After Sam had gone to bed, she and Gabriel had given their statements to Sheriff McQueen. Gabriel’s dad was glad that they were both safe, and at the same time incensed that meth addicts had invaded his county. As soon as it was practicable, road and power crews would make their way up the mountain to the house. And still it would be days, maybe weeks, before they reached what was left of Darwin and Niki.
Which meant Lolly was going to be without her car for a while. That was the least of her worries …
She was roused out of a near sleep by a soft knock, following by the rattling of the doorknob, which she’d locked behind her.
“I’ll be right out,” she called, gathering the strength to rise from the still-warm water.
“Don’t move,” a familiar deep voice called. The doorknob rattled again, the lock set in the knob popped, and the door swung open. Lolly grabbed a wet washcloth and positioned it across her chest in a poor, last second attempt at modesty.
Gabriel slid into the room and closed—and locked—the door behind him.
“You’ve just proven to me that the lock on that door is useless,” she said. Maybe she should be more shocked, more shy. But she wasn’t.
He held aloft a bent paper clip. “I grew up in this house. All the interior locks do is warn someone who tries to get in that the room is occupied.”
“And yet you didn’t take the hint.”
He smiled down at her, and she wished she had a couple more washcloths handy. “Want me to leave?”
She knew if she said yes, he’d go. “No.”
Gabriel turned off the harsh overhead light, plunging the room into near darkness. The candles provided flickering light. He unbuttoned his shirt and slid it off, then unfastened and unzipped his jeans and stepped out of them. Socks and underwear followed. Heaven above, he was gorgeous and tempting.
“Your folks …”
“Are asleep,” he said as he stepped into the water. “Dead to the world, just like Sam. I don’t think any of them got much sleep last night.”
“Neither did you,” Lolly said as she scooted back, making a place for Gabriel to sit, facing her. He sat down slowly, and the level of water in the tub rose almost to the edge. The slightest movement would send water sloshing onto the floor. “Why aren’t you asleep?”
“Same reason you’re here instead of tucked into a warm bed, I imagine.”
Her mind wouldn’t stop spinning. She didn’t know what tomorrow would bring. Her world had been turned upside down. Of course she couldn’t sleep!
Gabriel looked her in the eye. They were naked, wet, face-to-face. She wanted nothing more than to reach out and hold him, but she didn’t make that move. “Why are you here?” Maybe it should have been obvious, but she was asking more than about just the sex.
He reached out and touched her bruised cheek with strong and surprisingly gentle hands. “I have a favor to ask.”
“You did save my life,” she said, wondering what kind of favor it might be. Since they were both naked, she had a clue …
“Don’t go back to Portland just yet.”
Even though he’d mentioned that this afternoon, as they’d made their way down the mountain, it wasn’t exactly what she’d been expecting. Reality had descended with a bang, and even though she loved this house, this home, this family … she didn’t belong here. “Why not?”
“Stay here, spend Christmas with us.” Gabriel stopped and took a deep breath. “Let’s see where this goes.”
Her insides leapt and danced. “Let’s see where we go,” he clarified, though no clarification was necessary.
“I can do that,” she whispered.
He leaned toward her, peeled the washcloth from her breasts and tossed it aside, kissed her, and sent a bit of water over the lip of the tub. She barely noticed.
“And stop talking about buying a house in Portland. At least until you’ve visited North Carolina a time or two. It’s much warmer there.”
“And you’re there.”
He made an affirmative humming sound as he continued to move forward.
Lolly felt all her cares, all her worries, unwinding, fading away. “That doesn’t seem at all like too much to ask, all things considered.”
He put his mouth on hers again, and the kiss quickly took on a rhythm. Lolly wallowed in Gabriel’s heat and hardness, she welcomed the kiss, the connection, the warmth they generated … a warmth that transformed her from the inside out.
Gabriel took his mouth from hers, but he didn’t move far. His nose touched hers; he was a breath away. “Lollipop, can I lick you?”
“Yes,” she said, wrapping her arms around Gabriel’s neck and surging into him to send more water onto the floor. “Yes, you can.”