Return of the Bad Girl (22 page)

Without waiting for Kyle to say more, Gabe turned to Caroline and put his hand on the small of her back. “Come on.”

She let him gently propel her up the stairs, and when they got through the door, he shut and dead bolted it behind them. Caroline stood by the back of the couch, her shoulders shaking. As Gabe drew closer to her, all his earlier irritation melted away, and he just wanted to comfort her.

Wrapping his arms around her from behind, he pulled her back against him. His palms rubbed her bare skin, and he rocked her. He wanted to ask her again why Kyle was harassing her, but by the quake of her body, he didn’t think she’d be up for talking yet.

It killed him that this strong, beautiful woman didn’t feel like she had anyone she could turn to. Nobody to keep her safe.

But it wasn’t true. And he wished he was the kind of guy to tell her that. That he could be open about what he was feeling, but he wasn’t very good with words. He was the thug, the tough guy who used violence to get his point across.

Apparently, he hadn’t changed as much as he’d thought. He’d lost his head over a threat to his woman, and he’d dealt with it the only way he knew how.

You just called her your woman.

Deep down, it was how he felt. Like she belonged to him. Like she needed him.

And he wanted her to need him.

“It’s okay. You’re safe. You’re all right,” he said, holding her a little tighter.

“I told you not to get involved,” she whimpered, her hands gripping his forearm as she tried to turn around. He loosened his hold enough to let her, and when she faced him, he was surprised by her dark scowl.

“That guy assaulted you,” Gabe said.

“And I’m still standing. Believe me, he’s done worse. But the things he could do to you . . . Gabe, do you really want to go back to prison?”

“That punk is a fucking pussy,” Gabe said, dropping his arms from around her waist. “He’s not going to do shit to me.”

“You don’t know what he’s capable of, especially when someone humiliates him,” Caroline said, taking his hand and bringing his bruised knuckles to her mouth.

He caught his breath at the gentle brush of her lips, his heart hammering. Trying to play it cool, he used his other hand to tilt her chin up, and he studied her face.

“You trying to say you care about me, Caroline?” She tried to look away, but he wouldn’t let her. “Answer me.”

“I think you’re an idiot who’s going to get hurt if he keeps getting involved in my problems,” she snapped.

“Hey,” he said, releasing her as she struggled. “I’m a big boy. I can handle it.”

“I don’t need you to fight my battles for me,” she said, pushing him all the way back. “I was handling my own shit just fine before you came along, so don’t think you’re going to come in here on a white horse and save me. Is that your plan? To make me indebted to you?”

Gabe tightened his fists, his muscles aching with rage. “Forgive me, princess. I promise, it’s the last time I get involved in your drama.”

“Good. That’s all I want!”

Without saying anything else, he grabbed his jacket and slammed out the door. Fuck her. If she didn’t know the difference between someone stepping up because he cared and someone trying to get something from her, then she was more damaged than he was.

Taking off down the street on foot, he headed toward Chase’s tattoo parlor with his mind racing. What the hell was going on with her? Something had happened to her, and that bastard Kyle was involved in it. Was he blackmailing her? Did she owe him money or something? It seemed unlikely, but what else could it be?

Maybe he was a lawyer. Had he helped her cover up a crime or just gotten her charges dropped? Had the charges been buried in exchange for . . . what?

Maybe you’ve just been watching too many procedural cop dramas.

As he opened up the door to Jagged Rock Tattoo Parlor, he saw Chase inside, sitting down with Eric, the bartender.

“Hey, man, sorry to interrupt.”

“Naw, we were just shooting the shit,” Chase said. “Eric, have you met Gabe? We grew up together.”

“Not officially,” Eric said, holding out his hand. “You’re the guy living with Caroline Willis, right?”

Gabe didn’t correct him that they weren’t
living
together, still remembering the too-familiar way Eric had kissed Caroline. “Yeah.”

“She’s a good kid,” Eric said, squeezing Gabe’s hand hard enough to be painful.

“She’s not a kid,” Gabe said, returning the grip.

The silence stretched as the two men sized each other up, and it was Chase who finally broke the tension. “Whoa, are you two about to throw down or kiss?”

Both of them swung around to face Chase, yelling, “What the fuck are you talking about?”

