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By the time the mingling, schmoozing, drinking, and eating was done, it was well past two in the morning, and Gabe had shoved his tie into his pants pocket hours ago. But the hospital had raised more than a million dollars, and Hope was glowing with excitement as she led him into the private room in her family home where they were staying, so he considered it all a win.
“Tonight was our most successful fundraiser yet,” she said as she moved toward a door on the other side of the palatial room.
He halted just inside the room, rendered immobile the massive space—unlike any bedroom he’d seen. A four-poster king-sized bed on an elevated platform rose regally to over ten-foot ceilings, while a full-length white couch sat in another section of the room, in front of a fireplace that had floor to ceiling bookshelves on either side. And beyond multiple sets of French doors, a balcony decorated with exotic plants and luxurious patio furniture—visible even in the darkness—revealed a multi-million-dollar view.
As he took in another reminder of Hope’s immense family wealth, a ridiculous insecurity washed over him. The modest three-bedroom house he bought suddenly seemed inadequate for someone who’d been raised in a California mansion.
Gentle hands ran up his back and across his shoulders to loop around his neck.
“All I need is you, Gabriel Walsh,” she said, reading his thoughts with uncomfortable accuracy. “You and Ruby.” She pressed herself against his back, her breasts snug against his shoulder blades as she brought her delectable lips to his ear. “That’s all I want; that’s all I need.” She purred. “So stop thinking whatever you’re thinking and come unzip my dress.” When she kissed the sensitive skin on the nape of his neck, his body responded in anticipation.
Then her heat and softness were gone. He turned to watch her sexy figure sashaying once again toward the mystery door, and he was helpless but to follow her. He’d always be helpless for her. His body would always want hers. His heart would always work to match the beat of hers. More than any of that, though, he would always trust her. He trusted her with his bar, his heart, and his daughter. He also trusted her words, so if she said she didn’t need or want this life of extravagance, he knew she was telling the truth.
When he arrived at the door, he halted to lean against the doorjamb and watch indulgently as she stood inside an equally palatial ensuite, carefully pulling pins from her hair, letting the golden mass fall over her shoulders in soft, gorgeous waves. Her gaze caught his in the mirror, her dark eyes dilating with desire.
He moved close behind her, taking her hair in his hands and scooping it around her shoulder so her neck was exposed. He bent to kiss her there, his body shuddering in response to the gasp that escaped her lips. He watched her in the mirror, her eyes closed in trust and surrender, needy little pants puffing through her parted lips, head angled to the side, exposing her neck for him.
She was perfect, inside and out. And she was his.
For the millionth time that evening, his heart swelled with gratitude, and he suddenly felt like the Grinch from the classic Christmas story, his heart too big for his chest. She had done that. She had reawakened his heart and his soul to the miraculous gift of love.
Again, he bent his head to nuzzle the length of her neck. “You will be mine, and I will be yours.”
“Always,” she whispered, making him realize he’d spoken out loud.
He opened his eyes and caught her staring at him in the mirror. Everything in his heart was reflecting back at him in her warm chocolate-brown gaze, and he was overcome by a hunger for her so powerful he felt he might die if he didn’t have her in that moment. It was a kind of desperation that stole his breath and made him shake.
Gripping her waist, he pressed his aching body against hers. Hope responded by pushing her hips back, maximizing the contact, until he throbbed so hard and tight, he couldn’t take it.
“Hope.” Her name tore from his lips, half plea, half prayer. He couldn’t imagine life without her, couldn’t believe he’d come so close to losing her forever.
Abruptly, the need to claim her, to brand her and make her his in every way possible, became paramount. It was primitive, completely primal, and made no sense, especially since he’d already had her—several times over. But being with her in this moment felt different.Hefelt different. He wanted to bind himself to her in the most permanent and basic way possible. He didn’t want barriers between them anymore. He wanted, more than anything, for their love to create something even more beautiful. Something lasting.
“I don’t want to use a condom.” He murmured the words before he could even think them through. Yet he knew as soon as he said them that he didn’t want to take them back. He meant every word.
Then she went very still against him.Shit.His fucking timing—perfect as always.
He turned her in his arms and held her close, so she could feel his heart beating wildly in his chest. He prayed she could read the morse code of the beat, that she would understand the truth of his words, see the promise and commitment in his eyes. He held her face between his palms and drew her up until their foreheads touched.
“Hope, I love you. I want you.” He bent to kiss her, devouring her mouth in a hot, devastating kiss that he hoped reinforced the sincerity of his words. He pulled back a fraction, his lips still whispering against hers. “I want a life with you, and I want the works on that life. You, Ruby, me, the house, a dog—and more children.”
Hope closed her eyes, swallowing a sob. Panic rose in his chest. The last thing he wanted to do was scare or pressure her.
“But more than anything I just fucking want you, Hope. Everything about you, just the way you are. And the rest will happen whenever you’re ready.” He pressed his lips into her forehead, praying he wasn’t screwing this up. “I know you’re still young. You have a whole world ahead of you. I don’t ever want to be what slows you down. I just really need you to know…” What? What were the right words to follow up onI don’t want to use a condom? “As long as we’re together, as long as you let me love you every single day, all will be well in my soul—everything else is just a bonus.”
She let out another strangled sob.
He held onto her face and prayed it was a good sob, and that he hadn’t just undone everything they’d fought so hard for. But, Christ, if there was more for him to say he couldn’t say it. Emotion clogged his throat. He preferred words and actions to displays of emotion, but tears burned his eyes now.
When Hope finally opened her eyes, they were shimmering, and to his immense relief it wasn’t with sadness or anger or despair. There was only joy brimming in them, and Gabe slowly released the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.
“I want that too,” she whispered, a tear escaping her pretty brown eyes and rolling down the soft creamy skin of her cheek. In his chest, his heart erupted. Yet he still needed the words.
“Want what, sweetheart?”
“The works. You, Ruby, the house, the babies.”
