Gable by Harper Bentley Page A

as far as I was concerned.  
    He filled my order and helped me put it all on the tray. “So, what’re you doing after work?” he asked, his honey eyes locking onto mine and holding me hostage.
    I blinked myself out of the Gable-induced stupor I was in and frowned at him wondering what he was up to. “Probably just going home.”
    “Come out with me,” he said.
    I huffed out a small laugh of disbelief then shook my head, still frowning. “Gable… I can’t…”
    “Please? I want to show you something that I think you’d like.” And believe it or not, he didn’t even turn that statement into anything sexual.
    He looked so sincerely at me, so hopeful, that I couldn’t help myself. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. When I opened them, I nodded at him which got me a stellar smile. God. He was something else. “I’ll see,” I answered. We were friends. Friends did things together, right?
    “Good enough,” he replied, still smiling.
    “And where would we be going?” I asked.
    “It’s a surprise.” He smiled. “You get off at eleven, right?” he inquired.
    All I could do was nod again.
    “’Kay. I’m supposed to be here until midnight, but we’re slow and I’m sure Uncle Jack won’t mind if Aaron covers for me. Think you could stick around until eleven-fifteen?”
    “I guess.” I hoped I wasn’t being a huge pushover, but, again, it wasn’t like we couldn’t be friends.
    I reached to pick up my tray and he grabbed my hand. The cliché spark between us was still there and my eyes slid up to his to see him looking at me as if he was trying to convey several messages to me at once, maybe, I’m sorry. Or, You’re different than the other girls. Give me a chance to prove it to you. Or maybe I was hoping that was what he was trying to say.
    Not lookin’ to be tied down.
    That. That right there told me I was delusional and he wanted nothing more than to hang out, so I gave him another small smile then picked up my tray, heading to my tables to fill orders, all the while knowing what I’d read in his eyes had only been what I wanted to see.
    So I pulled up my big-girl panties and put to rest any thoughts that Gable and I would ever be anything more than friends.
    ~*~*~*~
    I was sitting in a daze wrapping silverware mooning over what had occurred earlier when I’d come back here to perform the mundane chore. I’d gone to grab more napkins when I’d seen the most spectacular thing ever. Gable had been in the bathroom with the door open changing his shirt, and holy God I almost hyperventilated. Good lord, the man was hot. I saw that his pecs were sculpted and defined and magnificent. Then there were his abs that were absolutely amazing, so cut and defined and I swear I drooled a little as I watched him. And all of that hadn’t even been the coup de grâce. His entire chest was covered in tattoos, a colorful conglomeration of patterns and designs that I knew right then and there that I wanted to spend hours studying, gazing upon and licking every last bit of each.  I’d continued staring as his biceps bunched beautifully as he pulled on another shirt, my mouth hanging open in awe. When he’d turned to see me looking at him, he gave me a lazy smirk then slowly closed the door. Its click brought me out of my trance and realizing I’d been gawking at him, my face instantly heated. Shit. I immediately grabbed the napkins and got the heck out of there, mentally reprimanding myself for being such a sucker for a hot body and forgetting my vow not to think of him carnally. Ugh. 
    “Ready?”
    I jumped when Gable whispered in my ear from behind bringing me out my musings of seeing him half-naked. I turned to tell him I’d be ready in a minute but his face was still right there so that our cheeks brushed and I felt his light scruff against my skin. If I turned just a bit more, our lips would be touching. At that alarming thought, I moved away from him quickly, standing up from the stool I’d