Forever Summer (11 page)

Gabe brought his mouth up to hers again and rubbed his lips against hers, back and forth, back and forth.  “
Diós
, I love your taste.  Summer ...,”  In the middle of lowering his mouth to hers, he froze.

Summer was lost.  Lost in Gabe and what he was making her feel.  She was primed for another one of his delicious kisses, and when it didn’t come, she opened her eyes in time to see him backing away from her. 

“Gabe?”

“I’m sorry,
querida
.  It’s Marisol.  I think she has awakened from a bad dream.”  He reached up and traced the side of her face with his fingertips and rose to his feet.  Ten minutes later, he returned to the living room, his daughter sound asleep once more.  Summer was gone.

Damn it.  He knew she’d been enjoying him as much as he’d enjoyed her.  Why would she just leave like that?  It wasn’t until much later when he was in bed – after a cold shower – that he realized she hadn’t answered any of his questions, and he didn’t know anything more about her than he’d known before.  Except that he wanted her more than he’d ever wanted a woman in his life. 

Gabe had never met a woman like Summer.  Most of the women he knew were transparent in their hopes of using him for their own gain.  Summer didn’t seem to want anything from him.  The only thing she’d asked him for was tickets to the Paris concert, and she’d offered to pay for those.  Could it be that she truly didn’t have a hidden agenda, a plan?  She seemed sincere in her efforts toward his daughter’s education, and God knew she was great with Marisol.  She seemed to genuinely care for her.  As protective a father as he was, he could find no reason to be suspicious of her intentions or believe that she was using Marisol to get to him.

The woman was damned complicated.  She wouldn’t share anything about her past, and he had to wonder why.  He had too many questions and no answers.  Perhaps when he had those answers, he could let down his guard.  In the meantime, he would continue to pursue her, whether she admitted she wanted him or not.  As long as she was good to Marisol, he could see no reason why he couldn’t mix business with pleasure this once.  They were both adults, and eventually, if he had his way, they would be consenting adults.

Gabe made up his mind right then that he would have her.

Chapter Seven

Good God.  If she continued having these sleepless nights, she was going to work her way into exhaustion.  What the hell had she been thinking, letting Gabe – she should never have started calling him by his first name – kiss her like that?  Not only was it extremely unprofessional, it was foolish.  Summer loved her new job and was looking forward to continuing her work with Marisol, who she adored, and she didn’t want to screw it up, at least not for a year or two.  Maybe then she’d sleep with Gabe, right before she was ready to move on.

It wasn’t that she was into casual flings.  She absolutely wasn’t.  But whereas her other romantic encounters had been with men she’d gotten to know and care about, she didn’t want to get to know Gabe that well, and she certainly didn’t want to care about him.  Her last boyfriend was probably right, and she did have commitment issues.  Of course, that might be why an affair with Gabe could be a good thing.  He obviously wasn’t looking for a commitment.  He had Celia and who knew how many other women at his beck and call.  Although she had no intention of becoming one of them, maybe a one night stand was exactly what she needed to get him out of her system.  Then maybe she could get some sleep.

Could she really do that?  Had she asked herself the question last night while Gabe was kissing her, the answer would undoubtedly have been a resounding yes.  In the light of day however, the best she could hope for was a maybe.  Food for thought.  In the meantime, she had to figure out how she should act when she saw him this morning and in the near future until she’d made up her mind about whether or not a fling was a good plan.  Should she act as though last night had never happened?  Should she be flirty?  That was a big no.  Between Celia, his parents, and his daughter, there were plenty of chaperones to make sure there were no more kisses any time soon.  That was a good thing, right?  Another maybe.

Summer was on her way downstairs to wait for her fellow travelers when a commotion in the hallway had her backing up and wondering if she should wait until the coast was clear.  It didn’t take her long to figure out who was involved.  Celia’s voice carried quite clearly as did Gabe’s.

“This is because of her, isn’t it?  You saw when we arrived here that she has a boyfriend.  She probably has one in every major city.”

“Celia, you don’t know what you’re talking about.  I simply want some time alone with the family.”

“If that’s the case, then I assume Summer will be staying here with her boyfriend for the next two weeks.”

“That’s really none of your concern.”

“None of my concern?  None of my concern?  ¡
Estúpido
!  You’d better not be taking her with you.  I’m a lot closer to family than she is.  We’ve known each other our whole lives, Gabe.  When will you see that we belong together?  I’m getting tired of waiting for you to see that I’m the one you and Marisol need.”

“
Basta
, Celia.  Enough.  I’ve tried to salvage our friendship for the sake of both our families, but friendship is all we can ever have.  You’ve come with us on several tours, and I’ve allowed it in hopes that you’d come to realize that, but now I feel I have to be blunt.”

“Gabe, don’t say anything you’ll regret later.  I love you.  I’ve always loved you.”

“Celia, you don’t love me.  You love what you perceive to be the glamorous life.  Trust me, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be.  As a matter of fact, I’m seriously considering giving up touring entirely.”

“Giving up touring?  You’re joking.”

“Hardly.  I’ve made you a reservation on a flight home to Mexico that leaves in about two hours.  A cab is waiting for you downstairs.  You’d better hurry.”

