Page 45 of Cowboy SEAL Christmas

“Yeah?”

“I know you’re not interested in therapy—”

It was a sledgehammer to all the warm, soft feelings he should have known better than to have. “Christ, Monica.”

“But, just so you know, this means even if you changed your mind, I wouldn’t be available for that.”

He stared down at her, and maybe he shouldn’t be shocked or hurt. Maybe he should have expected that.

But he hadn’t.

* * *

Monica had known he wouldn’t love that, but well, thiswascomplicated, and some things needed to be clear. Just so they could… Well, she wasn’t sure what the next step was after kissing.

Oh, you know. Except it was hard to imaginemorethan that kiss when it still had her unsteady on her feet and her lips were practically throbbing from the attention. Years. Nearly a decade since someone had kissed her like that, and back then she’d been too young and dumb to really appreciate it.

But, oh, all these years later, she could appreciate it. She could damn near cry over how good it felt and how muchmoreshe wanted. Not here and now, certainly not with Colin sleeping right in the same room, but maybe this was a step toward…

Except Gabe was standing there, his expression morphing from confusion, to shock, to fury. And then to that distanced blankness she’d never seen anyone have perfected so well as he did.

This was not good.

“You should go,” he said flatly.

Clearly, she hadn’t said it right. Or maybe she needed to explain more. Yes, just a few more words, and he’d see. “Don’t be irritated with me. Thatismy role here. It’s not an insult to you or anything. It’s my job. I just had to say that, so it was clear.”

“Oh, it’s clear,” he said bitterly, turning away from her. “I can carry Colin to your truck.”

“Gabe.” But he was striding over to Colin’s sleeping form, then easing the boy gently off the bale.

“Gabe,” she repeated, but he kept moving, and she found she didn’t have any more words. She didn’t understand this. Didn’t understand him.

As though Colin weighed nothing, Gabe held him with one arm and grabbed his coat from the peg near the door. Then without any gentleness, he tossed hers at her.

She glared at him as he draped Colin’s coat over his shoulders. Colin yawned sleepily into Gabe’s shoulder and that…hurt somehow. Dug deep and hard in painful places she didn’t want to go.

“We should talk about this.”

“You made yourself clear, Monica. So very clear. What’s there to talk about?” With that, he opened the barn door and stepped out into night. She hurried after him, grabbing her purse before she followed him outside. His long strides in the snow made it hard to catch up. She grabbed the hem of her dress and held it up, so it wouldn’t drag through the snow.

It was freezing, but Gabe walked the distance to her truck as though coatless in Montana in the middle of December was anywhere near sensible or comfortable.

“Unlock,” he ordered.

She wanted to be contrary, but it was too cold to. She hit the unlock button on her key chain.

He opened the door and deposited Colin in the passenger seat. Colin blinked blearily at Gabe and yawned.

“Night, runt,” he muttered before gently closing the door.

Monica shoved her arms into the sleeves of her coat, letting the dress fall. “You misunderstood something if you’re acting like this,” she said. “I only meant—”

“I know what you meant, Monica,” he said so damn dismissively. “You meant,Crap, I kissed the poor sap who needs therapy. Better explain to him how—”

“I don’t think you, any of you, are poor saps. I respect you. All of you. I told you that.”

“Well, why don’t you tell me that when you’re ready for your actions to back up those words?”

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