by Leanne Banks
Frustration rolled through her. “Oh, no.”
“Looks pretty thorough. Height, weight, color of hair, eyes. Age, occupation—”
She lifted her hand for him to stop. “I’ll think about that later.” She was going to have to hold a very firm discussion with her daughter on the subject of finding a man. Or not finding one, which was Faith’s current outlook.
“Good luck,” he said with a chuckle as she went into the master bath.
Just minutes later after both Faith and Jason had gotten dressed and Faith had tamed Jason’s cowlick with gel and French-braided her own hair, Faith walked into the kitchen and found Becky setting plates heaping with hotcakes on the table.
“Becky, I’m so impressed,” Faith said, filled with pride. “My goodness. I think you could manage a dozen people for breakfast instead of just four.”
“Two dozen,” Gabriel said, shooting a grin at her daughter.
Becky beamed. “Gabriel helped.”
“I just followed orders from the chief.”
Becky’s smile broadened. “He was an excellent helper. I got out your favorite peach preserves too, Mom.”
Faith’s heart swelled and she pulled her daughter close for a hug. “Oh, honey, you’re so thoughtful. What did I ever do to deserve you two?”
Becky shrugged. “Just lucky I guess.”
Faith chuckled. “I guess so. Juice and syrup are already on the table.”
Becky nodded. “Flatware, butter and napkins too. Just in case Jason…” She paused when Faith shook her head. Becky pursed her lips.
Faith didn’t want Jason to feel anymore self-conscious over his clumsiness than he already did. One of her biggest fears was that he would develop an attitude of self-fulfilling prophecy. “All of us need napkins,” Faith said gently and took her seat.
Gabriel joined them at the table and Jason said the blessing. Everyone made appropriate sounds of approval and appreciation. Becky’s face flushed under all the praise.
“When do you have to leave, Gabe?” Becky asked.
Faith shook her head. “Becky, it’s not polite—”
“It’s okay,” Gabriel said. “I’m actually staying until after Christmas because I’m opening a new restaurant in town. I’m going to use the time to finalize arrangements.”
“Don’t you have kids?” Jason asked over a bite of pancake.
Faith’s stomach tightened at Jason’s question. After talking with Gabriel last night, she knew this was a tender subject for him. “Don’t talk with food in your mouth, honey. Gabe had a little girl, but she isn’t living anymore.”
Becky gasped. “She died? How horrible! How did she die?”
Faith cringed at the pointed questions. “Becky, Gabe might not want to talk about—”
“It’s okay,” Gabriel said quietly. “She died in an automobile accident with her mother.”
“I’m sorry,” Becky said, a slice of fear glimmering in her own eyes. “I hate it when things like that happen. It’s terrible.”
“It was terrible. I miss them very much.”
Becky nodded solemnly. “We miss Aunt Beth.”
Jason nodded. “We put some ornaments on the tree for Aunt Beth. Maybe we can put some ornaments on the tree for Gabriel.”
“Would you like a pancake with chocolate syrup?” Becky asked. “Mom only lets us have pancakes with chocolate syrup when we’re really upset.”
Despite her fear that her children would open a raw wound for Gabe, she couldn’t help feeling warmed by their sweet desire to comfort him.
Gabe smiled and rubbed his flat belly with one hand while he rubbed Becky’s head with the other. “Can I have a rain check? You’ve already filled me up.”
“Sure,” Becky said. She adjusted her glasses. “But I do have a few questions for you.”
“Okay,” he said. “Why—”
“What’s your favorite sport?” she asked.
“Football. Why—”
“Your favorite dessert?” she continued.
Gabe wrinkled his brow. “Hot apple pie with ice cream on top.”
“Do you have a pet?”
“I used to have a golden retriever named Kelly when I was a kid, but my wife was allergic so…”
Becky nodded. “Favorite color?”
“Blue,” he said, shooting a confused glance at Faith.
She decided it was time to intervene. “Becky, why are you asking all these questions?”
