Alaskan Adventure (Destination: Desire) (15 page)

A sigh slipped from her throat, so many conflicting emotions colliding within her that she didn’t know what to say first. “Long-distance?”

“Sometimes, yeah.” Worry tightened his features, though they still moved to the music. “But I can base myself in Half Moon Bay, take shorter guide trips in California. You’ve got plenty of wilderness here. I’ve done some work in the Sierra Nevadas before, so…why not more? Maybe you could come with me to Alaska during the summers. Or something. No pressure. We’ll be apart some of the time, but I’ll be with you as often as possible. Or we can work out another compromise that gives us both what we need.”

He was nervous. Gabe, the king of confidence, was stumbling over his words in his rush to convince her to give him a chance. Her heart squeezed with so much love, and she pressed her palms to his chest. “You’ve put a lot of thought into this.”

“I’ve haven’t done much else for the last ten days.” He lifted one hand to cup her jaw. “Being without you blew. Hard.”

She couldn’t hold back a cheeky grin. “I’ve always thought blowing you was fun.”

The corners of his eyes crinkled in wry amusement. “Tease.”

“Is it a tease, or a promise for later?” She tried for an innocent expression, but doubted she pulled it off.

He stroked a thumb over her cheek. “Is that a yes to a relationship?”

She sobered, meeting his gaze frankly. “It’s more complicated than that. You weren’t the only one who’s had a lot of time to think since we parted.”

“Okay.” He nodded, urging her on, though she could read the trepidation in his eyes.

Gathering up every ounce of courage she had, she confessed what she hadn’t managed to tell anyone else. Not even her best friends.

“I…” Her mouth dried. She licked her lips and tried again. “I don’t want to teach PE anymore. I love my students, but I never wanted to be a middle school teacher. This career doesn’t make me happy. And I’ve
earned
some happiness, damn it.”

“I couldn’t agree more.” Not a hint of triumph showed on his face, just concern and sympathy for her struggle, even though she’d basically said he’d been right all along. “You don’t need to be a teacher anymore, just for the sake of having a steady monthly income. Your sisters are more than capable of taking care of themselves
because
of all the sacrifices you made for them.”

She made a face, hoping she wasn’t blushing under the blatant admiration in his gaze. “I didn’t—”

He tugged on her earlobe. “Maybe you think it was no big deal, or just doing the right thing, but allow me to consider you amazing if I want to.”

“Okay. Twist my arm.”

“That’s my girl.” He cradled her closer. “You deserve to be happy.”

Yes, and while taking care of her sisters had been fulfilling, it hadn’t been an easy path to follow. “I would have been miserable leaving my sisters behind, knowing they weren’t being taken care of the way my dad would have wanted, knowing my mom was just going to be overwhelmed and unable to cope. Sticking around meant we could all get what we needed. Family means everything to me.”

“Me too. Though they’ve never needed me like yours needed you.”

“That’s life.” She shrugged. “You have a really nice family.”

“I’m willing to share. My mom and dad adore you.” He nodded to a blond couple dancing not far from them, the man resembling Gabe so much he had to be the older brother. “I’m sure David and Raquel will adore you too. I’ll introduce you to them later.”

His parents were also dancing nearby, casting them occasional glances, but not interfering. Vince smiled at her and Peggy gave her an encouraging thumbs up. Anne chuckled. It was really cool that his whole family had shown up to support him. She arched her eyebrows at Gabe. “Well, I’m adorable, what can I say?”

“You are.” His gaze was so filled with tenderness it made moisture well in her eyes. He pulled her closer. “I love you, Anne.”

“Ah, damn.” A tear escaped and she swiped at it. “I love you too. I tried so hard not to, but I do anyway.”

He winced. “Because you hated my job.”

“I
love
your job way too much, but everything about your life scares me. It just smacks of my mother’s brand of irresponsibility. I’ve worked my ass off to bring some stability to my sisters’ and my lives.” The right thing and the smart thing were still at odds, and she hadn’t yet figured out how to reconcile them in a way she could live with. “Your occupation doesn’t have that stability or financial security.”

He blew out a breath. “Those things are important, I agree.”

Maybe he agreed in theory. She gave him a look. “I don’t see you going back to being a Silicon Valley programmer.”

“Never,” he concurred.

“I wouldn’t want you to. I love you just the way you are. But I don’t know how there can be any compromise for
me
. For us, yes. I want a relationship, I’m willing to make it work, even if it means we aren’t together all the time.”

His eyes slid closed and he pressed his forehead against hers. His voice turned husky with emotion. “I love you. We can work anything else out, I swear.”

