She leaned closer, her hand remaining on his shoulder. As a distraction while driving, it was a potent one, and he forced his concentration on the road where it belonged.
“And were you able to forget me?” she asked, her fingers stroking the sensitive spot at the base of his neck.
He shivered. “No,” he said, his voice hoarse. “But I wasn’t functioning on all burners, either. I met Marlene, Holly’s mother, at a party.” He swallowed hard. “She was fun and we had enough in common to stay together for a while…I eventually got her pregnant.”
“Turn left,” Gabrielle whispered, her breath warm in his ear.
He remembered where Sharon’s parents lived, but he wasn’t about to remind her and change the subject. He needed to get this story out.
“I did the right thing,” he continued. “I married her. Her mother was widowed and living in New York City, so she helped with the baby, and somehow we both finished school.”
“Turn right. Last house on the left,” Gabrielle said.
He flipped on his signal and turned. “I figured since we weren’t in love in the traditional sense, it would work out. After all, the curse was supposed to only affect Corwin men who fell in love. Only it didn’t turn out that way.” He pulled into the last driveway on the left and put the SUV in Park.
She hadn’t spoken. “Are you still with me?” He turned toward her.
She still leaned close, her lips hovering near his. “Did you just say you weren’t in love with her?” Gabrielle asked.
“That’s exactly what I said.”
She unhooked her seat belt and it snapped back into place. “Thank God.” Her sigh of relief got lost as she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him.
He should have been surprised, but this was Gabrielle. His body had been primed since laying eyes on her, ready since she’d set her delicate fingers on the base of his neck. She’d always known just how to touch him to set him aflame.
Time hadn’t changed a thing.
Her lips were full, warm, lush and welcoming. She kissed him as if she knew him inside and out, yet still had more places to find and things to learn. Her tongue slid back and forth inside his mouth, tasting and teasing. She nibbled his lower lip with her teeth, then soothed the sting with a silken slide of her tongue. And all the while, her fingers traced his face, as if relearning him all over again.
His body burned and he groaned aloud. Cupping his hand around the back of her neck, he tipped her head and took control. He’d never wanted a woman the way he did Gabrielle. He could make love to her once and want her again almost immediately. And if he thought their teenage passion had been something, the intensity of their adult need surprised even him.
His tongue tangled with hers and her body melted into him, as close as she could get with the center panel of the SUV lodged between them. She shifted and her elbow hit the horn, the loud noise jarring them both.
She jumped back into her seat, laughing. “Wow. I think I had more finesse when I was younger.”
He drank in her flushed face and red lips as he tried to catch his breath. “Oh, I think you still have plenty of finesse.”
She bit down on her lower lip. “You haven’t lost your touch, either.” She reached across the divider and clasped his hand inside hers.
Her touch warmed him inside and out, but it wasn’t just the sexual chemistry that had his head spinning and his mind filled with regrets—although that alone was enough to knock him on his ass. It was the woman herself that got to him.
She’d come back into his life after all these years and without any bitterness about the past, she’d accepted his daughter. Just like that. One quick meeting and she’d given Holly everything the girl was missing in her life without hesitation.
No man could walk away from a woman whose heart was that big.
He had no choice.
“Gabby…”
She tipped her head to the side. “Please don’t tell me you still believe in curses.”
“How can I not believe in something that keeps proving itself over and over.” He reached out and stroked her hair. “How can I not want to protect you?”
“Derek, let me make something very clear. I didn’t appreciate you making decisions for me when I was seventeen and I appreciate it even less now. Your kiss made it perfectly clear how you feel about me. Don’t expect me to just walk away from you again.”
Before he could reply, she opened the door and hopped out. “Thanks for the ride,” she said, her voice cheerful.
Clearly she hadn’t listened to a word he’d just said.