“Has Gabe gone home?”
Lauren picked up the tray from Cassie’s bedside table and ignored the way her heart beat faster simply at the mention of his name. He’d left with the barest of goodbyes, and she’d breathed a sigh of immense relief once he’d walked out the door.
“Yes,” she replied. “But he said he’d check on you in a couple of days.”
“That’s sweet of him,” Cassie said, and grinned. “Although I’m not sure he’s actually dropping by to see me.”
Lauren frowned. “You’re as obvious as my mother.”
Her friend began ticking off his attributes on her fingers. “He’s handsome, charming, single and a doctor...what more do you need?”
Commitment and love...
She wanted exactly what she’d been saying she didn’t want. And neither she was likely to get from Gabe Vitali.
“He doesn’t want a relationship. He’s commitmentphobic.” Lauren sighed heavily. “Looks, charm and medical degree aside, he’s emotionally unavailable.”
“I’m not so sure,” Cassie said. “Maybe he’s just been unlucky in love and is wary of getting close to someone again.”
That’s not it.
But there was something...some reason why he pulled back and made it clear he wanted to avoid commitment. And Lauren was sure it had nothing to do with a failed relationship. It was something else...something deeper. Something that was somehow wrapped up in the patient he lost, his decision to quit being a doctor and then choosing to move his life to Crystal Point.
“Perhaps,” she said, and shrugged. “It doesn’t matter anyway. He’s not for me.”
“Settling isn’t the answer,” Cassie said quietly. “I know you have this idea that you want an uncomplicated, painless relationship...but relationships are complicated. And they can be painful and messy. Just because things ended so tragically with Tim and then you married a man you didn’t love, it doesn’t mean you have to make do with ordinary.”
But ordinary won’t break my heart.
And Gabe would.
Hadn’t he already told her as much?
“I don’t believe in the fairy tale anymore,” she said, and knew it was a lie. “You should rest. My folks will be home soon. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
She headed downstairs, and once the dishes had been done, Lauren made her way to the front living room. As always, the photographs on the mantel drew her closer. Dear Tim, she thought as she looked at his picture with a familiar sadness. Was Gabe right? Had Tim kept his illness a secret so she wouldn’t pity him...so he wouldn’t have to deal with her thinking of him as sick? As somehow less than a man? In the years since his death, she’d thought of his reasons countless times and always ended up believing he’d wanted to protect her from the inevitable grief and loss. But what if it was more than that? Had she been so blind? So self-centered, she hadn’t considered that Tim was protecting himself, too?
When her mother arrived home, she was still sitting in the front room, still thinking about the man she’d loved and lost. And she thought about Gabe, too...and wondered how she’d managed to develop feelings for someone she hardly knew. It was different to the way she’d fallen for James. Her ex-husband hadn’t made her think...want...need. He hadn’t stirred her mind and body the way Gabe did. James had been an escape from the terrible anguish of losing Tim. Nothing more. She was ashamed to admit it to herself. He’d deserved better. And so had she.
By the time she returned to her house, showered and changed and rolled into bed, it was past ten. There were lights on next door, and she wondered if Gabe was up late working on the renovations in the house. Once the work was done, she was sure he’d sell the place. What then? Would they see one another as infrequently as they had before he’d moved next door?
Sleep eluded her, and after staring at the shadows bouncing off the ceiling for most of the night, Lauren snatched a few restless hours before she pulled herself out of bed at seven, dressed and drove into Bellandale. She swapped her car for the store’s van and then headed back to Crystal Point Surf Club & Community Center to collect the gowns that had been left there after the benefit. She’d borrowed Cameron’s key and hoped she could get the task done before Gabe arrived for work.
No such luck.
He turned up just as she was trekking the third armload of gowns down the stairs.
He stood at the bottom of the stairway. “Need some help?”
Lauren brushed past him and clutched the gowns. “No, thank you,” she said as she stomped through the doorway and loaded the dresses neatly into the back of the van. When she returned inside, he was still by the stairs.
