Deliver the Moon Page 18

  Was this really happening? Was she really in his arms again?

  As if to prove to herself she wasn’t dreaming, she laid her hands on his solid chest and felt his heart pounding beneath her trembling palms. This was real. A soft moan escaped her as his mouth whispered along the line of her jaw to the sensitive area behind her ear. A warm breeze rippled through them, blowing her hair onto their faces.

  Gabe lifted his head and pushed her curls out of her face. “I want you, Lou.”

  She could only nod as he leaned in to kiss her again, this time thrusting inside with his tongue. He filled her up, tasting, probing, thrilling. The hard columns of his thighs pressed against her, and she felt the ever increasing testimony of his desire against her lower belly. His urgency spurred a frenzied response from her, and she matched his passion stroke for stroke.

  He backed up, pulling her along with him—more like dragging her since her legs seemed zapped of all strength. She’d follow him anywhere, she thought dimly.

  Across the gravel path, up the wooden steps to his bungalow, Gabe broke the kiss just long enough to unlock his door. As soon as they were inside, his mouth clamped over hers again.

  She dug her fingers into his shoulders as he kissed the frantic pulse at her neck. She slid her hands down his back, relishing the feel of every muscle, every curve, every bone…If she didn’t touch every part of him right now, she might not get another chance. She slid her hands under his shirt and coarse hairs tickled the pads of her fingers. His heart beat wildly beneath her palms. That turned her on more than anything.

  It seemed like she’d been waiting forever for this. Like a caged animal, she couldn’t wait any longer. She wanted him now. She fumbled with the buttons on his jeans. She’d released three of them when Gabe gripped her wrists.

  He kissed the tip of her nose then pulled back to peer into her face. “There’s no rush, sweetheart. Let’s just take our time. Make it last, hmm?” Still grasping her wrists, he kissed her again. This time it was slow and easy, as he made a very thorough exploration of her mouth. When he’d gotten her completely breathless, he spread feather-light kisses along her cheekbone, her temple, her eyelids.

  The break in the kiss gave Louisa a chance to catch her breath. Was she really about to make love to Gabe? Was she crazy? She glimpsed his unmade bed over his shoulder, and it was a shot of reality. “Gabriel,” she murmured, shivering at his warm breath in her ear.

  He groaned something unintelligible as he burned kisses down her neck, pushing her hair aside to gain access to the area where her neck met her shoulder. He released her wrists and encircled her waist with his hands, drawing her closer.

  “Gabriel,” she moaned again.

  He paused only long enough to bring his mouth back to hers. At the same time, his hands slid upward and caressed the undersides of her breasts through her lacy bra. She gripped his shoulders. Oh, my. Her legs almost gave out. Her voice shuddered as she gasped, “This won’t fix everything with us, you know.”

  “I know,” he whispered hotly against her mouth.

  She sucked in her breath as his fingers grazed her nipples which strained against her bra and dress. Mmm. She tried again, “I mean, I don’t know what will happen tomorrow—”

  His mouth cut her words short. After another searing kiss, he finally lifted his head. “Let’s not think about tomorrow, Lou. Let’s concentrate on right now. This is our time. Just you and me. This is all that matters.”

  Desire and passion raged within his dark eyes. But more than that, she saw caring and genuine affection. Maybe even love…The thought sent her head spinning. Was it really so surprising she should see love in his eyes? Just because he’d always had a hard time saying it didn’t mean he couldn’t feel it. He’d said they were meant to be together, hadn’t he? The room began to spin.

  “Lou?” Gabe asked, studying her.

  She peered at him from beneath her lashes. “I need to tell you something.” She bit her lip, not knowing if this was the right time. “Evan and I—”

  “I know,” he said quietly.

  Her brows drew together. “You know? What do you know?”

  “I know you two broke up.”

  “How—?”

  He kissed her and smiled. “Because you’d never be here with me like this if Evan were still waiting for you at home.”

  She blinked fast a couple of times. “Evan and I did break up, but—”

  “I know.” He pulled her tight against him and began nuzzling her neck. “How about we stop with the talk about Evan, hmm?” He rubbed his rough palms over her peaked nipples.

