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“Not only did he convince a friend that owns a ranch in the Hamptons to shelter the dogs, he’s sending transportation, on his dime, to get them there. All of this is free of charge.”
Her eyes go wide, excitement bubbling from her voice. “Really?”
“Really.”
“Gabe,” she says. “Like for sure.Really?”
I laugh. “Yes, sweetheart. Really.”
“Oh my God! I have to tell mom.” She turns and shouts. “Mom!” as if her mother was still close enough to hear, and then turns around to face me.
“Gabe.”
“Abbie.”
She wraps her arms around my waist. “Youare a miracle.Youare incredible. You arenotan asshole after all. Thank you.” Her green eyes are warm with appreciation, little flecks of gold in their depths.
“My pleasure, Abbie,” I say, stroking her hair. “Your pleasure as soon as I get you alone again.”
“About that,” she says. “I’m still not staying with you beyond tonight.”
I arch a brow. “I didn’t know we had a limit on nights.”
“Yes you did, because I’m trouble for you. I told you that. You’ve seen that now. I’m not dragging you into my trouble. And I’mdefinitely notfalling for you.” Her lips curve. “Though you make it very tempting.”
“Good,” I say. “Because I’mdefinitely notfalling for you, no matter how tempting you make it.” But I don’t smile to finish my tease, as she has. I kiss her instead, and as always, she drugs me with the sweet taste of her, with the delicate, sexy strokes of her tongue. I’m not a man to deny anything, good or bad and I’m not about to deny where I’m at right now with this woman. I’ve already fallen for Abbie when I promised I’d never fall for anyone ever again.
Not after the hell that was KM.
Abbie thinks she’s trouble.
She doesn’t know what kind of trouble I am. And she can’t. She can’t know. Not now. Not ever.
Chapter twenty
Gabe
The minute Abbie and I walk inside the doors of the shelter, there are cages, people, and animals everywhere. There is also water on the floor, even here in the lobby. Not a lot, but enough to tell me this problem is a massive one. I’m just trying to get a grip on how bad things are when Abbie intervenes. “This way,” she says, snagging my hand and tugging me forward. She does so with the ease of someone who knows we’re together. And I fucking love it, which is another one of those astounding moments with this woman for me. I want her to act like we’re a couple. I want her to want to be with me, when normally, I just want a woman who knows we’re fucking. Nothing more. Nothing less. But this time, it’s more. I could lecture myself as to why that’s a bad idea, but why? It’s happened. It’s not going to un-happen.She happened.
“Mom!” Abbie shouts as we enter the office, racing toward one of several exam rooms as her mother comes running out of one of them, looking frazzled.
“What is it? What happened now?” her mother exclaims.
“A good thing,” Abbie exclaims, her hands adorably animated as she adds, “Gabe knows Grayson Bennett, you know, the billionaire who owns half the city? He landed us a ranch in the Hamptons and transportation to get the animals there.”
Her mother blanches. “What? Are you sure?” Her attention goes to me. “Really?”
“The trucks are on the way now,” I offer. “Grayson and his fiancée are even coming here to help.”
Her mother stares at me like I’ve just spoken another language and then wraps her arms around me, giving me a big hug. “Thank you. Thank you so much.” She pulls back. “Really, I do appreciate this, but I do need to say something to you.”
My brow furrows. “O—kay.”
“The help you give us won’t get you out of trouble if you hurt my daughter. She doesn’t need another man who plays the nice guy right up until the moment when he lures her to a place of no return.”
She’s just told me more about Abbie’s history than Abbie herself has told me, in just those two sentences. “Mother!” Abbie admonishes. “Stop it.”
“I mean it,” her mother says, focused on me, ignoring her daughter. “I watched her go through five years of misery with her asshole ex. I’m not watching it again.”
