by Sarah Hegger
“Me too.” She ground herself against him. “But you didn’t let me finish the job.”
“Next time.” He kissed her. “Be right back.”
Kelly rolled on her side and enjoyed the sight of a naked, fully aroused Gabe finding a condom in his wallet and returning to the bed.
He stood by the bed and fisted his cock.
Watching him roll the condom on did delicious things to her libido, and she was ready for more as he eased onto the bed beside her.
“Get to work, woman.” He rolled to his back, a big beautiful animal and all hers.
Kelly straddled him and braced her arms on either side of his head. She hovered with the tip of him just inside her. “Is this where you want me?”
“Fuck yes.” Gabe gripped her hips and pulled her onto him.
Kelly gasped as he filled her completely.
Beneath her, his back arched. “You’re so hot and tight.”
Having him under her appealed to her, and Kelly took control. She ground down, bringing him deeper inside, and then rose on him. There she waited, before impaling herself on him again.
Gabe let her set the pace for a while, happy to let her experiment.
Slowly, another climax began deep in her belly, and she tightened around him.
As if this was what he’d been waiting for, Gabe grabbed her hips and surged into her, bringing her hard down on him. Again and again, he thrust up, driving them both relentlessly forward.
Kelly gave herself over to the hot rush of sensation and hurtled over the edge in a burst of sensation that zipped all the way to the end of her toes.
Beneath her, Gabe tensed, slammed her down and emptied inside her.
They rode the aftershocks together in a slow slide until Kelly collapsed on his heaving chest.
Gabe stroked her back.
Kelly matched her breathing to his until sweat cooling on her body made her reach for the covers.
Gabe got rid of the condom in the bathroom and joined her in bed.
Curling around her, he tucked her into him. “For the record, option three was the best choice.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Gabe stood in Kelly’s kitchen eating cold pizza for breakfast while he waited for her to get ready for work. He hadn’t felt this good since the last time he’d tangled with Kelly.
Kelly hadn’t minded being woken up in the night for a replay, and she didn’t get prissy about morning sex. If he were a cat, he’d have been purring.
“Ugh.” Kelly strolled in wearing jeans and a sweater, her wet hair scraped back in a ponytail and no makeup. “Cold pizza?”
He liked that she felt okay being natural in front of him. He shrugged and took a big bite of his pizza. “It’s the breakfast of champions.”
“Not this champion.” Kelly shuddered and poured herself a mug of coffee. She added cream and sugar.
Coming up behind her, Gabe nuzzled her neck and drew in the fresh smell of a newly showered Kelly. He hummed his approval against her neck. “Not a morning person?”
“You with your cold pizza breath.” She wrinkled her nose but giggled anyway and didn’t move away.
He checked the time. Too late to lure Kelly back into bed. “I’ll drop you off when you’re ready.”
“Actually, I was thinking.” Her tension telegraphed through her muscles before she spoke. “I was thinking I could take myself to work today.”
He didn’t like that, but coming at Kelly head on was like waving a red rag at a bull. “You ready for that?”
“I’m not sure.” She turned and faced him, hips pressed to the counter. “But I’ve got to be a brave little soldier at some point.”
Keeping it light and easy, he shrugged. “Sure, but that doesn’t have to be today.”
“I think I’d like to try.” She squared her shoulders, ready for his argument.
Gabe stepped away and poured himself a cup of coffee. He needed that space to get his primal side under control. The chest-thumping, keeping her safe in his lair side that wanted its say. “Okay.”
“Okay?” She choked on a mouthful of coffee. “That’s all you have to say?”
“Um…no.” He could write her a novel on how much he didn’t want her out there and vulnerable without him, but you didn’t pull that crap on Kelly and get away with your scalp intact. More importantly, she’d charge in the opposite direction. “Call me if you get unsure at any point. I’ll be around.”
She cocked her head and grinned at him. “That almost cost you a molar didn’t it?”
