Page 85 of Flirting With Forever
“I love you, too, Merida,” he said, finding her lips with a kiss that captured and took and gave back all in the same breath. The caress rolled with love and frustration, peace and aggravation. Fire and acceptance and a heady desire for more.
She felt him wrap an arm around her waist, turn her, and lead her into the building. Heard the slide of the lock behind them before being pressed against the door and kissed like she’d never been kissed before. Like she was the most precious thing imaginable. Cherished and…loved. Like the unseen weights they’d each held were indeed gone and they were free from the chains of their pasts.
He shifted low and wrapped his hands around her thighs, lifting her up and earning a laugh of delight from her as she twined her arms around his neck so they were eye to eye, forehead to forehead.
“You made me crazy,” he murmured. “You made me realize how empty my life was before you showed up and knocked me flat. You made me realize I had no control over you or the fact I’d fallen in love with a woman who’d left me with a freaking text message.”
She grimaced again and made a sound of empathy. “I’m not going to live that down anytime soon, am I?”
“What do you think?”
She pressed a kiss to his lips. “I’m sorry. I’ll make it up to you. But I’m not sorry you gave me the courage to stand up to my father, because if I hadn’t—I wouldn’t be here. I’d still be running, and I don’t want to run anymore. I want you.”
He kissed the words back into her lips, soft and slow. “You’re sure? You don’t do casual.”
“No. I don’t do casual,” she whispered.
Gage gave her a soft, seductive grin.
“I guess that means we’re all in then. I know I am.”
Her heart tripped a beat, so full of happiness and joy and relief that she feared it would actually burst. “Yeah?”
“Yeah. You’re not getting away from me again.”
Her throat seized with a lump of tears as she nodded, brushing her lips over his and lingering over the caress. “Well, I did stand up to my father so I could come back to you. That counts for something, doesn’t it?”
“I suppose. I planned to go to Chicago and track down every Harrington I could find if you didn’t.” He leaned his weight more heavily against her, pressing her to the door. “I would’ve dragged you back.”
“Caveman,” she murmured, smiling brightly at the thought. “You know, when I first met you, I never pictured you as a Neanderthal. I kinda like it.”
“You do?”
“I do.”
Without warning, he shifted his hold, gently but swiftly tossing her over his shoulder to carry her to the front of the building while she shrieked and laughed and earned a swat to her red-velvet-covered behind.
“Where’d you get the suit?” he growled.
“Why? Do you want to borrow it?”
He lowered her to sit atop the counter and reached a hand beneath to turn off the security cameras.
“Yeah, I do. Right now.”
“Now?”
He pressed a kiss to her lips. “Now, Merida. It’s my turn to play Santa.”
Epilogue
May
* * *
Gage stared across the bar to where his fiancée danced with the ladies of his family. Their engagement party was in full swing, and it looked like half of Carolina Cove had showed up to celebrate.
“Love looks good on you,” Alec said as he joined him.