“How did you get in?” he asked.
“I borrowed my brother’s keys. I didn’t think it would be a big deal.”
“It’s not,” he replied, and followed her up the stairs. “Stop being stubborn and let me help you.”
Lauren glared at him. “I’m not stubborn.”
He raised one dark brow. “Yeah, right,” he said, and held out his arms. “Give me what needs to be taken downstairs.”
Lauren’s mouth tightened, but she did as he asked. It only took another twenty minutes to get everything in the van, including the three metal hanging rails he quickly pulled apart and loaded in the back of the vehicle.
“Thanks. I appreciate your help,” she said as she closed the back door to the van.
“No problem. Do you want me to follow you and carry this stuff back into your store?”
“Ah, no,” she said quickly. “My mother will be there to help. Thanks again.”
“Do you like working with your mom?” he asked unexpectedly, and followed her around to the driver’s door. “And running your own business?”
“It’s what I’ve always done,” she replied.
“Which isn’t exactly an answer, is it?”
Lauren shrugged. “My mother opened the store twenty-five years ago. I took over when I graduated from business college. Do I like it?” She sighed deeply. “It’s all I know. I like it well enough.”
But his glittering gaze saw straight through her facade. “Sometimes it makes you unhappy.”
“Some days,” she admitted. “Other days it’s not so bad. When I was younger, I guess I was wrapped up in the romance of it all. The gowns...the tradition... Back then it seemed to have a purpose. Now...not so much.”
Because Tim died, and I discovered that not everyone gets their happy ending....
His phone beeped, and he ignored it like he had before. Lauren’s eyes widened. “So did you end up calling your mother and brother?”
Gabe stared at her for a second and then grinned a little. “Not yet.”
Lauren grunted under her breath. “I didn’t peg you to be the inconsiderate type.”
“Inconsiderate?” He repeated the word and frowned. “I’m not.”
“You might want to remind your family of that the next time you speak with them,” she said, and smiled ultrasweetly. “If you ever get around to it.”
Lauren watched as his resentment grew. To his credit, he kept a lid on his rising annoyance. She wasn’t usually driven to lecture someone she hardly knew. He’d accused her of getting under his skin.... The problem was, he did exactly the same thing to her.
And no one had ever made her so reactive.
Gabe challenged her thoughts and ideals. He made her really think about things. And he had, in a matter of weeks, forced her out of the self-absorbed routine she’d disguised as her life. Even her plans to find someone to share her life with had been tainted with the memories of all she’d lost. But who was she kidding? Settling for a passionless, loveless relationship was no way to live. And in her heart, she knew she could never honor Tim by settling for less.
Looking at Gabe, it was easy to get lost in his blue eyes and handsome face...but there was so much more to him than that. And that was what she found so hard to resist. He was charming, certainly. And sexy. But he was also kind and generous, and despite her silly accusation, clearly considerate and helpful. Hadn’t he come to her aid countless times? Like when she was forced to look after Jed. Or how he’d helped her dad after his fall. And he’d shown incredible concern for Cassie and her baby. There was something elementally good about Gabe. And that was what she was so attracted to. That was why her heart pounded whenever he was close.
That’s why I’ve fallen in love with him....
She shivered, even though the breeze was warm.
Oh, God...it’s true.
“Lauren?” His voice seemed to whisper on the wind. “Are you all right?”
She nodded, shell-shocked at the unexpected intensity of her feelings. How ironic that she’d done exactly the opposite of what she’d planned after her divorce. She’d derided attraction and desire and now found herself craving Gabe’s touch more than she had ever wanted any man before. And love? She’d put it out of her head, too. Because it scared her so much to want love again.
“I’m...I’m fine,” she stammered. “I have to go.”
Another car pulled up just as she opened the door to the van. Two people emerged from the small yellow car. Megan and another equally pretty and sporty-looking woman in her mid-twenties. It took Lauren two seconds to notice how the other woman looked at Gabe as if she wanted to devour him.
