Chapter 30

SARAH

For their first date, he took her dancing. She had not expected that he would be such a great dancer, but he had spun her around the dance floor with surprising grace. She especially enjoyed it when he pulled her close to his tall body, their legs entwining as he swept her into a flowing turn, making her A-line skirt swish around his thighs, his hand light and warm on her lower back.

Sarah had found that she enjoyed moving closer to him, sliding her thigh deeper between his, brushing her breasts closer to his wide chest, her forehead nestled at his neck. She inhaled deeply, and his wonderful scent filled her, and she closed her eyes as he pulled her closer when the music slowed. She slid her hands around his neck and gave in to the temptation of teasing the hair at the nape of his neck. His hands settled at her hips, and she felt so safe from that contact. With a smile, she kissed his cheek, and her stomach fluttered when he grinned down at her.

They had had a light dinner when they arrived at the venue, a restaurant with a hardwood dance floor, tables decked in white tablecloths, fancy candle decorations, white China plates, silver cutlery, and menus with no prices. The setting had made her so glad that she had worn the mint green fifties-style dress with the A-line skirt, sweetheart bodice and off-the-shoulder sleeves. It matched the slate gray suit and black dress shirt he was wearing. Their conversation had been light and easy while they ate, Sarah’s nervousness vanishing when he removed his jacket and hung it on the back of his chair.

With an enticing smile, Gabe held out his hand after their plates were cleared, and the band had played a quick step. She had tilted her head as she looked at him, and then with a nod, she had put her hand in his, and he held it until they were in the middle of the floor. And that’s where they have stayed since.

“How come you dance so well?” she asked.

He leaned back a bit to look down at her. “Have you met my grandma?”

She giggled. “Tell me ~that~ story.”

He shook his head as he laughed. “Grandma came from an era where men courted their ladies on the dance floor. He was judged by his dancing abilities and considering that I was a kid headed for disaster, she decided that dancing would be my saving grace. So, at the humiliating age of thirteen, three times a week for two years, I attended Monsieur La Creuset dance classes and learned everything from the Viennese Waltz to the Cha-Cha-Cha.”

“Did it work?”

He frowned at her question.

“Did it stop you from ending up in disaster?” she asked again.

He bit his lip to stop the laughter that was dancing in his eyes as he shook his head. “Let’s just say that the summer of my fifteenth year was spent valeting all the teachers’ cars after I had hotwired the principal’s car.”

“Nooo…,” Sarah groaned, laughing softly.

“I was banned from dance classes indefinitely.”

“I’m sure that was the worst news ever.”

“I nearly died with grief,” he agreed, but the unrepentant smile made her laugh. He pulled her closer, but she had seen the tinge of sadness that had darkened his eyes.

“Gabe?”

“Granddad passed away the first week of school that year.”

Sarah pulled him closer when she heard the pain still evident in his gravelly voice. Then the music changed again, and Gabe led her into a slow, sultry salsa, his lips grazing her ear as he softly sang the Chase Rice words into her soul.

~ “…Answer me, with nothing but your body, baby,~

~Your hands got a crazy way of talking naughty,~

~But the other side of these walls,~

~The ups and downs of these halls,~

~Hear what can start with a whisper…”~

And Sarah’s underwear became redundant as it was drenched with her essence at his gravelly baritone weaving into the fibers of her soul.

GABRIEL

That damned song, Sarah in his arms, so close he could smell the gentleness of her cinnamon perfume and the apple of her shampoo, he could feel the heat of her body, and he couldn’t miss the sharpness of arousal in her eyes, making Gabe as eager as a teenage boy on his first date. ~Freaking fucking fish!~

He was relieved when the song changed to Luke Bryan’s “Knocking Boots,” and he spun Sarah into a quick step. Gabe loved the dress she was wearing. It wasn’t often that Sarah wore dresses, preferring jeans and a T-shirt for work or yoga pants when she was at home with Amelia. But tonight, the femininity of her A-line fifties-style dress with its sweetheart neckline had tempted him to take her straight to her bedroom, despite ~everyone~ sitting in her living room, including Indie, Grace, and Faith, Grace’s grandmother.

Gabe loved the way the full skirt swayed around his legs when he held Rah close to complete a complicated turn. And he wondered what she would do if she knew just how tempting that sweetheart neckline actually was from his height. He could even see the edge of the pale-yellow lace bra she had on under it. Damn! And his body went back into overdrive at the thought.

“How about you and I go knock some boots on a very comfortable California king?” he whispered into her ear.

The soft flush on her cheeks as she laughed up at him had him falling like a house of cards for this woman. Even when he walked away, he knew that he would never find someone like her. Sarah Marshall was irreplaceable, and she would own his heart completely. There would be nothing to give anyone else in his life. Ever.

