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While he worked in the kitchen, he listened for sounds from the other side of the house. There were none. It was as if Zoe wasn’t even there. Unable to stand it any longer, he walked softly to her room. As he was about to knock on the open door, he saw her. She lay sound asleep curled up in a ball on the half-made bed. After the last few days she’d had, or the week, she must be exhausted. He spied a blanket on the cushioned chair near the rear window. Picking it up, he placed it over her.
Zoe moaned and pulled the edge of the blanket up under her chin.
She looked so peaceful. Beautiful, with her eyelashes resting against her creamy skin. This was the woman who was the mother of his child. Would she look like Zoe? She. Did he want a daughter? Could he be a good father to a daughter? Girls needed special care. He wasn’t even sure he could give what was needed to a son.
Zoe would make an excellent mom. He had no doubt of that. The care and concern she’d given the boy at the airport when he was hurt and the love she’d shown her mother all indicated he was right. As open and expressive as she had been with her friends when she’d thanked them for helping her was just another sign of her capacity to love. He could take lessons from her.
He’d been jealous of John and Rick when they had arrived. Had been resentful of the carefree way she’d treated them, especially when she seemed so guarded around him. He would like him and Zoe to at least be close friends. They had been friends at least during that one fateful night. Surely they could build on that beginning? Their baby at least deserved that kind of parental unity.
Unfortunately, standing here and staring down at Zoe wouldn’t win him any friendship points if she woke. Unable to stop himself, he ran the back of a finger along her cheek. Zoe sighed. She truly was lovely. Before he got into trouble, he slowly lowered his hand and backed out of the room.
* * *
A couple of hours later he was waiting for his pizza to arrive when a loud “Dang it,” followed by a crash, came from the direction of Zoe’s room. Gabe ran across the house and down the hall as fast as the twists and turns would allow. When he reached the doorway, his heart almost stopped. Zoe teetered as she stood on the cushioned chair with a hammer in her hand. Around her on the carpet was a broken frame and pieces of glass. She rocked back. Gabe rushed forward, catching her against his chest.
The feel of her in his arms brought back erotic memories: hot kisses, tender caresses and willing woman opening in welcome... Desire like he’d never felt before washed over him. He must master his libido or he’d scare her.
As he lowered her to the floor, his protective instinct propelled his hands to her waist to steady her. The curve there was no longer tiny, but knowing the reason for the change excited him all over again. Without thought, his hands moved to her middle. The gentle bulge fascinated him. His child. He’d never planned to have one, but now he was and everything about the miracle filled him with awe.
Zoe leaned back against him for a second then straightened.
The part of him better left dormant reacted once more to her nearness. His lips brushed her temple.
She stiffened and stepped away. “I’d better clean this mess up.”
“I have a pizza coming. You’re welcome to some.” He moved to the door. “Don’t stand on anything again. Call me if you need to do something above your head.”
Zoe went down on her knees and started picking up broken pieces. She still hadn’t looked at him. “Okay.”
Her tone implied she wasn’t promising anything.
“Zoe.” He waited until she looked up and into his eyes. “I mean it.”
Her expression went hard. “I heard you. But I thought I made it clear to you earlier you have no right to tell me what to do while I’m here.”
He wasn’t going to allow her to push away the importance of what had almost happened just now. “Then I suggest you think through what you’re about to do before you act on it. You or the baby or both could have been seriously hurt if I hadn’t been here to catch you.”
“Ow!” She stared at her hand.
He took an involuntary step toward her. “What happened?”
“I cut my hand.” A stream of blood ran over her palm.
“Give me that.” Gabe took the pieces of glass from her and dumped them into a trash can nearby. Cupping her elbow, he helped her stand. Reaching over his shoulder, he grabbed a handful of his shirt and pulled.
“What’re you doing?” Zoe asked, the pitch of her voice rising in alarm.
“Taking off my shirt to use as a bandage,” Gabe explained impatiently, his words muffled by the material covering his head.
“Isn’t that a little dramatic?”
