Page 80 of Gabriel & Skye

“I didn’t know that.”

“I like to find out interesting facts to keep Trin entertained; it’s eight point six light years away.”

“You know a lot.”

“I thought about getting a telescope one time, but I don’t know how I’d find the time to come stargazing.”

“You might come out here more if you had one,” she says.

“You make a good point.”

“What are some of the other constellations?”

I clear my throat, enjoying her enthusiasm. “There’s Orion over there, Taurus, and Gemini; see, they look like twins.”

She giggles. “They do.”

I love that fucking sound. Then there’s the stillness, mixed with the smell of the earth and the sound of crickets as our only background entertainment — it makes me feel like a boy again.

I love these nights where I’m at peace. The ones where I don’t have to worry about work, or being a parent, or what I’m going to do next. I just get to be me. And spending it with Skye has made me realize I like her a whole lot more than just my nanny.

And that is a very big problem.

20

Skye

I stare up at the night sky in wonder. I know the stars are there every night, but you honestly kinda forget. I’ve never seen a sky so beautiful. In fact, I can’t even remember the last time I took a moment to really appreciate this natural wonderment.

It’s so sweet that Gabriel would take me up here — a place he brings his daughter — to clear my mind off things for a while. If he got any sweeter, he’d turn into a freaking cupcake with sprinkles on top.

I have no damn clue how this man is still single, but something tells me he prefers it that way. Yet, tonight? I didn’t see him flirting with anyone or engaging in conversation with females. The two that came up to him and my brother? He took no interest in either of them. No, his eyes were firmly on… well, me, for most of the night.

I knew I was flirting with danger when I was dancing only for him. Imagining what it would be like for him to take me in his arms. To be his girl. Which is stupid; I can’t be his, anyway. Even if he was giving me eyes just a little bit, he’s still my boss. And I’m still leaving in seven weeks. It would be dumb to start anything and then up and leave.

Not that I would say no to a roll in the hay with this gorgeous man. He’s delicious in every way.

But the way he’s describing the stars like that… It brings warmth to my heart and makes my head a little dizzy. Under all that gruff exterior is a man who is not only very intelligent and articulate, he’s also very funny, protective and warm.

It makes me want to snuggle up to him, but I know I can’t.

“… If you look over at the Big Dipper again, I want to show you something really cool.” He sounds like an excited schoolboy and I’m eager to hear what he has to say next. Leaning toward me, I get the subtle waft of his cologne and I have to hold in my groan as he points. “If you look closely between the two bears, you’ll see Draco — also known as ‘the Dragon’. You’ll have to squint, focus your eyes a little until he appears.”

I do as he says. “Okay.” I don’t see anything yet, just a bunch of stars.

“It’s one of the hardest constellations to find because it has no bright stars; just a wiggly line of faint stars that lead between the two bears. On a clear night, like tonight, it’s easier.”

I squint and focus as he speaks, and suddenly — like magic — I see it.

“Holy crap, Gabe!” I clap my hand over my mouth. “It looks like a tail, just there!”

He chuckles. “It does. Pretty cool, right?”

“I’ve never noticed that before.”

“That’s because it’s hard to detect, and it has other constellations right alongside it like Hercules, Cepheus, Lyra, Cygnus, among others. So it hides easily and gets missed, but in actual fact, it’s one of the largest constellations in the solar system.”

“I know you have another fun fact in there somewhere.”

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