“I love you too.” She wasn’t as sure they could work out her job issues, but she had no doubts about them as a couple. Having him leave on trips she would
love
to join him on wouldn’t be fun on several levels, but if the other option was living without him…no contest.

He pulled back and seemed to gird himself, and his gaze was a little wary when he looked at her. “So, if money was no object, would you want to join me as a guide?”

She snorted. “Hell, yes.”

“No hesitation?”

“None.” But since independently wealthy wasn’t something that was possible on a teacher’s salary, she didn’t see how the question mattered.

“Okay, then we’re all set.” He nodded crisply.

She pursed her lips. “How’s that, Camper Guru?”

Rolling his eyes, he didn’t bother to hide his pique. “If I have a solution that even
you
can’t argue with, do you promise never to call me that again?”

She thought about it for at least thirty seconds longer than was really necessary. Keeping him in suspense, just for sheer fun and he knew it. He jostled her a bit.

“Okay, okay. I promise.”

The wariness came back full force. “Programmers make a nice salary, you know.”

“Yeah.” Duh. She didn’t say the last part, but she knew he heard it anyway.

He narrowed his eyes, but said nothing about her tone. “And you know I’ve done some programming on the side since I quit the rat race.”

“Yeah. Are we getting to the point now?”

“I’m getting there, I promise.” He dipped her over his arm and twirled her around in a quick step. She laughed, clutching at his shoulders. Taking advantage, he popped a kiss on her mouth. “I’ve patented some of the software I’ve created. And I turned my savings over to my brother and sister-in-law. They’ve taken good care of my money, investing it and stuff.”

“Okay.” She slipped her arms around his waist, pressing herself into his hard angles. She was starting to lose interest in the conversation. It had been
days
since he’d kissed her properly, touched her skin, rocked her world in bed.

Lust flushed his face, his hands curving over her hips. “I’m rich, Anne. I have around ten million in the bank right now, and that doesn’t include what my brother has plugged into various companies and stocks.”

She froze, standing stock still in the middle of the dance floor. “Are you being serious right now?”

“Dead serious.” He shrugged, almost bashful about his wealth. “If you marry me, what’s mine is yours, you know. That means you don’t have to worry about retirement. I always have enough set aside that even if every investment went belly up, I’d still be set for life. So
we’d
be set for life.” He held up his hands as if warding off a protest she hadn’t made. “I know you wouldn’t love being dependent on my money though, so I’ve spoken to David and Raquel and they’ll invest what
you
make from guiding so you have your own nest egg. They had some crazy ideas about us starting our own outdoor adventures business, but we’ll figure that stuff out later. Just…if you want to run off to the wilderness with me, you will
not
end up destitute.”

He’d dragged all that out? If he’d said this back in Alaska, she wouldn’t have been twisting herself into knots for over a week. But the annoyance was a mere spark to the joy that exploded deep inside her. He really had found a way to give her everything she could ever want, everything that would make her happy. A sob ripped out of her, and she slammed the pointy toe of her shoe into his shin.

“Ow, shit.” He flinched, hunching to grab his leg.

She launched herself at him, twined her arms around his neck, and kissed him hard. Though he stumbled a bit to catch his balance, he was quick on the recovery and then hauled her closer. Their lips fused, a fiery reunion they’d both craved, and love and desire welled inside her with equal ferocity. His arms were steel bands around her, holding her tight, but his lips worshipped hers slowly and very, very thoroughly. Their tongues met, and the flavor of him filled her mouth. Champagne and sugar and Gabe. Nothing had ever been sweeter or more perfect. She was never going to get enough of this man, and she couldn’t be more thrilled about it. Somehow, everything had worked out well. She would never have guessed it possible, but here she was,
exactly
where she wanted to be, and with nothing but a promising future stretching out before her.

They were both breathing hard when he pulled back to ask, “Does this mean you’ll marry me?”

“Hell, yes.” She poked his chest. “Someone has to keep you out of trouble.”

He laughed, looking every bit as ecstatic as she felt. “Or get me into it.”

“That too.” Grinning against his lips, she said, “We’re gonna have a lot of fun, Gabe.”

Dimples flashing, he rocked her in his embrace. “The adventure of a lifetime, sweetheart. I promise.”

Game on.

About the Author

Crystal Jordan began writing romance after she finished graduate school and needed something to fill the hours that used to be eaten away by homework. Currently, she serves as a librarian at a university in California, but has lived and worked all over the United States. She writes contemporary, paranormal, futuristic and erotic romance.

To learn more about Crystal please visit
www.crystaljordan.com
. Send an email to Crystal at
[email protected]
or join her mailing list to get updates about Crystal’s contests and new books!
www.crystaljordan.com/newsletter
.