“Just because,” Becky said firmly. “If I tell you why, it will spoil it, so don’t make me tell you. Besides they’re easy questions.”
“My favorite color is green,” Jason said, waving his hand.
Faith watched Jason’s hand smack the side of his half-full orange juice glass and she instinctively stood and reached for it.
Gabriel grabbed it first.
“Great save,” Faith said with a smile.
“I thought I’d gotten a little rusty, but Jason’s gonna help me sharpen my skills, aren’t you, bud?”
Jason nodded. “You’re a good catcher. Maybe you can show Mom some tricks.”
Gabriel met her gaze with a hint of sexy amusement in his blue eyes.
Faith felt her stomach dip.
“I might be able to show her some tricks if she’s interested in learning,” Gabriel said.
She felt the sizzle snap between them again. She couldn’t tell if he’d meant the offer as a double entendre, but she could just imagine the kinds of things Gabriel Raines could teach her. If he didn’t view her as a charity case. Which he did, she told herself.
“Are you coming back here for dinner?” Becky asked.
“Becky, Gabe may already have other plans,” Faith said.
“Do you?” Becky asked.
“No.”
“Well, can he come for dinner then? I need to ask him some more questions.”
She felt pulled in two different directions. On one hand, she needed a breather from Gabriel. He was too overwhelming. He’d brought all these gifts to her and her children, he’d shared his loss with her and threatened to kiss her. On the other hand, she hated the idea of the pain she knew he was experiencing. She couldn’t help wanting to make it easier for him. She swallowed a sigh. “Yes, but it’s probably just going to be pot roast tonight,” Faith warned him.
“If you’re fixing it, something tells me it’ll be good.”
She felt a rush of pleasure. “That’s kind of you to say.”
“Nothing kind about it,” he said. “I’m just speaking the truth.”
So, don’t be a ninny and read anything extra into anything Gabriel says or does.
That evening, as soon as Gabriel arrived at the house, the mouthwatering smell of pot roast greeted him at the door along with Faith. He looked at her and something inside him eased. It was damn crazy how he felt more at home here than he did in his own home.
He barely had a chance to say hello to her before the kids dragged him to the computer, wanting him to show them how to play more games. Becky asked him a bunch of strange questions, but he answered each one to the best of his ability. Jason asked to play just one more computer game…at least ten times.
Their lively chatter and enthusiasm made him feel lighter. He wondered if he’d spent too much time with adults during the past few years.
Faith called, “Dinner.”
A stampede followed. He watched her as she helped the children take their places and greeted him again. Something was wrong, he thought, after a few minutes. He couldn’t put his finger on it for a few minutes more.
She wasn’t looking at him.
He wondered why.
She wasn’t unfriendly. She always responded when he spoke to her, but she never met his gaze for more than half a second. After dinner, she allowed Jason to help her make sugar cookies for his class. After the children took their baths, she tucked them into bed and reappeared in the hallway.
“When do you stop?” he asked, amazed at her intense schedule. After work
, he often found himself struggling to fill the hours. That obviously was not difficult for Faith.
She glanced at her watch. “In about two hours if I’m lucky.”
“What do you have left to do?”
“More cookies and laundry.” She smiled, revealing her dimple. “Always laundry.”
“I thought you already made cookies for his class,” he said.
“I made part of them. Jason likes to help, but he isn’t interested in baking and decorating enough cookies for thirty kids and his teachers. Which is just fine. He likes to see lots of frosting and sugar on the cookies. Tomorrow night is Becky’s turn and I’ll need the assistance of Michelangelo.”
His lips twitched at her humor. “A little ambitious, is she?”
She tossed him a weary look. “You have no idea.” She shrugged her shoulders and glanced away. “I wish I could entertain you, but I’ve got cookies to bake.”
“I don’t mind helping.”
Her head shot up and she met his gaze in surprise. “Pardon?”
