For the rest of the week, Gabriel kept up the grueling pace, but no matter how hard he worked, he couldn’t outrun his feelings. And outside of a couple of brief text messages, he’d stopped answering Darius’s and Brent’s calls, not wanting to answer their questions, either. By Friday, he couldn’t take it anymore. His friends would probably laugh themselves silly if they knew he was running around acting like a lovesick fool. At the moment, he’d accept the name because he had to see her, kiss her.

Thirty minutes later, he stood on her doorstep, ringing the bell.

“Gabriel, hi,” Serenity said when she opened the door.

For a moment, Gabriel could only stare. He didn’t understand why this one woman got to him. Today she wore a low-cut tank top and shorts that showcased her beautiful body. She’d left her hair down, and her braids swirled around her face and down her back. The memory of his hands fisted in the mass as he feasted on her mouth appeared in his mind, and he fought back the urge for a repeat.

She folded her arms, an amused expression on her face. “Are you going to say something, or stand there staring all day? This isn’t the first time you’ve seen me wearing shorts.”

He dropped his head and chuckled. “Sorry. Hi. Can I come in for a minute?”

She unlocked the screen and held it open. “What’s up?”

When Gabriel passed, his body brushed against hers, and the contact sent heat thrumming through him. “I just wanted to see you. I missed hanging out with you.”

Serenity stared up at him, seemingly contemplating his words, then said softly, “I missed you, too.”

He’d planned to broach the subject of them maybe continuing to see each other once he returned home, but the words got stuck in his throat. Instead he asked, “Are you busy right now?”

“Well, I was about to change clothes and go to Ms. Ida’s for a late dinner.”

“Would you like some company?” He observed the play of emotions on her face and knew she was probably thinking about them being seen together. Outside the trip to the ice cream parlor, they still hadn’t done anything in town. Since he’d been in town for almost three months and Adele had pretty much put out a news bulletin every time she saw the two of them, he figured they should be old news by now.

“Sure. Give me a few while I change.”

“I’ll wait here.”

She nodded. “I won’t be long.”