Safe from Harm (Protect & Serve #2)(48)
And today was about her. He hadn’t been joking when he’d said she needed to have a little fun. He knew the dark mood he always found himself in on the anniversary of his mother’s death, and if there was anything he could do to spare Elle that kind of sorrow, he was glad to do it. It was worth it just to see her smile, hear her laugh.
As soon as they finished eating, they headed toward the midway where Elle made good on her threat to completely trounce him at the ring toss. But he paid her back by totally killing it at the shooting gallery—in spite of her efforts to throw off his shots by blowing in his ear. Which he had to admit, he didn’t mind one damned bit.
“So how are you holding up?” she asked as they shared a bag of cotton candy, the sugar crystals clinging to her lips, tempting as hell.
He forced himself to look away and focus on where he was walking after he nearly plowed into a woman pushing a stroller. “I’m okay,” he lied. His leg had gone from sore to throbbing, but he wasn’t about to call it a day just yet.
Of course, she saw right through him. “Liar,” she said with a laugh. “We should get you home.”
“I’m fine,” he insisted. “Besides, you haven’t gone on any of the carnival rides.”
Her brows shot up at this. “Are you serious? We’re hardly teenagers, Gabe.”
“So what?” he countered. “There’s nothing that says grown men and women can’t act like kids now and then.” He gestured to an elderly couple climbing aboard the Ferris wheel. “They have at least a couple of years on us, don’t you think?”
She grimaced a little. “The truth is, I’m afraid of heights. If I get stuck at the top of that thing, I’ll have a total panic attack.”
He gave her a disbelieving look. “You? Afraid? Don’t believe it.”
She shook her head, casting a nervous glance toward the Ferris wheel. “Believe it. I’m terrified.”
“Would it help if I held your hand?” he asked, reaching tentatively for her fingertips. When he looked up from her hand, he was surprised to see her chest heaving with short, shallow breaths. He took a step closer, frowning with concern. “Hey, it’s okay. We don’t have to go if you’re that scared.”
She shook her head, her cheeks flooding with color. “No, it’s not that. I, uh…” She pulled her fingertips from his grasp and took a step back, forcing a smile. “Let’s go. I’ll be fine.”
“You sure?”
She shook her head with a tremulous little laugh. “No. Not at all. But I have to conquer this fear sometime, right?”
*
A moment later, they were sitting in the Ferris wheel car, swaying gently as it stopped to allow others to board.
“Okay, I was wrong,” she said, squeezing her eyes shut. “This was a bad idea. A really, really bad idea. I think I’m going to throw up.”
“Oh God, don’t do that,” Gabe pleaded. “The poor kids beneath us will be traumatized for life.”
She actually laughed a little, then took a deep breath and forced her eyes open. And immediately regretted it. “Oh crap. We’re not even at the top yet.”
“Hey,” Gabe said softly. “Look at me.” When she turned her head slowly toward him, finally meeting his soothing gaze, he gently grasped her chin. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you, Elle. I swear it.”
Elle’s stomach flipped end over end at the intensity of his promise. “I believe you.”
His thumb smoothed lightly over her skin and his gaze dropped down to her lips. But as his head dipped ever so slightly toward hers, the jolt of the Ferris wheel made her gasp and he pulled back.
“I’m sorry, honey,” he said. “I’ll flag the guy down and let him know we want to get off.”
She shook her head. “No. I can do this.” Then, impulsively, she reached for his hand, twining her fingers with his, and found it did help to know he was there beside her, that he had sworn to keep her safe.
She was just about to tell him so when she suddenly caught sight of a familiar face. One of Jeb Monroe’s sons—Jeremy—was standing across from the Ferris wheel, his arms crossed over his chest as he leaned against a low fence post, staring up at her.
“Oh God,” she whispered, her skin prickling with fear that had nothing to do with heights. “He’s here.”
“Who?” Gabe asked, following her line of sight.
“Jeremy Monroe.”
“I’m sure he was probably just visiting the fair and happened to see us up here,” Gabe assured her, but she could feel the tension in his muscles and knew he wasn’t as unconcerned as he appeared.
When she gave him an irritated look, he raised her hand to his lips and pressed a lingering kiss to her palm that sent a jolt of desire through her body. “I think you’re trying to distract me, Gabe Dawson.”
He winked at her. “Is it working?”
She rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to where Jeremy Monroe had been watching them, but he was gone, having vanished into the crowds milling around the midway.
“I made you a promise, Elle,” Gabe reminded her, caressing her skin in a maddeningly sensual motion. “I’ll do whatever necessary to keep you safe.”
She turned to meet his gaze, the heat she saw there practically searing her skin. Or maybe that was just the warmth spreading through her body, a fire that burned so intensely Elle worried she might spontaneously combust if she didn’t soon get some relief.