Page 18 of Fighting Gravity

“A bear.”

“Yeah? Why?”

Tate shrugged. “Solitary. Stocky.”

She rolled her eyes. “And smart as all get out. I can see you as a mama bear. You take good care of your people, too.”

“I try to.”

“Tell me what you loved about the first three books. Are you going to read the rest?”

“Definitely. I left them at my cabin, though. I don’t have much time for reading here. When I do read, it’s business books or biographies. Always trying to be better at what I do.” She squeezed his knee with her free hand like she could empathize. She was a business owner, too. “What I loved is Harry’s desire to do what’s right. It’s not a single event for him, that battle of good versus evil or what’s easy versus what’s right. It’s constant. The kid has fortitude and a good heart.”

Now it looked like she wanted to kisshim. Rosie was the heart-eye emoji personified. Tate laughed out loud. “Is this what I needed to do all these years when I was pining for female company? Talk about some middle-grade fantasy books?”

What he didn’t tell her was that his favorite part of reading the series was sharing in what she loved, trying to figure out how she felt when she read it, what parts or characters she resonated with most.

“Probably. For me, my great loves are buildings, the cosmos, and fantasy novels, in that order. After you finish Harry Potter, we can move on toA Court of Thorns and Roses.”

“I’ll order it now.” He pulled out his phone as a joke. Secretly, Tate was thrilled she had any kind of future conversation with him planned.

“Do it,” Rosie challenged, leaning so close he could feel her breath. “It’s sexy, though. Be warned.”

Tate flicked his gaze to hers and gave her leg a squeeze. “You think I can’t handle sexy?”

She chose that moment to take a drink. “I know you can,” she said into her beer bottle.

“Can’t hear you,” he teased.

She glared at him. “You know you’re sexy. Now order the book.”

Smirking, Tate typed the title into Amazon and one-clicked the paperback. He wasn’t sure who won that round, him or her. “So, beer makes you bossy, huh? I like you bossy.” He leaned closer to see her reaction.

Pupil dilation and a gasp. Tate sat back in his stool, chuckling. “Speaking of buildings, don’t forget that you need to come see the villa sometime.” Like tonight. But he wouldn’t rush her if she wasn’t ready.

She shifted in her seat, pulling almost out of range of his hands. “Tate, I need to tell you something.”

He grimaced. Her abrupt change of tone and creased forehead didn’t bode well. “So, this is what that statement feels like from the other side.”

Rosie set down her beer bottle and started fiddling with the end of her cute braid. Her wide brown eyes settled on his. He wanted to trace the outline of her delicate jaw with his mouth. He hoped whatever she had to say didn’t take away the possibility.

“I like you, but I’m unsure about starting anything right now. I’m going to need time to figure this all out.”

A to-the-point truth. And Tate would be lying if he said he wasn’t disappointed.

“My last relationship, I guess you can call it, didn’t end well. I’m still picking up the pieces.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, Rosie.” That anyone could treat her as less than a treasure was a travesty.

She smiled, and it was ridiculous how happy that one movement made him. “Honestly, I wouldn’t want to change the outcome at this point. I like where I’m at, for the most part.”

Tate watched her lips too closely as she took another sip of beer. He risked a gentle kiss on her cheek. “I love where you’re at. But I’ll give you whatever you need, including time. Or space. Figuratively speaking. If you want a ride on Stratos, you need to buy a ticket.”

She snorted and some of her beer dribbled out. Tate chuckled as he wiped her chin with a bar napkin.

“Well, that’s mortifying. Obviously, that’s my cue to go home.” She looked at him, her face scrunching. “Are you serious about the jet?”

“How else are you going to get home? I’d bet my stock options that Chen and Elle are involved in X-rated activities, so you can’t go there.”

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