her, feeding her lines the same way Blake had? No, that couldn’t be it. At least, she didn’t want it to be.
“Dinner tomorrow night,” she said. “Here. I’m a pretty good cook.”
He kissed her again, deeper, longer, then pulled away sharply. “Okay. I guess I should go.”
Gabi nodded, resisting the urge to pull him back. She so loved the feel of him holding her, kissing, sheltering. Silas was kind, quiet, and strong, and he awakened something in her that she’d thought long dead. But tempted as she was, she wasn’t ready for more than this. Would she ever be? How long would he wait for her to get past the pain Blake had inflicted?
After Silas left, she locked the front door and checked every window in the house to make sure they were locked, too. There was a back door that opened onto a patio which wasn’t used nearly often enough. She felt too exposed there. Since Judge had moved in she’d used that door several times to let him in and out, as needed, so she checked it, too. Twice. It was a nightly ritual. Without that ritual she wouldn’t sleep at all.
That done, she went to bed, slept, and dreamed of the day when she wouldn’t feel the need to push Silas out her door.
Silas made the familiar drive home on automatic, his mind on everything but the road before him. More than anything, his mind was on that kiss, on the way Gabi felt in his arms… and on the fleeting expression of panic on her face. It had revealed so much, too much.
He was supposed to run her out of town, but right now he wanted nothing more than to protect her, to take away all her pain. Stupid idea, for a man who intended to remain unattached.
When Jenna had asked him to play her game, he should’ve said no. He shouldn’t have ignored that initial warning tingle at the back of his neck. Clint’s ex was bad news and always had been.
There was more to Gabi Lawson than met the eye. She was running from something. Someone, most likely. She was vulnerable, skittish. And safe here, as they all were. Why should she have to leave? One more Non-Springer in the mix wouldn’t make any difference. Would it?
He wasn’t second guessing himself because he wanted to sleep with her. The way she kissed didn’t cause this new and unexpected uncertainty. Yeah, right. He was being entirely rational.
He couldn’t even convince himself.
Silas sighed when he saw the familiar SUV in his driveway. He parked, hesitated for a split-second, and then left the truck. Jenna opened the driver’s door of the SUV and stepped out to greet him.
“How’s it going?” she asked.
“Fine. Leave me alone and I’ll get it done.” He didn’t know exactly what “getting it done” meant anymore, but she didn’t have to know that.
“I’m not sure how feeding the Non-Springer and strolling around town is supposed to get it done,” Jenna said sharply.
“I have to get to know her in order to figure out what will work. It’s not like I have a lot to go on at this point.” He couldn’t possibly tell her he was having second thoughts. If she decided to do the job herself or put a Milhouse on Gabi, the results might be ugly.
Jenna looked up at the full moon. Donnie wasn’t with her, this time around. No, he was out somewhere running the forest or howling at that moon, as were all the Milhouses.
Since they were being honest…
“What the hell do you see in Donnie?” He headed for the door, not to his house but to the office. He opened the door and walked inside; uninvited Jenna was right behind him.
“He’s a means to an end, a…” She stopped when she saw Damian in the waiting room, one of the smaller dogs — a mutt if ever there was one — in his lap.
“Hey, boss,” Damian said. “Let me put Scout up for the night and I’ll head on home.” The kid walked into the back room, and from there he went into the indoor facilities where most of the dogs slept on a massive arrangement of doggie beds in a variety of colors and patterns.
Silas glanced at Jenna, who had pursed her lips and was working hard to give him the evil eye.
“Thanks for staying late,” Silas said when Damian re-entered the waiting room.
“No problem.” Damian nodded to Jenna as he passed by her, appropriately cautious. He