Walk On By (Passing Through Series Book 3)

by Sarah Hegger

  Then she did the worst thing she could have done. If she’d argued with him, he could have fought her. But no, that wasn’t Kelly’s way.

  She slid her arms around his waist and put her cheek against his chest. “You’ve been wonderful, Gabe. I can never thank you enough for being here and keeping the bad dreams and the horrible replays away.”

  “I didn’t do anything.” His backbone was melting faster than a spring thaw and he tried to firm it up. “I don’t think you’re ready.”

  “And you’re probably right.” She dropped her head back and looked at him. “But I can’t hide away in this condo. If I do, he wins. That monster robbed my sister of her will and her right to feel safe, and I refuse to let him do the same to me.”

  Fuck it! Her argument made so much sense, but the primal protector in him wasn’t done yet. “Just one more day.”

  “Don’t you think he’s taken enough from us?”

  Double fuck it and damn. He couldn’t argue with that, and especially not with those beautiful blue eyes beseeching him to understand. He pressed his forehead to hers. “I’m going to worry about you all day.”

  “And that makes me feel better already.” She kissed his cheek and looped her arms around his neck. “And if you wouldn’t mind, I would really appreciate it if you took me to the store and waited while I open up.”

  As if she could stop him. “Done.”

  “Thank you.” Her face softened, and something weird happened in his chest, in the region of his heart. He was probably hungry. “Thank you for everything, Gabe. Having you here made everything feel better.”

  He forced himself to reply past his thick throat. “It was my pleasure.”

  *

  Kelly took her time getting ready. Brave words aside, she felt nervous and exposed leaving the condo. Walking to the car she couldn’t get rid of the being-watched feeling. Like Piers was out there, waiting for her to slip up.

  As if sensing her thoughts, Gabe stayed close to her as they walked to his car. “I’ll drop you off at work and hang around for as long as you need me.”

  “You don’t have to do that.” But her objection lacked any starch.

  The look Gabe leveled at her assured her he wasn’t asking her permission. “I’ll be there to bring you home as well.”

  “Okay.” Because she really wasn’t going to fight him about that.

  They arrived at the store, and Kelly unlocked and turned on the lights. Her early morning crowd would be gone already, but opening the store was more of a moral victory.

  The bell over the door tinkled.

  Kelly jumped and nearly dropped her handful of mugs.

  “Ah, Kelly!” Peg strode right up to her. She took in all Kelly’s bruises and shook her head. “That pig!”

  “Thanks, Peg.” Peg wasn’t part of her early crowd. “Can I get you something?”

  “One of those frappy things you make for me would be lovely.” Peg shrugged out of her coat, came around the counter and moved through to the back.

  Kelly looked at her, then at Gabe. She had no idea what Peg was doing.

  Shrugging, Gabe followed her. “Are you looking for something, Peg?”

  “Goodness me, no.” Peg emerged wearing an enveloping blush colored apron with Keep Calm and Drink Coffee emblazoned on it. “I’m here to help.”

  Kelly almost sprayed milk across the store. Her voice sounded weak as she managed, “Help?”

  “In the store.” Peg got busy stacking cups atop the coffee machine. “You didn’t think we were going to let you do this alone today, did you?”

  “No?” Kelly stood frozen as Peg rolled right over her. “But I really don’t—”

  “Of course, you do.” Peg finished the coffee cups and opened the baked goods boxes. “You were saying the other day at the cabin that you needed help anyway, and you need it today more than any other day.”

  Gabe shrugged and looked at her. “She makes a good point.”

  “Exactly.” Peg arranged muffins on a tray, studied her creation and made a couple of adjustments. She fanned slices of banana bread on the next tray. “I am yours to command.”

  Did anyone command Peg? Did anyone dare command Peg?

  “Okay.” Kelly didn’t have the fight in her for that.

  The doorbell tinkled and Randy, a trucker who came by every morning for a hazelnut skinny latte, stopped in. “You all right, sweetie?” He handed his payment and reward card to Peg. “You want me to hang around?”

