AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I lean down and capture her lips in a passionate kiss, trying to share all the emotion built up in me since Chuck sent me to pick up that birthday cake. Polly gasps, then wraps her arms around me, deepening our kiss.
When I pull back, her eyes are wide, and I see the mix of hope and fear reflected in them.
“Gabe...”
I take a deep breath, knowing I need to share more. “I have to be honest with you. I never thought I’d share my heart with anyone again, Polly. My ex, Sarah, cheated on me while I was deployed. It shattered me.”
The sadness of that memory washes over me, a dark shadow creeping in. I’ve worked hard to bury that pain, but now I know that in telling this story, I can seal the story about Sarah and put it in a box that never needs to be reopened because Polly now occupies my heart. “I never wanted to open myself up for that kind of hurt again,” I confess, my voice dropping. “But then I met you.”
Her expression shifts, empathy replacing uncertainty. “Gabe, I—”
“You’ve taken my breath away in ways I didn’t think were possible,” I continue, the words flowing more easily than I could have imagined. “You make me want to open my heart and my life to you. You’re everything I didn’t dare hope to find.”
Tears glisten in her eyes, and I see her walls beginning to crumble. “I care about you so much,” she whispers, her voice trembling.
The tension between us eases as I feel the warmth of her body against mine. I wrap my arms around her waist, pulling her closer. “You make me want to stay here, Polly. I want to build a life with you.”
She smiles up at me, her eyes sparkling with something unspoken. “So let’s figure it out. We can work through this together.”
I lean in for another kiss; this time, it’s hungry, deep, and wild like the waterfall next to us. I fall into the love she’s sharing with me, and I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the future will be better and stronger than either of us could have dreamed of alone. Together, we will be unstoppable.
The mood shifts as I pull away from our kiss, the warmth of Polly’s body still lingering against mine. “So, where do we go from here?” I ask, my voice steady despite the whirlwind of emotions inside me.
Polly looks thoughtful, her brow furrowed slightly. “We take things one step at a time,” she replies. “I don’t want to rush anything, but I also don’t want to hold back.”
Her honesty resonates deep within me. “I want that too,” I say, my heart swelling. “I want to be with you. On this, I am certain.”
Polly takes a deep breath, visibly moved. “You have no idea how much that means to me,” she says, her voice trembling slightly. “My ex didn’t support my dreams at all. When I wanted to buy the bakery, he didn’t believe in me, which really hurt. He didn’t think I had enough in me to achieve my goals.”
“Oh, sweetheart. I’m sorry,” I reply, her past weighing heavily on my heart. How could her ex, or any man, hold her back from her dreams? That’s not how a man behaves. It’s how a coward behaves. “You deserve so much better than that. I see how hard you work and how passionate you are about Sweet Nothings. I will always support you and your dreams.”
Her smile brightens, and my heart fills with joy. “I never thought I’d find a man like you,” she says, her gaze locking onto mine with an intensity that takes my breath away. “You’re the best man I’ve ever met.”
The last light of day fades, and the stars glitter in the sky like diamonds against the darkening indigo of the night. More than ever, I know that I’m staying with Polly. I’ll figure out work here, but there’s no way in fucking hell I’m leaving this remarkable woman.
“Polly, I—”
“Shh,” she whispers, a finger pressed gently against my lips. “Just kiss me.”
CHAPTER 9
POLLY
Gabe is kissing me, and I’m falling, falling, falling even deeper in love with him. I wrap my arms around him and pull him closer as I press my body against his. The night air is cool, but I barely notice it. Gabe groans as I slide my hands down his back and pull his hips against me.
“Are you warm enough?” Gabe asks as he runs his fingers under the edge of my blouse. I gasp at the cool air but shake my head. “Hold on,” he says, picking up one of the heavy blankets he brought for our picnic and draping it around my shoulders.
Everything Gabe does shows how much he pays attention to me and supports me. I’m giddy with love for this man who took me by such surprise.
“Penny for your thoughts,” Gabe says, trailing his fingertips along my jaw and sliding them down my neck. I instinctively tilt my chin to give him easier access to my neck.
I snuggle into him, my cheeks hurting from smiling so much. “Just thinking about how wonderful you are.”
Gabe’s lips find mine in the darkness, soft and tender. The kiss deepens, slow and intense, as if we have all the time in the world. I run my fingers through his hair, reveling in its softness. Gabe’s hand traces the curve of my spine, sending shivers through my body and stoking the fire that has been building in my core since we arrived at the waterfalls.
When we break apart for air, I look up into Gabe’s eyes. Even in the dim starlight, I see the depth of emotion there. It takes my breath away. His gaze is tender, filled with a warmth that makes my heart race.
“Polly,” he whispers, his voice husky. “You’re so beautiful.”
