Safe from Harm (Protect & Serve #2)(45)
Gabe held her gaze for a long moment, trying to determine if her offer was sincere or if she was just being polite. Even though he was still on the fence, he gave her a terse nod and took a step toward her, wincing a little.
“Here,” she said, taking hold of his arm and pulling it around her shoulders. “Is that better?”
He gulped, willing his body not to respond to the nearness of her, to the warmth of her arm wrapped around his waist, and cleared his throat a little before peering down into that enchanting, emerald gaze.
Holy hell.
Having her this close, pressed against his side, lending him her strength, felt a hell of a lot better than he cared to admit. Reflexively, his arm tightened around her shoulders, bringing her in closer.
Chapter 13
Elle’s heart hammered in her chest, making it hard for her to breathe. Or maybe the difficulty breathing had something to do with the intensity of a certain aqua gaze boring into hers. Or the hard muscles of his chest beneath her fingertips where her hand lightly rested. Or maybe it had something to do with the fact that she could feel his heart hammering, too.
Oh God. Not good. Not good at all.
Why, oh why had she bailed on that shopping trip with her aunt?
She’d witnessed Gabe putting the moves on women over the years and had lost track of how many times she’d rolled her eyes in those moments, wondering how the silly, giggling bubbleheads could fall for such a transparent act.
But as their gazes locked, what she saw there wasn’t the usual cocky self-assuredness she was used to seeing in his eyes. If she’d had to hazard a guess, she’d say he actually looked…torn. Or tortured. And unlike the tired come-ons she was used to, the uncertainty she saw now that he’d let his guard down was dangerously close to completely disarming her defenses again.
When that gaze flicked down to her lips, her breath caught, and the small shudder of anticipation, of longing, for the kiss that seemed to be just moments away no doubt completely betrayed the sudden and unexpected fantasies of where such a kiss would lead if she gave in. The heat she felt creeping into her cheeks made her drag her gaze away from his mouth before she gave into temptation.
To her immense relief, when she took a step forward, he followed, allowing her to lead him into the living room, where her photo albums and loose photos were scattered across the sofa, coffee table and floor.
She slipped out from under his arm and hastily began to clear a spot for him on the sofa. “Sorry. Let me just get these out of the way.”
“Is this you?”
Her head snapped up to see Gabe holding a picture of a little girl with red pigtails and a lopsided grin standing on a beach on a bright summer day. “No,” she said, looking away so he wouldn’t see the tears that sprung to her eyes. “That’s my sister Eve. That picture is from our family vacation to Sanibel when she was ten.”
“She was a cutie,” he said, easing down onto the sofa. “You two look a lot alike. Is this your other sister?”
Elle glanced up at the photo he held out for her to see. “Yes. That’s Erin at her First Communion. She died a month later.”
“I’m sorry.” Gabe’s voice was so gentle, Elle had to swallow past the tears to keep from completely breaking down. “I know what it was like when we almost lost Joe after he was wounded in Afghanistan. I can’t imagine what you went through—what you still go through.”
“Thanks.” Elle set the photos she’d gathered on the coffee table and took a seat next to him on the sofa. “I’d like to say it gets easier every year, but it doesn’t.”
Gabe leaned forward, sifting through the pictures a little before pulling one from the stack and turning to Elle with a grin. “Now, this one I know is you.”
Elle grimaced before she could catch herself. The picture of a gawky, gangly teenager with unruly red hair was definitely her. She snatched it from his grasp with a little laugh. “Yeah, let’s just forget that period of my life ever happened.”
“Are you kidding me?” he said, reclining against the pillows and draping one arm casually over the back of the sofa. “You were adorable.”
“Liar,” she laughed. “Thank God I grew into my legs.”
Gabe gave Elle’s legs the once-over slowly, his gaze as soft and sensual as a lover’s caress, then grinned. “I thought they were great even back then, but I certainly won’t complain now.”
“Uh-huh. Right…” she drawled, trying to ignore the way his gaze sent white-hot heat zipping through her veins. “So what you’re saying is dating all those cheerleaders back in high school was just a front, and in actuality, you were secretly into girls who looked like flamingos? Gee, Gabe, who knew?”
Gabe shrugged. “Oh yeah, I’m full of surprises.”
She gave him a wry grin. “So I’m learning.”
He chuckled but quickly sobered, his expression becoming serious as his gaze traveled over her face. “You really have no idea how beautiful you are, do you?”
His praise was so obviously sincere that Elle looked away before he could see her blushing. “If you want to see someone really beautiful,” she said, sifting through the pictures to avoid acknowledging his compliment, “take a look at this woman.”
Gabe took the picture she held out and whistled appreciatively. “Damn.”