See Jane Love (5 page)

He’d only planned to have a quick taste of her, but after one kiss, he swiftly changed his mind. He had to have more.

Angling his head to gain better access of her delicious mouth, Gabe folded her into his arms and pulled her close. He forced her warm, velvety-smooth lips open with his thrusting tongue and devoured her. She tasted of sweet Chianti.

Jane brought her hands up and dug her nails into his shoulders. Moaning softly, she pressed her small breasts to his chest and kissed him back.

Gabe’s breath came in fast gulps and he was rock hard. Knowing he had to stop before things got out of control, he reluctantly raised his mouth from hers and watched the dreamy look on her face.

Her eyes slowly opened and she gazed back at him. “Wow,” she breathed, dropping her hands to the bed.

Gabe laughed. “Yeah, wow,” he agreed. Who would have thought that Jane Callahan could make him feel like a high school boy again? “Maybe I should go.”

She nodded. “I think that’s a good idea, or I may have to break my promise and rip your clothes off, after all.”

“And I just might let you,” he teased back. Gently nudging her shoulders, he managed to help her into a reclining position. “Close your eyes, Jane.”

She rolled to her side, and curling into a fetal position, she let her eyes drift shut. But they’d only been closed for a few seconds when she asked, “Could you just do me one more favor before you leave?”

“Uh, sure.”

“Could you sit by me while I fall asleep? The room is spinning, and I’m scared.”

“I can do that,” he said.

She fell asleep instantly. Time for him to return to his motel, take a cold shower, and then, maybe he’d count freckles. “Sheep!” he groaned out. “I meant sheep.”

* * * * * * * * * *

It sounded like a fire alarm, and it wasn’t the first time she’d heard it that morning. Janie sat up in bed, or tried to sit up, rather. And if her head didn’t feel as if someone had dropped an anvil on it, she probably would have made it, too.

Her mouth felt funny--kind of dry and furry, like she’d swallowed a tennis ball. Come to think of it, maybe she
had
swallowed a tennis ball. Picking at whatever was stuck to her tongue and the roof of her mouth, she was relieved to see it was only pink fuzz, obviously from her slipper, which lay beside her pillow.

What on earth had possessed her to drink all that wine last night? she wondered, slowly draping a leg over the edge of the bed and placing her foot on the floor.

Maneuvering her body around so she was lying sideways, she placed the second one on the floor. Good, she thought. Both feet were on the floor. It was a start, at least. Now, all she had to do was lift her head, shoulders and hips from the mattress, crawl to the window, and jump.

Sucking in a huge breath for strength, she leaned on her elbows and pushed, but her head only made it about two inches off the mattress before crashing back into place. Moaning softly, she decided it was no use. And it would be worthless shouting to the neighbors for help because she didn’t have the energy to do that either.

She was a toasted marshmallow for sure. She just prayed it would be a quick and painless death. Although she hadn’t seen any flames, nor had she smelled any smoke. And she noticed whatever had been making all that noise had finally stopped. Blessed silence, at last. It must have been a false alarm.

“You’re awake.” A man’s voice echoed into the room and throbbed against her brain. Gabe was still here? His deep, sexy baritone held a rasp of excitement. Only right now, he could be standing there bare-ass naked, and she wouldn’t find him
any more exciting than a dust bunny.

Okay, so maybe she was lying. Just thinking about him naked got her excited. God only knew how she’d react if she actually saw him in the nude. Fat chance of that happening, she thought, remembering how he’d turned her down last night.

“Your sister just called to see if you were still breathing. She also left three messages on your answering machine this morning.”

“Is that what that noise was? I thought the building was on fire.” Carefully, she angled her head to the side for a better view of the man standing in her bedroom doorway.

The first thing she noticed was his mouth, grinning at her. Remembering those lips and the way they’d possessed her last night made her salivate.

