Chapter 2
Shock held Dallas immobile as Gael moved in for the kiss. His mouth settled on hers and an explosion of heat filled her body. Once his tongue found and fondled hers, she gave into the desire she’d been holding in check since the first day they’d been assigned to work together three years ago. Giving into the pent up passion was freeing.
Insanity was the best way to describe the butterflies which fluttered low in her abdomen whenever he was within two feet of her. Always in the past, she’d tried to focus on the situation or emergency at hand. Anything to distract from the incredible scent of his golden skin. Great. Now she was thinking in terms of the flesh.
“You’re thinking, mi sol. Can’t you just enjoy the moment?” he whispered against her mouth, delivering a series of little nips along her lower lip.
Somewhere in the far reaches of her muddied brain, she recognized his accent had thickened. She’d only heard him resort to Spanish when he was angry or passionate about a cause. Always, it gave her a little thrill. Who didn’t find an impassioned Latino male hot?
She didn’t respond—because strangled cries were not attractive—and a croak would be all she could offer up at a time like this. Oh, fuck it! She plunged her hands into his thick, dark hair and pulled him closer. He was right, she thought too much.
The sound of their bodies slamming against the lockers reverberated. They paused, eyes wide, to listen for sounds of co-workers. Hearing none, they dove back into their make-out session.
Cool air brushed across the skin of her chest and brought Dallas out of her sexual haze. How the hell had Gael unbuttoned her shirt without her feeling it?
“Gael, stop,” she urged.
“Do we have to?” he asked, burying his face between the valley of her breasts while squeezing her mounds together. He caught her pebbled nipple through the material and tugged with his teeth.
“Oh, sweet Jesus!” she cried out.
He tugged the fabric to the side and latched on, suckling. “Is that a no?”
“Hmm, what?” She’d lost her train of thought.
“Do you still want me to stop?”
“No… yes… no… I don’t know,” she panted, hands burrowing under his t-shirt to run up along the V of his back. “What if someone comes in?”
He pressed his impressive erection between the junction of her legs. “Let’s go back to my place and finish this.” His deep baritone reached in and wove a spell around her, making it impossible to refuse. Hell, the magic could have been his thickening accent. At this point she was beyond discovering the reason. The man had drawn her in and destroyed any resistance with his heady kisses and lust-inducing touch.
“Yes,” she readily agreed. “Let’s go back to your place.”
By the time they’d redressed and grabbed their gear to head out, second thoughts rolled in.
Popping open his trunk, Gael threw his bag in and turned to her. He grimaced upon seeing her regretful smile. “You’ve changed your mind,” he stated, tone flat.
“I’m sorry, Gael. Truly. I just don’t see how this…” She waved a hand between them. “… can end well. We work together, and I’m difficult on a good day. You as much as said so yourself.”
“Nothing I can do or say is going to persuade you differently?”
“I’m sorry,” she repeated.
“Me too, mi sol,” he sighed heavily. “Me too.”
“Will you still go with me to visit Jared?”
“Sure. Hop in.”
He held open the door for her, and she placed a palm alongside his jaw. “Thank you, Gael.”
“For what?”
“For being amazing on every level and respecting my right to say no.”
His hand came up to cover hers where it rested on his face. “If ever anyone doesn’t, you let me know. I’ll be sure to pay them a visit.”
And just like that, she tumbled headlong in love. From day one he’d been her friend. Her very best, if she were being honest. But over the last half hour, so many things had come to light. The passion, the caring, the respect—together those things added up for her. In this one man, she’d found her all. Only Gael was pretty much a player. He could be sweet and affectionate with her because he knew she’d never demand anything more than the camaraderie they shared as partners. With other women, he was a bit more careless with their hearts.
Nerves took hold. This revelation scared her. She realized she needed time to sort through her newly discovered feelings.
“I know I’m flip-flopping back and forth, but I’m thinking maybe tomorrow morning might be better to go to the hospital. If you don’t mind, I’m going to head home. I’m pretty tired.”
He studied her for a moment, and she wanted to squirm under his regard. “Promise me no dwelling on the past, and I’ll let you go.”
“Promise,” she lied.
As she moved toward where she’d parked her car, she could feel his eyes following her. When she opened the rear door to deposit her bag, his voice came to her across the distance.
“Goodnight, D.J. Text me to let me know you got home safe.”
A lump formed in her throat, blocking her ability to vocalize her response. Instead, she nodded and offered up a tight smile.
* * *
Gael wasn’t born yesterday. It didn’t take a genius to understand Dallas had become spooked by her feelings for him. Containing his disappointment wasn’t all that difficult once he’d identified the emotions parading across her face. The most important being love. As he’d pressed her palm to his skin, he saw a lightbulb go on for her. She freaked herself out and shut down as she was want to do.
But he would change her mind in time. He only needed a foolproof plan of action. Perhaps he should call his cousin, Rod. The man knew women inside out—or at least he claimed to. Because he was still single, maybe he wasn’t the best option when it came to advice. Gael might not be able to reach him anyway. Last he’d heard, Rod had been helping couples act out fantasies off the coast of Panama somewhere.
Because Gael was feeling restless, he decided to go for the burger and beer he’d tried to tempt D.J. with earlier. He shot a text to Rod’s brother, Diego, and arranged to meet at a local dive.
The Barge was crowded for a Monday night, so he found a seat at the bar where Diego’s girlfriend was serving. After their standard greeting of a hug and kiss to each cheek, Gael asked after Becca’s man, “Diego was supposed to meet me. I thought he’d be here by now. He around?”
“I haven’t seen him yet today. You hungry?”
