Free Tequila Sunset: A Military Erotic Romance (Sexy Siesta Series Book 2) by Talina Perkins

damn sure, bro. Catch you on the flip side.”
    “Wait, before you go, the man by the stairs. He’s the one from the bungalow,” Ema added.
    “I’ll let the overseeing officers know, sweetheart. You guys settle in for the night. The alarm is reset so you should be good. And by the looks of it” Lucas’s eyes roved over her marked neck “you guys have some unfinished business of your own to take care of. Take all the time you need.”
     

Chapter Seven
     
    A half hour later, Gabriel closed the door behind the last of the detectives. He propped himself on the doorway to the guest room, watching Ema soak in the moonlight.
    She was as stubborn as she was beautiful.
    So young to have so much weight on her delicate shoulders. A burden he wanted to relieve for her if she would only let him close enough to help.
    Bougainvillea had almost succeeded in taking her from him tonight. He’d be damned if he waited another day before making sure she understood she was his. Heart and soul.
    Making her see through the wall she held firmly in place might prove the hardest damn thing he’d ever do. When Bougainvillea’s goons had broken through the sliding door, his instincts had kicked in, flooding his thoughts with nothing but protecting what he cherished most in the world. He’d never had to do that before. The battlefield carried a different set of emotions. Fighting this close to home shot his system full of fear, his mind screaming at him to take out the enemy. And he had.
    Good thing he was just as stubborn as she was. Otherwise, going back in there and opening himself up to same rejection his father dished out all his life might take him out faster than enemy fire.
    He walked to where she stood by the window.
    “What will it take for me to show you just how deep under my skin you are?”
    He scooped her up into his embrace, and buried his face in her hair, filling his lungs with her sweet smell. “Esmeralda, this is it. The fear of losing you or you walking out is tearing my heart in half, and it fucking scares the shit out of me. Tell me what you want.”
    “I saw fear in your eyes tonight when Bougainvillea had his gun pointed at me. I’ve seen that fear before. Inside myself. Instead of running away from it or giving up, you showed me something else. You pushed back, which saved us both.” Resolve replaced the panic she’d held so close before.
    “Tell me what to do, Ema, because I don’t know anymore. I don’t know how to make you see I’m worth having by your side. Or how much I love you.”
    ***
    Ema grasped her chest at the impact of his words. “You have it wrong, Amor . I’m not leaving.” She pulled him tighter, closer. She cupped his face. With their gazes connected, she continued. “If anything, you’ve proven to me that fear is just as powerful as love. That it can drive us to reach deeper than we’ve ever done in our lives. I had it all wrong. You were right. Grabbing onto what we love and holding it tight…it can save us from ourselves.”
    God, she would do anything to erase the hurt she saw in their depth just minutes before. She had no intention of letting anything come between them again.
    “I guess what I’m trying to say is if you still want me, us, I’m not going anywhere. I’ve been a fool, unable to see the gift of love right here, right now between us. I should have latched onto the love you offered six months ago.” She was so lucky for such a patient man. “Maybe Bougainvillea was just the thing I needed to have the blindfold ripped away.”
    “Then maybe I should be thanking the bastard.” Gabe’s voice washed over her, filling her with relief.
    “Not so fast. I’m not sure I want to thank him. He almost killed the man I love.”
    “So you’re not afraid anymore? Afraid of opening your heart to love? Mine in particular?” A small smile titled the corner of his lips.
    She shook her head. “ Amor , I’m scared out of my mind. Not of opening my heart to let you in,