by Cathryn Fox
His eyes clouded as they stared blankly at some distant spot behind her shoulder. Hating the unmasked hurt on his face, as well as the awkwardness between them, she touched his arm. The air around them instantly changed. Cole flinched, his entire body tightening as if under assault. Gemma snatched her hand back, his rejection all too familiar. Even though she was all grown up now, a woman who wanted him as much today as she did all those years ago, he’d never see her as anything more than his friend’s kid sister.
Just then the puppies broke out into a chorus of howls and Gemma couldn’t help but wonder if they were on to something. Maybe the big, bad wolf did exist, and maybe she was staring at him. Perhaps she should heed Victoria’s warning and arm herself with silver. There was no doubt that if she wasn’t careful the man looming close could shred her heart into a million tiny pieces.
The second Gemma had touched his arm she lit a dangerous fuse inside him. Cole had immediately disengaged, knowing it could only end up backfiring and blowing up in his face. He hated the familiar hurt in her eyes when he recoiled, hated that he’d put it there—again—but he knew nothing good could come from the firestorm inside him, one that had been brewing since their youth. Gemma had tried to hide the pain, the hurt on her face, and she might have succeeded with someone who didn’t know her the way he did.
“Gems,” he whispered. He clenched his fingers and fought the natural inclination to pull her to him and comfort her like he did when they were younger. But if her body collided with his—one part in particular—she’d know how she affected him. And he couldn’t let that happen. He had to stay strong.
Instead of acting on his needs, he took that moment to pan her pretty features, noting the way she’d tied her long, chestnut hair back into a ponytail. His gaze left her face to trail over the supple swell of her breasts as they pressed against her V-neck top. He shifted, uncomfortable as he perused her slim waist and the way her sensuous curves turned a pair of green surgery scrubs into a Victoria’s Secret spread. Christ, she was even more beautiful now than she was when they were kids. But no matter what, and no matter how he felt about her, when it came to Gemma, there was a line he wasn’t going to cross.
Her assistant came out from the back room. “He’s stable and ready to go to ICU.” When her words met with silence, her gaze tennis balled between the two, a sure sign that she felt the tension in the room every bit as much as Cole did. “Ah…Danielle will be here shortly. If you guys want to go, we can finish up.”
Gemma exhaled slowly and pushed off the counter. “Thanks, Victoria. I’ll come in early to check on him.”
Cole stiffened. “He has to stay the night?”
“He needs to be monitored for at least twenty-four hours.”
“Then I’m staying.”
“It’s not necessary. My night assistant will be here shortly, and I’m on call twenty-four seven. He’s resting soundly and by the looks of you, you should be doing the same.”
After a long moment, he gave a nod of agreement and Victoria slipped into the back, leaving them alone once again. Cole turned his full attention to Gemma and stretched his neck, working the night’s tension from his shoulders.
Moving with an innocent sensuality, she walked around the counter to grab her purse from the drawer. Cole became fully aware of the woman standing before him and exactly what she meant to him. He shifted on his feet and tore his gaze away, looking for a distraction before his mind took him back to that hot summer night when she’d lured him into the barn nestled at the back of her old homestead. Christ, it had taken all his effort not to lay her onto the soft bed of hay and take what he wanted.
But at seventeen she was a kid, as well as the younger sister of his closest friend. Of course, those weren’t the only things stopping him from acting on his urges. No, when his own parents had been emotionally absent—too busy looking for happiness in the bottom of a bottle—her folks had practically taken him in. Cole would never be disloyal to the family who’d treated him like a son by sleeping with their only daughter.
“It’s late and it’s dark. Why don’t you let me walk you home,” Cole said, breaking the uncomfortable silence hovering like the sharp blade of a guillotine.
In typical Gemma fashion, she straightened her shoulders in that old, familiar way that let him know he’d hit a soft spot. “I’m capable of walking home by myself.” She lifted her head a little higher. “In case you haven’t noticed, I’m all grown up.”
Oh, he’d noticed all right.
She opened her mouth to say something else, but he countered with, “It’s on my way, Gems.”
That gave her pause. Her head jerked back with a start and he didn’t miss the accusation in her tone when she said, “Let me get this straight, you know where I work and where I live?”
“Yeah,” he said, for lack of anything else.