“You could stay,” he said with a grin as they approached. “For protection.”
Lauren’s mouth twisted. “I’m sure you’re capable of protecting yourself.”
“That’s Megan’s older sister,” he explained.
“That’s a woman with her eye on the prize,” Lauren said as she hopped into the van and drove off, drowning in jealousy.
And feeling like the biggest fool of all time.
* * *
It took Gabe twenty minutes to extract himself from the clutches of Megan’s persistent sibling. She reminded him that her name was Cara and asked for his number. He avoided answering her, pleading a pile of urgent paperwork on his desk.
Once she left and Megan headed to the beach for her patrol shift, Gabe wrote a list of things he needed to do for the day.
Thing number one: stop thinking about Lauren.
Thing number two: stop dreaming about Lauren.
He snatched a glance at his cell phone on the desk. He really should call his mother. And Aaron. But he just wasn’t in the mood to talk. Or to be talked at. His mom would know something was up. She’d dig and dig until he admitted that he’d met someone. That he liked someone. And that his beautiful next-door neighbor was driving him crazy.
Then Claire Vitali would want to know everything.
And he had nothing to say.
Lauren was broken emotionally. He was broken physically. It could never work. The more he knew her, the more it served to strengthen his resolve. Even though he could have easily talked himself into it. The way she looked at him, the way she’d responded to his kiss at the benefit, the way she argued and contradicted him at every opportunity... It was like pouring gasoline on a bonfire. Everything about Lauren drew him in. Her face, her body, the sweet floral scent of her skin...every part of her connected with every part of him.
Which was as inconvenient as hell.
Even more inconvenient was the sight of Megan’s sister standing on his doorstep at seven o’clock that evening. He’d been home for several hours. He’d changed and gone for a run, then returned home to work on painting one of the guest rooms. He’d just emerged from showering and pulling on fresh jeans and a T-shirt when the tall brunette had arrived on his doorstep clutching the textbook he’d loaned to Megan. Returning the book had been her excuse for dropping by, and he made a mental note to query Megan about handing out his address.
His visitor managed to wheedle her way up the hall and into the front living room, and Gabe was just about all out of patience when he heard another knock on his front door. Gabe told Cara to stay put and headed up the hallway.
Lauren stood beneath the porch light. In a long floral skirt and pale blue T-shirt she almost stole his breath. Gabe quickly pulled himself together.
“Hey...what’s up?” he asked.
She held out an envelope. “The estimate for the fence looks reasonable. There’s a check in there with my half of the initial payment.”
“Thanks for getting back to me,” he said quietly and took the note. “I’ll let the contractor know he can start as soon as possible.”
She shrugged, and the T-shirt slipped off her shoulder a little. “Okay.”
The sight of her bare skin heated his blood, and he swallowed hard. “If you like, I’ll—”
“Gabe?”
Great.
His unwelcome guest chose that moment to come sauntering down the hall, hips swaying, calling his name. He saw Lauren’s expression tighten. And as stupid as he knew it was, he didn’t want her thinking he was entertaining some random woman in his home.
“Sorry,” she said, breathing harder than usual. “I didn’t realize you had company.”
“I don’t,” he said, and her brows shot up instantly. It was stupid. They weren’t together. They weren’t dating. They weren’t sleeping together.
One kiss...that was all it was...
And even though there was nothing going on with the unwanted woman in his hallway, Gabe still felt like an unfaithful jerk.
“You can do what you like,” Lauren shot back, and swiveled on her heels.
She quickly disappeared down the garden, and Gabe let out an impatient sigh.
“You have to go,” he said to the woman now at his side. “Good night.”
Minutes later, after quickly packing Cara into her car and waving her off, Gabe walked around the hedge and tapped on Lauren’s door. The screen was locked, but the door was open, and he could hear her banging pots in the kitchen.
He called her name. She responded with more banging. She was mad. And she was jealous. The notion made him grin stupidly.
“Lauren, come out here and talk to me.”
