Free Tainted Legacy (YA Paranormal Romance) by Amity Hope

twisty concoction that showed off her neck in a way Gabe wished she wouldn’t.
    Most of the time, he towered over girls. When he’d walked down the sidewalk with Ava, he’d realized that with her natural height and the heel of her boot, she was at the perfect level for him to comfortably throw his arm across her shoulder.
    But he didn’t. The cross around her neck helped him to adhere to the boundaries he had set. Like a naughty puppy being kept in line with the threat of a shock at the first sign of overstepping boundaries. Without that added protection, Gabe knew he’d be attempting to take liberties he’d promised himself not to take.
    Liberties Rafe was urging him to take but Gabe knew once he crossed that line, he was moving into new territory. Territory he didn’t feel comfortable in. Territory he wasn’t sure he’d be able to survive in.
    He’d never had the desire to be anyone’s boyfriend, happy to take anything and everything he could get from a girl without ever having to commit. He had no idea how to keep Ava once he’d had her in any way that was not entirely non physical.
    So until he knew what the timeframe was…Until he knew what exactly it was that was expected of him, what his father wanted from Ava, he needed to keep things safe.
    “Where to?” Gabe asked as he rolled the window down. No need to let the car fill with that unbelievably scrumptious scent that left him wanting to lean over and lick that incredibly inviting, kissable neck.
    “We’ve seen all there is to see in Hunter Falls. Do you want to head over to Granville?”
    “Sure,” Gabe agreed as he pulled away from the curb and headed out of town. “And then what? Mini golf?” He’d never mini golfed in his life. Thought the concept was ridiculous. But he could not sit next to Ava in a movie theater, or any other enclosed space. Not with her smelling and looking the way she did. They needed to do something outdoors so he would have the freedom of moving away from her when he needed to. Mini golf was the first and only thing that came to mind. “It’s too nice to spend the evening inside.”
    “Or,” Ava countered, “we could check out the boardwalk along the river? Most of the shops close for the winter season but they should be open by now. Don’t look at me like that,” she laughed. “I’m not going to make you look at shoes and purses. There’s this really cool little art gallery. They don’t carry the usual boring prints of flowers and teapots. They have some really unique, fun stuff. There’s an arcade that totally puts Cheaters to shame. Also, this little ice-cream shop that has the best homemade ice-cream on the planet and, um,” she hesitated, trying to think of something that would entice Gabe because most of the cute little boutiques would not.
    Gabe laughed. “You kind of have an ice-cream fetish, don’t you?”
    Ava bit her lip, making him wish he could be the one biting it instead. She blushed when she realized where his eyes were but then laughed when he blinked and looked away. “I do. You’re finding out all of my deep, dark secrets.”
    “Is the shop that carries leather clothing down there?” he asked, needing to change the subject. “I’ve seen it advertised but I haven’t gone looking for it yet.”
    “Yes, why?” she wondered with raised eyebrows. “What kind of leather are you looking for?”
    “Nothing too exciting. I need a new pair of motorcycle boots,” he explained.
    “Do you actually have a motorcycle?”
    “Yeah,” he told her giving her a sidelong glance.
    “Of course you do,” she said with a smile. “Oh! You said you live half way between Hunter Falls and Granville. Are we close to your house? Will you show it to me?”
    Gabe frowned. They were close. He just didn’t know if he should show it to her. He couldn’t think of a reasonable excuse not to. “It’s actually just a few more minutes down the road. I guess we can stop as blucan stolong as we don’t go