Closing her eyes, Bay could do nothing but rest weakly on Gabe afterward, feeling his thudding heart against her own. She smiled tremulously, lifting her hand to caress his stubbled cheek. Words were useless. She lay there absorbing their mutual heat, their love and his hands cherishing her. Never had she experienced such happiness, such powerful love with any man.
* * *
THE NEXT TIME Bay awoke, the sun was shining brightly around the drapes. She found herself alone in the bed and still wrapped in a sensual haze created by their lovemaking earlier this morning. When had Gabe left her side? Automatically, Bay slid the palm of her hand across the sheet where he’d lain before. It was cool to her touch. The door was partially open and she could hear Christmas music wafting down the hall. Her heart filled with joy, Bay thought she might die from happiness. She heard soft footfalls coming down the hall toward the bedroom. It had to be Gabe.
Sitting up, the sheet pooling around her hips, she watched as Gabe eased the door open and looked in. He was dressed in a red T-shirt, dark green cargo pants and a pair of black boots. To Bay, he looked magnificent, the clothes simply showing off his primal, powerful body to perfection. She gave him a drowsy smile. “Yes, the dead actually do arise,” she murmured wryly. He held two cups of coffee in his hands.
Grinning, Gabe sauntered in and sat down beside her. “You slept well,” he teased, handing her a cup of steaming coffee.
“I had good reason to,” Bay whispered, taking the cup and looking deep into Gabe’s clear green eyes. She saw happiness in them. She hoped he saw the happiness reflected in hers. “Thanks...this was so sweet of you.”
“I felt you wake up.” Gabe enjoyed watching her sip the coffee, her upper body naked, beautiful and already making him hard, wanting her all over again. Her breasts were perfect. Her nipples rose pink. And he’d tasted them last night and this morning, lavishing his attention upon them. He wanted to taste her again and feel her nipples harden once more in his mouth.
Tilting her head, she said, “But...how?”
Shrugging, Gabe said, “Over the years I’ve developed a strong sixth sense. It never leads me wrong. I was out in the kitchen and I felt you stir, decided to make some fresh coffee and welcome you back into the world of the living.”
Bay warmed beneath his very male smile, her body already reacting heatedly to the arousal in his eyes. “My mother had that very same kind of intuition with my father. They were so in love and in tune with each other.” She sighed softly. “I always dreamed of having that same kind of magical connection with the man I fell in love with.”
“You do. It just comes naturally between us, Bay.” Gabe threaded his fingers through her hair, taming some of the softly curled strands and easing them away from her flushed cheek.
“Mmm,” she purred, closing her eyes. “All you have to do is look at me and I want you. And when you touch me—” her eyes opened, watching him “—I just want you all over again.”
His predatory look made her go hot with longing. Gabe wasn’t arrogant about being a consummate lover. No, he was humble and that touched her heart. He wanted to please her. He’d controlled himself to bring her along with him. How did she get so lucky?
“I think we need a small time-out.” He didn’t want one, but Gabe never wanted Bay to feel pressured in any way. He always felt women were his equal, not beneath him, not secondary, as his father had treated his mother.
“Maybe you’re right.” She smiled a little wickedly. “Well, at least for the next hour, maybe? What time is it?”
“Ten-thirty,” he said, grinning. “With the exception of making love with me twice, you probably slept a solid eleven hours.” His voice lowered, his expression growing solemn. “You needed that deep, healing sleep, Bay. You still need a lot of rest to catch up in the coming weeks.”
Pushing several curls away from her face, she murmured, “I feel completely rejuvenated, Gabe, not exhausted.” Reaching out, Bay grazed his shaven cheek with her fingertips. “Thanks to you.” She whispered, “I have never had a man love me like you did. I still feel like I’m floating in some other world.” She held his narrowing gaze. “You are incredible, Gabe.” She laughed a little shyly. “If I’d known how good we’d be together, I don’t think I could ever have kept my hands off you in Afghanistan.”
