He saw the love she tried to hide.
“But Gabby, I learned something else after all this. Watching you, seeing how smart you are, how courageous, it taught me something.” Damn. He wished Ty and Julia weren’t staring holes through his forehead. He probably looked like death warmed over. Now he sounded like a grade-A sap and not what his spitfire needed in her life.
“That’s sweet, Grady.” Gabby smiled, her gaze soft and loving. But she still hadn’t told him she loved him, had she?
“Do you accept my apology for misleading you, sweetheart?”
“See, that’s all Grady,” Ty said in an overloud whisper. “Dean could never use a word like misleading without sounding wrong.”
Grady glared at him.
Julia muffled her mirth by pretending to cough into her hand.
Gabby looked completely unmoved. “Did you mean what you said before?”
So the woman remembered. “Yes. I love you.”
She beamed. And still she said nothing.
“So that’s why I have to leave.”
Her face froze.
Ty and Julia stared wide-eyed.
“I don’t deserve you, Gabby. You’re beautiful and strong. You saved yourself, and you saved me.” Bullshit. He’d taken out more than a few cats, but he’d degrade himself to get even. “I lied. I took advantage of your kindness.” He considered shedding a few tears but thought that might be overdoing things.
“What?” Gabby shook her head. “You love me, and you’re leaving?”
“I’m no good for you. I want you to have the best, what you truly deserve.” He made his hand shake as he reached for her cheek and thought he’d done a damn good job when he saw panic in her eyes. “You and Miles, you look good together.” He swallowed hard. Hell. He wanted to wash his mouth out with soap for saying that. “It kills me to think of you with someone else, but I truly love you. You deserve to be happy.”
He turned his head away, wondering what the silence meant. When he turned back, he saw Julia and Ty had left and closed the door behind them.
Gabby remained. She paced back and forth, flailing her hands as she muttered to herself. She stopped and scowled at him. “Where the hell do you get off telling me what I deserve?”
“Gabby?”
Her red hair fanned her face as she turned, and he remembered the feel of such silk over his lap when she’d taken him in her mouth. So fucking good…
“…right? I can’t believe you’d say that to my face.”
Uh-oh. “I’m sorry.” When in doubt, apologize.
“Oh no you don’t.” She planted her hands on her hips and stared down at him, like an avenging, flame-haired angel. “You don’t get off that easily. I claimed you, Grady Chastell. You’re mine. My cat, my mate. So you’re going to quit being a martyr and claim me right back.”
He tried to sound weak and did his best to look small in the bed. The bandages on his arms and legs and chest helped. “I told you I love you, Gabby,” he said quietly, beaming inside.
“Yeah, well…” She seemed to run out of steam.
“I want you to have a good man. Not me.” He looked away. And the Oscar goes to…
“You are a good man. You’re handsome and charming. You treat me like a princess, when you’re not trying to lie your way into my pants. I heard you before, Grady.” She sat by his bedside and stroked his face. Her touch had never felt so good. “I see you now. Your anger, your passion, your love.” She blinked, and genuine tears filled her eyes. “I love you right back, Grady Chastell.”
He smiled and knew he’d made a mistake. Too much satisfaction and not enough humility.
“A-ha! I knew you were faking!” But instead of chastising him for it, she squealed with laughter and hugged him tight, bruising him all over again. But this bruising felt good. “You’re perfect for me, you big fat liar.”
“Shit. I do love you, you know.”
“I know.” She kissed him all over his face.
“But if you ever even think about getting near Miles any time soon, I’ll kill him. Then I’ll shave you bald. Every inch of that beautiful red hair will be mine. And I do know that you’re vain about that hair, missy. Julia told me.”
“Okay, okay.” She snickered. “Got you though, didn’t I?”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Her mouth found his, and he was lost to the overwhelming feelings inside him. Passion, lust, love. Everything about Gabby suited him, especially her clever little hands.
“Jesus, Gabby. How do you do that?” he rasped and ended on a groan.
Her hand found its way under the blanket and around his hard cock without him noticing. Then it was just there, priming him to lose his mind and his seed at the same time.
He groaned. “You got me, all right. You always do.” He pulled the blanket away and watched her masturbate him. “I’ve loved for you for a long time, Gabby Easton.”
“Good.” Her smile was full of well-placed confidence.
“Now how about you take off those nasty jeans and climb on? Let’s get to work making some kit-cats.” Grady eagerly awaited holding a few babies with her looks and his temperament. Fox or cat, they’d have some fun-loving, smart-ass kids.
“I can do that.” She left him to lock the door, dropped her clothes, then raced back to him. She straddled him and eased over his erection.
They sighed in pleasure as she slid down until he rested fully inside her.
“I want you, and only you, Gabby.” He helped her move, slowly, up and down, while he rubbed her clit with sure strokes. “Only you bring me…joy.”
She froze for a moment, then leaned down to pinch his nipple.
He sucked in a breath and nearly exploded inside her when she slammed down hard on top of him.
“Bad kitty.” She laughed. “So very bad. I’m thinking we should bring some whips and chains into the bedroom to tame you.” She kissed him until he couldn’t think, his overwhelming need to surge up and climax close at hand. “I guess we don’t have so many…miles to go before we find true happiness.”
“Oh hell. That was just wrong. Not when I’m about to come inside you.” He should have been turned off, but her scent and touch and taste saturated everything. Not even mention of Miles could stop his rushing orgasm when she ground over him once more.
He shouted her name as he poured himself into her. Then he finished her off, rubbing that clit and teasing her breasts until she squeezed him tight, setting off a startling, second climax.
“Grady,” Gabby said between breaths. “I’ll love for you forever.” She panted. “Just promise me one thing.”
“Anything.” And he meant it.
“Never, ever, wear a top hat and bow tie to bed. And lose the ‘Foxy Lady’ soundtrack.”
He grinned. “The song, yeah. My foxy mate? No way in hell.”
Epilogue
Gabby stared from Dean to Stacey, not sure why the two of them continued to argue with one another when it was clear to anyone with two X chromosomes that Dean had it bad for the haughty feline.
She glanced at Grady, who bit his lip to keep from laughing and focused on his cards. Thursday night poker had resumed a month after the incident with the Miami cats. The entire town council had caught wind of it and called a special meeting. Now anyone not already a resident of Cougar Falls had to check in with the council to get permission to visit.
Not a popular ruling with the majority of the town, but it kept Ty and Burke happy. Until their mates had their babies, the men were acting like possessive, protective idiots. Yet Gabby had never seen her sister as content as she was with Ty.