“Yep. Burger, hold the onions and pour me whatever you have on tap tonight.”
“You look down. What’s up?” Becca asked as she drew the beer.
Disgusted with himself for wearing his heart on his sleeve, Gael grimaced. “Am I that obvious?”
“Only to someone who knows you,” she laughed and slid the drink to rest directly in front of him.
Lifting his frosted mug in a silent toast to her stellar bartending skills, he took a sip. He let the cold liquid linger on his tongue for a few seconds before sliding down his throat. “Ah. I needed this tonight.”
“Want to talk about it? I’m due for a break soon.”
“I appreciate the offer, but there’s no real point to rehashing my woes.”
Another second chug of his beer went down smoother than the first. As wonderful as the beer tasted, the probability was slim of it washing away the flavor of Dallas’s mouth and skin. The memory was now burned into his very soul.
Gael snorted into his drink as he took another swig. God, now he was mentally dredging up drivel. His very soul? Okay, he couldn’t deny he loved her. He couldn’t deny she affected him on every level: heart, soul, body, and mind. However, he didn’t have to sit on this stool like a love-sick fool. And he’d be damned if he would wait for scraps of her affection.
Finishing off the last of his beer, he asked Becca to make his burger to go. “Oh, and would you also tell Diego something came up. I’ll call him tomorrow.” On the drive to Dallas’s apartment, he stopped for a bottle of wine and a grocery bag of her favorite junk foods. The darkened windows disturbed him when he pulled into the parking lot of her complex. At six-forty in the evening, she shouldn’t already be asleep.
Her confused expression upon opening the door caused his heart to ping. She honestly hadn’t expected him, or anyone, to be there for her.
“I told you I wasn’t leaving you alone tonight. I brought supplies.” He held up the wine and the canvas bag. “Besides, you never shot me a text to say you got home safe. I was worried.”
She compressed her lips. Whether the emotion was irritation or amusement, he couldn’t be sure since her eyes remained focused on the cheese puffs peeking over the edge of his goody bag. Stepping back, she allowed him to enter, but not before grabbing the package of puffs.
Because he knew the way to her kitchen, he headed directly there and flipped on the light. Not for the first time, he was struck by how stark her apartment seemed. How sterile. The walls were clean of pictures, knick knacks, or any other decorative item. Her counters were pristine without a single small appliance or house plant.
“Tomorrow I’m taking you to get a palm tree for the corner of your dining room. I can’t stand how bare it is in here,” he informed her while working the cork free of the bottle in his hand.
She removed two glasses from a cabinet and came to stand beside him. “You don’t live here. What does it matter to you whether there’s a plant in my dining room or not?”
“Because I have to visit, and this place is downright depressing.” He tapped his glass to hers and sipped the sweet red wine—another of her favorites. He frowned down into the burgundy liquid. A good part of the things he did on a daily basis were for her benefit. Even to where they ate during their shifts. He’d gotten into the habit of stocking what she liked at his place too.
He thought back to the night she’d first popped over and rummaged through his pantry. She’d cursed him for not having anything to eat though the shelves had been full at the time. His D.J. loved her junk food.
Yep, she’d integrated herself in every aspect of his life. Oddly enough, he didn’t mind. Any other woman and he’d be in full panic mode. But not D.J. The two of them were complete opposites in a lot of different ways, yet they meshed perfectly. He only wished she could see it.
“You know what would go even better than wine and cheesy puffs?” Dallas asked.
He grinned because he knew exactly where she was heading with this. The doorbell rang, and he laughed at her bewildered look.
“Your wish is my command,” he quipped, digging in his back pocket for his wallet.
“How do you know what I’m going to say?” she demanded, trailing him to the door.
He whipped it open to reveal the pizza delivery person on the other side. “Call it a hunch.”
“Pfft. You don’t know me,” she muttered and took the box from the man standing in the entry. The appreciative sniff of her bounty contradicted her words.
“Are you new?” Gael asked the delivery guy. “What’s your name, man?”
“Joe. A few months ago, I started working as a manager at the main restaurant located downtown. Our normal delivery guy called in sick tonight.”
“Since when does a manager deliver?” Gael asked, counting out bills.
“Since half of the staff is out with the flu,” Joe laughed.
A frown pulled at Gael’s brow. “You look familiar. Have we met?”
“I don’t think so, unless you’ve come into the restaurant lately.”
Gael noted the scar running from temple to jaw. The wound looked fairly fresh. “Did you have an accident or something recently? I know it’s an odd question, but I’m a paramedic. I notice things like recent injuries.”
Dallas stopped in scarfing down a slice she’d pulled from the box. “Now that you mention it, he does look familiar,” she said right before her eyes flew wide. “Yes! I know you.” To Gael she said, “Remember that multi-car pile-up on the interstate last year?”
“Holy shit! Of course!” Gael exclaimed. He reached out a hand to shake Joe’s. “How the hell have you been, man? It’s good to see you doing so well. It was touch and go there as I recall.”
“I’m good.” Joe smiled and waved away the money for payment of the pizza. “It’s on me. I never got to properly thank you for saving my life. By the time I woke from the coma…” He trailed off with an embarrassed shrug. “Anyway, I’ll let you two enjoy your night.”
After Joe left, Gael turned to Dallas, eyes wide. “I would not have laid odds on him surviving. Remember how terrible his injuries were?”
“I remember the blonde who hit him was all kinds of torn up about it. But it could’ve been worse. He could have been the other guy, who’d been barbecued,” she said, matter of factly, digging back into her dinner.
“Yeah, that was a crazy night,” he agreed. He shrugged it off and threw an arm across her shoulders. “I’m starved. I hope you saved me a bite.”