JUNE
Gabriel took work calls the entire six hours they’d been driving. Thank goodness she’d packed multiple books to read. She figured they wouldn’t talk much because, well, he’d never been all that talkative when she made attempts at conversation. But his workload was insane.
Exhausted from the lack of sleep the night before and drained from the reality of her brother being in the hospital, her focus waned. They’d called the hospital as soon as they’d turned onto the highway. Nursing staff said Matt had a severe concussion and was still undergoing emergency surgery to fix his shattered femur. The nurse was nice enough to let them know it was going well and that she should call again in the morning.
She read and re-read the same passage from the same page, not comprehending what the words said. Focusing for an extended period of time was tough when Matt’s well-being was all she could think about. Out of everyone, she couldn’t lose him. And while he wasn’t in critical condition, it still felt that way to her. He was the only family member she cared about, her one solid support. The pages blurred in front of her .
“Hey,” Gabriel’s voice broke through her haze, unsure. “Are you okay?”
Startled, June reached up and touched her cheek. How long had she been crying? The tips of her ears burned as she wiped the tears from her face.
“Sorry.” She reached for a tissue in her purse to blot at her eyes. God. He didn’t need some girl blubbering in the background on his calls from the office. “I guess everything is hitting me now. I don’t mean to be a bother.”
“You’re not being a bother,” he said, shaking his head. “I get it.”
June braved a look at him. His face was strained like he was holding something back. Likely, he didn’t know what to say. They were just two acquaintances who were in each other’s lives because of Matt. The more she thought about it, the weirder it seemed that they never became friends, too. They were around each other enough. She was basically the female version of Matt. But he’d always been so reserved with her.
Gabriel ran his fingers through his thick hair, leaving it disheveled, and released a long, steady breath. “He’s like my brother. I get it. I do. You can talk to me.” Grabbing his phone, he powered it down and tossed it in the cupholder.
She sniffed and took a slow breath in through her nose and out through her mouth. He’d turned off his phone. That wasn’t a meaningless gesture. Work was his life.
“Shouldn’t your phone be on? What if work calls again?”
“I’m just waiting for a call to schedule a meeting for next Tuesday. Everything else has been handled, so it can wait for a few minutes. Go ahead. What’s on your mind?”
Fidgeting with her nails, she hesitated to look at him while she spoke. “Matt’s all I have. The thought of him being hurt and alone, undergoing surgery, terrifies me.”
“What about your dad? Matt doesn’t talk much about him.”
She shook her head. “After Mom died, my dad started living to drink and work. That’s all he did. I think he drank at work, too.”
“So…you guys aren’t on speaking terms, then?” he asked.
She sighed, bracing herself to fill him in since Matt hadn’t. “At first, Dad’s drinking was manageable, but then he got controlling. I was seventeen when Mom passed, and Matt was already out of the house. He didn’t know how bad it was getting with Dad.” Sneaking a glance at Gabriel, she saw his eyes were fixed on the road, but he was listening, so she continued. “Matt really didn’t tell you any of this?”
He shrugged. “Not a word. Said your dad was estranged an d didn’t want to talk about it, so we never did.”
That was her brother—always thinking of her. She appreciated Matt keeping her story private, like she had asked all those years ago. “Matt usually keeps my story under wraps. I don’t like people knowing how bad my dad got. He wasn’t always like that. He was a good man before Mom passed.”
“What did your dad do?” He glanced at her, a worry line forming on his brow. He added quickly, “If you don’t mind sharing, of course.”
“Dad didn’t want me leaving the house when I graduated. He was already keeping tabs on everything I did. Pre-approving my friends, not letting me date or be around guys. He tracked my phone and made sure I was home by nine each night. He even put a lock on the outside of my door, making it impossible to leave after curfew.”
He frowned. “That sounds like a lot of disgusting behaviour from the man who’s supposed to be taking care of you.”
Was it just her, or did Gabriel sound angry?
“Yeah, well, it didn’t get any better. Dad’s strict behaviour turned into aggression, and he…started hitting me when he thought I was out of line. The idea of graduating and leaving was the only thing that kept me going. I thought if I kept my head down and made it to the end of the school year, I could bear it. When he said he wou ldn’t allow me to leave…I just broke. I couldn’t do it anymore.”
“And Matt got you out of there?” His voice was strained, like he was trying to keep his emotions in check.