Knowing it was extremely dangerous to stare at his mouth--no telling what she might say--she dropped her gaze. Apparently he hadn’t stayed all night, because he’d changed his clothes. Today’s blue jeans were a rich indigo and his T-shirt was white. He looked freshly showered and shaved, too. While here she lay, with mascara-crusted cheeks and matted hair, wearing last night’s skirt wrapped around her waist
.

Yikes! she thought, tugging at the khaki material. But it was no use. Not only were her fingers clumsy and awkward, but her hips felt like lead balloons. There was no way
she could lift them to pull her skirt down.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, groping for the sheet and pulling it over her hips and thighs.

“I wanted to make sure you were all right. And last night I noticed you didn’t have anything in the way of a hangover remedy, so I did a little shopping for you.”

Bless this man, she said silently, looking up at the ceiling. “Well, as you can see, I’m just
peachy,” she lied, forcing a brilliant smile. “In fact, I was thinking about jogging.”

“Uh, huh,” he muttered, as if he didn’t believe her. Entering the bedroom, he treaded carefully across the room, occasionally stopping to pick up a piece of clothing or a shoe in his path. Then, he did the unspeakable.

He opened the blinds.

Jane squeezed her eyes shut against the morning brightness. “Did you have to do that?”

“Yes. The sooner you get up and get moving, the sooner you’re going to start feeling human again.” She heard her dresser drawers being opened and shut, and then his voice boomed out again. “I grabbed some clean clothes for you. After your shower, you’ll feel a little better.”

Peeking out of one eye, she saw a pair of denim shorts, a red tank top and a pair of pink bikini panties tucked under his arm.

“Go away,” she said, closing her eye again. She figured all she had to do was wait a minute or two and then he’d probably get the hint and leave. But when she opened her eyes a few moments later, he was still there. He must be deaf, she thought.

“Come on, Cinderella. Let’s turn you into a princess.”

“Oh, so that’s why you’re here! You’re my fairy godmother.”

He chuckled. “Sure, whatever. It’s your fantasy.”

Rather than fight when she felt herself being lifted, Janie merely wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head against his shoulder. He smelled clean, like soap and toothpaste, while she probably smelled like a zoo animal. Maybe a shower was just what she needed.

In the bathroom, he set her gently on her feet, placed her hands on the vanity and said, “Hold on.” Then, laying her clean clothes aside, he pulled the shower curtain open and turned on the spray. “You don’t need any help getting undressed, do you?”

“No,” she said firmly. “Go away.”

“Breakfast in twenty minutes,” he said before shutting the door.

“Breakfast?”
she said, then opened the door a crack and peeked her head out. “Thanks, but I think I’ll pass.” Normally, she’d be jumping for joy over a man who could cook. But this morning, the last thing she wanted was food. Still, it was nice of him to offer.

“Well, I’m going to go ahead and make something anyway. By the time you finish with your shower, you’ll probably be hungry.” With that he turned and headed for the stairs.

Janie watched as he walked away, her gaze fixed on his delectable behind. “What is wrong with me?” she mumbled and quickly closed the door.

Before yesterday, she’d never much thought about Gabe Montero in a sexual way, or
any
way. She’d always thought he was rude and sort of incorrigible. But this morning he was acting civil, like they were friends. And last night he’d behaved like a perfect gentleman. Even when he’d kissed her, he’d used restraint. He could have taken advantage of her, especially after the way she’d practically thrown herself at him.

God, she’d almost forgotten about how she’d made a complete fool of herself
last night. Although she didn’t regret asking him to kiss her, she couldn’t believe she’d asked him to have an affair with her. What on earth had she been thinking?

In spite of the way Janie’s stomach was churning, something smelled awfully tempting as she emerged from the bathroom. Gabe was right. The shower had helped tremendously. She was actually starting to feel slightly human. But just slightly. Her head still throbbed and she was still a little woozy. Leaning against the wall for support, she inched her way down the hallway and toward the stairs. But when she reached the top, she grasped the handrail for support as she stared down at the landing. She’d descended these steps hundreds of times, but never with a hangover. Suddenly, she lost her nerve, and afraid she might lose her balance and fall, she sat down. Then using her hands for support, she took the stairs slowly on her butt.

