Page 60 of Her Snowbound Hero

Had he been played for a fool? Was that why Joss was so uncomfortable of late? Was that why Toby was avoiding his calls?Guilt?

Doubts bombarded Garret’s head. All those hours he worked. Jocelyn’s distance. Tobe stopping by the gallery, pressuring Garret to decide. This waswhy?He ground his teeth until his jawbone popped loud in his ear, angry, furious at Toby’s trespassing and yet not sure what to do. The rational, don’t-go-off-half-cocked mediator-attorney in him demanded proof before he considered confronting them, and seeing them talking in a parking lot did not qualify as such. But the tension. What aboutthat?

Toby stalked off and got into his SUV, peeling out of the parking lot and heading west even though he’d been dressed in work-out clothes andhadn’tstepped foot inside the gym. Joss did the same but headed east, both of them seemingly trying to stay as far away from each other as possible.

A gust of wind hit him but did nothing for the anger simmering inside him.

Was Joss cheating on him with his best friend?

“EIGHTEEN.”

“Twenty-one.” Darcy swiped the cards from the couch cushion between them and looked up to find Garret in the same mood he’d been in all night. No amount of teasing or questions had drawn him out of it. If anything it had gotten darker, his expression more brooding.

The condo was quiet, Rosetta out on a date with one of the men who lived in the building. Garret had scowled when he’d heard the news. He’d hesitated outside the condo door, freshly showered and dressed casually in khaki slacks and a lightweight black sweater that emphasized his good looks, but then asked if he could come in anyway. She hadn’t been able to turn him away.

“Ow. Wait a minute, I have to stretch.” She made a face and shifted her sideways position on the couch.

“Where’s it hurt?”

She smoothed her hand over her lower back and without warning, Garret moved closer until their knees met, putting them face-to-face. Just like that his arms were around her. Despite the surprise of it, she didn’t move away. Garret placed his hands on her lower back and began a slow massage.

“Oh, wow.” She tried to hold in a moan, but his touch felt too good. “Oh, that feels wonderful.”

He chuckled huskily. “You like that, huh?”

Oh, yeah. And he seemed to like it, too. “Don’t stop.” She tried to hold herself upright and away from Garret’s hard, broad chest but the slow push and pull of his hands on her back made that impossible. She dropped her head to his shoulder and closed her eyes with a sigh.

His lips brushed her temple. “How do you do that?”

“Do what?” she whispered, feeling the tension inside her rocketing up by degrees. How was that possible with her the way she was?

“Make me want you when all you’re doing is sitting there.”

She caught her breath. Seriously? The moist heat of his breath against her neck, her ear, sent shivers through her. “It’s all a figment of your imagination. I’m pregnant, or have you forgotten?”

“I haven’t forgotten.”

Meaning…what? “Garret, stop.”

“You said I couldn’t.” He kissed her temple again. “And I don’t want to.”

She squeezed her eyes shut at the pitch of his voice. “I don’t want to make another mistake. We’ve spent a lot of time together these past few weeks and it’s been fun, but…Garret, you wouldn’t be a rebound for me.” She lifted her head, looked into his eyes and bared her soul. “This is…It scares me how easy it would be to fall for you.” Nothing like a little honesty to send a guy running.

“Would that be a bad thing?”

“Did you and Jocelyn break up?” He shook his head no. “Then, yeah, it would be a bad thing.”

“We’re close, Darcy. I’m not going to lie to you. Joss and I never made a verbal agreement to be exclusive, but we have been, almost from the beginning.”

She plucked at a button on his shirt, needing something, anything, to do rather than face him. “If you tell me you’re one of those guys who says he’s in love with two women—”

“I’m not.” He lifted her face to his. “Darcy, I’m going to be honest here. I’m not sure what I feel for you. Am I interested? Attracted to you?” He rubbed his thumb over her chin, a slow drag of warmth. “Yes, I am. Does it freak me out that you’re pregnant? Yeah. Big time.” He smoothed a hand along her jaw until it rested on her nape. “I’ve thought about marrying Joss for a while now. I bought the ring before Christmas,” he admitted softly.

“But something happened?”

He brushed his thumb over her cheek, her mouth, his eyes a turbulent sea. “Yeah…you. You have me thinking things I shouldn’t be thinking about a soon-to-be mom.”

Garret stared into her eyes, and she saw a reflection of what she felt: a conflict between duty and desire. How often had she wanted to go out and have fun, but was afraid she’d end up like her mother? Afraid she’d end up on the losing end of a string of guys who wanted to get off and nothing else? And when she’d taken the risk, jumped into a relationship with Stephen, look what had happened. How did people know what was right and what was wrong?

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