She nodded her head and bit the inside of her cheeks to keep the tears back. “The day after I told him, while I was at school, Matt went to the house and packed up all my stuff. By the time school was out, he’d moved me into his spare bedroom. I lived with him while I finished out the rest of my senior year. Then I got a job, saved up, and moved into my first place when I was eighteen.”
He blew out a heavy breath. “And your dad?”
June let out a sharp laugh. “He was not pleased. But Matt dealt with him. I never asked him what he did, and he never told me. Dad and I had a good relationship before Mom passed, but I’m done with him. Matt’s all I have. He has to be okay.” She wiped away the last stray tear clinging to her eyelashes.
Her dad probably didn’t even know Matt was in an accident, and she wouldn’t be the one to tell him. He didn’t deserve to be a part of their lives—good or bad.
The air in the car was heavy with her words. Gabriel reached over and set his free hand on top of hers, gripping her fingers. “I’m sorry that happened to you, June. Matt’s gonna be okay. It could’ve been a lot worse. ”
She nodded her thanks, and he moved his hand back to the steering wheel. She tried to keep the heat she felt from rising to her face. When he touched her hand, her heart back-flipped into her stomach. How he had such an effect on her, she didn’t know. He’d spent the last five years saying little more than the bare minimum whenever she tried to get to know him in a more meaningful way. But just now, he’d comforted her. Let her open up to him. Listened. She chewed her bottom lip, puzzling through this new behaviour, this softness from him.
“We need to stop for gas. You can get out and stretch your legs a bit, then we’ll keep going.” He turned his phone back on and left it in the cupholder before turning into a rest stop.
“I could take the next shift? Drive for a few hours and give you a break?” she asked.
Gabriel scoffed at the idea. “No one drives Betty White but me.”
She couldn’t keep her amusement from spreading across her features. “Betty…White? You named your car Betty White?”
He scowled as if she’d offended him. “Of course I did. She’s reliable, she’s a legend, and she’s an icon. And, you know, my car is white, so it was a natural fit.”
She chuckled. “No need to get defensive. I think it’s a great name. Thanks for sharing it with me.” And she meant it. A little levity was what she needed right now .
When they pulled up to the gas pump, June exited the car to take a walk around the lot. She stretched her legs out and raised her arms above her head, letting out a sigh. Gabriel stood beside the car, filling the tank.
“Hey!” she called out. “Grab some snacks for the road? Some Hawkins Cheezies and a bag of Twizzlers?”
He rolled his eyes, but there was a definite sparkle in his eyes. “Anything else?” he yelled back.
“Some Clearly Canadian?” she asked.
He shook his head. “Oh my god. How about Coke?”
She gave a thumbs-up. “That’s an acceptable backup.”
Humming to herself, she arched her back to stretch out her spine. Maybe this trip would offer her the opportunity to get to know Gabriel like she’d always wanted. After all, he’d picked her up this morning without asking, and he comforted her in the car, listening to her recount unpleasant memories. Perhaps he wasn’t so indifferent toward her after all.
Gabriel went inside to pay, so she made her way back to the car. Halfway into her seat, his phone buzzed, and she startled. Closing the door and inspecting, she saw multiple notifications on the home screen: four missed calls and eight new texts. Ignoring the warning bells in her mind, she grabbed it anyway and looked at the messages. Gabriel had royally piss ed someone off because he wasn’t answering.
The screen flashed to the incoming call display while it was still in her hands. She fumbled and her fingers hit the accept button. She cursed herself for being such an idiot. Now, she had to think about how to play this off.
“Hello. Gabriel Jackson’s phone.” She hoped she sounded steady to the person on the other line.
Gabriel exited the gas station doors, snacks and drinks in hand, and lifted his gaze to meet hers as the man on the phone spit his impatient words at her. He took a few steps and stopped. His mouth dropped open, and his eyes grew two sizes bigger as he realized she was on his phone.
Shrinking into her seat, she wrapped up the conversation with his irate boss. She sighed and hoped the fragile connection she’d made with Gabriel didn’t just go right out the window.
GAbrIEL
June was on his phone. What did she think she was doing? He didn’t need her getting involved in his professional life. Here he was, shutting off his phone for her, lis tening to her, comforting her. So stupid to show any sort of feelings toward her. He didn’t need another damn Cassandra ruining his life.
