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Logan Pride poureda beer for an American tourist and scowled across the bar to where Gabrielle Walker sat opposite a stocky guy in a plaid shirt and holey jeans. She was on another date. Logan didn’t recognize the guy, which meant he must have been from out of town. As the owner of The Den, the only pub in Haven Bay, he knew the locals by sight, and in most cases by name too.
Whoever this man was, he wasn’t good enough for Gabby, who’d gone out of her way to look nice for the occasion. The least her date could have done was scrub the dirt off his boots.
“Cider, please.”
Logan jerked in surprise and forced himself to smile at the pretty brunette who’d been trying to get his attention.
“Sure thing, honey.” He poured the drink and took her payment, watching as she rejoined a group of women at the table in the back corner. On another night, he might have tried to flirt with her, but he was off his game. He had been ever since Gabby strolled back into his life after a year-long hiatus and proceeded to go out with every man under forty-five in a fifty-mile radius except for him.
He couldn’t lie. When she’d turned up in town a few months ago, he’d hoped they might pick up where they left off before her last relationship—arguing and falling into bed once or twice a year, while never, ever mentioning it to anyone else. Unfortunately, she hadn’t had the same idea. Instead, she’d gone into avoid mode. The only times he saw her were either when she was on a date or with her brother, Shane—his close friend. She hadn’t replied to any of his text messages and wasn’t home the evening he’d gone over to say hi. Or, you know, to persuade her to have another romp for old times’ sake.
It wasn’t that he wanted to date Gabby, or that he even particularly liked her—although he respected her plenty—but their chemistry was off the charts, and bantering with her made him feel alive in a way that flirting with other women didn’t. There was something about her that he found addictive.
“Maybe she’s ignoring you because she’s looking for The One,” he murmured to himself. God knew that wasn’t him. After being abandoned by his father and raised by a single mum, the last thing he wanted was to fall into the trap of thinking he could have a happily ever after. He knew what he was. A player and a flirt, just like his dad. He wasn’t capable of committing to a woman long-term, and if he tried to, he’d only end up hurting the person he was supposed to love.
He kept an eye on Gabby and the man he’d internally dubbed “the farmer” while they shared a romantic meal of fries and pizza and drank a couple of pints. Gradually, the other patrons left the bar, until they were the only ones remaining. Logan edged closer as he wiped down tables, trying to eavesdrop on their conversation. The farmer was rambling on about a recent hunting trip. Logan cringed, waiting for Gabby to put him in his place. She was a vegetarian and a staunch believer in animal rights. But she didn’t say anything. The farmer moved on to making crude remarks that were presumably supposed to be flattering—clearly angling to take her to bed.
He finished with, “What do you say we get out of here and head back to my place?”
“No.” Gabby shot him down with no emotion. Logan cheered internally. It was about time. “Thank you for dinner, but I won’t be going home with you tonight. I already told you that I want to take things slow, and if you can’t respect that, then we won’t be having a second date.”
The guy stared at her for a moment, as if he couldn’t believe what he’d heard, then he chuckled. “I think you’re taking what I said out of context, sweetheart. We can wait to get to the good stuff.” He waggled his eyebrows, then looked her up and down. “You look like you’ll be worth it.”
Logan turned away from them and rolled his eyes. Did Gabby not realize she could do better than that? Sure, she was a pain in his ass half the time, but there was no denying she was gorgeous, with thick dark hair, delicate features, and eyes that seemed golden in the dim light. She was an animal doctor too. Pretty, smart, the whole package.
He moved further away. Gabby and her date exchanged a few more words, growing heated, until the man stalked out of the pub and she dropped her face into her hands. Her shoulders sagged. He wished he could give her a hug, but if he tried, she’d probably bite his head off.
She raised her eyes to his and glared. “I suppose you think this is funny, do you?”
“No, I—”
“Is it too much to ask for a guy who wants to know what’s going on in my head in addition to wanting to get me naked?” she interrupted, then pressed her lips together.
“You do look great naked,” he quipped, instantly regretting the comment when her face fell. “Hey, sorry, what I meant was—”
“I know what you meant, Logan,” she snapped. “You’re no better than the rest of them. At least they’re open to discussing the possibility of a relationship.”
“Hey.” Her words hurt more than they should have. “Maybe I’m just more honest than them. I tell women what I am and am not capable of before I blow their minds. That’s better than playing along until I’ve got what I want, like some of those assholes you’ve been dating recently.”
Her jaw dropped and her eyes glittered dangerously. “Call it what you want. The outcome is the same.”
“A happy woman in my bed?”
She huffed. “Ugh, why are you so frustrating? Sometimes I just want to scream in your face.”
“Same goes, Gabs. I’d love to have you screaming under me again.” He shouldn’t antagonize her, but the anger blazing through her now was better than the defeat he’d caught a glimpse of earlier. Gabby was a firecracker. She should never let the world get her down.
“You.” Her hands fisted on the table. “You’re insane.”
He shrugged one shoulder. “Maybe. Maybe not. But I bet I could be a hell of a distraction.”
“Nope.” She held her hands up as if warding him off. “No, no, no. Don’t even think about it. You’re not touching me.”
He sighed. At least he’d tried. “All right, then.”
He turned to wipe down another table but as he laid the cloth on the surface, a hand gripped his shoulder and spun him around. A couple of seconds later, a pair of soft, warm lips landed on his, and his arms were full of Gabby. He grinned against her mouth. Well, damn. She tasted just as intoxicating as she used to.
* * *
