Page 47 of Flirting With Forever
“What about Ana?”
He winced at that. “Maybe Ana.”
This time her groan was one of complaint. “Who’ll tell her best friend Quinley who’ll tell Elias and— Who will he tell?”
“Sloane…”
She rolled away from him to the far side of the bed and shoved herself upright to sit on the edge, facing away from him.
“We’re nothing more than friends. And boss-employee, though I suppose that’s a tricky one now that we’ve kissed. Mistakes happen, though. The hurricane and the lightning, the wind. I freaked out about the memories from my mom, but I shouldn’t have let it happen or—or the other few times you’ve kissed me. No more back rubs, either. Let’s agree; none of it will happen again.”
And there it was. That wall she’d had up from day one, only it was several stories higher now. “What if I want it to happen? You’re scared. But I don’t think you regret those kisses any more than I do.”
She stood and crossed the room before turning to face him, arms crossed over her front and feet slightly parted in a battle-ready stance.
“Maybe I don’t, but you know this will never work. I told you that from the beginning, and—I’ve already stayed longer than I planned. And going to Thanksgiving dinner makes it worse.”
“Because you’re scared you’ll like it too much and enjoy yourself? You don’t want to leave. You’re just scared, but there’s nothing to be scared of here, Merida.” The thought of her being afraid made him want to rage at the world, but he forced himself to stay calm. “You’ve got people now. People who have your back and will help you through whatever is going on. You’re scared to believe in us—in me, but you know you can.”
She unlocked an arm and shoved the hair off her face and over her shoulder with an impatient flip.
“We can’t keep doing this. Having this conversation again is pointless. You’re not hearing me.”
“Oh, I hear you. But you know I’m right. We care about you. I care about you. And you care about me, which terrifies you, doesn’t it?”
“If you care so much, then why are you doing all the things they do? Huh? Why are you trying to control me?”
“Control you?” He sucked in an incredulous breath and got to his feet. “How is wanting to help you and protect you controlling you?”
“You’re here. Right now, when I told you I had a headache and needed time alone. You’re demanding answers to questions I’ve already told you I can’t answer, but you keep asking.”
“Can’t and won’t aren’t the same thing, Sloane.” He took a step toward her but stopped when she got a wary look in her eyes. “I like having you here. I like working with you. I like kissing you. I like you. What I don’t like is that you’re so ready to freak out on me if I mention it and talk about leaving.”
She moved to the door and opened it wider, tilting her head in a clear signal for him to exit. “Neither did they. That’s why they tried to force me to stay.”
Chapter Fourteen
The following day, Gage attended Thanksgiving dinner with his family alone.
Sloane had informed him via text that her headache had turned into a migraine so she wouldn’t be attending. She’d asked him to take her pie with him as he left.
He’d written out a text to argue, erased that, then offered to stay there in case she needed him. He erased that as well and decided to let her be when her words comparing him to her family echoed in his head like a sucker punch.
That was a comparison he didn’t want, and somehow he’d make his point without her citing that he had control issues and didn’t hear her.
Now he stood on Dawson’s second-floor deck, staring out at the waves in the distance. Dawson had a peekaboo view, but it was there, and like every islander, it drew Gage.
Before long, the view would disappear as the double lot next door had been sold, and rumor had it a five-bedroom, three-story house would be going up.
Why did everything have to change? Change was supposed to be good, considered to be progress, but in this case…
“What’s got you frowning so hard?”
He turned to find Mia, Alec’s wife, a few feet away. She held a small plate of pie with a dollop of whipped cream bigger than the slice itself. “Just thinking that I hate Dawson’s losing his view.”
“Hmm. Are you sure that’s all it is?” She moved closer to where he stood at the railing. “Or would it have something to do with your beautiful employee?”
He didn’t look at her, afraid of what his expression would reveal. Or that Sloane’s who will Cole tell might’ve been more a surety than a maybe. “Am I that obvious?”
