Gabe (Men of Clifton Montana Book 2) (7 page)

* * * *

Gabe was
cleaning a stall when he looked up to see Wyatt walking toward him.
By the looks of him, he had something on his mind. Gabe had
a feeling he was about to have a replay of his encounter with Jake, something
he really wasn’t in the mood for. He set the shovel aside and put his T-shirt
on. Wyatt stopped in front of him. Gabe
waited and
finally, he sighed. “What?” he asked his brother.

Wyatt
leaned against the stall doorjamb. “Since when have you been interested in
Emma?”

Gabe
took a deep breath. “I’m not interested in Emma.” He folded his arms across his
chest in a manner he r
ecognized as defensive, but
couldn’t help doing it.

“That’s
bullshit, Gabe. Christ! I saw the way you were looking at her. You wanted to
lick the chocolate off her the other day.”

Gabe
hung his head, let his arms drop, and then took his gloves off.
“Truth?
”
Wyatt nodded. Gabe sighed. “I’m
not sure when it started. I just realized she’s a beautiful woman and suddenly,
I wanted…well, I want to get to know her better.”

“Damn
it. We’re dropping like flies. First Jake, now you, Well, I won’t be that
stupid again
,” Wyatt growled.

Gabe
shook his head. “You think falling in love is stupid? That little bitch really
did do a number on you, didn’t she? That was a long time ago, Wyatt. It’s over,
move the hell on.”

“Easy
for you to say, you have no idea how it felt. You
weren’t the one she made a fool of, and no one in this town wants to let it go.
I thought I found the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with and
believed she felt the same, then a week before the wedding she decides I’m not
the one.” Wyatt was a
ngry and he was right. Gabe had
no idea how it felt.

“You got
off easy, if you ask me. Stephanie wasn’t the right one for you.”

Wyatt
moved to stand in front of Gabe, nose to nose. “I didn’t ask you.”

Gabe
pushed him. “Maybe you should have. She’s a spoile
d
rich bitch and she never would’ve made you happy.” Gabe shoved him again. Wyatt
came toward him but just then, Jake entered the barn and grabbed Wyatt’s arm.
Wyatt shrugged him off, but continued to glare at Gabe.

“Cut it
out. What the hell is going on?”
Jake yelled at both
men, pushing them away from each other.

Wyatt
pointed at Gabe. “He’s got it bad for Emma.”

Jake
looked at Wyatt. “Why does that bother you?”

Wyatt
shook his head and after sending a glaring glance at Gabe, left the barn. Jake
watched h
im leave then turned to Gabe. “He’s not
interested in Emma, is he?”

“No.
He’s upset because you have
Becca
, and I want to see where this
thing with Emma is going.” Gabe shrugged. “Maybe he’s tired of being alone
too.” His own words echoed in his head. Was
he tired
of being alone?

“He
needs to get past this shit with Stephanie.”

Gabe
chuckled. “Yeah well, that’s how all this started. That’s about what I said.”

Jake put
his hands on his hips and narrowed his eyes at Gabe. “I’m glad I stopped by
then or you
two would be rolling on the ground by
now.”

“Why did
you stop by?”

“I
brought the papers for the competition in September. You need to fill them out
if you plan on competing.”

Gabe
took the papers and nodded. “I’ll get them in the mail tomorrow.” He grinne
d at Jake. “I’m glad you came over when you did, otherwise
I’d be kicking Wyatt’s ass about now.”

Jake
laughed. “Think again.”

Gabe
joined in the laughter. He knew Jake was right. “Hell, I don’t have to think
about it. He always could kick my ass.” They ta
lked
for a while longer about the competition, and then Jake left to head home to
Becca
. Gabe finished up in the
stables. As he headed inside to get a shower, he decided he was going to make a
trip to the B and B to see Emma. It was time they settled this
thing between them.

* * * *

Emma sat
in her apartment alone. Olivia was on a date with Ryder and the guests were all
on a camping trip. Usually the trips didn’t include all the guests, but the B
and B guests all belonged to one family so they all went ca
mping this time. Emma sighed as she tried to find something
to watch on television. A Friday night and here she sat, alone. As she flipped
through the channels, she wondered what Gabe was doing and who was he doing it
with.

She went
into the kitchen to get
a drink when someone knocked
at the back door. She looked through the window and discovered Gabe standing
there. What was he doing here? Blowing out a breath, she moved slowly to the
door, opened it but blocked the doorway, and looked up at him. He had a
grin on his handsome face, and she wished he hadn’t.

“I take
it you’re not going to invite me in?” Gabe put one hand up inside the doorjamb
and the other on his hip.

“What
are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be out on a date or…something?”

Gabe
chuckled, giv
ing her a cock-eyed smile.
“Something?”

Emma
huffed. “What are you doing here, Gabe?”

He moved
forward, pushing his way in. “I came to see you.” He glanced around. “Where is
everyone? It’s mighty quiet.”

“The
guests are on a camping trip and Olivia is…” Sh
e
stopped. She realized she didn’t want Gabe knowing she was alone.

“Olivia
is…what?” Gabe pulled a chair out from the table, turned it around, and
straddled it, pushing his hat back on his head. He looked incredibly sexy.

“Asleep.”
Emma swallowed hard and
directed her gaze away from
him. When he burst out laughing, she spun back around to face him. She folded
her arms across her chest and glared at him.

“It’s
seven o’clock on a Friday night and there is no way Liv is asleep, so where is
she?” Gabe grinned,
showing off those pearly whites.

