Her purse, which contained her phone, was nowhere to be found. Then she vaguely remembered Gabe carrying it from the truck. She stood, undecided, not wanting to risk waking him. Finally, she eased the door open and crept down the hall. She checked the kitchen first, but ultimately found it on the couch in the living room. Unfortunately, Trouble appeared, startling a small squeak from her before she clamped a hand over her mouth. She lowered herself into Gabe’s recliner and flipped the nearby lamp on. She sat quietly, listening for any sounds from the other end of the house, but there was only silence. She patted Trouble’s head while feeling around for the bag she had dropped next to the chair. Her fingers touched something, and she lifted it. Only instead of her purse, it was a manila envelope. Shrugging, she put it on the table in front of her, then froze.
She picked it back up, inspecting the front of the envelope, where her name was carefully written. But other than that, there was no other writing on it. She knew it was an invasion of Gabe’s privacy, but she couldn’t stop herself from sliding a finger under the edge to carefully break the seal, before upending it onto the table. She wasn’t sure what she was expecting, but the stack of envelopes that fell out took her by surprise. Then the smell of her perfume reached her and she knew. My letters. Her gaze fell on one after another, surprised to find them so worn. They appeared to be years old, instead of months.
The sudden thump of Trouble’s tail was the first indication that she wasn’t alone. She tensed, hoping he wasn’t standing there—but her luck had completely deserted her tonight. Gabe’s eyes went to the stack of mail, then back to her. “I meant to put that away.” She swallowed hard when she saw he was wearing only a pair of boxer briefs. Even in the midst of emotional turmoil, she couldn’t help admiring his lean, chiseled body.
“You kept them,” she murmured as she laid aside the letter she was holding.
“Of course.” He moved closer, taking a seat on the couch. He picked up the same paper and brought it to his nose. “I loved that my locker in Iraq smelled like you. Hell, my whole room did. And it was oddly . . . soothing. It made it feel as if you were there. Like any moment you would come through the door. I had a routine I followed almost every day. I’d read your e-mails, then go through all of these. They made me smile. Gave me hope for something outside my military service.” She felt a tear trickle down her cheek, but she didn’t bother brushing it away, since another was already falling. He paused so long, she thought he wasn’t going to say anything more. He appeared to be lost in his thoughts as he stared at the floor.
“Gabe,” she prompted, sensing there was more.
“Falling in love with you before we even met was the most fanciful thing I’ve ever done. There is absolutely no reason it should have made it past me coming home. Yet—even when I was angry, I still craved your presence. Being back in the States only made me want to be with you so badly, it was damn near a physical pain.” He moved closer and reached out to cup her cheek. “If you hadn’t come here, I wouldn’t have been able to stay away for long. Regardless of what I said about ending anything between us, I was losing my mind. I’ve never been in love before. I was determined not to put the stress of my life onto the shoulders of another. But—I never counted on you, Angel. I knew for certain I was in love with you when I became incapable of rational thought. I’ve had an explanation or a plan of action for everything in my life—until you. I finally came to the realization that things are different with you because I lead with my heart. It doesn’t have to fit into some neat, logical box. There’s simply the way I feel.”
Sara felt as if she’d been given everything she could ever want—and more. The crippling doubts and insecurities she’d suffered earlier were clearing—and, in their place, was an affirmation that this amazing man was not only her present but her future as well. She wanted to belong to him in every way. It was past time to cement their bond. And she needed to be the one to take the leap, not only for him but for herself. She would not let a bunch of jealous, catty women ruin what they had. Gabe had made himself vulnerable to her several times now, and he deserved no less from her. So she took a breath and she jumped, never doubting he would catch her.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Gabe felt sweat beginning to bead on his forehead. Even with Sara’s sudden illness at the end of the evening, this was the best night of his life. Having her with him at the ball had been so natural—so right. He’d proudly introduced her as his girlfriend to his colleagues and their spouses. But secretly, he longed to call her his wife instead. Was that crazy to have such a sudden bond with someone? Yes—and no. They had known each other for seven months. It may not have been a conventional courtship, but he knew instinctively that they were meant to be together. Hell, he’d sensed it from the very first e-mail. No matter how much he tried to second-guess it, his gut said it was right.
When a sound had woken him, he figured it was either Trouble destroying the Christmas tree or Sara being sick. He saw the light in the living room and stopped in his tracks when he found her with the letters. He was almost as surprised as she likely was when he poured out his heart. He thought her tears were the happy kind, yet she still hadn’t said anything. Should have stayed quiet. Too soon. She stood, and he thought she was leaving. Only instead of walking past him, she came to a halt inches away. Then she shocked the hell out of him by lowering herself onto his lap until she was facing him. “Angel, what—” He didn’t finish his sentence, though. How could he when she was lowering her mouth to his? She moved slowly, as if unsure of herself, and he was too riveted to be of much help. He was as alpha as the next guy—probably more so—but he wanted her to be the one to initiate anything between them. He’d been so damned unsure of where they stood lately, so this was an important, and much needed, step forward. She kept her eyes open as she made contact. The fact that they were staring at each other while kissing would be comical if it wasn’t so hot.
He was tempted to take control, but he held off, waiting for her next move. When her tongue darted out to lick the seam of his lips, he could take it no more—and apparently, neither could Trouble. The dog let out a howl that was clearly meant to ruin the moment, but there was no way Gabe was going to let that happen. They needed to relocate, but he couldn’t bear to let her go. As he shifted, attempting to get to his feet, she muttered crossly, “Can you work with me here, Randall?”
“I am, Angel.” He grinned, nodding in Trouble’s direction. “Unless you want a threesome, we need to move.” She giggled when the dog whimpered again. “Wrap your legs around my waist,” he instructed as he put his hands on her ass. Then he stepped around his dog and walked down the hallway. By the time he made it to his bedroom, he’d bounced them off the wall twice. In hindsight, sucking on her tongue while walking in the dark wasn’t the best idea. But it was fucking hot. He set her on her feet before flipping on the bedside lamp.