A Forever Christmas(46)

Not wanting her to feel that he was crowding her, Gabe began to get up.

Surprised, Angel caught his hand before he could leave the bed. “Where are you going?”

“To the sofa. I thought you might want your space,” he explained.

Space was the last thing she required right now. Space allowed her to think and all she wanted to do was feel, not think.

“Stay with me,” she said to him.

It was a request, not a plea, but either way, it wasn’t in his power to refuse her. Lying down again, looking for a way to lighten the serious mood, he warned her, “I might hog the blankets.”

In response, a smile curved her mouth. “I’ll chance it,” she said, curling up into him. “Besides, you’re nice and warm. It’s like having my very own fuzzy electric blanket.”

To emphasis her point, she lightly stroked her fingertips along the downy hair on his chest. With a contented sigh, she laid her head on it, the sound of his heart beating beneath her ear giving her more than a little comfort.

“Fuzzy electric blanket, huh?” Humor curved his mouth. “First time anyone’s ever called me that.”

Her even breathing told him he was talking to her while she slept. Gabe wasn’t certain why, but he found the thought immensely comforting.

* * *

“SO? HAVE YOU DECIDED yet?” Gabe asked Angel.

It was several days—several incredibly blissful, lovemaking days—later and he was finally getting the chance to make good on his promise to take her Christmas tree hunting.

While, in his opinion, Angel was in a class by herself in many, many ways, she now displayed a trait considered exceedingly common to the female of the species: she couldn’t make up her mind. In this case, she was undecided between two trees.

Initially, there’d been five trees, five semifinalists she’d circled around slowly so she could see which of the trees had the most “good sides.” Now that they were down to two, she was having a harder time finding one to eliminate.

“You’re going to have to make up your mind before it gets dark,” he told her. “Otherwise, we’ll have to come back.”

She noticed that he didn’t say “tomorrow,” which meant that he probably wouldn’t be able to take any more time off for at least a few days. Which, in turn, meant a few more days without a tree and Christmas was drawing closer and closer.

She had to make up her mind now. But it was hard.

“I have narrowed it down to just a couple of them,” she reminded him in her own defense. Vacillating, she made her way back to a small tree. Once cut down, she knew it would more than adequately fill the living room, the room.

“Angel…” Gabe’s voice trailed off as he waited for her to finally choose.

The temperature was dropping and they were both getting colder. It was time to pick a winner. “Okay, okay, this one,” she declared, choosing the tree closest to Gabe.

But as she came up to it, studying the tree intently, Angel cocked her head as if that gave her a different perspective. “Still…”

“No, no ‘still,’” Gabe told her firmly, taking the first swing at the tree’s trunk with his hatchet. “This is the tree you just picked and this is the tree that’s coming home with us.” There was no room for argument as he took a second swing and made contact again.

She threw her hands up in surrender. “Okay. You’re right. This is the tree.” And then she chewed on her bottom lip. He’d begun to realize that she did that whenever she was undecided and vacillating between choices. “It’s just that, since this is your first Christmas tree in your new house, I wanted the tree to be perfect.”

He took a third swing. “First off, the house isn’t new—”

“It is to you,” she pointed out as hatchet met tree again. Gabe had on a jacket, but she could just see his muscles rippling.

“And second,” he continued, “there’s no such thing as ‘perfect.’”

Which was when Angel smiled up into his face. The look in her eyes caused his gut to all but seize up and do backflips.

“Yes, there is,” she told him softly and pointedly—just before she brushed her lips against his.

And just as with the first time, Gabe found himself utterly captivated, unable to resist her.

Unable to resist the powerful need that sprang up within him. The need to take her into his arms and kiss her for all he was worth.