“I don’t care if you’re not going to tour anymore.  I want to marry you.”

“Marry me?  Now who’s joking?  How could you think I’d ever marry anyone who thinks of my daughter as extra baggage that has to be carried around?  I doubt I’ll ever marry again, but if I do, it will be to someone who wants the whole package, baggage and all.  Goodbye, Celia.”

“Gabe, you know I love Marisol as if she were my own daughter.”

“This discussion is over.  I have to get ready to leave, Celia.  I’ll have Pablo see you to the cab.”

“Don’t bother, I’m leaving.  I’ll see you in Mexico in two weeks.  You’re obviously overworked and tired, and you’re not making any sense.  We’ll talk when you get home.”  Before he could reply, Celia turned and walked to the elevators, and Gabe went back inside his room.

Good God!  Of all the things Gabe had said, one sentence replayed over and over in Summer’s head. 
‘How could you think I’d ever marry anyone who thinks of my daughter as extra baggage?’
  It brought tears to her eyes, and she was touched more by that one simple phrase than she’d been touched by anything in her entire life.  If only her own father would have been so dedicated to her.  Marisol was a lucky little girl, and her opinion of Gabe had just skyrocketed.  Thank God he could see what she’d seen all along.  It was true, Celia wasn’t in the least interested in Marisol.  She barely tolerated her. 

Celia reminded her of her own stepmother who hadn’t had tolerance at all, much less the patience or even the time for a nine year old little girl who had recently lost her mother.  Had her father been fooled by Isela, believing she’d make a good substitute mother, or had he just not cared?  Either way, the result was the same.  Summer wasn’t only left out, she’d been pushed out, and she’d never felt like part of the Alvarez family again, other than her grandmother and cousin.

Summer dried her tears and touched up her make-up, so nobody would see that she’d been crying.  She picked up her suitcase and purse again and headed for the elevator.

“Summer, wait for us!”  Marisol ran down the hallway and greeted Summer with a huge hug and sloppy kiss.  “Good morning, Summer.  Celia left already.  She’s not coming to Spain with us.”

“Good morning,
Chiquita
.”  Summer bent down to be eye level.  “I see you’re wearing your new t-shirt we got yesterday.  It looks great on you.”

“Oh, thank you.  Papá says it looks good, too.  You should have worn your white t-shirt today, too, so we could match.”

“Mine’s dirty.  We’ll have to plan matching for another day.”  The rest of the group caught up to them, and Summer stood up and wished them all good morning.

Gabe reached for her suitcase, and she looked at him as he took it from her.  “Good morning, Summer.  You should have the bellboy pick up your luggage for you.  I’ll have one stop by your room from now on.  Did you sleep well?”

Summer looked at the incredible man in front of her and smiled.  Should she be coy or honest?

“No, I didn’t sleep well at all, I’m afraid.  You?”

“Not a wink.”  He returned her smile full measure, and those dimples worked their magic all over again.  “Are you ready to spend the next two weeks in Spain?”

“About that, Gabe.  Are you sure I should come with you?  I could always stay here with my cousin, and you could spend the next two weeks with your family.”

The dimples disappeared as quickly as they came.  “Don’t you want to come to Spain?  It’s beautiful this time of year.”

“I’d love to come.  I just thought you might want some privacy.  Marisol mentioned that Celia had gone back to Mexico, and I thought …"

“It’s settled then.  You’re coming.  And I don’t want you sitting in the back of the plane like you usually do.  You’ll sit with us.  Pablo is also going back to Mexico.  He’s working on another short tour in South America, maybe half a dozen stops, then a long, long rest just in time for the holidays.  We’ll be in Mexico for an extended stay by Christmas.”  He put his other hand on the small of her back and steered her to the elevator.  She paused long enough to take Marisol’s hand and they all left for the airport and Spain.

The flight was short and talkative.  It was amazing how changed the atmosphere was without Celia.  That combined with the fact that everyone was ready for a two week vacation made the time fly by.  Before anyone knew it, they were arriving at Gabe’s beautiful Spanish villa.

Chapter Eight

Summer hadn’t been to Spain since she was a little girl and her mother was alive.  It had been her mother’s favorite place on earth, and they’d had a home that she could still picture clearly in her mind.  She and her parents had come to Spain just before she died.  They’d been happy here once, a real family.  She wondered who owned it now and decided that she would try to find it just for old time’s sake.  Gabe had a full staff at his villa, and she was shown to a bright, cheerful suite of rooms with a balcony overlooking the beautifully kept gardens in the back.  Bougainvillea bloomed profusely and climbed all the way up to the second story.

Summer was in the process of unpacking when Gabe came by and knocked on the open door.  “Getting settled in, I see.  How do you find your rooms?”

“Everything here is beautiful, Gabe, thank you.  I haven’t visited Spain since I was a girl, and I’d forgotten how beautiful it was.  It’s almost like coming home.  It’s certainly a place from happier days.” 

Her words were happy, but her eyes were sad, before she lowered them from his view.  He put his first finger under her chin and lifted until her eyes met his again.  He was surprised to see them misty with unshed tears.  “Summer, why so sad?”