Storm Warning (13 page)

“This isn’t ordinary.”

“I know,
”
she whispered shakily.

He brought his
lips to hers again and kissed her as he crossed the room
.
Finally, he laid her on the bed and worked her jeans down her hips. She was soft everywhere, he thought, struggling not to hurry. He was aching for her, a literal burn that wouldn’t go away until he had her. And even then—

“You’re beautiful,” he whispered when she was completely naked. Picking up where he left off, he caught the lobe of her ear with his teeth, giving it a small tug. Her breath caught in her throat, ended
in
a moan. He felt her fingers fumble with his jeans and he helped her slide them
off. When there were no more barriers between them, he pulled away to look at her.

He took in her pale skin, his mouth watering in anticipation. He tasted the tender place between her neck and shoulder, reveling in the feel of her silky skin against his tongue. Teeth nipping, he journeyed down to her breast
again, wanting her in that mindless state of passion again
. Her eyelashes fluttered closed when he caught a pebbled nipple in his mouth.

He lingered there while she writhed beneath him, then his lips made a hot trail down to her stomach, stroking until she cried out.

He rose above her
and wrapped his arms around her. She fit her head in the crook of his neck as he plunged into her. Her nails dug into his heated flesh as he moved, rocking her to fulfillment. She cried out, arched against him, and went limp. He followed her to completion and collapsed on top of her.

While they la
y wrapped up in tangled sheets—sated, spent, and exhausted—
he held her.

“Guess I should get in a fight with Charlie more often.”

Gabe laughed
and ran his hand down her back
.

“Go out to d
inner with me tonight.”

Propping herself up on her elbow, she
trailed her finger lazily down his bare chest.
“Dinner? Isn’t that doing things a little backwards?”

He brought his hand up and ran his finger up and down the length of her arm
simply because he could
. “We can do this again after dinner if it
makes you feel more thorough.”

She laughed. “I’m nothing if not thorough.”

The restaurant Gabe chose was exceptional. They served
five-star
Italian food over wine and
candlelight
. The elegant ruby walls were offset by long streak free mirrors hanging throughout
the dining area.
A live
musician played the violin, showcasing a sweet, romantic melody.

Tory watched the can
dles flicker,
thinking this was the last place Vance would have taken her.

When their pasta was served, Tory dug in.

“This beats
Stop and Run’s
cuisine any day,
”
she
commented between bites.

“Ye
s, I would have to say it does.”

“So, tell me about Gabe,
” Tory suggested.
“I realize as much as I know you, I don’t know very much about you.”

“Does that make you uncomfortable?”

“A little.” She sipped her wine and waited.

Gabe set his fork aside. “There isn’t really much to tell.”

“Tell me anyway,
”
she
persisted. “I just slept with you and I know virtually nothing about you.
I have a need to know some things.
”

A full minute passed until Gabe spoke. He looked down at his empty plate, his tone low.

“I grew up in Los Angelas
. Captain of the swim team,
quarterback
for the football team, and I was Valedictorian. I picked up photography in my sophomore year art class. Graduated from an Art Institute. Snapped a picture on the beach that made me thousands and opened up a lot of opportunities.” He shrugged. “There’s not really much else.”

“What about your family?”

“None.”

He didn’t care to elaborate. That would come, Tory thought
, willing the small hurt away
.
Just because they’d slept together didn’t mean she was entitled to answers. Her heart stumbled in her chest when he said two words that said everything.

“They’re dead.”

Her
head shot up. “How?”

“Motorcycle crash.”

“When?” It was barely a whisper.

“Eight days before you guys picked me up in Lincoln.”

Tory recoiled as if he slapped her.
With
a gasp, she brought her hand to her mouth and could only stare at him. She would have never guessed, never considered he could be going through so much pain.

And she had treated him so poorly.

“Oh, Gabe.” She reached her hand out and laid it over his. “I’m so sorr
y. Why did you come?”

“Why did I come?” His voice took on an icy quality and he took his hand out from under hers. “Because, Tory. You know better than anyone. Life goes on and there’s not a damn thing you can do to bring them back.”

Tory closed her eyes
,
reeling from the pain she felt in her heart for
him
, for herself. He was still grieving
and at the same time, he hadn’t had the chance to grieve properly
. “If I would have known you were dealing with so
mething like this I would have—”

“Tried to be nice to me?” h
e suggested with some amusement.

“I’m sorry,” s
he said quickly. “More sorry than I can say.”

“Don’t be. You kept me busy. I didn’t have time to brood.” His lips curved slightly
,
but there was sadness there. “I was too busy pissing you off.”

“Can you talk about it?”

