Storm Warning (15 page)

With
a shaky sigh, Tory rose and faced herself in the mirror above the dresser. She took her time to take her hair down while she stared at her reflection.
Could Gabe ever fall in love with someone like her? He
was
so
sophisticated
and polish
ed. He always knew the right thing to say and everyone who knew him loved him. S
he wasn’t any of those things.

She imagined he could have any woman he wanted. He’d been rumored to be with beautiful women. What made him interested in her?
She wouldn’t have called herself beautiful.

She
didn’t see her
self as ugly. Ordinary, maybe—a
verage.

But
Gabe had cal
led her beautiful, she recalled
. He had such pretty words. What would she do if he
told her he loved her
?

Tory laughed aloud at her own fantasies.
A man like Gabe could never love a girl like her. Why would he? He had money, fame, and he could have any
of those beauties he’d been pictured with by
crook
ing
his
finger.

What would world famous photographer
,
Gabe Wills want with orphan and no
body Tory Fairchild—waitress
a
nd
storm chaser? On an oath, Tory spun around and
finished
stuffing papers
back
in
to their
files.

She wouldn’t dwell on Gabe anymore. She would just get through the next eight weeks and enjoy the time she had left with him. When August came around, Gabe would walk
away. Her heart would be broken and she w
ould deal with that. What choice did she have?

Gabe came back as promised with the rest of the crew in tow. Tory watched them all walking to the hotel
from
her window and sighed. He looked so right
there, she realized, like h
e belonged.
Would it seem empty when he was gone?

However things went between
them
, her feeling
s were her responsibility
. She wouldn’t burden him with
silly
declarations of love and need. He had enough to deal with, she
thought, aching for him all over again
.
After having lost both
parents
recently
, she was surprised he managed to laugh and smile as much as he did and make her laugh in return.

She hadn’t handled it
as
well
as he was. True, she’
d only been a child.
She remembered when the caseworker
had co
me to pick her up, she'd let her pick some t
hings out of her parent’s room to keep.

Tory ho
a
rded her mother’s jewelry box, never wearing any of the pieces, but keeping them locked away along with her father’s favorite deck of cards and box of cigars he hadn’t had the chance to smoke.

Gabe hadn’t grieved like that. He’d simply buried his beloved parents, hopped on a plane, and
was
immediately
bombarded
with her hostility and foolish insecurities.

He was strong, she reminded herself. And for right now,
she thought as she watched him from the window,
he was hers.

His
gaze met
hers
in the window and he grinned. She smiled back without thinking and felt her heart go to her throat. Love, she mused
,
was scary as hell
.
She loved the way he walked, his long, lazy strides eating up the concrete. She watched the lean muscles in his legs bunch and strain with each step beneath his form-fitting jeans.

A
bsently
, she
wrapped her
hair around her finger and wet her lips
, ready to feel his mouth there
.
His grin turned
a little
wicked
as he watched her. S
he saw the change in his eyes and
relished
it.

He winked at her before disappearing behind
a
clutch of trees outside the hotel
entryway
. Tory closed
her eyes on a wistful sigh and
rested her head against the window.

She heard the soft click of the door opening, then closing. He crossed the room silently and stopped behind her. His warm fingers touched her scalp, sending delicious tingles to her stomach. Her hair was damp from her shower, making his hand feel hot against her chilled flesh.

His eyes met hers in the
glass
.
Her breath caught in her throat at the raw desire she saw there.
“You are so lovely.”

“I’ve been waiting for you to come in here.”

“
Have you?” h
e murmured
,
running his
hand down the side of her silk robe
.
He untied the sash and she felt the material slide down her skin. His hands replaced the discarded robe making her burn.

“
You’re so soft. Your skin feels like the under
side of a rose petal. I
can’t seem to get enough of it—or
of you.”

Tears welled, but she blinked them back.
Hadn’t she told herself she didn’t need words? Didn’t want them? Now, they stripped her bare. She was afraid that
at
that moment, she would give him anything he asked
for—even knowing he would give it back to her eventually
.

But he didn’t ask. He took. He
seemed to know
what sh
e wanted, what she needed, and he gave it to her
. His lips were warm on hers as he kissed her. His hands were everywhere stroking and feeling. Gentle, then strong. Everywhere he touched, she burned.

“Gabe.”
She wanted to tell him things like he was telling her—the way he felt, the way he tasted, but she couldn’t form the words.

