Page 28 of Losing Hope

“But will you feel that way when we’re back in the real world? When you invite me to dinner with your family and I show up on my motorcycle, wearing jeans?”

She turned to him, her eyes narrowing. “You have a motorcycle?” Then shook her head in disbelief, muttering, “Damn, could you be any sexier?”

He smirked and then stood and walked over to her. He grasped her head gently, turning it up so he could look her in the eye. “I want to believe so badly that everything will be as easy for us when we get back to reality, but my gut tells me that it won’t be. We come from two completely different worlds, Angel.”

She pursed her lips in frustration as her brows furrowed. “Why are you worrying about something that hasn’t even happened yet? If you’re so sure that we’re wrong for each other, why are you stillhere?”

His gaze became even more intense as his expression changed, his smile and the crinkles that normally lit up the corners of his eyes both vanishing. “Isn’t it obvious, Hope?”

She raised her eyes up to meet his, uncertain about what he was saying, and stammered out, “I guessnot.”

“You are so goddamn stubborn.” He bent down then and smashed his lips over hers in a searing kiss, his hands still clasped around her face. She whimpered in protest for only second before wrapping her hands around his neck to hold him tight.

After several intense moments, he broke the kiss, resting his forehead against hers, eyes meeting hers, desire flaming between them both. “I like you, Hope. I find I’m liking you a lot. And even though it’s only been two days, this feels really right. And different.”

She captured the corner of her lower lip between her teeth to try to stifle the wide smile threatening to break across her face. “I really like you, too.” She brought her mouth forward and brushed a chaste kiss across his welcoming lips. “And I like you for everything you are, everything you’ve shown me about yourself while you’ve been here. I don’t care how much money you make, Gage. Please, don’t care about how much I may have either. This, who you see right here, this is who Iam.”

“I believe you. I do.” His mouth turned down in a slight frown. “I learned the hard way that, sometimes, life has other plans for who we are or what we want, though.”

She nodded her head slowly. “I know. But let’s not let that ruin what we have right now, okay? Before it even happens.”

“I have always wanted to fly on a private jet.” He grinned slyly.

A slow grin spread across her face. “Good. It’s settled then. We’ll stay ‘til Tuesday.”

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