His thoughts were drawn back to the moment when she cupped a hand to his jaw and gently kissed his lips.

“A proposition no lady can refuse, Gabriel.”

He spun her once more before taking her hand in his and leading her from the dancefloor. “Do you want anything else before we leave?”

Sarah tilted her head as she looked at him. “Just you.”

His mouth ran dry, and he gulped at the knot in his throat. With a nod of his head, Gabe settled their bill with the server and guided Sarah out of the restaurant. He draped his suit jacket over her shoulders as they walked toward his truck, the evening had turned chilly after the comfort of the restaurant, and he couldn’t help the smile of satisfaction when she pulled it closer around her, not missing the way she inhaled his scent.

Once they were on the highway, she turned in her seat to look at him.

Gabe raised an eyebrow as he glanced at her, not daring to look at her fully. “Ask your question, Rah.”

“Okay.” She laughed. “How do you manage it?”

He raised another brow.

“Your home. Your suits are designer, and I know the restaurant wasn’t cheap. The gifts you buy Elli and the boys. How—?” She blushed furiously and Gabe couldn’t help but laugh at how adorable she looked. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be prying.”

He took her hand and kissed it. “You might as well know. Firstly, I’ve lived with Grandma since I was ten, so I’ve never needed to pay rent. And on a special forces’ salary with all the extra payments and bonuses and no other expenses.” He shrugged. “That’s besides selling my parents’ home when I turned eighteen and investing that money, as well as inheriting the life insurance from them, and Granddad’s portion. And Grandma…” He couldn’t say the words, not wanting to think of that day, ~ever~.

“That sounds…a lot…,” she murmured.

He chuckled softly. “It is. Besides Grandma being the only daughter of some real estate magnate in Leavenworth, I am worth quite a ransom.”

“You said that I might as well know. What did you mean by that?”

He bit his lip and concentrated on the quiet road that led to his home. When he pulled up in front of the house that held so many memories for him, he turned to Sarah. He took her hands in his and kissed her knuckles. “What I’m going to tell you now I’ve never told anyone yet, but you need to know because you will be the closest I will ever get to marrying and I don’t want you to be surprised when my lawyer speaks about this when the time comes.”

“Gabe, you sound so… intense…,” she whispered, a frown pulling her straight eyebrows together.

He tugged her hand. “Each of the kids has a college fund, fully paid. The boys will each get a million dollars. Connor will get two. And Amelia and whatever children you might have will get the rest.”

“You make it sound so imminent,” she gasped. “As if you’re going to die in the next few days—”

He cupped her face and wiped the tears away with his thumbs. “I’m what they call a bullet chaser, Rah. First through the door. I always have been. So, yes, it is a matter of days.”

“Gabe—”

He put a thumb over her lips to quiet her. “At least now I know that my grandmother has a houseful of kids she needs to stick around for and not be too eager to take the ferry when I do. And Burnsley knows that he needs to inform Seth.” Gabe pulled her into his arms. “Every one of us has this conversation with our wives. If Seth hasn’t done so with Indie yet, he will once they’re married.” He kissed her swiftly, swallowing the protest. “It’s already done, Rah.”

He could see the arguments sparking a fire in her eyes, and beyond it all he could see the fear that she was feeling. She pulled out of his reach and leaned her head against the side window, staring out into the darkness. As much as he wanted to know what she was thinking, he also knew that he wasn’t going to ask her. Instead, he pulled the pins out of the knot she had twisted her hair into and allowed them to cascade over his fingers.

Sarah closed her eyes as he gently massaged her scalp, her head leaning into his fingers. “How am I supposed to proceed from here, Gabe? I know I opened this door, but how do I just go on now?”

He pulled her to him so that he could kiss her temple. “By knowing that I plan to enjoy every minute I have with you and Amelia, and to love you as hard as I can in the time I have with you. Both of you.”

“Gabe…” She sobbed, and he pulled her across the console until she straddled his lap.

With his hands twisted into her golden strands, he pulled her mouth to his and kissed her deeply, not giving her a chance to breathe, never mind speak. He slid his hands down her back, resting briefly on her butt, but he needed to feel her skin and quickly found the hem of her skirt. They both moaned when he hooked her knees tighter into his hips before skimming his palms up her thighs.

“Gabe…”

His name was a sigh when he found the curve of her hip beneath the silky material of her dress. She unbuttoned his dress pants and drew him out of his underwear, hard and ready for her. With a gulp, he broke the kiss and looked into her eyes with shock. He ran his hand back to her thigh and then across her ass as he searched for the tell-tale sign of underwear.

There was none. He blinked up at Sarah as his mind absorbed that. His heart stopped, his stomach clenched, and all the blood pooled in his groin as she gave him a knowing smile. “Fuck, Rah!” he growled as he arched up into her.