Page 6 of Chased at Christmas

“What am I looking at?” Gabe rolls his thick finger through the messages, scrolling quickly, as though he’s uninterested.

“Never mind.” I snatch my phone back and tuck it into my pocket.

Gabe shakes his head, pulls his glove back on, and lifts another couple of trees onto his shoulder. I love to watch that man work. I’m not sure anything will ever change that.

There’s no law against that,right?I can’t ruin things with my brother if I just watch Gabe from afar.

When the final tree is rolled to the edge of the space, I make my way to the back and grab two water bottles from the employee cooler. It’s restocked during shift close so there are fresh bottles waiting in the morning. I always thought that was a dumb practice, but now, I’m thankful.

I hand one toward him, our fingers brushing together as he takes it from my hand. “Look, I think denying that we have affection for each other is silly. We both know it’s there, but… we need to agree right now that it can’t go any further than that. You’re too close to Chevy, Gabe. I mean it. Nothing is going to change my mind.”

He draws in a heavy breath and lowers his giant frame onto the step with me. We’re close enough that our shoulders brush together and our bent legs touch. It’s a dangerous place to be, but here we are… again.

For a long while, we sit like this, almost as though we’re savoring a moment we both know we shouldn’t. The slight touch. The emotion passing in the silence of the storm. The peaceful, closed off world around us, whited out as we pass whatever feelings we have back and forth between the two of us. Right here and now, we’re in our own world. Anything could happen and no one would have to know.

He could kiss me.

I could kiss him.

He could touch me.

I could let him.

My heart pounds and my throat goes dry with anticipation as our arms brush against one another.

I might not make it. I knew it when we were at the bar, but I’ve suppressed it well. I’ve had to. Another moment like thatdoesn’t do either of us any favors. It only helps to brew the sad reality that’s staring us in the face.

“What are you doing?” I glance toward Gabe and wet my lips. “I’m going to have to quit if you keep this up, and I really need the money.”

He stands from the stair and stares down at me like a god of sorts, and like a slave to his muscles, I drink every inch of him in with a throbbing clit.

Wait, is my clit supposed to be throbbing?

“We need to talk,” he groans.

Dear God, I’m not going to make it out of this barn alive.

“No.” I shake my head and stand, tossing the empty water bottle onto the counter. “I’m going home.”

“You’re not going home in this.”

I walk toward the barn doors, ignoring everything he’s saying. “Iamgoing home. I’m not feeling good.”

He reaches out for my arm and holds me in place. “You’re not going anywhere, plum. Get your ass back inside until the snowstorm is over.”

I flinch away from his grip and storm out into the snow, but Gabe is bigger and stronger. He bends down and lifts me over his shoulder, tosses me back into the barn, and locks the door with his set of keys.

Oh my God!

When my feet are firmly on the ground again, my heart is still thumping at the reality of what’s just happened. I’m not a small girl, and I’ve never been tossed around like that before.

I shouldn’t like it as much as I do.

“What are you doing? You’re going to kidnap me?”

“I’m keeping you safe! There’s no unnecessary travel right now and you’re acting like a lunatic!”

“I’m acting like a woman who doesn’t want to be trapped in the barn with some jerk for God knows how long. Besides, I’m starving. We have nothing to eat and—”

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