Page 60 of A Table for Two
“Relaxing for the most part, but I am going over to Splendid Scoops for some ice cream.”
“Great minds think alike. I’d planned to do the same. Want to go now?” Serenity hesitated, and he wondered if she was still uncomfortable with them being seen together in town.
“That’s fine. Let me change my shoes and we can leave.” Serenity came up on tiptoe and pressed a kiss to his lips.
Gabriel quickly took over the kiss, slipping his tongue between her parted lips. His tongue moved deep in her mouth, staking its claim, causing her to moan. Too ravenous to be gentle, he devoured her mouth with an intensity that stunned him. But he couldn’t stop. Her hands burned a path across his chest and wound around his neck. She gripped the back of his head and held him in place. Each stroke of her tongue against his brought him closer and closer to the brink of losing control. And Gabriel never lost control. A moment later, she released him.
“I’ll only be a second,” she murmured and strolled out of the kitchen.
He nodded and resisted the urge to pull her back into his arms for another kiss. When she was out of sight, he scrubbed a hand down his face.Yeah, we need to get out of this house.
***
In her bedroom, Serenity dropped down on the side of the bed and drew in a deep, steadying breath. Gabriel’s kisses always seemed to make her lose all reason.
One week. It had been one whole week since she’d seen Gabriel after they’d shared a night of pleasure she hadn’t been able to erase from her mind. She hadn’t been prepared for the sensations that engulfed her then and had done her best to avoid seeing him because she needed to think about what it meant. Common sense told her now would be a good time to cut her losses, but how much she enjoyed being with him almost guaranteed she’d ignore that little piece of wisdom. Hence she’d invited him to breakfast and was now going into town with him for ice cream.
Serenity had been tempted to lead him to the bedroom to do just what Dana suggested—enjoy every sensual moment until he left. Shaking herself mentally, she stood and exchanged her flip-flops for a pair of low-heeled black sandals. She grabbed her purse and keys, then went back to the kitchen. Gabriel was standing at the sliding glass door with his hands stuck in his pockets, staring outside. She took a minute to study his tall, slim build. The navy tee he wore molded to his well-defined chest, abs, and arms, and his gray basketball shorts accentuated a firm, muscular butt that she could probably bounce a quarter off. As if sensing her presence, he turned and smiled. Her pulse skipped.
“Ready?”
“Yep.” He followed her out the front door, waiting until she locked it, then led her over to his car. Once they were on the road, she asked, “Are you going to be working today? You’ve been putting in a lot of hours.”
“I have been working a lot this past week. I should probably take the day off and pick it up tomorrow.”
“You absolutely should. You can’t keep working twenty-four-seven and not expect to get burned out at some point.”
“You’re right. I’m going to try to decrease my hours this week.”
Serenity patted him on the thigh. “Good choice. You can’t be productive if you’re so tired you can’t see straight, and I suspect with what you do, making mistakes means a redo.”
Gabriel laughed softly. “Okay, you’ve made your point.”
She smiled and resumed staring out the window. Less than ten minutes later, he parked a block away from the shop. As they walked up the street, she was struck by how different they were acting with each other now. Last weekend, everywhere they went, Gabriel held her hand, guided her with his hand on her back, or touched her in some gentle but possessive way. Today he walked at her side with a good foot between them and kept his hands to himself. Serenity knew it was because she’d told him she didn’t want the townspeople in her business or to speculate on their relationship. But she missed the connection.You can’t have it both ways,that irritating inner voice reminded her. She called out and returned greetings to the people she knew and did her best to ignore the speculative glances.
Gabriel opened the door to the shop and gestured her inside. “I guess everybody else had the same idea.” A good fifteen people waited in line.
“It’s been like this on the weekends since I moved here. It’s only one. If we came around dinnertime, there would be twice the number of people here.”
He leaned down to whisper in her ear. “What flavor are you getting?”
She shivered at his closeness. “Um…just vanilla this time to go with the apple pie I made last night.”
His eyes lit up, and a smile spread across his face.
“Yes, I’ll share.” He took a step as if he was going to kiss her but seemingly remembered where they were and quickly turned away. Serenity’s heart rate kicked up, and she took a furtive glance around to see if anyone had noticed. She relaxed when she saw everyone engaged in their own conversations and not paying attention to her.
“Ms. Wheeler!”
Serenity spun around just as Brianna launched herself at her and wrapped her small arms around her waist. She hugged the little girl and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “How are you, Brianna?”
“I’m good. Mommy is getting me ice cream because I finished reading my book.”
“That’s wonderful. You’ll have to tell me all about it next time I see you.” She shifted slightly and spoke to Brianna’s mother. “Hey, Pam.”
“Hi, Serenity. Good to see you.”
“Good to see you, too.” Pam divided a curious glance between Serenity and Gabriel, and Serenity made the introductions. “Pam, this is Gabriel Cunningham. Gabriel, this is Pam.”
