Page 69 of Kiss and Make Love

June opened the back door to his Audi, hurled in her duffle bag, flung open the passenger door, and plunked herself in the seat next to him. God, what a little whirlwind she was. He almost chuckled at the comical expression on her face. She appeared less than thrilled to accept his invitation, but there she was.

Her sandy blonde hair fell over her shoulder in a single, thick braid, and her fair, freckled skin contrasted with his own olive complexion. The subtle curves of her body looked good against the leather seat. Despite the scowl on her face, he couldn't help but find her irresistible. She was off-limits, he reminded himself, pushing away any thoughts that suggested something deeper. But as he stole a glance at her, a subtle smile played at the corners of his lips.

Off-limits.

That was the phrase Matt had used when they first started hanging out. And that was fine. June was always ridiculously busy working night shifts here, early shifts there, taking an overload of university courses for half the year. It made it easier for Gabriel to keep her at arm’s length, though he’d always thought she was so damn cute. Now, looking at her today, he couldn’t deny it any longer. Matt’s little sister was all grown up. Whose brother had a right to say who she could and couldn’t be with? Their pact now seemed…absurd.

He put the car in drive and pulled out into the street. He couldn’t let her distract him, even for a day. Getting time off to go see Matt was a struggle in itself. Even then, it wasn’t timeoff. He’d need to take calls while traveling and work during hotel stops. Just the idea of working while on the road exhausted him. His obligations were becoming too much. No, theyweretoo much. The added stress of driving across western Canada because of June’s strange inability to accept any monetaryaid was not helping either. But he would never leave Matt’s little sister behind.

Although, again, she didn’t seem so little anymore. Sitting beside him in that pale yellow sundress, it was a challenge to keep his eyes off her. Sure, he’d thought about hooking up with her over the years. How could he not? She was always floating around somewhere in his life. She and Matt were a package deal in some respects. But they’d never spent a significant portion of time alone together. He’d made sure of that. The hot younger sister was too much of a temptation.

But now it was just the two of them.

In a car.

Eventually, in a hotel.

For the next twenty-six hours.

No. He was going to stay on track, do the work, and become the youngest vice president of Altus Capital. That place had four years of his soul. With his shot at a huge promotion coming up, he needed to keep his eyes on the prize.

“Thank you,” she whispered from beside him.

Gabe looked over and saw June’s gaze locked on him, a wrinkle in her forehead.

“You’re welcome. Although it’d be a lot easier if you’d let me fly us to Manitoba.” He allowed a hint of a smile to form on his face.

She rolled her eyes and smiled back. This trip might not be so terrible after all.

JUNE

Gabriel took work calls the entire six hours they’d been driving. Thank goodness she’d packed multiple books to read. She figured they wouldn’t talk much because, well, he’d never been all that talkative when she made attempts at conversation. But his workload was insane.

Exhausted from the lack of sleep the night before and drained from the reality of her brother being in the hospital, her focus waned. They’d called the hospital as soon as they’d turned onto the highway. Nursing staff said Matt had a severe concussion and was still undergoing emergency surgery to fix his shattered femur. The nurse was nice enough to let them know it was going well and that she should call again in the morning.

She read and re-read the same passage from the same page, not comprehending what the words said. Focusing for an extended period of time was tough when Matt’s well-being was all she could think about. Out of everyone, she couldn’t lose him. And while he wasn’t in critical condition, it still felt that way to her. He was the only family member she cared about, her one solid support. The pages blurred in front of her.

“Hey,” Gabriel’s voice broke through her haze, unsure. “Are you okay?”

Startled, June reached up and touched her cheek. How long had she been crying? The tips of her ears burned as she wiped the tears from her face.

“Sorry.” She reached for a tissue in her purse to blot at her eyes. God. He didn’t need some girl blubbering in the background on his calls from the office. “I guess everything is hitting me now. I don’t mean to be a bother.”

“You’re not being a bother,” he said, shaking his head. “I get it.”

June braved a look at him. His face was strained like he was holding something back. Likely, he didn’t know what to say. They were just two acquaintances who were in each other’s lives because of Matt. The more she thought about it, the weirder it seemed that they never became friends, too. They were around each other enough. She was basically the female version of Matt. But he’d always been so reserved with her.

Gabriel ran his fingers through his thick hair, leaving it disheveled, and released a long, steady breath. “He’s like my brother. I get it. I do. You can talk to me.” Grabbing his phone, he powered it down and tossed it in the cupholder.

She sniffed and took a slow breath in through her nose and out through her mouth. He’d turned off his phone. Thatwasn’t a meaningless gesture. Work was his life.

“Shouldn’t your phone be on? What if work calls again?”

“I’m just waiting for a call to schedule a meeting for next Tuesday. Everything else has been handled, so it can wait for a few minutes. Go ahead. What’s on your mind?”

Fidgeting with her nails, she hesitated to look at him while she spoke. “Matt’s all I have. The thought of him being hurt and alone, undergoing surgery, terrifies me.”

“What about your dad? Matt doesn’t talk much about him.”

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