by Raine Thomas
Easing out of the bed as carefully as he could, he managed to get to his feet without disturbing her. He walked to the door and opened it quietly, then just as quietly closed it behind him. After a quick trip to the bathroom to relieve his bladder, wash his hands and face and brush his teeth, he ventured out into the kitchen.
A guy didn’t live almost eighteen years with Mrs. Clara Burke and not learn his way around a kitchen. Opening and closing cupboards, he quickly found the pans he would need, a mixing bowl and appropriate dishes. Humming a tune and wishing for a radio, he began slicing the loaf of fresh-baked sourdough bread they had purchased the evening before. Once that was done, he set the bread to the side and then opened the fridge and pulled out butter, eggs and milk, carrying them to the cooking island in the center of the kitchen. He cut a pat of butter and slid it into the pan on the stove, turning the heat on to get it melted. Then he got to work cracking eggs, measuring milk and whipping them together into a frothy liquid batter.
He had just soaked the first piece of bread in the egg mixture and set it in the pan to fry when he heard the bedroom door open. A moment later, the bathroom door closed. He placed a couple more pieces of bread in the pan and then set the table. After flipping the bread, he put the real maple syrup he had insisted on buying onto the table.
Just as he slid the three finished pieces of French toast onto a plate, Amber shuffled into the room. Her eyes were still heavy-lidded from sleep and there were faint pillow lines on her cheek. She might have tried to tame her hair, but no one would know it. He grinned.
“Happy birthday, Sunshine,” he said cheerfully. When she got close enough, he pulled her in for a quick kiss. “Your birthday breakfast is ready and waiting.”
Giving him a sleepy smile, she took the plate he handed her. “All this for me?”
“Hey, you’re old enough to vote and everything. It’s a red-letter day.”
“Well, thanks. It smells amazing.”
When she sat at the table and reached for the butter, he filled her glass with orange juice. She was just pouring some syrup onto her plate when he joined her with his own.
“You ready for a full day?” he asked.
“I thought the only thing we had planned was the Alutiiq Museum,” she said around a bite of French toast.
“It’s your birthday. This is the first year I can do boyfriend-things for you on your birthday. I want to shower you with attention and presents.”
She snorted and rolled her eyes. “Don’t be ridiculous. You’ve given me presents already. Those first class tickets had to set you back quite a bit. I don’t want or need anything else.”
He shook his head woefully at her. “I’ve harbored my feelings for you for six years. So, I figured six presents.”
“What?” She goggled at him. “You’ve lost your mind, Gabriel Reid. Besides, you’ve given me presents every year. Last year you gave me a new song book. The year before that, you gave me a journal. The year before that was the…what?”
He was grinning foolishly at her. “You remember all of the gifts I’ve given you?”
Her face flushed and she fiddled with her fork. “Yeah, so?”
“Why, Amber Hopkins, I think you’ve held a torch for me for some time.”
Kicking him under the table, she grinned back and ate another bite of French toast. “Fine. So you don’t have to give me six presents. That is seriously over-the-top.”
“If it makes you feel better, I’ve already given you three of the six gifts. Your bathing suit, the airline tickets and the amazing breakfast.”
She drummed her fingers on the table. “You’re out of control.”
“I’m going to treat you to a nice lunch—” he glanced down at his plate of food, “—or dinner, or something in between, out by the marina…gift four. And I’ll give you your last two gifts when the time seems right.”
She tried to glare at him, but couldn’t manage it. “Okay. I’ll make you a deal. I’ll try not to begrudge your need to give me gifts if you don’t take me somewhere to eat where they’ll stick moose ears on my head and make me stand up while everyone sings to me.”
He burst out laughing. “You’ve got a deal.”
Chapter Ten
Amber took more time than usual getting ready for the day. While Gabriel finished cleaning up after breakfast, she went into the bedroom and seriously weighed her wardrobe options…something she had never done before.
