“Every day.”
The words were soft, but the emotion behind them was raw. “Have you thought about talking to Jackson and Livvy?”
His hand clenched on the curtain. “I don’t know how to tell them. I grew up knowing I was a secret, that every privilege I had, that Rhi had, was by virtue of me keeping that secret. I can’t let that go so easily.” He lifted his shoulder. “And sometimes I think, why bother? What would I gain from telling Jackson and Livvy that their father had an illegitimate child he kept under their noses for their whole lifetimes? Nothing.”
Except more siblings. More family.
She’d made a family with friends, and she’d never say they were more or less family than those of her blood, but she understood the feeling of wanting to belong.
“Besides, Tani wouldn’t be happy.” Gabe grimaced. “She’s never been exactly warm to me.”
Eve thought of Tani’s fist tightening under the table. “You know she was the one who suggested you be a part of this wedding party, right?”
He frowned. “What?”
“Yes. Our numbers were uneven, and she suggested you.”
His scowl deepened. “Huh. That surprises me.”
She thought of what Maile had said, about his birth mother. “Did Robert... did he cheat on Tani?”
“Not with my birth mother. She and Robert had a one-night stand before he met Tani. Robert and Tani were already married by the time I was born.”
“But you lived with your biological mother for years. Until Sonya adopted you,” she ventured.
“Yeah. I don’t know what would have happened if she hadn’t adopted me.”
Eve wanted to say surely Robert and Tani would have made alternative arrangements for him, but who knew if they would have. “How—”
Gabe dropped the curtain. “That’s enough. I didn’t come here to talk about me.”
“What did you come here for?”
He stalked away from the window, coming to stand in front of her. “You promised me apples,” he growled, and she dropped the remnants of her roll in the plate he’d prepared for her.
His fingertip smoothed over the knot in her towel and hooked inside. He tugged, and the fabric loosened, then dropped to the ground, leaving her clad in only her bikini. She was grateful she had brought multiple swimsuits now.
“Oh yeah,” he said, staring at her chest. “These are some nice apples.”
Her face flushed red, but she didn’t stop him when he grasped her by the waist and walked her backward. Her knees hit the back of the bed and she sat down on the firm mattress.
He grasped his shirt with both hands and pulled it off over his head, tossing it on the floor, revealing a tanned expanse of flesh and muscle. He was so big, not just his muscles, but his frame too. She slid her hands up his chest, and he froze for a second, then broke away to get his pants off. He wrestled them off and tossed them on the floor, then pushed her down so she lay on her back. He took a step back and surveyed her.
Music came from outside, and she flushed. “Shut the window.”
“You don’t think you can be quiet?” he teased her.
“I can absolutely be quiet. You can’t, though.”
He ran his palm over the bulge in his boxer briefs. His cock was erect and straining at the red cotton material, pulling the waistband away from his skin. “I’m not a moaner.”
“You’re a dirty talker. Like sex closed-captioning.”
He snorted but he did go to the window and close it. “I’ve never heard it called that before.”
“It’s what you are.”
“Maybe you inspire me.” He prowled back toward her.
