Free Always and Forever by Lindsay McKenna Page B

macho jet jock image. Do you understand now?”
    Kyle turned and faced her. “I think I do.” Or did he? Had she asked him to Sedona just to thank him in person for his years of loyalty to her? That thought was like a knife cutting him.
    Gale saw the pain, the devastation apparent on his features. Did he love her? Or had the flame that burned fiercely between them dimmed and died over time? She was unsure of what she meant to Kyle, if anything, beyond a strong, enduring friendship. She wanted to gather Kyle into her arms, to tell him of her love for him, but the time wasn’t right. Perhaps it would never be. Getting to her feet, she laid her hand on his shoulder.
    â€œListen, I think you need some time to think about what I said. Good night, Kyle.” She leaned down and brushed a kiss on his cheek. Would he interpret her action as merely friendly, or would he see that she was trying to show him that she wanted much more from him?
    Gale saw the surprise flare in his eyes as she kissed him. Why was she being so hesitant when it was the last thing she wanted to be? Why didn’t she have the courage to simply blurt out how she really felt?
    Deep down inside, Gale knew she was afraid of Kyle’s answer. Sometimes the fear of rejection made her less than courageous. Perhaps giving him little hints would help him come to realize what she was really trying to say to him. Perhaps.
    Kyle couldn’t speak, only feel and feel some more. Gale’s hand on his shoulder was focusing his disjointed emotions. Finding his voice, he whispered, “I’ll see you in the morning.” He wanted to grab her hand, drag her into his arms and kiss her hard and long. The question andhesitation in her darkened eyes made him hesitate. Gale had kissed him. Okay, so it was a chaste kiss. But still, she’d kissed him! Hope flared strongly in his chest. He managed a slight smile, wanting to reach out and at least hold her hand, but he was too afraid. “Good night.”
    Gale barely lifted her hand. “Good night....”
    Kyle watched her leave, the den suddenly feeling empty without her warm presence. The house was dark and quiet. He walked through the living room to the large plate-glass window and looked out over the backyard toward the Taylors’ house a mere three hundred yards away. The sky was clear and the stars were large and close, twinkling and dancing.
    Thrusting his hands into the pockets of his jeans, he stared at the old sycamore tree standing proud and silent in the darkness. Gale’s face lingered before him. Yes, he loved her. The past year had brought that fact squarely to him. He had to make a decision. He realized he’d been waiting, giving Gale time to recover from the news of Mike’s death. Now it was clear that she was over her bereavement.
    Fresh fear gripped him. Did she love him? Where did friendship like theirs end and a new, different kind of love begin?
    Taking a deep breath, he moved away from the window and headed down the hall to his bedroom. The Taylors would be coming over at 10:00 a.m. to open Christmas gifts. And Gale would be with them. Suddenly, the need to see her, talk with her, was overwhelming. It didn’t matter how fearful he was of her reaction to his admitting his love for her. He couldn’t stand the excruciating wait, not knowing what her answer would be. There was so much to say. The morning couldn’t come soon enough....
    * * *
    â€œGood morning,” Gale said, smiling up into Kyle’s freshly shaved face. He’d cut himself, and she wanted to reach up and gently press a kiss to his jaw.
    Hungrily, Kyle stared into her lovely forest-colored eyes dancing with incredible life. “Merry Christmas,” he whispered. She wore a pale peach blouse and cream-colored slacks. Her hair was a shining cloak across her shoulders. Kyle inhaled the flowery scent of her perfume. A tension, a delicious throbbing sensation, ensnared