“Damn straight.” He sipped his coffee.
Kelly crossed the kitchen and slid her arms around his waist. “I won’t take any chances, and I’ll call you when I get home.”
“Can I come by?”
“Tonight?” She frowned and stepped away. “I think we should talk.”
“Probably.” He sensed where she was going before she spoke. “I think we’re past pretending what happened between us was a one-off.”
Kelly snort laughed. “That’s for sure.”
“I really like you, Kelly.” The next bit would take some nimble footwork because he didn’t want to piss her off or be an asshole. “But I won’t be staying in Twin Elks.”
“I know that.” Kelly nodded, but her expression gave nothing away, and she took another sip of her coffee. “The thing I need to decide is if that’s enough for me.”
*
Gabe arrived home, his conversation with Kelly still playing in his mind. In fairness, the decision was hers. He couldn’t offer her more than a friends with benefits, good for as long as it lasts type of set up.
Staying in Twin Elks had never been in his game plan. He still had to make a decision between Australia and South Africa and get his life back on track. His time with Kelly had been special, but it had to end at some point.
India and Ma were in the kitchen when he let himself in. Jacob sat in a highchair, crushing cheerios and burbling.
Ma’s dog zeroed on him, tongue lolling, body wiggling and tail whipping from side to side. “Hey, big guy.”
The dog buried his nose in Gabe’s crotch. “Have you given him a name yet?”
“Morning.” Ma greeted him with a smile. “How’s Kelly doing?”
India’s gaze locked on him. “Is she okay?”
“She decided to take herself to work today,” he said.
Ma frowned. “Is that wise?”
“I don’t like it.” He sat at the table. “But Kelly’s not a child, and she does what she thinks she needs to.”
India nodded. “That’s true. I wish I could see her.”
“That’s not a good idea, sweetie.” Dot patted her shoulder. “We need to make sure that ex of yours doesn’t find out where you are.”
India ducked her head and fed Jacob some porridge.
“Speaking of, has Ben said anything about finding Piers?”
Ma shook her head. “He’s disappeared, but if he’s around, Ben will find him.”
Something was off with India, and Gabe watched her before he asked, “India, do you have any idea where Piers would be?”
“No.” She started and glanced at him. “Why would I know where he is?”
Scalpel sharp, Ma’s gaze focused on him.
He would speak to her later. “You know him better than anyone.”
“Oh.” India blushed. “I see what you mean, but no. He never lived in Twin Elks, and when we came here together, we stayed at the hotel.”
He nodded and stood. “I need to change. I thought I might hang out with Finn and see if he needs anything painted.” Looking at Ma, he said, “Give the dog a name and take him to training.”
She grinned. “Yes, darling.”
Gabe went to his room. His old National Geographic magazines were still in the bookshelf, nea
tly arranged by date order. He’d loved those things as a kid and spent hours poring over them.
Firing up his computer, he sat down to check his email.
Ma’s dog was in the front garden, barking up a tree. Some squirrel must have been laughing its ass off at the poor canine.
An email from Belinda had come in two days earlier, and he hovered over it. He and Belinda had pretty much said all that needed saying.
The dog leaped on the tree trunk.
A squirrel dashed from the tree to the telephone wire and shot it across it.
With a yip, the dog followed.
The squirrel took the wire across the road. Dog chased it, right under the wheels of a black pickup.
Tires screeched followed by a sickening yelp.
The dog’s body flew through the air.
Gabe ran through the kitchen yelling. “Ma! Call Cara; tell her I’m on my way.”
Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! That pickup had been coming too fast to stop, and it had hit the dog too fucking hard.
“I didn’t see him.” The driver was out his truck, nearly weeping. “I didn’t see him.”
Dog lay too still in the road, panting hard, blood running out of his nose.
