Safe from Harm (Protect & Serve #2)(51)

“Good.”

He chanced another look at her. “What?”

“Good,” she said, louder this time. “I don’t want you to be a gentleman right now, Gabe Dawson.”

Ah, Christ.

He glanced around, getting his bearings. They were still fifteen minutes from her house. A good thirty from his. At the moment, they were surrounded by farm fields and woods. A few yards up the road, a service access road obscured by overgrowth caught his eye and he jerked the wheel, impulsively turning off onto it. He recognized the road in an instant. It led to an abandoned church that had fallen into disrepair years before, after the congregation had disbanded.

“Where are we going?” Elle asked, as he carefully navigated the unpaved rural road.

“Church,” he ground out.

“Sorry, what?”

“The place is long forgotten,” he explained. “We don’t even have to check it out from time to time to shoo away kids or squatters anymore. Nobody even remembers it’s back here.”

Even so, he pulled the Charger around to the back of the structure, just on the off chance that anyone would drive back here after taking a wrong turn, and turned off the engine.

“Gabe, what—”

Elle didn’t get a chance to finish her sentence. Gabe reached across the space between them and grasped the nape of her neck, his mouth crashing down on hers. Her lips instantly parted, accepting his kiss with abandon. Needing to get her in his arms before he lost his mind, he broke the kiss abruptly and shoved open his door.

She was already out of the car and standing beside it by the time he got around to her side. She was trembling a little, her green eyes wide as she glanced around the darkening woods. For a moment, he wondered if stopping out here was a good idea, but then she took a step forward to meet him, her arms going around his neck and pulling him down to the bliss of her lips.

Emboldened, his hands began to roam, slipping under the hem of her T-shirt to smooth over the soft skin of her back. She sighed as he left her lips to press kisses along the curve of her throat. When he made it to the sensitive area where neck and shoulder met, she gasped but grasped his head on either side, keeping him where he was.

“Should we get back inside?” she asked, breathless.

Before he could even respond, she was opening up the door and climbing into the massive backseat. He didn’t hesitate to follow, slamming the door behind him. The moment he was inside, he reached for her, pulling her onto his lap so she was straddling him, and found her lips again. His hands smoothed over the creamy skin of her thighs, loving the way his touch made her moan and shiver as she kissed him hungrily.

And then, holy hell, she left his mouth to trace the line of his jaw with her tongue until she reached his earlobe, which she nipped lightly, making him groan. The little minx chuckled at his reaction and pulled back enough to grin at him. Then, bless her sweet heart, she grabbed the hem of her T-shirt and pulled it over her head, tossing it onto the seat beside them.

He wanted to say something seductive and charming, but the breath had left his lungs, making it impossible to speak.

When she reached behind her, unfastening her bra to let it slowly slide down her arms, all he could do was swallow hard as he took in the beautiful, perfect breasts before him. He knew he’d caught a glimpse of them the night after Chris had died, but they’d been in his completely darkened room. Now, with the twilight allowing him enough light to see just how beautiful and full they were, Gabe couldn’t help the slow grin that curved his mouth.

Careful to take his time and savor the moment, he reached up to Elle’s cheek, running the back of his fingers along the curve of her jaw and along her neck, where her pulse pounded so powerfully he could see it beating beneath her skin. Then his fingers traced a path along her collarbone to the swell of her left breast. Elle’s head dropped back with a little moan as he reached her already-erect nipple, which seemed to harden even more at his touch.

“Please, Gabe,” she whispered.

He didn’t have to ask what she was asking for. He lifted her breast and leaned forward to bring it into his mouth. He sucked hard, grazing her nipple with his teeth, causing her to gasp in pleasure. When his tongue swirled against the rosy tip, she moaned and ground her hips against his groin. With a groan, he switched to the other breast, his teeth grazing her skin a little harder as he pulled back, not bothering to hide his grin when she cried out his name.

Then, without a word, she began to fumble with the buttons of his shirt, her brows coming together in an adorable frown when her fingers wouldn’t work as efficiently as she’d like. He joined in, making short work of his shirt and tossing it onto the floor, and pulled his T-shirt over his head and adding it to the pile.

Then he dragged her close, until her breasts were pressed against his bare chest, and ravaged her mouth once more, determined to kiss her until she was breathless. When she suddenly broke their kiss and pulled away, they both were panting.

For a moment he thought something was wrong when Elle opened the door and climbed out. But she was smiling when she turned back. “You said no one comes back here.”

He wasn’t quite sure what she had in mind until she unfastened the button on her cutoffs and slowly slid down the zipper. He gulped, his eyes hungry as he watched her oh-so-slowly slide the cutoffs over her hips to reveal a tiny scrap of white panties.

“Oh sweet Jesus,” he murmured, scrambling out of the backseat in an instant, gathering her into his arms and kissing the hell out of her as her fingers worked on the button of his jeans. It popped open and his mind barely registered that the zipper had slid down. But when he felt her slip her hand between them and grasp him, he nearly lost his shit right then and there.