She hoped that one day she wouldn’t have to seduce him to lay his heart open to her, but she’d stick with what worked for now.
He leaned across the seat and claimed her mouth in a soft, loving kiss that set her heart aflutter. “Thanks for being wonderful you,” he said, lifting a hand to brush a stray curl behind her ear. She turned her face to kiss his palm and caught a strong whiff of dog on his hand. She crinkled her nose.
“About that shower” she said.
He laughed, climbed out of the truck, and grabbed her around the waist, hauling her out through the driver-side door.
He slammed the door and carried her toward the house, getting an eyeful of her stockings and thighs as her skirt slid to her waist. She didn’t bother to make herself presentable.
“Looking good, Miss Melanie.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her nose in his throat. His neck didn’t smell like dog at all. It smelled like Gabe. She nuzzled closer and breathed him in.
“Beau!” Gabe called when they reached the porch.
She lifted her head to search for the dog and saw him nosing around the spot where Lady had lay in the grass after she’d been hit.
“Come on, boy. Let’s go inside where it’s cool.”
The dog gave Gabe a morose look and flopped down in the grass, his chin resting on his large paws.
“We’ll bring her home as soon as she’s better, buddy. Come on.”
Beau ignored his master. Gabe sighed, walked to the porch, and set Melanie on her feet. “I’ll have to get him. You can get that shower going,” he suggested.
Melanie nodded, but made no move to go into the house. She watched Gabe cross the yard and drop down next to his dog. She couldn’t hear what he was saying as he stroked Beau’s velvety ears, but after a moment, the dog rose to his feet and collected Lady’s discarded ball from the ditch. Gabe stood and waited for Beau to return to him and they walked side by side to the house.
Melanie didn’t know why she found the two of them so touching. She’d never had a dog, so she found the obvious connection between man and beast hard to comprehend. Obviously Beau didn’t know what was being said to him, but the tone of Gabe’s voice and his soothing hand had somehow reached the animal. She’d probably have just grabbed the dog by the collar hand hauled him into the house. Or scolded him for disobeying. Gabe’s way was better. Lots better.
What a truly remarkable man.
His face brightened and his lips stretched into a smile when he noticed her watching him, but his eyes were hidden under the shadow of his baseball cap. She felt those eyes on hers, though. Felt some connection between them that she couldn’t explain. She was in over her head with this guy and found that realization wonderful, amazing, and scary as hell.
Chapter Sixteen
Melanie looked damned beautiful standing on his porch with the light of the setting sun making her skin glow. He doubted she realized how happy he was to have her here with him—just the two of them at home—or how much he appreciated her help with Lady. If Melanie hadn’t been there, he probably would have been too busy losing his head over the teenaged drunk driver to realize his dog needed medical attention and not a hole in the ground.
He felt bad for Beau too. The dog had never been as close to Lady as he’d been to Sweetie. It was as if Beau was afraid to get too attached to another mate. Could a dog have a broken heart? Gabe knew one could. Beau still had one. The dog cared about Lady and had sired her first batch of pups, but he had loved Sweetie. Gabe had always believed that there was one true love for everyone—even his damned dog—and that a man could love many women in his lifetime, but not the way he loved his one. As Melanie waited for him to join her on the porch, he wondered if she was his. His one. Did a man know that kind of thing right away, or did it take a while for the feeling to develop? Did a man choose his one and only or was it written in the stars? He’d never pondered those kinds of things before and wondered why this particular woman put these strange thoughts in his head. Time to get her naked, so he could think about something a less terrifyingly life-altering than Melanie as a permanent fixture in his life.
“I thought you’d be naked by now,” he said.
“Just admiring the view,” she said.
He glanced over his shoulder at the spectacular sunset behind him. A red-orange globe hovered just above the horizon and shot veins of pink, violet, and green through the clouds. The brilliant blue sky above the clouds had begun to darken to cobalt.
“That is a beautiful sunset,” he agreed.
“What sunset?” she said with a laugh. “I was ogling you.”
