“In love with me?” Gabriel’s eyebrows shot up. “I just ordered a few shrimp po’boys from her.”

“She said ‘in love with’ you, I swear. And she was really upset when I told her that we live together.” In retrospect, it was probably a good thing that Sara hadn’t caught up to Rochelle on the street. It was better for the girl to think Gabriel had a girlfriend so she could move on past her oddly delusional crush.

Gabriel was fighting a grin as he stopped in front of the stairs. “You told her we live together?”

Sara wrinkled her nose. “Yes. It’s true. I am staying here, for now.”

“Were you jealous?” he asked in a low, teasing voice.

She scoffed. “Of course not.”

“You shouldn’t be, since I obviously don’t have any sort of relationship with her. But I’d like it if you were.”

God, he was flirting with her. There was no denying the tone of his voice, the way he was leaning toward her. “Oh, yeah? Why?”

He was so close to her, the only thing that separated them was the bag of take-out food in his hand. She smelled spicy oriental chicken as he touched the end of her hair with his free hand, twirling a strand around his finger. “Because that would mean you’re okay with me doing this.”

“Touching my hair?” she asked stupidly. He was so close she found herself staring at the stubble on his chin. There was no rhyme or reason to his hair growth. It was sporadic and random, the hairs soft, darker than the hair on his head. Yet even though he hadn’t shaved, if you were a foot away from him, you’d never be able to tell there was stubble. He had no imperfections on his face anywhere, no scars or blemishes or discolorations. Up close, he was even lovelier to look at than when she was standing across the room. Up close she could see the strength of his jaw, the sharpness of his cheekbones, and the deep, rich desire in his compelling eyes.

Up close, she had no hope, no intention, of resisting him. His fingers in her hair made her shiver with anticipation.

“Yes. And this.”

Then he leaned forward and kissed her. She closed her eyes immediately, wanting to enjoy it, savor. He came at her with a short, testing-the-waters press first, then without hesitation he went for broke, taking her mouth with his, hand buried in her hair, holding her head.

It was sexy and skilled and Sara felt it everywhere. Gabriel was giving her the kind of kiss that reverberated throughout her entire body, awakening her breasts and inner thighs, stirring up both an appreciation and a restless want for more. He tasted, felt, so damn good, and she gave it back, opening up for him, burning with want for him.