Wild Forces: A Friends to Lovers Romance (O-Town Book 2) by Karen Renee (summer reads .TXT) 📕

meat from the pot, he asked, “What the hell did you do to that meat, woman?”

I stifled my laughter at his outraged tone. “Cool it, G-Rock. I get that I’ve offended your inner-caveman since I’m cooking meat without using an open flame, but believe me these will be fantastic.”

Earlier I had cut the slab of ribs into four sections. As I moved the sections to an oven pan, Gabe asked, “What are you talking about? Offending me.”

I laughed since he didn’t object to the ‘inner-caveman’ bit. “You and Brock nearly come to fisticuffs when having your fajita festivals.”

He chuckled. “They aren’t fajita festivals, but that’s damn sure a festival I could get behind.”

I slathered the ribs with barbeque sauce and popped them in the oven. When I turned to Gabe, he was staring into space. I took advantage of his inattention and openly examined at him. His beard looked to be recently groomed, and I knew I was officially a fan. My eyes traveled down to his shoulders and I wondered how I’d missed how ripped his shoulder muscles and biceps were. It wasn’t like I hadn’t seen him playing basketball before, but I guess with so much of him in motion I never dwelled on specific body parts.

“What are you staring at, Daughtry?” he asked.

I caught his dancing blue eyes and shook my head. “Nothin’. You were the one staring off into space; I guess it became contagious.”

He arched a brow at me, but before he could say anything else, I asked him what he wanted to drink.

“Beer, if you still have any. How long before I get to taste these ribs you’ve abused?”

I handed him a beer. “Another five minutes, and they haven’t been abused. They’ll be better than any you’d get in a restaurant.”

He uncapped the beer and tipped it toward me. “But damn sure not better than what I’d make myself.”

I rolled my eyes. “Gabe. Not all of us have a dab hand in the kitchen like you do.”

He arched a skeptical brow. “Dab hand?”

“You know what I mean. You’ve probably never burned toast in your life. It makes me sick.”

The timer went off before he could say anything, and I plated up our food.

Ten minutes later, we sat at my small table and I glanced at our plates. Gabe had cleaned the bones of his ribs in five minutes, if that. It wasn’t the first time I had seen him eat fast, but it concerned me every time. If I ate that fast, I’d be miserable.

He swallowed some beer and caught my eyes. “I told you about the money my mother’s divvying up between me and my brothers, right?”

I nodded. Wasn’t much chance I’d forget that conversation between us.

“I don’t know what to do, Cassie. It pisses me off to take that money from her, and then it makes me angry at myself to feel that way. Plenty of people would kill for a windfall like that.”

I nodded again. “You’re right.”

“I don’t want her damn money, but I know I’m a dumbass if I turn it down.”

“If it makes you that uncomfortable, Gabe, then tell her to donate it to the Humane Society and ASPCA or something. At least then the money takes care of something, even if it doesn’t take care of you.”

His eyes went serious. “What did you say?”

“I said donate the —”

“The last part, Cass. Repeat that last part.”

I bit the inside of my cheek. Then I whispered, “Even if it doesn’t take care of you.”

Cecilia had mentioned Gabe’s intensity about a woman paying for the roof over his head. I figured he wouldn’t want to use an inheritance from her, even if it would help him financially for a long time.

He gave a curt nod. “I’m going to invest it.”

I shook my head. “Invest it in what?”

He grinned. “In my future.”

“Like in stocks or something?” I asked, hoping he didn’t ask me for investment advice. It wasn’t that I wouldn’t give him advice, it was that I didn’t want to have money advice coming between our friendship. And money advice had a way of coming between family and friends every time.

He shook his head. “No. Like a business. Who says I have to have my degree before I start working toward my goal?”

“Nobody, but —”

“But nothing, Cassie. I’m not going to blow it. Besides, I’m sure there’s paperwork and shit involved with this. So, it’ll be a while before I’m ready to make my moves, but at least I can sleep easier now.”

Gabe

IT NEVER FAILED THAT when I talked things out with Cassie, my mind cleared, and I was able to make better decisions. What was that all about? Brock and I had talked about the money for a little bit, but I couldn’t wrap my head around it until Cassie mentioned it not taking care of me. If I used it to buy into a business, it wouldn’t be Pauline providing for me, so much as me making an investment decision. Almost like a donation to a good cause, but the good cause was my future.

The dinner and the money from my mother wasn’t changing my stance on her, though. Brock was curious enough to want to spend time with her, but I just wasn’t. It rubbed me wrong that Dad kept her away, but even though his reasoning made sense to me, it still stung.

I ate the last of the cole slaw and looked up to see Cassie gawking at me. “What?”

“You just always eat so fast, I get concerned, Sullivan.”

I shook my head. “Don’t be. And what’s with this Sullivan business?”

She shrugged as she licked her finger clean. This might have been a bad idea. It was bad enough when I dropped by this morning to see her in satin short-shorts. Actually, the shorts weren’t the problem. The skimpy tank-top with strings holding it up had been the problem because I could see the distinct outline of her nipples pebbled beneath it. Now, she was fully