“Go away.”
“Not until you let me explain.”
“I don’t want to hear it,” she said, and banged some more.
Gabe expelled a heavy breath and leaned against the door. “She was just returning a book I loaned to—”
“Yeah, I’m sure it’s her reading skills that you like,” she said loudly, cutting him off.
“I don’t like anything about her,” he said, and sighed. “I hardly know her. She was returning a book I loaned to her sister. Now, will you come to the door so we can stop yelling?”
Pots banged again. “I said, go away.”
Exasperated, Gabe straightened his back. “I hardly know her, like I said. You’ve no reason to be jealous.”
The banging stopped. Gabe waited, but she didn’t come to the door. The sudden silence was almost eerie. After a few minutes, he gave up and headed down the steps. He’d been back in his own house for about ten minutes when he heard the sharp rap on his front door. Lauren stood on the other side of the screen, cheeks ablaze, chest heaving.
He pushed the screen back and watched, fascinated and suddenly wholly aroused as she glared at him, hands planted on her hips.
“I. Am. Not. Jealous.”
Oh, yeah, she was.
Gabe raised a brow. “No?”
Lauren pulled the screen out of his grasp and held it back farther. “No.”
“I think you are.”
“And I think you’re an egotistical jerk,” she shot back. “I’ve no interest in anything you do.”
Every feeling, every ounce of desire he had for her rose up, and in that moment, Gabe was powerless to do anything other than smile broadly. “Then why are you on my doorstep?”
* * *
Lauren’s resolve crumbled a little. Damn him. She shouldn’t have let her temper get the better of her. Coming to his door was crazy thinking. “Because...we’re arguing and I—”
“No, we’re not,” he said, and reached out to take her hand. “I think...” He paused, looking deep into her eyes. “I think this is more like foreplay than an argument.”
Lauren flushed and pulled back. “Of all the conceited—”
“Let’s not have this discussion on the doorstep, okay?” he said as he turned and walked down the hall.
Lauren stayed where she was for a moment. I should turn around and go home.
I really should.
Instead, she crossed the threshold, closed the door and followed him into the living room. When she entered the room, she saw he was standing by the sofa. And he was smiling. Lauren wasn’t sure if she wanted to slug him or kiss him.
“Come here,” he said softly.
She took a deep breath and stepped toward him. “You are the most—”
“That woman who was here earlier is Megan’s sister, Cara. She returned a book I loaned to Megan,” he said, cutting her off again. “Megan is sitting a nurse’s entrance exam next week,” he said quietly, cutting her off again. “And that’s all. She may have had another motive, but I’m not interested in her...okay?”
Her heart raced.
Oh, sweet heaven. She tried to ignore the heat that traveled across her skin as well as the seductive sound of his voice. But failed. Every sense she possessed was on high alert.
“I shouldn’t care what you do...” When he grasped her hand, she crumbled some more. “Gabe...I...I just...”
He lightly shrugged his magnificent shoulders and gently urged her closer until there was barely a whisper of space between them. “I can’t fight this anymore,” he admitted hoarsely. “I want to. I know I need to, for your sake, because you deserve more than the empty words of a future I simply can’t promise you. And I’ve really tried to stop wanting you...but I can’t.”
There was such raw passion in his words, and Lauren’s breath was sucked from her lungs. She moved closer and they touched, chest against breast. Gabe wound his arms around her, urging her against him.
“I’ve tried, too,” she said through a sigh.
Gabe touched her face and kept his gaze connected with hers as he rubbed his thumb gently across her chin. Lauren tilted her head back and smiled. In all her life, she’d never experienced anything like the sensation of being near Gabe, or his soft, mesmerizing touch.
Their mouths met, and Lauren’s head spun. His kiss was like nothing on earth. His hands were warm against her back, his mouth gentle as he coaxed a response. Lauren gave it willingly. She would give him anything. Everything. And the revelation rocked her through to the core.
I am so in love with him. Completely, irrevocably, crazily.
