Love Love (37 page)

I wrap my fingers around the curve of
his neck, drawing him in. His mouth inches closer to mine while his
hands wander lazily down my skin, which is now burning for his
touch. As his fingers begin to ease the bunched silk of my blouse
up, our mouths find one another. His tongue traces the curve of my
bottom lip, capturing it, sucking me into his mouth. I open my
tender lips and he presses me more tightly against his toned
body.

I pull my blouse over my head and feel
the ridges of his defined chest press against the thin lace of my
bra, unruly breaths leaking out as he pulls me hard against him. I
can feel every inch of his arousal. Small moans escape my lips and
I hear him gasp as he whispers, “I love you, Gabby.” The air leaves
his mouth and bounces off my skin, continuing to taunt me, my
nipples tightening deliciously. Slowly, he moves behind me and
lifts the silky hair away from my bare shoulder, spreading soft,
tender kisses across each delicate blade. His lips make their way
to the clasp of my bra, unhooking it, and I arch back against him
as he squeezes my full breasts and rolls his fingers over my
nipples, which harden against his touch. He glides his hands down
to unzip my skirt and it slides down my legs, leaving me covered
only by the thin lace of my panties. Before I know it, I’m facing
him, trying to control my now uncontrollable breaths.

Brad is staring at me, admiring me,
loving me. “God, you’re so beautiful.”

I move closer to him and gently tug at
his polo shirt so I can lift it over his head. His chest is smooth
and muscular and I move my fingernails slowly across it, a sexy
groan leaving his hot mouth. Bending down on my knees, I pull off
his jeans, noticing he’s practically bursting out of his
boxers.

He moves his mouth over mine tenderly
before he slides his tongue inside and grabs me with his desire.
Without ever leaving my lips, he walks with me until the back of my
knees are touching his bed, then lowers me down gently. Never
taking his eyes off mine, he eases my lace panties down my legs and
I’m exposed, but not embarrassed. I want him to see me. All of me.
Standing back up, Brad rids himself of the last bit of fabric
covering his manhood. For the first time, I take my eyes off of his
and glance down at his arousal, stirring the pot of desire deep in
my belly. God, he’s so beautiful; inside and out.

He crawls onto the bed, pushing me
back onto the pillows, and lifts himself over me as his tongue
skims over my body setting me on fire. His wet lips surround my
nipple, sucking gently as his fingers tease my other nipple and
tiny whimpers fall from my lips. His tongue dives back into my
mouth, our bodies pressed together like two intricate pieces of a
puzzle. The feel of his heated skin against mine, coupled with his
familiar scent and his warm, rapid breaths makes me ache for him.
“I want to taste you,” he whispers. His words make me swollen and
wet. He rolls his tongue down the dips of my neck. Trailing
featherlight kisses from my breasts to my belly button, he moves
lower and my hips arch into his warm mouth as I let out a strangled
moan. His tongue flicks back and forth over my dampness, causing my
eyelids to flutter closed and my head to fall back against the
pillow. When he comes back up, his lips are glistening with my
desire, his eyes filled with heat. Raising himself over me, he
takes in the length of my body before returning to my face. “I love
you, Gabby. Pull me inside you.” His voice is hoarse and full of
emotion and I grab his erection and lead him into the deepest part
of me.

I’m completely surrounded by his heat,
by the feelings that seep through his veins. It’s like an infusion;
he fills me with his love, and I’m lost.

He continues to push inside me,
rocking his hips back and forth, back and forth. Brad whispers, “I
love you, Gabby. I love you,” over and over again, his voice broken
from passion.

I inhale the scent of our bodies
loving one another. His lips find mine again, our tongues gently
twisting in a motion that brings peace to our erratic heartbeats.
We hold onto one another so tightly it’s almost painful, silently
begging the other to never let go, until are bodies betray our
desires and we orgasm together.

It’s amazing what the body can feel
when accompanied by the heart. It’s like a perfect symphony of
feeling, of emotion, of a love you thought was impossible; until
suddenly the impossible becomes inevitable.

Our breathing calms, and my mind opens
to the depth of this moment for me. Brad leans in and kisses my
face again, and again, and again. The wetness on my cheeks causes
him to look up at me with concern. “You’re crying, baby. Did I hurt
you?”

The words don’t come right away, only
the tears. “I’m fine. It’s just that…I almost lost you…and I love
you, Brad…I love you so much.”

His joy-filled brown eyes surround me
as he brings his fingers up to caress my cheek. “I love you, too,
Gabby. Fate led me to you. It will always be you.”

