Kayla laughed. “You guys did a great job. I loved my childhood.”
Her dad didn’t respond. He just kept looking at her intently.
“But you’re right. If I had told Gabe I wanted to move here after graduation, we could have talked about it. At the same time, Dad, he was acting arrogant when he planned our future. He told me where I’d work, where we’d live, and even what restaurant we’d celebrate in when we each graduated. Gabe had a part in our breakup, too.”
He chuckled. “Sweetheart, it takes two to break up. But you’re not in charge of how Gabe acts or any choice he makes—or even how he responds when you communicate your needs. You’re only responsible for speaking your truth and cleaning up your side of the street.”
She smiled wide. “Dad, when did you get so wise?”
He sighed dramatically. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately, especially when my wife accused me of cheating, and after learning that Nana actually did cheat. If I spoke my truth when I married your mom and told her I wanted to build my own house where we’d live and raise all of you, and told her we could make our own choices as husband and wife without asking Nana’s opinion all the time, your mother and I wouldn’t have had all the problems we’ve had in our marriage.”
“You wanted your own house?”
He chuckled again. “Do you think a newly married man in his early twenties would want to live with his in-laws?”
Kayla burst out laughing. “I never thought of that, but you’re right.”
He winked. “Before your mother comes out with dinner, was there someplace you needed to be?”
Her dad was so smart. Kayla looked over at Gabe’s property and found him pacing in front of it.
“Did you know he was there the entire time?”
He nodded. “I did. I’m surprised at how long it took you to notice.”
She smiled softly. “I loved talking to you, Dad. We never get a chance to just talk. The two of us.”
“Well, let’s change that, then.”
She kissed him on the cheek and released his hand. “I love you.”
He smiled. “I love you, too. Now go get your man.”
Kayla didn’t need any more convincing. Everything her dad had said was right. She ran down the back porch steps right as she heard her mom’s high heels tap-tapping in the direction of the back door.
When she got closer to Gabe’s property, she saw him talking to a builder. She wasn’t sure what to say, but her dad’s words of wisdom reverberated in the back of her mind.
Kayla watched Gabe talk while he moved pieces of plywood out of a blue pickup truck. He looked sexy, especially the way his jeans kept falling slightly whenever he lifted his arms. The rust-red polo shirt fit him to perfection. He was one beautiful man.
Kayla waited until the builder was out of sight, then sighed loudly, which got Gabe’s attention.
“Do you and Alice have a crush on each other?”
Gabe stopped what he was doing and stared at her. “What are you talking about? She’s old enough to be my mother.”
“Some men like that, and she’s attractive enough.”
“To other women, Kayla. She has a girlfriend in East Hampton. What’s the real reason you’re here?” he asked, continuing to take the plywood out of the truck.
“I came here because I’d like us to live in Bella Cove. I don’t want to stay in California and work for your dad. I’d miss my family too much. And I think raising kids in Bella Cove would be perfect.” She closed her eyes briefly, but the sound of Gabe dropping wood on the ground was so loud, she snapped them back open.
“Is that what you wanted to say to me two years ago?” He wiped sweat off his forehead.
Kayla had never seen anything sexier. “It is,” she answered.
He chuckled as he shook his head. “When you and I pictured our dream house, it could have been anywhere. I thought we’d stay in California because you seemed happy there. I had no idea you’d rather be here. If I’d known, I’d have moved mountains to find a house for us near your family, but you never gave me the chance. You never gave us that chance. I admit I was cocky when I talked about our future because I was so proud that you would be my wife. I was so proud that I wanted to give you a perfect life. The idea of losing you scared the crap out of me. I think I knew deep down that our relationship was too good to be true.” Gabe was now practically throwing the wood.
“Gabe, stop. You’ll hurt yourself,” she pleaded.
He stopped and stood still, breathing hard.
“What do you want from me, Kayla?” he asked.
“I want a second chance,” she said instantly.