  She shivered. “Who?” she murmured and felt Gabe’s chuckle against her throat. She didn’t want to talk about Evan right now either. She didn’t want to even think about him.

  She blinked a couple of times. Yes. This was what she wanted. Gabe was right. Nothing else mattered but right now. She had a bad habit of worrying too much about tomorrow and all the possible what ifs. But not tonight. She wouldn’t think about anything else right now. Just him.

  Her fingers entangled in the hair at his nape and pulled him close, and she rose on tiptoes to kiss him. She melted into his embrace, letting him set the tempo for this sensual slow dance. He’d wanted her to make the first move, but now that she had, this was his game, and he knew how to play it well.

  He shifted and thrust his thigh between her legs. With his hands on her waist, he pressed their bodies together until his jeans rubbed against the apex of her panties. Oh! Their hips moved in time to a silent yet primal rhythm. He gazed deep into her eyes as he swayed sensuously against her, slowly and quite deliberately building that crescendo inside her. Slowly and quite deliberately driving her crazy. If he weren’t careful, she was going to lose it here and now while she was still fully clothed.

  “Feel good, baby?” he asked, still watching her.

  Good? No. Incredible? Oh, yes, yes, yes. She peered at him through half-closed lids and nodded.

  “It feels right, doesn’t it?”

  Completely. She nodded again.

  Gabe’s lips curved upward. “I want to make love to you, Louisa.”

  “Yes,” she managed to whisper and offered him her mouth.

  She held her breath when his hand slipped beneath the neckline of her dress and caressed her breast. Mmm. This was heaven, no doubt about it.

  Gabe lifted his head and held her gaze as one by one he released the first few buttons of her dress. He pushed aside the gaping garment and unhooked the center clasp of her lacy bra, exposing her breasts. He looked at her like she was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen, like he’d cherish her forever.

  “Undress me, Lou,” he commanded softly. When she hesitated, he said, “You know my body better than any woman ever has or ever will. Don’t be shy.”

  She licked her lips and reached out with trembling hands, grasping the hem of his shirt. He shivered when her fingers grazed his bare skin as she lifted the shirt over his head.

  His eyes closed as she ran her fingers through the smattering of hair on his chest, sliding slowly downward until she reached his jeans. She paused.

  “Don’t be shy, Lou,” he said again in a throaty whisper.

  She unbuttoned his jeans, then, with the briefest hesitation, hooked her thumbs in the waistline and slid them to the floor. His impressive erection strained against his briefs. Her gaze flew upward. He gave her a reassuring smile and dropped a kiss on her mouth. Her breath shook as she pushed his briefs over his hips and down to the floor.

  Louisa stood slowly up, hardly daring to look at this man in front of her, this man she used to love. Still loved. She drew her fingers slowly over his shaft then upward over his suddenly contracted stomach muscles, smiling at his sharp intake of breath and the darkening of his eyes.

  He pulled her against him, his hardness pressing into her. He was fully naked and, although her dress and bra were undone, she was still fully clothed. It reminded her of the first time they’d made love. She’
d been embarrassed about getting undressed in front of him, so he’d gone first. That made her even more flustered, because until that point, the only naked men she’d seen besides the ones in the Playgirl magazines she and Sarah had gawked over in their dorm room, were the models she’d painted or sketched in her art classes. She could barely look at Gabe that first time, just as she could barely look at him now.

  He’d never been embarrassed about his nakedness. In fact, he’d often walked around their tiny apartment in the nude. It made spontaneous lovemaking that much easier, he’d joked. For a split second, she tried to picture Evan walking around his penthouse naked. She tried to conjure up his image, but all her mind’s eye saw was Gabe. That should have troubled her, but it didn’t.

  Sensing her introspection, Gabe said, “Lou? If you’re having second thoughts, we don’t have to do this.”

  Sliding her hands between their bodies, she pushed against his chest. “Make love to me, Gabriel.” The words were soft and shakily spoken, but her voice was certain.

