Page 73 of Skin Game
With Casey right behind him, Gabe stepped inside just past the door and paused for a minute. His head moved to one side and then the other, taking in the destruction. The damage seemed worse this morning, but maybe it was just Casey projecting his feelings. Gabe didn’t seem all that upset. Maybe he really meant what he’d said about it just being stuff.
Maybe Gabe’s upbringing had more of an impact on his way of looking at his environment than Casey had ever considered.
“Get in the shower. I’ll be there in a minute,” Casey said.
Gabe didn’t argue with him, which Casey appreciated. He merely turned toward the hallway, stripping as he went, leaving a trail of dirty clothes behind him.
Fortunately, the bathroom was relatively untouched. The intruders had pulled the towels off the rack and dumped out the two drawers in the small vanity, but there hadn’t been much in them to begin with.
“I’ll grab clean towels.”
Gabe’s shower wasn’t much bigger than his, which made moving in together that much more practical of a decision. Casey snorted. Greta would have scrunched her face at him and asked what the hell he was waiting for.
Get a move on. Hold that man tight. Get him that new espresso maker as a housewarming present.
After doing what he could with clean sheets and a blanket to remake Gabe’s bed, Casey discovered a short stack of untouched towels at the back of the hall closet. Randy and his friend had been destructive, but not thorough. Even if Gabe had been hiding the Crevans here, they easily might have missed them.
The bathroom was hot and steamy when he returned. He set the towels on the counter next to the sink. Gabe was humming; who knew Casey would have appreciated the slightly off-key warblings of a partner in the shower.
“What’s that you’re humming?” Casey asked.
“Ah, what? How would I know? Songs just flow out of me.”
“But only in the shower?” Casey stripped off his own clothes, leaving them in a tidy pile on top of the toilet lid.
“And when I’m alone in the car.” He started up again, mumbling words this time in that way people do when they only remember the chorus. Casey caught something about secondhand emotions.
“Excuse me?” Casey pulled the shower curtain aside and stepped over the lip of the tub. The shower enclosure really was too small for both of them so taking them together hadn’t happened often. This morning the effort was worth it. Even if it meant he had to witness each bruise and scratch that Gabe currently wore on his skin.
“What’s Love Got To Do With It.Tina Turner. A classic, one of my all-time favorites. I blame my mother.”
Casey’s Grinch-like heart briefly stuttered, like it didn’t fit properly inside his chest anymore. He sucked in a deep breathand allowed his gaze to run down the length of Gabe’s battered body and back up to his equally battered face. There he found himself ensnared by a huge grin and a pair of grayish blue eyes sparkling with joy.
Only his Gabriel.
“I know this is probably terrible timing,” Casey began, setting his hands on Gabe’s hips and tugging so they were both half under the hot spray. “But I love you. I wanted to say it without you being tied up, and I’m not telling you this now because you got yourself kidnapped and nearly, very close to possibly, killed last night. It’s been on my mind for a while, and I should have said something sooner. I love you, Gabriel Karne.”
Gabe’s smile grew impossibly brighter and bigger. He leaned into Casey, looping his arms loosely around Casey’s neck.
“I love you back, Ranger Man. Casey Lundin. Protector of the forest and people—even those you don’t like much. Are you sure I don’t need to be kidnapped and threatened a few more times? This shower thing is nice.”
“I’d rather you didn’t.”
Smirking, Gabe rose the half an inch he needed to reach Casey properly, then his warm, wet, lips landed against Casey’s. Was this what was meant by “sealed with a kiss”? It sure felt like it to Casey.
Without Casey being conscious of having acted, his hands were cradling Gabe’s head, pulling him in, erasing the last bit of space between them. Casey opened his mouth and let Gabe taste him, savoring Gabriel in return. Until Charming Fucker, he hadn’t known it could be like this, a complete and utter surrender of his barriers. It was scary but perfect.
With five fingers wound through Gabe’s wet hair, Casey ran his other hand down Gabe’s body, reassuring himself that Gabe was okay. That he was really in his arms and not a figment of Casey’s imagination. After holding it together all night, he had to remind himself to breathe.
“I can’t tell you how scared I was for you. I just found you,” he whispered.
“Admit it, you hated me at first,” Gabe said between kisses.
Casey nodded. “But that changed pretty damn fast.” He gave him one last kiss and pulled back slightly. “Um, we should scrub down and rinse off.” Casey let go of Gabe and reached for the shower gel, pumping enough for two into his palm. “This shower is too small.”
“You’ve never complained before.”
“I’m not complaining. It’s a fact. And you’re injured, so I feel the need to check over the rest of you. And I bet you a dollar the hot water is about to go.”