Gabe pulled back from her and trailed his hands down her sides, letting his fingers graze the side of her breasts, then along her rib cage, down her hips. The fire that burned through her settled tight and achy between her legs, and she wanted him to slow down and speed up all at once.
“God, you feel incredible, Pru.” His voice was ragged with need and PJ pressed her hips up toward him, wanting him to touch more. She wanted him to take off the scraps of fabric he called a bikini and put his hands and mouth on herthere.
Then she heard a faraway voice calling to her and felt someone shaking her arm.
Leave me alone. As soon as she thought the words, she wondered why on earth someone would be in the bedroom with her and Gabe. But, the words came again. “Pru...? Wake up, Pru.”
PJ opened her eyes. Gabe was shaking her awake on the boat. She looked into his dark brown eyes and had a quick flash of panic, as she wondered if she’d been moaning and writhing in her sleep, just as she’d moaned and writhed in her dream. She felt a flush creep up her cheeks, but he didn’t bat an eye. Just smiled at her.
“We’re back at the dock, Pru. You fell asleep, so I figured we should head in so you can rest in your bed where you’ll be more comfortable. Then, maybe we can throw a hat and sunglasses on you and head out for dinner somewhere in town.” He spoke easily, so she figured maybe she’d kept the content of her dreams under wraps as she slept.
“Sounds good,” she said, sitting up and slipping her flip flops back on her feet. She tried to push the image of Gabe, above her in his bed, out of her mind. She couldn’t even look him in the eye as they stood and he helped her climb from the boat.
The way he took her hand in his was too close to the way her dream began. PJ pulled her hand from his as soon as her feet hit the dock. She kept her head down as they walked up to the house and then took his suggestion to go to her room to nap.
Just as she was about to get up and take a shower, her phone rang. PJ picked itup and felt her stomach clench at the sight of a number she didn’t know on her screen. She closed her eyes as she answered, though she didn’t really know what she hoped to accomplish by doing that.
“Hello?” she said cautiously.
“You little tramp. Who the hell do you think you are? Is this a publicity stunt, PJ? Your career was drying up so you thought you’d go for sympathy?” She knew the voice.
It was the same cold, angry tone Jimmy Mondo had used on her years before when he’d told her to abort their baby. To take care of the mess she’d made, as he’d put it.
PJ disconnected the call, and with shaky hands, turned off her phone. She couldn't keep it off long. Not if there was a chance the guy with her journal would text with his demands. His last texts implied there was something she could do to redeem herself in his eyes or some amount of money she could pay to keep her secret.
Hopefully, Jimmy would quickly get over his need to scream at her, and she could turn her phone back on to wait for the demands from her blackmailer.
She rolled over on her side and pulled her knees up to her chest, hugging herself tightly. She wanted, more than anything, to tell someone what was going on, but who could she tell? Her parents had dealt with too much already. She had told her aunt and uncle, but they needed to help Matthew through this, not worry about her. And, she didn’t begrudge them that. She wanted their focus to be on Matthew.
Could she tell Gabe?She thought about it, but she’d hate to see the disappointment, the judgment she was sure would show in his face when she told him. She just couldn’t take censure like that right now. Especially from him. Instead, she closed her eyes and tried to forget that she’d stupidly written everything down and by doing so, had opened herself up to this kind of attack.
Chapter 11
Gabe stepped out of the shower two hours later. An hour and a half run on the beach and a half hour under the cold spray of the shower had done nothing to relieve his rock-hard erection. An erection he'd had since watching PJ moan and gasp in her sleep on the boat that morning.
He’d never seen a sexier sight in his life. In fact, he’d thought for a minute he could stand there watching her forever, but then he’d realized if he had to watch one more minute, listen to one more of those tiny whimpers coming from her kissable little mouth, he would have stripped her out of that bikini in a heartbeat.
He’d spent half his run trying to forget those sounds, and the other half trying to figure out who she might have been dreaming of.Jimmy Mondo?That made sense. She’d been reminded of her history with Jimmy just that morning. Maybe all this had triggered sensuous memories.
But no, that didn’t make sense. The look on her face when she’d talked about Jimmy had been one of revulsion, not attraction. Gabe grimaced as he toweled off and drew his jeans up over his hips. Though he looked forward to more time with her, he was in for one hell of an uncomfortable night out with PJ. Every minute with her was torture. He probably shouldn’t have invited her along for this trip.
Because you care about her, asshole, and she was hurting.It was as simple as that. What it really came down to was that he cared about her. Gabe grabbed his phone and pulled up the software Chad had installed.What the hell?
Dozens of texts going to PJ’s number.
You fucking whore, you can’t do this to me.
I’ll destroy you.
Gabe saw red as he continued to read.
You think you can get away with this? We had an agreement, bitch.
The texts went on and on, threatening PJ and using some language even Gabe wasn’t comfortable with—and that said a lot.
He threw open the door to his room and crossed to PJ’s door before he realized what he was doing. If he went in there and demanded answers the way he wanted to, he’d have to explain how he knew she was getting those texts. Gabe fisted his hands in his hair and whirled away from her door.
His office.Chad.He needed to get Chad on this.