He smacked the steering wheel with the palm of his hand. Why did the perfect woman have to come along at such a complicated time of his life? Why couldn't he have met Paige somewhere other than PT? So he could ask her out and freely spend time with her?
Like I ever go anywhere else.
And this stupid ruse he'd involved her in to make his mom happy had him crossing boundaries he'd never considered crossing with a patient before. Of course, he'd never had a patient like Paige before.
Just the sight of her kicked up his heart rate. Every. Single. Time. He found her incredibly attractive whether she wore a swimsuit, summer dress, or a ratty old bathrobe. Her smile truly lit up whatever room she was in, and he could stare into her gorgeous blue eyes all day.
Her sense of humor meshed well with his. She was full of grit and determination. He admired the way she stood up to her ex as much as he appreciated the effort she put into healing and get stronger. She hadn't needed him to get rid of Phillip, but he was glad she'd turned to him. Considering all the times his protective instincts had kicked in concerning her, he was glad to finally put them to use.
Then he got caught up in the electricity that always sizzled between them. Kissing her in the privacy of her home wouldn't have jeopardized his job any more than anything else they'd done, but itwould have made him want things he couldn't have right now. He already wanted those things, so kissing her would make it unbearable.
She'd wanted that kiss as badly as he did, he was certain of it. The fact she understood and excused his behavior made him feel like a jerk.
Emotionally unavailable.
Maybe Paige was right, but as long as his time with his mother was limited, that wouldn’t change.
He picked up his phone and tapped it against his thigh, debating. He owed her an explanation.
He typed out a text.I don't hate romance books. But you have to admit they aren't realistic.
He hit send then tossed his phone onto the passenger seat and put his car into gear. He didn't anticipate a response any time soon, since Paige was probably mad at him for leaving so abruptly.
His phone buzzed before he could pull out into traffic. When her name flashed across the screen, he put his car back into park.
Paige:Duh. That's the point. It's called escapism.
Before he could decide how to respond, another message came through.
Paige:Reading about the same garbage we experience in real life is boring. No one wants to read about men or women who are cheated on by their significant others.
She had a point.
Gabe:True. For your information, I've read my share of romance novels.
Paige:You read romance books?!
Multiple emoticons followed her text, including a surprised face and the rolling on the floor laughing emoji.
His lips turned up as he typed a response.
Gabe:Past tense. Remember me telling you about my neck injury and how my mom borrowed every DVD and audiobook possible from the library? Our library was small, but it had a large collection of romance books on audio. More than any other genre.
Paige:That must have been torture for a teenage boy.
More emojis accompanied her response, and he could almost hear Paige's laughter.
Gabe:You have no idea.
Paige:Protest all you want, you’re still a tortured hero.
Gabe:Whatever.
He paused before adding his next thoughts.
Gabe:Does that make you a damsel in distress?
Paige:I was distressing pretty hard before you showed up tonight.
