For a second, he didn’t move. His beautiful blue eyes slid over her from top to bottom. She recognized the heat before he quickly shuttered his expression.

“Can I come in?” she asked.

“Sure. Sorry. Come on in.” He stepped back out of the way, and she walked past him into the living room. Through the doorway, she could see into the kitchen, which looked as bad as Edge had said.

And Gage . . . He was wearing a rumpled gray T-shirt that stretched over his powerful chest. A pair of faded jeans hugged his muscled thighs. He hadn’t shaved in days, which only made him look sexier.

“I wasn’t sure you’d be home,” she said. I wasn’t sure you’d be alone, she meant.

“Thanks to you and King, I can afford to take a little time off. You want something to drink? A soda or a glass of wine?”

“I’m not staying. I just . . . I had something I wanted to say, and I was hoping you’d give it some thought.”

“I think I’ll have that drink,” he drawled.

She would rather have just said her piece and left. But she followed him over to the built-in bar. At least the living room still looked neat and clean.

Gage poured himself a scotch. Abby sat down on the sofa, and Gage carried his drink over and sat down in the chair across from her. The distance between them seemed to stretch even farther than that. She wished she hadn’t come.

“Your brother stopped by to see me.” Not what she’d meant to say at all. “He thought I should come over and talk to you.”

“That’s a surprise.” He took a drink of scotch. “Edge usually minds his own business.”

Abby took a deep breath, wishing she had accepted the glass of wine. Wishing she’d already drunk it. “He said . . . he said you loved me and that since I loved you, I should tell you all the reasons we should be together.”

Gage’s lips edged up at the corners, but his eyes looked sad. “You don’t think I know all the reasons we should be together?”

Her pulse quickened. “I don’t know. I didn’t think so, or I wouldn’t be here.”

“To start with, you’re beautiful, but that’s obvious. When I look at you in that dress, it’s all I can do to keep my hands off you. You’re smart, and you’re caring. You’re tough when you need to be, and you never complain.”

She felt the heat creeping into her cheeks. “Well, I did complain a few times, but—”

He grinned. “You’re also stubborn, and you refuse to follow orders, even when they’re for your own good.”

“I know, but—”

“That’s two more things I love about you.”

“You do?”