Forever With You (Bayou Dreams Book 5) (15 page)

“How many prizes do you want to bring over?” he asked, motioning to the bins of toys.

She regarded him for another moment before answering, “Fifty or so should be enough.” Leslie reached for the plastic bin, but he blocked her with a hand.

“I’ve got this,” he said.

She stood idle as he went about loading the prizes into canvas shopping bags. She wasn’t sure what to make of what had passed between them after their kiss. Should she bring up the discretion thing? Was she ready to hear what he had to say about it?

Despite whether his feelings had changed regarding the secrecy of their relationship, hers had not. Leslie wasn’t ready to face the questions from her girls or the whispers from the people in Gauthier, whom she had no doubt would have an opinion about her dating a man so much younger than she was. Especially when the single, handsome, more age-appropriate Sawyer Robertson was right there, waiting in the wings.

No, she was not ready to face that battle.

From the beginning, Gabriel had said he was willing to take whatever she was willing to give. Leslie could only hope that those words still held true, because if his feelings had changed then she would have to give him up.

And the thought of doing that hurt more than she’d ever thought possible.

* * *

As he pulled into Leslie’s driveway, Gabe couldn’t help the smile that broke out over his face. For the entire drive he had vacillated between feelings of relief, accomplishment, pleasure and validation. He had so many emotions flooding his bloodstream, he didn’t know
what
to feel.

Pleasure. He would definitely go with pleasure.

Because when he’d called and asked Leslie where she wanted to meet him for their date, she asked that he pick her up at her house. She wanted him to come to her door like a regular boyfriend. Like someone she wasn’t ashamed to let the neighbors see on her arm.

Yes. Pleasure. He was feeling much,
much
pleasure at the thought of Leslie finally being comfortable with the idea of being seen out in the open with him.

Gabe lifted the dress he’d bought for her from the backseat and started for the house.

Damn if he didn’t want to skip up her walkway. He was just that excited about tonight. This woman couldn’t possibly know how hard he’d fallen for her.

When Leslie answered the door, Gabe had to take a moment to just soak her in.

“God, you look amazing,” he said, his eyes roaming over the sleeveless pale pink sundress and strappy sandals. He tilted his head to the side and frowned as he followed her inside. “Unfortunately, you’ll need to lose everything but the jewelry,” he said.

Her brows shot skyward. “Excuse me?”

Gabe held up the garment bag. “I figured you wouldn’t have the appropriate outfit for where we’re going tonight, so I took the liberty of buying it for you.”

“You bought me a dress?”

He nodded, then gestured to her outfit. “While what you’re wearing is gorgeous on you, you’re going to need something a bit more flamboyant when you learn the salsa tonight.”

“You’re taking me dancing?”

The way her eyes lit up made Gabe instantly regret that he had not thought to take her dancing before tonight. To have her look at him like that, he would take her dancing every night.

“I want to see what
Dancing with the Stars
has taught you.”

She grabbed the bag from him, her eyes glittering with excitement.

“Give me five minutes,” she said before dashing out of the room.

While she changed, Gabe roamed around her living room. There were several doggy chew toys strewn about the dark brown hardwood floor. The oval coffee table held several magazines, three remotes and a picture of stick figures that Gabe assumed was Kristi’s handiwork. She’d drawn Leslie, Cassidy and herself, along with the dog. Gabe’s smile sobered when he noticed the other stick figure among the clouds. Her father.

He walked over to the large framed photograph above the fireplace. Leslie was seated on a stool, holding a baby who could not have been more than a year old. Cassidy, with her hair in curls and two front teeth missing, stood just to her right. A serious-faced man, dressed in a uniform that was covered with patches over the left breast, stood behind them, one hand on Leslie’s shoulder and the other on Cassidy’s.

Gabe stared at his face. The dark birthmark Leslie had mentioned was prominent, but for some strange reason it seemed to suit Braylon Kirkland.

Gabe was torn between feeling sorry for him and, in the same breath, grateful that he wasn’t here. If the man in that photograph were still alive, Gabe wouldn’t be taking Leslie salsa dancing tonight. Yet, again, he knew how much Leslie had suffered after her husband’s death. How, in many ways, she was still suffering.

