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She glared at him. “I also have to see someone.”
“So, hop in and we can go and see the someones we need to see.” He looked at his watch. “It’s half-past eight; we should be there at around eleven. Depending on how long it takes you to see your someone, we should be back by nightfall.”
She stared at him for a moment longer. He swore he could hear her mind working. Finally, she threw her hand in the air. “Okay, but so you know—no touching and no kissing are allowed. Let me get my bag.”
It was an effort, but he managed a straight face. “Yes, ma’am.”
With another suspicious glare in his direction, she stomped back to her car. Grinning, he took out his phone and sent Eleanor a quick text.
––––––––
Gavin had turned onthe radio, and soothing blues sounds filled the car. Brooke leaned back and closed her eyes. Truth be told, she was very glad not to be driving to Missoula alone. And bonus, Gavin’s SUV was actually big enough so that she could bring the two paintings back herself. She’d planned on having them shipped to Livingston, but now it wouldn’t be necessary.
Normally, she loved driving, but she hadn’t slept much since...well, since this guy had kissed her silly on Monday night. She hadn’t had so many erotic, steamy dreams at night since...well, never.
A mere four days ago. Since then, she’d suddenly become aware of her own needs again. Over the past three years, there simply hadn’t been time to think about kissing, much less having sex. Since Monday though, she’d rediscovered the wonder of being touched, of being kissed by someone who knew how, and who seemed to be so tuned into what she wanted, he knew exactly what turned her on.
But it’s not real—something she had a hard time remembering. It was fake and it was temporary; he had been very clear about that. It would be so easy to reach out and touch his hand. He would hold her hand tightly, like he always did, and he would smile at her. She liked the light in his eyes, as if the smile was just for her.
Oh, damn, there she was, dreaming about the impossible again. Was his six-pack really as rock-hard as it had looked on her phone last night? She’d love to glide her hands all over those muscles, to feel the heat of his naked flesh underneath...
Her breath hitched in her throat, and she quickly sat upright.
“Everything okay?” Gavin asked.
She shook her head. “Not really.”
“Anything I can do to help?”
She opened her mouth to answer him, but he cut off her words with a short laugh.
“You don’t need me, I know. There isn’t anything I can do for you, and you don’t need or want anything from me. Got it.”
He wasn’t angry, just resigned.
With a sigh, she turned toward him. “It’s not that I don’t need you, it’s just...I have a thing about not letting anyone else take over my life again. Adam and I married straight out of college. It was about the same time there was interest in my work. So, he took care of everything and left me to blithely paint and ignore the rest of the world. After he was gone...” She shook her head. “Trying to figure out what was going on was so overwhelming, and if I didn’t have Logan and my mom’s attorney friend, it would’ve taken me much longer to know about my own affairs. I promised myself I’ll never be in such a position again. I have to know what’s going on, I have to make my own decisions, and I have to sort out my own messes.”
Gavin was quiet for a while before he spoke again. “Did Adam take care of Connor, as well?”
“Well, no. He was at work during the day but when he was home, he’d helped.”
“In other words, you took care of Connor even while you were earning money with your paintings?”
She nodded. “Yes, but...”
“No buts. From where I’m sitting, you did your part. My dad used to call my mom his ‘partner’—that’s how their marriage worked, he explained. Sounds to me you were a great partner.”
She pressed her lips together. “Look at you handing out relationship advice. So how come you’ve never married?”
He grimaced. “Told you, I’m not marriage material.”
“Why do you say that? Because of your last girlfriend? What was her name?”
“Sarah. Yeah. She told me I’m not relationship material. She’s right. I’m useless in the dating game. I tend to always screw things up.”
“What happened with Sarah?”
“I found out she was cheating on me.”