He took his cap off, smoothed the strip of long hair down the center of his scalp with one hand, and plopped the hat back on his head. His face felt uncharacteristically hot. Was he blushing? Dear lord, what was the world coming to? “Wouldn’t you rather ogle me naked and wet?”
She reached for his hand, grabbed it securely in hers, and tugged him toward the front door. “Good call.”
Beau followed them into the house and took his regular spot on the rug near the threshold. He gnawed on Lady’s ball and completely ignored the humans who were already pawing at each other like a couple of animals.
Gabe drew Melanie against him, pressing her soft br**sts tightly to his bare chest. His emotions were a blend of joy and turmoil, hope and despair, and he couldn’t get a firm handle on any of them. Which is why he needed a distraction. He smiled when her hands found his ass and gave both cheeks a playful squeeze. She tilted her face up and trailed sweet tickling kisses under his jaw. Apparently she was ready for a distraction as well.
He lowered the zipper at the back of her dress, so sorry that it was ruined but glad that it was easy to remove so he could expose her beauty and touch the warm smooth flesh of his little Melanie. Yes, his. She had to be his.
She shrugged her dress straps off her shoulders, dropping the dress on the floor and lifting her arms to rub her hands over his bare chest.
She looked devastatingly sexy in her garters, thigh-high stockings, lacy white bra, and panties, but nothing material could match the beauty of what was hidden underneath. When she lifted her arms to remove the clip from her hair and let the glorious mass tumble down around her shoulders, Gabe groaned in approval.
He reached behind her and pinched the bra clasp at her back before brushing the straps from her shoulders to free her beautiful br**sts to his eager eyes. She lowered her arms and let her bra join her dress on the floor. Her fingertips glided up his quivering belly, bumping over the hard contours of his body. She paused to rub the barbell in his nipple with one thumb, staring up into his eyes and working his sensitive flesh until it was hard and achy beneath her touch. When he groaned, she leaned forward to kiss his chest, her lips brushing over the wolf tattoo on one side and the cougar on the other. Her breath was warm and moist against the skin over his heart as she kissed between her splayed hands. She paused unexpectedly and gave her hand a hesitant sniff. She pulled a face and stepped away abruptly.
He leaned across the seat and claimed her mouth in a soft, loving kiss that set her heart aflutter. “Thanks for being wonderful you,” he said, lifting a hand to brush a stray curl behind her ear. She turned her face to kiss his palm and caught a strong whiff of dog on his hand. She crinkled her nose.
“About that shower” she said.
He laughed, climbed out of the truck, and grabbed her around the waist, hauling her out through the driver-side door.
He slammed the door and carried her toward the house, getting an eyeful of her stockings and thighs as her skirt slid to her waist. She didn’t bother to make herself presentable.
“Looking good, Miss Melanie.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her nose in his throat. His neck didn’t smell like dog at all. It smelled like Gabe. She nuzzled closer and breathed him in.
“Beau!” Gabe called when they reached the porch.
She lifted her head to search for the dog and saw him nosing around the spot where Lady had lay in the grass after she’d been hit.
“Come on, boy. Let’s go inside where it’s cool.”
The dog gave Gabe a morose look and flopped down in the grass, his chin resting on his large paws.
“We’ll bring her home as soon as she’s better, buddy. Come on.”
Beau ignored his master. Gabe sighed, walked to the porch, and set Melanie on her feet. “I’ll have to get him. You can get that shower going,” he suggested.
Melanie nodded, but made no move to go into the house. She watched Gabe cross the yard and drop down next to his dog. She couldn’t hear what he was saying as he stroked Beau’s velvety ears, but after a moment, the dog rose to his feet and collected Lady’s discarded ball from the ditch. Gabe stood and waited for Beau to return to him and they walked side by side to the house.
Melanie didn’t know why she found the two of them so touching. She’d never had a dog, so she found the obvious connection between man and beast hard to comprehend. Obviously Beau didn’t know what was being said to him, but the tone of Gabe’s voice and his soothing hand had somehow reached the animal. She’d probably have just grabbed the dog by the collar hand hauled him into the house. Or scolded him for disobeying. Gabe’s way was better. Lots better.
