Read A Beautiful Thought (The Beautiful Series) for Free Online

it’s a possibility. The idea of moving here permanently is still new to me,” he responded honestly. “So far, I’ve really enjoyed being here and learning the area. Lake Tahoe has quite the scenery.”
    I nodded in agreement, noting he was not set on this being his long-term home. Maybe that would help reinforce the need to keep my distance, so I would not become attached to him.
    “It is beautiful, isn’t it?” I asked, responding to his comment about Lake Tahoe.
    He delayed a moment but kept my gaze locked with his, driving my heart rate up again. It was as though something inexplicable was passing between us.
    “It is,” he breathed.
    His response caught me off guard, and I inhaled a feeble breath. I wanted to ask what he’d meant by that, but I didn’t. I could not go there. I needed to stay in neutral territory and get to why we’d met here. Otherwise, I was going to lose my nerve and run for the exit.
    Just roommates…
    I need a roommate.
    Focus, Gail.
    “So…” I trailed off nervously. I attempted to gather my words, but I was coming up empty-handed.
    Asking for someone’s help was so damn hard for me, especially when I barely knew the person. To top it off, I was undeniably attracted to Damon.
    His gaze stayed focused on me, never wavering, as he chimed in, “Abbey knew that I needed a place to stay, and she thought you might be able to help me.”
    I gave him a perplexed look, furrowing my brows, as I tried to understand what he was doing. I needed him, not the other way around. My thoughts whirled.
    “Want a roomie?” he politely probed. “You would save me the trouble of living with someone who might end up being a lunatic,” he added, giving me a handsome grin.
    My mind was reeling, still trying to pick up the scattered pieces. This was not what I’d expected at all. I was supposed to be pleading with him to live with me . I had a feeling that he was saving me from asking for help.
    “I do need a roommate,” I admitted softly. But I wanted to give him an out if he needed it. “Then again, we are nearly strangers, so I’ll understand if you don’t want to.”
    “No, we’re not. You are my brother’s fiancée’s best friend.” He pinched his brows together and chuckled. “I think I said that right. We were bound to have to get to know each other in the near future anyway.”
    He reached across the table, taking my hand in his, with a gentleness that stole my breath. While blushing, I gazed down at our hands with his olive skin tone against my fairer one.
    This is crazy.
    But I was desperate for assistance since I wanted to continue helping with Caroline’s expenses.
    “We don’t really know each other, and this isn’t the most practical situation. But we both knowingly trust Abbey, and she wouldn’t lead us down the wrong path,” he added.
    My eyes flickered up to his. His mouth curved and formed the slightest dimple in his cheek.
    While lost in his irresistible charm, I found myself saying, “Okay, let’s give it a try.”

~Damon~
    After throwing my last bag in the backseat of my four-door black Ford F-250, I walked back into the hotel and checked out of my room. As of tonight, I was officially moving into Gail’s apartment.
    I remembered our night at dinner as I jumped into my truck, and I followed Gail’s written directions to her place. She had seemed like the strong and independent type all through the evening. Then, when it had come time for her to ask me to move in with her, her eyes had filled with so much vulnerability, and I’d felt like someone had sucker-punched me in the gut. In that moment, it was as though something unexplainable had come alive inside me while sitting across the table from her, and I’d wanted nothing more than to wrap my arms around her and take care of her. I was fucking clueless as to why I’d felt that way. I’d never had that reaction to a woman before. I shook my head in awe. There was just something about her, and I couldn’t