Her usual outfits consisted of shorts or faded, relaxed jeans (some of which she had worn holes through), comfortable T-shirts (either with band logos or sarcastic sayings, or those plain ones which she considered her “dress shirts”) and socks and sneakers. She had brought along a serviceable, gray cotton hoodie and a navy blue pea coat, knowing that Alaska summers were a far cry from Georgia ones. But Gabriel’s enthusiasm for treating her special on her birthday prompted her to consider dressing the part.
Fishing through her suitcase, she pulled out the sweater and jeans that she had bought in a moment of weakness. Not long after the pool party, Alicia had invited Amber to go shopping. Only because she knew she needed a few things for the trip did she agree to go. They spent several hours hopping from one store to another at The Avenue in Peachtree City because Alicia declared she wouldn’t shop anywhere else. Eventually, Amber hit pay-dirt at American Eagle Outfitters, managing to supplement her usual wardrobe since they were having a huge sale.
Alicia dragged her along to several more stores and still ended up buying less than Amber had. It was while they were at the Gap that Alicia harassed Amber until she tried on a girly sweater and what she was told were “skinny” jeans. When Alicia saw her come out of the dressing room, she wouldn’t let up until Amber broke down and bought them.
Although she had envisioned leaving the new clothes buried in her closet, likely never to be worn, she had found herself removing the tags and washing everything before she changed her mind. And now here she stood, holding the deep rose-colored sweater and the stylish blue jeans and wondering if she would feel freakish the entire day if she put them on.
“Man up, Amber,” she finally muttered, and started changing.
The sweater was fairly thin but warm, and made of a soft, fuzzy material that she had to admit felt incredible. It fit like a second skin, something she had known would feel foreign to her, and ended right at the waistband of her jeans. Alicia had insisted on helping Amber find the perfect bra to wear with it, which, of course, meant she had to buy the matching panties. Amber had griped heartily about that, as she had no intention of showing anyone her undergarments, but Alicia had clucked her tongue at her and marched her directly over to Victoria’s Secret. Lingerie, for heaven’s sake, Amber had grumbled at the time. But she had to admit now that the effect of the bra under the contouring sweater was remarkable. The neckline of the sweater scooped wide enough to show her collar bone on either side, but didn’t plunge low, which she preferred.
The jeans were a dark shade of blue with intentionally faded spots along the thighs and back pockets, and they sat much lower on her hips than she was used to. Alicia had gone on and on about how flattering they were, bemoaning that she herself didn’t have the long legs to effectively pull the look off. Amber had stopped short of buying a belt or accessories, knowing they would be a waste of money. She didn’t even own a watch.
Now, she wondered if she should have invested in some shoes other than her usual sneakers, but there was nothing to be done about it. Besides, she and Gabriel would certainly be walking, and sneakers were the most comfortable shoes for that. She laced them up without another thought.
Grabbing her toiletry bag, she cautiously opened the bedroom door and peeked out. Not seeing Gabriel, she hurried over to the bathroom and shut the door behind her. She wasn’t ready to face her own embarrassment over what she was doing just yet. Sighing over her behavior, she shook her head and looked at herself in the rectangular mirror that ran the length of the double vanity. The sweater was a lighter rose
color at the top and grew gradually darker as it went down. It was a much bolder color than she was used to, but she could privately admit that it suited her.
She ruthlessly tackled her hair with her brush and the travel-sized styling products she had purchased from Lulu the week before. It pleased her ridiculously when she removed the tangles and frizz without too much effort. While she was finishing that, she heard the bedroom door close and figured Gabriel had gone in there to get ready. She pulled her hair back at the temples and fashioned a braid beginning at the crown of her head. Then she tied it off with one of her thick black elastics and left the rest of her hair down, the way she knew Gabriel liked it.
Next, she pulled out her makeup. She hadn’t worn much of it since Lulu styled her out the day before the pool party. She had to admit that at the moment, just looking at it invoked waves of anxiety. Once again telling herself to get over it, she opened the container of powder-base and got started.