Chase laughed. “You both looked intense. I was just trying to lighten the mood.”

Eric was the first to speak. “I’m just looking out for her.”

“Well, good luck with that, because she doesn’t need that from anyone, according to her,” Gabe said bitterly.

Eric seemed to be fighting a smile. “Yeah, why do you think she got the nickname Trouble?”

The tension eased out of Gabe’s shoulders. “So, you two never . . .”

“Hell no. Like I said, sweet kid, but have you met her daddy?” Eric shook his head as he let out a whistle. “Let’s just say, even if I
had
been interested, working for her daddy dissuaded me from any future plans.”

Gabe walked over to one of the tattoo chairs and sat. “Tell me about him.”

G
ABE RETURNED TO
the apartment two hours later and, thanks to his new bartender friend, knew a lot more about Caroline’s father than when he’d walked in. Eric had had a lot to say about the former Rock Canyon mayor, Edward Willis, and the way he treated his three daughters—and none of it was good. After hearing about what a control freak her father was—when he wasn’t tearing the girls down for every infraction, that is—he could understand why Caroline had a hard time accepting help. It seemed like everything her father had given them had come with a stipulation.

Flopping down on the couch, he turned on the TV, but before he’d even made it through the beginning credits of
Turner and Hooch
, he was asleep.

Suddenly, he sat bolt upright. At first, he wasn’t sure what had woken him, but then he heard Caroline screaming. Jumping up from the couch, his heart hammered in his ears as he burst through her door. He flipped on the light, ready to grab her attacker, but there was no one there—just Caroline thrashing on the bed, still asleep.

Relief swept through him. He’d thought there was someone attacking her, but she was just having a nightmare.

He took her by the shoulders, gently shaking her. “Caroline . . .”

She thrashed harder, whimpering, “Stop . . . please.”

“Caroline, it’s me. It’s Gabe,” he said. “Come on, baby, stop. Wake up. It’s just a dream.”

She came to slowly, blinking up at him and then throwing her hands over her eyes to block the light. “Gabe?”

“Yeah, you okay?” he asked.

“Can you turn off the light?”

“Sure,” he said, getting up to flip the switch before coming back to her side. Taking her hand, he added, “Seemed like some dream.”

“Yeah,” she whispered. “It was.”

Neither one of them said anything for a minute or two, and Gabe released her hand, figuring she’d fallen back asleep. But when he started to rise from the bed, she grabbed his hand.

“Stay with me . . . please?”

He sat back down and said, “Are you sure?”

“Not for . . . I don’t want that,” she said softly. “I just don’t want to be alone.”

Climbing in with her, he lay down on his back and smiled as she snuggled into him, her cheek pressing against his chest. As he stroked her back, he waited for her to say more, and when she didn’t, he said, “I know you say you don’t need anybody, and I believe you. You are one tough woman, and I respect that. But I’m here if you change your mind. Okay?”

Seconds ticked by before she answered him.

“Thanks, Gabe.”

Gabe brushed her hair back with one hand as he pulled her closer with the other. After several minutes of quiet, Caroline’s breathing evened out, and her body relaxed. Once he was sure she was asleep, Gabe slipped out of her bed and headed for his own, a volcano of thoughts erupting inside: Caroline’s anger at him for having Kirsten stay over, how she’d accused him of taking advantage of her, Caroline’s reaction after his kiss. The nightmare . . .

Gabe didn’t want to even think it, but it made a lot of sense. Especially her fear of that bastard, Kyle. But if Caroline had been raped by him—when had it happened? And why hadn’t she reported it?

She’d said the man who’d assaulted her in the alley had worked for her father. Is that why she hadn’t told? Because she’d thought her dad wouldn’t believe her? But then why was Kyle stalking her now? Had she finally threatened to expose him after all this time?

So many unanswered questions, but one thought outweighed all the worries. Despite her protests, Caroline
did
need someone. And Gabe was determined to show her that someone was him.

Chapter Nineteen

“Anyone who says he or she has never experienced the walk of shame was just never caught sneaking out.”

—Miss Know It All

G
ABE WAS STILL
kicking his own ass on Friday as he closed up the shop. He had received the last of the tools he needed and would be ready to open in a couple of weeks, as long as he had customers. So far, things were looking pretty slow for custom bikes in Rock Canyon.