She opened her mouth, tasted his tongue against her own, felt a rush of pleasure coil up her spine and across her skin. She whispered his name against his lips, and Gabe urged her closer. Lauren sighed deeply from that way-down place, which was fueled by need and longing and a powerful rush of desire.
“I want to make love to you,” he whispered raggedly, moving his mouth from her lips to her cheek. “So much.”
Lauren moaned, all resistance gone. Just for tonight. I can have this. I can have him. I can pretend it will work out. “I want that, too.”
Gabe grasped her hand and led her down the hall and into his bedroom. He released her and flicked on the bedside lamp. The big bed was covered in a patterned blue quilt, and she swallowed hard as nerves spectacularly set in. His gaze never left her, and she felt the heat of his gaze through to her bones.
“So...here we are.”
Lauren didn’t move. “Here we are.” She managed a tiny smile. “I’m a little nervous.”
“You don’t need to be.”
There was desire and passion and tenderness in his eyes. He wouldn’t rush her. He wouldn’t coerce or manipulate her with empty words. He opened the bedside drawer, found a condom and dropped the packet on the mattress, and even that made her long for him all the more. He was sweet and considerate. He was everything she wanted.
“Lauren, come here.”
She moved toward him and stopped about a foot away. Desire and heat swept through the room with seductive force. She wished she’d had a chance to change into something sexy and filmy. The skirt and T-shirt seemed way too ordinary.
She rested her hands against his chest and then trailed down to the hem of his shirt. “Take this off,” she said boldly, and saw him smile.
Gabe pulled the shirt over his head and dropped it on the floor. “Better?”
Lauren nodded. “Much,” she replied, and traced her fingertips down the middle of his bare chest and twirled her fingers through the dark hair. She noticed a faded crisscross of small scars near the curve of his armpit and instinctively reached up to outline a finger along the skin there.
He tensed instantly.
“What’s this from?” she asked softly.
“It’s...nothing,” he replied, equally as quiet. “Forget about it.”
“Gabe, I—”
“Shh,” he said, and placed two fingers gently against her lips. “Later. Right now, let’s forget about the past. Let’s be in this moment.”
Lauren’s eyes widened as she slid out of her sandals. She liked the sound of that. She dropped her hands and deliberately took her time as she gripped the edge of the T-shirt and slowly lifted it up and over her shoulders. Then she tossed it onto the foot of the bed and inhaled deeply. The white lace bra she wore was modest, but beneath the smoldering brilliance of Gabe’s blue eyes, she felt as though it was the sexiest piece of underwear on the entire planet.
Heat charged between them, and she pushed past any lingering insecurity. He wanted her. That kind of look couldn’t be faked. He had no agenda. She sucked in a breath and spoke. “Your turn.”
He quickly flipped off his shoes and grinned in such a sexy way, her legs trembled. “Back to you.”
She sucked in more air, willed strength into her knees as she unzipped her skirt and hooked her thumbs into the waistband. She heard his breath catch, saw the hot desire in his eyes. And waited. Took a breath. Then met his gaze head-on and slowly stripped the garment over her hips. She pushed it aside with her foot and rounded out her shoulders. Her briefs were white cotton and lace high-cuts. Not nearly seductive enough. Not the kind that aroused desire. Except Gabe looked hotly aroused, and it made her want him all the more.
“So,” Lauren said, way more steadily than she felt. “You?”
Gabe’s hands stilled on his belt, and his smile was pure sexual heat. He released the buckle and slid the belt from the loops. “Done,” he said, and dropped it on the carpet. “Next?”
At a distinct disadvantage, Lauren smiled and backed up toward the bed. She reached around and slowly unclipped her bra, then eased herself from the shoulder straps and pulled the garment free. The bra fell from her fingertips and landed at her feet.
He looked at her and let out a ragged groan. Her nipples peaked instantly. “Okay...enough.”
