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He groaned as he dipped his head to run his tongue over the hard point of her nipple, drawing it into the heat of his mouth and ru
God, she was actually going to come from the combination of what he was doing to her nipples while he pressed against her.
“Gavin . . . Don’t stop.”
“I’ll never stop loving you, Ella. Never.” He sucked hard on her nipple and thrust against her until she came with a sharp cry of pleasure. “Yes, baby, yes. Let me hear you.”
Mindful of their neighbors and who they were, she didn’t fully give in to the urge to scream, but she wanted to.
“Mmm,” he said against her nipple as he continued to stroke his tongue over her sensitive skin. “You’re so hot when you come. I could watch that all day and never get tired of seeing you let go.”
She ran a hand down the front of him, cupping his hardness. “What about you?”
“That was more than enough for me.”
“It wasn’t enough for me. Turn over.”
“No, El, really . . . We don’t have to.”
“Turn over.”
Sighing, he flopped onto his back. “If you touch me, I’ll explode.”
“That’s kind of the idea, isn’t it?” She kissed her way down the front of him, paying homage to his rippling abs before freeing him from the board shorts he’d worn to the beach.
“Ella . . . Christ . . .” As she stroked him, he raised his hips, and true to his word, he came within seconds of her first touch. “Told ya.”
“Feel better?”
“A little.” He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. “I won’t feel completely better until I can do that inside you again, until you stop waiting for me to fuck up again, until I’m sure that you’re sure you can trust me to be what you need. Then I’ll feel better.”
She rested her head on his shoulder. “Today was a good day.”
“Tomorrow will be, too. So will the day after and the day after that. You’re stuck with me.”
CHAPTER 29
And now these three remain: faith, hope
and love. But the greatest of these is love.
—1 Corinthians 13:13
Over the next few days, Gavin went out of his way to make sure his actions matched his words, choosing Ella’s company over that of his friends, arranging a candlelight di
While the guys were golfing, Ella spent the afternoon at the spa with Ha
“Hey, baby,” he said, kissing her temple as he wrapped an arm around her waist. “How was the spa?”
“Heavenly. How was the golf?”
“An exercise in frustration.”
She smiled up at him. “Seems to be the word of the week, huh?” Though they’d continued to make out every chance they got, among other things, they’d yet to actually make love.
“It’s been a great week. I’m sorry it’s already time to go home. Maybe we can come back here sometime.”
“Maybe.”
“Can we take a walk on the beach before di
“Sure. I need to grab a quick shower, and then I’m all yours.”
“I like the sound of that. All mine.” He leaned in to kiss her. “Don’t keep me waiting too long. I’ve already had to be without you for hours today.”
He was wearing her down. There was no way to deny the heady feeling that overtook her whenever he said things like that or looked at her in that particular possessive way. Tonight, before they returned to their real lives and whatever awaited them there, she would make love with him. She couldn’t wait to be close to him like that again.
Ella rushed through her shower and dried her hair until it hung in waves down her back. The tropical humidity would undo the work of the straightener, so she didn’t bother, leaving it to curl naturally. She dressed in a floral halter dress and slipped her feet into a pair of wedges. A coat of lip gloss finished off her outfit. She emerged from the bathroom to find Gavin dressed in a yellow polo and plaid shorts. He was so handsome, and despite the ups and downs they’d encountered, he still took her breath away.
“Wow,” he said on a low whistle. “You look amazing.”
“So do you.”
He held out a hand to her. “Shall we?”
Ella took his hand and followed him from the room. The sun was still an hour or more from setting, but the beach was largely deserted except for a few late-day sun worshipers. They walked a long way down the beach, almost to the end of the resort’s property.
“Come check this out,” he said, nodding to a cabana that had been erected on the beach. Gauzy curtains fluttered in the breeze, ready to seal off the occupants from the outside world.
“What is it?”
“You’ll see.”
Inside the cabana, a member of the resort staff awaited them. “Mr. Guthrie, Ms. Abbott, welcome.” Beside a double lounge chair, a bottle of champagne chilled in an ice bucket and a tray of fruit, cheese and crackers was on a table. “I trust everything is to your liking, sir?”
“It is,” Gavin replied. “Thank you so much.”
“My pleasure. Enjoy.”
“You did this?” she asked when they were alone.
“Yep.”
“When?”
“Today when I was supposedly golfing.”
“You didn’t play golf?”
“Nope. I did this, among other things.”
“What other things?”
He gestured to the lounge. “Have a seat, make yourself comfortable and I’ll tell you.”
Burning with curiosity, Ella did as he asked, kicking off her shoes and sitting on the lounge.
Gavin popped the cork on the champagne and poured glasses for both of them before joining her. “Snack?”
“Sure.”
He placed the tray on the canvas cushion between them.
Ella ate a strawberry and a piece of pineapple. “This is nice. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Are you going to tell me what else you did today when you were supposed to be golfing?”
“I went shopping.”
“You . . . you did what?”
“I went shopping,” he said again, amusement dancing in his eyes.
“For what?”
He slid a hand under one of the pillows and produced a small velvet box that he handed to her. “For this.”
Ella’s heart kicked into overdrive as she studied the box he’d put in her hand. “W-what is it?”
“Open it and see.”
“Gavin . . . I don’t know . . .”
He placed his much larger hand over hers. “Open it, Ella.”
Though her hands trembled madly, she managed to flip open the box to discover a stu
He put the fruit tray back on the table and turned to her. “I realized this week that there was only one thing I could do to make you absolutely certain that I’m in this to stay. That I needed to go big or go home, as Caleb used to say.” He cupped her cheek, compelling her to look at him. “I love you more than I can ever tell you. I’ve loved you for as long as I can remember. Every time you came to my rescue, I fell deeper in love with you. And when I thought I’d lost you forever, I experienced the kind of grief I’ve only known one other time in my life. I don’t want to feel like that ever again. I don’t want to spend another day without you. I don’t want to sleep another night without you tucked in next to me. I don’t want to live without the special joy that only you bring to my life. I was a dead man walking until you set your sights on me, Ella, and you single-handedly brought me back to life. I know I’m a bad bet, but I’m determined to be what you need. Will you please marry me and be mine forever, even on the days I don’t deserve you?”