When he looked up, Julie’s eyes were wet, offering Mako the tears Gabe hadn’t been able to shed.

Her lips trembled slightly as she smiled. “I’m glad you had him, then.”

“Yeah.” He reached up, his hand behind her head to pull her down to him—and caught himself. No, dumbass, no sex. Not going to happen.

She bit her lip, and her fingers curved over his shoulder. A flush turned her cheeks a delicate pink.

His cock hardened.

Ah, hell. There was only so much temptation a man could take, and giving in wouldn’t be right.

“I’d better be going.” He gripped her hips, planning to set her down on the couch.

“No.” Audrey blinked, not believing she’d protested, but she had. She meant it. He was going to leave—and she didn’t want him to.

Of course, sex wasn’t especially tempting since she couldn’t get off with a man without taking a hand herself. And she was usually too embarrassed to do so.

But Gabe’s presence made her feel incredibly safe. She didn’t want to be alone. Not tonight. Nightmares were already edging out of the shadowy corners. She could hear the unfamiliar sounds outside the cabin, the ones that always sent her to check door and windows repeatedly.

If she made love with Gabe—okay, use the blunt terminology—fucked Gabe, maybe he’d spend the night. And even hold her.

Was having sex with someone in exchange for affection afterward a variation on prostitution?

She stroked her palm across his chest, disconcerted at the feel of his bunching muscles. “Why don’t you…stay?”

When he shook his head, humiliation hit her like a blow. He didn’t want her. She’d misread his interest completely—another confirmation of what Craig had said about her social ineptness.

And yet, heat lurked in Gabe’s eyes, and the color in his darkly tan face had heightened. Beneath her hip, she felt his thick erection. That was interest, right?

“I don’t think that would be wise, Julie.”

At the compelling huskiness in his resonant voice, arousal swept over her, leaving her skin overly sensitive in its wake. Even the brush of her own hair against her cheek felt tantalizing.

She’d gripped his wrists to keep him from setting her away and off his lap. He was strong enough to move her anyway. If he wanted to.

Her veiled invitation for sex hadn’t worked. What did women do when they wanted to entice a man?

In movies, women often made the first pass. How? Oh, yes. Gripping the hem of her shirt, she pulled it over her head, leaving herself naked from the waist up.

For a second she felt incredibly, powerfully sexy.

The moment died.

She wasn’t sexy; she was stupid. Oh God, he was going to laugh at her and—