“It is.” He wasn’t looking at the view.
She caught his stare on her and reached out to clasp his hand.
By the time they reached the Airbnb that Aspen set them up with last-minute, the sun was rising behind the peaks. The house was a quaint little bungalow with a cozy front porch featuring a swing.
Felicity stepped out of the truck, stretching as she did. He circled the front to stand at her side. “This is perfect.”
“Aspen is good.”
Inside, the place was small but comfortable. A bright quilt was draped over the back of the couch, and Felicity went straight to the stack of books on a side table.
He set their bags down, watching her ease into the space. She wasn’t trembling or lost. She wasn’t swallowed by fear. He was pleased to see her this relaxed, after all the trouble she’d been through.
She turned to him. “Gabe…”
He closed the gap between them, unable to stop touching her for very long. Threading his fingers into her silky hair, he searched her eyes. “What is it?”
“That’s what I was going to ask you.” She dropped her stare to his chest, then lifted it to meet his eyes again, as brave as ever. “What is this? What are we?” The last came out as a whisper.
He swallowed hard. “This is us finding out what’s in that safe-deposit box.”
“And what else? This pull between us…” Her eyes were two dusty blue gems as she searched his.
He rested a hand on her hip, tugging her a little closer. “This pull between us is more.”
She nodded. “But I thought you were just taking a little break from your sister’s place.”
He blinked at her.
“Honor told me.” Her voice faltered.
He swished his thumb lightly behind her ear. “Don’t worry. I don’t mind that you know my history. I’ll tell you anything you want to know about me. But no. I…plan to stay on the Black Heart. Carson—he officially offered me a position on the team. He wants me to be part of the training facility.”
Her eyes widened. “Gabe, that’s huge. It’s so exciting!”
Her joy was contagious, and he kissed her with a quick stamp of his lips. “I’m honored to be part of the team. I don’t want to drift anymore. I want roots. I want purpose. I want to be part of Black Heart. But more importantly, I wantyou, bookshop.”
Her eyes swam with tears, and she made a noise in her throat.
He cupped the side of her neck gently. “I have feelings for you. Strong ones. And I’m done going slow when it comes to the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
Under his palm, her pulse jumped. She stepped close, chest to his, and searched his face for reassurance he meant every word.
He gave it to her by tipping her chin up and lowering his mouth to hers.
The kiss began gentle—with a sigh of surrender—but the second she opened for him, everything inside him surged forward in a claiming.
Her fingers fisted in his shirt, yanking him in as the heat rose fast between them. Gabe angled his head, deepening the kiss and pouring every ounce of emotion into that caress, leaving no doubt, no distance he wasn’t willing to cross for her.
This was it.
The beginning of everything.
* * * * *
Felicity wasn’t sure when her back found the wall of the cozy love nest, only that Gabe’s body was warm against hers and his kiss was making her see stars.
He kissed like a man who’d been waiting patiently for this exact moment. When she parted her lips for him, his restraint broke.
