Never Give You Up Read Online Free Page B

and sugar into his mug and lifted it close to his lips. “How’ve you been lately? I haven’t had the chance to swing by in a while.” His expression turned more serious. “Mima had to put one of the dogs down. She’s not in the best of moods.”
    He sipped his coffee and absently glanced around the room.
    Mary’s heart ached for her friend, knowing those dogs were like children to Mima, as Mary’s were to her. “Poor girl. Which one had to be put down?”
    Gabe shrugged. “No idea. I can’t keep track of them all.”
    She glared at the heartless man across from her. “There’s only five of them.” Of course he wouldn’t remember the name of the dog, but he’d never forget his Lady Diana specially kept in the city. After all, he constantly talked about how fast and smooth she was. Men like Gabe had their cars, while she and Mima had their dogs.
    She took another deep pull of her coffee, watching his demeanor. He appeared calm but the puffed out vein in his forehead didn’t go unnoticed. “Come out with it. I know you didn’t come here to check up on me.”
    Gabe rumbled with laughter. “You got me all figured out.” He rubbed the back of his neck and let out a deep breath. Once he set his cup back down, he eyed her more seriously. “Actually, I have a business proposition for you.”
    The mere mention of that word made her tense up. “What does your business have to do with me?”
    “I have a friend who needs a place to unwind. Nothing gets more private than this.”
    She tried not to react physically to those words, but her heart pounded and every nerve jumped to life when she knew who he was talking about. “No.” There was only one man who’d want to come here, and he made everything in her body come to life without her consent.
    Gabe’s comical look grated her nerves. “What if I told you it was Terry?”
    A strike of fear and unwanted excitement ripped through her, but she tried her best to appear passive. Why did he have to say his name and confirm her wicked suspicion? “Terry?” She shrugged, but her stomach fluttered with anxiety and it became harder to sit still on the damned chair.
    “Got your attention now, don’t I?”
    Despite the chaos they’d created in her life, she couldn’t help thinking about the man with eyes like a glacier that made her stomach flip, and a sexy smile that made her want to let him do things with his hot mouth. The same man she lost her control with and kissed on a lonely night after one too many beers, one month after Tom’s death.
    Her cheeks burned at the thought, not only from the shame of kissing a man this soon after her husband’s death, but also from the heated memory of that night. Despite her inhibitions from drinking, she remembered how his sensual, exploring kiss made her feel bold, brash. If he hadn’t pulled away, she would have given him much more.
    And the dreams . . . .
    She squared her shoulders, forcing herself to think smart. By all means, a group of gangsters could come charging in and flip her world over just when she was getting back on her feet again. Having Terry here would end in disaster and possible death, and the kind of heartbreak a woman couldn’t get over. She already had enough heartbreak to last a lifetime.
    Gabe at her kitchen table was bad enough. As much as she appreciated his help, having a criminal swinging by to visit didn’t seem natural. She couldn’t imagine regular folks hanging out with drug smugglers and murderers over coffee and deer sausage.
    Gabe’s sharp gaze settled on hers and it cut right through her. “Seriously. Terry needs a vacation. He looks like shit.”
    She eyeballed him right back. “So?”
    He lifted his steaming mug and took another sip before answering. He was taking too long to explain himself. “You don’t want him to come here?”
    She rubbed her sweaty palms over the robe covering her thighs. “Not really. And since when does Terry McCoy need a vacation? Did something happen