“Here.” Ma thrust a blanket at him. She was sobbing and trying to keep it together. “Is he—”
“No.” Gabe wouldn’t speak that word. He checked the dog’s airways. Still breathing, thank God, and his gums were still pink. They had a chance, but the poor creature labored for each new breath, his eyes glazed with pain.
Gabe took the blanket from Ma. “He’s probably in a whole world of pain. Ma, can you hold his head for me?” He covered the dog with the blanket and spoke to the dog. “I know, buddy, and this is going to fucking hurt, but it’s got to happen.” As Ma held his head, Gabe slid his arms under the body. The dog whined and wriggled. Gabe tightened his hold. “Come on, big guy. Let me get you somewhere, and then I can help you. I can make it go away.”
The dog’s eyes had gone glassy, and he was breathing too hard. “Come on, big guy. You hang in there for me.”
The trust in those big brown eyes nearly killed him.
“Gabe.” Ma choked on his name. “Please?”
“I’ll do what I can.” Gabe lifted him. “I’m so sorry big guy, this is going to hurt like hell.”
The dog yelped and tried to struggle. Gabe tightened his grip and prayed like hell he wasn’t doing more damage.
“I can drive.” The pickup driver ran ahead and opened doors.
The dog was heavy, and Gabe held him tight to his chest as he eased into the passenger seat.
Gabe didn’t like how inert he was. “Get us to the vet. Quickly.”
The pickup driver took off. Every minute that passed seemed like an eternity. Both Gabe and the driver kept talking to the dog, both of them willing the creature to keep fighting. A few more breaths, a few more beats of his heart, and they could get him help.
Cara was waiting for him outside with a stretcher. “Breathing.”
“Just.”
“Heartbeat.”
“Intermittent.”
Gabe lowered him to the stretcher.
Cara took the other side, and they got him on the operating table. She handed Gabe the oxygen mask and Gabe put it over his muzzle. The dog didn’t fight him, and as easy as it made the job, it set off warnings in Gabe’s head.
Cara jabbed the pain relief into the dog’s back leg.
Gabe prayed for a good vein and growled his relief as he managed to locate the cephalic vein in his foreleg and get the drip running.
Those big eyes drooped, and Gabe stroked his head. “There you go, big guy. Gabe and Cara are going to take the best care of you.”
Cara checked his vitals again. “Okay, let’s get him into x-ray. See what’s happening.”
*
They’d done it. Gabe leaned his back against the cold, sterile wall and looked at the dog, sleeping in a recovery cage. They weren’t out of the woods yet. They’d opened the dog up to find the bladder damaged.
Cara with a needle was a joy to watch as she stitched up the damage. It had taken two hours, and Gabe had flushed the dog’s abdomen as thoroughly as he could and got a drain in.
The rest was up to the big guy’s will to live and how the antibiotics worked their magic to prevent any further infection.
God knew how, but the dog hadn’t sustained any fractures. He’d be bruised and sore when he woke up. The whiteboard above the cage remained blank. This guy really needed a name.
Gabe picked up the marker and wrote.
“Bruce?” Crouched by the cage, Cara frowned up at him. “Like the shark from Finding Nemo?”
He dug that she got it straight away. “All those teeth. The way he smiles. Big guy who wants to be friends.”
“I like it.” Cara smiled. She placed the Elizabethan collar around Bruce’s neck. “Come on, Bruce. We’re rooting for you, big guy.” Her shoulders slumped suddenly, and she turned her head away. Silent sobs shook her.
Closing the distance between them, Gabe tugged her to her feet and yanked her into a hug.
Tears may have been shed by him too. There may also have been a lot of snot involved. But what happened behind the scenes in a veterinary’s office, stayed behind the scenes.
*
In the waiting room, Ma held hands with the pickup driver. The place was full, and Gabe only recognized Donna and Robin from the Twin Elks prayer chain, but he’d bet his life they were all there. Ma stood as he came in, a silent question on her face.
