Breathless (21 page)

A soft moan floated on the air around them, knocking one more chink from his armor of control.

Letting his hand fall from her breast, Gabe kissed her neck. Scraping his teeth across the sensitive skin, he trailed up to her ear, taking the soft lobe into his mouth just as his fingers slid between her legs.

Emma’s head fell back onto his shoulder, limp in his arms. He moved, positioning himself, so ready for her he only held on to his control through sheer determination.

“Emma? Do you have any protection?” he whispered.

Emma forced her eyes open. She nodded and pointed at the nightstand. “Top drawer.” She trailed off. Her voice wasn’t working properly anyway. She could barely breathe, let alone hold a conversation. Gabe’s scent was all around her, inside her, part of her.

He reached over and grabbed the small box from the drawer, repositioning himself behind her. The crackle of foil reached her ears. She felt him move, his chest pressing more firmly against her back, too drunk on sensation to do more than wish he’d hurry. His fingers returned, stroked, played her.

Velvet hardness pressed against her, beneath her.

His fingers kept up their rhythm, stroking, guiding, pressing. Gabe grasped her thigh with his free hand, moving her slightly and leaning her forward.

Air erupted from her mouth, her eyes flying wide open as he filled her, burying himself inside her, his mouth on her neck licking, teeth scraping, turning her into a slave for the release only his body could provide.

Emma speared her hand into Gabe’s hair, holding his mouth to her neck while he owned her, pushing deeper each time.

Her breath caught, shuddered, stalled in her lungs. The feel of him inside her overtook her mind. Ecstasy built, winding around her bones, teasing each nerve, spiraling through her blood in a whirlwind.

Emma bit down hard on her bottom lip, her head thrust back, her eyes shut against the storm rising within her.

Gabe grasped her hips and pulled her harder, tighter, faster onto him.

Emma’s cry burst from her parted lips, echoing around the large room. Her chest heaved with the effort to take in enough air, her lungs burning, straining for relief.

Gabe’s fingers clenched hard against her skin. Emma was plastered against his front, boneless. He raised her that little bit more, that one infinitesimal amount, his hands holding her in place.

Mouth pressed hard to the smooth, sweat-slicked column of her nape, Gabe whispered, “I love you, Emma.”

Moments later, Gabe came apart behind her. The force of his climax, along with his declaration, thrust Emma over the edge once more, her body surrendering to his

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Emma lay on her side where she’d collapsed moments earlier. There was no way she could move. She no longer had any muscles.

Gabe’s hard body pressed up against her back, his heavy breathing slowing and evening out. One arm draped over her hip possessively, his hand splayed flat on her stomach.

She managed to catch her breath. A small smirk started at the edges of her lips and wound up into a full smile, refusing to be quelled.

I love you, Emma.

She bit her bottom lip, trying to stop her happiness from leaking out all over the place. They said you could never believe a declaration of love from a guy trying to get you into bed—well, Gabe wasn’t sixteen and he’d already had her in bed. He didn’t need to give empty promises to get what he wanted. She’d been more than willing and hadn’t asked for a guarantee.

She wriggled farther back, squirming into Gabe’s chest. His whole body wrapped around her.

Emma placed her hand over the top of his where it lay on her stomach. The slight ridge of one part of her scar ran beneath his hand, disappearing around her side, then under her. He’d never mentioned it, not even the night they’d spent together. He’d kissed the line of it that night, traced it down over her abdomen with his mouth, but had never asked how, or why.

Stroking over the top of his hand, she ran her fingers up to his wrist, playing with the light dusting of hair she felt under the pads of her fingertips.

A hint of nervousness knotted her stomach. She’d been feeling this way, and fighting it, since she’d first met him the morning he’d come to play handyman and patch her broken pipes.

In the process, he’d patched her broken heart as well.

“I love you too.” Her words were soft, almost too quiet to be heard, but his breath stilled all the same. The creak of the timbers in the old house was the only sound she could make out as she strained to listen.

Gabe pulled back from her and rolled her over to face him. “What did you say?”

Emma dropped her gaze from his, looking at anything around the room. Anything but him. He’d already heard what she said, so she may as well make it official.

“I said I love you too.” Her eyes darted back to his, making it a challenge, daring him to ridicule her admission.

Silver light entered his stormy-grey gaze, brightening it to a light, sexy slate. “Now, that would have to be the best thing I’ve heard all day.”

Emma’s smile came back full force, a giggle of relief bubbling up out of her mouth. Before she could think of an appropriate response, a
bang
and the clatter of tiny hooves sounded from the kitchen, echoing down the hall, coming closer with each breath.

Ralph burst into the bedroom and clattered to a stop on the polished floorboards beside her bed, his huge ebony eyes staring over the side at them. He lifted his head and placed his nose on the edge of the comforter, snuffling and bawling.

Emma looked up at Gabe and bit her lip hard, trying not to laugh.

“I thought he was outside?” Gabe lifted a brow and reached over to scratch the calf’s nose.

Emma’s laugh erupted. “He was. I’m guessing that was my screen door we just heard go bang.” She contemplated Ralph, eyes nearly closed in response to Gabe’s scratching. “I take it you’re hungry?”

Gabe’s chuckle joined hers. “I’m thinking Captain Destruction here is going to have to come back to the farm. He’s grown quite a bit in five weeks. We can’t have him wrecking all your hard work fixing this place up.”

Emma twisted her head to look at Gabe properly. “I thought you didn’t have time to look after him? That you would have to put him down?”

Gabe had the grace to look shamefaced. At least for a moment. Until the smug satisfaction set in. “I may have exaggerated a little.”

Emma raised an eyebrow, indicating for him to continue.