Her big blue eyes narrowed. “Why is it you know so much about me yet I know nothing about you?”
“What do you want to know?”
Without hesitating she asked, “If walking me home is on your way, where do you live?”
He gestured to the motorcycle parked at the curb outside. “For now I’ve got a cot in the back of Freedom Cycle.”
Perfectly manicured brows knit together as she angled her head curiously. “You’re staying with Jack?”
“You remember Jack?”
She nodded. “Ex-sniper. Brandon always liked him.” At the mention of her brother she rubbed the back of her neck and a contemplative look came over her face before she began again. “When I moved into one of my parents’ downtown apartments during college Brandon told me—” she paused to do air quotes before saying, “—Jack of all trades was my go-to guy if I ever needed anything. I’ve run into him a couple of times since the funeral.”
Cole paused for a moment before saying, “He takes in ex-soldiers and gives them work until they get back on their feet again.”
“What I heard…” Her voice fell off and her eyes widened. “Wait… Are you saying…?”
“Yeah. I’m getting out, Gems. My days serving overseas will soon be behind me.”
“Oh,” she said, a mixture of surprise and relief swimming in her big blue eyes. Then she frowned. “So you’re sleeping in the back of his shop?”
“Just until my new place is ready.”
“And when will that be?”
“Tomorrow.”
“Where will you be moving?”
Gemma stifled a yawn, and Cole could see exhaustion pulling at her. Instead of answering, he said, “Come on, I’m taking you home.” He tossed her a lopsided grin, one that always pulled a smile from her when they were younger. “You know, for old time’s sake.”
Their eyes met and everything in his gut told him her thoughts were traveling down the same path as his. She too was remembering her youth and all the times he’d taken her home and snuck her to her room so she wouldn’t get busted by her older brother or her folks. Sure, he’d lectured her on the dangers of her rebellious nature, but he’d always had an inherent need to protect her, from everyone and everything. He couldn’t bring himself to let her get caught, even though it might have been for her own good. Then again, as long as he was around and watching over her, no harm would ever come to her.
“Cole—” she began, but he cut her off.
“I know, I know. You’re quite capable of taking care of yourself,” he said to appease her protest. He still wasn’t taking a chance with her safety now that she was living on her own in the downtown core and he was back from overseas. Besides, when Brandon was dying in his arms and there wasn’t a thing Cole could do to save him, he’d asked only one thing of Cole. And no matter what, Cole planned to follow through with the vow he’d made to Gemma’s brother on that dark night, because he never, ever wanted to fail Brandon again.
About Cathryn
New York Times and USA today Bestselling author, Cathryn is a wife, mom, sister, daughter, and friend. She loves dogs, sunny weather, anyt
hing chocolate (she never says no to a brownie) pizza and red wine. She has two teenagers who keep her busy with their never ending activities, and a husband who is convinced he can turn her into a mixed martial arts fan. Cathryn can never find balance in her life, is always trying to find time to go to the gym, can never keep up with emails, Facebook or Twitter and tries to write page-turning books that her readers will love.
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Also by Cathryn Fox
In the Line of Duty
His Obsession Next Door
His Trouble in Talulah
His Taste of Temptation
His Moment to Steal
His Best Friend’s Girl
His Reason to Stay
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Hands On
Hands On
Body Contact
Full Exposure
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Dossier
Private Reserve
House Rules
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Boys of Beachville
Good at Being Bad
Igniting the Bad Boy
Bad Girl Therapy
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Stone Cliff Series:
Crashing Down
Wasted Summer
Love Lessons
Wrapped Up
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Eternal Pleasure Series
Instinctive
Impulsive
Indulgent
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Sun Stroked Series
Seaside Seduction
Deep Desire
Private Pleasure
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Captured and Claimed Series:
Yours to Take
Yours to Teach
Yours to Keep
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Firefighter Heat Series
Fever
Siren
Flash Fire
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Playing For Keeps Series
Slow Ride
Wild Ride
Sweet Ride
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Breaking the Rules:
Hold Me Down Hard
Pin Me Up Proper
Tie Me Down Tight
Take Me Down Tender
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Stand Alone Title:
Hands on with the CEO
Torn Between Two Brothers
Holiday Spirit
Unleashed
Knocking on Demon’s Door
Web of Desire