“I said I don’t mind helping. You heard what Becky said. I’m a good helper.” He lifted his hands and wiggled his fingers. “Many hands make less work.”
She opened her mouth and moved her head in a circle. “It’s very kind of you to offer, but you really have done enough. I don’t need your charity in this area.”
Her words dug at him, pinching. “This isn’t charity. I don’t have anything to do except look at some remodeling plans for the restaurant and I can do that tomorrow.”
She bit her lip. “Okay,” she said, almost grudgingly. “Thanks. I’ll put a load in the washer and be right back.”
Gabriel looked after her and frowned. Why was she acting so distant? It irritated him. He missed the genuineness he’d seen yesterday and last night.
When she returned, they made the rest of the cookies together, but she still seemed to avoid his gaze.
Gabriel grew irritated and curious. He couldn’t take his eyes off of her. Spotting a bit of frosting that had somehow found its way to her cheek, he swiped it with his finger and lifted it to his mouth.
She looked up at him with an incredulous glance. “Are you eating frosting off my face?” she asked.
“Yep and it’s good.” He saw one more stray bit on her jaw and swiped it too. “Very good.”
Her eyes darkened with a hint of awareness. She cleared her throat. “If you wanted frosting, there’s still some in the bowl. Or here’s a spoon.”
He grabbed her hand and lifted it upward, locking his gaze with hers. “This way tastes better.” He took her forefinger into his mouth and licked the frosting off of it.
Her jaw dropped and color rose to her cheeks. He liked the way she blushed. She worked her jaw, but nothing came out. “What are you doing?” she finally managed in a high-pitched voice.
“Creative cleanup,” he mused, running his tongue over her thumb.
Her eyes glinted with a dozen emotions he wanted to be able to read. He saw a hint of arousal, but he also caught a disturbing mix of anger and something else.
“You’re playing with me,” she said, her voice sounding husky and a little hurt. She jerked her hand away from him. “We both know I’m a charity case to you, so why don’t you just stop this—” She huffed. “This craziness.”
Appalled, Gabriel stared at her. “I don’t see you as a charity case.”
She rolled her eyes in disbelief. “Oh, right. That’s why you bought me a car and wrote that big check.”
“That was because of Becky’s letter to the newspaper. My PR department thought this would be an opportunity to do some good and demonstrate good corporate citizenship.”
“Becky didn’t ask for a car,” Faith pointed out.
Frustration kicked through him. “You need a new car.”
“There’s a difference between need and—”
He waved his hand in dismissal. “Yeah, yeah. I know. That’s my fault. Blame me. I thought you should be driving something safer.” He sighed. “But I don’t see you as a charity case. How could I? You’re successfully raising two terrific kids. You can cook like nobody’s business. You can be damn sure I didn’t hire you out of pity. I hired you because I always hire the best. You’re an amazing woman.”
“Amazing,” she echoed in disbelief and shook her head. “I know I’m not anything like the women who cross your path on a daily basis.”
It hit him then, broadside. He was so surprised he couldn’t speak for a few seconds. Faith didn’t think she was attractive to him. She didn’t think she was good enough. She didn’t know that she had him wanting to be in her presence every spare minute. She didn’t know that he wanted to get to know her…every way a man could know a woman.
“Did you ever think that it might be a good thing that you’re not anything like the women who cross my path on a daily basis?” he asked.
She gave a slow, hesitant shake of her head.
Gabriel felt a click of resolve. If she didn’t know how she affected him, then maybe he should just show her.
Chapter 6
Faith watched Gabriel lower his head toward hers and nearly had a heart attack. She was trying to be sensible, trying not to do anything stupid. This man was way out of her league. Plus he would be leaving soon.
His mouth touched hers and all sensible thought left her brain. She tasted gentleness with an undercurrent of need that pulled at her. Her heart hammered in her chest.
He tugged at her bottom lip with his lips then slid his tongue over hers to taste her. A rush of heat ran through her like gasoline. It had been so long since a man had kissed her.
