Perfect Fit - Brenda Jackson [77]
Until Gabe.
The sound of a cabinet closing reminded her that he was busy in the kitchen and she needed to be in the kitchen helping him. It was not her intent for him to wait on her hand and foot this weekend. But then … it hadn’t been her intent for him to seduce her either.
She shook her head upon silently admitting that as far as the seduction went, she’d been a willing participant. She had trusted him, and he had kept his word. There had not been sex, just kissing and touching. She glanced down at her outfit, knowing the best thing to do would be to change into something else, all the way down to her panties. She didn’t want to wear anything that was a reminder of her and Gabe’s earlier behavior.
She blew out a long breath as she pulled the sweater over her head, asking for strength to get through this.
She’s going to have to wake up sometime….
Gabe glanced in the direction of the guest bedroom. It had been over an hour, and Sage was still asleep. Placing the lid on the pot he had just finished stirring, he crossed the kitchen to get something out of the cabinet. Usually, he was a lot better organized when preparing dinner. But then, usually, he didn’t have a feminine distraction asleep in one of his guest bedrooms.
He reached up for a small can of cayenne pepper and picked up another can instead. He breathed deeply when he read the label. Sage. He shook his head, smiling. One way or the other he intended to keep her in his hand. Placing the can of sage back on the shelf, he got the can of pepper he wanted and closed the cabinet door. He hoped she liked spicy foods. Everything was ready. All he had to do now was wait.
Then he heard the sound of her feet against the hardwood floor. He turned and stared at the entranceway to the kitchen, waiting, anticipating. He felt his heart trip into a higher gear. Had anyone told him a year ago that he would have been this excited, this mesmerized, this so much into a woman, he would not have believed them. It seemed Christopher falling hard for a woman wasn’t the only miracle.
Gabe tapped his hand on the counter, impatient for Sage to appear. He wanted to see her. He needed to see her. Now.
No sooner had that thought formulated, than Sage walked into the kitchen. Their gazes met. His throat immediately went dry. He had to blink in order to focus. She looked so beautiful it was almost blinding. She had changed from her sweater and skirt and was wearing a large sweatshirt and a pair of well-worn jeans. If she thought that for one minute her outfit would be a total turn-off she had definitely miscalculated the effect anything that she put on her body had on him.
“Hi.”
The soft sound of her voice brought him around. He smiled at her. “Hi. Did you enjoy your rest?”
Sage tried not to think about the fact that she had fallen asleep in his arms while sitting in his lap after … “Yes, thanks,” she said in a rush. “And I want to apologize for falling asleep and not helping you cook dinner.”
He leaned back against the counter. “No apology needed. You had a busy day, and I hope you’re hungry.”
An overwhelming day is more like it, she thought. “Yes, I’m starving,” she said. “Is there anything I can do to help you?”
“You can set the table if you’d like. Everything you need is in the cabinet over the sink.”
She nodded before quickly crossing the room. Gabe stayed right where he was and stared at her. He knew he was making her nervous and didn’t want things to be that way. They would be spending the entire weekend together, and after what they had shared earlier, there was no need for them to start tiptoeing around each other. So he decided to make the first move. She had virtually told him what she wanted and didn’t want out of a relationship, and later over dinner he would share with her his thoughts on the matter.
She was standing at the counter with her back to him, getting ready to open a cabinet to pull out the plates. He came up directly behind her and immediately felt her tense when she detected his presence. She quickly turned around.