same. Tension was singing through his veins.
He'd thought, on the drive here yesterday, that the tension in the truck when she'd asked him to kiss her had been exquisite.
It had barely been the beginning of just how bad his need to take her could climb. Yesterday, outside Cameron Sherborne's office, he'd barely been able to walk away from her without tearing her clothes off. The single button he'd unfastened had been a slip, a betrayal of the inner turmoil.
Gabrielle was redefining his understanding of "want".
And now she was next to him again. And his body was betraying him in all sorts of ways.
He had to stay on top of this. He was on duty. She was the target. If he didn't want her dead, he had to stay alert.
Gabrielle halted in front of a woman of around thirty or so years of age. Her hair was a deep red and very long—down to her waist at least. Her skin was very fair. She had a long patrician nose and very green eyes.
"This is my eldest sister, Madison. Now Madison Breckinridge. Madison, this is Seth O'Connor, a friend of mine."
"Nice to meet you, Seth," Madison said, oozing charm. Her eyes narrowed. "You're the Canadian than hauled Gabi out of the river yesterday, aren't you?"
"That would be me," Seth said easily.
"You're not quite what I was expecting," Madison said, tilting her head to one side.
Gabrielle sighed. "She means she was expecting a Canadian redneck."
"Sorry to disappoint you," Seth told Madison, holding back a laugh. "I left the wool shirt at home. But I am partial to Canadian rye, if that helps."
Madison lifted a brow. "Rye," she said flatly. "Do we even have any of that here, Gabi?"
"We're in Canada, for heaven's sake, Maddy," Gabrielle said. "Seth, come and meet Destiny."
She steered him over to a statuesque dirty blonde standing at the bar, her hair a riotous tumble of runaway curls down to the bottom of her shoulder blades, in contradiction to every fashion calling for hair straightening these days. She was drinking a champagne cocktail with obvious relish, while watching their approach with her green eyes sweeping Seth from head to foot. A predator's measuring sweep. That and the practiced toss of the last half of the cocktail to the back of her throat told Seth more than a long conversation's worth about the woman before Gabrielle began the introduction.
"This is my second oldest sister, Destiny. Destiny Hewitt. She's married to Ronny, who I'll introduce to you in a moment. Destiny, this is Seth O'Connor."
"Seth," Destiny said shortly. Her voice was scratchy. A smoker's voice. "You saved Gabi's life yesterday."
"So I'm told."
She smiled, but the expression didn't reach her eyes. "Did you get your hero's reward?"
"Destiny..." Gabrielle said with a sigh.
Seth felt the approach of someone else and checked over his shoulder. The dark-eyed man with the miniscule bottom lip hair he'd seen earlier hovering around Destiny was approaching now. This had to be Ronny, then, alerted by Seth's location next to his wife.
"See you're settling in nicely here, sweetheart," Ronny said as he came closer.
Destiny hissed through her teeth. It was all but inaudible. Then she smiled at Ronny and let him kiss her cheek. "Wondered where you'd got to," she muttered.
"And this is Ronny," Gabrielle added. "Ronny Hewitt, this is Seth O'Connor."
"The guy who saved Gabi-hell. Heard nothing but, yesterday." Ronny thrust out his hand.
Seth accepted the hand and gave it just enough power to match Ronny. But Ronny poured everything into it. It was going to be one of those unspoken macho competitions.
Stay away from my wife.
I don't want your wife. The woman next to me is the only one I'm interested in.
Nevertheless I'm stronger than you and I'm warning you to back away.
No, I'm stronger than you. I don't want to kick your ass, but I will if you insist.
Make me.
Seth mentally sighed and stepped up the power in his grip. He kept dialing it up until Ronny's knuckles whitened and his hand shifted and gave
He'd thought, on the drive here yesterday, that the tension in the truck when she'd asked him to kiss her had been exquisite.
It had barely been the beginning of just how bad his need to take her could climb. Yesterday, outside Cameron Sherborne's office, he'd barely been able to walk away from her without tearing her clothes off. The single button he'd unfastened had been a slip, a betrayal of the inner turmoil.
Gabrielle was redefining his understanding of "want".
And now she was next to him again. And his body was betraying him in all sorts of ways.
He had to stay on top of this. He was on duty. She was the target. If he didn't want her dead, he had to stay alert.
Gabrielle halted in front of a woman of around thirty or so years of age. Her hair was a deep red and very long—down to her waist at least. Her skin was very fair. She had a long patrician nose and very green eyes.
"This is my eldest sister, Madison. Now Madison Breckinridge. Madison, this is Seth O'Connor, a friend of mine."
"Nice to meet you, Seth," Madison said, oozing charm. Her eyes narrowed. "You're the Canadian than hauled Gabi out of the river yesterday, aren't you?"
"That would be me," Seth said easily.
"You're not quite what I was expecting," Madison said, tilting her head to one side.
Gabrielle sighed. "She means she was expecting a Canadian redneck."
"Sorry to disappoint you," Seth told Madison, holding back a laugh. "I left the wool shirt at home. But I am partial to Canadian rye, if that helps."
Madison lifted a brow. "Rye," she said flatly. "Do we even have any of that here, Gabi?"
"We're in Canada, for heaven's sake, Maddy," Gabrielle said. "Seth, come and meet Destiny."
She steered him over to a statuesque dirty blonde standing at the bar, her hair a riotous tumble of runaway curls down to the bottom of her shoulder blades, in contradiction to every fashion calling for hair straightening these days. She was drinking a champagne cocktail with obvious relish, while watching their approach with her green eyes sweeping Seth from head to foot. A predator's measuring sweep. That and the practiced toss of the last half of the cocktail to the back of her throat told Seth more than a long conversation's worth about the woman before Gabrielle began the introduction.
"This is my second oldest sister, Destiny. Destiny Hewitt. She's married to Ronny, who I'll introduce to you in a moment. Destiny, this is Seth O'Connor."
"Seth," Destiny said shortly. Her voice was scratchy. A smoker's voice. "You saved Gabi's life yesterday."
"So I'm told."
She smiled, but the expression didn't reach her eyes. "Did you get your hero's reward?"
"Destiny..." Gabrielle said with a sigh.
Seth felt the approach of someone else and checked over his shoulder. The dark-eyed man with the miniscule bottom lip hair he'd seen earlier hovering around Destiny was approaching now. This had to be Ronny, then, alerted by Seth's location next to his wife.
"See you're settling in nicely here, sweetheart," Ronny said as he came closer.
Destiny hissed through her teeth. It was all but inaudible. Then she smiled at Ronny and let him kiss her cheek. "Wondered where you'd got to," she muttered.
"And this is Ronny," Gabrielle added. "Ronny Hewitt, this is Seth O'Connor."
"The guy who saved Gabi-hell. Heard nothing but, yesterday." Ronny thrust out his hand.
Seth accepted the hand and gave it just enough power to match Ronny. But Ronny poured everything into it. It was going to be one of those unspoken macho competitions.
Stay away from my wife.
I don't want your wife. The woman next to me is the only one I'm interested in.
Nevertheless I'm stronger than you and I'm warning you to back away.
No, I'm stronger than you. I don't want to kick your ass, but I will if you insist.
Make me.
Seth mentally sighed and stepped up the power in his grip. He kept dialing it up until Ronny's knuckles whitened and his hand shifted and gave
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