Page 49 of The Talk Around Town

Shit. She’s not wearing a bra.

Sucking a desperate breath into suddenly empty lungs, he tore his gaze from the sight, the temptation to take hold of her almost too strong to control.

“Was there something specific you wanted?”

That caught his attention, dragging it back from dangerous waters. Emma let out a disgusted sigh when he didn’t answer and turned on her heel.

“Do what you want. I don’t care.” She stalked down the hall and into the living room on the right.

Gabe shut the door and followed her, determined to fix their friendship. “What exactly is going on?” he asked as he came around the doorway. Emma turned, surprise he’d stayed washing over her distressed face.

“I thought you’d leave.” She dashed a hand beneath her eyes and glared at him. “As if you don’t know, Mr I’m-So-Bloody-Wonderful. I thought we were friends, and then…” Emma cut off her words and glared at him, daring him to contradict her.

“So did I. And youhitme. Okay, I may have been out of line kissing you like that, but I sure didn’t expect a slap across my face. A simpledon’t do that againwould’ve sufficed.”

Gabe took a moment to think, knowing his next words could make or break any future friendship.

“What did Millie say to you that hurt you so badly? She swears she didn’t say anything, but she must have for you to get so upset.”

“She’s right, she didn’t say anythingtome. I was in the bathroom when she and her friends came in. They didn’t know I was there. Millie started on about how I was such a joke, what everyone really thinks of me. She said you refused to be put on the list—you admitted to that—and that you think I’m… that I’m…”

Emma’s eyes looked like they’d overflow, but she continued, her voice quiet in the silent room. “She said you didn’t want to help with the house, and that’s fine, but don’t pretend like you do when it’s not your idea. She said you think I’m nothing but trash who no one would want to date after the initial thrill wore off. That Pete felt sorry for me, and that’s the only reason he asked me to dinner.”

Gabe stared at her, shock turning his blood to ice. “How could you believe that? Yes, I refused that stupid damn list. You know that. It wasn’t because I thought you were… or are trashy. Dammit, Emma! I refused initially because I thought it was a stupid idea to begin with, one of Ryan’s crazier ones. He thought he’d win and have a huge kitty totake you out with in Bialga. Show you a good night out.”

He didn’t add that Ryan was hoping like crazy she’d want to have sex with him afterward. He ignored the cramping of his gut when he thought of his friend with her like that. It was none of his business.

“If you’d wanted to, you could’ve gotten into the whole wager thing and been dating within days of arriving here. And that would’ve been fine if you’d chosen to. But you didn’t. And Pete never felt sorry for you. He likes you. You made him feel special, like someone worth talking to. All from sitting down to have a drink with him that first time you went out with Darb. And do you think that’s a lie as well? That Darby doesn’t really like you?”

Letting out a frustrated sigh, Gabe waited until Emma answered.

“No, of course not. She’s not like that.” Emma raised her sad gaze to his. “Hassles like this are what I was trying to avoid. It’s almost enough to make me wish I hadn’t moved here.”

Her confusion was obvious. A wash of sympathy followed by fear at the thought of her leaving delved deep into Gabe’s insides and burrowed where he couldn’t dig it out.

“Why did you kiss me?”

“I don’t know.”

Liar. You kissed her because you wanted her—stillwant her.

Gabe ignored the annoying voice in his head and spat out the first thing he thought of. “You were upset. I thought it would help.”

He winced. His mouth was digging him deeper every time he opened it. Time to lay it on the table and see if he could salvage anything from this mess.

“I want our friendship back. I miss talking to you, seeing you. I did something stupid and it upset you, and I’m sorry.”

Emma blinked and stepped back. “So the stupid thing you did, that was kiss me, right? And now you’re sorry?”

Gabe didn’t like the tone of her voice when she said it like that. He nodded slowly, knowing he’d just said something wrong but couldn’t for the life of him think what it was. Wasn’t he supposed to say he was sorry?

“Yes?”

A flush spread up her face, anger swallowing the remaining tears in her eyes.

“You’re an arse, you know that?” She stalked past him and into the kitchen, spinning to face him when he followed her into the room. “What do you want from me? What, Gabe? I don’t understand,” she demanded, anger suffusing her face.

“Nothing! Just your friendship.” He held up his hands, at a loss to explain himself any better. How did he do that without outing himself completely? “I like you, okay? I want to spend time with you.”

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