Page 62 of Fierce-Gabe

“No,” he said.

“Because your room is still a mess even though the sheets are clean? I’ll look the other way like I did in your bathroom after.”

It wasn’t that bad. Just the sink had some whisker shavings in one. She washed her hands in the other one.

“No,” he said. “We aren’t going to have sex after this conversation because I don’t want you to go home and think about it and regret anything. We are going to finish talking. We are going to kiss. And then you are going to go home and think some more. I bet you’re good at thinking, but you aren’t going to have any confusion about my motive or sex or if you shouldn’t have done it again.”

She nodded her head against his chest. “You’re probably right.”

“No argument on that?” he asked.

“Not tonight,” she said. “Just know I don’t like to be told what to do, but tonight I’ll let it slide.”

“I’ll take it as a win then,” he said and kissed her on the top of her head.

19

TAKING IT SLOW

“Hi, Gabe." Gabe turned his head at the call of his name. It was a woman’s voice not one of the men. There were no women working on his crew today so he wasn’t sure what was going on.

He climbed off the ladder he was on to check how level the ceiling looked. Not great, so he’d have to figure out what was going on there.

They were in the new building and working on the structure. They’d get their work done and then Royce and his crew would start once they had leases signed. Time yet, as they were still working on spaces in the other building and he had a few months of work yet here plus all their other projects going on.

“Hi, Diane,” he said once he saw her standing there. “I’m coming out, don’t come in here.”

“We were told to stay in the hallway,” Carolyn said.

He lifted an eyebrow. He wasn’t sure who told them other than their husbands. Yeah, they’d know the drill he was sure.

He walked toward them and noticed they had a plate in their hands. A pretty big one full of white, red and pink. Damn, he was getting cookies.

These women were the best. The fact they hunted him down to bring sweets to him and his crew was awesome.

“Are those for us?” he asked.

“They are,” Diane said. “We’ve been delivering them to people today. You know we stock up from Payton’s deli for the holidays.”

“This isn’t much of one,” he said. At least in his eyes it wasn’t.

Maybe because he was single so much for this day.

Not this year. He had a girlfriend, but he wasn’t telling anyone that. Not even Elise. She didn’t need to know he thought of her that way.

It’d been two weeks since she’d landed on his bed and then raced out like there were fire ants chasing her.

They’d made up the next day.

Now they were taking it slow. Some dinners at each other’s house and then he’d be on his way.

No more than kissing. His decision, not hers.

He wasn’t going any further until her head was on straight. Not that he didn’t think it was, but he didn’t wantherto think it wasn’t.

It’s not like he hadn’t gone a lot longer than two weeks without sex. This was nothing. Even if he was remembering their time together.

“It would be if you had yourself a woman,” Carolyn said. “We could help you with that if you want.”

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