Lauren wondered what he meant for a microsecond, wondered if he found her lacking. But then he was in front of her, reaching for her, wrapping his arms around her. His mouth hovered over her eager lips, waiting to claim, waiting for her surrender. She gave it, completely and wholly and pressed against his chest. He captured her mouth in a searing kiss and gently fisted a handful of her hair. There was no force, no reticence, only need and desire and the realization it was the perfect kiss. The perfect moment. And all other kisses were quickly forgotten.
They tumbled onto the bed, mouths still together, hands moving over skin. He cupped one breast, and Lauren moaned low in the throat. His fingers were firm yet gentle, his mouth hot against her as he trailed down her cheeks, to her neck and then lower still, to where she ached for his touch. There was magic in his hands and mouth, and Lauren experienced a surge of feeling so intense, so deep, that it warmed her through to her bones. For the first time in forever, she was exactly where she wanted to be, and she sighed heavily as she shook in his arms.
“What is it?” Gabe asked and looked up. “Are you okay?”
Lauren smiled and touched his face. “I’m fine. Don’t stop,” she pleaded, and grabbed his shoulders.
“I have no intention of stopping,” he said, and kissed her hungrily.
It was what she wanted to hear. What she needed to hear. The kissing went on, soft and hard, slow and fast, mesmerizing and wholly arousing. Lauren pushed against him, felt the abrasive denim rub across her thighs. “You’re still wearing too many clothes,” she whispered, and placed a hand on the band of his jeans.
He smiled against her skin. “You, too,” he said, and pushed her briefs over her hips in one smooth movement. The way Gabe looked at her was real and heady and made her spin.
Naked and without inhibitions, Lauren curved against him and popped the top button on his jeans. She tugged at the zipper and laughed delightfully when he rolled her over and kissed her again.
“Please,” she begged softly, and grabbed the waistband again.
“Relax, Lauren,” he said, and curved a hand down her back and over her hip. “There’s no need to hurry.”
He was wrong. There was a need to hurry. She wanted him desperately. She wanted to feel his skin against her, taste his kiss over and over and have the weight of his strong body above her, inside her. It was a need unlike any Lauren had ever known. “I want you,” she said against his mouth. “Now.”
“Soon,” he promised, and moved his hand between them, stroking her where she longed to be touched with skillful, gentle intimacy. Tremors fluttered across her skin, and Lauren responded instantly. The heat grew as her breath quickened, and she let herself go, up and up, shaken by a white-hot, incandescent pleasure so intense, she could barely draw breath. She’d forgotten that feeling—forgotten how good it felt to experience such powerful release. Gabe kissed her again and smothered her soft groans and whispered pleas.
She laid her hands on his jeans and felt him hard against the denim. “You really are wearing too many clothes.”
He nodded and swung his legs off the mattress. As he watched her, the connection between them shimmered. Then he smiled that lovely smile she longed for more than any other. Seconds later, his remaining clothes were off, and once the condom was in place, he was beside her on the big bed. They kissed again, long, hot kisses, tongues dancing together, skin on skin. She touched him as she’d wanted to do for weeks—his thighs, his arms, his back. His smooth skin burned beneath her fingertips, and when his mouth found her breast and he gently toyed with the nipple, she arched her spine off the bed. He moved above her and Lauren lay back, urging him closer. She wrapped her arms around his strong shoulders, opened herself for him and waited for that moment. He rested on his elbows, hovered above her and looked into her face with scorching intimacy.
The moment was achingly sweet and unbelievably erotic at the same time.
He nudged against her until finally they were together. Lauren sighed deep in her throat. She loved the feel of him. Being with Gabe felt right. He didn’t move for a moment, didn’t do anything other than stare deeply into her eyes.
“You’re so beautiful, you take my breath away,” he said softly.
It was a lovely, romantic notion, and Lauren absorbed his words right though to her heart. No one had ever spoken to her with such quiet tenderness. She blinked back tears and shuddered, feeling every part of him against her in a way she’d never experienced before.
He moved, and she went with him, up and over into that place where only they existed.