Page 50 of Serenity Harbor

“Among other things,” she answered tartly, surprising a laugh out of him.

“You don’t think Gabi needs a father?”

Her light smile seemed to slip a bit. “I don’t have a good track record when it comes to men,” she admitted. “I’ve wasted entirely too much time on losers and deadbeats, simply because they were cute and available and interested in me.”

“Like the guy who took you to South America with him.”

“Carter is the perfect example. Immature and self-absorbed and also not the brightest tool in the shed, as Wyn said to me once. I knew exactly what he was, but I still gave him three months of my life.”

Immature and self-absorbed or not, the guy had hurt her, Bowie could tell. He didn’t consider himself a violent man—he had absorbed afewthings during his unconventional childhood being raised by a hippie pacifist, after all—but he suddenly wanted to find this Carter Ross dude and toss him into the nearest crevasse.

“Considering I don’t make the best choices with men, I’ve decided it’s best if I stay single. I have Gabi to think about now. I’m planning to raise Gabi on my own, without the distraction of guys coming in and out of our lives.”

“That’s a big sacrifice. Choosing to spend the rest of your life alone.”

A shadow drifted across her eyes, a momentary sadness, but she seemed to shake it off. “I know what I’m giving up. I think I’ll survive. Think of all the energy I’ll have to be Gabi’s mom when I don’t have to constantly cater to a man’s ego.”

“Wow. Surprisingly jaded attitude from one so young.”

“I’m not that young. I’m twenty-seven years old. And I’ve spent at least half of those years chasing one male after another. I’m done.”

“That mountain climber really did a number on you.”

“No. He only forced me to see that I had spent so many years trying to mold myself into whatever the guy I was dating wanted me to be, trying to impress guy after guy, that I never bothered to take the time to impressmyself. I had no respect for myself. What sort of woman leaves a good job doing something with meaning that she loves so she can chase after a guy she’s only known a few weeks, simply because he crooks his little finger and it sounds like fun? I didn’t really care that Carter abandoned me in a foreign country. I did, however, care that I’d put myself in a position where he could.”

Yeah. The guy had hurt her. A crevasse wasn’t good enough for him. How about a crevasse with a polar bear in it?

“You made a mistake. That doesn’t mean you have to slam the door on finding something better.”

She had so much love inside her, as he had already seen with Milo. He didn’t like thinking of her tucking away her heart in a drawer somewhere because of some jerk.

“Once I worked through the anger, I decided it was past time for me to stop acting like I’m a silly fourteen-year-old girl. I’m making progress to become someone I can like and respect again, but I still have a long way to go.”

“I don’t think you have as far as you think,” he murmured.

“That’s nice of you to say,” she said. “But you barely know me.”

“I know enough. I’ve seen your compassion with my brother and heard nothing but strength and determination in your voice when you talk about Gabi. You’re someoneIlike and respect. Maybe you should cut yourself a break.”

“Oh.”

She gazed at him, awareness blooming in her blue eyes. He might have been able to ignore it, to shove down his own awareness back to the little corner of his psyche he’d been trying to wrestle it into all day, but then her gaze flickered to his mouth, and he knew she was remembering their kiss, too.

Instantly, that awareness flared hot and fast into something more. Bowie drew in a breath. He was about to do something monumentally stupid, but he couldn’t stop himself from taking a step forward.

He hesitated, trying to hold on to a little bit of sanity, but she snatched that right out of his grasp when she breathed his name.

With a sigh, he did what he’d been thinking about nonstop for the last twenty-four hours and lowered his mouth to hers again.

He knew the taste of her now, but it still jolted through him, the shock of skin against skin, mouth against mouth. Her hands trembled between them, but then, as she had the night before, she wrapped them around his neck and held on tight.

He wanted to devour her, to lick and taste and explore until he knew exactly what would leave her as breathless and achy as he was. Instead, he purposely held back, deliberately keeping the kiss slow and sensual.

He pressed her back against the kitchen counter, exulting in her soft curves and the sexy little sounds she made as his hands explored her back.

She sighed and pressed those curves against him, her hands playing in his hair and her tongue sliding across his.

He wanted to stay here all night, but he knew it wouldn’t be enough. Something told him he would never get enough of Katrina Bailey. Closer. He needed to be closer. Where was the nearest flat surface? The table? The sofa in the family room? Her bed was just down the hall...

---