  “I’m okay.” His concern touched her.

  Peg punched his reward card and handed it back to him. “We appreciate your kindness, Randy. We all look out for each other in this town.”

  “That’s the truth.” Randy’s beard bristled as he scowled. “You see that dickhead anywhere around, you tell me. Me and a couple of the boys will take care of him for you.”

  Kelly handed him his drink. “Thanks, Randy.”

  Another couple of customers wandered in.

  “What can we get you?” Peg bellied up to the counter.

  “That’s Walker.” Kelly smiled a greeting. “The usual?”

  “Missed you yesterday, girlie.” Walker shook his bald head. “Hated to hear about your troubles.” He looked at Peg for agreement. “Shouldn’t happen to anyone. Let alone a nice girl like our Kelly.”

  “Speak it, Walker. Speak it.” Peg swiped his card and handed it back to him. “We’ll have that coffee ready for you in a moment.”

  As if word had gotten out, the trickle opened into a flow of customers. Everyone had a kind word for her, until it was almost overwhelming. By the time the flow had turned into a deluge, it was overwhelming, and Kelly wished they would find something else to talk about.

  Even Pete the realtor revealed a dark side that would be hard to forget.

  “Disembowelment would be too good for that kind,” Dave said. “What we should do is have these abusive types hanged, drawn and quartered.”

  He then took a long ten minutes to tell her the details. Turns out Dave also spent his weekends reenacting medieval times.

  “Oh dear.” Peg looked pale.

  Feeling slightly nauseous, Kelly turned away from Pete and into the full-frontal pity-fest from the mothers who looked after the daycare center.

  Again, Peg proved invaluable. “You’re very kind, girls, but Kelly would like to put it behind her,” she said. “Have a little something sweet with that coffee. I always say coffee and a nice cupcake or piece of walnut cake change my outlook on the day.”

  She never thought she’d say it, but having Peg there was a godsend. Not only was Peg efficient and friendly, she managed to sell more baked goods than Kelly normally did.

  By the end of her day, Kelly understood what being killed with kindness really meant. The bell over the door tinkled again, and Gabe strode in. He had changed since he’d dropped her off, and his smile made all the bad things slink away.

  “Hey.” He kissed her cheek. “You look tired.”

  “Nice! Is that the polite way of telling me I look like crap? ” She rolled her eyes and made sure he saw it. She was done with being treated like a victim for the day. What she needed was a dose of normal.

  Gabe watched her, assessing, and then grinned. “I was going for talking you into bed.”

  Kelly welcomed the distraction. Flirting with Gabe felt closer to her normal self. “Is that all you got?”

  “You know the answer to that.” He took a stool at the counter. “How did it go today?”

  “Well.” She gathered the used cups from the tables. “Randy offered himself and some trucker buddies for protection or payback, Hank Styles offered me the use of his chain saw, Robin left me a pocket pepper spray, and Donna gave me this.” Kelly pulled out a wickedly curved hunting knife.

  Gabe’s eyes widened. “Remind me not to piss Do
nna off.”

  “I’ll start packing up.” She took the cups through to the back and loaded the dishwasher.

  Peg took the cups out of her hands. “I’ve got this. You go on home and rest.”

  “Are you sure?” After a day of working with Peg, Kelly was happy to let her take over.

  Peg emptied the trash and recycling cans. “I’m sure.

  “Okay then.” Kelly gathered her coat and purse. “Thanks for everything today, Peg.”

  “You’re welcome, sugar.” Peg attacked the countertops with antibacterial spray. “And I’ll see you in the morning.”

  Kelly thought about arguing. For less than a second then nodded. “See you in the morning.”

  “I’ll open up.” Peg’s entire body jiggled with the force of her wiping. “I got the hang of the machine now, and you look like the sleep will do you good.”

  “Okay.”

  Gabe tucked her arm in his as they left the store. “Did you just hire Peg?”