Look for these titles by Crystal Jordan

Now Available:

Edge of Night

Demon’s Caress

Wasteland: The Wanderer

Treasured

Forbidden Passions

Stolen Passions

Fleeting Passions

Illicit Passions

Unbelievable

If You Believe

Believe in Me

Make Me Believe

In the Heat of the Night

Total Eclipse of the Heart

Big Girls Don’t Die

It’s Raining Men

Crazy Little Thing Called Love

Destination: Desire

Vegas Vacation

Hawaiian Holiday

Italian Interlude

Roman Reunion

Alaskan Adventure

When in Rome…“I do” as Romans do!

Roman Reunion

© 2014 Crystal Jordan

Destination: Desire, Book 3

Karen Patton’s life is falling apart. She signed divorce papers, quit her job, and moved back to her hometown into an apartment that couldn’t feel less like home. With two weeks of free time before she starts work at the Half Moon Bay Public Library, she’s crawling the walls, trying desperately not to miss the man who chose his career over her.

When an old college friend invites her to Italy for an impromptu wedding, she jumps at the chance to focus on something other than her own misery.

Tate Patton is doing his best to ignore the divorce papers that just landed on his desk. A rational, reasonable man would sign and be done with it. Instead, he seizes upon a wedding invitation to do something completely impetuous—ignore the papers and fly to Rome.

When they lay eyes on each other, the sparks fly as hot as the first time they met. Maybe the more mature versions of themselves can fix what’s broken. Their love is too strong not to try…

Warning: Contains intoxicated one-night stands with an almost-ex-husband (which may or may not result in an accidental baby), and sneaking around to hide naughty goings-on from friends. It’s not technically illicit, but delicious fun all the same!

Enjoy the following excerpt for
Roman Reunion:

It took her another half an hour to say goodbye to everyone because they all insisted on a hug and a kiss from her, told her how beautiful she was, how much they liked her new hairstyle, insisted she come back and join them for dinner. Finally, Valentina laughed, grabbed Karen’s elbow and thrust her out the door or she might never have escaped. She was still grinning when she hit the bottom of the staircase and entered the lobby.

And slammed into someone trying to go up the stairs. She stumbled back, an apology on her lips, but it never formed as her gaze collided with her soon-to-be-ex-husband’s.

“Tate,” she said faintly, falling back another step. “Wh-what are you doing here?”

The flash of utter shock on his face told her he’d had no idea they would both be in Rome either. He cleared his throat and shrugged. “The same thing you are, I’d imagine. Attending an old friend’s wedding.”

There was no way he’d had any more notice on the invitation than she’d had, which meant he’d done something spontaneous for the first time in years. She crossed her arms. “You dropped everything, just like that? You?”

He snorted. “Got one too many calls from Dad the night Gio invited me, so I ran away from home.”

The mere glimmer of a smile crossed her lips. “About time.”

Shaking his head, he huffed out a laugh. His gaze flitted over her. “You changed your hair.”

“Yes.” She flicked the tips with her fingers. “A new look to start my new life. I like it.”

He winced. She tried not to cringe because, really, she hadn’t meant to rub his face in it. It was just the standard response she’d come up with every time someone asked why she’d cut it.

Then there was an awkward moment where she had no idea what to say. She hadn’t expected to see him, didn’t have a list of banal conversational topics ready to save her from uncomfortable silences. “Uh…okay.” She glanced aside. “I need to go check in to my hotel. I, um, guess I’ll see you at dinner tonight.”

“Yes.” He let her get halfway across the lobby before he called out. “Out of curiosity, which hotel are you staying at?”

“The Gianicolo.”

“Me too.” An ironic smile tilted up one corner of his mouth. “Giovanni recommended it to you too, huh?”

She pressed the tips of her fingers against her temple and rubbed at the building pain. “I may have to murder him.”

“Not if I beat you to it.” A muscle ticked in his jaw, and he waved her off. “See you at dinner.”

“Bye.”

Then they went their separate ways. As usual.

She looked so damn beautiful, she took his breath away. Tate stood there and watched Karen exit the lobby, his gaze moving over every familiar curve of her figure. A searing, awful sensation opened in the pit of his stomach and he wanted to bend over and howl at the pain that shredded his insides. There went the ice that had encased his heart, shattered, until nothing but the agony remained. It rushed up to consume him.

His marriage was over. Because he’d turned into his father. Something he’d always promised himself he’d never do. He’d managed to lie to himself, to cling to some sense of denial until right this very second.

