Page 74 of Playboy

About halfway through the movie, he saw her eyelids begin to droop. She turned to Playboy, her voice soft and sleepy. “I’m glad that you’re here,” she told him right before her eyes fluttered shut. Moments later, she was asleep, her breathingdeep and even. Playboy carefully adjusted the blankets around her and settled in beside her, watching over her protectively.

As the movie played on, he couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of contentment. Being here with Gabby at this moment felt right. He knew that no matter what challenges lay ahead, they would face them together. With that comforting thought, he finally allowed himself to relax, feeling truly at peace for the first time in a long while.

That was until Gabby shifted in her sleep and she up, rolling over and throwing her arm across his chest. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm his raging hormones that suddenly came alive. Feeling her warm body pressed against him, along with her alluring fresh scent wrapped around him, was making it difficult for him to relax, never mind falling asleep.

He tried thinking about stuff that he needed to do, but that only turned into inappropriate thoughts of things he wanted to do to the woman who, in just a short span of time, had already stolen his heart.

Taking a deep breath, he ran his free hand down his face. He was so fucked.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

It had been a few weeks since Gabby had come home from the hospital, and life felt surprisingly good. The adjustment hadn’t been all smooth sailing, but living with Playboy made it all the better.

The two of them were settling into a rhythm and learning more about each other every day. She loved the quiet moments, like falling asleep beside him and waking up with his arm draped over her, the warmth of his presence making her feel safe in ways she hadn’t realized she needed. They’d even started talking about finding their own place together, something that felt like a promise of a future she was ready for, even though others would probably argue that it was too soon.

Her mom and dad had finally gone back home. It had been nice having them around, especially since it gave them time to get to know Playboy. One night, she and her dad had taken a walk along the beach. He’d turned to her, smiling softly, and said, “I like him, Gabby. Playboy’s a good man. I can see how much he cares about you, and that’s all I’ve ever wanted for you.” Hearing her dad’s approval had filled her heart with a quiet joy. It felt like another piece of the puzzle falling into place.

Physically, she was getting stronger every day. Each morning, she’d get up when Playboy did, slipping into her workout gear and meeting some of her teammates before they reported in. They’d swim and run with her, pushing her just like old times, making her feel like she belonged again. She was adjusting to her prosthetics better than she’d thought she would. There were still challenges, but the determination to prove toherself—and to Alley—that she wasn’t beaten kept her going. The notification about her medical board review hearing had come in the mail. It was still a couple of weeks away. Strangely, she wasn’t worried anymore. Her focus wasn’t on whether she’d stay in the Coast Guard or be medically discharged. She was determined to prove that Alley hadn’t won, that he didn’t get to take away her future. In fact, next week, she was planning on taking the Coast Guard Physical Fitness Test just to make a point.

When she wasn’t training or spending time with Playboy, she had lunch with Selena or caught up with friends like Hannah, Jocelyn, and Clover. Those were the moments that kept her grounded. They were a reminder that even though her life had changed, so much of it remained the same. And there were even moments of humor, like the other night when she forgot, for a split second, that she was missing half of her leg. She’d gotten out of bed in the middle of the night to pee and went down like a sack of bricks, flat on her face. Playboy had jolted awake, his eyes wide in panic until he saw her sprawled on the floor, and then they both burst out laughing. It was a moment of pure absurdity that lightened the seriousness of everything else.

As for her mental health, she was seeing a shrink. And surprisingly, it’s been good for her. Therapy wasn’t something she’d ever imagined needing, but it was helping her unpack everything—the trauma, the fear, and even the hope. Her therapist had suggested she find a hobby, something that wasn’t tied to work or recovery. Gabby had hesitated, not sure what she would do, but then remembered how much she used to love painting. But over time, she never really had the time for it.

The therapist suggested she should find a little time to do it again. And that was how Gabby found herself standing in front of the local craft store.

She entered the store, grabbed a cart, and headed toward the painting aisle.

She grabbed a few canvases in different sizes from the shelf, along with some new paint sets and brushes. She threw a few drop cloths in the cart that she would lay down so the beautiful wood floors in the condo wouldn’t get damaged. She grabbed two easels and put those in the cart. She already had a couple of easels, but they were in the small storage unit she rented to store all her finished paintings and supplies. The facility wasn’t in the best part of town, so maybe after dinner, she would ask Playboy if he wanted to drive her there.

On her way up to the front of the store to pay for everything, she saw a display of Halloween decorations. With the holiday being next week, she picked out a few pieces for the condo. Once she had everything she needed, she headed to the checkout counter.

As she waited in line to pay, her phone pinged. When she looked at the screen, she saw that it was from Tristan.

Tristan:Hey, Gabs. Just checking to see if you were still on for the camping trip this weekend.

Crap.She had completely forgotten about the trip. She and the guys would go camping and hiking a few times a year. They were supposed to go on the weekend when her accident happened. They had been holding off on going until she was healthy enough to go with them. It was fun and, at times, therapeutic being outdoors in the wilderness to clear her head. But what would Playboy think about her going camping with seven guys? Yeah, they were her teammates and would never cross the friendship line. But still, it just didn’t seem like the right thing to do.

Ugh! Why put herself through the painful and stressful guessing game? She would just talk to Playboy about it when he got home from work.

???

As Playboy approached the door to the condo, the delicious smell of grilled peppers and onions hit his nose. With his mouth watering, he followed the scent and unlocked the storm door.

As he entered the condo and was taking his boots off, he noticed the many shopping bags filled with what looked like painting supplies near the couch. He wondered what that was all about.

“Hey, you!” Gabby said, walking down the hall from the bedroom. She looked very relaxed dressed in a Coast Guard t-shirt, a pair of gym shorts, and her sneakers. He noticed her favoring her leg a little bit.

He smiled as she approached, looping her arms around his neck and kissed him.

Shit, he could get used to coming home to having her like this every night.

“How are you?” he asked, holding her around the waist. He loved the feel of her body pressed against his. He wanted her so bad. They had fooled around a little bit, but nothing extreme. He knew she was still self-conscious about her leg. So, he was leaving any further intimacy to her pace. But that wasn’t to say that it wasn’t torture.

“I’m good. My leg is achy a little bit. I think I overdid it in the pool this morning. Plus, I’ve been on the go pretty much all day.”

He knew she had been pushing herself a little with the physical fitness test coming up.

“Maybe take it easy tomorrow. You don’t want to hurt yourself before the test.”

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