And now…now she would become his wife.

His wife.

“I’m ready to walk on the beach and talk about our favorite positions, and what turns us on,” she said, her smile so sweet it gave him a toothache.

He blinked. “Excuse me?”

“Oh, you don’t have to tell me your favorite. I already know it—missionary style,” she said with a firm nod. “It’s the only one allowed, right? Guess I’ll have to get used to that.”

“I refuse to be baited by you, not anymore. Need a verbal punching bag—then here I am,” he said flatly. “But not in public. I’m taking you home, where you can make whatever kind of remark you want. However, this changes nothing. We’re going on another date tomorrow, and the next day, until we can have an entire conversation without resorting to our old ways of handling each other.”

Yes, he had to include himself in that last part, because he wasn’t perfect and even if she thought that about him, he knew it wasn’t true, and knew what he was capable of doing. It was only fair to have the same expectations placed upon him as well.

Was that a glimmer of relief in her eyes? Had he calculated correctly for once?

He stood, and held out his hand. For a second, he half-expected her to bite him, but she took his hand, lacing her fingers with his, and allowed him to lead her outside to his truck. Once they were back at Carolina Dreams, he opened the door on her side, and walked her around back to where the truck he’d let her borrow was parked.

“Aren’t you going to kiss me goodnight, angel?” she cooed. “I’m pretty sure I said something ridiculous before we left.”

It hit him then, like a punch to the head. She wasn’t only trying to keep him at arm’s length. “Were you trying to get me to kiss you, sweetheart?”

“Like I have to resort to tricks for that to happen,” she scoffed.

“You didn’t answer.”

She flipped her hair over one shoulder. “Yes, I did, but you didn’t bother to read between the lines.”

He rocked back on his heels, actually enjoying this bit of sparring. “Why don’t you help me out? Sometimes men need a little direction.”

She snorted, actually snorted, and he wanted to kiss her for that, because it made her seem so real and touchable. And his. “I swear, Gabriel, it’s like you’re begging me to say something so you’ll have an excuse to kiss me.”

“What can I say? I love kissing you.”

He waited for her final blow, for her to make a reference to all the men she’d enjoyed kissing, but her gaze skittered away.

“I love kissing you, too,” she murmured.

He kissed her cheek softly. “Thank you.”

“I wasn’t being ridiculous.”

He stroked her satiny skin, right along her jawline. “I know.”

“Oh.” She pressed her lips together, and then dug her keys out of her purse. “I need to go home. Blackbeard needs his beauty sleep.” As if on cue, Blackbeard appeared out of nowhere, rubbing against Gabriel’s legs.

“Do you think he’ll visit us, once you move in with me?” he asked, and panic flared in her eyes.

She shrugged, glancing away from him. “It’s up to him. He does what he wants.”

“Want me to follow you home, to make sure you make it all right?”

“No.”

“At least let me wait for you to start up the truck and be on your way,” he said. He lived in the opposite direction of Summer, and since he wasn’t a stalker, he needed to make sure she was safe in town.

“Suit yourself.” Pulling out the keys, she unlocked the door and climbed inside. Blackbeard jumped in behind her, and she shut the door.

He waited until she buckled on her seatbelt, locked the door, and adjusted her mirror. Then he waited even longer while she started up the truck’s engine and fiddled with the radio.

“She’s making me wait on purpose,” he said with a shake of his head, but he didn’t get angry. Instead, he patiently waited with a small smile on his face while she came to the conclusion that he really wasn’t going anywhere until after she did, and finally drove away.

“You might think you’re the winner, Summer Jean,” he said to himself as he walked to his truck, “but in the end, we’ll both be happy with the outcome.”

Chapter Thirteen

Over the next couple of weeks, much to Summer’s dismay and secret joy, Gabriel kept his promise to take her out every night, until they had a meal without them falling back on old habits.

Only, new habits emerged.

For one, she teased him and he teased her back. If she were honest, she would call it flirting, but she couldn’t be honest with herself right now, because honesty would lead to examining her heart.

There was no telling what she would find there.

Not that she had time to examine anything, because Gabriel had taken over her schedule of nothing but work by actually dating her.

They tasted prize-winning jams and jellies at local fairs named after fruits and small woodland creatures, went tubing at a river festival, and held hands during an outdoor play.

They’d eaten hummus and pita points while listening to a jazz band perform at a park in Wilmington, and had spent one afternoon riding the Swan Quarter ferry to Ocracoke Island.

He’d also started coming to Carolina Dreams right before closing time, to ask about her day and plan their next great adventure.

It was as though he was trying to fit years of dating, years of what they should have had together, into a matter of days.

“Don’t you want to touch my trophy?” she asked, waving a stuffed fox at him she’d won for having the loudest whistle at the Red Fox Festival.

“The fox says put him out of his misery.”

She rolled her eyes. “It’s been properly stuffed.”

“I don’t care what it is, that fox used to be alive. Don’t touch me with it.” He stepped away from her, and she laughed so hard that her stomach began to ache. “I could be allergic for all you know.”

She pretended to consider his words, and then lunged for him. He moved out of her reach at the last minute. “Take it home with you and put in on your mantle like a real man,” she giggled, chasing him around Carolina Dreams. “He’ll watch over you while you sleep.”

“Rather have you glowering at me in my sleep,” he said, laughter rumbling from his chest. The sound made her so happy. He made her happy.

“So the rumor is true.”

Summer and Gabriel simultaneously stopped and turned at the same time.

Elise stood just inside the door, red hair swept up, displaying a dainty earring on each lobe, while wearing a pencil skirt with a form-fitting white blouse that highlighted her curvaceous figure to perfection.