“He made it through surgery.” Damn, his voice shook again, and he was shit scared he might start bawling in front of the goddamn prayer chain. “He’s still not out of the woods, but it’s up to him now.”
The waiting room broke into cheers and whistles, which got louder when Cara came in after him.
Gabe looped an arm around her neck. “You’re a helluva surgeon, Dr. Addison.”
“Likewise, Dr. Crowe.” She beamed up at him. “We did a good thing today.”
“Yes, we did.” Without questioning himself, Gabe grabbed his phone and dialed Kelly.
“Hey,” she answered immediately. “How is the dog?”
That was Twin Elks for you. “We think he’s going to make it.”
More cheers broke out in the waiting room.
“That’s great news.” Kelly warmed his chest with her delight. Cheering came down the line from her side. “We should celebrate.”
“Tonight?” He couldn’t think of anyone he’d rather celebrate with.
Kelly laughed. “Tonight.”
“We can discuss our options.”
“Excuse me.” Belinda’s Australian accent rang like a bell. It was so out of place it took him a moment to register it came from the waiting room.
Kelly may have said something else, but Gabe’s hackles came up.
“Excuse me,” Belinda said. “But I’m looking for Gabe Crowe. Someone at the hotel said he was here.”
“Gabe?” Kelly must have been waiting for a reply.
Trying to see past the crowd, he said to Kelly, “Give me second here.”
“Gabe.” Tall, blond, toned, and tanned Belinda stood in front of him with her big sunny smile and threw her arms wide. “Surprise.”
“Belinda?” His brain still couldn’t make sense of it. The phone was still pressed to his ear and Kelly must have heard. “Kelly?”
“Yeah.” She sounded guarded.
“I need to call you back.”
“Sure.” And she hung up.
Belinda dropped her arms and shoved her hands into the pockets of her puffy jacket.
All eyes were on him and Belinda, and he looked at Ma for a maternal interception.
Ma stepped forward with an easy smile. “Hello.” She held
out her hand. “I’m Dot, Gabe’s mother. We never had the chance to meet.”
“Belinda.” Belinda took Ma’s hand and shook it, giving a breathy laugh. “Belinda Moffat. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“Likewise.” Ma threw him a glance that promised they would talk later. “Did you just get into town?”
Belinda shrugged and looked around at all the people eyeballing her. “Yeah. Flew into Denver and drove here. I wanted to surprise Gabe.”
“And Gabe is certainly surprised.” Ma laughed. “Why don’t I take you to the hotel, and we can let Gabe get settled here?” She tucked her arm through Belinda’s and walked her to the door. “We’ve had some excitement this morning.”
Belinda glanced over her shoulder at him.
God, he knew that determined look on Belinda’s face and he didn’t like what it implied. Arriving unannounced was so like her, he should have expected something like it. Outside, Belinda climbed into Ma’s car, looking bewildered by Ma’s constant stream of chatter.
“Damn. I hope I’m wrong about what she’s doing here.”
“Best you find out then.” Donna drew in a deep breath and pinned him with a hard stare. “I love your mother, Gabriel Crowe, and I wouldn’t do a thing to hurt her, but if you play fast and loose with our Kelly, then you’ll have me to answer to.”
The rest of the prayer chain followed her out, each with a special glance promising future retribution. Robin jabbed her middle and index finger at her eyes and then him.
“I take it that was an unexpected complication?” Cara nudged him with a shoulder.
Talk about your understatements.
“For the record, I’m on Kelly’s team as well.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Gabe wanted to hide away. More specifically, he really wanted to hide from Belinda. But she was sitting in Ma’s kitchen, waiting for him when he came home.
“Hi.” She stood and wiped her hands on her jeans. “I hope you don’t mind, but I didn’t have a reservation at the hotel, and your mother said I could stay here.”
That was so like Ma. His gaze stuck on the suitcases by Belinda’s feet. “Ma didn’t give you a room to sleep in?”
