Page 34 of The Rancher's Cinderella Bride

“This is beautiful, Gabe,” she said as she looked outside. “You have everything the way you like it.”

But when she turned around, the picturesque sight of his backyard paled in comparison to Gabe. He was hefting her bags onto a luggage stand, his shirt pulled across his broad shoulders and his biceps flexed. Memories of their kisses before they left Dallas were still vivid in her mind, and she felt desire once again flooding her.

“Do you—” He set down her bags and glanced at her, and whatever he was about to ask her died on his lips.

She no longer had to wonder, as she had back in Dallas hours ago, whether he could see the desire in her eyes. Clearly he did.

His gaze locked with hers as he strode across to her. He wrapped his arms around her and tilted her chin up. She looked into his eyes, the blue darkened by passion—eyes that mirrored the desire she felt.

“Ah, darlin’,” he said as he leaned down to kiss her.

Letting go of her usual caution, doubts and worries, she clung to him as eagerness filled her. Making her decision, she expected she could live with it and hoped she had made the right choice.

His scalding kiss was possessive and passionate, making her feel as if she belonged in his arms. She experienced a bond of friendship with him that she didn’t have with any other man she had ever known. Because of that and his kisses that set her ablaze with an incredibly intense longing, she wanted his loving, his hands and mouth on her, his body available for her to touch and kiss. Most of all, she wanted to pleasure him, to caress and kiss him. She longed to pour out some of what she felt for him, trying to convey how happy she was to have him in her life again, even if it would be brief.

“You’re so good to me,” she whispered, thinking he truly was her best friend and had stuck by her when she needed him, both as a child and now as an adult. Their kisses were stupendous. Were they so great because it was Gabe? Because friendship made it more intense? Or was it some other chemistry they conjured up when they were together? She didn’t know. At the moment she only knew she wanted him, needed to draw him closer, keep him close. She longed to love him and his awesome male body that made her tremble with desire.

She was about to make a commitment when she knew there would be no commitment from him. But he would always be honest and up front with her. She had already decided to live with that and, hopefully, to walk away without leaving behind her heart. This time in his arms, in his bed, couldn’t change her life unless she let it. She knew his feelings and understood them. They were close, and this intimacy would be one more link in their chain of timeless friendship.

She stopped thinking about it. She was with Gabe and she wanted to make love with him.

Holding her, he leaned back slightly to look at her, a piercing look filled with unspoken questions. “You know what you want. This is a turnaround.”

“Not really. We’re friends. The closest of friends, which changes everything and makes intimacy something special. I can guard my heart as you will yours, and at the same time, that friendship will shine through and become special.”

He drew her close to kiss her again, a slow, tantalizing kiss as his tongue thrust deep, stroked hers, touched the corners of her mouth and moved so lightly over her lower lip. All teasing strokes that built a physical need to kiss even more passionately.

She drew his head down and stood on tiptoe to kiss him, tangling her tongue with his, wanting to bind him to her for the next hour, to be as close as they could.

He raised his head slightly. His breath was ragged and his gaze was piercing. “You are unpredictable, unforgettable, special. I want this. Oh, baby, do I want this, but intimacy will change our friendship forever.”

“I know.”

His gaze faltered a mere second. “I’m not into commitment, Meg. Don’t think you’ll change me.”

She smiled at him. “I’m not planning on changing you. I know I couldn’t possibly. And you’re not going to change me. See, you’re being a friend right now. You know I don’t casually make love and you’re giving me a chance to stop and think twice. But, Gabe, I know what I’m doing.”

He stared at her as if weighing what she’d said and trying to come to a conclusion about how it would affect him. “I’ve never known a woman like you. I want you, darlin’, even though you complicate the hell out of life.” And with that he leaned down to kiss her and end their discussion.

While longing rocked her, she ran her hands over him. Her fingers worked swiftly to unbutton his shirt and push it away. As soon as she did, she tangled her fingers in a smattering of crisp chest curls while her other hand ran over his muscled shoulders. He was strong, fit, in peak condition, and his body was the perfect male specimen. She couldn’t wait one more moment for the intimacy, the closeness that she’d resisted.

With a trembling hand she unbuckled his belt and pulled it free to drop it with a clatter. As she did, he pulled her shirt over her head, unclasped her bra and tossed them aside. His jeans went next, and he paused to yank them off, along with his boots and socks. Placing his hands lightly on her hips, he held her away to look at her. His gaze was a slow perusal that made her tingle as if his fingers caressed her. Swiftly, he unfastened her jeans and pushed them down, along with her panties. As she stepped out of them, he cupped her breasts in his warm hands, stroking their rosy tips with his thumbs and making her gasp with pleasure.

“You’re beautiful, so beautiful,” he whispered. “You don’t know what you do to me.”

Closing her eyes momentarily, she clung to his forearms as he caressed her and streaks of pleasure stirred her, making her want him more than ever. It seemed right, to be with him and kiss and caress him.

She pulled away his briefs to free his thick, hard shaft. She drew a deep breath as she looked at his body, a body that thrilled her and made her ache to touch him.

He picked her up and carried her into her bedroom to place her on the bed. He lay beside her, drawing her into his embrace, tangling his legs with hers while he kissed her—a deep, insistent kiss.

Stroking her hair away from her face, he paused to gaze intently at her. “You can’t ever know how badly I’ve wanted to make love to you. You’re a beautiful woman. You’ll never know how much you excite me.”

She kissed him and his fingers tangled in her hair while his arm held her against him. He was hard and she wanted to touch and explore his body. Right now, his kisses were sending her pulse racing and making her want him more than ever. He was important to her, part of her life, and now they would be closer than ever, sharing intimate moments that she hadn’t expected to ever have happen. She had made love only a few times in her life, but never with anyone like him. She trembled with need and with wanting, more than she would have ever dreamed possible. She intended to seize the moment and make a memory that she would always have.

Shifting, he moved to caress her ankles, stroking, trailing his tongue slowly over her, kissing her as he moved up between her legs, running his tongue lightly on her inner thigh, making her writhe and want him more than ever. Her hands lightly drifted over his muscled thighs, higher over his hard butt and his narrow waist. His strong body was a marvel to her and she hoped to excite him as much as he excited her.

Arching her hips against him, she did what she could to give him more access, wanting to be touched more deeply.

---