“She’s
on a date,” she grumbled.

“With who?”
Gabe raised his eyebrows.

“Ryder.”

Gabe
frowned. “I didn’t know they were dating.”

She
shook her head. “They’re not. This is their first date.”

* * * *

Gabe
knew Emma was
nervous being alone with him. Really
now, did she think him such a cad that he’d attack her? “Are you afraid of me,
Emma?” he asked softly.

“Should
I be?”

He
stood, slowly moved toward her, and came to a stop in front of her.

“No. I’d
never intentionally h
urt you.” He reached out to
touch her hair and tugged lightly on her ponytail. He allowed his eyes to soak
up the beauty of her face. Her eyes widened when he started to lower his head.
His lips touched hers. Softly at first, then he deepened it when she o
pened to him. Gabe growled in the back of his throat when
she shyly touched her tongue to his. Her hands slid around his neck as he
backed Emma up until her back was against the kitchen counter. He leaned into
her, letting her feel how much he wanted her a
gainst
her belly. He smiled against her lips when she reached up, took his cowboy hat
off, and tossed it to the floor. His lips traced across her cheek to her ear,
taking the lobe into his mouth. He gently bit it, making her shiver. He trailed
his mouth do
wn her neck to her shoulder, before
tasting his way back up to her lips.

“I want
you, Emma,” he said against her lips. She pulled back from him and gazed up at
him. Those blue eyes were killing him. “Either tell me to go, or take me to
your bed.”

Gabe saw
her swallow as she glanced away, then back. Emma
reached for his hand, and as if in answer to a silent prayer, led him to her
bedroom. Once in the bedroom, he kicked the door shut and moved to the bed with
her. He picked her up and laid her on the bed befo
re
pulling his T-shirt over his head. Emma groaned. Gabe sat on the edge of the
bed and pulled his boots off. Emma sat up and started pulling her shirt off,
but he stopped her with his hand. She looked at him, confused. “I want to
undress you…please,” he w
hispered and grinned when
she blushed. He stood up and unsnapped his jeans, but stopped when she turned
away from him. He put his knee on the bed and bent over her. His hand cupped
her chin and he turned her to look at him. “I can stop any time, Emma. All
you have to do is say no.”

“You
might be able to stop, Gabriel Stone, but I can’t. I’ve wanted this for too
long,” Emma said softly, making him want her more.

Gabe
stood up and slowly unzipped his jeans. He was so hard he had trouble getting
the zipper dow
n. Shoving his jeans down and off his
legs, he settled down beside her, leaving his boxer briefs on. His hand moved
to her waist as he lowered his head to capture her lips with his in a slow
kiss. When he felt her respond, he nibbled his way down to the si
lky skin of her neck, while his hand moved under her shirt
and up to cup her breast. Emma groaned and arched into his hand giving him the
permission he needed. He lifted her T-shirt over her head and groaned when he
saw the peach colored bra. He gazed into
her eyes
while he unclasped the front closure. Her breasts spilled free making him close
his eyes. He swallowed hard.

“Gabe…”

He
kissed her. “I knew you’d be this beautiful,” he said, his voice a near moan.
“I knew it.” His hand moved to the snap of her j
eans
and lowered the zipper. He kissed his way down along her neck, over her warm
skin, until he reached her beautiful breasts. Taking one of her nipples into
his mouth, he sucked on it, hearing her moan low in her throat. Emma’s fingers
plowed through his
hair urging him on, so he gave her
other lovely breast some attention too. After he made her nipples distend into
tight peaks, he lifted his head slightly, and blew on them.

“Gabe…”
Emma groaned as she shivered.

He
pulled her up into a sitting position,
reached behind
her, and let her ponytail down. His fingers moved through the long strands then
he leaned over her as she lay back down, fanning her hair out over the pillow.
His mouth moved along her belly, pressing kisses on her skin as he pushed her
jean
s down over her thighs. He raised himself up,
straddled her, and pulled them off. She lay there in front of him in nothing
but her peach colored boy-cut panties. His eyes met hers as he lowered his head
to her stomach and kissed the soft skin just above he
r
panties. Then he hooked his fingers in the waistband, and lowered them down her
legs, removing them. Gabe let his gaze roam freely over her. The dark blonde
curls between her legs beckoned to him. Lifting one of her legs, he ran his
tongue along her inne
r thigh making her gasp, before
moving to caress the other one. Emma’s hands were pulling his hair, but he
didn’t care because he was going to take his time.

Gabe
glanced up at Emma’s face as he slid his tongue across her skin and teased her
belly button e
ven as his fingers slipped between her
legs. He pushed her legs apart, and moved a single finger along the crease in
her folds. She was wet and ready for him, but he wanted more from her. Slowly
he inserted his finger, and then another. Emma gasped. He mov
ed his tongue down through her soft curls, and circled her
clitoris, feeling her tense and move against him. He put his arm across her
waist to keep her still as his tongue moved up and down through her folds,
tasting her. Each time he moved back to her cl
itoris,
she pulled on his hair. He knew she was close because he felt her clenching
around his fingers. He sucked on her and rubbed her sensitive nub with his
teeth. Emma screamed out his name as she came.

Gabe
practically tore his underwear off and reache
d for
his jeans to get a condom. He was so hard he ached. Emma lay panting under him
as he sheathed himself and slid between her legs. Kissing her deeply, he slowly
tried to move into her. Damn, she was tight, he thought as he push
ed into her. Then, he fel
t it—
a resistance he hadn’t expected. He pulled back from her
when she let out a loud gasp.