Not Over You (Holland Springs) by Marquita Valentine Page B

began to ache. “I could be allergic for all you know.”
    She pretended to consider his words, and then lunged for him. He moved out of her reach at the last minute. “Take it home with you and put in on your mantle like a real man,” she giggled, chasing him around Carolina Dreams. “He’ll watch over you while you sleep.”
    “ Rather have you glowering at me in my sleep,” he said, laughter rumbling from his chest. The sound made her so happy. He made her happy.
    “ So the rumor is true.”
    Summer and Gabriel simultaneously stopped and turned at the same time.
    Elise stood just inside the door, red hair swept up, displaying a dainty earring on each lobe, while wearing a pencil skirt with a form-fitting white blouse that highlighted her curvaceous figure to perfection.
    “ Hi, Elise,” Gabriel said, taking the stuffed fox from Summer and setting it on a nearby counter. The bridge of his nose flushed. Was he embarrassed at being caught with her? He glanced at Summer with a pleading look in his eyes, before turning his attention back to Elise.
    Summer felt herself melt a little. He wasn’t embarrassed. He was worried about Elise’s feelings and her feelings, even though she’d been the one to instigate everything.
    “ I…We…” he began but Summer wasn’t about to let him apologize for something he hadn’t done.
    “ We didn’t mean to hurt you,” Summer said, taking a step toward Elise. “Sometimes things just happen, and Gabriel and I have a long history.
    “ How sweet of you to think of me like that.” Elise marched up to Summer. “Do you believe in physical violence?”
    Confused, Summer answered honestly, “As a rule, no, but there are times when a situation calls for it.” Like after Patrick Johnson tied her to the bed and took what was owed to him.
    “ Good.” Elise slapped Summer so hard that her head whipped to one side.
    Pain flared out, to her ear and eye socket. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she whimpered, cupping her cheek.
    Gabriel was at her side in an instant, gently turning her face and sucking in air through his teeth. “Are you okay?”
    All she could do was look at him through a sheen of tears.
    “ Yeah, I know, seriously dumb question.” He kissed her forehead, and she thought she heard Elise hiss.
    “ I’ll be fine.”
    “ I’m so sorry,” he said, then his eyes got all hard. Summer wanted to flinch again, but he fixed his furious gaze on the redhead still standing there. “You broke up with me, not the other way around, and she’s not responsible for our decisions.”
    “ Yes, I am,” Summer whispered miserably. “You saw us in the park, and that’s why you broke up with him.”
    “ No,” Elise said, shocking her. “I broke up with him, because it’s one thing to be second to a memory. It’s quite another to have to be second to the real thing.”
    “ I didn’t make you second,” Gabriel insisted.
    Summer backed away, going to the cabinet in the corner to find a purple jar with some ointment to ease the swelling and redness on her cheek. It had to be red and swollen, because it stung like hell.
    Elise shook her head. “I wasn’t about to give you a chance, but seeing the two of you… It just pisses me off that I wasted so much time on you.”
    “ I never looked at it that way.”
    “ You never had to, women flock to you, you idiot.” Elise huffed. “Men, it’s so easy for you. Get older and you look better. We get older and have to compete with younger women who y’all think look better than us.”
    “ Gabriel’s not like that,” Summer said, rubbing in the lotion. Immediately, the stinging lessened.
    “ They’re all like that.” Elise gave Summer a hard look. “I wish I could say sorry and mean it, but I can’t. It felt good, and you deserved it anyway, for all the other relationships you helped destroy.”
     
    Gabriel heard Summer’s sharp intake of breath and almost cursed.
    He knew what she was thinking, what Elise had planted