Page 15 of Tangled in His Embrace

He wiped his mouth on a napkin. “I didn’t say that.”

“You sure don’t act like it bothers you. You’re sitting there all relaxed like you don’t have a care in the world.”

Jax sighed and abandoned his food to give her his full attention. She wasn’t sure she liked that any better. “Gabby, I know this is hard. It is for me, too. My mom chastised me earlier and made it clear that Taylor will be fine. Besides, before long she’s going to want to sleep over at a friend’s house or go on school trips.”

Gabby stood, suddenly not hungry anymore. “She’ll be older then.”

“Yes. But those people won’t be family.” He followed her into the kitchen, not letting her escape the way she desperately wanted to. “Mom will call if there are any problems, but she’s going to be fine.”

Placing her plate onto the counter with a little more force than she’d intended, Gabby spun on her heels to face him. “But what if she wakes up crying, wanting me? Or you? We won’t be there.”

Moisture filled her eyes and she had no way to stop it. She was missing her little girl, yes, but it wasn’t only that. It was Jax being there as well. Having him in her home brought too many feelings to the surface.

“Gabby.” He reached for her and she didn’t stop him.

She held on to him, basking in the warmth and comfort he offered. “I don’t know how my mother did it.”

He rubbed her back in a soothing gesture as he continued to hold her. “Did what?”

“Let Grace and I go to camp. We’d be gone for an entire week.”

Jax groaned. “I’m not ready to think about that yet. We’ve still got a few years.”

His response made her feel a little better—like she wasn’t the only one who was feeling anxious about their daughter growing up. “I know. But it feels like just yesterday that she was learning how to walk and say her first words.”

He didn’t say anything and it took her a minute to realize why.

Gabby started to pull back, but he stopped her. They stared into each other’s eyes, their bodies still pressed together. A fact she was becoming highly aware of.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, his fingers teasing the hair around her ear.

Neither pulled away. A tiny voice in the back of her mind screamed for her to run away, to get as far away as she possibly could before she did something stupid again, but she couldn’t get her limbs to work. Or maybe she didn’t want to.

Her fingers brushed against the collar of his sweater and her gaze drifted to his mouth. It had been weeks since he’d kissed her, but she could still feel the pressure of his lips against hers.

He cupped the back of her head, tangling his fingers in her hair. “Gabby...”

She knew he felt it, too—the shift in the air around them. What had started out as comfort had changed into desire.

There were so many reasons why she should stop this, and the biggest reason was Taylor. They needed to keep things civil for her. She deserved that. She needed that.

But their daughter wasn’t at the forefront of her mind at the moment. Gabby’s nipples hardened at the memory of Jax’s mouth on them... of his hands caressing her skin.

A moan escaped her lips and she felt his grip tighten. She opened her eyes and met his gaze. The same emotions she was feeling were reflected back at her.

Then she did something she would most likely regret. She grabbed the back of his head and tugged him toward her, sealing her lips to his in a searing kiss that left no doubt about the direction of her thoughts.

It took him a split second to catch up, but when he did, he didn’t hold back. He crushed her body to him, not allowing any space between them. She lifted her leg, wrapping it around his waist, using the leverage to grind her pelvis against his erection.

Jax gasped, breaking their kiss. “Gabby.” He was breathing hard as he stared into her eyes. “If we don’t stop...”

She never broke eye contact. “I don’t want to stop.”

A moment later they were moving. He picked her up, wrapped her other leg around his waist, and carried her down the hall toward her bedroom.

***

Jax knew this would only complicate things, but at that moment he couldn’t bring himself to care all that much. He wanted her and nothing else mattered except feeling her body surround him in every possible way.

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