Pulling the shirt off, he retorted, “Not if you don’t want blood on the new carpet or one of your towels.” He glanced around. “Even if we could find one.” He wrapped the shirt around her hand and applied pressure. “I have a first-aid kit in the kitchen. Go into the bathroom and clean up. I’ll be right back.”
Gabe returned to find Zoe had obeyed his instruction, which surprised him. He had fully expected her to argue or defy him. Putting the kit on the counter, he opened it. After a quick search he found a bandage and removed the covering. “Let me have a look. I want to make sure you don’t have any glass in the wound.”
“I cleaned it well. There’s nothing there. Hand me the bandage and I’ll put it on.”
Gabe ignored her, seizing her hand and turning it palm up. The bleeding had stopped but there was a fine line of red across the pad, gaping slightly at the center. He looked closely for any slivers. “Does it hurt anywhere?”
“No.” Her breath brushed his bare shoulder, setting his pulse humming.
They were so close. Her sweet scent filled his head. He reached for the bandage and applied one end of it. “Hold this end.”
She placed her finger where he indicated, and he pulled off the paper cover of the other adhesive strip, smoothing the bandage into place. Her hand felt so fragile, soft. He ran his fingertip along the line in the center of her palm. Zoe shivered.
Her gaze met his. Time hung suspended. Their faces were so close. His attention fell on her full lips. He’d wanted to taste them earlier but had stopped himself. Here was his chance again. All he had to do was lean forward the least bit to experience them. Did he dare? Would she let him?
Want like a live sizzling wire buzzed through him. His gaze met Zoe’s again. She was watching him, eyes wide with questions. Did she need his kisses as much as he wanted to give them? His mouth moved toward hers as if it had a mind of its own.
The tip of Zoe’s tongue darted out to dampen her bottom lip before her eyes fluttered closed. His blood heated and his body jerked to attention. Her actions were the confirmation he’d been waiting for. There was no stopping him now. A second later his mouth found hers.
The touch of Zoe’s lips was all he remembered and more. So much more. Her mouth, plump and inviting, pulled him in. This wasn’t the flurry and fiery urgency of that one torrid night. Instead it was slow, easy, experimental, answering questions and creating so many more.
Zoe sighed softly and leaned into him, her hands running up his chest. His
arms circled her waist, bringing her against him. Gabe deepened the kiss. Zoe opened for him, eagerly greeted him. Her fingers played with the hair at the nape of his neck as his hands roamed her back, before pulling her tighter. She tasted so good.
The doorbell rang.
Zoe jerked away. Her eyes were wild like a startled animal looking to escape. “We shouldn’t have done that.”
Gabe leaned to kiss her again. He hadn’t had enough. “We’ve done far more.”
Her hands fanned across his chest, pushing, stopping him. “Gabe, we don’t want the same things. You don’t want a spouse or the full-time responsibility of a family. I do. We aren’t living together. I’m your roommate. I only moved in here because I couldn’t think of what else to do. If you cannot respect my boundaries, I’ll have to find another place to go.”
Anger flared in him. It was obvious she felt the attraction he did. The spontaneous spark of their kiss was undeniable proof. Yet she was steeling herself, refusing to act on it. His eyes met Zoe’s, held. “Don’t go. I’ll keep my hands to myself. I’ll stay in my half of the house.”
The bell rang again.
“I’d better get that before the delivery guy leaves.” At the door he stopped and turned back to her. “Just know this. You’ll have to do the asking next time.”
* * *
Zoe stood in the bathroom, shaking. Her heated blood zipped through her trembling body. She looked into the mirror. A woman who had been thoroughly kissed stared back at her. Bright eyes, rose-tinted cheeks and swollen lips all told the story. Zoe ran her fingers over her still tingling mouth.
Every fiber of her body wanted to rush to Gabe and tell him she wanted him to touch her again. Kiss her. Love her. Yet her coldly rational mind said no. There would be nothing but pain if she once more allowed her body to overrule her heart. She couldn’t let her desire for him control what she really wanted.
