Page 85 of Return of the Bad Girl (Rock Canyon, Idaho 4)

He heaved a huge sigh and said, “We’re not talking about me right now.”

The gentle reminder made her wonder if he thought she was trying to avoid talking about Kyle.

He’s probably right, but once you tell him, you can’t take it back.

“It’s . . . hard to talk about. Before a few weeks ago, I’d only ever told one person, and that didn’t go quite how I expected,” Caroline said, sliding her hand back down until it lay on his chest. “I just don’t want you to look at me differently.”

Gabe shook his head and rolled to his side, kissing her gently. “Crazy girl, I think you are one hell of a woman to have overcome the cards you got dealt. A lot of people would have made worse mistakes to deal with their pain.”

Gabe’s words warmed her, and she kissed him again, just a short press of her lips, but it meant so much for him to try to put her at ease. “Thank you.”

He pulled her close again and kissed her hair. “What happened after your mom died?”

You can do this. You’ve come this far.

“Well, I was a wreck for months, and then my father started asking me to attend political functions with him.”

“Political?” Gabe asked.

She tilted her head back and said, “My father was the mayor of Rock Canyon before he started aiming for higher offices in the state.”

“Look at that. You really are a princess,” he said teasingly. She slapped his abs, and he groaned.

“Be nice.”

“I’m always nice,” he said, threading his fingers through hers. “But actually, I already knew that about you.”

“You did?” she asked, surprised. “How?”

“Hanging with Chase and Eric. I asked why Eric called you Trouble,” Gabe said.

“Oh, really? You didn’t beat it out of him?” Caroline said, feeling like her emotions were all over the place. One minute she was crying and the next she was smiling.

“I didn’t have to.” Gabe traced his thumb across her palm. “But I did warn him if he kissed you again, I was going to beat the shit out of him.”

Caroline choked. “You did not tell Eric Henderson you were going to beat the shit out of him.”

“No, but just so you know, if he does kiss you, he’s dead meat.”

“Okay, first of all, you don’t own me or my lips, buster,” she said, pushing away from his chest, “and second, dead meat? Really?”

Gabe tried to kiss her but only got cheek when she turned her head. His warm breath grazed her ear as he whispered, “Hey, I know I don’t own you, but that doesn’t mean I want you kissing anyone but me.”

Caroline’s heart skipped and then beat out a hearty tempo. “So, we’re kissing exclusively?”

“Well, if Jessica Alba shows up . . .”

Caroline squeezed his hand hard, and he kissed her cheek. “Yeah, we’re exclusive.”

Silence stretched between them, and her mind raced at the implications. Was he freaking out, putting everything out there and admitting they weren’t going to be seeing anyone but each other?

She could admit; it was freaking her out. But just a smidge, really.

“We keep getting off topic,” Gabe said.

“What? Oh . . .” On top of the intimacy associated with exclusivity, he wanted to hear about the most painful parts of her past.

This is what people do in relationships. They share things.