The damn demon.
Being near her made it too easy for him to forget his job. The moment she’d come out of the bathroom in her dress, all thoughts of demons and monsters had vanished. Her bare shoulders had teased him. He’d wanted to feel her skin.
He’d wanted more than that.
And when she had stared at him, he’d caught the way she blushed. He could’ve sworn she wanted him too.
But now he was getting the silent treatment.
He pulled into a Vons grocery store parking lot, and Silent Beauty finally spoke.
“What are you doing? Why are we stopping?”
Gabe pulled the keys from the ignition and turned toward her. For a split second, deep in her eyes, he saw the panic and fear of someone who knew what it was like to be attacked by someone they thought they knew. Without thinking, he reached out to cup her cheek. The moment he touched her, lightning burned through his veins. Her skin was softer than he could ever have imagined. How soft would her lips be?
She started to turn her head and accept the comfort he offered before suddenly rocking back in her seat, away from his touch. “I’m not going to be able to do this.”
He lowered his hand in a cloud of confusion. “Do what?”
“Take you to meet my parents. They’ll know something is up.” Her eyes glistened in the dome light. “Besides, Martie probably wouldn’t be comfortable with it anyway.”
“Martie?” Did she hit him in the head with a bat? He could almost see stars with the way his head was spinning. “What does Martie have to do with any of this?”
Her brow furrowed. “She’s your girlfriend, isn’t she?”
“What?” He would’ve laughed if he was sure she wouldn’t bolt from the car. “Martie has a girlfriend. She’d probably laugh her ass off that you thought we were an item, though. She’d be the first to tell you she can do much better than me.”
A crease marred her brow. “When you talked to her on your cell phone on a Saturday night and called her ‘hon,’ I just figured you…”
“Nope.” He shook his head, steadying his mental footing on the quicksand Tegan seemed to surround him with. “She was my first paying client five years ago. A demon was blackmailing her to keep living in her basement. Once I helped him get the hell out, she came to work for me. We keep crazy hours, but it’s just work. Nothing romantic.”
He wasn’t sure what he expected, but she didn’t hug him or smile or give him any clue about what she might be thinking. Instead she opened the car door. “I still don’t understand why we’re at the grocery store.”
“Flowers.” He locked the car and came around to Tegan’s side. “Every mom deserves flowers, right?”
She stared at him for a minute and smiled. A simple gift. His favorite kind.
He took her hand without thinking about it. She tensed beside him. Her fingers didn’t entwine with his. He tried not to take it personally. Much.
“Loosen up. It’s only for tonight.”
“I thought we agreed no public displays of affection. My mom can jump to her own conclusions.”
Gabe released her hand. “Sorry. I got caught up in the…moment.” He was definitely getting caught up in her. Dangerous for both of them.
“I just don’t want things to get complicated.”
“Right. Good idea.” He cleared his throat and guided her into the store, the subtle weight of his hand at the small of her back. “Let’s get some flowers, and get to your folks’ house.”
…
The moment Gabe pulled into her parents’ wide, circular driveway Tegan’s pulse went into warp drive. Anxiety buried its claws into her shoulders, her muscles bunching up. Regardless of her deal with Gabe to refrain from leading her parents to believe they were in a relationship, her mom would make that assumption.
This was a huge, monumental mistake. There was no way she could go through with this.
She started in her seat when Gabe opened her door. Before she could open her mouth to call the whole thing off, he
Being near her made it too easy for him to forget his job. The moment she’d come out of the bathroom in her dress, all thoughts of demons and monsters had vanished. Her bare shoulders had teased him. He’d wanted to feel her skin.
He’d wanted more than that.
And when she had stared at him, he’d caught the way she blushed. He could’ve sworn she wanted him too.
But now he was getting the silent treatment.
He pulled into a Vons grocery store parking lot, and Silent Beauty finally spoke.
“What are you doing? Why are we stopping?”
Gabe pulled the keys from the ignition and turned toward her. For a split second, deep in her eyes, he saw the panic and fear of someone who knew what it was like to be attacked by someone they thought they knew. Without thinking, he reached out to cup her cheek. The moment he touched her, lightning burned through his veins. Her skin was softer than he could ever have imagined. How soft would her lips be?
She started to turn her head and accept the comfort he offered before suddenly rocking back in her seat, away from his touch. “I’m not going to be able to do this.”
He lowered his hand in a cloud of confusion. “Do what?”
“Take you to meet my parents. They’ll know something is up.” Her eyes glistened in the dome light. “Besides, Martie probably wouldn’t be comfortable with it anyway.”
“Martie?” Did she hit him in the head with a bat? He could almost see stars with the way his head was spinning. “What does Martie have to do with any of this?”
Her brow furrowed. “She’s your girlfriend, isn’t she?”
“What?” He would’ve laughed if he was sure she wouldn’t bolt from the car. “Martie has a girlfriend. She’d probably laugh her ass off that you thought we were an item, though. She’d be the first to tell you she can do much better than me.”
A crease marred her brow. “When you talked to her on your cell phone on a Saturday night and called her ‘hon,’ I just figured you…”
“Nope.” He shook his head, steadying his mental footing on the quicksand Tegan seemed to surround him with. “She was my first paying client five years ago. A demon was blackmailing her to keep living in her basement. Once I helped him get the hell out, she came to work for me. We keep crazy hours, but it’s just work. Nothing romantic.”
He wasn’t sure what he expected, but she didn’t hug him or smile or give him any clue about what she might be thinking. Instead she opened the car door. “I still don’t understand why we’re at the grocery store.”
“Flowers.” He locked the car and came around to Tegan’s side. “Every mom deserves flowers, right?”
She stared at him for a minute and smiled. A simple gift. His favorite kind.
He took her hand without thinking about it. She tensed beside him. Her fingers didn’t entwine with his. He tried not to take it personally. Much.
“Loosen up. It’s only for tonight.”
“I thought we agreed no public displays of affection. My mom can jump to her own conclusions.”
Gabe released her hand. “Sorry. I got caught up in the…moment.” He was definitely getting caught up in her. Dangerous for both of them.
“I just don’t want things to get complicated.”
“Right. Good idea.” He cleared his throat and guided her into the store, the subtle weight of his hand at the small of her back. “Let’s get some flowers, and get to your folks’ house.”
…
The moment Gabe pulled into her parents’ wide, circular driveway Tegan’s pulse went into warp drive. Anxiety buried its claws into her shoulders, her muscles bunching up. Regardless of her deal with Gabe to refrain from leading her parents to believe they were in a relationship, her mom would make that assumption.
This was a huge, monumental mistake. There was no way she could go through with this.
She started in her seat when Gabe opened her door. Before she could open her mouth to call the whole thing off, he
Similar Books
