Author: Bella Andre

And how lucky Summer was, too.

“Wow, that sounds like some water and fireworks show. I can’t wait to hear more about how they made the water all those colors when you get back home.”

He served them pad thai and cucumber salad as she laughed at whatever Summer was saying. But then, she abruptly stopped laughing.

“What am I doing tonight?” She picked up her glass and took a gulp of her wine. “Just like you, sweetie, watching the fireworks in a little bit.”

Gabe stopped plating their food. He wanted to hear what Megan told her daughter. Would she admit to being with him?

Megan listened carefully to the voice on the other end. “No, honey, not by myself. With a friend.”

Gabe didn’t like the way she wasn’t looking at him and he had to remind himself to have patience. The night was going well, better than he’d hoped. The problem was, where Megan was concerned, he wanted more than he ever had from another woman.

And he wanted it now.

Finally, Megan lifted her eyes to meet his over the plates and containers of food. “I’m going to watch them with Gabe.”

He could hear Summer’s happy squeal over the phone.

“I don’t know if he can come to the phone right—” She stopped partway through her sentence as he held out his hand for her phone. “Actually, here he is.”

He couldn’t decipher Megan’s expression as he said, “Hey, pretty girl. Been on any scary rides today?” He listened, chuckling at her descriptions of the rides. “Your mom hasn’t even been on that one?” He lifted an eyebrow in Megan’s direction. “Wow. You’re some pretty brave stuff, aren’t you? Here’s your mom again.” He was still laughing when he handed the phone back to Megan.

“Yes, we wish you were here.” She turned away slightly, letting her hair fall over her face. “I really miss you, sweetie. I’m so glad you’ve been having fun with Grams and Gramps. Can’t wait to see you tomorrow.” She put her phone on the table, but she didn’t take her hand off it.

He wanted to ask her why she hadn’t wanted to tell Summer they were together. But he already knew the answer to that, didn’t he? And he didn’t want to remind her of those reasons. Plus, he didn’t like how sad she looked after saying goodbye to her daughter.

So he picked up his fork and worked to get her laughing about the time he and Ryan had decided to hide out on Tom Sawyer Island past dark and had almost been locked in for the night.

“You should have seen Ryan,” he said, “Like a little baby, crying for his mommy.”

She grinned at that. “Somehow he doesn’t quite seem like the crying for his mommy type.”

“Ever seen him get nailed on the pitcher’s mound?” He looked down at his lap to make sure she got his point about where the ball had landed.

“Has that actually happened?”

This time he was the one grinning. “More than once. And while his ex-girlfriends cheered, you’d better believe he was crying.”

Gabe had been attracted to Megan from that first moment she’d walked into his hospital room. But, as much as he was counting down the minutes until he could kiss her without breaking his promise, it felt so good to hear her laugh that he knew, without a doubt, that their connection was so much more than skin deep.

So deep that her laughter didn’t stop at his heart...but landed smack dab in the middle of his soul.

Chapter Twenty

At 11:45 p.m. they headed up the stairs to the roof. Megan stopped at the threshold of the completely empty roof, clutching the bundle of blankets Gabe had given her. “Where’s everyone else?”

He shot her a strange look. “You thought there were going to be other people up here with us?”

“It’s a big building.”

He nodded. “It is. But I own the top floor. And the roof is mine alone.”

“Oh.”

She was such an idiot, coming up here with him. Even in a crowd, she wouldn’t have been safe from the way she wanted him. She understood that, now, after several more hours in his wonderful company.

But alone?

She was doomed.

“I’ve had a great night with you so far, Megan.” He watched her carefully. Probably expecting her to turn and run like the coward—the practical, heart-protecting coward—she was.

“I have, too,” she agreed, forcing herself to creep forward onto the roof.

That was when she noticed the pretty string of lights, and the large outdoor blanket covered with colorful cushions. There was a bottle of champagne, two flutes, and a tray of chocolate-covered strawberries. But that wasn’t all. He’d also put out a bottle of sparkling apple juice and a kid-appropriate plastic wine glass with painted butterflies on it.

Her heart turned to goo.

“You did all this?” She pointed at her chest. “For me and Summer?”

“I couldn’t think of anyone else I’d rather spend New Year’s Eve with.”

He took the blankets from her arms and she felt almost naked without them to hold over her heart. As if that soft shield would keep it from falling head over heels for this beautiful, kind—and shockingly sexy—man standing in front of her.

“This is—” She gestured to the pretty scene before them. “It’s magical.”

His grin was playful, pleased...and sensual. All at the same time. “Come look at the view from up here. It’s even better than the window downstairs.”

She took his hand, but as he moved them so that she was standing at the rail and his body was keeping her warm—and safe—she didn’t look out at the view. Instead, she turned her head so that she could look at him. “You’re not playing fair, Gabe, are you?”

She could almost taste his kiss just then. But all he did was pull her tighter into him. “Thank you for coming here tonight. And staying.”

