Page 126 of Every Broken Piece
My mouth falls open. “You purchased TaskGenius so you could make my non-compete null and void?” Can he do that? Well, obviously, he can because he did. I shove the paper back to him. “No. This is too much.”
Hepurchasedacompany. Forme.
He folds my fingers around the paper. “I’m not saying you have to take your clients back. I’m saying the opportunity is there if you want it. If you decide to do something totally different, that’s up to you. I own the company either way and that’s not going to change.”
“Gabe.” I don’t know what to say. There’s nothingtosay.
“I owe you.”
“Owe me? If anything, I owe you.”
He shakes his head. “I lost you the job you loved. It’s only fair that I give that job back to you.”
“I was complicit in our texting. It wasn’t just you.”
“Doesn’t matter.”
I stare at the paper. “Do you regret it?”
“Texting you?”
I nod.
“Never. I will never regret sending that first text. I looked forward to more texts. I thought about you all damn day until you became this obsession.” He pulls in a deep breath and lifts his chin to the paper still scrunched in my hand. “You do what you want with that. The world is yours, Spitfire.”
“Thank you,” I whisper. It’s my freedom. Gabe bought me my freedom.
“Don’t thank me. I didn’t do anything but right a wrong.”
I love you.But I don’t want to say it now. I don’t want him to think it’s because he purchased a whole freaking company just so he could give me my job back.
He stands and holds his hand down to me. “Ready for bed?”
I let him help me up and wait while he turns lights off and checks the front door, then we climb the steps together. I hesitate at his door then move past it but am stopped by an arm around my waist until my back is flush against his front. The paper flutters to the floor, forgotten. “Where’re you going, Spitfire?”
“I... I don’t know the rules,” I whisper.
His lips find that soft spot between my neck and shoulder. The spot that makes me shiver and want to tear down every wall I built.
“What rules?” He murmurs into my neck.
“When Pax is home. I don’t want to overstep.”
He spins me around and now we’re fused together, chest to chest, thighs to thighs. He backs me up until I’m caged between his hard body and the wall. We haven’t discussed sex. He’s beenextremely patient, but he’s testing my boundaries and I’m about to tear down every obstacle I’ve put in our way.
“Pax knows the score. I had a long talk with him earlier this week, explained my feelings for you and he’s good with it. With us. He’s a big boy now. He can handle this.”
I squeeze my eyes shut. As much as I want him physically, things are moving so fast. Gabe told Tina I was his girl. Gabe explained to his son that I’m important to him.
Gabe bought a company so I could get my clients back.
His hands run up my side, skimming my breasts, making me gasp and crumbling more walls to dust.
“I have to leave early in the morning,” he says into the quiet. “I want to spend the night with you in my arms, but I want you to do what feels right for you.”
I’m not an idiot. I know he’s talking about more than sleeping.
My breath is coming faster. My stomach clenches. I wrap a hand around each of his biceps and lick my lips with a dry tongue. I can practically feel the foundations of those walls trembling, shaking, cracking. Why do I have them? Why are they there? To protect myself. But I don't need protection from Gabe. Heismy protection.