I lay awake and listen as
Brad’s breathing slows and lulls him into a peaceful sleep. I don’t
sleep, though. I don’t want to close my eyes for fear that this is
all a dream. I push up on my elbows and watch him. I love him so
much, and feel so grateful that he somehow managed to find his way
through…through all the clutter, all the disappointment, all the
pain, to finally find
me
. The real me. He loves me. Not who
he wants me to be, not who he expects me to be. Just me, and that’s
all I’ve ever wanted.

I’m thankful now for every
moment that has led me to this point. For all my life lessons, and
the people who taught me them along the way. Without them, I would
never have walked down this gravelly, uneven road. The road that
led me here, to Brad. This is where I’m supposed to be, and my
heart knows it because I can
finally
feel it.

***

“
Are we really doing this?”
Gabby asks me anxiously as we make our way to the top.

“
What do you mean? Of
course we are. It’s on your list.”

I grab hold of Gabby’s hand. As much
as she wanted to do this, she seems extremely nervous now that
we’re here. We’re making our way up in the elevator at ten miles
per hour, and were told by the guide that the trip takes all of 41
seconds. Wild. I’m pretty excited because I’ve never done anything
like this before, but even more excited that I’m doing it with my
girl.

When we arrive at the top and step
out, I’m in awe. The pictures and movies I’ve seen about the Space
Needle don’t compare to how absolutely breathtaking it really is.
You can see everything. The downtown Seattle skyline, the Olympic
and Cascade Mountains, Mount Rainier, Mount Baker, even Elliott
Bay.

Gabby seems completely dazzled. She
looks over at me. “Wow, babe. This is simply amazing. I never
imagined it would be so extraordinary.”

While Gabby goes back to
admiring the view, I take a moment to admire
her
. She’s so beautiful. Her shiny
chestnut hair reflects the sunlight, blowing gently off her
shoulders with the light summer breeze. Her blue eyes penetrate my
soul. The curve of her neck so subtly connects itself to the rest
of her sculptured body. Her spirit is so full of life. The life she
fills me with every day.

I walk over to her and wrap my arms
around her slim waist. She instantly leans back so I can cradle her
head under mine. Contentment is the only thing I feel.

Gabby tilts her head back and I stare
into those gorgeous blue eyes, then move in to grab a little slice
of heaven from her lips. After, she settles again under the warmth
of my chin.

I have to shake myself because I can
hardly believe I’m here with this girl. The girl who stepped out of
my dreams and into my heart. I don’t remember ever smiling so much,
feeling so much, or loving so much. She took everything I ever
thought about love and turned it inside out. She turned me inside
out.

“
So I’ve been wondering
something,” I say nervously.

“
Hmmm...mmmm.”

“
About your
list.”

“
Yeah. What about it?” she
asks curiously.

“
Is marrying the man of
your dreams on there?”

She whips her head around, her eyes as
wide and blue as the sky. I take Gabby’s delicate hand in mine as I
lower myself to one knee. The tears are already beginning to form
in the sweetness of her eyes.

“
Gabby. Before I met you,
the air surrounding me was stale; I was gasping for
something...anything. But then you crashed into me and I swallowed
a big gulp of life. You helped me breathe again...You made
me
want
to breathe
again. That moment you spilled your coffee in my shop, and you
looked up at me with those embarrassed blue eyes, something inside
me clicked. You awakened my heart. You got it beating again, so I
could really feel it. I love the way it feels. I love the
way
you
make me
feel. You’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever met, not just on
the outside, but on the inside, where it counts. I want to spend
every single moment of my life making you happy, making you smile.
Gabrielle Willis…will you do me the honor of marrying me and
spending the rest of your life with me?”

Tears run slowly down Gabby’s cheeks
as she stares into my eyes. Her lips move, but I don’t hear
anything, so I lean in closer. The word “yes” squeaks out in a
whisper through her tears. I slip the engagement ring onto her
finger and she pulls me to her. The only place I want to
be.

She leans back and smoothes the hair
from my eyes. “Thank you,” she says.

“
For what?”

Gabby takes my hand and lays it on her
chest, her heart beating rapidly. “For being the one to hold my
heart.”

Her lips find mine and her sweet
breath fills my lungs, our tongues dancing together tenderly.
Wrapping my arms around her neck, I trail a path of sweet kisses
from the corner of her full lips to the curve of her throat and
smile as a soft moan escapes. I come back to her lips and slide my
tongue inside, tasting her, breathing her. Time stands still until
we pull back, lost of breath, but full of life.

***

The
journey to writing this novel has been such an amazing one for me.
I feel so blessed and grateful to be in this place and have so many
wonderful people to thank.