to him. Something he hadn’t expected. Something he certainly hadn’t been looking for.
He felt stuck to the spot in that moment, as though roots were growing beneath his feet. The kind of roots he had spent seventeen years avoiding.
He gritted his teeth and headed back out to grab hold of his horse. He wasn’t staying here. That wasn’t an option. No matter how tempting Rebecca Bear made it seem.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
“SO, ARE YOU coming tonight?”
Rebecca stared across the store at Alison, who was standing next to Lane, both of them on their lunch breaks and perusing the shelves for various Christmas items.
Rebecca could have punched her own face. She had forgotten that tonight was their girls’ night.
“I’m busy,” she said, grabbing a dry rag from by the cash register and working at a bit of imaginary dust on her counter.
“You’re busy?” Alison asked, her tone disbelieving.
“I have a life, Alison,” Rebecca said.
“Yes, I’m sure you do. It’s just that it mostly centers on us.”
Lane looked at her askance. “Are you busy with anyone in particular?”
Rebecca felt her face heat up. Dammit. If only she could figure out how to control that particular reaction. “Maybe I’m going home and playing solitaire.”
“Or having dinner with Jonathan?” Lane asked. “That’s what I would’ve gone with.”
Rebecca scowled. “Fine. You’re better at lying than I am.”
“What’s going on?” Alison asked, looking increasingly annoyed.
“Rebecca has a special friend.”
The wave of heat intensified¸ and Rebecca felt like she might suffocate beneath her embarrassment. “He’s not a... Don’t call him that.”
“A special friend?” Alison raised an eyebrow. “Like a special friend...like a penis friend?”
“Alison!” Rebecca scolded.
“I’m so jealous,” Alison said. “Well, I’m not really. Men are douche bags. And they’re more trouble than they’re worth.” She held up a hand. “Not that I’m not thrilled for you.”
“It’s not like that. It’s not a relationship. It’s...” Lane made an obscene hand gesture.
“Thank you, Lane,” Rebecca said drily, “that’s what it is.”
“That’s ideal,” Alison said.
“Anyway, that’s why I’m busy.”
“I suppose I should be offended because sisterhood and chicks before dicks and stuff, but God knows if I had a chance at getting laid tonight that’s where I would be too,” Lane said.
“He’s making dinner or I would do the girl thing first,” Rebecca said, feeling defensive at the idea that she might be abandoning her friends for a man. Of course, she had never had occasion to be accused of such a thing.
“He’s making dinner?” Lane asked, her tone altering.
“Yes. He does eat and he therefore cooks.”
“Yes, but he’s cooking for you. Which is different. Also, it’s more than just sex.”
“It’s sex and food. Which I have to say, are both good.” She tried to sound casual as she said that. “So, don’t ask me to look quite as worried about it as you do.”
“I just think you should be careful with this guy.”
“What guy is it?” This question came from Alison, and that was when Rebecca realized that Lane had not filled their other friend in on any of the details.
“A guy. That owns my building and caused my accident. That guy.”
“Who is also Gage West,” Lane said, clearly unable to hold back information any longer. “Of the increasingly disgraced Wests. And he’s easily the worst, not even solely because of Rebecca’s accident. But he ran off years ago and nobody knew what happened to him. He just kind of left the whole family—which, given what a mess they are, kind of makes sense now—but still makes him seem a little bit like a flight risk.
“Another risk,” Lane continued, “quite frankly, is that he seems like an extremely dangerous choice. Which, I guess probably makes it fun?”
Rebecca frowned. She didn’t exactly like the idea of Gage being some kind of strange response to her spending so many years being sheltered. Though, she imagined whatever sexual relationship she chose to embark on would be that to a degree. Because it was taking a step. Breaking through years of habit and self-protection and allowing herself to be, if not completely vulnerable with somebody, then naked in the literal sense at least.
Of course, you haven’t let him see you yet.
But, he wasn’t pushing for it either. She wasn’t going to lead that charge. The idea of him seeing her body, the scars, where the skin grafts were... She didn’t like that at all.
“So how did you get to having sex with that guy from wanting to kill him not that long ago?” Alison asked, looking genuinely perplexed.
Lane gave her a bland look. “Sometimes