But like his father, he’d become a man so obsessed with his career that he never noticed—or maybe never cared—that his marriage had crumbled. Only his mother hadn’t left. No, she spent her afternoons with whatever tennis instructor or masseuse or pool boy had caught her eye. Why not enjoy herself when her husband so clearly didn’t want her for anything other than the occasional soiree to wine and dine clients? And Tate was damn sure his father was banging one of their first-year law associates. Just like he’d taken his pick of the litter last year and the year before.

Grasping the handrail on the stairs for balance, Tate sat down heavily on the third step. He swallowed hard. He’d told himself when he joined the family law firm—a firm started by his great-grandfather—that Karen and he wouldn’t end up like his parents. He’d never once considered touching another woman in all the years they were married, and Karen knew it. And he knew she wouldn’t stray either. But fidelity wasn’t enough, was it? He’d never heard his parents fight the way he had with Karen. Maybe because his mother didn’t fight to save her marriage the way Karen had.

He winced at the thought, but it was the painful truth.

Maybe his parents had started out faithful and loving, though he had difficulty picturing it. They’d been distant strangers living in the same house for as far back as his memory would stretch. All he’d known was that he didn’t want that.

But he’d come so fucking close to turning his marriage into that, hadn’t he? If Karen hadn’t walked away, if she’d stayed another five or ten years, would they have turned into indifferent acquaintances who happened to be married?

Probably.

“Tate.” Giovanni’s voice pulled him back to the present. “What are you doing sitting here? Are you all right?”

The other man crouched before Tate, a concerned expression on his face. Tate’s jaw worked, his hands balling into fists on his thighs. When he spoke, his tone was low and controlled. “I could kill you.”

Gio leaned back a little. “Ah. So you’ve seen Karen.”

“Ran into her. Literally.”

“And it knocked you on your ass?” A knowing smirk curled his lips.

“You know we’re divorcing. You had no right to do this to her. Or me.” Tate could feel a muscle twitch in his cheek. “We deserved the courtesy of a warning so we could decide if we didn’t want to come if our ex-spouse was here.”

“Not ex yet.” Gio pushed to his feet and crossed his arms over his chest. “You are still married.”

“A technicality. She left me. And she was right to do it.” Tate swallowed hard, looked his friend in the eye and admitted what he’d refused to ever acknowledge during all the arguments with Karen. “I fucked up our marriage. I made everything except her a priority because I assumed she’d always be there when I needed her. But I wasn’t there when she needed me. I took her for granted and so I lost her. It’s my fault. It’s all my fault.”

The Italian shrugged. “So fix it.”

A laugh strangled out of Tate, and he felt the humiliating burn of moisture at the back of his eyes. “You can’t undo eight years of stupidity and neglect overnight, Gio. And if she has any sense of self-preservation at all—which she does, trust me—she wouldn’t even consider giving me a second chance.”

“Have you asked her?” Gio’s brow rose, daring Tate to give him an answer.

“I don’t deserve it,” he replied quietly. “And you shouldn’t have arranged for this meeting without consulting us.” He blew out a breath. “I probably shouldn’t stay.”

An utterly offended expression crossed his friend’s face. “You cannot leave now. You’d break Valentina’s heart. You’d make Karen have to answer questions from the whole family. And Italian women, they don’t let things go. Karen will have to spend the next week—no, ten days—talking about you. If you stay, she can ignore you or not as she chooses.”

“Yes, and there won’t be any questions then, I’m sure.” Tate arched an eyebrow. “That’s some backwards logic and you know it.”

“I want you here, my friend. Valentina wants Karen here. It is important to both of us that the people who brought us together celebrate our marriage.” Gio’s hands lifted and dropped. “Don’t leave.”

Tate rubbed his forehead. He shouldn’t stay. He wanted to. Damn, but he wanted to be anywhere Karen was. A sentiment that was far too little and far too late. He should leave her alone. She wouldn’t want to spend ten whole days with him around. And there was a certain irony in them both deciding to stay a few days past the wedding. They might even be on the same flight home. He sighed. “I’ll stay for the wedding, but no matchmaker stuff. No purposefully throwing us together.”

“The wedding preparations might—”

“You know what I mean, Gio. Promise me.”

Gio glanced away. “Don’t blame Valentina for this. She told me it was foolish to invite you after she’d invited Karen, but…” He clapped a hand over his chest. “I’m a romantic at heart, my friend. I couldn’t resist.”

“That wasn’t a promise.”

He gave him a look that was sly and guilty at the same time. “I promise. Nothing deliberate.” Gio leaned forward conspiratorially. “But if you’ll take some advice, you should use this opportunity to get down on your knees and beg Karen for another chance. You’ve always looked at her like I look at Valentina. That kind of love, it doesn’t die. Not ever.”

Tate had the unsettling feeling that his friend was right.