tossed it aside. He refused to wear another man's shirt, especially Brick's. But he couldn't go naked, so he yanked on the sweatpants. It had been difficult to hide his reaction to Casey, but without underwear and in these ragged sweats, it was going to be damn near impossible.
But the fact that the sweatpants belonged to Brick and the thought of Casey and Brick together instantly cured his problem.
* * *
She'd acted like a fool.
She'd stared like a woman who'd never seen a naked man.
What if Gabe knew?
Innocence and virtue didn't seem a priority to most men she'd met. In fact, none of the guys she'd dated valued it at all. Some had gotten angry with her hesitation to have a meaningless sexual encounter. One man had even called her selfish, old-fashioned and a cold fish.
But she wasn't a prude, just selective. And after meeting Gabe, she definitely wasn't a cold fish. She'd just never experienced this kind of desperate desire before.
Gabe Thornton had changed everything. Now, every nerve cell in her body screamed with hunger. For him. Why him?
"Can't get me," Henry S. teased.
Casey forced herself to concentrate on Henry S. The sooner she dressed him and Gabe dressed, the sooner he could leave. Then she could crawl into a tub and mope over fantasies that couldn't come true.
Only she didn't want Gabe to get dressed. She wanted him to crawl into the tub with her and make her fantasies come true.
"Come here, Henry S. Mommy is tired and dirty, and I want to get a bath," Casey said. Shivering, she brushed back her soggy hair.
"I'll get him dressed. Why don't you take a shower? You're so cold you're shaking."
Gabe Thornton's deep voice made Casey shiver again. She wasn't cold. Her tremors stemmed from unbridled passion, and it was all his fault.
He nabbed Henry S. with one hand, then hauled him up against his bare chest. Henry S. giggled and flopped against Gabe's broad shoulders. "Come here, sport. Let's get your p.j.'s on."
"Gabe, you don't have to do this," Casey said. Please just go.
Heat scorched her toes at Gabe's intense stare. "Go on and change, Casey. You'll be sick if you don't get out of those wet clothes."
She wrapped her arms around her upper body as another shiver assaulted her. "Don't you need to get going?"
Gabe pressed his hand over hers. "I won't stay long. Now go on."
Reluctantly, Casey retreated to her bedroom.
Her room smelled of Gabe. A strong masculine scent lingered in every corner now, by her bed where he'd stood, in her bathroom where he'd dried off, in her shower where he'd bathed. Casey closed her eyes and groaned as warm water pelted her body. Something was definitely wrong with her.
Tomorrow after she talked to her lawyer about Travis, she'd call her friends. A good, old-fashioned, male-bashing party would cure her of this craving for Gabe.
She'd had one more response to her ad, too, some guy named Delk. He sounded normal over the phone, a CPA, and she'd promised Jenna to give dating one last shot. She just didn't see how things could work out with Gabe.
After toweling dry, Casey slipped into a pair of faded jeans and a loose pink cotton t-shirt. Forget the bra, she told herself. You're not exactly busty; he probably won't even notice.
He noticed. How could he not? The minute she saw him, her nipples beaded into tiny hard buds.
And she quickly realized that he'd dimmed the lights. On the floor in front of the fireplace lay a blanket, a basket overflowing with blueberry muffins, and two cups of cappuccino. The flicker of firelight cast hazy shadows around the room and highlighted the streaks of brown and gold in his hair.
"Catch!" Henry S. yelled.
Gabe glanced at Henry S. and held out his hand. Henry S. wound up his arm and tossed a Nerf ball. Gabe leapt over the steaming cups of coffee to save the ball from knocking over the lamp. Henry S. ran around the blanket pretending it was a baseball field. Gabe chased him, laughing as he tagged him.
"Again," Henry S. begged. Henry S.
But the fact that the sweatpants belonged to Brick and the thought of Casey and Brick together instantly cured his problem.
* * *
She'd acted like a fool.
She'd stared like a woman who'd never seen a naked man.
What if Gabe knew?
Innocence and virtue didn't seem a priority to most men she'd met. In fact, none of the guys she'd dated valued it at all. Some had gotten angry with her hesitation to have a meaningless sexual encounter. One man had even called her selfish, old-fashioned and a cold fish.
But she wasn't a prude, just selective. And after meeting Gabe, she definitely wasn't a cold fish. She'd just never experienced this kind of desperate desire before.
Gabe Thornton had changed everything. Now, every nerve cell in her body screamed with hunger. For him. Why him?
"Can't get me," Henry S. teased.
Casey forced herself to concentrate on Henry S. The sooner she dressed him and Gabe dressed, the sooner he could leave. Then she could crawl into a tub and mope over fantasies that couldn't come true.
Only she didn't want Gabe to get dressed. She wanted him to crawl into the tub with her and make her fantasies come true.
"Come here, Henry S. Mommy is tired and dirty, and I want to get a bath," Casey said. Shivering, she brushed back her soggy hair.
"I'll get him dressed. Why don't you take a shower? You're so cold you're shaking."
Gabe Thornton's deep voice made Casey shiver again. She wasn't cold. Her tremors stemmed from unbridled passion, and it was all his fault.
He nabbed Henry S. with one hand, then hauled him up against his bare chest. Henry S. giggled and flopped against Gabe's broad shoulders. "Come here, sport. Let's get your p.j.'s on."
"Gabe, you don't have to do this," Casey said. Please just go.
Heat scorched her toes at Gabe's intense stare. "Go on and change, Casey. You'll be sick if you don't get out of those wet clothes."
She wrapped her arms around her upper body as another shiver assaulted her. "Don't you need to get going?"
Gabe pressed his hand over hers. "I won't stay long. Now go on."
Reluctantly, Casey retreated to her bedroom.
Her room smelled of Gabe. A strong masculine scent lingered in every corner now, by her bed where he'd stood, in her bathroom where he'd dried off, in her shower where he'd bathed. Casey closed her eyes and groaned as warm water pelted her body. Something was definitely wrong with her.
Tomorrow after she talked to her lawyer about Travis, she'd call her friends. A good, old-fashioned, male-bashing party would cure her of this craving for Gabe.
She'd had one more response to her ad, too, some guy named Delk. He sounded normal over the phone, a CPA, and she'd promised Jenna to give dating one last shot. She just didn't see how things could work out with Gabe.
After toweling dry, Casey slipped into a pair of faded jeans and a loose pink cotton t-shirt. Forget the bra, she told herself. You're not exactly busty; he probably won't even notice.
He noticed. How could he not? The minute she saw him, her nipples beaded into tiny hard buds.
And she quickly realized that he'd dimmed the lights. On the floor in front of the fireplace lay a blanket, a basket overflowing with blueberry muffins, and two cups of cappuccino. The flicker of firelight cast hazy shadows around the room and highlighted the streaks of brown and gold in his hair.
"Catch!" Henry S. yelled.
Gabe glanced at Henry S. and held out his hand. Henry S. wound up his arm and tossed a Nerf ball. Gabe leapt over the steaming cups of coffee to save the ball from knocking over the lamp. Henry S. ran around the blanket pretending it was a baseball field. Gabe chased him, laughing as he tagged him.
"Again," Henry S. begged. Henry S.
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