Page 81 of Enticed
Gabe read the need in my eyes. He held my gaze as he bent down, gripped me by the backs of my thighs, and lifted me in the air. I wrapped my legs around his waist and clung to his shoulders. Without saying a word, he carried me to his room, never once breaking eye contact. He laid me gently on his bedand crouched in front of me to take off my shoes and socks. Pulling me to my feet, he removed my shirt first and then his. He slipped off my shorts and reached around my back to unhook my bra. I slipped the straps down my arms as he stepped out of his pants.
Wrapping his arms around me, he captured my lips in a slow, sensual kiss. My nipples hardened against his chest, and I reveled in the feel of his bare skin against mine. He urged me onto my back, and I dropped onto the bed, watching as he slid his boxer briefs down his legs. I pressed my thighs together as a delicious ache settled deep in my core at the sight of his hardened length. Leaning forward, he gripped the edge of my panties and tugged. I lifted my hips, and he slid them down my legs.
He straightened and his gaze roamed over me, drinking me in. “Seeing you like this will never get old.” My breath caught, and my entire body tingled with anticipation.
Gabe crawled onto the bed and stretched over me. I opened my legs, welcoming him in. He hovered just above me. I was eager for his touch, so I reached up and ran my hands up and down his sides. His expression grew rhapsodic, and his eyes fell closed.
There was something I’d been thinking about since yesterday, a question I yearned to know the answer to. I steeled my nerves and took a deep breath in preparation for the moment that could change everything.
“Did you mean it?” I asked, chewing on my bottom lip nervously.
His eyes fluttered open and locked on mine. “Mean what?”
“When you said you loved me.” I’d seen the video. Gabe had been frantic, his voice laced with desperation. I needed to know if he truly felt that way or if he’d just been caught up in the moment.
“Yes,” he whispered, and brushed the hair from my face.
“Tell me.” It was a demand and a plea.
“I love you.”
My eyes fell closed in ecstasy, and relief, and a smile tipped up the corners of my lips. “Say it again,” I whispered, craving those three little words I’d been waiting to hear.
“I love you, Jasmine. More than the tides love the moon and the morning glory loves the sun,” he declared, and the tears I had tried to hold at bay welled in my eyes. “I love you more than Mr. Darcy could ever dream of loving Lizzie. You own my entire heart and soul. Before you, I merely existed. Only with you do I thrive.” His thumb gently brushed over my cheek, wiping the tiny drop of moisture away. “So yeah, I meant it. I meant every single word.”
“I love you too,” I said with a watery smile. It seemed wholly inadequate compared to his poetic declaration, but he didn’t seem to mind. His eyes lit with joy and filled with adoration. Tears spilled over my lashes, coming down in earnest now. He pressed his lips to mine and held my face with a tenderness I’d only ever felt from him.
“I think I started falling for you the moment you put me in my place at the bar,” he admitted with a crooked grin, and I laughed through my tears at the memory. “And I’ve fallen even farther every day since. I am completely at your mercy.”
“Gabe.” My voice was raw and scratchy, but still, his eyes flared at the sound of his name on my lips. I didn’t need to say anything else. He knew exactly what I needed in that moment.
He spent the rest of the night making love to me, slowly, tenderly. He showed me with his words and his body how much he loved me.
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
GABE
The next few days were bittersweet. Jasmine was living in my home and sleeping in my bed. We would be living in domestic bliss if it wasn’t for the giant cloud hanging over our heads. She was completely cut off from her family, and for someone who valued family above all else, it was eating her up inside. She put on a brave face and tried to act like it didn’t affect her, but I recognized the sorrow in her eyes and saw the forced smiles for what they were.
Then there was the matter of us both being jobless. We each had decent savings built up, but that would only last so long. Even without using Elwood as a reference, I still wouldn’t have too much trouble finding a job. Hell, I’d been turning down offers left and right since moving back. But Jasmine? Her entire life was that ranch. Barrel racing and riding lessons were where she made her money, and now she didn’t even have access to her horse. Unless she and her family reconciled, she would have to pull out of all her races since her parents owned the trailer, the truck that hauled it, and technically, even her horse. It was breaking her heart to be apart from Juniper, and it was killingme to witness it. Still, she stuck to her guns. Her father told her not to come back, so she stayed away.
On Wednesday morning, there was a knock at my door. I opened it, and my eyes widened in surprise.
“Rose?”
“Where’s my granddaughter?” she demanded.
“She’s in the kitchen,” I replied, and without waiting for an invitation, Rose brushed past me. Jasmine sat at the counter, searching up job listings on her new phone.
“What the hell is going on here?” Rose asked, and Jasmine’s head snapped up to take in her furious grandmother.
“Gigi?”
“I come home from my girls’ trip only to find that my granddaughter has moved out, and all anyone will tell me is that she’s shacking up with this cowboy,” Rose said, pointing at me with her thumb. “And when I tried to call to see if it was true, your phone was turned off. Start talking.”
“How did you get here?” Jasmine asked, confused. Rose didn’t drive, so someone had to bring her.
“Nash dropped me off. Everyone thinks he’s taking me to my knitting club,” she explained, straightening her spine. “I’ll ask the questions from now on. What happened?” Jasmine sighed and motioned for Rose to sit down. Rose took the seat next to her, and Jasmine filled her in on what had happened at the race, how it had all been recorded, and that her family had seen it. Her gaze flitted to me and softened when she explained that the video picked up on me confessing I loved her.