He gave an amused look and caught her hand, kissing it. “Remember? I had six months of dreaming of what I was going to do to you when you got home.”
Laughing softly, Bay said, “Your dreams were far more creative than mine.”
“We’ll compare notes over the coming days,” Gabe promised, releasing her hand. The glint in her eyes told him she was more than ready to live out her dreams with him. He’d never felt stronger or more powerful as a man than right then, drowning beneath her drowsy blue gaze. Bay was open, trusting and Gabe always knew where he stood with her. She trusted him with her life, with her body, and most important, with her huge, giving heart.
“I feel like a lazybones,” Bay admitted, setting the cup on the bed stand. “I need a shower.”
“Go ahead. I was cutting up some red-and-green peppers to celebrate Christmas in our omelet once you got up.” He stood. “And Santa Claus left you something under the tree. So don’t take too long.”
There was a sparkle in his eyes, that male mouth of his twitching with humor as he stood up. “Really?”
“Uh-huh.”
She felt as if she was his woman, and she loved this idea. Of being owned in a loving way by this incredible warrior and man. She saw him leave as quietly as he’d come.
Pulling the sheet and cover aside, Bay stood up and stretched. Her heart sang with joy. As she padded into the large bathroom, she felt as if she were walking on clouds, not on the cool ceramic tiles.
Half an hour later, Bay went into the living room. Gabe was in the kitchen prepping their omelets. As she stepped over to the tree, she saw a large wrapped gift and a smaller one beneath.
Turning, she said, “I have something I made for you.” Moving to the living room Bay opened her dark green duffel bag. She crouched down, she rummaged through it until she found what she was looking for. “Ah, here it is!” she said triumphantly. Lifting out the huge, wrapped package, she grinned over at him.
Gabe saw the package in her arms. “No wonder your duffel felt so damn heavy.” He saw her flush, her eyes dancing with happiness.
“I just got it finished two weeks before I left. I called the SEAL team chief at Bravo and asked if he had any Christmas wrapping paper. You know chiefs have everything.” She laughed a little.
“Christmas wrapping.” Gabe shook his head. “SEALs have two of everything,” he murmured, grinning.
“That was nice of him to give it to you.”
“It was,” Bay agreed, setting the package beneath the tree. “He knew I’d been with your team.” Straightening, she added, “He told me I was a little SEAL sister, and I thought that was so sweet of him.”
Eyebrows raised, Gabe said, “That was a real compliment from him. Your reputation preceded you. We’re a very small community and everyone knows everyone else. No one was supposed to talk about you, though. You were top secret.”
“Well,” she said with a slight smile, “he said he and Chief Doug Hampton spoke. I guess Doug asked him to sort of watch over me, even though I had been reassigned to the Special Forces team in that village. I went all mushy inside when he told me that.”
Gabe gave her a steady look. “SEALs always take care of their own, their families, Bay. I’m sure that’s why Doug alerted him to the fact that you were in harm’s way. Top secret or not,” he added with a grin. He’d have to thank Doug the next time he saw him. A good chief in a platoon made everyone rise to that bar of morals and values, and there was no one finer than Doug Hampton as far as Gabe was concerned. He had Bay’s back, and Gabe was grateful.
>
She pushed her fingers through her drying hair, the strands beginning to curl as she looked at the two gifts he had for her beneath the tree. “I didn’t get you very much, Gabe...” she called over her shoulder.
“Don’t worry about it.” He held her soft gaze. “There isn’t anything else I’ll ever want, baby. You’re my gift.”
Touched to almost the point of tears, Bay wandered into the kitchen, set her mug down on the island and turned to Gabe. He had a butcher knife in hand, chopping up the colorful peppers. Drawing her arms around his waist, she pressed her cheek against his back and whispered, “I love you, Gabe. I don’t think I told you that last night or this morning...but I wanted you to remember that I do.” Releasing him as he laid down the butcher knife and turned around, Bay caught his burning look, her body instantly responding.
