go completely, that she should keep her guard up. After all, this could be just a one-time thing, a fling that both of them had been longing for—no matter how much she now realized she wanted it to be more. Even if Gabe's reputation with women had been exaggerated, he was still not one for commitment. But then, neither was she.

But as soon as the thoughts had crossed her mind, the intensity of the pleasure Gabe was eliciting pushed them away, making it impossible for her not to completely give herself over to the moment.

“Don't stop,” she managed.

His voice was deeper, his breathing ragged when he said, “Don't stop what, Elle? Say it.”

Her head thrashed from side to side as her pleasure began to peak. “Don't stop touching me,” she ordered. “Don't stop—”

She arched off the seat as she came, not able to stifle her cry as light exploded in her head.

Elle expected him to withdraw then, but instead he rasped, “Come here.”

When she rose up, he leaned forward, taking her breast in his mouth, alternately scraping her nipple with his teeth and teasing it with his tongue as he slipped a second finger inside her, thrusting rapidly.

She was shocked to feel another release building again almost immediately. “Oh God, oh God,” she panted. “Gabe!”

He released her breast to capture her lips in a brief, savage kiss, then ground out, “What do you want me to do to you, Elle? Tell me. I'm not going any further unless you tell me.”

She moaned as her stomach muscles tightened, her head spinning, her orgasm seconds away. This time her cry was almost a whimper, the pleasure so intense she wanted to weep.

“Tell me, Elle,” he demanded, finally withdrawing and pulling her gently to her feet, then pressing her against the car. He lifted her leg and hooked it around his hip, then took his cock in his hand and rubbed the head of it against her sensitive clit, sending a powerful aftershock through her. “What do you want?”

“I want…” She was panting, writhing, the need to feel him inside her so powerful she couldn't even think coherently.

He positioned himself at her entrance, sliding in just enough to make his presence known. “Do you want this? Do you want me inside you?”

“God, yes!” she moaned.

He pressed in just a fraction more. “How's this? Is this what you want, Elle?”

“More,” she gasped, hooking her legs around his hips, urging him on.

Suddenly, he thrust deep, filling her almost to the point of pain. She'd known he was large, remembered from when they'd made out a year ago, confirmed it when she'd taken him into her hand and then her mouth. But she still gasped.

“What now?” he asked, beginning to withdraw, only to thrust hard again. “This?”

She nodded frantically. “Yes. More. Harder.”

His fingers dug into her hips as he thrust faster and harder. “God, it feels good inside you.”

And yet as soon as he said it, he withdrew. She frowned, confused, feeling suddenly
empty
when he bent as if to pull up his pants. “Gabe?”

When he rose back to his feet, she realized what he'd been doing even before he ground out, “Condom.”

Then he was sliding back inside her, joining their bodies again in that savage, passionate abandon that made her mind reel. And then her senses were spiraling out of control, and once more, she shattered apart.

Gabe's tempo slowed, his thrusts longer, more languid now. She opened her eyes—not having realized she'd even closed them at some point—and the heat in his gaze melted her. He was peering down at her with such reverence she suddenly felt unworthy of such admiration.

“You're beautiful,” he managed to grind out through clenched teeth, his muscles beginning to bunch as she'd witnessed before. She wanted to touch him, hold him at that moment, feel him pressed against her as he came. Wrapping her legs tighter around him, she slipped her arms around his neck, pulling him close against her, chest to chest, belly to belly as his arms encircled her.

His breath grew harsher, more ragged, and he buried his face in the curve of her neck, in the mass of curls that had come loose from her ponytail. Then he groaned, long and deep, as he finally let go. “God, you're so beautiful.”

When he went completely still, she held him, smoothing her hands lightly over his shoulders as his breath sawed in and out of his lungs, hot on her skin. It was only then she realized they were both covered in sweat, the heavy summer air clinging to them, slickening their skin.

Finally, his hold on her eased and she pulled back enough to take his face in her hands and press a slow kiss to his lips. The kiss was languid, unhurried, lips and tongues teasing and searching. When the kiss ended, he traced a finger along the swell of her breast, a slow grin curving his lips.

“That was even more incredible than I'd always imagined,” he murmured.

Her hands continued to roam over his skin, loving the feel of him beneath her fingertips. She could've said the same. He'd been the subject of her fantasies even when she'd been rebuffing his advances. But she'd never imagined
this
. Not in her wildest dreams.

“What now?” she whispered, nipping his dimpled chin with her teeth.

