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He stepped out of the town car at the airport and strode up the steps to his private jet. He’d call Chad from the plane to be sure PJ got on her plane all right. She hadn’t let him give her his jet to use so he’d arranged for her to borrow Jack’s. He didn’t want her flying commercial at a time like this. The press would be all over her, and she wouldn’t have a minute’s peace on a commercial flight.
Chapter 16
Pru followed Chad off the de Havilland jet, her guitar slung over one shoulder. She’d played a little on the flight, but she still felt as if she were somehow cut off from her music. It left a hollow ache in her stomach.
Zach flanked her and the steward carried her bag behind her. Her eyes landed immediately on the limousine and black SUV parked on the tarmac near the plane.
Well, those weren’t exactly what her eyes fell on. No, they locked on Gabe who leaned casually against the limo, his long legs crossed and his phone in hand, looking like he was answering an email or text. Then he put his phone in his pocket and glanced up. He smiled and waved at her.
Waved. As though she hadn’t told him she didn’t want him there.
“Can we have a minute, guys?” Gabe asked, looking at Chad and Zach as PJ only stared at him. She had a feeling her jaw was on the ground, but she didn’t care. The man just didn’t give up.
As ticked off as she was about that, certain unmentionable girlie parts were doing a little happy dance over the same. But worse, her heart was skipping wildly in her chest.Darn him.
Chad and Zach nodded and stepped over to the SUV, while Gabe opened the back door to the limo for her and ushered her inside. The privacy partition was up, separating the back of the car from the prying eyes and ears of the driver.
PJ waited for Gabe to explain himself, watching warily as his eyes pierced hers. He sighed and pulled her across the seat into his lap where she squirmed in response. He slapped a strong arm across her legs and locked her in place. “Keep that up and we won’t be talking much longer, sweetheart,” he growled.
She stilled. “Gabe, what part of ‘I don’t want you here’ did you not understand?”
“PJ, I’m not Jimmy Mondo or that idiot, Kurt Tolleson. I’m not using you, and I’m not going to get bored and leave you. A long time ago, I thought the age difference between us would be a big deal, but now that we’re older, the difference doesn’t seem so big. I want to be with you. I want to make you happy and help you through this. And, after this is all over, I want to take time to get to know you and let you get to know me and see where this goes. But, I can already tell you where it’s going for me.”
She opened her mouth but he put his finger over it, cutting her off.
“I like you a whole lot more than any other woman I’ve ever been interested in. I love talking to you and hearing you laugh. And I love listening to you and finding out all the quirky things that make you tick.” His eyes were open and honest and there was such emotion in them. Something she’d never seen with any of the men she’d been with before.
He looked down at her lips, and she saw heat flare in his eyes and felt the hard evidence of it beneath her—and that made her want to squirm in a different way.
“I love kissing you and holding you, and I know I’m going to love making love to you when we’re ready for that. Even so, I’m not going to push you because I’m happy to wait until you’re feeling right about this. But, what I’m not willing to do is leave you alone while you’re dealing with so much and while you’re still in danger. So don’t ask me to, Pru.”
PJ’s emotions warred within her. She wanted to sink into his arms and let him hold her, but a very big part of her was afraid she was just turning herself over to another man the way she’d done with Jimmy and with Kurt. She’d given her all to them and in doing so, she had lost herself to them.
But, there was something else she’d felt with them that she didn’t feel here. That she’d been searching for something. Reaching for what she thought she wanted. She’d wanted to feel love and to be loved so much that she didn’t really question whether either was the right man for her. She was more in love with the idea of love with them.
With Gabe, she didn’t feel that. She felt comfortable and safe and happy with him. He seemed to want her just as she was and on her terms. No pressure. She could be her own person when she was with him. She felt more turned on than she could have imagined she’d ever feel with a man.
PJ squirmed again, and Gabe groaned. “You have to stop that, Pru,” he said, his hips raising a bit to grind his long hard length against her.
She gasped and stilled again, then nodded her head.
“Yes?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said.
Gabe’s mouth met hers, soft and warm and slowly seeking. She melted into him, opening herself up to him as he deepened the kiss and pulled her tightly to him. Everything in her sank into him, and she felt herself give up the last bit of resistance to him. She didn’t want to fight him anymore. She wanted his strong arms around her, wanted him standing next to her in this and all the battles she would face down the road in life. She wanted him.Wanted them.
Gabe pressed a button and spoke to the driver, instructing him to head to the hotel. She tried to slide from his lap, but he didn’t let her. One hand played in small circles on her thigh, causing her body to melt with need for him.
She wrapped her arms around him and lowered her head to his shoulder, relaxing for what felt like the first time in days. She didn’t know if she was being smart, but she didn’t care. There wasn’t anywhere else she’d rather be at that moment than in his arms. Except perhaps, in his bed.
He read her mind. “You’ll stay in my suite,” he said.
She shook her head. “No. My team, the press, Gabe––” she started to say, but he squeezed her tighter.
“You’ll stay with me.”
She rolled her eyes. He may have asked her to continue to see where their relationship was going but apparently, he was back to being bossy and demanding again.
