by Eva K. More
When he looked at her, her expression was as open as always. She was curious, slightly appalled, and very excited if the pulse on her throat was any indication. She opened her mouth a few times, but as if she had decided not to say that particular thing, she shook her head.
“That was my first time in a club. I had expected a lot, but I hadn’t anticipated meeting a stranger who took my breath away with only a look,” she muttered finally. Her eyes sparkled in the dim light.
“It’s called animal magnetism,” he supplied gruffly.
“I wanted you to kiss me then,” Kat whispered.
His eyes wandered to her mouth, and he watched her tongue peek out from between her lips and wet them. He could remember her hips rotating sensually, hear the sultry music. She had been looking at him just like she was now.
“And I wanted to do that, too.” And more, he thought. And after a few tense seconds of silence, he straightened in his seat. “You’re home.” But just like back then, she was still Maryan’s daughter. And he had already taken so many liberties that he didn’t know how to pay them back.
For one, if Maryan ever realized what he had done, Gabriel was a dead man, and for another, once Ivo and Anton were killed, he would go back into the shadows and let her live her life without the likes of him. She belonged in the light, not in the darkness of the night.
He could see that his rejection hurt her, but instead of hopping out of the car, she bit her lip. “You know, after I knew the truth about everything, there was a time where I was angered and jealous. I hated that Maryan was like a father to you, and I barely knew him.”
Despite his need to see her gone before he made a colossal mistake - like jumping her, - he cocked his head to the side. “And now?”
Her small smile made his mouth dry. “Now that I know what I know about you… I’m glad that he was there for you.”
Something was clogging his throat most unpleasantly. It was that damned expression that made him feel soft; he wasn’t vulnerable, but he felt immobile for a moment. When Kat was nice, she was even more lethal.
And then, she decided to open her door the moment he had reached for her. God only knew what he had been about to do.
“Wait,” he said.
He saw her hesitate but look at him gently.
“Aren’t you going to invite me up?” He grinned at her, lightening the mood. For what it was worth, he wanted to part with her on good terms for once.
She snorted and then grinned. “No way.”
“Fine. Could you do me a favor then?”
“What is it?” Kat asked.
“Once it gets dark, always take a cab home, and I’ll keep my anger in check. This way, we can avoid any further unnecessary arguments.” His hand moved past her face and into her hair. It was silky soft and so inviting to touch.
“You’re right; it was foolish of me. I’m afraid of the dark now, so I don’t know why I protested so much… I guess I just wanted to spite you. I didn’t like the way you talked to me.”
He grew serious. “It’s your life we are talking about. It wouldn’t do you any good if you were snatched by Ivo just because you wanted to spite me for talking smack like I always do.” He replied but noted that he would make a conscious effort to keep his speech mild.
He peered into her, his eyes searching her face for some kind of understanding. For a moment, she looked like she was about to protest, but then she nodded.
He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Good. You are a tough girl, not at all what I have expected.”
They stared at each other then, his eyes drinking in every little detail of her face. Her green eyes were shining, the lines of her face were smooth, and her mouth glossy.
“Are you going to see that boy again?” He said it like an insult, and he meant it as such.
“It’s none-”
“Of my business? Yeah, just humor me, please.” He saw the beginning of her protest, but he wasn’t about to let this one go. If only to satisfy his ego - or torment himself, whatever it was - he needed her to answer.
“No, I’m not.” She said, letting out a sigh.
“Good,” he murmured, his gaze once again wandering to her pink lips.
“Do you want to come upstairs with me?” Kat asked.
“No.”
“But you just asked me a moment ago-”
“That was a joke to lighten the mood.” He replied, not letting her finish as he cupped the side of her face with the hand that was previously playing with her hair.
She raised her eyebrows at him. “So, you don’t want to?”
Gabriel let out a low laugh and fisted his hand in her hair again, pressing her forehead against his. “Oh, I do. But I won’t.”
“Why?”
“Kat-” he groaned. “I don’t regret what happened between us, but it can’t happen again.”
She scrunched her forehead in irritation. “Because my father is your boss?”
“Because you are much too good for the likes of me, little bird.” He answered, withholding the need to grab her and take her right there in the car.
Their breaths mingled together, and their noses barely brushed against each other. Kat would have moved her head further if he didn’t execute the utmost control and kept her head immobile with his hand in her hair.
“And I wasn’t back at the cabin?” she asked.
“You always were, but I couldn’t stop myself.” She was testing his patience again.
“And you can now?” she breathed.
Instead of kissing her, he pushed her head into his chest and wound his other arm around her, effectively engulfing her in his embrace. He buried his nose into her neck and inhaled deeply.
“Jesus, Kat!” he whispered harshly. “I’m barely hanging by a thread. Believe me; I want nothing else but to bury myself deep inside you.” The memories of her tight heat reminded him of how painfully hard he already was. “But now is nor the time or the place to discuss why it shouldn’t happen again.”
“Okay. Just tell me one thing. You told me what you expected of me, but what do you think now that you know me?”
He was quiet for a moment. “You are the sweetest thing I know.”