  “I think she might have hired herself.”

  On the way to her place, they stopped to pick up a pizza and a bottle of wine. Did it mean Gabe would be spending the night again? Maybe he intended to eat and leave.

  His expression gave nothing away as he kept his eyes on the road.

  At her condo, he got out first and checked the parking lot before opening her door.

  Her condo felt small and intimate with both of them in it. Last night she hadn’t given it a thought past comfort when Gabe climbed into her bed. Tonight, the small space between them was loaded with unspoken thoughts.

  “I’ll get changed,” she said and scurried into her bedroom. To delay dealing with the ambiguity, she had a quick shower. She hesitated over her yoga pants and a comfy sweater or something a little more alluring. Then she got pissed at herself for being so silly. This was Gabe and pizza.

  Gabe had lit her small fireplace and set the pizza and wine on her kitchen counter.

  He looked up and smiled. “Better?”

  “Yup. I don’t smell like Colombian roast anymore.”

  He handed her a glass of red. “Colombian roast is one of my favorite smells.”

  There it was again, the innuendo that wasn’t quite anything. And dammit, she was hungry. She grabbed a piece of pizza, folded it and took a big bite.

  He wasn’t a folder, but he made short work of his first piece.

  “Gabe? What are we doing here?”

  He stopped with his piece halfway to his mouth. “Huh?”

  “I’m confused and too tired to dance around the subject.” She gestured between them. “Is this pizza and wine between buddies, or is it something else?”

  Raising an eyebrow, he put his pizza down. “Considering you were attacked a couple of nights ago, it’s whatever you say it is, Kelly. I’m here, and I can sleep on the couch if you want.”

  “Or?”

  He bit into his pizza. “You tell me.”

  “I’ll give it some thought.” The power surged to her head and her smile dared him to challenge her.

  Gabe rounded the island and stopped in front of her. “While you’re mulling, let me present the options.”

  “Sure.” She knew that tone. It stroked over her senses and ignited the slow burn that was always present when Gabe was near her.

  He parted her thighs and stepped between them. “Option one, and this is not my favorite, is that we finish our wine and pizza and I tuck you into bed and sleep on the couch.”

  “Hmm.” She tapped her chin. “The advantage being that we both get a good night’s sleep.”

  “One of us at least.” He pushed her hair away from her neck, his fingers trailing over her skin and leaving shivers behind. His mouth replaced his fingers. “Option two is we finish our wine and pizza.” He kissed a trail to her earlobe and sucked it into his mouth. His breath rasped in her ear causing shivers to cascade down one side of her body. “We put the TV on and snuggle on the couch until it’s time for bed.”

  “What happens then?” Her breathing was getting hard to control as he worked his way along her jaw toward her mouth.

  “Then we both go to your bed and talk about the first thing that comes up.” He kissed her laughter from her lips and drifted toward her other earlobe.

  She grabbed his hips to anchor herself as he made the other side of her neck so sensitive it almost hurt to touch. “Is there an option three?”

  Gabe stopped and brought his mouth to hers. He stopped within a breath of kissing her. “Option three is my favorite.”

  “What is it?”

  “We forget about pizza and wine.”

  “Option three. I choose option three.” Kelly closed the distance and kissed him.

  Gabe groaned and gripped the back of her head. He slid his tongue between her lips. “Thank you, Jesus.”

  “I need…” She didn’t have the words, so she slid her hands under his shirt and found hot, silky skin. She needed all of him. The way he made her feel. The way he took her out of herself. The way they moved together like they were designed for each other.

  “Wrap your legs around me,” Gabe rasped against her ear.

  Kelly wrapped her legs and arms around him.

  He picked her up and carried her into the bedroom. His hot gaze bored into hers, promising her all the pleasure they’d shared that one night. Since that first night, they’d only ever been one moment away from being back in bed.

  Gabe lowered her to the bed on her back. He stood above her and fisted the back of his sweater. His T-shirt came off with it.

