Can't Help Falling in Love
Page 45
But even as her eyes opened and held his, even as her mouth opened on a silent scream of pleasure as she shattered again, even as his own body followed her down that path of perfect destruction, Gabe knew he hadn’t just been asking her to come with him.
No, what he was asking for was so much bigger than just sex, more than just the best orgasm he’d ever had.
Gabe didn’t want to claim Megan’s body alone. He wanted her heart, wanted to know—to love—every part of her.
Because with every moment they spent together, he was realizing more and more just what a daredevil she really was. She loved heights, and hadn’t blinked twice at having wild monkey sex out in the open on his roof.
How long had his beautiful thrill seeker been pushing away the truth of who she really was? Since her husband’s death?
Or even before that?
* * *
Megan couldn’t do anything more than cling to Gabe and bury her face against his broad shoulder. She could barely breathe, so how could she possibly pull her thoughts together to examine what had just happened between them?
He was holding her just as tightly as he shifted them so that his body, instead of the pillows, was cushioning her. She loved feeling him all around her, inside of her, knew she’d never get enough of him, even if she lived to be a hundred.
The shock of that thought—of the future she’d sworn she wouldn’t have with him—had her blinking her eyes open, trying to clear the fog of temporarily sated lust from them.
Oh my God, she’d just had sex on the roof.
The roof!
She hadn’t wanted to think too long and hard about just how risky what they were doing was. Not if that thinking would have gotten in the way of Gabe’s kiss. But now, as she looked up at the buildings that surrounded his, she knew the probability was fairly high that someone might have seen them.
She yanked the blanket over her hips and br**sts even as something inside of her buzzed a teensy bit in an exhibitionist thrill.
Gabe ran his hand over the curve of her bottom beneath the blanket. “Do you think we made anyone’s New Year’s?”
She wanted to be shocked by him, by the cavalier way that he was acknowledging they might have been spotted. “I hope not!”
But even as she spoke in her primmest voice, Megan couldn’t deny the tingle down low in her belly from thinking of another couple setting out to watch the fireworks...and seeing them making love instead. Those were the kinds of thoughts she only ever let herself have in the secrecy of her most private, kinky fantasies.
Worse still, she couldn’t even blame him for what had happened. Not when she was the one who had ripped off her clothes in plain sight of the other buildings and rooftops and then yelled at him to hurry and take his off, too.
His chuckle was warm, full of the heat that hadn’t dissipated between them. “I’m just teasing you, sweetheart. The nearest building taller than this is far enough away that someone would have needed a great pair of binoculars to see us up here.” He tipped his finger beneath her chin. “You say Summer is the only risk-taker in the family, but that isn’t true.”
Making love with Gabe was incredibly intimate. But the way he was talking to her, as if he knew the secrets of her soul, felt even deeper. She felt like he was seeing in too deeply, past all the walls she’d worked so hard to build to keep herself—and her precious daughter—safe.
She shivered and he immediately picked her up, blanket and all.
“Time to get you warm again.”
Megan knew she should just say thank you for the fireworks—even though the only ones she’d been able to pay any attention to tonight were the ones that combusted between them—and tell him she had to go home, but she’d already broken her latest vow to stay away from him. And she’d been working really hard since Summer had left. She was so tired.
And it felt so good to let him hold her like this, just for a few more seconds.
Gabe ran kisses over her hair, across her forehead, over her cheek, and she had to turn in for one on her lips. When they were halfway down the stairs to his apartment, he stopped and concentrated on kissing the remaining oxygen from her lungs.
“Happy New Year.”
She had to run her tongue across his gorgeous lower lip before saying, “Happy New Year.”
Megan expected him to carry her into his bedroom, but he didn’t stop at the huge king bed covered in a beautiful blue and brown quilt. Instead, he moved into the bathroom.
“How about a bath to start off the new year?”
The sinfully delicious thought of being naked, slipping and sliding against Gabe in his whirlpool tub, was almost enough to make her consider it. Still, she hadn’t been able to get in a bathtub since the fire. “Why don’t we shower instead?”
She turned her head up to kiss him, but smart man, even though he indulged her, it was clear that he saw right through her distraction. “I want to take a bath with you, Megan.”
Oh my. She took a deep breath to try to steady herself. “I guess I can try.”
He brushed a lock of hair from her eyes, once again seeing more deeply than she wanted him to. “Is it because that’s where I found you? In the bathtub?”
If she had been stronger, if she had felt less safe cradled in Gabe’s strong arms, if he were anyone else, she might have tried to deny it.
But how could she lie to this man?
“I thought we were going to die in there. In the bathtub.”
“I never would have let that happen.”
She couldn’t stop herself from saying the one question that had played over and over in her head for the past two months. “But what if you hadn’t come in time?”
“No what-ifs.” He took one of her hands and laid it over his heart. “Not tonight.” He leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. “Don’t let the fire take any more from you than it already has, sweetheart.”
But didn’t he see that she felt caught in an endless loop of what-ifs? Not just about the fire, but about the two of them, about Summer and her future, and—
She scrunched her eyes up tight, hating those what-ifs, every last one of them. “You know what?”
“Tell me, Megan.”
She took a deep breath and opened her eyes. “It’s a new year. Time for a new start. To wash the past clean.”