But it wasn’t the lack of orders that was eating at him—it was Caroline.

Slamming his helmet into the front door of the shop, he cursed. There were too many unanswered questions, and he wasn’t even sure he had a right to ask them. Since Sunday, Caroline had been pleasant with him, but that was as far as it went. They hadn’t talked about the sex or the fight with Kyle, and it had put Gabe in a fucked-up mood all week.

Chase had given him hell on Wednesday for being a dick, telling him he needed to get laid, and he’d just about thrown his friend across the room, he’d been so on edge.

Damn it, it was bad enough that he couldn’t get the feel and taste of her out of his head, but the knowledge that she slept down the hall had him in a constant state of arousal. The smell of the bathroom after her shower, the sound of her sweet-talking the kittens, and fuck, even the brief glance she’d given him when she came home last night had kept him up, imagining those dark eyes lit with pleasure as he rose above her, riding her body.

God, he needed a drink and something to get his mind off of her.

He headed over to where his bike was parked, and after securing his helmet, he took off toward Buck’s, hoping to engage someone in a not-so-friendly game of pool. It took him less than ten minutes to travel across town, but when he pulled into the parking lot, there wasn’t a spot left, the place was so packed. Pulling up alongside the wood building, he took off his helmet and called out to a couple of women walking past.

“Hey, why is the place so busy?”

“Ladies night!” the girls squealed together, giggling as they walked inside.

“Ah, hell,” he said, swinging off his bike.

At the door, he looked inside at the wall of people, mostly women, dancing and laughing. Men were stationed around the perimeter, watching.

“You heading in, man?”

Gabe hadn’t even noticed the tall burly kid hanging by the door.

“Should I?”

The “kid” grinned, and Gabe realized he was probably in his late twenties, just with one of those youthful faces.

“That’s up to you, but I’ve seen some fine-looking women pass by.”

“Shit, that’s all I need,” Gabe muttered as he stepped inside. The last thing on his mind was adding another woman to his plate, especially when not one of the chicks he’d met since moving here held a candle to Caroline.

There was a DJ playing Katy Perry on the stage, and the tables had been pushed to the edge to make more room on the dance floor. As Gabe walked toward the bar, he caught sight of Caroline behind it and stopped, surprised to see her there. He hadn’t known what her plans were for tonight, but he hadn’t expected her here. Yet there she was, whispering back and forth with the big bartender, Eric, who Chase had introduced him to last week. Remembering the kiss between the two, Gabe clenched his fists involuntarily. It was too bad; if it hadn’t been for Eric’s interest in Caroline, Gabe might have liked the guy.

Pushing his way up to the bar, he called out, “Hey, can I get a beer?”

Caroline looked his way and had the fucking nerve to give him a polite smile, like he was the fucking postman. Like there was nothing between them.

Like he’d never seen her naked and writhing.

Eric glanced his way, a wide grin spreading across his face. “Hey, Moriarty. Nice of you to drop in for our first official ladies night.”

Eric popped the top on a bottle and handed it to him. With his eyes on Caroline, who was looking toward the stage, Gabe said, “Wouldn’t miss it.”

Eric, as if picking up on the tension, squeezed Caroline’s shoulder as he took off toward the back. “Okay, well, I’m gonna get some more bottles from the stockroom. Great job, Trouble.”

Gabe flexed his fist and resisted the urge to plant it in Eric’s face. The guy was a little too free with his hands, even if he swore he had no designs on Caroline.

Alone together for the first time in almost a week—except for the hundreds of bodies surrounding them—Gabe said, “Seems like you two are awfully friendly.”

“He’s an old friend of the family.”

“Of course he is. That’s why he has a pet name for you and everything,” he said, sarcasm dripping heavily from his tone.

She leaned over the bar until they were only a few inches apart, and his eyes drifted down to appreciate the low-cut neckline of her shirt.

“Are you jealous?” she asked, quietly enough that he was the only one who heard.

“No, just making an observation.”

“Right,” she said and started to pull back, but he grabbed her arm in a flash, keeping her close. Her large eyes widened, and those lush lips parted invitingly.