Selfishly, Gabe decided he was okay with the way things were.

He knew she loved her husband and missed him terribly, but she was a young, vibrant, sensual woman. Nothing was going to bring Braylon Kirkland back. She needed to move on with her life, and he wanted to be the one she moved on with.

He heard Leslie’s footsteps and quickly stepped away from the portrait. He didn’t want her to know that he’d even noticed it. Discussing her dead husband was not on his agenda tonight.

However, when she walked into the room, Gabe didn’t have to pretend that he hadn’t seen the photo. One look at Leslie and he couldn’t remember a single thing he’d seen this past week.

She walked up to him and turned, showcasing her slender back.

“Do you mind zipping me up the rest of the way?” she asked.

“Yes, I do,” he said. “I’d rather help you
out
of this dress, not into it.”

She turned and gave him a chastising frown, but the playful twitch at the corner of her mouth betrayed her.

“Turn around,” Gabe said. He groaned when he realized there was no bra strap across her back.

She looked back. “What’s wrong now?”

“No bra,” he choked out.

The blush that swept across her cheeks was so sexy, so damn adorable, it made it even harder to resist peeling the dress off her body and exploring every supple inch. Gabe’s hand shook with need as he gently glided the zipper up her back, his soul weeping with every inch of that smooth skin that was covered by the fabric.

Once he was done she held her hands out and twirled, her eyes focused on the ruffled hem that flared around her thighs. Gabe was more taken by her gorgeous legs and how soft they looked. He wanted to feel those legs around him so badly he was ready to drop to his knees and beg her to forget leaving this house.

But the excitement in her eyes stopped him. She deserved the fun that awaited her tonight.

“This dress is perfect,” Leslie said. “How did you know what size to get? Was it just an extremely lucky guess?”

“Well, not really,” Gabe said. “I have this same dress in two other sizes in my trunk. I’ll bring them back to the mall on Monday.”

Her eyes widened before she burst out laughing.

“I can’t believe you went through all this trouble, but I’m happy you did.” She put a hand on his shoulder and kissed his cheek. “Thank you. I love it.”

Gabe captured her chin and turned her to face him. He gently tugged her forward and covered her mouth in a slow, tender kiss. As his eyes fell shut, he tried like hell to forget about the bed that was just a few yards away, and all the things they could be doing in it right now.

She was worth the wait. He had to remember that she was worth the wait.

Less than an hour later Gabe parallel parked into a spot on Frenchmen Street, only steps away from the club he’d discovered in the Faubourg Marigny neighborhood of New Orleans back when he’d first come to the city to help in the cleanup following Hurricane Katrina. Because it was one of the highest points in the city, the neighborhood, which was adjacent to the French Quarter, was one of the first areas to recover from the devastating hurricane.

Gabe would take the Marigny over the French Quarter any day of the week. Unlike the Quarter, which was filled with tourists doing their best to re-create the wild image they had of New Orleans from watching too many
Girls Gone Wild
videos, Farbourg Marigny had a relaxed, laid-back vibe. If he had not taken the job in Gauthier, this was likely the neighborhood he would have moved to.

He rounded the front of the car and opened the door for Leslie.

The sight of her legs in those shiny black heels sent an arrow of lust straight to his groin. He immediately added dragging his tongue down her legs while she wore nothing but these black pumps to his bucket list. His life would not be complete unless he experienced that.

How in the hell was he supposed to get through the next four hours of dinner and dancing? It would be agony.

But it would be worth it.

“I hope you don’t mind having a light dinner,” Gabe told her. “But if you’re going to learn to salsa, you don’t want a five-course meal weighing you down.”

“I’m afraid to eat anything at all,” she said with a laugh. “I’m too nervous that I’ll make a fool of myself once the lessons start.”

He pressed a swift kiss to her lips. “Even if you did you would be the most delectable fool to ever grace a dance floor. But it doesn’t matter because you’re not going to make a fool of yourself. You’ve been studying, remember? Watching all those episodes of
Dancing with the Stars
was homework.”

“Oh, sure. Lying on the couch watching other people dance has totally prepared me. You’re going to pretend you don’t know who I am when we start dancing.”

