When Jeb took a step toward his son, Jeremy shoved his younger brother behind him and lifted his chin in defiance.
So it had come to this, then.
“You do what I say, boy,” Jeb hissed. “Don’t make me tell you twice.”
Jeremy adjusted his stance like he was spoilin’ for a fight. “No. What are you going to do if I don’t? Kill me too?”
Jeb narrowed his eyes. “I should’ve known you couldn’t take your brothers’ places at my side. You’re useless. I’ll handle this myself.”
“After you let Sandra go, right?” Jeremy said as Jeb strode from the room.
Jeb scoffed. “She’s not going anywhere. And if I catch either one of you boys trying to get her out of her room or sneaking food to her, you’ll end up the same way.” He glared at his youngest son. “Brian, go use the kitchen phone and call your uncles. Tell them I’m calling a family meeting.”
* * *
Elle rested her head on Gabe’s chest and grinned as his fingers lightly smoothed up and down her spine. “That was incredible.”
He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Incredible is an understatement.”
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly on a long, contented sigh. “Why didn’t we do this sooner?”
He chuckled. “It wasn’t for lack of trying on my part, let me tell ya.”
She kissed his chest, loving the way he groaned with need. She was beginning to recognize that particular sound and what it meant, and that knowledge made her shiver as he rolled her onto her back and captured her mouth in a hungry kiss.
When the kiss ended, he raised his head and peered down at her, brushing her hair away from her face. The look in his eyes was so filled with emotion, her throat constricted. “Gabe, is something wrong?”
He shook his head. “No. In fact, everything’s right. It scares the hell out of me.”
“Why?” she asked, confused. “Do you regret what’s happening between us?”
“God no!” he assured her. “Not for a second.” His fingertips trailed along the curve of her face as his gaze took her in.
“Then what is it?” she prompted, the gravity of his mood worrying her. “Something’s on your mind, I can tell.”
His gorgeous, full lips curved up into a grin. “Making love to you all night is the only thing on my mind right now.”
He was lying. But why?
She lifted her chin, granting him access to her throat as his lips explored her skin, arching into him as his mouth teased her breasts, holding him close as he made love to her again, slowly, languidly, as if savoring every moment.
But when he would’ve withdrawn from her, she wrapped her arms and legs around him, keeping him where he was. “All night long?” she whispered. “Is that your plan?”
He nodded, nuzzling near her ear. “Every night,” he murmured. “If you’ll let me.”
Her heart began to pound, fluttering against her chest. “Gabe—”
He stopped her words with a kiss, then lifted his head to meet her gaze. “I love you, Elle.”
Her breath caught in her lungs. She’d longed to hear those words since she was a teenager, had denied herself even the smallest hope of ever hearing them. And now she couldn’t quite believe them.
She shook her head a little, clearing away the blissful haze that always descended upon her when she was in Gabe’s arms. “What did you say?”
“I love you,” he repeated. “I know it’s probably too soon to say that. But—”
“I love you, too,” she said, the words coming out before she could stop them. “I always have.”
His breath shot out of him on a sharp exhale, and he pressed his forehead to hers. Then he was kissing her again, his fingers spearing into her hair. But there was something off in his kiss, something in the way his lips clung to hers, that made her search his gaze for answers when he at last drew the kiss to a close and got up to dispose of the condom. When he returned to bed, he pulled her back into his arms without a word, holding her close to his heart as if afraid to let her go.
