Perfect Fit - Brenda Jackson [98]
For a long moment, she stared at him as an indescribable ache settled in her heart. His gaze was still focused on the blazing fire, but her gaze was focused on him.
“If I were to get pregnant from you, I would never get rid of your baby, Gabe,” she whispered softly, knowing she meant every single word.
He turned and looked at her, saw the mistiness in her eyes that she couldn’t hide even if she’d wanted to. He stared at her as if weighing in his mind what she’d said. “You wouldn’t?” he asked quietly, reaching out and tucking a wisp of hair behind her ear.
“No, I wouldn’t.”
Silence fell around them, and for the longest moment, neither said anything. Finally, Gabe broke the silence. “Thank you.”
Then, automatically, without even thinking twice about it, Sage went into his arms, and he held her. He held her tight for the longest time, and she wondered if he was finally letting go. She wondered if he was now realizing that he had been no different from the women he had vowed not to date. He had not let go of the past and moved on. He’d been a man on the rebound, a man with excess baggage, a man who also needed to learn how to trust again.
She suddenly realized just how similar she and Gabe were, and just how much they needed each other.
And just how much she wanted him.
He pulled back just long enough to rest his forehead against hers and said, “So am I, Sage? Am I the man in your life?”
She nodded. “Yes, if that’s what you want to be.”
“It is.” He leaned away from her and gave her a warm smile. “Now that we have that part cleared up, do we continue talking or do we make decisions?”
She heard the huskiness in his voice. She also heard the thick desire in it. He brushed her lips with his, making talking impossible anyway, but she was determined to try and said, “We make a decision as to where we want our relationship to go now.”
The first thought that came to Gabe’s mind was that at that very moment, the only place he wanted it to go was the bedroom so he could do to her all those things he’d been dreaming about doing. But he couldn’t rush her into anything. “I’m letting you call the shots, Sage. I’m ready to take it to the next level if you are.”
Tingles of excitement raced through Sage at the thought of what that level entailed. “I’m ready,” she said softly, not knowing how much longer she would be able to hold on to her sanity if he continued to nibble at her lips the way he was doing.
“You sure?”
“Yes, I’m ready for everything you’re ready for, Gabe.”
“Everything?”
“Yes, everything.”
Gabe wondered if she knew what she was saying. Maybe she didn’t have a clue what his “everything” encompassed. He stood and slowly pulled her up with him and slid his hands down her back to pull her closer to him. He wanted her to feel just what she was doing to him.
He knew the moment she did, and instead of pulling back, she moved closer into the cradle of his hips, as if the front of her was drawn like a magnet to his erection. The feel of her so close to him, so connected, even through the material of their clothing, made his body throb unmercifully. He knew his “everything” included making love to her and needed to know if she fully understood that.
He stared down at her, held her gaze, wanting her to see the deep desire driving him that had his entire body in turmoil. But just to make certain there wouldn’t be any doubt, he leaned down and captured her mouth in his, determined to make love to it, to feast on it, to absorb her into himself and to make her want him as much as he wanted her.
They had kissed hot and heavy numerous times, had taken their kisses to several heights and then some, but like their relationship, he was determined to take their kisses to another level.