“That would never happen. Do you know how long I’ve been waiting to tell people about this sexy, amazing woman I’ve been dating?”

Her eyes softened. She trailed her fingers along his chin.

“You’ve been so understanding. I hope you know just how much I appreciate you respecting my wishes, Gabriel.”

He cupped her bare shoulders and tugged her closer.

“I won’t lie, Leslie. It’s been more difficult than I first thought. But it’s easier than the alternative. Do I want to shout it from the rooftops that I’m falling in love with you? Hell yeah, I do. But I won’t say anything until you’re ready. I can wait.”

“Did you just say you’re falling in love with me?” she asked.

Gabe’s breath caught in his throat. Damn, had he said that too soon?

“Does that freak you out?” he asked.

She held his gaze, her eyes searching his. After several long moments she slowly shook her head.

“No,” she said on an awe-filled whisper. “It doesn’t.”

Relief. Pleasure. Validation. They were all there again, fighting for position within his heart. Once again, pleasure won out.

Gabe tilted up her chin and kissed her forehead. “It’s time for me to show you the night of your life. Prepare to dance until you drop.”

They ducked into The Three Muses, just one of the dozens of eclectic bars and restaurants that lined Frenchmen Street. They were lucky enough to find two seats available at the far end of the bar, the perfect spot to enjoy a quick bite.

When Leslie ordered a beer from the tap, Gabe fell the rest of the way in love with her. Just like that, he was done. She was the woman for him. No need to look anywhere else.

Leslie had only eaten half of the yucca fries and tempura shrimp she’d ordered for dinner when she pushed it away and said, “Okay, enough of this, I’m ready to dance.”

“The dance lessons don’t start for another twenty minutes.” Her frustrated pout wrung a laugh out of him. “How long has it been since you’ve gone dancing?” Gabe asked.

“Goodness, I can’t even remember. It was definitely before Cass was born.”

“You haven’t been out dancing in nine years?”

“Never had the time,” she said with a shrug. “We didn’t have much help in the way of babysitters. Shayla was in Seattle and my family was in Houston. Once Braylon’s deployments started, it became even more difficult. When he was home on leave we never took the time to go out, just the two of us. He offered, but I knew how much he missed the girls and how much they missed him. It seemed selfish to ask for a night just for myself. I thought there would be enough time for that when the girls were older and he was out of the Army.”

“He was a soldier,” Gabe quietly pointed out. He didn’t want to sound insensitive, but he had to say it. “You had to have known that there was a chance his time would run out. War is dangerous.”

“Yes, but only one of Braylon’s tours was on the front lines. He was in logistics, so he stayed within The Green Zone most of the time, setting up communications and such. He was as safe in Afghanistan as he was anywhere else. But it still took a toll. He saw so many soldiers leave and not come back, and so many come back missing limbs. It was just too much for him to handle.”

“It was a lot for you to handle, too, wasn’t it?”

The sadness that shone in her eyes caused his lungs to tighten with pain.

“It was.” Her chest expanded with the deep breath she took, then she smiled, overly bright, and said, “But I got through it. There’s something to be said for making it out of that time in my life without collapsing under the weight of all that pressure.”

Gabe just stared at her for several moments, awed by her strength. “You are so incredible, Leslie. The more I learn about what you went through, the more I’m amazed by the woman you are.” Gabe took her hands in his and pressed a gentle kiss to her fingers. “I feel so lucky to have found you.”

“I feel the same way about you.” She cupped his jaw and leaned in for a deep, soul-stirring kiss that left him craving her taste. “You came into my life just when I needed you,” she said. “We’re lucky to have found each other, Gabriel.”

He was so in love with her. He would never understand why it took him so long to realize it, even though, in reality, they had only been together a few weeks. That didn’t matter. His body was weak with the love he felt for her.

“Gabriel,” she whispered.

“Yes?”

He felt her smile blossom against his lips. “I’m ready to dance.”

Gabe’s smile traced hers. “Let’s give the lady what she wants.”

He cashed out with the bartender and, taking her by the hand, guided her next door to The Blue Nile. There was already a crowd forming in the long-standing nightspot that was popular with locals who appreciated the laid-back atmosphere.