“Oh.” She gasped.
What am I doing? He thought. Even he knew that the mixed signals he was sending were making her dizzy. He regretted asking about her date. He hated the pang of jealousy he felt thinking about it, and he cursed the joy he felt when she said she wasn’t further interested in that guy.
Fucking hell!
“You should keep going out with Eric; he is the right man for you. Now go.”
If the last look she sent him was anything to go by, Kat had taken on a challenge.
Jesus! He knew that he had awoken the dormant dragon.
unday brunch consisted of a table filled with various baked goods, homemade spreads, scrambled eggs, bacon, and fresh fruit juices.
Kat’s passion for cooking had definitely been a result of watching - and later on, helping - her Baba in the kitchen. Food was a major topic in her family, and back when she still lived with her grandparents, they had taken every meal together. It had always been better than any restaurant could dish out, and although Sylvia, the nurse, had to feed her Dedo because his arm muscles had nearly disappeared, he couldn’t get enough.
When Kat had come back from her time with Gabriel and Maryan, her grandfather had looked even thinner and smaller than she had remembered. Immediately, guilt had settled over her like a dark cloud, drenching her happy feelings in sadness. She had anticipated her disappearance to cause her grandparents grief, but with his bad health, her Dedo had nearly starved himself to death over his worry.
She was glad to watch him chew his food eagerly now. He looked better already than a few weeks ago, but he still needed a lot of sustenance to grow stronger, so when preparing the table, she had made sure to fill it with nutritious, appetizing meals.
Eventually, when Sylvia retired to her room and left t
he three of them to enjoy their coffee, Kat cleared her throat and brushed her long hair over her right shoulder.
“So, how did Mama meet Maryan?” She said and held her breath as the seconds ticked by while her Baba stared at her in horror... And her Dedo sputtered the coffee Baba had been feeding him through a straw.
“Why do you want to know this?” her Dedo asked wheezily while her Baba cleaned his face with a paper towel.
Kat shrugged. “I’m just curious, I guess.”
“Oh, goodness!” Her grandmother stood up. “I knew this day would come; I knew it.” She paced in front of the kitchen counter, cleaning it with a rag, although it was already shining spotlessly.
“Calm down, Baba,” Kat said and rolled her eyes at her grandmother’s antics.
She had only asked a question, but she was used to them bringing out their drama whenever they thought that she showed interest in something they deemed bad or dangerous. The one time she had told them that she thought motorcycles were fun, her Baba had fainted. With her mother’s past, she thought that it was only natural for her grandparents to be wildly overprotective of her, but she had hoped they would at least quench her thirst for knowledge with a few stories.
“I’m just asking a question; it’s not like I want to spend Christmas with Maryan.”
“Oh, goodness!” Her Baba cried out again and clenched a fist to her heart, as though it was breaking.
Kat narrowed her eyes. “What did I say now?”
“His name!” Her Baba screeched.
“Well, Maryan is his name.”
“But you said it with such familiarity, just like your mother. And then she-”
Kat sighed. She had known that broaching that subject would be difficult, but she hadn’t been aware of her grandparents’ anxiety. “I’m not going to get killed.” She said. Surely not with Gabriel watching her every step, but she knew better than to tell her Baba about him.
“People get killed whenever Maryan is involved.” This time her Baba’s voice was steady, and her Dedo looked at her through astoundingly sharp eyes.
“I know who he is.”
“Do you?” More calmly now, her grandmother took the seat next to Kat. “My darling, your mother thought she knew him too, and where is she now?”
“But he didn’t kill her,” Kat said with a defensive tone.
Her grandmother just shook her head sadly. “It doesn’t matter; he is the reason she died. Don’t do this to yourself, darling, don’t do this to us. You better forget about Maryan.” Her Baba took her arm into her hands and squeezed it, a pleading look on her face. “And don’t ask any more questions. The only good thing Maryan ever did was bring you to us. You need to know you are our second chance, and we won’t let you make the same mistakes.”
No, Kat thought bitterly, they would rather she stay behind a gilded cage than know the truth. Even if her grandparents were old, and they had loved her mother dearly, she wouldn’t let the topic slide.
“I hope you both understand that I’m not a little girl anymore and that I make my own choices. And, of course, that I’m not my mother. I love you both with my life, but don’t believe for a minute that I haven’t noticed how you’ve done this to me every time that I’ve shown the smallest interest in something you both disapprove of, making me feel guilty for causing you pain. But it’s enough, Baba.” She replied and looked at her grandmother right in the face. “Is not that you ‘haven’t let me make the same mistakes,’ is that I have let you guide me as you please. I don’t want to cause you both any grievances, but I kindly ask that you begin to respect me, and my life, and my choices. I won’t go and get inside Maryan’s business. But that’s who he is, my father—a father who hasn’t been physically there, but who has made everything to provide for us. Even Sylvia is paid by him.”
The silence stretched for an unknown amount of time. It felt cathartic. Finally, speaking her mind to her grandparents felt as if a giant weight had lifted from her shoulders.
