I was the one person who knew every dark, tormented secret he had, and I loved him desperately anyway. That was why Gideon had wanted us to get married so badly. Because I was haunted by what Gideon had done for me and we were two halves of the same soul. I knew that somewhere, deep down inside him, Nathan’s murder was haunting him.
There was no inflection in his voice, which told me it mattered to him more than he’d tell me. “My lawyers tell me the case has been shelved,” Gideon said. He urged me to sit.Īs he combed my hair, I told him about seeing Detective Graves at my Krav Maga class. “Let me,” he said, taking the comb and leading me to the wide lip of the tub. Wrinkling my nose, I resecured my towel and grabbed a comb for my wet hair. “He didn’t even want us having sex, Eva.” Petersen congratulated us, then went on about how important couples therapy would be.” He looked at me with a wry curve to his lips. I lifted onto my tiptoes and kissed his chin. My breath left me when he sucked a nipple into his mouth, drawing rhythmically until it hardened. “Hi, wife.” He came up to me, tugged open my towel, and lowered his head to my breast. He ended up coming in just as I was wrapping a towel around me, his damp hair and jeans telling me he’d showered after a visit with his trainer. I soaked in vanilla-scented water, surrounded by candles, and hoped Gideon would show up before I pruned. When I stumbled into my apartment a little after eight, I headed straight to the bathtub. She was lightning quick and swift to exploit any advantage. I actually learned a lot from her over the hour and a half we sparred, most especially never to let down my guard. For such a rail-thin, wiry woman, she packed some strength. “The case has gone cold, Eva.” She stalked onto the mat and began to stretch. “I need a sparring partner,” the detective said suddenly. The whole thing made me twitchy, but who could I talk to about it? No one but Gideon, and I knew him too well to doubt that he was doing everything in his considerable power to solve that mystery. But then, loose ends make me twitchy.”Ī shiver of unease ran down my back. “I’d keep thinking about Nathan Barker’s bracelet if I were you. Cool blue eyes raked me from head to toe.įacing the inevitable, I took a deep breath and approached her.
Her brown curly hair was scraped back into an unforgiving ponytail. She was dressed in black workout pants with a bright blue stripe down the sides that matched her fitted long-sleeve shirt. She stood to the side, just off the training mats, with her arms crossed. The door had barely closed behind me when I saw a familiar brunette I would’ve rather not seen again. “Knock ’em out, Eva,” he said, watching me until I got inside. I grabbed my gym bag and got out before Clancy could open the door for me. When I opened my mouth to pry further, we turned a corner and I realized we’d reached the former warehouse where Parker had his studio. “I was.” He didn’t volunteer any more than that. “You were in the service, too, weren’t you?” “Not yet.” His mouth did that little lip twitch, almost-smile thing. “Cool.” I tried to picture a relaxed Clancy tossing back beers with someone who resembled him, but couldn’t pull it off. My brother’s in New York, so we catch up more often.” My sister lives out of state, so I don’t see her much, but we talk on the phone once a week at least. What were they like? Were they tough as nails and deadly like Clancy? Or was he the black sheep? “Are you close, if you don’t mind my asking?” “You have any brothers or sisters, Clancy?” I nodded and looked out the window, catching sight of a gleaming steel bus stop shelter displaying Cary’s billboard. “She’ll be fine,” he said, in his usual no-nonsense way. When I looked up, I caught Clancy looking at me in the rearview mirror. Luca is all in, dreaming of a life with Gabby and his girls, but Gabby has a secret, one she believes will make her ultimately unlovable- and unkeepable- by someone as wonderful as Luca.We hung up and because I felt like reaching out, I sent a text to Shawna and another to Brett. When the magic that is Graciella puts Gabby and Luca together to work on the Spring Blossom Festival, they fall for each other and realize they both want love and family. He’ s excited to partner with Lily Brockman in his new landscape design business… and may even be open to love again. Thirty-three-year-old single dad Luca Rossi has moved across the country to Graciella to give his small daughters a better life. Done with men, single, successful and fabulous is her new mantra. Returning home to the beautiful coastal town of Graciella, Oregon, with a bruised heart and a brittle self-confidence, Gabriella Flores is determined to start afresh, opening a beauty salon downtown. Home is where you open your heart to love.
0 kommentar(er)
