Stranger in Town (Dundee, Idaho #5)(33)
Author: Brenda Novak

Ashleigh? Evidently, she was still trying to play Cupid. But he had something to teach her about meddling…. “What do you think?” he asked.

She hesitated only briefly. “I like it,” she said, but her words didn’t reveal how much. He found it interesting that she’d obviously excluded herself from whatever group of women she’d selected to catch his eye.

“Are you going to cover up like that all night?” he asked.

“Like what?”

He indicated the arms that guarded her chest.

“No…”

“Then, put your arms down.”

She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and blinked several times.

“Well?” he prompted. “If you can’t wear that in front of me, how do you expect to wear it in front of the friend I’ve invited to meet us tonight?”

“You invited someone?”

He grinned. “Don’t worry. He’s young and good-looking. And this is a group activity, remember? That should bring you some comfort.”

Her face fell. “You’re not joking.”

“Of course not. What’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. I’m sure you’ve heard the saying.”

He could tell she didn’t know quite what to think about this turn of events, and immediately decided he’d been right to accept her invitation for tonight. This was going to be fun. “I met him at a photo shoot I did for Sports Illustrated a few years ago. He lives in Boise. When I called, he said he’d love to hook up with us.”

“Great,” she grumbled.

“Come on, show a little more enthusiasm. He’s blond, after all.” He waved to her defensive posture. “So, if you don’t mind….”

She didn’t move. “What does the color of his hair have to do with anything?”

“You’re the one who’s fixated on hair color. You tell me.” He winked at her.

“Fine,” she said. “I do prefer blondes,” and studied his dark hair with a glint in her eyes before slowly lowering her arms.

Since she was willing to meet his challenge, Gabe took several seconds to absorb the details of what he’d already glimpsed. He could tell she was self-conscious, but keeping her off-balance was part of the fun. He loved the blush creeping up her neck, the way her tongue darted out to nervously wet her lips.

“Where’re the boys?” he asked, finally meeting her gaze.

She cleared her throat and started to cross her arms again—then seemed to catch herself. “Brent’s with his father’s family, and Kenny’s running around with Tuck.”

They were alone. For some reason, Gabe remembered all the times he’d gone to pick up a woman for dinner or some other event, and ended up in bed with her before they ever left the house. The NFL had been a real eye-opener for a country boy like him, who’d been a virgin until halfway through college. His father had always been ferociously protective of women, had drilled it into him that a real man never broke a woman’s heart.

Gabe could still remember being grounded for two whole weeks because he’d been rude to a girl who’d called him. It hadn’t mattered that she’d called him every day for weeks and he was tired of her unwanted overtures. Whether the concept was old-fashioned or not, his father demanded he be a gentleman, and Gabe had taken that to heart. Because he’d never fallen in love deeply enough to make any promises, he’d mostly kept his hands to himself.

But then he’d entered the NFL and his first brush with fame and too much money had tumbled him like wet cement in a mixer. The women seemed to come from everywhere. They were aggressive beyond anything he’d ever experienced and frankly admitted that they didn’t care if he offered them anything more than a one-night stand—they just wanted him between their legs. They’d tuck notes in his pocket, send him nude pictures, whisper lewd promises in his ear, follow him back to wherever he was staying, appear at all hours of the night with an offering of wine, or even drugs. He ended up sleeping with so many women during those first few years, he wasn’t sure he could count them all. There’d seemed no point in saying no. They didn’t care if he was sensitive, generous or kind. They cared only for peeling off his clothes so they could brag about it later.

But it didn’t take long for the influence of his upbringing to finally reassert itself. Gabe began to long for a deeper, more stable relationship. Eventually he hoped to find a wife and settle down. But he never met the right woman. He suspected he’d gone from one extreme to the other and become too adept at avoiding the hands that were always clutching at him. In any case, he’d accumulated enough experience through those early years in the NFL to know what it felt like to forego a date and head straight to bed.

I prefer blondes. He was tempted to throw that taunt right back in Hannah’s face, show her that the color of his hair had nothing to do with what he could or couldn’t do for her. He suspected it had been a long time since she’d entertained a man in her bed and wondered if she missed it.

But he hadn’t made love to anyone since the accident and knew it would never be the same.

Thinking about the changes helped him rein in his libido—that and the fact that this was Hannah, the woman who’d caused the accident. Getting involved with her would be far too complicated, especially now that he was Kenny’s coach.

Forcing his mind to the mundane and practical, he shook off the first real excitement he’d known in almost three years. He had no business thinking about sex until he was back on his feet. He had enough challenges ahead without bringing a woman into his life.

“I’m returning your dishes from the past couple nights,” he said.

She crossed to the basket he’d put inside the door. “Thanks. I’ll take them into the kitchen and grab my house keys so we can go.”

When she didn’t come back right away, he wondered where she’d gone. Then she appeared in a plain white shirt instead of that semisheer blouse and the mystery was solved.

“Lost your nerve?” he teased.

She knew immediately what he was talking about. “I decided it might get too chilly.”

He laughed softly. “I think you’re afraid it’ll get too hot.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Yes, you do. You’re nervous about my friend.”

“No, I’m not.”

“You expect me to take the risk of opening myself up to new relationships, but you’re not willing to do the same.”