Gabe eased her into his arms. He groaned as she fell against him, all her softness against his angled hardness. Nuzzling her cheek, kissing her brow and nose, he said, “I know you love me. You can’t share what we had last night or this morning and not love each other, Bay. It’s about trust, and trust only comes with real love.”
Bay sighed, content to rest her head against his shoulder. “You’re so much more than I ever realized, Gabe.”
“So are you, baby. You’re an amazing, angelic creature come to earth to save this sorry-assed SEAL from a life of loneliness.”
She lifted her head, meeting his darkening green eyes. “Funny, I was going to say something similar to you, how you’ve saved me. And you have, a number of times, literally.” Raising her hand, Bay grazed his recently shaven cheek. “You’re a warrior, Gabe, but that’s only one facet of you. You’re like a diamond with so many other facets. I’m hungry to explore you, find out everything I can possibly know about you as a man, the human being....”
Leaning down, Gabe skimmed her lips with a tender kiss. “Baby, I intend to spend the rest of my life on this earth exploring you.”
She trembled in his arms as his rasping breath flowed across her mouth. The man was so damn sensual and sexy. “You hid yourself pretty darn well over there in Afghanistan.”
He kissed her and then released her. “I had to. There was no other choice.” Gabe placed all the ingredients in an awaiting bowl of eggs mixed with milk. He walked over to the sink and washed off his hands. Drying them on a towel, he said, “You don’t have that capacity to hide, Bay. You’re so damn open and trusting. Everyone saw how kind you were to them, to others. The guys in my platoon saw the same thing I did—an incredible healer among us. You have no idea how your presence lifted all of us. And when you smiled, I saw all the guys melt beneath you. So did I. And there wasn’t one of us that didn’t want to be in the aura of your sunlight. Just by walking into the room, you made us all feel better.” He lifted an eyebrow and added, “And I’m not saying that in a sexual manner, either. There are just some people in life, Bay, that have a special quality within them to lift even the sorriest son of a bitch after a rotten day. I know you’re not aware of how you touch people, baby, but take my word for it, you do. My platoon is a bunch of barely tamed animals, but you tamed them with just your smile, your thoughtfulness and your ability to sincerely listen to them when they needed someone to talk with, to confide in.” Gabe shook his head and finished up his duties with the vegetables. Wiping his hands, he saw tears in her eyes. “I’m so goddamn lucky, Bay, I don’t know quite how to absorb it all. I often wondered what you saw in me. You could have had your pick of any man on this earth.”
Bay walked into his arms, absorbing his strength and tenderness as he embraced her and gently took her mouth. Their lips lingered against each other and she closed her eyes, wanting to simply melt into this man who had made her heart and body sing. “You don’t see yourself, either,” she reminded him, her voice breathy. “You were the only SEAL there who saw me. Really saw me. There’s something equally special about you, Gabe.” Her eyes glinted. “And I’m just like you. I want to spend the rest of my life exploring every possible facet of you. I have a hunch I’ll never be bored.” She grinned.
Gabe eased away even though he wanted to lift Bay into his arms and take her straight to his bedroom. “What we share, baby, is special. We’re lucky and we both know it.”
Stepping out of his arms, Bay felt herself trembling inwardly with want of Gabe all over again. “Every day is going to be so special, Gabe.” Already, Bay began to think that too soon, she was going to have to leave him. Again.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
GABE SAW BAY’S eyes grow sad, and he sensed she was thinking about having to leave him in less than thirty days. He placed his finger beneath her chin and smiled into her sad eyes. “Are you hungry for that Christmas omelet I’m making for us?”
She gave him a look of deviltry. “For you.”
He poured more coffee into her cup and led her over to the island. “We have to eat earthling food, too, if we’re always going to be flying in the stratosphere.”
Bay nodded. “I keep forgetting that we have time. Thirty days. I don’t have to get up and leave today. I’m afraid it’s going to go too fast....”