“You are right, Kat.” Her Dedo broke the silence and then directed his eyes to his wife. “I understand better than anyone how you feel, my love, but even you have to admit that Maryan deserves at least a modicum of respect for doing what was best for her daughter.”
Her Baba looked down and nodded.
“Good. Now that we have settled that, tell me about your studies. We will speak about your father later.”
***
After she had kissed her grandparents goodbye and had gone home to study a bit, she still felt restless. Her interest was piqued; the story about her parents was nothing but fascinating--at least the part that her Dedo had told her. At first, she had truly wanted to forget all about the mafia, but now that she had come to terms with her father’s existence, she actually wanted to know the whole story.
Surprisingly, an internet search turned frustrating because, according to Google, no Maryan Kapov existed. Looking for Gabriel was even worse because she didn’t even know his last name. And the search for ‘Beast with skull mask’ turned into pictures of skull masks that made her feel strangely nostalgic.
With a frustrated sigh, she finally took her phone and scrolled through her contacts. Involuntarily a small smile played upon her lips. Gabriel had told her to save his number in an ‘inconspicuous way,’ “Gabe would do,” were his words, and she had instantly recognized the Ode of the childhood nickname she had for him. But instead, wanting to mess with him, she had written Beegee. It was funny, a mixture of Beast and Gabriel, something that he was – not a real human, but not only a beast. And it was funny because there was nothing funny about Gabriel. It was entirely inconspicuous.
Or at least that’s what she had told him while his eyes murderously looked at her.
She held the phone to her ear, biting her lower lip, and before she could contemplate whether she was doing the right thing, he picked up.
“Kat. Are you alright?” Gabriel was never rushed, but he sounded alert.
“Why can’t I find Maryan on Google?” she directly asked with a smirk on her face, not even saying hello, knowing that it would grate on his nerves.
When a loaded silence followed her statement, she thought that maybe she should have chosen her words more carefully.
“I gave you this number for emergencies only,” Gabriel said finally, making Kat cringe with the bite in his voice.
She paced around the room, looking at the ceiling. Still, she had a mission. “But it’s sort of an emergency. I got curious and asked my grandparents about him. And let me tell you, that was a wall so high that I almost couldn’t even use an elevator to overcome it. They wouldn’t even let me say his name. And if I’m not mistaken, you encouraged me to get to know the man who is my father. And okay, fine, I’m interested.”
“And you decided to look for information about the mafia’s boss on the internet?” he drawled.
“Well, where else could I find any information?”
“Little bird,” he said, exasperated. Then there was a faint scratching sound like he was stroking the stubble on his jaw with the callouses on his fingers. “He’s not a person of public interest, and he shouldn’t be. There’s no information on him you can find.”
Kat rolled her eyes. “Yeah, well, fine, I get that, but I thought it would be hard to hide every information on him. What’s your last name, can I find anything on you?”
Gabriel was quiet again, but she could hear him exhale noisily. “What is it you want to know exactly?” he asked.
Kat grinned, trailing her fingers on the cupboard in her living room. “I guess I’m just curious about what kind of person he is.”
“A person knowing him would give you the information you want, not the internet.”
Bingo! Two birds killed with one stone.
“You know him.” She replied, smiling broadly.
When he groaned, goosebumps formed on her arms. “Listen, Kat, I’m tired, hungry, and not in the mood for games.” What was he in the mood for then?
&n
bsp; “Perfect,” Kat said, beaming into the room. “I have leftover Spaghetti Bolognese. I made it according to the original recipe – I got it when I visited Italy with my grandparents. The sauce has been cooked for 6 hours, and it’s delicious.”
Again, Gabriel groaned, and her insides quivered. She had him, she knew, but just to be sure, she continued with a softer voice. “Please, Gabriel. Who else can tell me anything about Maryan?”
“Fine. I’ll be there soon.” He answered brusquely and disconnected the call.
***
Letting Gabriel inside her apartment felt somewhat strange. The man was big, and his broad shoulders nearly filled the small space of her hallway. He towered over her, and she marveled at the feelings his massive build ignited in her, as instead of being afraid, she felt safer than ever before. When he pulled off his sweatshirt and remained standing in front of her in his black cargo pants and dark grey T-shirt the color of his eyes, she couldn’t stop her eyes from roaming the bulging muscles of his arms. Those tattoos…
He caught her gaze with an easy grin and put a big hand on the lower part of her back. “Now show me the kitchen woman, I’m starving.”
Kat blinked a few times before moving on auto-pilot. She was starving as well, but instead of food, she was hungry for his touch. And really, had she called him for information on Maryan only? She could not help but feel somewhat satisfied now that she had him here.
Aware of his every movement as he sat down at the table, she filled a plate for him.
“More, I haven’t eaten a lot today,” he said while watching her.
She widened her eyes in surprise. Thankfully she had made quite a lot to last her for a few days, but with him being hungry, there probably would be nothing left for her.
“Wow, you have a real appetite.” She microwaved the plate and put it in front of him; the amount of food was obscene, yet he didn’t look skeptical at all.