Second Chance

Chapter 3

Gabe Silas could not believe his eyes. Is this for real? He was just thinking about her.

Oh hell, who was he kidding; she barely ever left his mind!

But even his mind could not conjure what his eyes were seeing in front of him. An illusion, that’s got to be. But someone did say ‘Hi’ to him, startled him and made him drop everything he held in his hands when he registered that tone as her voice.

Was he loosing it that bad?

No he wasn’t, she did call him by his name and that was definitely her in front of him.

He was staring at the woman in front of him and committing every detail into his memory, light hair pulled back in a pony tail, shocked hazel-gold eyes he loved so much, sensual full lips formed into a surprised ‘o’, toned not overly muscled shoulders and arms, beautiful breasts, firm and high. He felt himself going taut and hard and fought for control over his body. He was not a teenager for crying out loud.

To Gabe, as a teenage girl she was always beautiful, now as a woman she was astonishingly gorgeous. Took his breath away, he felt like a fish out of the water, gasping. He looked down to her slim waist to toned and shaped legs in running shoes. Noticed how covered in sweat she was and his mind went incandescent. Images and thoughts of how he would love to make her that sweaty and panting with desire for him and underneath him, how he would love to put his hands on those perky breasts, kiss that luscious mouth, make her scream his name...

Get a grip Gabe!

He mentally berated himself. He did not even notice that he was still holding the ladder in a deathly grip, his knuckles turning white.

How can it be that she had this effect on him after all these years?

He just stood there not knowing what to do or what to say worried that if he did do or say something - she would disappear. In all the years of his visits home he never saw her here. Every time he saw Nick when he visited, and did always ask about her, how she is and how her life is, how she settled and does she work. He never asked anything personal, Nick didn’t want to volunteer anything it seemed and he really wanted to know if she’s married, does she have kids, can he get her phone number... and then what?

Gabe was staring at her now. She was easily one of the sexiest women he ever saw. A Goddess! He could tell she took care of herself; she looked great, mature, confident, classy, someone you could have an intelligent conversation with, not that he ever doubted her intelligence. He always knew how sharp her brain was. She was the total opposite of all the socialites he courted so far and bimbos that chased after him. Any man would be an idiot to let her go and not fight tooth and nail to keep her by his side. She was probably married to some lucky bastard, had a kid or two and was very happy by the look of it.

Gabe fought rising wave of despair, rage and jealousy in him.

He moved his eyes back to her face and noticed a big smile curving her lips. Seconds ago she looked more shocked than he was. They did not expect to see each other, and some instinct told Gabe that she was really glad to see him. Like now, her eyes would turn so warm and smiling every time she would see him and he remembered those hazel colored eyes with gold flecks good. He should be, he dreamed of them quite often in last twenty years or so.

“No one’s called me Gabriela in a really long time. It sure is good to see you again!” she smiled at him and went to give him a hug and then froze on the spot. He chuckled and said

“No one’s called me Gabriel for years either. Gabe” he said and pointed at himself “Come here and give me a hug. You scared the life out of me; I thought I was going to whack you on the head when I dropped that hammer. Didn’t expect it was you either” he bent down and headed under the tree house to pull her out and grab her in his arms. She just raised her hands to stop him and he looked at her with question in his eyes, sensing something that suspiciously felt like hurt inside his chest.