Perfect Fit - Brenda Jackson [78]
He leaned closer, and without saying anything, he covered her mouth with his. His tongue was tamer, a lot gentler than it had been earlier, but he knew the passion was still there; there was no place else for it to be since he was kissing the woman his heart desired.
He hoped that kissing her that way was letting her know that what happened between them earlier hadn’t been a mistake. There would be more kissing and touching, and when he thought their relationship was solid, strong and where it should be, there would definitely be sex.
He ended the kiss and took a step back, smiling at her faltering attempt to hide the gleam of desire in her eyes. “Thanks,” he said, widening his smile at her.
She slowly raised an arched brow. “You’re thanking me for the kiss?” she asked, as if such a thing surprised her.
His gaze caressed her face. “Yes, and for a lot of other things like being here with me, and for placing your trust in me the way you did.”
Sage nodded. She had trusted him. “And could you also be thanking me for not helping you cook?” she asked, now feeling more relaxed as a teasing grin curved her lips.
Gabe chuckled. “Why is that? Can’t you cook?”
She shrugged and decided to give him an honest answer. “No. Cooking was nothing I was ever interested in.”
“Neither was I.”
Sage tilted her head and glanced around the kitchen. “You seem to be running a tight ship to me. You actually look right at home in the kitchen.”
A huge smile spread across Gabe’s lips. “Only because of Christopher. He had to learn early to fend for himself, which also included cooking. When we shared an apartment together while away at college, he taught me everything I know.”
Sage gave Gabe a curious look. “Everything?” she asked. Over dinner the other night, he’d told her more about his best friend, especially the fact that Christopher Chandler had been a womanizer to the third degree before settling down and marrying the woman of his dreams.
Gabe shook his head. “Okay, not everything.”
“Thank goodness.”
Gabe burst out laughing. He then took Sage’s hand in his. “I’ll help you set the table, and then we can talk some more.”
“Umm, this is delicious, Gabe.”
Gabe smiled, pleased that she liked the way he had cooked her pork chops. To him nothing tasted better than smothered pork chops over wild rice. Add fresh field peas to that along with a tossed salad and you had a pretty darn good meal.
During dinner they talked about a number of things, mostly Eden. They were now enjoying their second cup of coffee, and he knew it was time they continued their talk.
“Getting back to our earlier discussion, Sage.”
He saw her ease back in her chair when she realized what they were about to discuss. “We did say we would talk everything through at the beginning so that we can enjoy the rest of the weekend,” he reminded her.
“Yes, we did. But I thought we had talked already.”
He leaned back in his chair. “No, you talked and I listened.”
“Now is it time for you to talk and for me to listen?” she asked, already feeling nervous about what he would say.
“Yes.”
Whatever he had to say, she owed him the courtesy of listening. After all, he had listened to her. “All right.”
A few moments later, he began. “I just want you to know that I understand everything you said earlier about not knowing where you want our relationship to go. If you’d allow me to make a few suggestions, I think we can come to a reasonable solution about a few things.”
Sage met his gaze. “Go on.”
He then leaned closer. “It’s not such a big a problem as it may seem, Sage. You just got out of one long-term relationship and are somewhat leery about getting right back into another. Top that with unresolved feelings you may or may not have for your ex-fiancé …” When she started to interrupt, he held his hand up. “Please hear me out before you say anything, all right?”
Sage reluctantly agreed.
“In no way am I saying that you still care deeply enough for the guy to ever get back with him. All I’m saying is that for you to still have feelings for him is understandable. After all, the two