Page 23 of Visions of You

Maia had told me that her grandmother stepped into a mother role for the family. I smiled at Nona. “And the new arrival is coming in less than five months.”

Nona pointed a finger at Maia. “I’m counting the days, you know.”

Maia sighed as she brushed her hand over her noticeable abdomen. “I’ve put away my bikinis for the time being.”

“Nonsense!” Nona rapped her knuckles on the wooden table. “The world has moved on from hiding pregnancies, thank God. Flash that stomach!”

Maia shuddered, and we both burst into laughter. She grinned at Nona. “I’m not as brave as you. I’ll keep my stomach covered, thank you very much.”

Across from me, the door we’d entered through opened. Gabe stepped inside, breathing hard. He was dressed in running shorts and shoes.

And no shirt.

Sweat glistened across his sculpted pecs. The perfect amount of dark hair covered his chest, leading downward to smooth skin that showed every shadow of his six-pack. He still held the doorknob with one hand and froze in place.

I inhaled sharply, unable to help myself. All thoughts of manly sabbaticals fled, drowned out by pheromones. My eyes took in the rippling muscles as his abs contracted and his shoulders tensed.

Oh. My. God.

Next to me, Nona snapped upright. “Gabriel Michael Markham! What are you doing walking into the kitchen half naked? Good God, people are trying to eat.”

If I’d suddenly forgotten about my food, it sure as hell wasn’t because of disgust. A bead of sweat ran down the center of Gabe’s chest, and I couldn’t help wondering what it would taste like.

His eyes were huge as he stared at his grandmother. Then he saw me sitting there and they got even bigger. “I didn’t think anyone would be in here! I just came to get a drink of water.”

The temperature had become a hundred degrees hotter, but it had nothing to do with the warm air drifting in through the open door. My pulse pounded as our eyes locked, and a hungry look entered his. I had the ridiculous urge to vault across the tabletop and into his arms. Gabe and I stared at each other, both breathing hard as we were caught in some spell between the two of us.

I wrenched my eyes away when Nona spoke. “Of course people are here—it’s lunchtime!” she snapped. “And we’ve got company, so show some manners. Make yourself presentable and come back, young man.”

A heated flush turned his handsome face scarlet. This was the first time I’d ever seen Gabe anything but fully composed or snarly. The sight of Hot Grumpy Guy getting dressed down by his grandma was almost too much to keep inside and broke the swell of desire running through me. I bit the inside of my cheek and held in my laughter.

Maia curled her lip as she twisted around in her chair. “Gross. You’re dripping sweat all over the floor, Gabe.”

He raised both hands, palms out toward us. “I’m sorry, okay? I’ll just leave now.” And after one giant step backward, he shut the door with a hard thump, and we were alone again.

I held it in for a long moment, until I was sure he’d had a chance to make his escape, then burst into laughter. Praying I wasn’t insulting Nona. I didn’t want to be her next victim.

But she joined me, cackling as Maia buried her face in her hands. All three of us shared a good, long laugh.

“Oh, my!” the old woman said, wiping her eyes and fanning herself. “My grandson is quite the fine specimen, isn’t he?”

“Nona!” Maia said, lifting her head and trying to rein in her laughter. “Eww! Besides, you just embarrassed the hell out of him. He probably thinks you hate him now.”

“Oh, he does not. My Gabriel knows me better than that.” Nona patted me on the shoulder and gave me a knowing look. “Never let a fine-looking man think he’s God’s gift, dear. Only trouble can come from that.”

Still laughing, I placed my hand on top of hers. “Nona, I don’t think we need to worry about that with Gabe. You just put him in his place pretty well.” I placed my napkin on the table. “Thanks for lunch. And the entertainment. But I’d better get back to work now.”

As I strolled back down the hill, I examined Gabe’s cottage, but there was no sign of him. I grinned, having the feeling he wouldn’t be making an appearance for a while yet.

Chapter Eleven

Gabe

“What’s this loan about?”I asked. Dad and I were back in his office, once again with me in his chair and him sitting in the metal folding chair. I’d been going over the profit and loss statements and other financial reports.

The loan caught my eye immediately, and I was not happy about it.

“I took it out two years ago when we hit a rough patch. It’s provided most of the extra cash flow since.”

---