Free Dangerous Grounds by Shelli Stevens Page B

his daughter. Vulnerable wasn’t a term he would use to describe her. Maybe two days ago…but since then he’d seen a solid strength in Madison Phillips that had his respect for her growing.
    “I think Maddie’s had enough shock. If you could keep things simple while she’s with you. Don’t let her do anything too extreme. She may not be thinking in a clear manner.”
    Gabe’s attention snapped back to Madison’s father and his not-so-subtle warning not to try anything with her. His annoyance level peaked, and he wanted to tell her dad to have this conversation with his daughter. She was the one into extreme seduction.
    But he had too much respect for Robert Phillips to bring that up. Besides, if he could stick to his guns and keep saying no, it wouldn’t be an issue.
    “My only interest in Madison is keeping her safe, Mr. Phillips.” Gabe downed the rest of his juice.
    “I thought as much.” Robert’s expression held respect and something else he couldn’t identify. For a moment he could have sworn it was disappointment, but that wouldn’t have made sense.
    The doorbell rang and Robert excused himself to answer it.
    Gabe walked into the kitchen and found Madison and her mother in a deep discussion about last night’s events. She glanced up and smiled when she noticed him. He returned the smile, but found himself thinking quite a bit about the conversation he’d just had with her father.
    “Spaghetti’s here.”
    They all glanced up as Robert returned carrying a silver container that must have held their dinner. Gabe gave a soft laugh. So this was why Madison ate out so much. She’d been raised this way. How could he have forgotten? Something as easy to make as spaghetti and the Phillips still ordered out.
    He caught Madison’s gaze again and smiled as she quirked an eyebrow at him in amusement. She must have read his mind.
    She took the seat at the table next to him and whispered, “Yeah, but wait ’til you try it. This stuff is orgasmic.”
    Her hand ran over his thigh and he grabbed her wrist, stalling its movement. He glanced up at her dad, half expecting to find him glaring across the table, but Robert appeared otherwise occupied serving the spaghetti onto his wife’s plate.
    “Not now, Madison,” he warned in a low voice.
    “All right,” she agreed and gave him an intent look. “Then later.”

Chapter Seven
     
    Later, after they’d spent the rest of the day making phone calls, closing the shop, and picking up more things from her apartment, they arrived back at Gabe’s house.
    “Thanks for today.” Madison glanced over at him as they walked through the door. “You didn’t have to do any of that. The lunch with my parents was a lot to ask. I hope that wasn’t too painful.”
    “Of course not,” he insisted, casting a sideways glance her way. “I like your family. They’ve never been anything but supportive of me.”
    “They love you.” She walked past him into the living room. “I’ll put in the DVD.”
    “All right, I’ll fix us something for dinner.”
    Relaxing and zoning out for a few hours sounded like heaven. Anything to take her mind off the last two days. They’d stopped by the video store to make it an ultra stress-free evening.
    And the post-dinner plans she had would be quite the surprise for Gabe. A wicked smile crossed her face as she grabbed the remote control and sat on the couch.
    “I forgot to ask, do you eat beef?” he yelled from the kitchen.
    “I do, but I prefer lean cuts.”
    “It is,” he called back. She thought she heard him mutter something about tofu, but wasn’t sure.
    The sound of meat sizzling and the smell of soy sauce reached her. Hmm. Stir fry? This man could cook. Too bad he was just a rebound. A girl could get used to this.
    He brought her dinner ten minutes later and sat on the couch. Sure enough, it was stir-fried beef and vegetables, with a compact ball of sticky rice next to it.
    “Wow, your rice looks so perfect.” She poked