He nodded. ‘Thanks for not. I’ve never wanted kids but retaining the physical ability to have the option would be good.’ He repositioned himself out of harm’s way, but still didn’t release her. ‘But what if I’d had a weapon?’
‘What exactly are you trying to do?’ she confronted him. ‘You’re telling me I can’t feel safe in my own backyard? What kind of a kick-in-the-teeth lesson is that?’
‘I didn’t mean that.’ He suddenly frowned. ‘I just think you should be careful.’
‘I am careful, Gabe. And you know what? In the entire year that I’ve been living here alone, not one person has bothered to break in.’
No one had bothered to visit either. Honestly? No one had in years.
The silence lengthened. She was vaguely conscious of her rapid breathing, of his, of how close they were pressed together. But the main thing sucking all her attention was that deepening emotion in his eyes. She didn’t know what it meant.
‘I did,’ he eventually said. ‘I wanted to.’
Roxie just didn’t know what to make of that. Her breathing deepened—so did his, until they were inhaling in sync. It finally occurred to her that she was staring. But she couldn’t stop. Randomly she realized he’d been out running. She hadn’t known he did that. She also had her palms wide on his shoulders. She wasn’t moving them away. The warm, solid strength was wonderful. And arousing.
‘You train every morning?’ she asked softly, not wanting him to move either.
He nodded his head. ‘I find it difficult to sleep in. Here.’
‘Does my doing the garden bother you?’
‘Yes.’
‘Oh.’ Too bad. She wasn’t going to stop.
‘You’ve always done it?’ he asked quietly, inching even closer.
She nodded slowly.
‘That’s why you have the tan, why you’re fit.’ Oh, his voice was mesmerizing, he wasallmesmerizing.
‘That and the dancing.’ She relaxed against him a fraction. Felt his tension increase.
‘The dancing,’ he repeated in a low mutter. ‘Yeah.’
‘I wear the headphones because I don’t want to disturb the neighbors.’ She looked up at him with eyes that hadn’t blinked in so long they ached.
‘You disturb the neighbors anyway.Thisneighbor.’
At her waist, his grip tightened. Then his fingers moved—pushing, creating a space between her tee shirt and waistband—accessing bare skin. She shuddered—an uncontrollable spasm of pleasure as one anticipation was fulfilled. More rose fast. Oh, this was good. This was very, very good.
‘This is bad.’ He seemed to be talking exclusively to her lips. ‘This isn’t happening.’
‘Why not?’ She slid her tongue across her excessively dry lower lip.
He tensed more. ‘I’m not in the market for a relationship.’
‘Nor am I,’ she assured him.
He was silent.
But with his grip this firm on her, his gaze this firm, she grew bold. ‘But I do want you...’
He remained silent, but the heat in his expression flared.
‘To do me a favor,’ she expanded, her voice even softer.
‘What?’ His gaze remained glued to her mouth.
