No Gentle Giant (A Small Town Romance)

Tonight, she’s been a godsend.

A whirlwind of efficiency and lovely warmth, taking care of things I’m a little slow to pick up on. I’m still reeling from my brains getting knocked around the walls of my skull.

The second she dropped me off, she ordered me to sit down and stay still, then headed up to the big house to get Eli and bring him home. I worried what she’d say to them.

Luckily, she reassured me that she convinced the Fords it was nothing but my Jeep stranding me at the gas station and Fliss was giving me a ride.

Then she’d gotten Eli good and settled, parking him with his tablet and some new photo filter app she’d heard about. It worked to keep him distracted, and so did the quick snack of honey and oats she threw together from the mess of groceries in my kitchen.

Hell, she’s doing a better job of this parenting thing than I am right now.

I know I must’ve screwed something up, if Gavin Coakley followed me out here with a grudge.

I’m just damned lucky he didn’t hurt my kid when Eli caught him snooping around.

That’s what’s still sitting with me like I swallowed a bag of rocks.

Anything could’ve happened.

Gavin was more than willing to fuck my shit up beyond repair.

It’s probably just the fact that Eli startled him that Gavin didn’t do something worse to him than running.

The rat-bastard never was quick at thinking on his feet.

“Hey,” Felicity says. Her gentle fingertips are warm and tangled in my beard, touching my jaw delicately and tipping my face to hers. “Come back down to earth, yeah? What happened? That guy...he came after you for the gold, didn’t he?” Her face crumples. “I’m so sorry, Alaska, I—”

“Fliss—no.” I cut her off before she can start thinking it’s her fault and catch her hand, folding it in mine.

There’s always this heat in her skin, this pulsating glow I swear could heal me just by pressing her delicate flesh to mine.

I want to kiss every finger she’s got, nice and slow and teasing.

These hands are so capable, always busy with creating the artistry she makes out of her coffee when she’s not taking care of somebody.

It’s surprising how slender and soft they feel against my rough workman’s hands.

“He came after me. Gavin Coakley’s my problem, Fliss, not yours,” I say. “The fact that he stumbled on the gold, that’s my fault, too. You were right. I was overconfident and I should’ve hid it better.”

Her hand tugs lightly at mine, then stops, curling loosely against my fingers as she looks at me with her brows knit.

“Gavin? You mean you know that guy?”

“Too well,” I admit reluctantly. “He was my business partner.”

I make myself let go of her hand, even if all I want to do is hold on and reassure her that my problems aren’t about to compound hers. Carefully, I pry the cold compress out of her fingertips so I can hold it in place on my own.

“You might want to get comfortable,” I say with a dry smile. “This is a bit of a story.”

She settles, drawing one leg up on the edge of my bed and hugging it to her chest as she watches me.

Not warily, no, but she’s definitely bracing for something.

“Okay...ready when you are,” she whispers.

“Right.” I take a deep breath. “Once upon a time, I got out of the SEALs after some pretty hairy missions. Too many near-death experiences, so I decided I’d had my fun and discharged honorably. I didn’t want Eli growing up without a dad. Trouble is, a lot of the work out there for dudes with my kind of experience, especially in Alaska, involves being away a lot...so I tried something different.”

I meet her eyes, absorbing her stare, her eyes wide and urging me to go on.

“There was an old gold mine not too far off the property I inherited from my grandfather. Mostly played out, but there was a chance it could be revived, tapped with better technology to at least keep Eli’s college fund full and everybody comfortable.” I shrug. “Finding the startup funds to develop the mine was a tricky business. So Gavin and I went in halves, sank everything we had into it—and it probably would’ve worked out if I hadn’t...fuck.”

This is where I freeze.

Soft fingertips feather against my arm, and her touch almost makes me choke.

Her warmth, really, when I haven’t felt a woman’s heat in so long.

I haven’t let myself feel it.

It’s been so hard keeping my shit together for Eli. I can’t start thinking about my own wants and needs when his come first, second, and last.

Fliss looks up at me with encouragement, the tilt of her face curious and accepting.

Again, I think I see an angel.

It’s like no matter what I say, she’s ready to accept.