at the station enjoying the attention of the two female interns. As he was leaving, he was invited by one of them to join a game of paintball with her and some other students from the university.
He’d been tempted. The girl, Kara, had been pursuing him relentlessly. While he had yet to accept any of her offers, he hadn’t exactly discouraged her either because he hadn’t completely ruled her out yet.
It wasn’t as if Ava would ever find out. Or even if she did, it shouldn’t matter. He wasn’t her boyfriend. He wasn’t anyone’s boyfriend.
And a game of paintball would’ve been fun. With his excellent reflexes he’d have enjoyed an extremely unfair yet intense victory. He was sure of it.
Unfortunately for him, he didn’t dare cancel on her. He wasn’t overly concerned about her reaction in itself. It was more that he was concerned about the chain of events it could cause. He couldn’t risk annoying her. A game of paintball, even with the lovely intern, was not worth his father’s wrath. And that would be exactly what he would face if things didn’t continue to go smoothly with little Miss St. Clair.
He sighed as the short-skirted girls all amassed together, presumably with their coach.
He scanned the clusters of students and parents that were spread out on the grass, not immediately spotting Ava despite the crowd being relatively sparse.
A spark of annoyance snaked through him when he realized that she wasn’t impatiently waiting for him, ready to pounce upon him at his arrival.
When he finally did spot her, an unfamiliar burst of feeling exploded in his stomach. She was standing with Julia and someone he didn’t recognize. A male someone. A male someone that had his hand on her elbow as she leaned in, listening raptly to whatever he had to say. With a smile on her face.
The same feeling, more intense this time, exploded throughout him again when the guy leaned forward and tucked a stray strand of her hair—a piece that had escaped from the braid she’d had it in—behind her ear. With a start, he realized that it actually bothered him to see another guy with his hands on her, despite how innocent it was.
Not that he had anything to worry about, he was sure. This guy screamed boring and dull. Everything from his carefully combed sandy blond hair, to his baby blue polo— What kind of loser wears baby blue in the first place , Gabe wondered—to his khaki shorts and sandals made him appear to be the complete opposite of what Gabe knew himself to be.
And what he knew? Was that girls wanted him .
He quickened his stride, noticing how obnoxiously cute Ava looked in a simple form-fitting pink sweater, worn jeans and pink and beige plaid shoes.
Not that he cared. He wasn’t interested in cute.
Nor was he interested in the fact that Ava and the dweeb actually looked…good together. Like they possibly belonged together. Like they would actually make the ideal, boring, dull couple that would make perfectly dull and boring children. Together.
“Hey, there you are,” he said as he sauntered up behind her, gritting his teeth against the humming, grating, biting sensation that burned through him as he slid his arm around her waist.
Her eyes widened, seemed to brighten instantly, when she realized it was him. “Gabe!” she exclaimed, more surprised that he had his arm around her than she was by his actual presence. She stepped away from the guy and as she did so, Gabe allowed his arm to fall away.
“I’ll talk to you later,” the stranger said as he took a step back from Gabe’s intimidating stature. He wasn’t exactly short, he was just a tad taller than Ava but he was nowhere near Gabe’s height. He walked backward a few feet before turning around to search out his friends.
“Who was that?” he asked, disgusted by the tension in his voice.
Ava shrugged as she turned her attention to Gabe. “A friend. His name is Dawson.”
Julia’s pale eyebrows shot up as if Ava’s answer had
He’d been tempted. The girl, Kara, had been pursuing him relentlessly. While he had yet to accept any of her offers, he hadn’t exactly discouraged her either because he hadn’t completely ruled her out yet.
It wasn’t as if Ava would ever find out. Or even if she did, it shouldn’t matter. He wasn’t her boyfriend. He wasn’t anyone’s boyfriend.
And a game of paintball would’ve been fun. With his excellent reflexes he’d have enjoyed an extremely unfair yet intense victory. He was sure of it.
Unfortunately for him, he didn’t dare cancel on her. He wasn’t overly concerned about her reaction in itself. It was more that he was concerned about the chain of events it could cause. He couldn’t risk annoying her. A game of paintball, even with the lovely intern, was not worth his father’s wrath. And that would be exactly what he would face if things didn’t continue to go smoothly with little Miss St. Clair.
He sighed as the short-skirted girls all amassed together, presumably with their coach.
He scanned the clusters of students and parents that were spread out on the grass, not immediately spotting Ava despite the crowd being relatively sparse.
A spark of annoyance snaked through him when he realized that she wasn’t impatiently waiting for him, ready to pounce upon him at his arrival.
When he finally did spot her, an unfamiliar burst of feeling exploded in his stomach. She was standing with Julia and someone he didn’t recognize. A male someone. A male someone that had his hand on her elbow as she leaned in, listening raptly to whatever he had to say. With a smile on her face.
The same feeling, more intense this time, exploded throughout him again when the guy leaned forward and tucked a stray strand of her hair—a piece that had escaped from the braid she’d had it in—behind her ear. With a start, he realized that it actually bothered him to see another guy with his hands on her, despite how innocent it was.
Not that he had anything to worry about, he was sure. This guy screamed boring and dull. Everything from his carefully combed sandy blond hair, to his baby blue polo— What kind of loser wears baby blue in the first place , Gabe wondered—to his khaki shorts and sandals made him appear to be the complete opposite of what Gabe knew himself to be.
And what he knew? Was that girls wanted him .
He quickened his stride, noticing how obnoxiously cute Ava looked in a simple form-fitting pink sweater, worn jeans and pink and beige plaid shoes.
Not that he cared. He wasn’t interested in cute.
Nor was he interested in the fact that Ava and the dweeb actually looked…good together. Like they possibly belonged together. Like they would actually make the ideal, boring, dull couple that would make perfectly dull and boring children. Together.
“Hey, there you are,” he said as he sauntered up behind her, gritting his teeth against the humming, grating, biting sensation that burned through him as he slid his arm around her waist.
Her eyes widened, seemed to brighten instantly, when she realized it was him. “Gabe!” she exclaimed, more surprised that he had his arm around her than she was by his actual presence. She stepped away from the guy and as she did so, Gabe allowed his arm to fall away.
“I’ll talk to you later,” the stranger said as he took a step back from Gabe’s intimidating stature. He wasn’t exactly short, he was just a tad taller than Ava but he was nowhere near Gabe’s height. He walked backward a few feet before turning around to search out his friends.
“Who was that?” he asked, disgusted by the tension in his voice.
Ava shrugged as she turned her attention to Gabe. “A friend. His name is Dawson.”
Julia’s pale eyebrows shot up as if Ava’s answer had
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