didn’t have to look to her left to know that he’d moved in to stand beside her. The heat and presence of his body announced his arrival with tantalizing force and whispered over her bare arms in a seductive promise.
“Jordan?” His voice was gentle and pleading. The sound of it made all the tiny hairs on her arm stand at attention—or maybe it was the cold air from the fridge. “Look at me.”
Sucking in a deep breath, Jordan slowly turned her head. Nope. Definitely not because of the fridge.
She expected to find the same hard, unforgiving look she’d seen in his eyes ever since she got home. She didn’t. Her belly quivered—and not from the cold air. To her surprise, she saw empathy and maybe even a flicker of forgiveness. She stilled and studied him closely, worried that perhaps she was seeing what she wanted to see instead of what was really there.
When those intense green eyes peered at her from beneath thick, dark lashes, every coherent thought was driven from her mind. His mouth set in a firm line and the muscle in his jaw flickered. She was tall for a woman at five foot ten, but Gavin still managed to make her feel delicate and tiny, as opposed to tall and gangly. Around him, she felt womanly and sexy, a feeling she’d all but forgotten.
“I think we need to start over,” he rasped. “And I’m not only talking about today. We need a do-over.” His lips tilted. “Just like when we played kickball when we were kids, remember? A do-over.”
“That’s why I came back.” Jordan barely recognized the sound of her own voice. “To start over.” She was shaking now and that stupid hair fell into her face again. She swiped at it quickly with quivering fingers, but it refused to budge. Nervous, turned on, and totally unsure of herself, Jordan started babbling. “Me and my girls are getting a fresh start, and besides, my father’s ill, and I know my mother’s going to need help. I don’t think that—”
Her words were cut short when Gavin pushed the hair off her forehead and slowly tucked the wayward strand behind her ear. The sweet gesture totally disarmed her and wiped all the arguments from her head. How the hell could she ever have accused him of being like her father? Gavin was nothing like him or Ted. He was sweet, thoughtful, and protective—a far cry from her old man, to say nothing of the bastard she’d married.
Sweet Jesus, she’d screwed things up so badly. How on earth could they start over? She had no idea where or how to begin.
“Why did you leave like that, Jordan?” Gavin’s voice wavered and a shadow flickered across his face. “Can you at least tell me why you never called or told me where you were?”
A hundred different answers ran through her head. My father hit me. Suzanne said you were screwing Missy Oakland. I was angry and stubborn. I was scared . All of those reasons and several more rose to the surface, but what was the point of rehashing the past?
“Does it matter?” she asked quietly.
“It matters to me.” His dark brows furrowed and that stubble-covered jaw clenched. “I’m nothing like your father.”
His words slammed into her, making her recall her terrible accusation. Regret filled Jordan in an instant and practically choked the air from her lungs.
“I know that,” she whispered. “And I’m so sorry I said that to you, Gavin. I was childish and angry and hurt and—”
“And stubborn,” Gavin interjected.
“Fine, and like always, I was stubborn. But, Gavin, too much time has passed.” Jordan sucked in a shaky breath. She held his heated stare, every fiber of her body coming to life as the pad of his fingers rasped over her flesh. Thinking was becoming increasingly challenging, and if he kept this up, she was going to jump his bones right here in the flowers. “It’s not only about me… My girls…”
“I know. I met them, and I have a feeling Lily, Grace, and I are gonna get along great. It’s you and me that I’m talking
“Jordan?” His voice was gentle and pleading. The sound of it made all the tiny hairs on her arm stand at attention—or maybe it was the cold air from the fridge. “Look at me.”
Sucking in a deep breath, Jordan slowly turned her head. Nope. Definitely not because of the fridge.
She expected to find the same hard, unforgiving look she’d seen in his eyes ever since she got home. She didn’t. Her belly quivered—and not from the cold air. To her surprise, she saw empathy and maybe even a flicker of forgiveness. She stilled and studied him closely, worried that perhaps she was seeing what she wanted to see instead of what was really there.
When those intense green eyes peered at her from beneath thick, dark lashes, every coherent thought was driven from her mind. His mouth set in a firm line and the muscle in his jaw flickered. She was tall for a woman at five foot ten, but Gavin still managed to make her feel delicate and tiny, as opposed to tall and gangly. Around him, she felt womanly and sexy, a feeling she’d all but forgotten.
“I think we need to start over,” he rasped. “And I’m not only talking about today. We need a do-over.” His lips tilted. “Just like when we played kickball when we were kids, remember? A do-over.”
“That’s why I came back.” Jordan barely recognized the sound of her own voice. “To start over.” She was shaking now and that stupid hair fell into her face again. She swiped at it quickly with quivering fingers, but it refused to budge. Nervous, turned on, and totally unsure of herself, Jordan started babbling. “Me and my girls are getting a fresh start, and besides, my father’s ill, and I know my mother’s going to need help. I don’t think that—”
Her words were cut short when Gavin pushed the hair off her forehead and slowly tucked the wayward strand behind her ear. The sweet gesture totally disarmed her and wiped all the arguments from her head. How the hell could she ever have accused him of being like her father? Gavin was nothing like him or Ted. He was sweet, thoughtful, and protective—a far cry from her old man, to say nothing of the bastard she’d married.
Sweet Jesus, she’d screwed things up so badly. How on earth could they start over? She had no idea where or how to begin.
“Why did you leave like that, Jordan?” Gavin’s voice wavered and a shadow flickered across his face. “Can you at least tell me why you never called or told me where you were?”
A hundred different answers ran through her head. My father hit me. Suzanne said you were screwing Missy Oakland. I was angry and stubborn. I was scared . All of those reasons and several more rose to the surface, but what was the point of rehashing the past?
“Does it matter?” she asked quietly.
“It matters to me.” His dark brows furrowed and that stubble-covered jaw clenched. “I’m nothing like your father.”
His words slammed into her, making her recall her terrible accusation. Regret filled Jordan in an instant and practically choked the air from her lungs.
“I know that,” she whispered. “And I’m so sorry I said that to you, Gavin. I was childish and angry and hurt and—”
“And stubborn,” Gavin interjected.
“Fine, and like always, I was stubborn. But, Gavin, too much time has passed.” Jordan sucked in a shaky breath. She held his heated stare, every fiber of her body coming to life as the pad of his fingers rasped over her flesh. Thinking was becoming increasingly challenging, and if he kept this up, she was going to jump his bones right here in the flowers. “It’s not only about me… My girls…”
“I know. I met them, and I have a feeling Lily, Grace, and I are gonna get along great. It’s you and me that I’m talking
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