But deep down, he knew June was nothing like his snake of an ex-girlfriend.
He threw open his door and slid behind the wheel. The one time he left his phone behind, he got a call. He was gone for five damn minutes. And, of course, she had to answer it.
“Give it to me.” As much as he tried, he couldn’t keep the irritation out of his voice.
She stuck her hand out meekly with the phone in her grasp. He tugged it from her grip and looked at the notifications. An abundance of missed calls and messages appeared on the screen. He closed his eyes and ran his hand over his face, breathing in deeply through his nose.
“Before you get too mad,” she started, her voice wavering. “I scheduled that meeting you wanted for next Tuesday.”
What did she say? The exasperation that’d washed over him in waves only a moment ago disappeared with that one simple phrase. He must’ve still looked pissed off because she continued explaining.
“The guy on the phone kept pushing and pushing for the meeting to be tomorrow, but I remembered you said you wanted to set it for Tuesday. And if the meeting ended up being tomorrow, you wouldn’t be there becaus e you’re here,” she rambled. “It seemed important to you, so I dug my heels in and told him it would only work if it happened on Tuesday. I know I shouldn’t have touched your phone, but?—”
Before his brain could register what his body was doing, he leaned over the center console, wrapped his hand around her nape, and pressed his lips to hers. At first, her mouth was stiff and unyielding, but she quickly melted into his kiss.
Her lips parted and allowed his tongue to explore her mouth with a hunger he never let himself act on until now. His heart was beating faster than he thought it could, and his cock stiffened beneath his dark jeans. What was he doing? Matt was going to kill him. But his body had its own ideas, and frankly, he didn’t want to stop.
She didn’t protest when his hand travelled down her neck, caressing her smooth shoulder, wrapping in the strap of her dress. He pulled her closer as he savoured the sweet taste of her mouth. A mouth he’d imagined kissing over so many years.
June met his kiss with equal intensity, her tongue sliding over his as he pushed his way deeper. The idea of fucking her mouth with his tongue, taking control of her, and having her underneath him flashed through his mind. An unbearable urge to take her right there in front of the gas station overwhelmed him .
All the times he’d fantasized about hooking up with her came flooding back.
All the slinky summer dresses.
All the flirty looks he’d ignored.
A quiet moan escaped her lips, and he pulled away from her. That was not what he meant to do. He was so close to snapping at her when he saw the phone in her hands. Yet somehow, his mood had changed so damn fast when he realized she’d helped him.
And to make it worse, Matt was his best friend. It’s not like he could mess around with his little sister for the hell of it. She was off-limits . That would definitely cross some spoken—and unspoken—boundaries between them.
June’s face was flushed, and she was silent. Those green eyes locked on him, though, waiting for him to say something. To explain himself.
“I, uh…” He scratched at the back of his head. It wasn’t like him to be awkward or unsure of himself. “Thank you, is what I’m trying to say. Thank you for making sure that the meeting didn’t happen without me.”
He rested his hands in his lap as he shifted in his seat, uncomfortable with the bulge in his pants. No doubt she was also assessing what he did.
“It was the least I could do since I accidentally answered your phone. I didn’t want to mess things up even more for you.” Her voice broke on the last few words, thoug h she tried to cover it up by clearing her throat.
“What do you mean mess things up more for me?” His eyes narrowed as he examined her face. She crinkled her nose in concern, causing the freckles across her face to shift ever so slightly. Her scrunched eyes betrayed how exposed she must be feeling. The flash of lust he experienced only moments ago was replaced with concern of his own.
June cleared her throat and took a breath. “Matt always says how important work is to you. I know you’d rather fly to see him than drive halfway across the country. This is a waste of your time. If you weren’t driving me, you could handle your work a lot easier. If this were any other situation, I would’ve made my own way. And I was going to—but I’m desperate to be there for Matt. I don’t want to get in your way,” she finished, looking even more vulnerable than when she was telling him about her dad earlier.
He let that sit for a beat before responding. “You didn’t mess things up, June. The situation is what it is, okay?”
Was that how people saw him? A work-obsessed hard-ass? Had work consumed his life?
At a loss for what else to say, he pulled back onto the highway, internally scolding himself for crossing an obvious line. June may be comfortable letting her guard down, but he wasn’t used to sharing with anyone. Espe cially someone he’d kept at arm’s length over the past how many years.
Even if she was one hell of a kisser.