“Shh.” He took his mouth down her neck and began to nibble lightly,
torturously
on her collar bone. His hands gripped her hips
as he slid down to sit on the bed, bringing her down to straddle him.

“I’ve t
hought about doing this all day,” h
e said as he
unbuttoned
his
shirt
. “I’ve thought
about making love to you
all day.
I wanted to punch the prick with the sports car for looking at you.”

She smiled. “I couldn’t stand him.”

“That’s the only reason he left with his face.” He grinned at her when she giggled. “
Tell me what you want, Tory.”

“Only you.”

Determined to show him, s
he brought her mouth down to his. With steady fingers, she helped him take off his shirt
,
then his pants and when he was naked as she, she took her time tasting
the salty flesh on
his neck.

His hard, calloused hand
closed over her breast.
Soft moans escaped
her
throat. She let the pleasure take her and when she couldn’t stand it anymore, she brought herself up and took him slowly inside her.
She trembled with the intense pleasure of being filled.

His low groan of pleasure heated her blood as she moved with him.
He
gripped her hips as his mouth found hers and she drove herself deeper
and deeper
.
Colors exploded behind her closed lids and when the heat finally crested, she exploded with them.
The climax ripped through her and tore her apart
,
leaving her limp and shuddering.

She would have wept with the glory of
i
t
, but Gabe pressed her back against the cool sheets
.
Then he moved
over her like
lightning
.
His hands sought hers and fingers intertwined as he found her mouth again.

“Stay with me.”

She had no choice. She could do nothing but hold on to him, her only anchor in the storm on her bed. She cried out again and
again
as she crested, then
went limp beneath him.

Gabe buried his face in her hair and let himself fall with her.

Chapter Nine

The sign read,
‘
Welcome
to Oklahoma
,
’
b
ut Tory didn’t feel welcomed. She sighed and stretched her legs out in the back seat. Gabe
manned the wheel while Adam snoozed
in the passenger seat with his headphones on.
The muted sound of hard-rock filled the cab along with the soft country music Gabe had on. She envied her brother’s ability to sleep anytime, anywhere.

After this storm, Tory pondered as they rolled down the highway,
she’d be speaking at an annual convention
. She would
have to
go over
her notes
soon
and polish her article. M
aybe
she would talk Gabe into printing some of the photos he’d taken.

The four thousand people rumored to be coming to the seminar would leave with knowledge on basic safety tornado precautions and even a brief enlightenment on how
tornados
were
formed.
They would be allowed to ha
ve
a copy of their
article signed by the
Pirate
’s
and
their picture
taken with the team
or with their equipment. No one would leave with nothing, Tory mused.

She thought of Phil and Ashley and was pleased
to have
succeeded in raising the entire three thousand dollars. The company Tory had contracted to install the cellar advised her they would be finished within the week.
The team
had
all
hugged Ashley and Phil in front of the WWBW News Crew and when all was said and done, Tory
had
tucked their photograph and thank you letter into her scrapbook with pride.

No, no one would leave with nothing.

“You awake?” s
he heard Gabe ask.

She didn’t have to answer, she mused. Being silent would buy her a little more time before
she had to tell him everything. And she would tell him everything. She just wanted—what? She loved him and he deserved to know the truth. Besides, she mused, she was no coward.

“I’m awake
.”

“It’s later,” h
e said quietly.

“I grew up right outside of
Ada,” s
he began. “In fact, I still own the house I lived in
—the one we’re staying at
. I thought about selling it for the team
,
but a part of me just couldn’t let it go
.
I left
three days after my parents died
and haven’t been back since
.”

“I thought you work at the diner?”

“I do. The di
ner’s in town
.
I was in foster care until I was ei
ghteen. I
ended up staying in
town when I moved out of the foster home
. I have an
apartment above this flow
er shop down the road from the diner
.”

Tory leaned her head against the window and smile
d wistfully
. Her studio apartment
was probably as big as the
bathroom of
the two-story beach house he’
d told her
he owned
. “I haven’t been back to my house since they died. I’ve been thinking about going back again since this was going to be the last year. I figure I’ve paid enough.”

Gabe’s gaze locked o
n hers in the rear view mirror.
“Paid enough?”

“For my parent’s death.”

“Tory, it wasn’t your fault.”

“I know that.” She shifted in her seat as if preparing for battle. “But damn it, Gabe. Why didn’t it take me with them? I sat outside that day and watched that
tornado come right for us.
I
t took my Mom and Dad right in front of me.”