I sighed. “It doesn’t work that way. You’re smart and you know this. Besides, look at the family you did raise. Look at Lucy and Decklan; they both got what they needed … thanks to you.”
He shrugged. “I’m not sure I’ll ever see it that way. After that, I closed myself off. Quick relationships, no feeling, no expectation. No one gets hurt. Then I saw you.”
I blinked. Not once had I expected this to turn around back to me.
“You and that ass**le at the country club. You had a white wine spritzer in your hand and a light blue dress that hugged your curves. I wanted you then. It was like some unseen force telling me you were it. Not to let you go. And every time I saw you with him … I couldn’t breathe.”
I couldn’t breathe now.
As much as I knew there was instant attraction, to hear him acknowledge he had those same crazy feelings for me that I’d always had for him did something to me. It broke down my defenses, washed away any lingering anger at being manipulated, and put to rest my fear. This man who held himself responsible for everyone’s well-being, everyone who mattered to him anyway, wouldn’t control me or stifle me in any way. Well, in the bedroom, maybe—definitely—but I could handle that.
“Say something.”
An unsure of himself Gabriel Dare was not a sight I appreciated. I ran a hand down his face, cupping his jaw. “You were it for me too. You are.” I suspected he always would be.
He leaned down and kissed me, a brush over one side of my lips before moving to the other, then focusing on the center, sealing his mouth over mine. He kissed me over and over, his tongue sweeping inside and taking possession.
“You’re mine, Iz,” he said between kisses. “No arguments, no worrying about independence, money, working or not. We’ll figure it out.”
I opened my eyes, looking deeply into his dark blue ones. “I want kids one day,” I said bravely. “I want the family I never had.”
And, oh God, we hadn’t used protection. Yes, we’d had the I’m clean conversation but not the can you get pregnant one. What was wrong with me? Thank goodness it wasn’t the right time, but only idiots left things to chance.
My heart thumped in my chest. I didn’t know what I was more nervous about, what I’d just said to him or what we’d done. As I held my breath, I realized the idea of a family wasn’t something I’d compromise on.
“Frankly, I assumed Lucy and Decklan were all I’d have. That and my crazy cousins in Miami. But kids? With you?” His voice cracked with emotion, and I knew then everything would be all right. “Hell yes.”
I jumped into his lap, and his strong arms came around me, holding me tight. “We didn’t use protection,” I reminded him.
“I can’t bear to have anything between us.”
I nodded in agreement. “It’s really not the right time, but I have to get on the pill.”
“Okay.” He pressed a warm kiss to my lips. “But we’re good?” he asked.
I smiled, feeling the sensation everywhere. “We’re perfect. Thanks for telling me everything.”
“Nobody else gets all of me. Only you.” He brushed my hair off of my cheek. “I only expect one thing in exchange.”
I raised my eyebrows. “What would that be?”
“All of you.”
I shivered, knowing I’d given that to one man before. Or thought I had.
Gabe’s hand slipped behind my neck, cupping me in a possessive grip. “Kitten?”
“You have me,” I whispered.
He rose and kicked off his shoes and tossed his shirt onto a nearby chair. My eyes settled on his gorgeous bare chest, the dark sprinkling of hair that tapered into the waistband of his shorts, and the tented material bearing witness to his arousal.
That I understood. After our talk, knowing I had him in my life, a relationship that, though undefined, meant the world to me, I was also aroused. Memories of having him deep inside me caused my sex to clench and moisture to dampen my bathing suit. I squirmed in the chair.
He glanced my way and winked.
Before I could ask why, he scooped me up. With a squeal, I latched my arms around his neck. “Where are you going?” I asked, though, over my shoulder, I saw him edge closer to the beach and the gorgeous blue water lapping over the perfect sand.
“I need to cool off.” He strode through the water, a man on a mission, only stopping when we were submerged. Warmth surrounded me, not just the water but the heat of Gabe’s body.
Our bodies connected, my legs wrapping around his waist, my hot core rubbing against his hard length. “You’re not helping me cool down,” he said, sounding more playful than I’d ever heard from him before.
I actually thought Gabe was letting down walls, and I wanted to see more. I also wanted to play. “Maybe I want you hot.” I leaned in and nipped at his earlobe.
A shudder racked his big body, and instinctively, I began rocking against him, pleasure consuming me.
He groaned and pulled the string on my bikini top, releasing the tie, and the suit fell to my waist. The warm sun hit my bare br**sts, as strong as Gabe’s always-intense gaze. He dipped his head and swirled his tongue around my breast and over my nipple, pulling on the tight bud with his tongue.
I arched my back, pushing myself closer, giving him more of me, and he took, lapping at my breast, nibbling and grazing my taut nipple with his teeth until I thought I’d come from those exquisite sensations alone.
As usual, he gave, but this time I wanted to return the favor, to make him feel as much as I did. He’d been solitary and alone for so long, and I wanted somehow to make him understand that he wouldn’t be that way anymore. But he was intent on his task and held me to him in a way that didn’t give me room to take over.
Suddenly he released my nipple with a pop. “You’re not focused,” he said in that dark, displeased voice that never failed to make me wetter and more aroused than I already was.
“I’m focused on figuring out how to make you feel as good as you’re making me.”
Instead of being pleased, he scowled. “Then I’m not doing enough to keep that busy mind of yours occupied.”
“But—”
Without a word, he lifted me over his shoulder and carried me from the water. My bare br**sts rubbed against his back, and despite my humiliation at his hold, I moaned at the erotic feeling.
Now I was more embarrassed than anything else. Damned frustrating man. “Gabe! Put me down!”