Page 23 of The Rancher's Cinderella Bride

“It looks like a palace,” she said, looking through a tall black wrought-iron fence at a sprawling mansion with lights shining in various windows on three floors. The well-landscaped yard held tall shade trees, leafy oaks and spreading maples. On the front lawn water glistened in a small pond with blooming lilies and in a lighted fountain with a silvery spray of water.

“Don’t sound so shocked.”

“I still think of you at your parents’ home when we were kids.”

“I haven’t lived there since I left for college.” Gabe drove to the back and parked beneath a carport, stepping out to go around and open her car door. “Come see my house and I’ll show you your suite. If you’d like, tomorrow we can go to the ranch,” he said as she stepped out to walk beside him.

He held open the door to a mudroom of sorts. The long, narrow room held rocking chairs, hat racks and coatracks on the wall, with a place for boots and shoes in a small alcove.

He took her arm. “Let’s get something to drink. We can sit in the family room or go to the patio. It’s a nice night.”

“Sure, Gabe,” she said. “But first, I want to thank you again for tonight and for what you’re doing,” she said, overwhelmed by having such a good friend who had come through for her and ended a huge worry in her life. She slipped her arms around him, hugged him tightly and then stood on tiptoe to kiss him.

After a startling moment that was no more than a heartbeat, his arms circled her waist and tightened, pulling her against him. His mouth pressed against hers, his tongue going deep, stroking hers as he held her close.

Her heart thudded and she tightened her arms around him. She had told herself that a few kisses out of gratitude would be acceptable and not dangerous to her heart. But now, with the first kiss, she stopped thinking about what she ought to do. Her focus was on the man holding her tightly. The man whose fingers wound in the curls of her long hair as he held her and kissed her.

And all her rules and promises to herself vanished like smoke on the wind. The only thing she wanted was to kiss him and never stop.

She ran her hand beneath Gabe’s jacket to push it off. He shrugged out of it and it dropped to the floor. His elegant dress shirt was smooth to the touch, warm from his body heat. The studs in his shirt were sharp against her skin and she stepped back, reaching up to unfasten then. “These hurt,” she whispered and looked up into vivid blue eyes that had darkened in passion. When she had the studs unfastened, she handed them to him. He dropped them into his pocket while she ran her hand across his chest.

“I’m not going to bed with you,” she whispered, a reminder to herself as she was again caught and held by his startling blue eyes.

“Are you talking to me or to yourself?” he asked while he showered light kisses on her ear, her nape, brushing her lips with his. Her heart raced and his tantalizing light kisses fanned desire beyond anything she had ever experienced.

“I’m talking to both of us,” she whispered. “Kisses of thanks for what you did tonight are the limit.”

“You might have to remind me,” he whispered and tightened his arms around her, settling his mouth on hers and kissing her passionately again.

Desire was a hot flame burning inside her. His touch burned away rational thought. All she could do was feel. She ran her hand beneath his unbuttoned shirt, feeling his smooth, muscled back, down to his narrow waist where she unfastened his cummerbund.

Leaning away she looked up at him and slid her arms around his neck. “You make me lose all caution and common sense.”

“I hope so,” he whispered and kissed away any answer she might have had.

She didn’t feel his hands on her back, but was dimly aware as he pulled down the zipper to her dress.

She was crushed against him, holding him tightly while they kissed. Her heartbeat still raced. How long they kissed she didn’t know. Finally, Gabe picked her up and carried her in his arms. She never once stopped kissing him to see where he was going; she didn’t care. A moment later he sat down and placed her on his lap as he kissed and held her.

She felt his hands at her back, cooler air drifting over her back while he slid her zipper farther down to her waist and pushed her dress off her shoulders.

She caught the front of her dress in her fist, holding it to cover her breasts as she leaned away slightly to look at him. His heavy-lidded gaze met hers.

“Meg, where did all this fiery sex come from?” he whispered.

“Gabe, wait. You’re going too fast and in seconds our relationship will change forever.”

“It already has,” he said in a thick, husky voice. “We can’t ever go back to a next-door-neighbor, brother-and-sister relationship, even if we promise never to touch each other again. It won’t ever be the same because now we know what we do to each other and it’s so fantastic, I’m still in shock.”

She placed her index finger lightly on his lips. “Stop. We may not be able to go back, but we don’t have to go deeper into a sexual relationship. We’re not suited—”

“Darlin’, we are suited—in the best way possible,” he said, kissing her just above her bare shoulder. “I almost don’t know which is the most stunning—kissing you or looking at you.”

She pulled her dress back in place and slipped off his lap. She straightened her dress and reached back to pull up her zipper. Standing, Gabe did it for her, tugging so slowly, trailing kisses above her zipper as he moved up to lift her hair and kiss her nape. “You’re gorgeous.”

“Thank you,” she whispered, turning around to face him and stepping back. “I’m trying to use some sense and resist you. To think a minute. I’m not into casual affairs. That kind of covers the biggest difference between us. And then, should you get serious, I could never deal with your wild lifestyle.”

“Whoa, darlin’. You’re talking marriage and all we’ve done is share a few good-night kisses.” He smiled at her. “I’ll show you the house and we’ll have a drink and sit and talk awhile and then you can go to bed all by yourself. How’s that?”

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