He blinked abruptly, and the set of his shoulders visibly stiffened. Had she said the wrong thing? She’d have sworn he’d been about to kiss her, but he stepped back half a foot.

“Tell me the truth, will you? The truth you wouldn’t normally tell someone at this stage in the game.”

She didn’t understand it, but there was something very raw and real happening right at this moment, and as scary as it seemed, she committed to complete honesty. “Yeah, okay.”

“When did you first want to kiss me?”

She forced herself to breathe through her thoughts rather than spout out an answer. When had she first wanted to kiss him? There’d been so many little things, from him asking her to take a picture of his license plate to his soft, easy laughter and that irresistible dimple to the way he treated Samson, and of course there’d been the heroics in the water.

Finally, she gave a resigned shrug. “It was a dozen little things more than any one big one. If I had to put it to one thing, I guess it would be the way you treat Samson. The stool to help him get up and down. The incredible bond you two have. The way it’s so clear that he sets his world by you.”

To her surprise, a look of sheer relief swept over Gabe’s face. He pulled her to him abruptly, smashing her purse between them, and pressed his lips against her temple. He let out an easy chuckle, then pulled away just enough to find her lips. His hands locked at the back of her head and he kissed her, soft at first, then harder as a rush of hunger swept into it.

Olivia decided that she didn’t care Ava was certainly spying through the windows and opened her mouth more fully to his. If she’d said the wrong thing, then surely she’d followed it up with the right one. This reminded her that she barely knew him. It was crazy to feel such a strong connection with someone she’d only known for a handful of hours.

And from the way he was kissing her and the way that rock-hard frame of his was shaking ever so slightly, she was certain he felt it too.

A high-pitched yawn carried up from knee level, and Samson could be heard settling down onto the ground beside them. Apparently, he’d had enough adventure for the day.

Gabe pulled away and kissed her forehead. “If your sister wasn’t ten feet away, I’d have a hard time stopping this here.” He brushed fresh tears from the corners of her eyes. “What you were trying to tell me back at the house before we spotted the dog… I want to hear it. All of it. I’ll call you.”