The bedroom door reopened just as she got started on her makeup. Trying not to think about how clichéd it was for the guy to be sitting and waiting on the girl to finish getting ready, she carefully applied the makeup until she was satisfied that she didn’t resemble a clown. In fact, she thought the results turned out surprisingly decent. Reaching back into the toiletry bag, she pulled out the travel-sized body splash from Bath and Body Works that Alicia had given her and put a couple of squirts on her wrists. After rubbing her wrists across her neck to trail some of the scent there like Alicia had shown her, she figured she was as good as she was going to get.
Her stomach fluttered nervously as she reached for the doorknob, and she mentally chided herself. This was Gabriel, for goodness’ sake. She opened the door at last, but didn’t see him down the hallway. Figuring he was sitting in the living room, she tossed her bag onto the bed in their room and walked out to join him.
The back of his head was visible from where he sat on the sofa watching SportsCenter on the television. At the sound of her shoes on the wood floors, he called out, “You should’ve seen the highlight they just showed, Am.” He turned with a smile as she paused a few feet into the room. “You would’ve—” The smile dropped from his face, his mouth hanging open on whatever he had been about to say.
He slowly got to his feet, but his eyes never left her. Amber instantly decided all of her effort had been worth it just to see his expression right now.
As he stepped closer, his gaze moved from her head to her toes and lingered in places that brought a hot blush to her cheeks. His expression intense, he reached out, took her hands and slowly lifted both of her arms up above her head. When she felt the cooler air in the room against her suddenly bare midriff, she tried to pull her hands away from his.
“Uh-uh,” he argued, his grip tightening to hold her in place.
Then he started turning her, his gaze settled on her waistline. Fighting back her blush, she indulged him by turning in a complete circle.
“My, oh, my.”
He drawled out each of the words as she once again faced him and caught his gaze. His eyes had picked up the sharp blue of the T-shirt he wore and were filled with male appreciation. He released his hold so she could lower her arms, but his hands moved to either side of her hips to pull her within a couple of inches of his tall frame. His thumbs ended up resting against her skin where her sweater didn’t quite meet her jeans, and his touch evoked an excited stutter in her heartbeat.
“Wherever did this come from?” he asked, his gaze searching her makeup-enhanced features.
Trying to sound nonchalant, she replied, “Alicia took me shopping. At the Gap.”
“Did she now?”
She nodded as his hands idly caressed the bottom edge of her sweater. Her skin flushed with heat wherever he touched. “And Victoria’s Secret.”
He blinked a couple of times as he processed that blurted admission. Finally, he managed, “Is that right?”
His eyes had darkened a bit in color and he had swallowed hard after her last statement. So she added, “And Bath and Body Works.”
Rather than comment, he closed the meager distance between them by pulling her up against him. Then he leaned down toward her neck and slowly drew in her scent. The feeling of his warm breath against her skin made her entire body simmer with pleasure. With barely a thought, she tilted her head sideways to give him better access. His lips gently brushed her exposed neck and collarbone, making her pulse race.
“I’d thank Alicia, but I think she’s trying to kill me,” he whispered into her ear. She gripped his arms and closed her eyes as all of her nerve-endings blazed. His lips then moved along her jaw line. “Still, I can see you intend this to be a kind of a present for me. I can’t help but appreciate it for what it is.”
Then he captured her mouth. Her every thought centered on him as passion flared. His scent: like the ocean wind before a storm, calm with the potential for aggression. His taste: rich, potent and heady. His body: hard, strong and enveloping.
As he kissed her, his hands moved slowly from her hips up along her ribcage, leaving a blazing path of sensation behind. She could barely breathe as he reached ever higher. His hands explored her leisurely, the feelings he generated with his touch both intensely pleasurable and inexplicably tormenting. She issued a ragged sound that might have been a sigh or a moan.
