other.”
“C’mon,” Maddie said, “you told me yourself not a day goes by when you don’t think about her. Don’t let another day pass like that. Act now.”
Gabe remained silent.
“Damn it, Gabe!” Maddie yelled at him. “How can you be so dominant in bed and so fucking useless out of it? So what if she rebuffed you once? Go prove you’re bigger than that. A real man would not run away at the first hint of trouble.”
Gabe’s spine stiffened. Until today his masculinity had never been questioned. He’d never questioned it. Now Tina had him doubting himself.
“How badly do you want her?” Connor asked.
“How badly did you want Maddie?” Gabe shot back at him.
Connor grimaced and nodded. “A damn lot.”
“Well, multiply that by four years and you might have an inkling.”
“Gabe,” Maddie said beside him. “Go get your girl. Go and prove to Tina that you are all the man she’ll ever need.”
Gabe stared at Maddie for a very long time.
“Do it, Carter,” Connor encouraged. “Pull out all the stops. Go and get your girl.”
Gabe squared his shoulders. Since when did one knock back mean he had to stop trying? Gabe was not the kind of guy who gave up without a fight, not when his goals meant something to him. And Tina meant something. Heck, Tina meant everything.
And that was all the decision time he needed.
Gabe leaned over and kissed Maddie on the cheek. Then he walked around the table to clap Connor on the back. “Mate,” he said to his friend, “you’re damn lucky Maddie loves you. If I wasn’t so hell-bent on winning Tina over, I’d pull out all the stops to get Maddie back.” He winked at Maddie who rolled her eyes in response. “Now if you’ll both excuse me, I have a woman to woo.”
Chapter Six
Tina stared in disbelief at the hulking mountain of a man standing in her doorway. He’d come back . After the way he’d left earlier, she’d believed he’d never want to lay eyes on her again.
An intense wave of relief swept over her.
“Have dinner with me?” he invited, as if nothing had transpired between the two of them today. As if he hadn’t professed his love for her. As if he hadn’t brought her to orgasm several times over. As if she hadn’t watched his face shadow over when she’d told him she’d loved both him and Connor.
“Y-you want to have a meal together?”
He shrugged. “We both have to eat.”
Tina hoped her jaw hadn’t dropped in response. Two hours ago Gabe had left with a tortured look on his face. Now he was extending a casual invitation to dinner.
She said the first thing that came to mind. “Well, gosh, Gabe. I’m kinda busy right now. You know? Forgetting about you and forgetting about today. Just like you instructed. I don’t have the time to stop for a bite.”
Gabe’s answering smile was slow to develop. “Damn, T, maybe one day I’ll learn to take offense to your cynical nature.”
“Damn, G, maybe one day you won’t inspire cynicism in me.”
He nodded, every glimmer of his smile gone. “I can only hope. May I come in?”
She narrowed her eyes as she looked up at him belligerently. “That depends. Do you have any plans to raid the contents of my bedside drawer again?” Her stomach gave an unexpected quiver. Shit. She should know better than to refer to her toys. Gabe’s skill with a vibrator surpassed any man’s she’d known, even Connor’s.
A muscle ticked in his jaw. “That would—” Gabe shook his head and broke off mid-sentence. “I came to take you to dinner, that’s it.” He frowned. “I swear there will not be a repeat of this afternoon’s performance…” This time he let his words trail off.
Tina eyed him warily. He’d left way too much unsaid. He could have finished his sentence with… unless you want there to be one. And damn it, she did. Just standing opposite Gabe had her nerves jumping about in a state of useless confusion. Okay, not confusion. Longing. Being anywhere near the man
“C’mon,” Maddie said, “you told me yourself not a day goes by when you don’t think about her. Don’t let another day pass like that. Act now.”
Gabe remained silent.
“Damn it, Gabe!” Maddie yelled at him. “How can you be so dominant in bed and so fucking useless out of it? So what if she rebuffed you once? Go prove you’re bigger than that. A real man would not run away at the first hint of trouble.”
Gabe’s spine stiffened. Until today his masculinity had never been questioned. He’d never questioned it. Now Tina had him doubting himself.
“How badly do you want her?” Connor asked.
“How badly did you want Maddie?” Gabe shot back at him.
Connor grimaced and nodded. “A damn lot.”
“Well, multiply that by four years and you might have an inkling.”
“Gabe,” Maddie said beside him. “Go get your girl. Go and prove to Tina that you are all the man she’ll ever need.”
Gabe stared at Maddie for a very long time.
“Do it, Carter,” Connor encouraged. “Pull out all the stops. Go and get your girl.”
Gabe squared his shoulders. Since when did one knock back mean he had to stop trying? Gabe was not the kind of guy who gave up without a fight, not when his goals meant something to him. And Tina meant something. Heck, Tina meant everything.
And that was all the decision time he needed.
Gabe leaned over and kissed Maddie on the cheek. Then he walked around the table to clap Connor on the back. “Mate,” he said to his friend, “you’re damn lucky Maddie loves you. If I wasn’t so hell-bent on winning Tina over, I’d pull out all the stops to get Maddie back.” He winked at Maddie who rolled her eyes in response. “Now if you’ll both excuse me, I have a woman to woo.”
Chapter Six
Tina stared in disbelief at the hulking mountain of a man standing in her doorway. He’d come back . After the way he’d left earlier, she’d believed he’d never want to lay eyes on her again.
An intense wave of relief swept over her.
“Have dinner with me?” he invited, as if nothing had transpired between the two of them today. As if he hadn’t professed his love for her. As if he hadn’t brought her to orgasm several times over. As if she hadn’t watched his face shadow over when she’d told him she’d loved both him and Connor.
“Y-you want to have a meal together?”
He shrugged. “We both have to eat.”
Tina hoped her jaw hadn’t dropped in response. Two hours ago Gabe had left with a tortured look on his face. Now he was extending a casual invitation to dinner.
She said the first thing that came to mind. “Well, gosh, Gabe. I’m kinda busy right now. You know? Forgetting about you and forgetting about today. Just like you instructed. I don’t have the time to stop for a bite.”
Gabe’s answering smile was slow to develop. “Damn, T, maybe one day I’ll learn to take offense to your cynical nature.”
“Damn, G, maybe one day you won’t inspire cynicism in me.”
He nodded, every glimmer of his smile gone. “I can only hope. May I come in?”
She narrowed her eyes as she looked up at him belligerently. “That depends. Do you have any plans to raid the contents of my bedside drawer again?” Her stomach gave an unexpected quiver. Shit. She should know better than to refer to her toys. Gabe’s skill with a vibrator surpassed any man’s she’d known, even Connor’s.
A muscle ticked in his jaw. “That would—” Gabe shook his head and broke off mid-sentence. “I came to take you to dinner, that’s it.” He frowned. “I swear there will not be a repeat of this afternoon’s performance…” This time he let his words trail off.
Tina eyed him warily. He’d left way too much unsaid. He could have finished his sentence with… unless you want there to be one. And damn it, she did. Just standing opposite Gabe had her nerves jumping about in a state of useless confusion. Okay, not confusion. Longing. Being anywhere near the man
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