  She didn’t need to ask him twice. With a sexy grin, he reached for her hand and led her to the bed. Pushing the covers to the floor, he eased her onto the mattress until she was lying down with him half on top of her, half beside her.

  Skimming his hand down the length of her body, he grasped the hem of her dress and urged it slowly up her bare legs. Louisa held her breath as his touch crept upward along her thigh until his hand rested atop her lacy panties. Then, before she had a chance to feel anything other than her racing heartbeat, he hooked his fingers in the elastic band. She lifted her hips and he slid the panties down her legs.

  She closed her eyes and held her breath, anticipating where he would touch her next. A warm throbbing pulsed low in her belly. His fingers skimmed along her inner thigh, igniting a shiver.

  He kissed a path from her mouth down her neck. Louisa arched against him, needles of pleasure shooting through her as his mouth enveloped her aching nipples. Every suckle, every nip brought gasps and prayers from her trembling lips. Hot pleasure coursed through her blood, combining with the humming in her ears to take her to another world, another dimension. Gabe was right. All that mattered was right now. He was her world right now. Just him. Just now.

  When his hand slid between her thighs, she parted them willingly, wanting, aching for his touch. She remembered how he used to touch her, and the anticipation was almost as exciting as the real thing.

  “Oh!” she gasped as he touched her intimately. She was wrong. Anticipation was nothing compared to this.

  She bucked against him as he found areas of sensation that she’d forgotten existed, that only he seemed able to find. As his fingers caressed her, his mouth continued to wreak torment on her breasts, the double sensation causing her world to spin out of control. She tightened around him, the crescendo building higher and higher. Almost unbearable. Almost painful in its intensity. Yes! Oh, yes!

  “Gabriel!” His name ripped through her lips as the orgasm exploded inside her, her body shuddering and writhing beneath his hand. His mouth covered hers, drowning her passionate cries with a deep kiss that left her even more breathless.

  As Louisa’s heartbeat ebbed beneath Gabe’s chest, as her breathing return to a somewhat normal state, he pushed onto his elbows. “Open your eyes, Lou,” he demanded softly. Her eyes fluttered open, still dazed and dreamy with her climax. He smiled. “Good?”

  She blinked in slow motion, a very sexy move. “Mm hmm,” she murmured.

  He bent his head and kissed her eyelids shut. He heard the lengthening of her breath, felt the total relaxation of her body.

  “Gabriel?” Her hesitant tone brought his face back in line with hers. “I didn’t mean to…I mean, you haven’t—” She lowered her lashes. Her throat move as she swallowed. “What about you?”

  He chuckled. “I wanted to please you first, just in case my, ah, self-control isn’t as good as it used to be.”

  He rolled to his side and grabbed his wallet from the night table. He pulled a condom out and tore it open. The latex disc was poised over his erection, when Louisa snatched it from his fingers.

  “Let me do that.” The huskiness in her voice made him instantly harder. “But first, I’m going to test your self-control a bit more.” She dipped her head before he figured out her meaning, and gasped as her mouth closed over him.

  “Holy shit, woman.” His balls tightened as her lips and tongue worked their magic. He propped up on his elbows to watch her. There was nothing sexier in this world than a woman giving a blowjob. And nothing felt better either. But he needed more than simple pleasure right now.

  He reached under her armpits and hauled her on top of him. “I need to be inside you.” He kissed her hard on the mouth then flipped her onto her back and positioned himself between her thighs. He grabbed the condom from her and quickly sheathed himself.

  “Look at me, Lou.” When she met his gaze, he pushed slowly into her. Her eyes widened as he filled her. She was hot and tight from her recent release.

  He exhaled a long breath and realized he’d been holding it in anticipation of being inside her again. He felt like he’d come home. As he rocked his hips slowly against hers, he groaned, “God, I’ve missed this, Lou…”

  “Me, too.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and brought him down for a tender kiss as he moved inside her.

  He kept it slow, steady, his lips leaving her mouth periodically to suckle a nipple or nibble her neck. As he continued the gentle rocking, she finally whispered in his ear, “Aren’t you going to…? I mean, I’ve already—”

  “Lou, Lou, Lou,” he chuckled softly. “You’re not getting off so easy.”

