He squeezed her hand. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Do I need a reason to look at you?"
"It's your smile. It makes me think you're up to something."
She stopped walking and stepped close to him. Her expression serious as she tried to keep her teasing mood from showing on her face. "Do you want me to be up to something?" Her voice sounded sultrier than she'd intended.
Gabe's eyes widened, and a grin split his face. "It depends." His own voice dropped, sending a ripple of warmth cascading over her as he shifted closer.
"On what?" She searched his warm brown eyes. She could get lost in their depths.
"If it has something to do…" He ran a finger along her jaw, bringing it to a stop near her mouth. "…with your pretty, glossy lips…" Each word sounded like a seduction as he caressed her bottom lip with his thumb. "…wishing me happy birthday."
Paige let out a breathy sigh and leaned into him. She moistened her lips with her tongue and watched his eyes grow wider. "Happy birthday, Gabe!" She threw her arm in the air as she shouted the words. Then she burst into laughter at the shocked look on his face.
She turned to move away from him, but his arms caught her around the waist and pulled her against his body. The heated look in his eyes doused her teasing mood and pushed the air from her lungs. The warm summer day suddenly got a lot hotter.
"You're such a tease." The deep timber of his voice sent goose bumps racing across her skin despite her rising temperature.
"I really am." Her smile returned.
Hope flared in her chest. She didn’t know what happened since last Saturday to cause this change in him, but like a sponge, she'd soak up every ounce of attention Gabe gave her. Hopefully, somewhere along the way, she’d convince him he didn't have to choose between her and his mom. Their relationship could survive the storms he faced with his mother. She'd show him she wasn't a flighty woman whose head turned every time she didn't get enough attention.
"I can tease too." His voice dropped even lower as he settled his hands on her hips and tugged her a little closer.
"Is that so?" She took her time sliding one hand up his chest and over his broad shoulder, before finally bringing it to a stop at the back of his neck to play with his thick hair that was due for a trim. The other hand she kept firmly planted on his chest.
He lowered his head, bringing his lips close to her ear. "Teasing isreally just…" His warm, minty breath against her ear and cheek sent her pulse racing. "…enjoying another person's discomfort."
She tilted her chin, angling her mouth closer to his ear. "Hmm…I don't think you're very good at it, because I'm quite comfortable at the moment."
A low chuckle rumbled through his chest, and his hands tightened on her hips. "So am I."
"Correct me if I'm wrong…" She leaned back to look him in the eye. "But it sounded like you were begging for a birthday kiss."
His lips quirked. "Beggingis a strong word."
"Your birthday was yesterday. I brought you cupcakes. If you wanted a birthday kiss, you should have asked for it then."
"In front of Nikki, Gladys, and Luke? No way."
"I'm sure Nikki would have been happy to give you a birthday kiss too." Paige laughed. "And I bet it wouldn't have taken much persuasion to get Gladys to join in."
Gabe growled, pulling her flush against him. "It was your idea to celebrate my birthday today with my mom and sister. So…" He kept one arm clamped around her waist as he lifted the other hand to caress her neck, his thumb lingering on the racing pulse below her jaw. "You should give me a gifttoday."
"I have presents for you back at your mom's house." Paige couldn’t hide the breathlessness in her voice. Resisting was getting harder by the second.
"But I want onenow." His voice dropped to a whisper. His face inched closer to hers as he slid his hand into her hair, sending tingles racing across her scalp. He cupped the back of her head.
She lifted her chin, angling it closer to his. "That sounds a lot like begging to me." Her words were airy; the teasing swallowed up by the anticipation of his lips on hers.
"Aren't we all beggars?" His breath mingled with her own, and the final thread of Paige's self-control evaporated.
"Indeed." He may as well have spoken the word, because his mouth was on hers before it had fully left her lips.
Warmth and contentment swept over Paige as Gabe's mouth claimed hers. The electrifying thrill she experienced the first time they kissed hit her again, amplified this time by a weeks’ worth of stubble on his jaw.
She plunged her fingers into the thick hair at the back of his neck as she savored each caress of his lips against hers. Her other hand gripped the t-shirt at his chest. If she didn't somehow ground herself, she feared she'd float away with the exhilarating energy that buzzed through her.
