Page 70 of The Pretender

“His behavior kind of makes you wonder what he would do if Tabitha ticked him off, doesn’t it?”

Gabby couldn’t let her mind go there. Not now. She wasn’t thinking rationally or ready to take on that mental battle. “You’re jumping to conclusions.”

“Just thinking out loud.”

“Thank you.” She took his hand in hers. “What you did was pretty chivalrous.”

He lifted her to her feet and wrapped his arms around her waist. Let his hands rest against her lower back. “I get the idea you don’t need to be rescued very often.”

She toyed with the zipper on his sweater. “I’ve learned if I wait around for a savior to ride to my rescue I’d be waiting a long time.”

“Maybe it’s time you let someone in.”

Her gaze moved up from his sweater to his face. She tried to read his expression, to figure out what exactly he was offering, but she couldn’t get a fix on him or his emotions.

She could play games or ignore this. God knew she had enough to deal with at the moment. All smart thoughts. But when she opened her mouth for once she said what was inside her. “You already are.”

His eyebrow lifted. “That’s big talk from a woman who professes not to feel anything.”

But he didn’t run. Hope soared inside her at the thought and she didn’t know why. She’d started down a road she wasn’t sure she wanted to travel. “Does it scare you?”

“I’m not going anywhere.” If anything, he pulled her in even tighter.

This was too much. Too fast. Too something.

Her mind raced as she tried to come up with something neutral to say. “Should we check on Stephen?”

Harris shook his head. “I’ll text Damon and warn him, but otherwise let Stephen find his own woman.”

The word spun inside her. “Is that what I am to you?”

“You are right now.”

She inhaled, trying to calm her mix of jangled nerves and festering rage. Her uncle set off both inside her. The burden that weighed on her for so long eased when she saw Harris. She’d been so wary of relying on anyone for so long. So quick to push people away and keep things informal. With Harris she wanted more.

“Do we need to get back to work?” She’d never be able to concentrate, but she could move papers around. Anything to keep her hands and mind busy.

His arms dropped to his sides and he headed for the door.

Disappointment rammed into her, but she managed to stay on her feet. She scooped the bag of chips off the floor and glanced up in time to see Harris throw the lock. “What are you doing?”

“Guaranteeing some privacy.” He picked the bag out of her hand and threw it on the counter behind her. “Giving in to the need to touch you.”

His arms slipped around her and he pulled her close. All that frustration and uncertainty drifted away. Here it was between the two of them and nothing her uncle said mattered. “Do I get to touch you back?”

He winked at her. “I’m counting on it.”

Chapter 19

Two hours later Harris and Gabby walked together toward the main house. The sun had all but disappeared into a bank of puffy gray clouds. Harris still fumed. He didn’t hate many people because he usually didn’t care enough to waste time on that sort of thing. But he hated Stephen.

Harris had hung back at the guesthouse after the standoff. The plan was to be there for her and make sure her uncle’s words hadn’t taken hold. Harris never expectedhewould need the time alone with her. His hands actually shook when he’d held her. A moment of comfort had morphed into something big and much scarier and then their clothes were off.

He’d spent so much of his life cultivating relationships that benefitted him but didn’t intrude on his life. The one exception was the Quint Five. He would do anything for those men and the small group of friends they’d formed. Other than with them, Harris didn’t do deep.

He enjoyed sex. The release and the heat calmed him. But he’d kept his partners casual, even forgettable. They had fun together for a short time but neither of them looked for anything more.

But he didn’t feel casual with her. He was invested. This amounted to more than sex for the sake of having sex.

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