What a truly remarkable man.
His face brightened and his lips stretched into a smile when he noticed her watching him, but his eyes were hidden under the shadow of his baseball cap. She felt those eyes on hers, though. Felt some connection between them that she couldn’t explain. She was in over her head with this guy and found that realization wonderful, amazing, and scary as hell.
Chapter Sixteen
Melanie looked damned beautiful standing on his porch with the light of the setting sun making her skin glow. He doubted she realized how happy he was to have her here with him—just the two of them at home—or how much he appreciated her help with Lady. If Melanie hadn’t been there, he probably would have been too busy losing his head over the teenaged drunk driver to realize his dog needed medical attention and not a hole in the ground.
He felt bad for Beau too. The dog had never been as close to Lady as he’d been to Sweetie. It was as if Beau was afraid to get too attached to another mate. Could a dog have a broken heart? Gabe knew one could. Beau still had one. The dog cared about Lady and had sired her first batch of pups, but he had loved Sweetie. Gabe had always believed that there was one true love for everyone—even his damned dog—and that a man could love many women in his lifetime, but not the way he loved his one. As Melanie waited for him to join her on the porch, he wondered if she was his. His one. Did a man know that kind of thing right away, or did it take a while for the feeling to develop? Did a man choose his one and only or was it written in the stars? He’d never pondered those kinds of things before and wondered why this particular woman put these strange thoughts in his head. Time to get her naked, so he could think about something a less terrifyingly life-altering than Melanie as a permanent fixture in his life.
“I thought you’d be naked by now,” he said.
“Just admiring the view,” she said.
He glanced over his shoulder at the spectacular sunset behind him. A red-orange globe hovered just above the horizon and shot veins of pink, violet, and green through the clouds. The brilliant blue sky above the clouds had begun to darken to cobalt.
“That is a beautiful sunset,” he agreed.
“What sunset?” she said with a laugh. “I was ogling you.”
He took his cap off, smoothed the strip of long hair down the center of his scalp with one hand, and plopped the hat back on his head. His face felt uncharacteristically hot. Was he blushing? Dear lord, what was the world coming to? “Wouldn’t you rather ogle me naked and wet?”
She reached for his hand, grabbed it securely in hers, and tugged him toward the front door. “Good call.”
Beau followed them into the house and took his regular spot on the rug near the threshold. He gnawed on Lady’s ball and completely ignored the humans who were already pawing at each other like a couple of animals.
Gabe drew Melanie against him, pressing her soft br**sts tightly to his bare chest. His emotions were a blend of joy and turmoil, hope and despair, and he couldn’t get a firm handle on any of them. Which is why he needed a distraction. He smiled when her hands found his ass and gave both cheeks a playful squeeze. She tilted her face up and trailed sweet tickling kisses under his jaw. Apparently she was ready for a distraction as well.
He lowered the zipper at the back of her dress, so sorry that it was ruined but glad that it was easy to remove so he could expose her beauty and touch the warm smooth flesh of his little Melanie. Yes, his. She had to be his.
She shrugged her dress straps off her shoulders, dropping the dress on the floor and lifting her arms to rub her hands over his bare chest.
She looked devastatingly sexy in her garters, thigh-high stockings, lacy white bra, and panties, but nothing material could match the beauty of what was hidden underneath. When she lifted her arms to remove the clip from her hair and let the glorious mass tumble down around her shoulders, Gabe groaned in approval.
He reached behind her and pinched the bra clasp at her back before brushing the straps from her shoulders to free her beautiful br**sts to his eager eyes. She lowered her arms and let her bra join her dress on the floor. Her fingertips glided up his quivering belly, bumping over the hard contours of his body. She paused to rub the barbell in his nipple with one thumb, staring up into his eyes and working his sensitive flesh until it was hard and achy beneath her touch. When he groaned, she leaned forward to kiss his chest, her lips brushing over the wolf tattoo on one side and the cougar on the other. Her breath was warm and moist against the skin over his heart as she kissed between her splayed hands. She paused unexpectedly and gave her hand a hesitant sniff. She pulled a face and stepped away abruptly.