He groaned and pulled out slowly, then turned away slightly as he removed the condom and tied it off. “Oh, honey,” he chuckled. “I've got a few ideas. But maybe we should head home first.”

He bent and pulled his jeans back on, wincing a little as he adjusted his still-erect penis.

“Okay,” she agreed as he went to the trunk of the Charger, “but not my house.”

He grabbed some tissues and a few other things and came back around. He was frowning as he handed her the tissues so she could clean up some before getting dressed. “My house then.”

As soon as he said it, she cringed, realizing she'd totally just invited herself to his place. “I didn't mean to presume,” she said in a rush. “I can just go to my aunt's.”

He gave her a chastising look. “Seriously, Elle? Do you really think I want to dump you on Charlotte's doorstep after what just happened? I thought we were past that perception of me.”

She felt the heat rising to her cheeks and finished wiping herself off, depositing the tissues in a small plastic trash bag he held out before saying, “We are. I am. I just didn't want you to think I have any expectations.”

“Well,
I
do,” he assured her, dragging on his T-shirt and giving her a pointed look. “I expect for you to give me a shot to prove I'm the kind of man who deserves you.”

Her heart sank, realizing how much her misperception had hurt him. “I agree I owe you that much.”

“It's settled then,” he said with a sharp nod. “You're coming home with me. But mind if I ask why you don't
want
to go to your house?”

“I don't want to be there right now,” she told him, locating her cutoffs and pulling them on. She grabbed her bra and T-shirt and put them on before adding, “If I go back there tonight, I'm going to have to face the pictures. And the memories.”

He stepped closer, took her face in his hands, and brushed a brief kiss to her lips. “Say no more. You're staying with me tonight. In my arms. And I promise not to let you go until morning.”

She snaked her arms around his waist and rested her cheek against his chest, loving the feel of his strong arms as they held her close. “That sounds perfect.”

Gabe kept glancing at Elle as they drove back to his house, still not quite sure he hadn't imagined what had happened outside the old, abandoned church. Was this really Elle McCoy sitting beside him, her head back against the seat, eyes closed, a contented smile draping her luscious, full lips? Even now, he longed to whip the car over to the side of the road so he could lose himself in another kiss.

Her grin widened. “You should keep your eyes on the road.”

He laughed. “How did you know they weren't?”

Her auburn lashes fluttered a little as she opened her eyes and rolled her head toward him. She was tired. He could relate. “I can feel you looking at me. I've always been able to feel you looking at me.”

He scoffed. “Right.”

“Believe it or not,” she said with a shrug, “but I've always known when you were near, when you were watching me.”

He sent a glance her way and tried not to sound skeptical when he said, “Prove it.”

“I can't, not really,” she admitted. “Maybe it's like when moms know something is up with their kids. Or when twins know when something's going on with the other. I just
know
. Runs in the family, I guess. Charlotte has the same instinct. Half the time she shows up to come to my rescue, I haven't called her. She just
knows
.”

“What are you saying?” he asked cautiously. “You have some kind of sixth sense? Are you going to tell me you see dead people next?”

She laughed sleepily. “No. Nothing like that. It's not supernatural.” She yawned and when he glanced away from the road, her eyes were drooping as she murmured, “It's love.”

Gabe's chest constricted, squeezing the air out of him. But it wasn't panic he felt. It was hope—hope he hadn't been willing to indulge in until that moment. Was she saying she
loved
him? How was that even possible? Just a few weeks ago, she'd been calling him an irredeemable jackass.

But, more importantly, what the hell was
he
feeling? Did he love
her
? He knew he cared about her, had been infatuated with her since she was that gawky, wiry teenager she was so convinced was beneath his notice. But was it love?

Whoa. Slow your roll, dude.

It was a little early to be thinking that way. Right now, he needed to just focus on the moment and on keeping her safe. Then, maybe at some point, he could get a handle on what the hell he was feeling.

When he glanced her way again, she was fast asleep, her face slack in repose and unbelievably beautiful. He reached out and took her hand in his, bending over slightly to bring her hand to his mouth and press a tender kiss to her fingertips. She shifted a little at the pressure and twined her fingers with his.

God, he was in trouble…

When he pulled into his driveway a few minutes later, he almost hated to rouse her from her slumber. Odds were good she hadn't slept a whole lot lately—well, judging by his sleep habits of late, anyway.

He came around and opened the door, unbuckling her seat belt and lifting her into his arms. She nuzzled close and mumbled something incoherent against his shirt, then lazily draped her arms around his neck.

“I gotcha,” he whispered, easily carrying her up the steps—not so easily maneuvering around until he could unlock the door.

