Page 44 of Tangled in His Embrace

He reached over and ran the back of his hand along her jaw. Gabby shivered. “Cold?”

“No,” she whispered, shaking her head.

The look in her eyes told him all he needed to know in that moment. He could feel the pull between them and needed to touch her more than he needed his next breath.

Cupping the side of her face, Jax closed the distance between them and brushed his lips against hers. He kept the kiss light and PG rated considering they were in public and there were children around, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t convey what he was feeling through the kiss.

She released a soft sigh when he pulled back enough to meet her gaze. He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, unable to stop touching her.

Gabby searched his eyes as they sat there in the cool night air, surrounded by people. She scraped her teeth over her bottom lip. “You really had a ring?”

“I still have it.” There was no need to deny it and, in any case, he didn’t want to.

She sucked in a harsh breath. “Why?”

Jax shrugged and trailed his fingers down the side of her face. “I guess one day I was hoping I’d get to come back to you, to have the life I dreamed about.”

“Where...”

He knew what she was asking. “The ring is in my dresser at my apartment.”

The vein in the side of her neck was pulsing out of control and all he could think about was kissing it. He knew how much she liked it when he paid attention to her neck. She was so sensitive there.

Without much warning, Gabby stood, nearly knocking his hot chocolate out of his hand. She glanced around, looking flustered, and he couldn’t help but feel quite pleased with himself about that.

He eased himself off the bench. “Something wrong?”

Gabby shook her head but wouldn’t look at him. “No. I just thought we should probably get moving again if we’re going to see the rest of the exhibits. I’m sure your mother doesn’t want to be out all night.”

The rest of the walk through the zoo was filled with tension—a stark contrast to how things had been before their conversation. His revelation that he’d been about to ask her to marry him and still had hopes to do so had clearly thrown her, and as much as he wanted to push her to talk to him, he was giving her some time to process what she was feeling. He was the one who’d screwed up. Not her. As hard as it was, he was going to have to let her set the pace.

“Are you hungry?” he asked as they were leaving the zoo. It was getting late, but he didn’t want to say good night to her yet.

“Not really.” She was looking out the window at the lights as they drove from the parking lot.

With a sigh, he headed in the direction of her house. He’d wanted this date to be a positive experience. Now he was concerned it would be the opposite.

Jax felt her gaze on him as he turned onto the highway. He waited for her to say something, but she never did.

Fifteen minutes later he pulled up in front of her house and turned off the engine. She was still watching him, but when he met her gaze it wasn’t what he’d expected. He’d expected uncertainty and maybe a little fear, but instead it appeared as if she was deep in thought.

They sat in the car for several minutes before she broke the silence. “Do you want to come in?”

He didn’t want to read too much into it. Besides, his mother was in there. “Sure.”

Gabby was already outside the car waiting for him when he rounded the vehicle. They walked side by side, not touching, to the door and he waited for her to put her key in the lock. Jax flexed his hands, telling himself to be patient.

When they stepped into the house his mom peeked up from the book she’d been reading. She bookmarked her place, closed the novel, and stood. “You’re home early.”

“We didn’t want to be out too late,” Gabby said, taking off her coat.

“There was no rush. I made sure to bring a book to keep me company.”

Gabby’s attention went to the book his mother had pressed against her chest. It looked rather racy if the cover was anything to go by. He’d had no idea his mom read books like that. Then again, that wasn’t exactly the type of discussion a grown man typically had with his mother.

His mom followed Gabby’s gaze, and if he wasn’t mistaken his mother’s cheeks darkened a little. “Gabby, you like romance novels, right? Have you ever read G. E. Lewis?”

He saw Gabby shift her weight. “I believe I’ve heard of her.”

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