  “Stop!” Kelly had waited too long to see this again, and the last time had been blurred by secrecy and alcohol. She sat up and spread her hands over the flat, muscular plane of his belly.

  He sucked in a breath as she caressed his abs.

  It was too much temptation, so Kelly kissed those beautiful ridges of muscle.

  Gabe’s hands tightened in her hair.

  His skin was salty on her tongue. Men like him weren’t supposed to exist in real life. Somehow, she’d thought she had exaggerated his body in her imagination.

  Wrong.

  He even had those lateral lines disappearing into his jeans. It was a goddamn crime to forget those.

  She undid his belt and jeans and slid his zipper down as her mouth paid tribute to those gorgeous lines. The backs of her finger rubbed against his rock-hard erection.

  Gabe Crowe was enough beautiful male to make a girl’s thinking power fly out the window. There would be no drunken fumbling this time.

  She slid his boxers down and his erection sprung free.

  “Kelly.” Her name sounded like a plea.

  A plea she was more than happy to answer, so Kelly fisted his cock and slipped him into her mouth. She sucked him deep.

  “Fuck.” His muscles tensed, and he threw his head back.

  Kelly took her time, learning the shape of him on her tongue, finding out what he liked in a nonverbal language of gasps and soft groans, muscles tightening and hands tangling in her hair.

  “Babe.” Gabe pulled back. “Not like this.”

  He kicked out of his pants and pulled his socks off.

  Kelly wriggled out of her yoga pants and her sweater.

  Gabe watched her with an intense burning gaze as she took her bra off.

  “Kelly,” he whispered her name like a prayer as he lowered himself over her. He braced above her and cupped her breast. He cupped the other breast and lowered his mouth to her. “I dream about these.”

  She cried out as the wet heat of his mouth engulfed her nipple. He sucked her into his mouth, his hand exploring the fullness of her other breast.

  “You’re so sexy.” He sucked her other nipple and slid his hands down her ribcage to her belly. It rested there with the very tops of his fingers slipping under her pan
ties.

  That hand nearly drove her mad, waiting there as he continued to suck and lick her breasts. She tilted her hips in silent invitation.

  An invitation he ignored as he concentrated on her breasts.

  She couldn’t stand it anymore. “Gabe.”

  He hummed against her breast.

  “Touch me. Please.”

  “Here?” He slid his hands deeper, over her mound.

  She pushed into his hand. “Yes.”

  Gabe slid his fingers down, parting her wet folds.

  It felt so good she panted something incoherent. She wanted him to keep doing what he was doing.

  “You’re so wet.” Gabe eased a finger inside her. “Is this where you want me?”

  “Yes.” She was panting and straining against those fingers.

  He withdrew and slid his fingers over her clit. “Or do you need me here?”

  “Dammit, Gabe. All of it.”

  Lowering his head, he dropped hot, wet kisses on her belly. “Greedy.” He slipped two fingers inside her. His thumb strummed her clit. He sucked the skin inside her hip. “But there’s a problem.”

  “What?” Kelly opened her legs wider.

  Gabe looked at her spread open for him. “I’m just as greedy. I want to taste all of you.”

  His mouth on her made her cry out. Hot and wet, his tongue parted and licked through her.

  Kelly writhed against him, so close already.

  He swirled his tongue around her clit and then sucked her.

  “Gabe.” She jackknifed up.

  He planted a hand on her belly and pushed her down, then got serious about driving her out of her mind with his lips and his tongue. He ate her out with a single-minded purpose that had her writhing and whispering incoherent pleas for more.

  Her orgasm hit her fast and hard and she bucked against him.

  Gabe stayed with her through it, until she fell back limp on the bed, and then he crawled up her body. He ran his tongue over his lips. “You taste so good.”

  Kelly wrapped her legs around his hips and brought his hard cock close to her center. “And you do that so well.”

  “I believe in doing a thorough job.” He flexed against her and her satisfied body responded in a languorous wave of sensation.