Kayla felt a raindrop hit her head. When she looked up, a dark cloud had rolled in—any second, they would be drenched. She usually loved summer storms, but why did the weather have to turn now? “I’m sorry, Gabe. I should have told you everything then.” The rain began to fall harder.
“Why do you want me back? Why?” He threw his hands up in the air as rain poured down on him. But Gabe wasn’t moving, so neither would she. “I should have come here and fought for us, and I didn’t. You went through hell with your family, and I was so selfish and obsessed with my grief that I didn’t come here and help you with yours. You told me about your mom and about your dad being depressed, so I knew some of what Josh told me, but you never said a word about Josh.”
“Josh was hard to talk about. I could barely admit it to myself. Speaking it out loud made the situation more of a reality. And I hated what he was doing to our family.”
“But I should have known, because I should have been right next to you when you found your grandmother’s jewelry. Hearing all those things from Josh today made me feel like shit.” Gabe ran his hands through his sopping-wet hair. “I was too fucked up to set aside my own issues and help you. And I knew you were going through hell. I heard it on the phone. You communicated a lot, just not about Josh. So, why do you want to get back together with me?”
The rain fell harder, and thunder sounded every few seconds, followed by flashes of lightning in the distance. They couldn’t stay out there much longer.
“Why, Kayla?” Gabe asked her again.
“Because I still love you,” she yelled over the rain.
“What?” Gabe asked.
“Because I love you.”
They were both soaked. Her jeans and sweatshirt were drenched and sticking to her body. She was getting cold.
“What? I can’t hear you,” Gabe yelled even louder.
He had heard, but Kayla would say it again a thousand times if her declaration would change anything.
“I love you,” she yelled louder. “I love you. I love you!” Tears sprang to her eyes, and she didn’t fight them. Yet she couldn’t tell the difference between the wetness from her tears or the rain.
The workers around them were getting into their cars and leaving. Probably the smart decision. Even the builder hopped into his blue truck with the wood and left, wood still in the back. Gabe turned his head and watched the lightning creeping up on them. He grabbed her hand and ran with her to his SUV. Once they were both inside, he slammed the door, shutting out the storm.
“What am I supposed to do with you?”
She briefly closed her eyes and rested her head against the headrest. “Love me back,” she said over the rain pounding on the car, as she began to shiver.
“You’re shaking,” he said. He grabbed a blanket from his back seat and wrapped it around her, making sure to tuck her in.
He didn’t pull away like Kayla thought he would. Instead, his eyes darkened, and his breathing quickened. “Is this the second chance you want?”
He clenched his jaw before grabbing the back of Kayla’s head and doing the one thing Kayla had craved since the moment he went with her to find Josh. He kissed her. Hard. He’d kissed her a few times since coming back into her life, but he hadn’t kissed her quite like this before, as if he was claiming her for his own.
His
tongue brushed against her bottom lip. Kayla opened her mouth, inviting his tongue inside. And the moment she felt his tongue against hers, her passion broke loose.
Kayla grabbed his face with both hands and intensified the kiss, not caring that the blanket had fallen. Then she kissed his nose, his cheeks, his ear…but that wasn’t enough. She needed to feel him skin to skin.
There was another loud boom of thunder. She stopped kissing him, pulled her drenched sweatshirt over her head, and threw it onto the floorboard. In one swift motion, she rid herself of her bra and tossed that aside, too.
Gabe’s eyes grew huge as he inhaled. “I haven’t seen those beautiful things in a while.”
She grabbed her breasts. “Well, you have touched them. My only hope is that you don’t leave me as horny as you did last time.” Her nipples hardened under his penetrating stare.
He chuckled as he reached out to her, enveloping her in a huge hug and kissing her lips. Kayla wanted to get even closer, so she climbed over the divider and straddled his lap.
“Damn,” Gabe whispered into her mouth.
Kayla pushed her pelvis against him, needing more. She moaned as her pubic bone touched his hard cock under his jeans.
“Gabe,” she practically shouted, rocking her pelvis into him again and again.
