Chapter 7 #2
He sucked in a deep breath, and his whole body tensed. "I hope you're steady, because I need to let go now."
Then he was gone, and she missed the contact immediately. Not just his touch or the feel of his arms around her but his presence too, because he didn't stop moving until he reached the side of the pool.
He propped his elbows on the edge and shoved his hands into his hair. His shoulders rose and fell as he took deep breaths.
She sucked in a deep breath of her own. Thank goodness, he was disciplined enough to walk away when she'd been ready to kiss her physical therapist.
Talk about inappropriate.
That wasn’t her. She didn’t kiss men unless there was long-term relationship potential. And she definitely wasn’t ready for another relationship yet; long-term or otherwise. Especially not with her physical therapist.
This is all Mom’s fault.
Paige hadn’t been able to forget her mother’s suggestion that she get to know Dr. Rivera on a personal level after she finished PT. It didn’t help that he was so personable and easy on the eyes.
She watched the water lap at his broad shoulders. Was Gabe as good of a man as he seemed? Or did he have a hidden duplicitous side like Phillip? Had she learned anything after all she’d been through? Or would she always overlook personality flaws because of physical attraction?
Considering what almost happened, she should give Gabe some space, but she needed to know who he really was.
The movement of the water alerted Gabe to Paige's approach, but he refused to look at her. He couldn't. Not while the overwhelming urge to kiss her still coursed through him.
Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.
He'd almost ruined everything. He finally had his own practice, and he almost threw it away by giving into a temptation that could result in a sexual harassment lawsuit.
Talking to Paige felt so effortless. She was so animated and entertaining, that it was easy to forget he was her physical therapist. It didn’t help that despite the modest cut of her new swimsuit she was stunning.
Her eyes look bigger and bluer than ever, thanks to the vibrant cobalt blue swim top.
The way it swooped to the side accentuated Paige’s hour-glass figure.
She’d clung to him with complete trust and what felt like longing, making him want to hold her forever. And the water droplets clinging to her rosy lips…
Enough!
Sucking in a deep breath, he steeled himself and turned to face Paige, who stood little more than arm’s length away. He wasn’t sure what he expected to see in her face, but it wasn’t the puzzled expression that furrowed her brow and turned her lips down in a slight frown.
“What?” he asked. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
Was she trying to decide whether to call him out for almost kissing her? With her dad being his boss—sort of—she could easily get him fired, if she wanted to.
The twin creases between her brows deepened as she chewed on her lip for a long moment. "Have you ever been unfaithful in a relationship?"
"What?" His head jerked back.
Where on earth did that come from?
"Have you ever cheated on a woman?" Her expression grew pensive.
"No, of course not."
"Never ever?" Skepticism filled her face.
He felt his brows hike up as he studied her. What was going on in her head right now? He could have sworn she'd felt the sizzling chemistry between them a moment ago, so how did she go from that to this?
"Never ever." He locked gazes with her until the doubt disappeared from her face. "That was random. Where did that come from?"
Was she asking because she was interested in a relationship with him? His heart skipped a few beats at the possibility. Would she be willing to wait six months until she finished physical therapy?
He shook the thought from his head. He couldn't think about that. She was his patient and nothing more.
"My ex—" Paige cut herself off and shifted to lean her back against the wall of the pool before continuing. "Someone once told me all men cheat at one point or another in their life."
"That's not true," Gabe said without hesitation. His body tensed as heat rushed through him. The nerve of the man.
His jaw clenched as he thought about his dad and his former best friend. The two people he'd trusted most in his life—three if he counted Harper, his former fiancée—had disappointed and hurt him deeply with their infidelity. He rubbed his neck to combat the sudden headache the memories triggered.
Paige's eyes narrowed as she watched him. "You say it's not true, but something about that statement makes you uncomfortable. Why?"
"Men aren't the only ones who cheat." He shook his head in disgust. "For every man out there who cheats, there's another woman he's doing it with." His life had been wrecked twice by such individuals.
Paige reeled back as if he'd slapped her. Her cheeks flushed, and tears flooded her eyes before she turned away.
He’d struck a nerve. Frowning, he wondered why she reacted like that. Did her ex cheat on her?
"Sometimes…" Paige's voice was defensive, "the other woman has no idea." She shot him a glare before looking away again.
Gabe made a sound that was a combination of a scoff and a snort.
His dad's secretary knew he was married when they started their two-year-long affair that resulted in Gabe's dad walking out on his family.
And Harper—despite being engaged to Gabe—knew Dirk, his best friend, was in a committed relationship when she made a play for him.
"It's true," Paige's voice remained defensive, but she didn't make eye contact.
“Is that what happened to you?” he asked gently.
She simply stared into the water and didn’t respond.
“Did he find someone else while you were together?” When she still didn’t respond, he tried again. “Or was he already in a relationship when he started dating you?”
Paige flinched and wrapped her arms across her abdomen in a protective gesture.
Gabe's chest tightened at the thought of a man using and hurting Paige like that. His fists doubled at his side as his protective instincts kicked in. Did her accident have something to do with her ex?
No wonder she wasn't thinking clearly. He knew that kind of betrayal, and it had left him reeling for a long time.
“I swear…” Her unfocused gaze shifted to a spot at the other side of the pool. “I didn’t know Phillip was engaged the whole time we dated.”
“Engaged?” The word came out sharper than Gabe intended as past wounds ripped open.
She flinched again then gave him a weak smile as she pushed away from the edge of the pool. "I'm sorry I brought the whole thing up. We should probably get back to the exercises."
"Wait." He held out a hand to stop her from moving away but decided it best not to touch her again. "Do I get to know why my fidelity is in question?"
She looked at him with a furrowed brow. "I didn't question your fidelity."
"Didn't you?"
A flash of guilt crossed her face as she huffed and folded her arms across her chest. She averted her gaze again.
"What triggered this questioning?" He pressed when she didn't answer.
"I find you—" She stopped herself and seemed to weigh her words carefully. "I'm trying to figure out if you're really as nice of a guy as you seem."
A spark of warmth lit in his chest. "You think I'm a nice guy?" He did his best to keep his voice neutral as he tamped down the thrill of excitement that shot through him.
"You're good at your job." She ticked things off on her fingers.
"You're great with your patients. You're humorous and fun to be around.
" She pinned him with a piercing gaze before continuing.
"I'm trying to figure out if you're hiding something that makes you someone other than who you claim to be. "
Hiding something?
"I haven't claimed to be anything other than a physical therapist."
"I know." She propped her hands on her hips and let out another huff. "I'm just afraid I'm not a good judge of character anymore, so I need to know…" Her words trailed off.
He bit back a smile at her expressive behavior. "What do you need to know?"
"Nothing. Never mind." She shook her head, but the motion was jerky and sharp.
"I would never cheat on a woman, Paige." He pressed a hand to his chest as he met her gaze. "I’m sorry about what happened with your ex, but not all men are unfaithful." He squared his shoulders. "We don't deserve to be labeled as such just because you had a bad experience with one man."
A twisting sensation hit his gut. Hadn't he done the same thing with women after Harper cheated on him? There was a reason he was still single six years later. After being burned so badly, it was hard to go near the fire again.
"You're right. I'm sorry." A look of contrition filled her face. "I never should have accused or doubted you."
"Why are you concerned about my character?"
A rosy tint colored her cheeks as she cupped water in her hands. "No reason."
He was tempted to press her for an answer, but if she felt even a fraction of the desire he did a few minutes ago—and he suspected she did—it was best to leave it alone. He'd already flirted with danger once today when it came to Paige Young and nearly jeopardized his job.
Once was enough.