the room. Moonlight bled into the air through the cracks around the curtains, so she could still make out the shadowy shape of him.
“Goodnight, Gabe.”
“Goodnight.”
Ugh. Now she was an arm’s length away from him in bed and feeling more needy and frustrated than ever. A pillow wall might be the only solution to keep her from rolling against him in her sleep. Nothing would be more embarrassing than waking up on his side of the bed wrapped around him.
The minutes ticked by, and still sleep didn’t come. Anna corralled a herd of sheep in her mind and counted them one by one. Who’d have thought she’d be lying there thinking of mattress commercials after how well the dinner and caroling had gone? Not her.
Next, she tried meditational breathing exercises, and then pretending to be asleep. Nothing worked. After what seemed an eternity, she pushed back the covers and tiptoed out of bed, moving quickly for the living room.
At least she could take a deep breath out here.
There was so much space to roam. Anna headed for the kitchen to get a glass of water and then took another turn in the bathroom, washing her face for the second time that night. The Elk Lodge supplied the creamiest of soap and bath bombs at the side of the jacuzzi tub to entice guests to linger in this little piece of heaven. Raspberry Relaxation seemed like a promising choice. Tomorrow, she’d treat herself to a relaxing bath.
Anna made her way to the picture windows in the living room, taking in the view. The slopes really were stunning, especially with the snow clean and white, starkly contrasting with the vast dark sky above.
“Are you all right?” Gabe’s voice from the bedroom door pulled her away from the window. “You’ve been gone quite a while.”
“I couldn’t sleep. Obviously.” She laughed, but it was a tired laugh, and concern flared in Gabe’s eyes. He walked closer, Anna unable to look away from where his pajama pants were slung low on his hips and his sleep shirt—a Henley that she found unfairly irresistible—lay unbuttoned at the neck. “Couldn’t turn my brain off.”
Gabe took a seat on the leather sofa facing the window and spread out his arms over the back, the movement stretching the shirt over his biceps. Anna sucked in a deep breath. Breathe, girl. Breathe.
His eyes swept over every inch of her. “Does this have anything to do with the phone call you got earlier?”
The real world pushed back into her mind with an unpleasant jolt. Anna turned away. She didn’t want to discuss her family or her past, or that she shouldn’t be at a place like the Elk Lodge with a man like Gabe. “I got out of a bad relationship recently,” she hedged. “My best friend was worried I’d made a mistake on the rebound by coming here with you.”
One eyebrow arched upward and for a moment all the things she hadn’t wanted to talk about crowded together at the tip of her tongue. If she spilled her secrets here and now...
Well, she wouldn’t.
But suddenly she was aware she was standing there in a tank top and sleep shorts, Gabe’s gaze fixed on her. It was like when they’d come into the room before—and the heady, reckless feeling returned, this time more demanding.
He let out a short breath and shifted on the couch. The temperature in the room seemed to skyrocket. Gabe’s pajama pants weren’t thick enough to hide his arousal. More than anything, she wanted to hear him make that noise again—that soft, deep groan in the back of his throat that sang with wanting her.
Gabe blinked, and his professional expression fell back in place. He ran a hand through his tousled hair. “Best if we just focus on the matter at hand, don’t you think?”
Anna tried to shake off the ringing temptation of him, which filled the room and made her want to keep breathing in that excitement forever. This was precisely why they couldn’t have sex. Just the act of standing near him made her feel like she was being pulled in. Gravity teased her nipples and a point down low between her legs until it was almost unbearable. Gabe was like an undertow, and it took all her energy not to get swept away.
Which was probably for the best. Gabe asked her here to do a job for him, and it would never work once they went back to the real world. That was the nature of