When he eventually broke away from her, he stepped back and held her at arm’s length, his head lowered as he caught his breath and struggled to center himself. Although the move had been abrupt, she couldn’t take offense. It was obvious she had inadvertently pushed him to an edge she hadn’t even realized existed. She warred with delight and guilt over having trampled on his usual gentlemanly sensibilities.
After a moment, he looked up at her and gave her a rueful grin. “You smell—and taste—delicious.”
She smiled back at him. “I’m glad you’re enjoying your present.”
He shook his head with a chuckle and glanced over at the clock. “Speaking of presents, I know it isn’t even nine o’clock yet, but I think it’s time for gifts four and five.” Catching her gaze, he added, “I could use the distraction.”
She nodded slowly. “Okay.”
“Not here, though,” he said, suddenly thoughtful. “Not quite right, I think.”
Curious, she followed him without a word as he led her to the front door. After he grabbed his hooded sweatshirt off the coat rack by the door and Amber collected her purse, they left the house and made their way to the beach. He studied the area as they walked, evidently looking for the perfect spot. She couldn’t imagine what two gifts he intended to give her that involved walking to a random spot without so much as a box, bag or card envelope.
After several minutes of hunting along the beach, they came across a small outcropping of rocks. There was a large, flat rock surrounded on three sides by taller ones. They sat on the flat rock facing each other and it was suddenly as though they were isolated from the rest of the world.
Gabriel took her hands in his and gave them a quick squeeze as he caught her gaze. “I know you’re wondering what in the world I’m doing,” he said, his tone and expression uncharacteristically serious. “You’ve always found it difficult to accept gifts and the sentiment attached to them. I understand that your past has a lot to do with that.”
She didn’t answer, but he saw her agreement in her eyes.
“It pleases me more than you can know that you came out here without question, knowing that I wanted to give you something. That tells me you’re really ready to accept this from me.”
He released her hands so that he could lean back slightly to fish around in his jeans pocket. She watched him curiously, wondering what he could have fit into his pocket and figuring it had to be a piece of paper. Maybe two tickets to a dinner show, she guessed. Then she caught the glint of something shiny as he pulled his hand back out, and her eyebrows shot up.
“Gabriel, is that—a ring?”
He held his hand out so she could see
its contents. “Two rings, actually. One for each of us.”
Now it was her turn to gape, her mouth opening but no words coming out. Each ring was made out of a glimmering metal that was either bright silver or something similar in coloring. The smaller ring had some intricate detailing around the band, ultimately framing a golden-brown center stone in the shape of a rounded-edged rectangle. The men’s ring was a larger version with more squared off corners around the center stone and more subtle engraving along the wide band.
As she stared at the rings, he said, “I’m sure you remember the saleswoman in that little jewelry store in Anchorage who harassed you into viewing and trying on a hundred things you didn’t want while I shopped for something for Mrs. B.”
Now her gaze shifted to his, and his charming grin lifted the veil of disbelief that had settled over her thoughts. “You put her up to that?”
He shrugged unapologetically. “I had to get your ring size somehow. She was kind enough to force you to have your ring finger sized with her handy little tool, and then she took you off to the other side of the store so I could buy these.”
Staggered, she merely breathed, “Okay.”
Patting her knee, he said, “I can see your thoughts whirling around in your head. So let me get straight to Part Two of this gift before you throw me and these rings off this rock.” Shifting, he took the men’s ring and placed it in her right hand, curling her fingers over it when she paused in confusion. “Amber, these are intended as promise rings. Promise rings…well, they symbolize a significant promise and commitment between two people.”
She looked into his eyes. The gray and blue warred for dominance, both colors conveying great depth of feeling.
“We’re eighteen,” he continued. “Many would say we’re too young to commit our lives to each other. But I believe that we’ve done that already in more ways than one over the past six years.” He glanced down at the ring he still held, then once again caught her gaze. “I love you more than I can ever imagine loving another person.”