“Shh, is this what you want? You want me to fuck you in my car?” he asked, pinching her nipples and massaging her tits just the way she liked.
Kayla looked him straight in the eye. With the rain still pouring on the roof, no one was going to bother them.
“Yes,” she answered. “I want you any way I can get you, Mr. Gabe Wademan.”
He didn’t seem to need any more encouragement than that. He sucked her nipple into his mouth, causing her to moan again, while he pulled and twisted her other nipple with his fingers. Pain and then pleasure shot through her body. They never had boring, normal sex. It had always been raw and intense. He made her feel alive, free, and wild. At this moment, she had no idea how she’d given that up.
He released her oversensitive nipple, which had gone from pink to red, and with one hand behind her to keep the steering wheel from digging into her back, he reached with the other to unzip her jeans. Kayla lifted slightly, making it easier for Gabe to pull down her pants—not too far, but far enough to give him access to her most intimate part. The part that craved his attention badly.
He placed his hand over her panties on her crotch and groaned.
“Woman, you’re soaked.”
Kayla laughed. “And so is my hair, my neck, my jeans.”
Gabe laughed with her. “My hair, my jeans.”
He pushed aside her panties and she instantly stopped laughing. His finger brushed her clitoris over and over and she moaned loudly, not caring how much noise she was making. The rain was still louder, continuing to pound on the roof. He pulled at her clit in the same way he had her nipple. Pulling, twisting, circling, all the ways that always drove her crazy. He remembered. He remembered exactly how she liked it.
“More,” she demanded as she grabbed his face and kissed him as if they hadn’t just kissed.
“More?” he breathed into her mouth, and then he gave her more.
He plucked her clitoris as if it was a violin string. Plucked and then stroked, plucked and then stroked. Then he stopped as Kayla stopped kissing him.
“Just as beautiful as ever—swollen, wet, and ready for my cock.”
Kayla had never been so turned on in her life, watching him as his finger delved into her pussy. He dipped his head and sucked her nipple again, while thrusting one finger inside her, then two, and then three. Kayla was moving her pelvis, wanting his fingers to go even deeper. When he turned his hand and touched that sensitive spot, she almost came, but Gabe stopped cold.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk, not until I’m inside you. Is that what you want, Kayla? You want my cock in you, deeper and harder than my fingers?” Gabe asked, his voice soft, seductive.
“Yes,” Kayla practically screamed.
Gabe smiled, unzipping his jeans. He took out his glorious cock. A little bit of precum glistened on the head. It had been over two long years since she’d laid eyes on his penis, and she craved it with every fiber of her being. How many nights had she stayed awake, touching herself while picturing his cock in her mind? So many, she couldn’t even count.
“Lift for one quick second,” Gabe said.
Kayla was straddling him in an awkward position. She lifted slightly off his lap and pulled her pants down further. Gabe bent over, opened his glove compartment, and grabbed a condom.
“Gabe, I haven’t been with anyone since you.” She had come clean with her thoughts; she might as well come clean with what her body had been up to.
Gabe stopped just as he was about to tear open the condom package. “I like that you haven’t. I like that a lot. Too much,” he said.
Kayla’s heart sank, waiting for him to confess all the millions of lovers he’d had.
“I’ve been with a few women, Kayla. To get over you.”
“I shouldn’t have said anything. You don’t have to, either.” She’d never been so jealous before, especially over women she’d never met, but she hated every single one of them.
Gabe grabbed her face. “Kayla, please, look at me.”
Kayla hadn’t even realized she was looking at the pounding rain. “Okay.”
“Those women didn’t mean anything. They weren’t you. There were days I was so lonely, I tried to find another you. But I couldn’t. And I haven’t been with anyone since I came to Bella Cove.”
“Then why do you have condoms in your car?”
Gabe laughed. “I’ve been fantasizing over a million ways to sneak into your room and fuck you. My fantasies were so real, I knew any day I’d act on them. In preparation, I bought some condoms and stuck them in here.” He grabbed her face and gave her a kiss, slipping his tongue inside.