He gently pushed her against the wall and slid his hand behind her neck to tilt her mouth against his. His tongue slid inside her and her head began to spin. His hard chest felt so good against hers, and lower, he slid his knee between hers. The combination of passion and care in his touch made her feel like she’d been turned upside down and inside out.
“You taste so good,” he said against her mouth. “Better than cookies.”
She couldn’t help smiling even though her heart was pounding.
“And your skin.” He moved his hands up under her shirt to her bare torso and her breath stopped. His warm hands felt incredible on her bare flesh.
She couldn’t withhold a soft moan and the sound seemed to crank up the temperature between them even more. She loved the feeling of being surrounded by him, his scent, his strength. He deepened the kiss and his hands wandered upward to the edge of her bra.
She felt her nipples tighten in anticipation, her skin burned like she’d been out in the sun too long. He slipped one finger beneath her bra and stroked the underside of her breast then pulled back.
She swallowed a choking sound of frustration. He rotated his pelvis against her and she felt his hardness seeking her softness.
He slid his finger beneath her bra and stroked again. Instinctively arching against him, she wanted a fuller touch. She wanted more. He flicked his fingertip over her nipple and she moaned again.
“You like that?” he asked, stroking again.
His touch elicited a strange combination of satisfaction and restlessness. At the same time he stroked and kissed her, she felt like a flower blooming. She’d shut off her needs and wishes for so long.
Still fondling her breast, he slid his other hand to her bottom and guided her against his hardness, his tongue sliding in and out of her mouth. A steamy forbidden image of Gabriel and her, naked and locked in each other’s arms singed her mind.
“I wish you were naked,” he whispered.
A terrible thrill raced through her. This was getting way out of hand. She was already out of her mind. She pulled back slightly and dipped her head to try to clear it. Her heart was racing, her breath was unsteady and her mind was hazy with pure unadulterated want. She took a careful breath. “You’ve heard that expression. If you can’t stand the heat…”
“Get out of the kitchen,” he finished for her, his hand st
ill on her bottom.
All too aware of his arousal, she took another breath. “I need to get out of the kitchen.”
He met her gaze with blue eyes stormy with passion and lifted his hands to cradle her jaw. “You sure that’s what you want to do?” he asked and kissed her so tenderly she could have wept.
“I can’t think when you kiss me,” she whispered.
“That can’t be bad.”
“Unless one of the kids walks in here,” she said and sighed.
Faith could tell that it took a full moment for her words to register.
“Kids?” he echoed, looking at her in confusion. “Aren’t they in bed?”
The arousal in his gaze tugged at secret places inside her. In her deepest secret places, she would love to be the one to take care of his arousal. Faith closed her eyes at the wicked thought. Now she knew she’d lost her mind. She gave herself a hard mental shake. “Just because Jason and Becky are in bed doesn’t mean they’ll stay there.”
He reluctantly pulled away from her and walked to the other side of the room. “You wanna throw me some ice?”
She laughed despite the fact that she felt like an overstretched rubber band. “You know this is crazy, don’t you? Nothing good can come of it and—”
“Speak for yourself. For me, everything good has come of it so far.”
Her heart dipped. “But there’s no way it will work. We don’t even live in the same town. It’s insane and I—”
The intensity in his gaze made her throat close.
“Why don’t we just see what happens?” he asked in a velvet tone that made her think of hot nights and lovemaking that never ended.
When she didn’t respond, he moved toward her, took her hand and pulled her with him toward the den.
“I can think of a million reasons this isn’t a good idea,” she said.
“I can give you a few big ones to balance all that out,” he said.
Faith gasped. If he touched her again, she was going to melt. “You’ve already demonstrated some of those. And I don’t think you need to give me the big—” She sputtered, remembering exactly how large he’d felt against her.
He glanced at her in confusion, then realization crossed his face and he roared with laughter. “Get your mind out of the gutter, Faith. I’m not talking about sex.”