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Category: Erotica/Erotic Romance
Description: A past with three, a future for two? Sequel to A Question of Trust. Gabe Carter and his best friend Connor's passion for threesomes brought Tina Jenkins into Gabe's bed--and into his heart. As a matter of honor, he gave up the woman he loved. Time passes, times change and old promises fall away, but Gabe is still in love with Tina. Now he's going after his heart's desire. Tina has her own opinion about Gabe's sense of honor. His departure tore apart the most special of bonds and destroyed her relationship with Connor, leaving her brokenhearted. It took her a long time to pick up the pieces, a struggle she doesn't wish to repeat. When Gabe shows up at her favorite coffee shop, she knows just where to tell him to stick his apology. Gabe isn't so easily put off--and Tina can't help but respond to his seduction. Picking up where they left off is tempting, but Gabe wants her all to himself. And Tina wants the whole package, which includes Connor. At the risk of crushing his hopes for the future, Gabe sets out to prove he's more than enough man for her? Warning: If piping hot sex, ménage scenes, adult toys, anal play, short blonde heroines and stacked, muscular heroes are not your cup of tea, then don't read this book. You won't enjoy it.
eBook Publisher: Samhain Publishing, Ltd., 2009 2009
eBookwise Release Date: November 2009

21 Reader Ratings:

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Available eBook Formats: OEBFF Format (IMP) [190 KB]
Words: 38955
Reading time: 111-155 min.

Tina checked her watch. "Nineteen minutes," she warned, and he suppressed the urge to kiss her senseless.

"Then let's not waste time." He had less than twenty minutes to convince Tina to let him back into her life. Twenty minutes within which his future happiness rested. Well, at least a shot at his future happiness. He climbed out of his car.

Tina followed suit.

"Uh uh," Gabe warned. "Don't leave your sketch pad behind. Bring it along." If he was going to change her life he needed the pad. And damn, he wanted to make a difference to her future. Almost as much as he wanted to be a part of it.

Tina shrugged and did as he said. They walked up the pathway of a small, picturesque house with a beautiful landscaped garden. Several strategically placed sculptures highlighted a water feature and a rock garden. It was a yard worthy of a feature in Better Homes and Gardens.

"Okay, I'm curious. Where are we?" Tina asked as she looked around.

"Ever heard of Valerie Carnell?" He kept his gaze on her. As beautiful as the garden was, it paled in comparison to her.

Tina sighed. "Don't tell me. She's another one of your women."

Gabe laughed out loud. "Not even close. We met a while back, at a fundraiser organized by the children's cancer ward at the hospital." Gabe had had a special interest in the fundraiser since he'd treated several patients from the ward in his physical therapy practice.

Tina nodded. "I heard about that. It was a photographic exhibition right?"

Gabe nodded and rang the front doorbell. "Right. I got to know Valerie then. She's an amazing woman. I think you'll like her."

Tina wrinkled her nose, an action Gabe had always found both sexy and endearing. This time wasn't any different, he realized, as his ribs tightened around his heart. "I don't understand. Why are you bringing me to meet her?"

"Because, T, she can help you."

The front door swung open, revealing a middle-aged woman brightly clad in an ankle-length dress comprised of layer upon layer of colorful silk. At least Gabe assumed it was silk. His knowledge of dress fabric was, he supposed, limited at best.

Her face lit up at the sight of him. "Gabriel!" She threw her arms open, and he stepped into her welcoming hug. "Darling. To what do I owe the pleasure?" She pulled back and gave him both of her cheeks to kiss.

"Val--" he smiled, "--I've brought someone to meet you. Someone I think you'll like. A lot." He angled his body so Valerie could see Tina. "Tina Jenkins."

Valerie appraised her with obvious interest. Then she returned her gaze to Gabe and lifted a speculative eyebrow.

Gabe resisted the urge to shift beneath her scrutiny.

"Why Gabriel, she's just a little bit of a thing. Doesn't even reach your shoulders. I couldn't see her standing behind you." She stuck out her arm and took Tina's hand in hers. "A pleasure to meet you, my dear."

Tina looked at her with big eyes. "Uh, and you too."

"Is that a sketch pad I spy?" Valerie asked, staring at Tina's other arm.

Tina tensed, as if drawing the pad closer to her body. "It is," she answered hesitantly.

Valerie smiled up at Gabe. "Well, then. Why don't you two come right on inside and we can chat." She turned around and bustled them both through the door.

Tina shot Gabe an inquiring look. She held one palm up as if to say, "Who is she?"

Gabe grinned. "You know the gallery where the exhibition took place?" He winked at her. "Valerie owns it."

Tina wanted to skip down the path towards Gabe's car. She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt like skipping, the last time she'd been this excited about anything.

"Don't pinch me," she warned Gabe. "If this is a dream I do not want to wake up."

"It's not a dream." His grin was infectious. She couldn't help but smile back. "Val loved your work."

"My own exhibition? Can you believe it?" She threw her head back and laughed. "She wants to show my sketches. Wants to sell them. Who would have thought it?"

Gabe's hand on her arm stopped her in her tracks. "I would have." The look on his face whipped the air from her lungs. He stared at her with hooded, hungry eyes. "Anyone who's ever seen them would believe it." The mixture of lust and respect in his expression almost brought her to her knees.