She was old enough, wise enough, to know she couldn’t change who she was, the way her brain and heart were wired, in one short night. But she could take a baby step toward pushing the weight of all those fears off her shoulders.
No, what he was asking for was so much bigger than just sex, more than just the best orgasm he’d ever had.
Gabe didn’t want to claim Megan’s body alone. He wanted her heart, wanted to know—to love—every part of her.
Because with every moment they spent together, he was realizing more and more just what a daredevil she really was. She loved heights, and hadn’t blinked twice at having wild monkey sex out in the open on his roof.
How long had his beautiful thrill seeker been pushing away the truth of who she really was? Since her husband’s death?
Or even before that?
* * *
Megan couldn’t do anything more than cling to Gabe and bury her face against his broad shoulder. She could barely breathe, so how could she possibly pull her thoughts together to examine what had just happened between them?
He was holding her just as tightly as he shifted them so that his body, instead of the pillows, was cushioning her. She loved feeling him all around her, inside of her, knew she’d never get enough of him, even if she lived to be a hundred.
The shock of that thought—of the future she’d sworn she wouldn’t have with him—had her blinking her eyes open, trying to clear the fog of temporarily sated lust from them.
Oh my God, she’d just had sex on the roof.
The roof!
She hadn’t wanted to think too long and hard about just how risky what they were doing was. Not if that thinking would have gotten in the way of Gabe’s kiss. But now, as she looked up at the buildings that surrounded his, she knew the probability was fairly high that someone might have seen them.
She yanked the blanket over her hips and br**sts even as something inside of her buzzed a teensy bit in an exhibitionist thrill.
Gabe ran his hand over the curve of her bottom beneath the blanket. “Do you think we made anyone’s New Year’s?”
She wanted to be shocked by him, by the cavalier way that he was acknowledging they might have been spotted. “I hope not!”
But even as she spoke in her primmest voice, Megan couldn’t deny the tingle down low in her belly from thinking of another couple setting out to watch the fireworks...and seeing them making love instead. Those were the kinds of thoughts she only ever let herself have in the secrecy of her most private, kinky fantasies.
Worse still, she couldn’t even blame him for what had happened. Not when she was the one who had ripped off her clothes in plain sight of the other buildings and rooftops and then yelled at him to hurry and take his off, too.
His chuckle was warm, full of the heat that hadn’t dissipated between them. “I’m just teasing you, sweetheart. The nearest building taller than this is far enough away that someone would have needed a great pair of binoculars to see us up here.” He tipped his finger beneath her chin. “You say Summer is the only risk-taker in the family, but that isn’t true.”
Making love with Gabe was incredibly intimate. But the way he was talking to her, as if he knew the secrets of her soul, felt even deeper. She felt like he was seeing in too deeply, past all the walls she’d worked so hard to build to keep herself—and her precious daughter—safe.
She shivered and he immediately picked her up, blanket and all.
“Time to get you warm again.”
Megan knew she should just say thank you for the fireworks—even though the only ones she’d been able to pay any attention to tonight were the ones that combusted between them—and tell him she had to go home, but she’d already broken her latest vow to stay away from him. And she’d been working really hard since Summer had left. She was so tired.
And it felt so good to let him hold her like this, just for a few more seconds.
Gabe ran kisses over her hair, across her forehead, over her cheek, and she had to turn in for one on her lips. When they were halfway down the stairs to his apartment, he stopped and concentrated on kissing the remaining oxygen from her lungs.
“Happy New Year.”
She had to run her tongue across his gorgeous lower lip before saying, “Happy New Year.”
Megan expected him to carry her into his bedroom, but he didn’t stop at the huge king bed covered in a beautiful blue and brown quilt. Instead, he moved into the bathroom.
“How about a bath to start off the new year?”
The sinfully delicious thought of being naked, slipping and sliding against Gabe in his whirlpool tub, was almost enough to make her consider it. Still, she hadn’t been able to get in a bathtub since the fire. “Why don’t we shower instead?”
She turned her head up to kiss him, but smart man, even though he indulged her, it was clear that he saw right through her distraction. “I want to take a bath with you, Megan.”
Oh my. She took a deep breath to try to steady herself. “I guess I can try.”
He brushed a lock of hair from her eyes, once again seeing more deeply than she wanted him to. “Is it because that’s where I found you? In the bathtub?”
If she had been stronger, if she had felt less safe cradled in Gabe’s strong arms, if he were anyone else, she might have tried to deny it.
But how could she lie to this man?
“I thought we were going to die in there. In the bathtub.”
“I never would have let that happen.”
She couldn’t stop herself from saying the one question that had played over and over in her head for the past two months. “But what if you hadn’t come in time?”
“No what-ifs.” He took one of her hands and laid it over his heart. “Not tonight.” He leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. “Don’t let the fire take any more from you than it already has, sweetheart.”
But didn’t he see that she felt caught in an endless loop of what-ifs? Not just about the fire, but about the two of them, about Summer and her future, and—
She scrunched her eyes up tight, hating those what-ifs, every last one of them. “You know what?”
“Tell me, Megan.”
She took a deep breath and opened her eyes. “It’s a new year. Time for a new start. To wash the past clean.”
She was old enough, wise enough, to know she couldn’t change who she was, the way her brain and heart were wired, in one short night. But she could take a baby step toward pushing the weight of all those fears off her shoulders.
