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before he could stop himself.
God,it was hard to walk away from her. He headed straight to his room, mulling over what he would do
once they were together in their dreams. This had to work. She had to trust him again, because if she
didn t he was going to mark her and deal with the consequences after.
Sarah leaned against the closed door of her room, her breath leaving her lungs in a rush. She d just
agreed to meet Gabe in their dreams, with no promise from him that it wouldn t turn into yet another night
of debauchery.
She pushed off the door, running her hands over her face, trying to decide whether or not she d done the
right thing by sending him on his way. What is wrong with me? One minute I want to open up the
door, yank him back in and forget all about our problems. The next I want one of those pills and
about three thousand miles of distance!Maybe if she allowed him to mark her some of that fear would
evaporate. But months of rejection weren t about to be erased in one evening.
She brushed her teeth and hair, draped the red dress over a chair and crawled into bed naked. It felt
oddly wicked, since she usually slept in a nightgown, but tonight she wanted the feel of cool sheets on her
skin. She could pretend that he was actually in the next room, waiting to crawl into bed with her after a
long day s work. Sarah yawned, curling up on her side, and waited for sleep ( and Gabe,her inner kitty
purred) to claim her.
Sarah stared around the strange living room, her heart pounding as she realized where she must
be. Gabe s scent was everywhere, deeply ingrained into the very wood of the house. If he didn t
live here she d be very surprised.
What she was completely surprised by was the look of his home. From the exterior it was a
typical cookie-cutter ranch-style home, with a small front porch, beige aluminum siding and forest
green doors and shutters. But on the inside it was a riot of rich colors mingled with deep earth
tones. The hardwood floors looked like rough oak but were smooth under her bare feet. A bold
geometric rug in yellow, green, red and dark brown was soft under her feet. The dark red was
picked up in the contemporary sofa. Pale green and yellow throw pillows were tossed haphazardly
at one end, a velvety blanket thrown over its back, the deep yellow color vibrant against the red
fabric of the sofa. Mission-style stained glass and iron lamps sat on oak end tables. The walls were
a soft shade of green, with thick oak baseboards and crown molding. A flat-screen TV sat on a
wooden stand, a Playstation and Wii both hooked up to it. She smiled at the sight of the bright
blue stoneware mug on the coffee table, the scent of its cooling contents letting her know that
Gabe liked his sugar and cream with a little bit of coffee.
For all its bright color the room seemed to her to be missing something elemental, something that
would make it truly a home. She picked her way across the room, wondering what that something
was. She headed to the small kitchen, again done in the same bold colors.
No Gabe. She left the kitchen, turning down a hallway. The first door she came to was a small
bedroom turned into a home office. She smirked at the sight of the papers scattered across its
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surface. The next room held a bathroom, this one in muted blues and greens. The next room was a
small bedroom containing a single bed and a small dresser.
Last room. He s got to be in there. Sarah opened the door&
& and stepped into a quiet summer evening. A breeze ruffled her hair, bringing with it the faint
tang of the ocean. Her bare feet slipped into cool sand, the grains tickling between her toes. She
smiled, burying her toes in and wiggling them just to feel that sensation. She d always loved doing
that as a child.
Hey.
She turned to find Gabe standing there in nothing but dark shorts and a T-shirt. In his hands was
a huge picnic basket. Hey.
You look beautiful.
She blinked and looked down. She was wearing the same red sundress she d worn for dinner that
night. Thank you.
He gestured with his hand towards the beach. After you.
She smiled and began to walk. Since when is your house on the beach?
He shrugged. This is a dream.
They walked until, somehow, the spot seemed just right. Sarah waited until Gabe had laid down
the blanket, anchoring it with the basket and both of his sandals. Sit, Sarah.
She sat, folding her legs beneath her.
Good girl.
She looked up at him. I thought we weren t playing any games tonight.
She watched him sit in front of her, his own legs crossed. He dug into the basket without
answering.
Gabe?
The heated look he shot her sent shivers down her spine. Her nipples tightened in response to the
predatory gleam in his eyes. Who says I m playing?
She opened her mouth to answer, startled when he popped something in her mouth. She bit down
without even thinking twice. Mmm. Chocolate-covered strawberries. She moaned around the
succulent fruit, her eyes closing in bliss. As far as Sarah was concerned there was no better sweet
treat to be had.
Wait a moment.
The beach, the moonlight, chocolate-covered strawberries& Uh-oh. She resisted the urge to roll
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her eyes. Talk about cheesy seduction tropes. Any second now he s going to break out champagne
or something and I m going to lose it and earn another spanking. This was so not Gabe. He was
wild and bold and took what he wanted. It was one of the things she loved about him.
What was he thinking?
She opened her eyes to find Gabe studying her closely.
Testing out a theory, she pictured a big steaming bowl of spinach in the basket in place of the
strawberries.
Like the strawberries, love? He reached behind him and produced a bottle of champagne and
one crystal flute.
Here we go. She did her best to look as innocent as possible. Yes, thank you.
His smile was slow. Good. He put his hand into the basket, the smile quickly transforming into
something like horror. What the& ? He pulled his fingers, now covered in warm spinach, out of
the basket. What the hell?
Sarah giggled.
He pulled a napkin out of the basket, his expression filled with amused disgust. Why did you
turn my strawberries into spinach?
Sarah zipped her lips and waited for him to open the champagne .
His eyes narrowed. He pulled out a corkscrew and began opening the bottle. He lifted the cork to
his nose with a suspicious glare. Ginger ale. He sighed, his lips lifting into a rueful grin. I
suppose I shouldn t even bother with the violin music. See what happens when I try to do this
right?
Do what right?
Seduce you.
Ix-nay on the beach sex. She shuddered. Sand in very uncomfortable places, plus, hello!
Chafing much?
His eyes turned gold. How do you know that?
Sarah smirked. I m sorry, Gabe. Were you a virgin when you came back to Halle?
His cheeks flushed, the gold in his eyes dying down to sparkles. Point taken, and we ll never
mention it again. He lifted the bottle. You told me that you wanted me to take you on dates,
show you what you mean to me.
Sarah nodded. I did.
So what did I do wrong?
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