Page 29 of Visions of You

“The divemaster has some serious dance moves,” he said softly.

I smiled and tilted my head, emphasizing the length of my neck. A long, hot roll ran through me as he lowered his eyes to watch.

“I took years of dance classes growing up. What about you?”

That smile rose again. The smile I’d seen more in the last two days than in the last two weeks. “My dad made me take dancing lessons as a kid. I hated it. But after I went to college, I discovered it impressed women, so I guess he wasn’t totally full of it.”

I grinned as we danced together, circling to the sensuous, emotional music. “Why did he make you take dance lessons?”

Gabe briefly clenched his eyes shut. “Since I was the eldest son, he thought I should make a practice of dancing with all the blue-haired old ladies at the resort. You wouldn’t believe the fights we used to get into about it.”

“I can imagine. Though, the last time I looked, my hair’s not blue.”

“No, it’s certainly not.”

He removed his hand from my waist and reached behind my head. Removing my hair clip, Gabe shoved it in his pocket before fanning his fingers through my still-damp strands. The scent of my shampoo filled the air around us. His right hand still clasped my left, and he leaned over and took a deep breath. He was gentle, his motions slow and sumptuous. “Your hair is much too glorious to be pinned up like that. And it fits the song too.”

After running his fingers through my mane one final time, he placed his hand between my shoulder blades, over my hair, and softly stroked the strands with his thumb. The world faded away as we danced in a slow circle. I became oblivious to everyone around us.

Unaware of everything but the man holding me in his arms.

Gabe’s eyes were like liquid fire. He held me captive with them. “This song is appropriate for us. The very first time I saw you, your hair reminded me of spun gold. I pictured a wide field of it.”

“I wondered if you’d been born in the jeans you were wearing. They looked like they were a part of you. You took my breath away, Gabe.” My voice came out softer, huskier than normal.

In one smooth motion, he removed his hand from my upper back and softly grasped my jaw, stretching his thumb along my jawline. Holding my face still, he lowered his head and kissed me.

The pure confidence of his move made my legs weaken. His hold on my jaw was light—I could pull away if I wanted to. Which was thelastthing I was thinking about. As our mouths melded together, his lips were soft and yet firm at the same time.

I let go of his hand and linked my arms around his neck. At the same time, he slid his hand up to softly cup the side of my face. Neither of us deepened the kiss. Though the beach was nearly deserted, certainly some people could be watching us.

And I didn’t care.

A soft, yearning moan escaped from my lungs and his hand tightened on my cheek. With one final brush of lips, I pulled away to rest my head against his chest. Gabe wrapped his arms around me, lifting one to press my head to his chest. His heart pounded under my ear. Though outwardly he appeared calm, the rapid pulse I heard—and felt—said otherwise.

He was a man of contradictions.

I took another deep inhale, catching his scent for the first time. Pure male. “A few minutes ago was the first time I’ve ever heard you laugh.”

Gabe’s swaying feet paused in their rhythm for a moment before continuing. “I don’t laugh much.”

I pulled my head back to meet his eyes. “I liked it, Gabe.”

He stroked a finger down my cheek. “So did I.”

The song ended, and the performers announced they were done for the night.

I blinked, feeling like I had been brought down to earth after soaring in the clouds. Suddenly, I could feel the sand under my feet, and the lights strung overhead were too bright. Charli wiped the counter with a rag, and Felicia cleaned the grill, both studiously not looking at us. Like it was any other night.

Except it was anything but.

“It’s getting late, and we both have to start early tomorrow,” Gabe said softly. “Let me walk you home.”

His words brought a pang of disappointment, even though I recognized the sense of them. I smiled as we headed toward the concrete path. “Protecting me from marauding six-toed cats?”

He clasped my hand and swung it softly as we walked. “Calypso Key’s pretty safe, but that doesn’t matter. This is who I am.”

I recalled his face that day when he hadn’t known where Hailey had wandered off to. And his relief when he’d seen her with me. Safe. Yes, Gabe was protective. I squeezed his hand. “Thanks.”

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