His mouth brushed against the top of her head, then, and maybe that was breaking his promise, but, oh, how she wanted him to do just that, so badly that she was almost vibrating from the need to feel his lips on hers, his hands on her skin.

Megan stood in Gabe’s arms, her eyes closed, and let herself just enjoy being with him, shivering at the pleasure of his warmth, his strength, the way he looked at her.

“You’re cold.”

She didn’t have a chance to tell him it wasn’t the air that was making her shiver before he was taking her over to the pile of oversized pillows and pulling her down with him. He covered them both with blankets before picking up the bottle of bubbly.

Megan snuggled down under the covers, Gabe’s thigh brushing against hers as he popped open the cork and poured. “Are you trying to get me drunk?” she teased.

She loved his smile, how easily it came. He made her smiles come easier, too, she suddenly realized. Only Summer had ever made her feel this carefree, this happy. Only Summer could make her forget about all the work she needed to get done, the bills that needed to be paid, the fridge that needed to be filled.

Until Gabe.

Maybe it was his close physical proximity under the blanket on the romantic city rooftop that made it hard for her to hold onto a single thought that wasn’t about how much she wanted him—and that kiss!

Maybe it was the way he always made plans for three, rather than trying to pretend she didn’t have a daughter.

Maybe there was still some of that hero worship he was so worried about going on because he’d saved her life.

Or maybe it was simply the daredevil inside her that was dying to break out and do something crazy like have sex outside, where there was a teeny-tiny chance that someone might look out a faraway window and see them.

Whatever it was, at this point, after several hours of what felt like prolonged foreplay, Megan simply didn’t care anymore about the reasons for what she was feeling.

All she knew was that the five-minute countdown to New Year’s was way too long.

His answer to her teasing question finally came as he handed her the glass. “Do I need to get you drunk?”

Feeling herself flush as she shook her head, she pushed the rim to her lips and tilted her head back, her nerves causing her to pour more of the delicious champagne down her neck than into her mouth.

There wasn’t any chance to feel embarrassed about making a mess with the drink, though, because Gabe’s thumb was there, brushing over the liquid that had spilled. He was about to bring it to his own lips when she grabbed his wrist. “Wait. That was my drink.”

His eyes flared with such intense heat that she almost had to kick off the blanket.

Hardly able to believe what she was doing—but knowing she would die if she didn’t get to taste some part of him in the next five seconds—she brought his thumb to her mouth.

And sucked it in between her lips.

She didn’t know who groaned first, herself or him, as she swirled her tongue over the pad of his thumb, tasting the champagne, but mostly that unique, slightly smoky taste of his skin.

A flavor she hadn’t been able to forget since Lake Tahoe.

“I’m keeping my promise.” His voice was husky as he lowered his head to her neck, where he’d brushed away the liquid. “No kisses yet,” was the last thing she heard him say before she felt the slow sweet press of his tongue over her pulse point.

She arched herself against his mouth even as her teeth came down lightly over the flesh on the tip of his thumb.

He lifted his gaze back to hers and just the look in his eyes was nearly enough for her to come apart right there. He slowly pulled his thumb from her mouth and moved his hand to the curve of her hips, pulling her onto his lap.

She was straddling his erection, already rocking into him as he said, “God, you’re sweet.”

A moment later, the first blast of color shot out in the sky above them, joined by the crowds of people cheering from the streets, but all Megan knew was that it was—finally—time for Gabe to kiss her.

Only, she never gave him the chance, because her hands were already in his hair and she was attacking him, kissing him with more passion than she’d ever realized she possessed. His mouth claimed hers right back, his tongue tangling with hers, their combined gasps of long-awaited pleasure joining right in with the explosions from the fireworks and the sounds of happy strangers in the distance.

“Now.” She pulled her mouth away from his. “I need you right now.”

She reached for the hem of her sweater and yanked it up over her head, taking her long-sleeved T-shirt with it. She reached for the button of her jeans next, her hands trembling not with cold, but with pure desperation to be naked with this man.

As she shifted off his lap to unzip her jeans and pull them off, she realized Gabe was just sitting there staring at her.

She’d never been this kind of woman, never needed to have sex so badly that she was practically ripping her clothes apart in her hurry to get them off. But then, she’d never been with anyone like Gabe before, had she?

Besides, how could a girl’s mind not be warped by all those muscles? All that barely leashed power when he was holding her? Kissing her? Loving her senseless?

“Hurry,” she said, and then he was yanking off his clothes too, his shirt joining hers across the roof where she’d tossed it.

Of course, she’d forgotten that he had more practice getting clothes off and on quickly in the firehouse than she did, and she was still getting shoes and socks off by the time he’d stripped down to...

Nothing.

“Wow.” Her hands stilled as she took in his gloriously naked body. “Women would pay really good money to see that.”

“I’ll keep that in mind if I’m ever looking for a new career.”

Realizing her crazy thoughts must have just spilled out, her hands became even more useless, but then Gabe was there, kneeling in front of her, slipping off her shoes and socks and tossing her jeans to the side.