Gabriel Read Online Free PDF Page A

woman they all considered a beloved friend. Since the day twenty-two
     years ago when his mother had accepted the position as housekeeper in the Bannon household,
     Leah had been in their lives. A sister. A friend.
    That thought effectively wiped the smile from his lips.
    “Thank you for not going through with your homicidal inclination,” he said.
    “You’re welcome.” Leah entered the living room and settled on the couch, placing the
     large bag she laughingly called a purse near her feet.
    “What’s the deal? You actually knocked.”
    “I wasn’t exactly certain if I was welcome or not, so I decided to go the traditional
     route instead of letting myself in.” She folded her arms, studied him with her unflinching,
     uncompromising gaze. “I tried calling earlier. Several times. But there wasn’t an
     answer.” And I was scared hung between them like an ugly, ghostly specter.
    God . He lowered to the cushion beside her. Another you-don’t-need-to-be-worried-about-me
     reminder was on the tip of his tongue. At the last second he held it in. Both of them
     would recognize the statement for the lie it would be.
    So he repeated the same words from earlier in his office. “I’m fine.” The phrase had
     become his mantra.
    “Gabe, have you been drinking again?”
    “I’m fine.”
    “Gabe, when was the last time you ate?”
    “I’m fine.”
    “Damn it, Gabe! Why is there a gun under your pillow?”
    “I’m fine.”
    Since his family’s death, he’d mastered the arts of lies and avoidance.
    “I left the phone in the bedroom. The ringer was off.” Lie . He’d tossed the damn thing in the bathroom drawer a day ago. The cell phone’s insistent
     ringing had annoyed the hell out of him, especially when he’d been at the computer.
     By now the battery was most likely dead.
    She stared at him, her green eyes unblinking. He glanced away. One of the problems
     with having people in your life who knew you inside-out was they smelled your bullshit
     a mile away and had no issue with calling you on it.
    She reached out, laid her hand on his thigh. Desire and shame slammed into him with
     the force of a sledgehammer. His breath snagged in his throat, and he barely managed
     not to jerk away. The light touch held comfort, concern, but his body hardened as
     if she’d brushed her fingers over his dick instead his leg. He shot off the couch.
    “I was just making some coffee when you arrived. You want some?” He didn’t wait for
     her response but headed for the kitchen. Escaped . Like the fucking coward he was.
    God, he hated this…this thing that wouldn’t go away. He pressed the brew button and remained standing in front
     of the coffee machine for several long minutes, inhaling and exhaling, dragging his
     body under control.
    Two months ago, Leah had started haunting his dreams and creeping into his thoughts
     during the day. Every time he woke with his heart pounding against his rib cage and
     his cock saluting him under the sheets, his soul ripped open all over again. The pain,
     rage, and grief spewed out like a geyser from a fissure in the earth.
    He loathed his flesh for betraying his heart. Hated that he wanted Leah even as his
     heart still beat for Maura.
    Maura.
    Pain sliced him open, leaving seeping cuts.
    What kind of man—what kind of husband —did it make him when he already lusted after another woman? Maura owned his heart.
     Death may have separated them, but his love hadn’t been buried with her.
    Muttering a curse, he removed another mug from the cabinet and poured coffee for Leah
     and himself. When he returned to the living room, he offered her a cup and reclaimed
     his seat, deliberately placing more space between them. If she noticed—Hell, who was
     he kidding? Of course she noticed. She was the Filipina Dick Tracy, for God’s sake.
    “What? Do I have cooties?” she asked.
    He picked up his mug and sipped. “Don’t be ridiculous,” he mumbled and glanced around
     the living