One Night with her Bachelor(40)

And tonight she was determined to do the same for him.

When Lily arrived, her double-take was even less subtle than Gabriel’s. But then a grin split her face as she hung up her coat and unlaced her boots in the entryway. “You didn’t go shopping without me, did you?”

“Nope. Promise.” Molly shoved her feet in her fake-leather boots and leaned close so Gabriel wouldn’t hear from the living room. “These are Claudine’s.”

“I like her style. It suits you.”

Molly tried to dampen the nerves fizzing inside her, the ones telling her she was an impostor. A boring woman playing dress-up in a more exciting woman’s clothes. “You think so?”

“Yeah, I really do. You look super-hot. I’d do you myself, but I doubt I’d be able to wrestle that big stud away from you.”

“Really? I mean, about Gabriel, not about you doing me. You think he wants me?”

Lily’s gaze shot over Molly’s shoulder a split second before the fine hairs on the nape of her neck stood to attention. She didn’t have to turn around to know Gabriel had walked into the hall. Embarrassment flooded her cheeks, but she fought it back and squared her shoulders.

His arm reached around her and lifted her coat from the peg. “Ready to go?” he murmured.

“Yeah.” So ready. She let him help her into her puffy, knee-length coat, noticing the sexy twinkle in his eye as she leaned over to zip it up. The move probably gave him a great view of her cleavage until she raised the zipper to her neck. “Let me just say goodnight to Josh.”

She rushed into the living room and pressed a kiss against his adorable head. “Have a good night, sweetheart. Don’t let Aunt Lily give you too many donuts.”

“Aw, Mom, you take all the fun out things.”

His words hit a vulnerable spot in her heart, and she paused. “You know what? You’re right. Tonight I want you to eat donuts till you puke. If history’s anything to go by, that’s seven donuts. Just make sure you puke while Lily’s still here, not after I come home, got it?”

He grinned. “Deal.”

She ruffled his hair and gave him one more kiss. Grabbing the big plastic bag she’d wrapped a surprise for Gabriel in, she left the house. He walked down the ramp beside her, and she gathered her courage to slip her hand into his. He gave her fingers an encouraging squeeze.

“So where are you taking me?”

“Two options.” He led her to his truck and opened the passenger door for her. “First one is to go to a place I’ve heard about in Bozeman.”

Bozeman. It was farther than she’d been from Josh since he’d come home. Of course, it wasn’t as far as him being in Colorado, but still—if he needed her, it would take a while to get to him. She climbed into the truck. “And the second option?”

He closed the door, walked around the front and got into the driver’s side. “Second option is to go to Grey’s and stick some coins in the jukebox.”

Hmm. That didn’t sound very adventurous. Plus, she wanted to get away from the inevitable looks of surprise from people who knew she didn’t normally dress like this. They would just make her self-conscious and shove her back into her shell. She shifted in her seat so she could see him better. “Let’s go to Bozeman.”

He smiled and turned the key, but she stayed him by laying her hand on his arm. “Wait. This is for you.”

He took the plastic bag from her. He couldn’t peer inside because she’d wrapped tape around it, knowing he would have to hike through the snow to his cabin. “For me?”

“Yeah. Don’t open it now. I’ll be too embarrassed. I just… I was thinking about you all week, and I wanted to give you something.”

“You didn’t have to do that.” His voice sounded gruff, touched, and it filled her with warmth.

“I know. I wanted to, though. I hope you like it.”

He laid it in the back seat and gave her a grin as he started the truck. “I do.”

She buried her smile in the collar of her coat, wishing she could take her coat off and watch Gabriel check her out again, but the truck was freezing. He flipped on the heater as soon as he started the ignition, but her breath still frosted the air and she feared if she removed her coat her nipples would get so hard they’d shatter. So she clasped her hands together and tried to keep her teeth from chattering. “Do you go dancing a lot?”

He laughed and shot her a disbelieving look. “No.”

Okay. Her feet bounced, trying to stay warm. Her look-like-leather-but-feel-like-cotton boots didn’t do much to keep the cold out. “Not even in your Air Force days?”

His fingers seemed to tighten on the wheel. “Yeah, I danced then.”

“Line dancing?”

“Hell no.”

“What kind?”

This time the look he shot her was longer, hotter. “You really want to know?”

“Yeah.”

“How about I show you when we get there?”

Desire unfurled low in her belly, filling her with pulsing liquid heat so scorching hot she no longer needed the coat. She unzipped it and shimmied out of it without undoing her seat belt. Running her hand over her chest, she checked that her boobs were still covered—mostly. A low groan from the other side of the truck told her Gabriel noticed. His reaction made her feel more daring than ever before. “I’m going to ask you a question, and I want you to be honest with me.”