Rush

pursed. “What did you do?”
    “He and I merely reached an understanding,” Gabe said calmly. “It’s over, Mia. He
     won’t bother you again.”
    It was then that her gaze fell on his hand, at the scrape on his knuckles and the
     faint smear of redness, almost as if he’d wiped the blood but hadn’t gotten quite
     all of it.
    She glanced back into his eyes, her brows furrowing. “What did you do, Gabe?”
    “He put his hands on you,” Gabe said sharply. “That’s twice he’s forced himself on
     you with the intent of harming you.”
    “If he presses charges, you’ll be arrested,” she said unhappily. “Then everything
     will come out. He’s not worth you going to jail for.”
    A low growl echoed from his throat. “You’re worth
everything
. I’d die for you. I’d sure as hell go to jail to prevent some asshole from hurting
     you.”
    Shocked to her core by the vehement words, she could only stare at him in utter bemusement.
     Hope was sharp and overwhelming, fluttering deep in her heart and flooding her veins
     with soothing warmth. Tears filled her eyes, threatening to spill over onto her cheeks.
    She lifted his hand and gently kissed the abrasion.
    His gaze softened and he cupped her cheek, rubbing softly over her jaw.
    “There’s something else I want to discuss with you, Mia.”
    She could sense the difference in his voice. He was a little less certain, and yet
     his words were firm, full of determination.
    “What?”
    “I think we should tell Jace about us.”
    Her eyes widened in shock.
    “He doesn’t need to know exact details. But we run the risk of discovery all the time.
     I’m tired of pretending you don’t mean a damn thing to me. You live in fear of him
     discovering us and whatit will do to our friendship and your relationship with him. If we remove that fear,
     then it won’t have any power over us any longer. He may be angry at first, but he’ll
     get over it.”
    Mia blew out an unsteady breath. This was…Well, it was huge. Gabe wanted to go public
     with their relationship? She dared not hope what that meant. She couldn’t afford to
     read anything into it, to assume that it was anything more than ending a source of
     considerable strain as they sought to keep their relationship secret.
    “Mia? Do you agree?”
    She blinked and refocused her gaze on Gabe. Saw the determination etched on his face.
     Then slowly, she nodded.
    “When?” she whispered.
    “When he gets back into town. He’s supposed to be back Monday or Tuesday. I’ll let
     him know that I have something important to discuss with him.”
    “Okay,” she agreed, her pulse racing.
    “Now, this is what I want us to do now that we’ve gotten all of that out of our way
     and decided, and the matter of Charles is dealt with,” Gabe said.
    He touched her face, then threaded his hand through her hair, stroking in sweet caresses.
    “I want us to spend the weekend together not worrying about a damn thing other than
     what pleases us. I’ll order in dinner for us, and we’ll have a nice meal by the fire
     and watch the rain turn to snow and sleet.”
    She sighed and leaned forward, wrapping her arms around his neck in a hug. “That sounds
     wonderful, Gabe. It’s the perfect weekend.”

chapter thirty-seven
    Gabe kept a close eye on Mia throughout the weekend. She still showed signs of worry
     and anxiety, and he made every effort to distract her when it was obvious she was
     brooding over the situation with Charles. He had no doubt he’d made his point with
     Charles and that he wouldn’t be a threat to Mia any longer.
    Still, he never assumed anything and so he’d placed a few discreet calls so that Charles’s
     activities could be monitored. But he kept that fact from Mia, not wanting to give
     her any reason to doubt his assurance that Charles would no longer pose a threat.
    Sunday, he took her out for a late lunch, early dinner, and they sat in a restaurant
     that had already been decorated for Christmas ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday that
     was in a few days’ time. He knew she loved Christmas and everything having to do with
     it. Her entire face had lit up when they’d walked into the festively lit interior
     of the eatery.
    He wasn’t at all certain of what to do for Thanksgiving. A lot would depend on Jace’s
     reaction to his and Mia’s relationship when they told him everything this week. His
     parents had invited him to spend the holiday with them, and as glad as he was