“Hi, Elise,” Gabriel said, taking the stuffed fox from Summer and setting it on a nearby counter. The bridge of his nose flushed. Was he embarrassed at being caught with her? He glanced at Summer with a pleading look in his eyes, before turning his attention back to Elise.

Summer felt herself melt a little. He wasn’t embarrassed. He was worried about Elise’s feelings and her feelings, even though she’d been the one to instigate everything.

“I…We…” he began but Summer wasn’t about to let him apologize for something he hadn’t done.

“We didn’t mean to hurt you,” Summer said, taking a step toward Elise. “Sometimes things just happen, and Gabriel and I have a long history.

“How sweet of you to think of me like that.” Elise marched up to Summer. “Do you believe in physical violence?”

Confused, Summer answered honestly, “As a rule, no, but there are times when a situation calls for it.” Like after Patrick Johnson tied her to the bed and took what was owed to him.

“Good.” Elise slapped Summer so hard that her head whipped to one side.

Pain flared out, to her ear and eye socket. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she whimpered, cupping her cheek.

Gabriel was at her side in an instant, gently turning her face and sucking in air through his teeth. “Are you okay?”

All she could do was look at him through a sheen of tears.

“Yeah, I know, seriously dumb question.” He kissed her forehead, and she thought she heard Elise hiss.

“I’ll be fine.”

“I’m so sorry,” he said, then his eyes got all hard. Summer wanted to flinch again, but he fixed his furious gaze on the redhead still standing there. “You broke up with me, not the other way around, and she’s not responsible for our decisions.”

“Yes, I am,” Summer whispered miserably. “You saw us in the park, and that’s why you broke up with him.”

“No,” Elise said, shocking her. “I broke up with him, because it’s one thing to be second to a memory. It’s quite another to have to be second to the real thing.”

“I didn’t make you second,” Gabriel insisted.

Summer backed away, going to the cabinet in the corner to find a purple jar with some ointment to ease the swelling and redness on her cheek. It had to be red and swollen, because it stung like hell.

Elise shook her head. “I wasn’t about to give you a chance, but seeing the two of you… It just pisses me off that I wasted so much time on you.”

“I never looked at it that way.”

“You never had to, women flock to you, you idiot.” Elise huffed. “Men, it’s so easy for you. Get older and you look better. We get older and have to compete with younger women who y’all think look better than us.”

“Gabriel’s not like that,” Summer said, rubbing in the lotion. Immediately, the stinging lessened.

“They’re all like that.” Elise gave Summer a hard look. “I wish I could say sorry and mean it, but I can’t. It felt good, and you deserved it anyway, for all the other relationships you helped destroy.”

Gabriel heard Summer’s sharp intake of breath and almost cursed.

He knew what she was thinking, what Elise had planted in Summer’s brain. Soon, it would take root, and all the weeks of trying to build something new would wither away and die.

“Then you might want to hit the other one then, for my future misdeeds,” Summer snapped, marching from the back of the store to where Elise stood. She tipped up her chin and turned her head to one side. “So very many men and so very little time.”

Forget soon; it was instantaneous. He briefly closed his eyes. “I suggest you leave, Elise, before I call Sheriff Barnes.”

“You’d have me arrested?” Elise looked genuinely horrified.

“If Summer wants to press charges, then yes. You assaulted her, without provocation.” He should know. So many of the teens he worked with had that very wording on their rap sheet. He had it on his.

“I won’t press charges,” Summer said, much to Gabriel’s surprise.

Elise’s mouth flattened as she made a little noise of satisfaction. “I’ll be going.”

Neither he nor Summer bothered to say anything more as Elise marched out of Carolina Dreams. Summer merely waited until his ex has left and then moved to lock the door.

When she turned to face him again, he winced at the bright red handprint. “Do you want some ice for that?”

“No.” She pushed back her shoulders, tipping her nose in the air. “I want a timeframe from you, so I can know when to expect a ring and plan a wedding with a honeymoon. Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve—I’ve,” her lips trembled, “had a m-man?”

So they were back to this, once again. Damn Elise for this, and damn him for letting things escalate. “It’s best if you had dinner with my parents, first, so they can get to know you.”

“They already know me by reputation, angel. Everyone does, no matter what you or Jemma Leigh say.” She gave him a brittle smile. “You two want me to think like y’all, like everything is rose-colored glasses and Fourth of July parades, but I’m not buying it. The mark on my face proves nothing has changed in this town.”

Chapter Fourteen

That evening, Gabriel walked the mostly deserted streets of Holland Springs. It was almost ten, and the only shops still open were the local drugstore and movie theater.

Normally he’d be home now, but one of his client’s parents called him, worrying because their son hadn’t come home from school. It had taken him a good two hours, coordinating with local law enforcement officials, to track the teen down, but an anonymous tip had helped, and the fifteen year old was back where he belonged.

Gabriel ran a hand through his hair. Small town or big city made no difference to a teenager looking for trouble. Though Holland Springs was not a big city by any stretch of the imagination, the town had grown over the past few years.

New subdivisions and strip malls had been built, but the downtown, with good planning and financial backing from influential citizens, had remained vibrant, even when the local Wal-Mart had turned into a superstore. Many had proclaimed that expansion as a death knell for local businesses, but as with most things, the rush to judgment and end-of-the-world wailing were all for nothing.

New businesses had cropped up, offering services and items that the Wal-Mart didn’t carry. Honestly, he thought it was pretty hypocritical for people to not want something that the majority, no matter their income, could afford. Where else were they supposed to shop for groceries and clothes?

Yeah, if there was one thing he hated in this world, it was hypocrites. Which is probably why he was so determined to prove to Summer that he wasn’t one—at least, not anymore. He wanted to prove to her that, for the most part, people could be counted on to be kind and caring when push came to shove… not everyone, but most.