Gabe placed the heavy cast-iron skillet over the flames and then poured the egg mixture into it. “I understand. Over there, time was never on our side. Not ever.”
Bay simply enjoyed watching him make the huge omelet. The Christmas music in the background added to her happiness. “After we eat, I’m going to call Mama and wish her a merry Christmas.”
“Makes two of us,” Gabe said. “I got my mother a very fancy sewing machine she’s been wanting. I want to hear what she thinks of it after opening it up this morning.” Gabe grinned.
“And you’re a SEAL.”
His eyebrows rose. “And...? Where are we going with this statement?”
She shrugged. “There are so many other dimensions to you, Gabe.”
“SEALs aren’t one-dimensional,” he said. “You’re just seeing one facet of us—the warrior. We’re a highly intelligent, commonsense bunch of men. We come from all walks of life. Our diversity actually makes our team stronger in the long run.”
“But you’re so much more than that. If I wasn’t here...well, I’d never realize all this about you.”
“We’re a pretty skilled, creative bunch of guys. Don’t ever sell us short, huh?” Gabe grinned as he expertly slid the omelet onto an awaiting platter.
“What else do you do? What other skills?” Bay challenged, watching him cut half of it and put it on her awaiting plate.
“I was great in woodshop in high school. I’ve always liked working with wood. I’ve made dressers, tables and bed stands for my mother. I’ve been carving since I was a little kid. My father taught me when I was seven years old. He bought me a nice Buck knife and showed me how to listen to the wood and let it talk to me. The wood will tell you what to carve out of it.”
“Thank you,” Bay said as he handed her the plate. She discovered she was starving. As Gabe came and sat next to her, she said, “You’re very creative.”
“I like to think so.” Gabe gave her a teasing look. “But you have to tell me if that’s true or not.”
Bay held his teasing gaze. “Oh, you’re stellar, Gabe, no doubt about it. My body is still singing with pleasure.”
“You know how to make a man feel good about himself, baby.”
She met his heated smile. “So, what else do you do? What other skills? I’m on a serious hunt to know you inside and out.”
Chuckling, he cut up his omelet. “I already know the inside of you. So let’s talk about the outside.” Getting his mind off sex with Bay was like trying to get a bee away from pollinating a flower. It just came naturally. And his protectiveness toward this sensitive, caring woman had grown exponentially from last night. She was so damn incredibly sensitive to his hands, his mouth, his...and he had to stop or he
was going to drive himself crazy.
“I have an MBA,” he told her.
“Are you serious?” Bay gasped, staring at him as if he had suddenly sprouted horns and grown two heads.
His mouth eased into a wicked smile. “You just thought I was some E-6 swabbie?”
Laughing, Bay shook her head. “No way, sailor. I knew you were special the moment I laid eyes on you. But an MBA? How did you do that?”
Gabe shrugged and continued to eat. “I’ve got eighteen months in rotation stateside, so I was always taking night courses at San Diego University. It took me six years to get it, but I wanted to have a skill that could transfer over to the civilian world once I left the SEAL community someday.”
“But...you’re enlisted. You could be a SEAL officer if you wanted, Gabe.” Only men with a college degree could hope to attain officer status in the military. Yet Gabe was still an enlisted SEAL. She frowned. “How come?”
“Because I don’t want to become an officer. They get kicked upstairs and see no action. I wanted to remain a shooter. I’m good at what I do, Bay, and I like the action. Becoming an officer was playing politics, and I’m not good at that. I’m a pretty black-and-white guy. And I call the shots as I see them, and officers need diplomacy, among many other skills, that I don’t have.”
“Incredible,” she murmured, amazed. “You’re an MBA. Wow.”
“Oh,” he teased. “And what is that going to get me with you?”
She chuckled. “You’re too funny. I could give a flip if you have an MBA or not. I love you. I fell in love with the guy in Afghanistan. Okay?”
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