Except she'd been on her knees with Gabe before. She'd worshipped him on her knees, pleasured him, taken him to the same incredible heights he'd taken her--and still he'd left her. It didn't matter how he looked at her now or how much her own body ached to respond to the desire burning in his gaze, she would not give in to her impulses. No matter how grateful she was to him for introducing her to Valerie.

She swung away from him, feigning a playfulness she no longer felt. "How am I ever going to lug all my sketch pads to her gallery? I must have one hundred of them."

"It's not a problem. I'll help you," Gabe offered. "Unless..." The fire in his eyes dimmed and he shrugged. "It's been a lot longer than thirty minutes."

Tina checked her watch, stunned to see over two hours had passed since they'd arrived at Valerie's. And just like that her heart dipped in her chest. Gabe's half hour was up, long ago.

Thank God for that. Now she could walk away and not look back. What a relief.

He opened the car door for her. "Would you like me to drop you back at the coffee shop?"

Tina stared at him. That would be the best idea. The car trip would give her ample time to thank him for introducing her to Valerie, and then she could get away from him. Perhaps she'd send him a gift tomorrow. A bottle of wine. Or scotch. Something to express her gratitude. At least she wouldn't be trapped beside him any longer, yearning to pick up where they'd left off four years ago. Yearning to feel his and Connor's hands on her body again, their lips on her mouth.

"I could drop you at home?"

Nope, bad idea. She'd feel compelled to invite him in.

"Or I could do what I've been wanting to for the last few hours and take you in my arms and kiss you."

Tina's jaw fell open. "What--?"

Gabe's gaze dropped to her mouth. He shook his head. "Not just the last few hours," he said hoarsely. "The last four years."

Her vocal powers eluded her. There was not one single thing she could think of to say in response. Not one.

"Christ, T, I've dreamed of seeing you again." His massive hand was on her cheek now, and he dragged his thumb over her lower lip. "Kissing you again."

A wave of dizziness washed over her. Never mind the powers of speech, she couldn't think straight.

"Dreamed of touching you." His thumb traced the curve of her upper lip. "Tasting you."

Her breath caught in her throat.

"I've dreamed of you. Every night for four years." Even as he said it he bent forward. She watched, spellbound, as he closed the distance between them. With a soft groan, he pressed his mouth to hers.

She turned to mush. Standing on the footpath beside his car, with his lips on hers, she couldn't breathe. She couldn't think or talk. She could hardly hold herself upright. Her bones dissolved in her legs and her arms lost all structure. Gabe's lips were on hers--warm, soft and seductive. Gabe. Oh, dear Lord, Gabe.

He drew back to stare into her eyes. "Christ..." he whispered. "I've wanted you for four years." And then his mouth was on hers again, his tongue slipping between her lips, and she melted into him.

God help her, she hadn't meant to respond, but how could she resist the temptation that was Gabe Carter?

Sensing her capitulation, his arms closed around her, pulling her in even closer, and she lost herself in his immense size, in his taste, in his familiar, spicy scent. Had anyone ever made her feel the way Gabe and Connor did?

All it had taken with them was one kiss, and she was reduced to a trembling wreck. Nothing had changed. Shivers raced through her as Gabe deepened the kiss, reminding her how each cell in her body had always responded to the two men, how every nerve fiber had stood to attention when they touched her.

He lifted her up, curving her body into his. His chest was a solid mass against her breasts, his legs thick and muscled against her thighs. In this position it was impossible to ignore the girth of his erection straining against her belly. Its very presence made her weak-kneed and lightheaded. It also made her horny. Very, very horny.

His tongue danced with hers. His taste filled her mouth. Sex and man.

No one had tasted quite so enticing as Gabe or Connor.

And no one had hurt her quite as profoundly as Gabe.

The thought knocked a little sense into her, giving her the strength to pull away. His arms might have been firm as steel rings around her waist, but the second she struggled against them they relaxed, allowing her to step down. Yet again, Tina was reminded of just how safe she'd always felt with him. No matter his size or his strength, he would never use it against her.

Just like that she was free. Released from the all-consuming embrace that fogged her mind and clouded her body with desire. Her breasts were heavy within the tight constraints of her bra, and her chest heaved in a futile attempt to draw breath.

No one had hurt her quite as profoundly as Gabe.

"You can take me home, thank you." She stepped back, squared her shoulders and glared at him. Then wished she hadn't. Glaring at Gabe meant staring him straight in the face. And what a face. His lips, full and succulent at the most platonic of times, were now swollen from their kiss. His eyes were dark and even more hooded than before. Desire seeped from beneath his heavy lids.

Christ, he looked edible. More than edible, he looked downright fuckable. If she didn't wrap her head around the fact that this was the very man who had stomped all over her heart and her trust, she would jump him. Right here, outside the house of the woman who had just offered her the chance of a lifetime.

"Ah, T, there is nothing I would like more than to take you home." His words were draped in velvet and served to her with a light sprinkling of breathlessness and a thick promise of sex. "Take you home, strip you of your clothes and your inhibitions and make love to you for the rest of the day." He swallowed. "The rest of the week."

Shit. She was gawking again. Staring all bug-eyed at him. And why couldn't she hold her darn mouth shut? Why'd her jaw have to hang open like some speechless moron who couldn't put a sentence together? And please, someone--anyone--tell her she wasn't drooling. Please.