Page 34 of Tangled in His Embrace

He looked over the options and selected Candy Land.

“Really?” she asked.

“What? I used to love this game as a kid.”

She laughed. “Like father, like daughter, I guess. Taylor can’t get enough of it. We have to play at least once a week.”

Jax smiled, and she was glad to see the melancholy of a few minutes ago had gone. He carried the box to the dining room table. While he set everything up, she retrieved their empty plates from the living room and put the rest of the lasagna away.

Two hours and several games of Candy Land later, Gabby threw up her hands. “I give up. You’re cheating. You have to be.”

Her accusation was said in jest, and the huge grin on his face said he hadn’t taken offense. “I told you I loved this game. I could play it blindfolded.”

Before she could respond, the phone rang and she got up to answer it. “Hello?”

“Are you all right?” Her sister’s voice was full of worry.

“I’m fine. Why?”

She heard Grace release a loud breath. “Our electricity has been out for over an hour and I know you’re alone this weekend.”

Gabby glanced over at Jax, who was gathering up the game and putting it back into the box. “The electricity is still on and I’m not alone.”

“Oh. I thought Taylor went to Kansas City with her grandparents. Did they cancel because of the storm?”

In for a penny, in for a pound. Besides, her sister would know soon enough that Gabby and Jax were giving it another go. “No. They left on Friday afternoon. As far as I know, they’re still planning to head back home tomorrow.”

“So who—”

Gabby waited for her sister to put the pieces together.

“Jax?”

“Yeah.”

It took her sister a moment to respond. “How long has he been there?”

Again, Gabby’s gaze drifted to Jax who had bent over to pick up something off the floor. His jeans hugged his ass, making her insides clench with want. “He came over Friday night to talk.”

“And just how much talking have you two been doing?” By the tone of her sister’s voice, she knew what Grace was really asking.

“Everything okay?” Jax mouthed to her from across the room. She could only imagine the look on her face.

Gabby nodded and went back to talking to her sister. “We’ve done quite a bit of talking, actually.”

“I bet you have.”

Grace giggled and Gabby rolled her eyes. Not all that long ago, hearing such carefree sounds from her sister would have been a rare occurrence. “What has Alexander done to my timid little sister?”

“Um...”

“Forget I said anything. I don’t want to know.”

Grace laughed. “You probably don’t.”

Shaking her head, Gabby decided to shift the conversation back to where it had begun. “You said your electricity was out. Do you and Alexander have everything you need? I don’t know if the roads are any better than last night, but you could stay here if you need to.”

“We’re good for now. Alexander made a fire in the fireplace and we have bottled water and some canned food. We’ll be okay for a little while.” She paused. “Besides, we wouldn’t want to interrupt your talking.”

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