  “Twice? Oh, I don’t think I could—”

  He silenced her with a kiss. “Then your memory isn’t as good as mine. Of course you can.”

  As if to prove his words, he slid his hand between them to caress her sensitive nub. Gabe saw the surprise in her eyes. “See?” He increased the rhythm of his hips, and she met him move for move. He wanted to prove to her that only he could make her feel this way. He needed to prove to himself that he wasn’t dreaming. His urgency drove him deeper, faster, harder, not slowing his tempo as her fingers dug into his shoulders and she arched against his chest.

  This was as good as he remembered. No. Better. Glorious. On the verge of exploding. Not yet. Wait for her. Her thighs squeezed against his hips.

  “Oh, God, Gabriel! I’m really going to—”

  His own impassioned cry drowned hers out as he climaxed, gasping her name over and over before collapsing in spent passion onto her chest.

  ****

  Gabe’s warm breath blew the wispy hairs at her temple as Louisa leaned back against his chest. He was propped against the pillows and headboard with his arms snugly around her. She could stay like this forever. For the first time in a very long time, she felt utterly content.

  A distant popping sound echoed from the direction of the water. “Oh,” Louisa said with sudden disappointment. “We missed the fireworks.”

  “No, we didn’t,” Gabe said, nuzzling her neck.

  “Mmm,” she murmured, turning in his arms. “I guess you’re right.” She lifted her mouth for his kiss. After a few minutes of leisurely necking, another sound interrupted them.

  He chuckled. “Was that your stomach?”

  She giggled. “I can’t help it. I haven’t eaten anything since breakfast.”

  They debated whether to go into town for a late dinner or to order something in. Louisa contended she’d have to take a shower before she’d be seen in public, and although Gabe had no objections to joining her in the shower, he figured that might delay dinner too long. He certainly didn’t want her fainting from hunger. They decided on pizza. And he knew just what to do to pass the time until it was delivered.

  Forty-five minutes later, the pizza arrived. Before answering the door, Louisa smoothed her hands over her clothes, but it was a lost cause. Her yellow dress was hopelessly wrinkled. Sh
e glanced over her shoulder at Gabe. “Remind me not to wear anything from now on, okay?” she quipped before admitting the delivery boy.

  After paying for the pizza and closing the door, she found Gabe watching her, an intense expression on his face. She stopped in her tracks. “What?”

  “You said from now on, Lou.”

  She blinked fast a couple of times. “Well…yes. I meant that—I mean, we’ll probably—” She blinked again, flustered.

  “From now on sounds like you’re thinking about the future,” he said, still watching her.

  She didn’t quite look at him as she brushed past him to set the warm pizza box on the table near the windows. “It was just a figure of speech. I was making a joke about my dress being so wrinkled.”

  He came around to stand in front of her. “Tell me what you’re thinking, Lou. What do you want to happen when we get back to Seattle?”

  No, no, no. She didn’t want to think about that yet. “Could you please put some clothes on? I can’t carry on a normal conversation with you when you’re standing there naked.” It was true. Too distracting. She glanced at his beautiful chest and followed the line of dark, curly hair down his rippling stomach to his penis. She cleared her throat and looked away. Way too distracting. “I need to eat.”

  He obligingly reached for his jeans from where they’d been discarded in a rumpled heap on the floor. She sat at the table and opened the pizza box. Her stomach growled at the tantalizing sight and aroma of melted cheese and pepperoni. She’d already taken several ravenous bites when he joined her.

  “We need to talk about this eventually, Louisa,” Gabe said, sitting across from her and reaching for a slice.

  She broke the long string of mozzarella joining the bite in her mouth to the piece in her hand, then finished chewing and swallowing. “Well, I don’t want to talk about it now. I just want to eat.” She finally met his gaze across the table. “Okay?”

  His eyes narrowed a bit, then he nodded. “Okay.”

  They spent the remainder of the meal in silence. Louisa didn’t want to talk about the future just yet, but knew he did. He wanted to know what her decision would be. Him or Evan?