Seeing her again as an adult had been a shock. He’d remembered her as a girl; she’d returned to Rocky Springs a beautiful, spunky, intelligent, sexy woman.
Don’t even think about it, Walker. You’re Blake’s best friend. Help Chloe through this tough experience and forget about your horny inclinations.
Obviously, his buddy would want Gabe to take care of Chloe since Blake was currently in DC until Congress took a break for the holidays—at least, that was what he was telling himself. But he didn’t think taking care of Blake’s sister would include screwing her until neither one of them could walk, which was exactly what he wanted every time he looked at her.
It’s not just sexual. I like her…I more than like her.
There had been very few women in his life who hadn’t wanted something from a relationship with him, and it was always material things. It seemed pretty damn strange dealing with a female who was as rich as he was, and didn’t need a single damn material thing from him.
He grinned and his heartbeat accelerated as he saw her big red pickup truck winding down his driveway.
She came. She really gave up her position in the community practice to come to me.
Her actions implied that she believed she was making a good decision, and there was nothing Gabe wanted more than for Chloe to believe in herself, to trust her own judgment. To believe in him. Hell, she needed to trust a guy other than her brothers someday; she might as well start with him. Why he coveted her trust he didn’t understand. He just knew it was essential that she felt like she could count on him.
Maybe I just want to fill in for Blake while he’s gone…
Naw…that was complete and utter bullshit, and Gabe didn’t believe in telling himself a bunch of crap, even though he’d been trying to rationalize his behavior. The plain truth was that he wanted Chloe for himself, and that was exactly what was motivating him at the moment.
He wanted to see her smile again.
He wanted to make her laugh.
He wanted to make her happy.
He wanted to experience her untapped passion that he sensed was waiting to be set free.
He wanted to bury himself inside her and brand her as his. To sate them both.
Christ! He hated himself for his random sexual thoughts about Chloe, but he couldn’t seem to help himself. He’d been drawn to her since the day she’d come back to Rocky Springs.
He rose from his chair as her truck approached the house, still grinning because for such a feminine, curvy—womanly—female, she certainly drove a very big, very badass truck. The vehicle was actually similar to his—except his was black.
Gabe watched as Chloe came to a stop and hopped down from the seat. His grin grew broader as he realized she didn’t dress to impress. Not that it mattered. She looked so damn beautiful that his heart started to race. Dressed in an old pair of jeans that hugged a shapely ass, she’d covered her upper body in an old sweatshirt with her college logo on the front. Her dark hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and as he viewed her from the camera on his doorstep, he could tell she wasn’t wearing a ton of makeup.
Didn’t matter! He was still so hard he could hardly walk.
One thing he liked about Chloe was the fact that she was unpretentious. She might come from a family with money, but one wouldn’t know that just by seeing and talking to her. She was smart, but she wasn’t a snob, and she was obviously the most comfortable exactly how she was right now. Nope, there were no airs and graces about Chloe. What you saw was what you got.
“She’s too damn gorgeous for her own good,” Gabe grumbled, wondering how fast it would take another guy to see exactly what he saw when he looked at her.
He didn’t like the thought of any other guy getting her attention.
Chase, his six-year-old Border collie, jumped up excitedly from his spot near Gabe’s feet.
“Let’s go, buddy.” Gabe snapped his fingers to make the ballistic, exuberant canine pay attention. “Mind your manners,” he warned the dog.
His dog was usually well-behaved, but got a little overzealous occasionally.
Chase sat and looked up at him with soulful eyes.
“This is no time for treats, buddy,” Gabe rumbled, knowing exactly what the canine wanted. Ever the sucker for Chase’s pleading gaze, even as he said the stern words, he pulled a piece of doggy jerky from his pocket and tossed it to his dog.
Chase caught it in midair, and it was gone in seconds.
Gabe finally heard the doorbell ring, and tried to contain his enthusiasm at seeing Chloe again. It was bound to be a little bit awkward after she had spilled her guts about her relationship; he hadn’t seen her in person since that night.
Despite reminding himself not to be impatient, Gabe sprinted up the stairs to answer the door.
Chloe was nervous.
She hadn’t told Gabe every little detail about her relationship with James, but he knew most of it. There were just a few things that were so vile that she couldn’t discuss them with anybody except Natalie. When she’d finally revealed the worst few incidences to her counselor yesterday, Natalie had been relieved that Chloe had finally made a complete break from James. Dr. Townson was supportive of Chloe’s decision to make a new start outside of town so she wouldn’t have to see him on a daily basis.
Chloe’s conversation on the phone with Gabe about the job had been brief, and she wasn’t sure how to react to him in person.
I am a damn professional. I’ll be businesslike. I’m not here as a friend; I’m here as an employee.
It was hard to remember that Gabe was now her employer after she’d pretty much sobbed through most of her explanation to him about why she was breaking off her engagement to James.