“I wasn’t going to put him down. I’m a vet, remember? He’s going to be a stud bull, comes from a great line.” He shrugged a shoulder. “Jez rejected him, and there you were, with your cow phobia and this sad look in your eyes. I thought it was too good an opportunity to pass up.”

Emma thumped him hard on his bare chest, unable to be angry with him, but still wanting to let him know he was in the wrong. “You manipulative bastard! What did you hope to achieve?”

Gabe’s expanding grin wiped any annoyance from her body. “Exactly what I did. You aren’t scared of him, and while it may take longer to trust the bigger ones, it’s a darn good start.” He ran a knuckle down her cheek. “Plus, it gave me an excuse to see you all the time, even though I didn’t want to admit it.”

The grin faded from his full lips as he contemplated her. “You know, I still don’t have much time to myself. If he comes back home, he’ll need someone to help care for him until he’s big enough to go in with the others.”

Emma’s heart stuttered and stopped, jumping right into her throat. “What are you saying?”

A nervous smile flitted at the corners of his mouth, disappearing and reappearing in rapid succession. “I’m saying I love you.” His eyes closed for a moment, his expression brightening once he opened his eyes again. “Whoa… Saying it like this is harder than last time. And, I’m asking you to come home with me.” Hope lit silver sparks in his storm-colored eyes. “Will you?”

Elation rushed through Emma, washing over her, from her toes right up to her scalp, widening an enormous smile on her lips. She tamped the happiness that hearing him say those words brought. She nodded slowly, pretending to think about it.

“I guess so. I mean, someone has to make sure Ralph gets fed.”

Squeals and giggles erupted into the air as Gabe’s hands found their target, tickling her. He grabbed hold of both her hands in one and held them above her head, leaning down to stare into her eyes.

“I take it that’s a yes, because I’m not accepting any other answer.” His mouth found hers, his kiss possessive.

Emma sighed with pleasure against Gabe’s firm lips. “That’s a yes.”

About the Author

My first attempt at writing a book was about my first love—horses.

But this was no ordinary horse, he was from Alpha Centauri and could talk. I also illustrated this book. I learned the hard way that my writing was far better than my drawing skills.

Growing up on a steady diet of romance novels and sci-fi and fantasy in a house where reading of all kinds was encouraged, I never tired of finding fabulous books in both Speculative Fiction and Romance genres, but none crossing over. I dreamed of the day when the alpha prince would not only get his princess, but would get the chance to bring their relationship to the fore, making it a major plot line.

After marrying and having two fabulous children, I decided to combine my two loves and write the books I wanted to read. I love writing both alpha and beta heroes, all of whom I torture and make fall to their knees before their heroines and beg for mercy.

I live in a (not so) sunny part of Queensland, Australia, with my human and fur kids, and harbor a strange love of UGG boots. K- and J-Pop feature heavily in my home, especially when drafting my novels, drawing inspiration for my heroes from the music videos and anime, much to my children’s delight and my husband’s sufferance.

~ Dakota x

Look for these titles by Dakota Harrison

Now Available:

Exhale

She is the one dream that never had a chance to come true…until now

Exhale

© 2013 Dakota Harrison

Takeshi is finishing up a brutal double shift in the ER when a familiar—and bloody—face erases all thought of heading home. The broken body of the woman fighting for her life belongs to Gabby, his best friend’s mother. A woman he has rarely seen since he turned nineteen and foolishly declared his love for her.

She’s not dying today. Not on his watch. And not with a promise left unfulfilled.

Gabby has never forgotten the taste of the kiss Taka gave her under the mistletoe all those years ago. Or the silly promise that surely by now he’s forgotten. She’s wrong. Taka remembers. And she melts as he uses every trick in his highly trained surgeon’s hands to heal her—and rekindle the heat between them.

But there’s a secret lurking in Gabby’s past. And when it follows her all the way to Seattle, it threatens to drag the one man she loves into the nightmare she thought she’d left behind.

Warning: Contains a reluctant cougar heroine with a planeload of emotional baggage, a hot Asian surgeon who knows how to kiss it and make it better, and smoking hot love scenes that’ll give you a new appreciation for the tenacity of younger men.

Enjoy the following excerpt for
Exhale:

Gabby threw her keys down on the hall stand.

Lights blazed, welcoming her home. There was nothing worse than coming home to a dark house—it was so mournful. She kicked off her boots and padded through to the kitchen. Her jeans swished faintly on the timber flooring as she walked, the soft sound oddly reassuring. They were always a little too long when she bought them.

She flicked on the kettle and waited for it to boil.

The movie had been great. A nice little romantic comedy, the type that she could never seem to get Matt to agree to see.

She’d checked on them all only minutes ago. They hadn’t noticed her stick her head through the door and look around. Some had been dancing, some were already asleep in their sleeping bags, but most were still bouncing around having fun. So, she had decided to come up to the house and settle down in bed with a good book.

Untwisting her hair from the ponytail she’d forced it into, she dropped the heavy mass and rotated her head a few times to try and loosen up the kinks in her neck. She always came out of that cinema with a stiff neck. The seats were so old they must have been around with the dinosaurs.

The faint click of the kitchen door caught her attention. The smooth, firm line of Taka’s back muscles played under his tight-fitting tee shirt as he closed it. He looked at her and smiled.

“Past your bedtime?” She glanced at the clock. It was only two a.m.

He grinned nervously at her, a strange expression shadowing past his eyes. Gabby looked closer. What on earth had him nervous?

“Nope. I just wanted to catch you before you went to bed. You have a sore neck?” He motioned at her hand where she was rubbing at the base of her head.