Past Will Haunt Read Free Page B

too.
    He wasn’t lovable.
    Maybe that’s why his mother left.
    He wasn’t capable of getting attached. Then again, maybe that wasn’t true. He loved Elizabeth—like the sister he never had. It had to be him.
    Inside, he had to be broken. What kind of person loved work more?
    Not a sane one.
    Gabe was flawed. He didn't love, he didn't risk, and he certainly didn't fall for some wild, out of control woman.
    Only, this one small agent had managed to destroy that all with a few short weeks of working outside his door. She leveled him, and he didn't know what to do about it.
    So, he ran.
    And ran.
    And ran.
    It burned off the sexual tension, lessening the hold it had on his libido. The more miles he logged, the better off he was. It was like he was putting a gap between them.
    Now he was safe. Livy couldn’t get to him.
    Or that’s what he told himself.
    As he raced through the running trails, not far from where he lived, he only hoped that he could burn off some of the lust. It wasn’t easy. Gabe’s whole body was fraught with tension. As he lay in bed, he could imagine her touch, the way she’d taste, and the feel of her body against his.
    He was dying to partake in that forbidden fruit. If he didn't find a way to satiate that need, he was going to do something stupid.
    He knew it.
    What he wanted more than anything was to act on his impulse and share some clandestine hookup with his agent.
    Mentally, he chastised himself for thinking it.
    Physically, he punished himself even more. One more lap through the park would beat it out of him. Gabe couldn’t go home until he pushed back that wave of need.
    He had to reinforce that dam.
    As he rounded the bend, he hit the straightaway. Before he could even get halfway up the hill, he saw motion to his right. There was someone stretching out.
    It was a woman—a really hot woman with a truly spectacular ass. Maybe if he found a replacement for the woman he really wanted, he could keep his body in check.
    So, he went with it.
    As he focused on this woman’s truly amazing curves, they seemed familiar. He couldn’t place them. Just as he got closer, he didn't see the bench beside the running trail. As he raced past her, his running shoe clipped it.
    And Gabe went down.
    Hard.
    It momentarily stunned him, knocking him senseless.
    Before he could recover, something else stole his breath. The sexy woman, who had been stretching, was now standing above him, and he was horrified.
    She was staring down at him with nothing but concern. Those green eyes were the same ones he’d been trying to forget. What were the chances?
    Well, shit .
    It was the woman he was running from, and here she was. What the hell was his problem? Gabe knew that he had terrible luck.
    Crap!
    “Gabriel, are you okay?” she asked, trying not to laugh her ass off. She was pretty sure what took the large man out. As she was stretching, she saw him coming. He was wearing his FBI running shorts, and a really sweaty t-shirt.
    Livy wanted to see him whip it off as he continued his run. That was her biggest fantasy.
    God!
    She’d pay good money to see that happen.
    There was something about the stiff, ridged boss man. Maybe it was those troubled green eyes, or the way he pushed his hands through his hair in frustration.
    It made her want to torment him even more, just to see it stand in sexy peaks.
    “Uh…” Gabe couldn’t speak. All the blood was draining to his lower body as he checked her out in the tiny shorts.
    Shit!
    He was so screwed. There was no amount of running to help him forget this.
    “Did you hurt yourself, boss?” she asked, crouching beside him. When her fingers touched his arm, he pulled it away like she burned him.
    She grinned.
    Yeah, someone was wound tighter than a two dollar watch.
    “I’m good!” he blurted, trying to get up and away from Livy Spencer’s hand. Who knew what she’d touch next? If she kept caressing him, he was going to have other issues to explain, mainly his