He released her long enough to slide on the condom, then he lifted her slightly, pulled her panties aside, and jammed his cock so deep inside her, she screamed.
Lightning struck at just that moment, lighting up Gabe’s intense eyes as he furiously thrust inside her, hitting her in that spot that ignited every one of her nerves.
She moaned, clawing at his hair, his ears, under his shirt, anywhere and everywhere she could reach. She missed this feeling so much, like they were wild animals mating, as if they couldn’t get enough of each other.
Kayla kissed his lips, his hair, his cheek, trying to tell him without words how she felt.
Gabe groaned as he rubbed her clit in circles and continued thrusting into her deeper, driving her closer to the edge.
“Gabe,” she said. “I’m close. Please be close, too.” She wanted to come with him, but with the way he was touching her clit, she knew it wouldn’t be long before she had the orgasm of her life. She pulled his hair as she fought a wave that was approaching.
“Don’t hold back, baby. I’ll be right there with you.”
Gabe thrust faster, pressing into her most sensitive spot over and over, and an orgasmic wave consumed her. He continued thrusting in that torturous way that made the wave even stronger.
Gabe groaned as Kayla’s muscles clenched around him, and he came hard inside her.
Thunder boomed as they were both coming down from their orgasms.
“Thank you,” she whispered, touching her forehead against his.
Lightning lit up the car again, but she didn’t care.
Gabe was quiet. Too quiet…making her feel all after-sex weird. So she did the only thing she could do with the storm raging above them. She grabbed her sweatshirt and put it on, careful not to touch him. She didn’t even bother with her bra. Then, as gracefully as she could, she climbed off him, not daring to look him in the eye.
As she was climbing back over onto her side of the truck, thunder roared right above them, scaring her half to death and causing her to teeter a little. She grabbed onto the seat to keep from landing
too hard, and her hand fell on something between the seat and the center divider.
“I think I almost sat on something.” She pulled out a large bubble mailer envelope, which had a sticker on it with the words fragile, insured, and international stamped all over it. The package had been sent from France. From what she could tell, there was some sort of a box inside.
“Sorry,” she whispered again, wondering what the envelope contained, even though it wasn’t any of her business.
And that’s when she saw Gabe looking at her strangely, as he tucked his dick back inside his jeans and zipped them up. His expression made her feel as if she’d stolen candy from a store and had gotten busted. Whatever was in the envelope, he definitely didn’t want her to see it.
As she started to put the envelope back where she’d found it, a piece of paper slipped out. She knew the handwriting very well. What was Melody doing sending him mail? And then it hit her.
“Is this what I think it is?” she asked Gabe as she tucked the note back inside the envelope.
He nodded. “It is.” He exhaled.
She wanted to read the note. Badly. So, keeping in mind all the lessons she’d learned the past few weeks, she came out and asked. “Can I read it?”
Gabe groaned. “Fine.”
Her heart started to thud. With shaking hands, she took out the note and started reading.
Dearest Gabe,
I’m in Paris with Harry, and suddenly, everything hit me. About a year ago, when your grandfather and I were on one of our monthly coffee dates, he told me he had saved his wife’s engagement ring. The ring meant the world to him, and one day, he said he would give it to his grandson. Of course, I didn’t know at the time, but that grandson was you, Gabe. I asked him why he didn’t give it to you then, instead of waiting, and he told me you weren’t ready to propose yet. And when you were ready, he would make sure you had the ring.
I asked him if you had a bride in mind. And he said yes—she’s a beautiful blonde who has the weight of her family on her shoulders. Then he said she wasn’t ready, either. And he said you would give her the world, but the only world she’d ever known was her family’s, except for a brief moment in time. He said you and this woman loved each other deeply. Unfortunately, neither of you was ready to fight for your love, and you weren’t aware of how rare and fragile true love is. And apparently, this woman had decided a life with you could never be more than a dream.
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