Gabrielle frowned as she took in the meager furnishings. “I’m sure I’ll be okay. Maybe a sleeping bag will give it more cushion—”
“You’re sleeping in my bed.”
“Your bed,” Gabrielle repeated. A slight hint of a smile played at the corners of her lips as she crossed her arms over her chest. The move caused her breasts to lift higher, almost popping out of the low-cut V-neck of her t-shirt. Double fuck. “I’m already intruding on your life, Sebastian. You shouldn’t sleep on an uncomfortable couch because of me.”
“Don’t argue with me. Remember my rules.” Sebastian carried her backpack into the house before she could see the effect she was having on him. He tugged at his t-shirt to hide the erection building in his shorts. “There are some empty drawers in my dresser for you to put your things in. I can clear out space in the closet if you need it.”
Dropping her bag onto the bed, he crossed the room and slumped into the recliner in the corner. This might be the better option for his sleeping arrangements. Being in the same room with Gabrielle, watching her sleep was appealing.
He cringed, wondering if that made him like his old man.
Or Damian Hester?
The last thing he wanted was to make Gabrielle uncomfortable.
No, the last thing he wanted was to be driven insane by an obsession with her, even if that felt like the road he was trapped on.
Gabrielle unzipped the backpack. She looked past the small closet and opened one of the dresser drawers, then neatly arranged her clothes inside.
“You must be exhausted,” Sebastian said. By his calculation, she’d only gotten a few hours of sleep over the past thirty-six hours. The instinct to take care of her was overwhelming. He was so close to picking her up and forcing her into the bed.
Gabrielle nodded. “But every time I close my eyes, I see the beach cottage. I can’t get the sight of the blood and goat hearts out of my mind. It’s creepy that the message scrawled on the wall was identical to the message Damian wrote to me before he died.”
“I’m sure he planned it that way. He knew what he’d sent Quattro to do.”
“In his last dying moments, all he wanted was to terrorize me. I hate him.”
Sebastian stood and caressed her arm. “You don’t have to waste your time hating a dead man. Damian is gone now. He can’t hurt you anymore.”
“Can’t he? Isn’t he sending Quattro to carry out more attacks on me? Maybe kidnap me?” Gabrielle ranted. “How did they know I’d moved into the beach cottage?”
“Good question. One we’ll get the answer to,” Sebastian said, wondering if a mole was working for Quattro at the King Estate. Yet another reason why Gabrielle’s idea to move in with him made sense. “I don’t want you to worry about that. Between the cops and me and the guys, we’ll stop Quattro. I won’t let them hurt you.”
“You promise?” The pure vulnerability in her gaze tore at his heart.
“Yes, I promise,” Sebastian said, fighting the urge to pull her into his arms and hold her until all her fears dissipated.
Gabrielle looked away, then grabbed more clothes from her backpack. A lacy pink bra dangled from her fingertips. Sebastian shifted as his cock stiffened. He needed to put some distance between himself and the exquisite beauty.
“You hungry? I can grill some fish or goat,” Sebastian suggested, moving away from her. “Or we can have the cooks at King Estate bring whatever you want up here. It’s only twenty minutes away.”
“I’m not hungry. My mind is racing. I need to sit and watch the sunset. Maybe write in my journal,” Gabrielle waved a bound book at him. A stunning, graceful half-woman, half-butterfly was on the cover.
“Is that from your Emerge Anew line?” Sebastian asked, remembering the collection of books, workbooks, and journals she sold to her followers in her videos.
“I’m stunned that you seem to know so much about me.” Gabrielle smiled. “Maybe you didn’t hate me as much as you thought?”
The idea of hating Gabrielle seemed so foreign after everything they’d been through since she came home. Those old feelings had been erased to the point that he couldn’t fathom them.
“I wouldn’t be a good bodyguard if I didn’t do my research,” Sebastian said. “And I don’t hate you at all.”
“Not anymore,” Gabrielle qualified.
He didn’t respond.
She turned and zipped up the empty backpack. “Where should I put this?” Holding it out toward him. He glanced over at the open drawers filled with all of her clothes. Sexy lingerie, skimpy shorts and tank tops, and body-hugging leggings. Enough to drive him fucking insane thinking about her wearing them. Thinking about peeling them off her voluptuous body.
“I’ll take that.” He reached for the backpack. Their hands touched, sending a jolt of electricity through him. He looked into her eyes and knew she’d felt it, too. “Why don’t you go on outside? Sun should be setting soon.”
