soft voice jolted me back to reality.
I lowered the book. “Did it work?”
“Yeah. Like you said, Gavin to the rescue.”
“It’s what I do.”
Princess Squeaker got up, stretched, and crawled down onto the bed. I sat up and swung my legs over the side.
I didn’t particularly want to go, but I had a feeling if I stayed much longer, I’d screw up. Temptation would win. Sitting with her, here in her bedroom, was already making it hard to remember why holding back was so important. Why I couldn’t sneak a taste.
“So, tomorrow?” I asked.
“You don’t mind?”
Hell no, I didn’t mind. For one thing, she was cool and I liked her. For another, this felt like a dare. How close could I get to the edge without falling. But I’d also promised to introduce her around, and our little Tilikum town tour had only been the beginning.
“I don’t mind at all. But what are you doing next Friday night?”
Her lips parted in surprise. “I don’t know. But—”
I grinned. “Don’t worry, I’m not asking you out. But it’s my brother Asher’s birthday and they’re having a party at my gram’s house. It’s the perfect chance for you to get to know more people.”
She fiddled with a strand of hair. “It’s not that I don’t appreciate the offer, but crowds of people I don’t know make me nervous.”
“Will your friend still be in town?”
“Ginny? Yeah.”
“Cool. You can bring her too. Worst case scenario, you hate it and you go home. Best case, you have fun and make some new friends.” I flashed her another grin. “Besides, you’ll have me.”
She took a deep breath. “Okay. I’ll come.”
“Great.”
Princess Squeaker batted at a little piece of dust drifting in the air. She chased it across the bed, coming close to the edge.
“I’ll get her.” Skylar stood and moved to scoop her up into her hands. “Silly kitten. You don’t want to fall off the bed.”
I stood, leaning on my crutches. “You can just stick her in my hood. She’ll be fine there.”
Skylar brought her around to my side of the bed and stepped close. I leaned down and she reached around to open my hood, then deposited Squeaker inside.
Still standing just inches from me, she adjusted the fabric so Squeaker was secure. Her arms were around my neck, her face so close. I took a deep breath, inhaling her. God, she smelled good.
Just a taste. What would that hurt?
I licked my lips and the movement seemed to catch her attention. She froze, her eyes resting on my mouth. Slowly, her thick lashes lifted, bringing her gaze to mine.
If I’d ever been faced with a girl who really wanted to be kissed, it was now.
Her chin lifted slightly. My heart beat harder, thumping in my chest. Only a second passed, but it felt like time had slowed. I could already taste her. Feel her soft lips pressing against mine.
A knock on her bedroom door jolted me back to reality. Skylar gasped and took a step away.
“Hey, Skylar?” Chief said through the door. “Can I come in?”
She moved closer to her desk. “Yeah, what’s up?”
Chief opened the door. His eyes landed on me, but he didn’t look surprised to see me. He’d probably seen my truck out front. “What happened to the kitchen?”
“That was Mom. She’s reorganizing?”
Chief groaned. “Of course she is. Hey, Gav. How’s the leg?”
“Getting better”
“Good.” His eyes darted between me and Skylar, and I really wondered what he was thinking. “I guess I’ll go wait for Caroline.”
“She’s just trying to help, Dad.”
He grumbled something that sounded like infernal woman and shut the door.
Skylar sighed.
I thought about asking if she needed an excuse to get out of the house. She could come over to my place. My brothers were on duty until Saturday morning.
But after how close I’d just come to kissing her, I decided not to. Forcing myself to resist temptation was one thing, but I wasn’t a total masochist.
Plus, Chief’s brief appearance had been like jumping in the freezing cold river.
Resisting her wasn’t just a game I was playing to amuse myself while I was laid up. I had reasons. Good ones.
And those reasons weren’t going to change.
17
Gavin
The air in Gram’s backyard was chilly, but propane heaters pumped out warmth, as did the bonfire Levi and Logan had built. Grace had strung lights around the porch and tied helium balloons to the railings at the bottom of the porch stairs. Despite Asher’s insistence that we didn’t need to make a big deal out of his