“Th
ey came by to visit. My Dad is—
was going
through his mid-life crisis. He
bought a
Harley
about
six months ago. They rode that thing everywhere. I stood on the street corner waving them off. Got a call ten minutes later. Truck didn’t se
e the bike and plowed over it—o
ver them.”

She didn’t speak.
He needed this, she realized. He needed t
o talk about it.
She had a sinking feeling that he hadn’t talked to anyone about it yet.

“If I would have realized that would be
the last time I saw them, I’d have—”

“What?” s
he asked quietly.

“Hell, I don’t know. Is there really a point to ‘
what might have b
ee
n
’?”

“No, I suppose there isn’t a point.” She drank the rest of her wine a
nd laid her hand back over his, reli
e
ved when he turned his to link their fingers.

They ordered a chocolate brownie bowl with chocolate pudding inside
,
topped with enormous strawberries and whipped cream.

“Gabe, I’m not ver
y good at this. I need to know—
what is this between us exactly?”

“What do you want it to be?”

“I’m not sure.
” She watched his face, frustrated when she couldn’t read his expression.
“
At first, I hated you. You infuriated me. Now, I guess I like you. A lot.”

“That’s a relief.” He smiled and the sadness was almost gone from his eyes.

“I
’m not relationship material,” s
he said
,
staring down
at
her chocolate. “You should know that before it gets too late.”

“Vance?” h
e asked quietly.

She glanced up at him. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, did you get that ridiculous idea because of Vance?”

“No. Yes. I don’t really know.”
Had she ever thought of herself as a part of another person?
It was hard to think back so far. Years of living with distant relatives and foster parents had muddled her perception of happy-ever-after. It was there for some people, she supposed, but she’d never thought about her own.

“Well, why don’t we try it this way for a
while? I like you. You like me—a lot,” h
e added with a grin. “We stick together and see where we end up.”

He said it so casually
,
she almost winced.

If he could take sex as lig
ht as this, she mused, he wasn’
t the type of man for promises.
Fine with me
, Tory thought with false calm. She never asked for promises. She would have to tread carefully now, she decided.
She loved as she always loved—without reservations and without expectations.

“All right.” And she forced a bright smile. It would have to be enough.

Chapter Eight

The charity car wash was in full effect by Saturday. Three blue buckets were lined up
and
fil
l
ed
with
soapy water in the
Pet Palace
parking lot. Signs with purple
and blue glitter were posted on each side of the lot and Tory had placed one at the closest major intersection, as well
.

H
ard ro
ck music blasted
from the stereo of one of the trucks as she scrubbed bug guts and Lord knew what else off the grill of a
cherry
red, souped up roadster.
The driver, a bleach blonde male with a flashy smile and pumped up ego, openly admired the view.

Tory felt his eyes on her and she gritted her teeth
every time he told her
she’d missed a spot
.
She
obliged him and reached a little further to the left to scrub
the
invisible spot. After all, the pervert
had
donated a hundred dollars for their charity. She only wished she
’d worn
a little more than the bikini top and cut off jean shorts she had on.
If she slipped into her t-shirt now, she’d look like a coward.

Tory picked up the hose and sprayed the remainder of soap off the car.

“All done, Mr. Austin. Thank you for your donation.” She
dragged
the water hose
out of the way
so he could leave. “You have a nice day.”

“Ah, thanks. Tory, wasn’t it?” He sli
d on his sunglasses in a swift—obvious—
calculated move.
She fought the urge to roll her eyes.

“Mmm
.”

“
I was wondering how long you were going to be in town.” He leaned back on the car she
’d
just scrubbed for a half hour.

“Were you?” She waited a beat. “Wondering?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh. W
ell,” she evaded
,
keeping a firm grip on the water hose sprayer.
A handy weapon if necessary
, she mused. “We leave today.”

“Ah, that’s too bad. I bet they’d understand if you told them you needed a couple hours. You deserve to have some time off, have a drink with a handsome man.”

“You know, you’re right. I think I will.”

“You will?” He cleared his throat. “I mean, cool.”

“Hey, Gabe. We should get a drink tonight.”

Her laughing eyes caught his annoyed one
s
. Yes, she knew
he had been listening to their conversation and no, she didn’
t hesitate to use him.

“Uh,
I thought we could go out, I mean.”

“I don’t think he’d like that. He’s
real
… macho-like.
And he’s really possessive.
” Choking on her laughter, Tory tossed another look at Gabe who was smiling mischievously now.

Oh shit
, she thought as he saunter
ed
over toward them.

“Mr. Austin here suggested you and I go get a drink tonight. Doesn’t that sound like a nice idea?” She forced a stiff smile that clearly said
play along, or else.

“
I think I’m busy. But you should go on without me. After all, you do deserve it.” Gabe
moved a piece of hair out of her face and smiled down at her
.