How the hell did the guys manage this kind of thing in the movies, for shit's sake?

The sound of the front door closing roused her enough that she lifted her head and glanced around, eyes still glassy with sleep. “Are we home?”

He hugged her a little tighter. “Yeah, honey. We're home. I'm gonna get you to bed.”

She sighed, a sweet little sound of contentment that went straight to his dick. “Mmm. Like the sound of that.”

He chuckled but didn't respond, knowing she probably didn't even realize what she was mumbling. But when he gently placed her on the bed and pulled back to help remove her shoes, she was staring up at him with a hungry look in her eyes.

“You should get some sleep,” he told her, trying his damnedest to be a gentleman.

Elle glanced toward his bedside table at the clock there. “It's still early.” She sat up and grasped the front of his shirt, yanking him toward her. “Besides, I need a shower before I get in your bed.”

He couldn't help grinning. “That so? Need any help?”

She slowly got to her feet, her body sliding up his as she stood, her lips finding his in a slow, sultry kiss that left his pulse pounding. “Well, since you asked…”

He wasn't entirely sure who undressed whom as they made their way to the bathroom, but by the time they were there, they were both naked. He started the water, then reached for Elle, capturing her mouth again. But the kiss was brief. As blissful as it was to lose himself in her kisses, he wanted to explore every inch of her peaches-and-cream skin. He stepped back, starting with her fingertips, pressing a kiss to the pad of each one, then her palm, the inside of her wrist.

She gasped a little and shivered when he found her pulse point with his tongue. “Oh God, Gabe,” she whispered. “That's too delicious.”

He chuckled. “You're telling me.”

But he continued his path, kissing his way up her arm to her shoulder, pausing for several moments, loving the way she moaned softly and clutched at him as he teased the sensitive skin there with his tongue and teeth.

“We should get in the shower,” she murmured halfheartedly as he kissed his way down to her breasts, her belly, her hips.

He didn't respond. He was more interested in her response as he explored her thighs, the center of her, already slick and swollen with need. He spent a good deal of time there, bracing her hips as he suckled and lathed, not granting her any quarter until she cried out and her knees buckled. Then he kissed his way back up, turning her so he could press another line of kisses along the smooth skin of her back.

As soon as he was standing again, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her back into the curve of his body until her bottom was pressed firmly against his groin. “Still want that shower?”

Her head dropped back against his shoulder as he nipped at hers. “Touch me,” she whispered. Not waiting for him to respond, she grasped his wrist and guided him to the patch of glossy, red curls between her legs.

“Jesus, Elle,” he rasped, grinding his hips against hers. “I want to be inside you. Right. Now.”

She bent forward to turn off the water, the sight of her gorgeous, perfectly rounded bottom making him groan. In response, she sent a saucy look over her shoulder. “What are you waiting for?”

He gently grasped her hips, and they sank down together on their knees. She leaned forward, bracing her forearms on the edge of the bathtub as he positioned himself and slid easily into her from behind.

She moaned, pressing back against him, grinding against him, urging him on. He didn't need to be asked twice. He moved with slow, measured strokes, wanting to draw out her pleasure for as long as possible.

“Oh God, yes,” she gasped. He could feel her muscles beginning to tighten, close to orgasm already, still sensitive and aroused.

When she pushed up from the bathtub, he sank back on his heels, bringing her back flush against his chest, one hand kneading her breast as the other fingered her clit. Her breath came in gasps as they moved together. When she came, her cry of release echoed in the bathroom, filling his ears and making everything male in him want to pound his chest with pride.

But then he was crying out along with her, his own orgasm uncoiling in one great release. They continued to move together, thrusting and withdrawing through the aftershocks that left them both panting until she finally collapsed back against him.

It was only then that he paused to get his shit together and realized he hadn't bothered to withdraw before he came, hadn't bothered to stop long enough to put on a condom. He was clean, had never had such a lapse in judgment with anyone else, but he'd let his dick get in the way of being responsible and respectful to
her.

“Shit, Elle,” he spat as they drew apart. “I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been so stupid.”

She turned on the water and cast a glance at him over her shoulder. “It takes two to tango, Gabe. I could've stopped you. Should I be concerned?”

His eyes went wide. “Oh, God no! I'm good. Clean bill of health in all regards. I'm more worried about not being respectful to you. I love—” He bit off his words.
Holy fucking hell. He'd almost said he loved her.
He quickly amended, “I love being inside you. Love the feel of you. I've never been that intimate with any other woman. But…I'm just thinking of Joe and Sadie and the baby on the way.”