“I like resourceful women,” Gabe said, coming around the corner.

Janie shot him a look, but didn’t bother responding.

“Hungry?”

“A little. Do I smell coffee and bacon?” When she reached the last step, Gabe held out his hand and helped her to her feet. He ran his gaze over her tank top and denim shorts, lingering on her bare feet a moment before meeting her eyes again.

“Yes. And I made you a cheese omelet.”

He’d obviously gone shopping, because her kitchen wasn’t stocked with things like bacon and eggs. She mostly lived on take-out, or whatever leftovers Sara pushed on her. “Not so fast,” she said when Gabe started to pull her along. “This is my first hangover, you know. Hey, wait a minute! What happened to my living room? And where’s all my stuff?”

He stopped, running a hand through his thick, dark hair. “I straightened it up. As
challenging as it was, I managed to find mates for all the shoes, and I tossed the clothing items in the hamper in your bedroom. It’s full, by the way. I got rid of all the old newspapers and fast food wrappers, too. And I loaded the dishwasher and ran the vacuum cleaner.” When she only stared at him with her mouth open, he rambled on. “I hope you weren’t planning on eating any of the furry leftovers in your refrigerator because I deep-sixed them. And while you were showering, I changed the sheets on your bed and cleared off your bedroom floor. Did you know you had carpeting under all those piles of clothes?”

“Very funny. So, how am I supposed to find anything now?”

“You’re kidding, right?”

She stuck out her chin, met his gaze. She found him irritating and pragmatic at the same time. “I happen to like the messy look. It’s in right now.” He was still holding her hand, she noticed as she leaned against him for support. “Besides, when I’m in my writing mode I’m totally absorbed in my characters and my story. I can’t be bothered with little things like cleaning. So I’m a little messy
. So what.”

“Jane, you’re not a little messy, you’re a slob. Maybe you should take a few lessons from Sara. It amazes me how you and your sister are so different from one another.”

“You should talk.” She was referring to him and Alex, and he knew it.

“Point taken. C’mon, the food’s getting cold.”

He walked slowly this time, his big hand--with those long fingers--wrapped around hers, and led her to the kitchen. There should be a law against men wearing jeans that looked that good, she thought. He’d set two places at the table and had already filled their plates with bacon, eggs and buttered wheat toast.

“This looks heavenly,” she told him. The sound of the chair scraping against the vinyl floor made her wince, but she didn’t complain. Gabe nodded for her to sit. “I don’t think I’ve ever eaten a meal at the table before. This will be a real treat.” Then she eyed the tall glass of red
liquid in front of her. “What’s this?”

“A great hangover remedy. Don’t ask what’s in it, just drink it.” He picked up a bottle of aspirin from the kitchen counter and shook two out into his palm. “Here
, take these.”

Janie picked up the glass and sniffed. It smelled like tomato juice. So, it couldn’t be too bad. She popped the aspirin in her mouth and took a huge swig of the thick, red liquid. “That’s disgusting!” With a sour face, she pushed the glass aside.

“Drink it down,” he ordered, picking up the glass and holding it in front of her face. “C’mon, don’t be a baby.”

“I’m not a--”

“That’s a good girl,” Gabe said, pressing the glass to her lips until she had no choice but to drink.

The second swallow wasn’t quite so lethal, and by the time she’d drained the glass, the mixture had started to grow on her. She’d forgotten all about the sour, slimy taste. “There, happy?” she asked.

“Ecstatic.” He plucked a napkin from the center of the table and ran it over her mouth as if she were a child. “Now, eat,” he said, taking the chair across from hers.

He could certainly cook, she decided, savoring every last bite of the tasty omelet. Gabe smiled at her, then gathered the dirty dishes and took them to the sink. Her insides were no longer queasy, though she wasn’t sure if it was the juice mixture or the food which was responsible. And, thanks to the aspirin, her headache had already started to fade.