overthinking how I felt about Gabe. And there was a lot to think about with that, too.
He scared me but in an exciting way.
I was more than a little attracted to him. Okay, so ‘more than a little’ translated to butterflies and tingling in a supremely scary way.
But what I couldn’t stop obsessing about was the way he looked at me.
It was like he knew something.
I didn’t know what that something was, but I could swear I felt it, too.
Like, I just knew.
So that was why I was in bed dazed and confused, being a rude chickenshit.
There were things to do.
I needed to check in with my editor and make up some excuse as to why I would be working from home for the foreseeable future.
I needed to help Garrett.
But first I had to face Gabe.
Come on, bitch, get up and put on your big girl panties, strap on some armor, and rip the Band-Aid off.
It wasn’t the greatest pep talk but it got me out of bed and motoring.
With my teeth brushed, hair pulled up, and a new outfit, courtesy of Ivy, I walked out into the living room. Then I stopped short and stopped breathing.
Gabe.
Head bowed, arms bent in front of him wiping something off his face with what looked to be a balled-up t-shirt.
I had a good call to assume he was using his shirt, seeing as he wasn’t wearing one, which meant he was shirtless.
A shirtless Gabe.
Sweet mother of pearl.
And since his back was to me I was free to take my fill so I did.
Broad shoulders and muscles that made me want to call up Google and research human anatomy since I wasn’t familiar with the muscle groups, and it was a crying shame I couldn’t properly pay homage to all that was on display by calling them by their proper names. Suffice it to say I wanted to run my hands over his sweat-drenched back and feel every dip and valley.
My gaze lowered and much to my dismay Gabe was wearing baggy athletic shorts that only hinted at a sculpted ass. But when my eyes lowered more I found perfectly formed calves. He was definitely a runner.
Regrettably, my perusal was cut short when Cooper said my name.
Last night I’d decided I liked Cooper. This morning however with his interruption I wasn’t so sure and when I glanced up and saw the smirk on his face coupled with his blue eyes dancing I changed my mind entirely—I didn’t like him.
“Everything okay over there, Evette?” Cooper asked.
Now, I really didn’t like him.
“Everything is great, Cooper. How are you?”
“Just another day in paradise,” he returned.
What did I say to that?
“Are you hungry? There’s eggs and bacon for you in the kitchen,” Gabe offered.
“Thanks, I’m actually starving.”
Before I could make a break for it Cooper muttered, “Yeah, you looked famished over there.”
Famished?
What the hell was he talking about?
“Huh?”
“Never mind.” Cooper shook with that damn smile still in place. “You better go eat.”
Weird.
A reminder—I didn’t know Cooper or Gabe so I couldn’t gauge if he was making fun of me or teasing me.
Ten minutes later I was done with my scrambled eggs. I took my plate to the sink, unable to get Cooper’s strange comments out of my head when understanding washed over me. My head whipped back to the table and my gaze snagged on Cooper. I was shooting daggers at the back of his head, firing off missile after missile when he turned to look at me.
With my eyes narrowed I gave my best eat-shit-and-die look. His blinding white smile deflected my look so I tried another look, this one said “you’re a total assmunch.” It was a direct hit and I knew it. However, he rebounded quickly and roared with laughter.
Asshole.
“I’m not being funny,” I announced.
“Oh, yes you are,” Cooper said through his amusement.
Jerk.
“What’s funny?” Gabe asked.
“Nothing,” I snapped.
“A little slow on the uptake. But that’s okay, you got there.”
Cooper winked at me before he turned back around and went back to his laptop.
“What’s he talking about?” Gabe was still staring at me in confusion but I couldn’t explain the exchange unless I admitted Cooper had caught me drooling over Gabe’s muscles and that was never going to happen. There were many reasons I wouldn’t disclose that I had indeed been checking out Gabe like I was famished. First, it was creepy, but more importantly on the off-chance Gabe went for another run and came back to the house hot and sweaty, which made him inclined