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But maybe tonight’s book club would help get me out of this depressing mood. We were starting a new book tonight, one I’d been excited about for a while, so at least there was something to look forward to. Plus, I could always count on the Reading under the Rainbow crew to help pull me out of a funk, even if it was temporary.
I got to work cleaning up the living room, tossing shoes into a new pile inside of my closet and bringing the empty boxes to the recycling bin. I looked out the peephole before taking the trash to the bin, which was already outside since today was trash day.
Did I bring that out last night?
Possibly. I downed an entire bottle of wine by myself, so a few moments from yesterday evening were slightly blurred out. I walked down my driveway and dumped the bag of trash in the bin. It was a warm summer’s day in Atlanta, with the flowers in full bloom and the sunlight beaming down on the cracked pavement. My neighbor’s kids were playing tag in the front yard, a floppy golden retriever puppy bouncing behind them as they giggled their way through childhood. It was a cute sight that only made me feel even more jaded. I’d give anything to be running around the yard with my little brother, not a single care in the world except who was winning the game and what we were going to play after.
Back inside, I focused next on cleaning my kitchen. The scent of lemon and lavender from the cleaning spray actually had a calming effect on me, along with the warm water running over my hands as I washed the tower of dirty dishes I had let accumulate.
This wasn’t me. It wasn’t who I used to be, but I couldn’t find my way back. Things just kept falling through the cracks, and it felt like those cracks only kept widening instead of closing.
A noise from behind me made me drop a cup. Thankfully, it was one of the sturdier ones, only making a loud bang but staying intact.
I turned to see a mountain of a man standing under the archway leading into the kitchen, a couple of bags in his hands and an apologetic frown on his stern face. He looked like he had just come from the gym, wearing a black Nike T-shirt and light gray track pants that didn’t leave all that much to the imagination.
Gabriel Fernandez. The man who’d come into town wearing a suit of armor, sent to protect me from the monsters that lurked in the shadows. He was a detective from Stonewall Investigations, but that wasn’t where his job requirements ended. Once it was determined that the guy I’d been texting withwasin fact the Midnight Chemist, the owner of the detective agency, Zane, called to tell me he was setting me up with a brand-new kind of detective from their Elite division. Someone who not only had the smarts to crack an impossibly difficult case but also someone who had the muscle and training to act as my bodyguard. It sounded like a solid setup, although I had to admit I didn’t think much of it when I initially said yes. There were a couple of things that surprised me, the main one being that I now had a roommate for the foreseeable future. I’d naively assumed they’d be getting Gabriel a hotel nearby, but with how dangerous my situation was, they had decided that Gabriel staying close was top priority.
Another thing that surprised me? Just how fucking hot my new bodyguard/private investigator/roomie ended up being. It was at least a silver lining, even though Gabriel’s looks didn’t make up for the lack of words he seemed to possess. The man was a fan of speaking in short sentences without ever divulging anything deep, and trust me, I’d tried. It gets awkward sitting in a quiet living room all evening, so sue me if I end up asking some random questions about Gabriel’s biggest fears or worst dates.
“Sorry,” Gabriel said, dropping the bags on the kitchen counter. “I called to let you know I’d be out for an hour or so. I had an interview with a possible witness, but that turned out to be nothing. Stopped at the store on my way back.”
I glanced at my phone. Sure enough, his missed call was right there. “Shit, I haven’t really been paying attention to the phone. Got everything you needed?”
“Yeah, and I picked up the donuts you were talking about yesterday.” He opened a bag and pulled out a box of glazed donuts, shining like a first-place trophy in his big hands.
I breathed a sigh of relief and covered my face with a hand, shaking my head. “Gabe, you saved the day. I totally forgot about that.”
He gave me a wink, and I nearly toppled over from the sheer force generated by his butterfly-wing eyelashes. “It sounded like you really needed them.”
“I did. They’re for tonight’s game.”
“Game?” he asked, crossing his arms and leaning back on the kitchen island. Gabriel was an ex-Marine and built exactly like you’d expect from a man whose training involved flipping truck tires and running up mountains with weights strapped to their shoulders. He had ox-like shoulders and a strong chest that looked like it would make the most comfortable pillow in the entire world.
“Yeah, drinking game,” I explained. “We don’t just read books, we also get drunk and read each other.”
He cocked his head. “Read? Each other?”
“Yes. Like playfully insulting each other. Have you never—forget it. Just be ready to get that cowlick of yours called out.”
Gabriel’s eyes opened wide. He put a hand to the back of his head and tried—in vain—to press down the wild swirl of hair. I couldn’t help but smile. Something about him was endearing, even though he seemed genetically closer to a brick wall than a human being. He was all knotted muscles and firm jawline and strong brows and big, shiny lips framed by the shadow of a recently shaved beard, and his—
Snap out of it.
I made myself focus on grabbing the box of glazed donuts. Truth was, Gabriel was exactly my type. Tall and muscular and a little rough around the edges, just enough to make him interesting but not to cut anyone getting too close. This was only his second week living with me, and he was already picking things up for me at the grocery store, something that I doubted was listed under his responsibilities, but he still did it anyway.
But I wasn’t in the position to eventhinkabout dating anyone. I had to look inward before I started gawking outward. Besides, he was here to do a job, not to date me. I couldn’t just assume he wanted me as badly as I wanted him, and I wasn’t in the mental state to deal with rejection.
Nope. Not happening.
“Alright, I’m hopping in the shower,” Gabriel said, peeling off his socks and bundling them in his hand. My eyes dropped to his feet for a moment. Sexy, well taken care of, perfect just like h—
Ah fuck, this is gonna be hard, isn’t it…
2
GABRIEL FERNANDEZ
I got into the bathroom,dropped my shorts, and took off my shirt before turning on the shower, making the water steaming hot as I stepped inside.
