Jacob's Ladder: Gabe (Jacob's Ladder #1)

“Wait, will you be back at noon to help with the sale?”

“Yes. I’ll be here.” I then turned and practically sprinted out of the cafeteria. At any moment, I expected some hall monitor to yell at me or threaten me with detention. Thankfully, I made it to my car without getting in any trouble.

When I slid inside, my hands were shaking so hard I could barely crank up. Gabe had outdone himself this time. Even though I’d pushed him away and practically thrown him out of my house, he’d still gone out of his way to do something so considerate for me and for Linc.

God, if I hadn’t already been starting to seriously like this man, this was the gesture that would have sent me over the edge. But, as I drove down Main Street, all the voices of doubt chattered in my head. It’s too soon. It’s too fast. He’s just passing through.

Shaking my head, I tried shaking myself free of the voices. I didn’t want to deal with any of that right now. All I really wanted to concern myself with at the moment was getting to Gabe. I screeched into the driveway of the Grandview on two wheels. After throwing the car into park and killing the ignition, I once again broke into a run. When I burst through the front door, I screeched to a halt in the foyer. I was panting so hard I had to bend over at the waist to catch my breath.

“Reagan? Is that you?” Rejune questioned from the parlor.

“Yes. Mrs. Paulson,” I huffed.

“Are you all right?”

“I’ve been better.” With my breathing regulated, I straightened up to face her. “I’m here to see Gabe.”

“I’m not sure Mr. Renard is receiving visitors at the moment.” She lowered her voice. “I just heard the shower cut off a little while ago.”

“I’ll only be a minute.”

A knowing expression came over her face. “Why I’m sure a strong, strapping young man like him takes far longer than a minute.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’m just here to talk, Mrs. Paulson.”

“If you say so.” When I started for the stairs, she said, “Why don’t you wait down here while I call up to his room to ask if he wants to see you?”

“I can find the way myself, thank you.” While she continued to protest, I hurried up the two flights of stairs to the third floor. Although there were four doors to choose from, the strumming of a guitar helped steer me to the right room.

Rapping my knuckles on the door, I called, “Gabe?”

A screech came at the guitar strings. After a few moments, the door opened, and I gasped at the sight of Gabe before me. Rejune had been right about the shower—Gabe’s hair was soaking wet, and he had a pale pink towel draped around his waist.

“Hey,” he said.

“Hey,” I muttered. We stood there for a few moments before I said, “Nice towel.”

Gabe grinned as he glanced down at his waist. “It would appear that Rejune has a fondness for all things pink. I haven’t been able to find a white towel or one without flowers the entire time I’ve been here.”

“It’s a good look on you.”

“Har har.”

Okay, Rae, get a grip and cut the flirty comedy routine. You came over to thank Gabe for saving your ass with the cannoli in spite of your insistence that you didn’t need his help. I cleared my throat. “Listen, I just came from Linc’s school.”

The corners of Gabe’s lips pricked. “I assumed as much.” He held out his hand to me. “Do you want to come in?”

With a nod, I slipped my hand into his and let him pull me into the room. After he closed the door, he led me across the room to an overstuffed couch. “Have a seat while I go get dressed.”

“You don’t have to do that on my account.”

He brows popped up. “Does that mean you prefer me half-naked?”

I laughed. “I meant, I’m not going to stay long, so you don’t have to get dressed if you don’t want to.”

“I think it’s best if I did.”

I got Gabe’s meaning immediately. Even after me pushing him away the night before, the sexual tension remained thick between us. I’d already fended off two imagined dirty scenarios of ripping off his towel and blowing him or ripping off his towel and then riding him like a crazed cowgirl.

I forced a smile to my now dry lips. “Yea, that’s probably best.” As Gabe started out of the living room and slipped into the bedroom, I got quite the view of his sculpted bare back. I fought the desire to run my fingers over the colorful ink splayed across the corded muscles. Once again, I found myself rolling my eyes and huffing in aggravation at my sex-crazed thoughts about Gabe. The last thing I needed at that moment was to give myself over to my desire for him.

When Gabe reappeared, he wore a red t-shirt that stretched across his heavily muscled chest. While his jeans weren’t indecently tight, they certainly highlighted his wide thighs. Although it looked like he had toweled his hair dry a bit, it was still somewhat wet.

Sitting down next to me on the couch, Gabe asked, “Did you come here to tell me off?”

“Excuse me?”

“Because I went behind your back and took the cannoli to the school.”

I widened my eyes at him. “Are you kidding me? I came here to thank you, like, eternally and from the bottom of my heart. I’m still in shock that you went to all that trouble. I mean, where did you possibly find cannoli here in the backwoods, least of all after nine o’clock?”

Gabe chuckled. “I called in a favor from a buddy of mine in Atlanta.”

“You went all the way to Atlanta last night?” I screeched.

With a shrug, Gabe said, “Yeah. Why?”

“That’s like five hours on the road.”

“It gave me time to think. I also made a few phone calls, listened to part of the new Stephen King book.”

I shook my head. “Now I feel even worse.”

“Don’t do that.”

“But you went to so much trouble.”

“Because I wanted to.”

Cocking my head at him, I asked, “Why, after you did something so wonderful for me, did you think I was here to tell you off?”

“I knew I was taking that risk after you made it very plain to me last night that you didn’t want my help.” Gabe shook his head. “But I couldn’t help it, Rae. I felt like I had to do something because it was partly my fault for distracting you and letting the brownies burn.”

At his reference to distracting me, warmth flooded my face. “Yes, you were quite good at distracting me.”

The smoldering look he gave me sent me squirming in my seat. “I would say I was sorry about that, but I would be lying,” he said, his voice dropping an octave.

“Regardless of what happened, I wouldn’t want you to be sorry for that—ever.” I drew in a breath. “Me, on the other hand, I have a lot to be sorry for, starting with the way I freaked out on you.”

“It’s okay. I understand.”

My mouth dropped open. “You do?”

“I may not have known you for long, Rae, but I do know what kind of woman you are.”

“And what kind is that?”

“The type who normally doesn’t almost have sex with a stranger.”

I nodded. “Yeah, that’s pretty much me. I mean, after the time we’ve spent together this past week, you’re not a stranger. It’s just…you’re not someone I’m actually dating.”