She gave him a nod, then pressed a kiss to his lips. “Truth? I've never been that intimate with anyone else either. But you're right. We should probably be more careful. For now.”

* * *

Their shower together had been sensual but chaste aside from some very heated kisses as they lathered each other's skin. Dried off and lying in Gabe's bed now, wearing only one of his sheriff department T-shirts as she waited for him to join her, she mulled over their conversation. She hadn't been lying when she'd told him that she'd never been as intimate with any other man. Heck, there were only a handful of men in her history to begin with.

Yet she was completely willing to throw caution to the wind where Gabe was concerned. What the hell was she
thinking
? So maybe her aunt Charlotte had been right. Maybe he went through women so quickly because he realized the relationship wasn't going anywhere. She was willing to accept as truth what he'd said about his reputation being exaggerated.

So why had things been different this time around for both of them? She'd been infatuated with Gabe since high school, had been attracted to him, drawn to him in spite of every inclination to dislike him. The answer hovered at the edges of her mind, defying all logic and reason.

Fortunately, he sauntered into the bedroom, hot as hell as he moved toward the bed, that cocky self-confidence completely justified, she had to say. He slipped between the sheets and slid an arm beneath her, pulling her against him.

“Hey there, beautiful,” he whispered, pressing a kiss to her hair. “Feeling better?”

She curled into him, loving the way they fit together, how her head nestled perfectly in the hollow of his shoulder. And he smelled amazing, a heady mixture of soap and shaving cream and aftershave. She took a deep breath, drawing in the scent of him, letting it swamp her senses, then twined her fingers with his. “Much. How are you?”

He chuckled, the sound rumbling deep in his chest, vibrating beneath her ear. “Oh, I'm good. Better than good. Fantastic.”

“Thank you, Gabe,” she said softly. “I appreciate everything you've done for me today. I'm so much happier to have these memories to associate with this day.”

“You say that like a woman prepared to move on,” he said, his tone suddenly stiff, guarded.

“That's not how I meant it,” she assured him, but his tension didn't ease. “I just don't want to take anything for granted. Let's just take things one day at a time and see what happens, okay? I have a habit of not thinking much about the future. Not since my family died.”

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, then pressed another kiss to her hair. “I understand.”

“Do you?” she asked, rising up to peer down into his face, searching his eyes.

He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “Yeah, I do.” His brows drew together in a frown, as if he was struggling with a decision, then he said, “Did you know I almost got married once?”

For some reason, the thought of him married to someone else was a sucker punch to the gut that made her want to hurl. But she swallowed back the lump in her throat and shook her head. “No, I didn't. I'm surprised Aunt Charlotte didn't say anything about it.”

“Charlotte didn't know,” he told her. “Most people didn't. My brother Tom was the only one I told—and you know how tight-lipped Tom is. Only guy I know who can actually keep a secret.”

“Why was it a secret?” Elle asked.

He frowned. “Just wanted to wait for the right time to tell my dad and the rest of my brothers.”

“Who was she?”

“Her name was Audrey Evans. I dated her when you were away at law school. She was finishing up her senior year in grad school and then we were going to get married. She was planning to be a research chemist.” His arm around her tightened. “Guess I have a thing for brilliant women.”

Elle grinned at the compliment. “So what happened? You said she was
planning to be
a chemist.”

He shrugged. “Dunno. A couple of weeks after we got engaged, I came home a few hours later from my shift because I'd had a shit-ton of paperwork that night and we got into a huge argument. I wasn't even entirely sure what she was so pissed about. But that was it. She finally called me a week or so later to tell me why she'd broken things off. Apparently, she'd decided she couldn't be married to someone in law enforcement, couldn't take all the worrying.”

“I'm so sorry, Gabe,” Elle told him, partly because she'd never thought him capable of ever committing to one woman, let alone being the one on the receiving end of a broken heart.

His expression grew solemn. “Can't say I blame her.”

“Bullshit.”

He flinched and drew away, giving her a shocked look. “Sorry?”

“She was an idiot if she couldn't see what she was passing up,” she told him.

His answering grin was brief, but then he shook his head. “Maybe she was smarter than I'd thought. I've had more than my share of fuckups, Elle.” He ran a hand over his hair, his expression twisting with emotion, and she realized this was about more than just one of his ex-girlfriends bailing. Her instinct was confirmed when he said, “I should've checked the battery in my radio before I went into Moe's that day, Elle. I shouldn't have been out in my vehicle when Chris was shot.”