Page 44 of Gypsy's Lady
“No, honey. Nothinglike that.”
Louder, her voice was brusque when she said, “Right. It’s all explained now.” She went from holding onto him to pushing away within a breath. “I get how it is. Wh-why would someone as beautiful as you want me?” Her neck twisted, angling her face away. “You could have anyone. Nu-no need to settle.” She shifted in his arms, shoving at his chest. “And here you sit, saddled with damagedgoods. I’m so sorry.”
“Kelsey, honey.” He tightened his grasp on her. “I’m not saddled with anything. I want you with me.” Her sobbing laughter tore through him, making her disbelief clear. “I like you, darlin’. This isn’t me settling.”
Eyes squeezed tightly closed, she repeated herself, “You can stop now. I get it.”
Gypsy leaned down, running his nose along the curve of her cheek, breath catchingat the sight of tears clumping her lashes. “Kelsey, listen to me.” She didn’t respond, but her efforts to push him away slowed and stopped. “You seriously think for one minute I don’t want you? That you’re not desirable?” He paused and waited, but she turned farther away, cheek pressed into the pillow. “You’re wrong.”
“No, I’m not.” Lip caught between her teeth, she forced the words out, chestrising and falling with each gasped breath. “I’m not.”
“Yes, you are.” Her insecurity tore at his heart, and he searched for a way to make her believe him. Only one thing came to mind.I’ll show her.
He shifted and stretched out beside her on the mattress. He shoved an arm under her, wrapped his other around her waist as he pulled her close, and tucked her body tight against his. She tried toturn away from him, but Gypsy held her fast, waiting until she was finally resting quietly. Gypsy thrust his knees under her legs, wedging himself into place, holding her as if she were seatedonhis lap.
Mouth to her ear, he told Kelsey, “You’re wrong, darlin’. You think I get hard for just any woman?” With a controlled push, he lifted his hips, grinding his erection against her ass. “Feel that?Feel me?” The way her breath caught in her throat was enough of an answer, so he murmured, “Yeah, you feel me. You know what it means. I want you. I want you all the fuckin’ time, Kelsey. Kills me to hold back, honey.” He ground against her again, and gently bit the side of her neck when she pushed back against him. “I’ve been giving you space, Kels. Trying hard to be the good guy, but you’reall I think about. You’re everything I want, promise you. Hell, I jack off in the shower every morning because sleeping next to you is sweet, sweet torture.” He shifted his hold from her waist to a hip, pulling her down as he pushed up again, the pressure of his swollen dick behind his jeans a delicious pain.She’s so fuckin’ perfect for me.
“You do?” Still edged with tears, her voice was lighter,filled with wonder.
“Hell, yeah. Wanna make love to you.”She won’t remember the words, he thought,but she’ll hold onto the emotion. With that, he gave himself permission to be fully truthful with her. “From the first moment I laid eyes on you, you’ve been it for me, Kelsey. You’re whatI think about when I wake, and the last thing on my mind as I go to sleep. I want you, honey. Want you inmy life, forever.”
“Oh, Gypsy.” She sighed, the breath so deep her ribs visibly expanded under his hold. “I want that, too. I’m tired.” Snuggling against him, she yawned widely, her jaw cracking with the strain. “Oh! I think I’m rat-arsed.”
“Sleep, Kelsey. I’ll be here with you.” He listened to her breathing slow, becoming even as she began to drift to sleep.
Barely a whisper, she asked, “Promise?”
“Yeah, darlin’. I promise I won’t leave you.” She relaxed into him, her arms folded between them, soft breaths gusting across the taut muscles of his chest. “I won’t ever leave you.” He held her, already dreading the moment he’d have to let her go.
***
Kelsey
She didn’t realize she’d cast her eyes down until the rough touch of Gypsy’s curled knuckle brushed against the underside of her chin.Kelsey looked up and into his eyes, blinking away any trace of the tears that had been threatening. They were walking to meet Tugboat and Maggie for a meal. She had been going over the things she remembered from the night before, finally convinced it was all a dream.
“Darlin’, what’s wrong?” He’d stopped in front of her and was staring down, tiny wrinkles between his eyebrows. It didn’t takehim but a moment to figure her out, and she watched as the corners of his eyes tilted, crinkling. “Honey, tell me what you needandI’ll do it, I promise.”
“I-I.” Shutting out the sight of him, she held her breath until the sobs receded, and hopefully that damn stutter with them. “I know.” Blinking against the brightness of sunshine, she focused on his eyes. Kind and so damn beautiful, they’dbecome a welcome anchor for her when they were talking. “I told you. I feel silly. How will they know I wasn’t just pulling something? I don’t want them to think me a fool.”
“Because riding cross-country is hard on the body, and we all know it. We talked about that.” He grinned, which meant he’d seen the tip of her nose crinkle, and then his expression smoothed out. He opened the door, usheringher through. “Now let’s get something to eat.”
Maggie was waving from a booth across the room with Tugboat seated next to her, welcoming smiles on their faces and as Kelsey closed in on their table, Tug’s deep voice greeted her, “Miss Kelsey. Glad to see you found a way to roll that reprobate behind you out of bed. You excited about getting on the road this morning?”
Kelsey stared at them indisbelief. Maggie had already drawn Tug’s attention back to the menu on the table in front of them, the moment as natural and unforced as anything Kelsey had experienced.They aren’t going to make me feel like I’ve gone round the bend. She pulled in a deep breath, losing part of it in a surprised huff when Gypsy’s hand settled on the small of her back. She looked up at him, taking in the sightof his confident, warm smile aimed in her direction.
“Ready when you are.” Gypsy nodded towards the booth and Kelsey scrambled to slide in, easing across the seat. “Want tea?”
She stared at the menu lying on the table, angled to fit the space between her and Gypsy. It was exactly as overwhelming as she remembered and the tightness that had threatened to close her throat returned, stripping herof the ability to respond. As if he read her mind, Gypsy swept it away, resting it at the end of the table without looking at the dizzying array of images and words.
“Kelsey, you want tea?” She nodded slowly. “Milk?” Only when his big hand covered half the menu did she realize her gaze had remained fixed on it. “Kels, don’t worry about that.” His voice wasquiet,but firm, and she felt her musclesrelax a tiny bit. “You want milk in your tea today?”
His lips looked different today. Fuller, redder, more striking than they had before. Maybe softer, as if they’d mold firmly to her own. Kelsey let her gaze lock on his mouth, cataloging the changes. When he smiled at her, the bottom lip bowed down, giving her a glimpse of his tongue and teeth. “Kelsey?” She saw and heard her name come fromhis mouthandit made her shiver. “Pancakes and bacon?”
Slamming her lids shut for a moment, she straightened on the seat before opening her eyes. The napkin holder was on this end of the tableandshe reached out, pulling two from the metal container, placing them flat on the surface. The simple act helped slow her heart, freeing her words at least a little. “Ju-just tea, thanks.”
Gypsy turnedas the waitress approached the table and ordered. “One tea, leave a lot of room for milk, and one coffee, black.” Apparently, he’d remembered her penchant for doctoring up her tea. His hand left the top of the table and settled on her leg. When he pressed down, she realized her knee had been jerking up and down. Without missing a beat, he told the waitress, “I’ll have two plates of scrambled eggsand crispy bacon. One with wheat toast, one with white.”
“Maggie wants a cup of yogurt and some fruit. Can you do that?” Tugboat chimed in, laying their menu on top of the one Gypsy had moved away from Kelsey. “For me, I’ll take biscuits and gravy. Throw some eggs over medium on there, too. Two coffees, black.” Maggie smiled at Kelsey and shook her head.
