Page 56 of Visions of You

I laughed softly. “I could tell. That was… incredible.”

A giggle tumbled out of her mouth that made me hold her tighter. “Good thing the Barn is isolated. Otherwise, we might have woken up the whole resort.”

“And there wasn’t even whisky involved.”

Her giggle turned into a full laugh, and I joined her. She lifted up and rested her head in her hand, propped on her elbow. “I’m still surprised every time I hear you laugh. It’s so unexpected.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

She poked me in the rib. “No! I wish you’d laugh more.”

My smile faded as I stared at her. “I feel years younger than I did a few months ago. There’s still a lot of pressure with the resort, but it doesn’t weigh on me as much. If I’m laughing more, it’s because of you, sweetheart.”

She brushed a lock of sweaty hair off my forehead. “Does that mean you’re not looking to get into fistfights anymore?”

I rubbed my eyes, laughing reluctantly. “Hell, no. I still can’t believe that happened. Ben Coleridge and I have never been pals, but I’ve never gotten in a fight with him about it.”

“Did he attack you? Were you defending yourself?”

My grin remained. “Oh, no. I threw the first punch. That’s why he threatened to press charges. I was just so pissed off, and he pushed me too far.” Then I sobered and reached out to cup her face. “I’m protective and occasionally a little grouchy, but I’m not violent, April. I promise you don’t need to be afraid of me.”

Her smile remained, which pleased me. “Occasionallygrouchy?”

I narrowed my eyes. “Yes. Occasionally.”

She laughed and swept her lips over mine. “I know I don’t need to be afraid of you. That’s what tonight was about. I wanted to be overpowered—it kind of surprised me. I felt safe with it because I trust you. You’re a towering, masculine guy, Gabe. It’s pretty hot.”

The soft warmth in my chest spread. “I’m glad you trust me. And I’m even more glad you believe I don’t do jail time on a regular basis.” I sighed. “Given how small these two islands are, it’s amazing no one’s nailed my ear to the pillory yet.”

She laughed softly. “Yeah, I ran into that at my book club meeting. I’ve become friends with the woman who owns Sweet Dreams and told her I was seeing someone. During the meeting, she asked who it was, so I opened my big, fat mouth and said your name.” She gave me a pointed look. “You could have heard a pin drop in the room, though not because they were incensed about your lockup escapade. Most of the women were nice about it, but I could tell one or two wanted to stick a pin in me for being involved with you.”

“Sorry about that. People love to gossip, and the Markham family always seems to be fodder for the grist mill. It’s an absolute miracle Hailey hasn’t found out about my jail stint, though I guess that proves the townsfolk do have a sense of decency. Hopefully, enough time has gone by now she’ll never find out.”

“At least until she’s forty and you two can laugh about it?”

“That would work for me. Fifty would be better.”

Our gazes locked and the smile remained on April’s face. “Speaking of Hailey, if she’s up at the Big House, does that mean you’re spending the night?”

I pulled April back down to my chest, wrapping her up tight. “Just try to pry me out of here.”

“It’s my bed. Don’t sass me or I’ll kick you out of it.”

I grinned at the ceiling. “It’s not your bed. It’s mine.”

“Oh, that’s right! This really is the most amazing bed I’ve ever been in, Gabe.”

“Me too. But only because you’re in it with me.” I rested my cheek on her hair and stared out the window. Pale, ghostly light shone on the wooden floor.

“I should open the window,” April murmured. “I like the fresh air at night.”

“You want some fresh air?”

“I love it when it rains overnight. The scent fills the room.”

I took in the starry sky through the window. “Doesn’t look like it’s going to rain anytime soon. But I can take care of the fresh air.” I slapped her on the butt. “Come on. Let’s go for a walk.”

“What? What happened to not prying you out of bed?”

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