Restless

by Paris Hansen

With the text sent, she had the urge to stare at her phone until he responded, but she knew he was still at the restaurant and that it could be awhile before he had a chance to text her back. Plus, she didn’t want to be the girl that sat around waiting for the guy to contact her. She reached over her shoulder to set the phone back down, but was startled when it started to vibrate again. Her breath caught and her heart started to beat faster. Immediately she felt foolish. There was a chance it wasn’t him responding and even if it was, it was just a text. Except the vibrating wasn’t the quick pulsing vibration of a text, it was the constant one that was designated for a phone call. She fumbled the phone, nearly dropping it into the bathtub with her. Looking down at the screen she recognized the unknown number that she had yet to program into her phone as Gabriel.

  Holy shit, holy shit, she thought her heart beating even faster. She fumbled the phone again, saving it once again before it fell into the water. Knowing she had to answer it, she still stared at the phone unsure of what to do. For a moment she felt like a teenage girl, a feeling that she hadn’t had since she actually was one. Reaching over she turned off the jets so she’d be able to hear him. Taking a deep breath, she swiped her finger across the screen and then put the phone up to her ear.

  “Hello.” Her voice came out breathy, a little sexy. She didn’t think it sounded like her at all.

  “Savannah?”

  She closed her eyes, shifting her position as he said her name. Her mind started to cycle back through the images of him and in the silence she could hear him breathing through the phone which only added fuel to her fire.

  “Yeah. Sorry. I wasn’t expecting you to call me. I figured you’d be too busy to even text me back right away so when the phone rang I nearly dropped it into the bath with me,” she told him realizing as soon as the words were out of her mouth exactly how much she had revealed.

  She heard him cough a little before he spoke, “I get a break every now and then. After your text I felt like I should call. If you’re busy, I can let you go.”

  If you’re busy…that was the only mention he made of her being presumably naked and for some reason that made Savannah soften a little. He could have made any number of crude remarks or innuendos. Instead, he offered to let her go, which was definitely not what she wanted him to do.

  “That’s okay. I can talk. In fact, I need to tell you how sorry I am that I made you feel like you did something wrong earlier. I just…I…well, facing you while on those dates is just hard. And after tonight, I knew it’d be even harder so I made sure I wasn’t facing you. I didn’t mean anything by it.”

  “I thought you were mad at me,” he said softly. “I thought I had screwed things up by asking you to hang out, which I could tell made you nervous. I don’t want you to do anything you don’t want to do, so if you don’t want to go out, just say so. I’ll understand.”

  She sighed. He really was a great guy, sweeter than she had thought he’d be. She shifted in the bath again so she wasn’t at risk of sliding into the water. His voice did something to her that she couldn’t explain. She never got tired of hearing him talk, especially since he could make her melt into a puddle or set her panties on fire. Now, his voice paired with the fact that she was naked and wet, made her heart race. The things that were floating through her head at the moment were definitely not of the sweet variety.

  “I gave you my phone number didn’t I?” her voice again came out breathy, something that had never happened to her before she met Gabriel. In the weeks since she’d met him, a lot of things happened to her that had never happened before. He was awakening things in her and that scared and excited her at the same time.

  “That’s true. I’d been hoping to get it since the first night you sat at my bar. There are so many things I want to say to you Savannah, but I don’t want to scare you.”

  She hadn’t thought it was possible for a man to purr, but she was pretty damn sure that Gabriel had just done so and it sent shivers down her spine and straight between her thighs. Clenching them together, she fought the urge to touch herself, to get off on the sound of his voice, which she knew wouldn’t take long at all. But she couldn’t do it; she couldn’t bring herself over the edge with him unaware of what she was doing. There was no doubt she’d take care of herself later, when she was alone with her thoughts of him, but it would have been so easy to reach down and…

  “You already have,” she admitted while she fisted her free hand, her nails digging into her palm. “I think…”

  “Shit…Savannah, I want to hear what you have to say. I want to know how I’ve scared you and what I can do to make that right, but there’s something going on out front that I need to take care of. Can we talk again later?”

  Trying to regain her composure, she shook her head. She had nearly just let him in too far, nearly gave him too much information. There was no doubt about it, Gabriel was trouble and she needed to be careful with him…around him.

  “I’ve got to get up early tomorrow so I’ll be heading to bed right after my bath. Maybe tomorrow or something if things aren’t too chaotic,” she said even though she knew that she wouldn’t be answering the phone if he called her. Text messages were easier and less personal and they did not include his dangerously alluring voice.

  “Okay, I’m sorry I have to go. Goodnight Savannah,” he said before disconnecting the call. He hadn’t even waited for her to say goodnight back and she had a feeling she knew why. Her tone had gone from flirty to all business as soon as he cut her off. Gabriel was a smart man; he had to know what that meant.

  The bath no longer held the appeal that it had before the phone call so she stood up and grabbed her towel from the rack. Drying herself off, she pulled the plug on the tub before heading into her room. Things had changed so drastically in that phone call from one second to the next her head was spinning. Pulling on the pajamas she had left on her dresser, she crawled into bed, more tired now than she had been when she got home. Lying down on her side, she curled up into a ball, her arms wrapped around a pillow that she wished was a certain warm body. It was no surprise that she thought about Gabriel as she slowly fell asleep.

  ********************

  For the next four days, Savannah avoided Gabriel’s attempts at talking. Whenever he’d call her, she would let it go to voicemail and whenever he’d text her, she’d answer with a simple “too busy to talk, sorry”. It wasn’t a complete lie; she had been extremely busy as they narrowed down the possible location of the new store from six to three. She just wasn’t so busy that she couldn’t talk to him, in fact all she wanted to do was talk to him, but everything was already a mess and she didn’t want to make things worse. As it was she had thought about calling Kerrigan to change the location of her remaining dates, but in the end she knew she couldn’t do that. She needed to see him, even if seeing him was pure torture.

  Now that she was getting ready for date number twelve, more than anything she wanted to continue to avoid Gabriel. She knew he’d be working, but she also knew that since it was Saturday night, he’d be far too busy to really talk to her. He was going to unravel her if they spent more time together. She could feel it deep down. It was yet another thing about him that scared her. For most of the day, she had contemplated going into Arrow right on time for her date, but she didn’t want to cause any more problems. She was sure that dodging his calls had caused him to worry, but there wasn’t anything she could do about that. Although she wasn’t ready to talk to him; wasn’t ready to tell him what was going on in her head, she still craved him. She still needed to be around him. And more than anything she needed a drink.

  Instead of driving to Arrow, she took advantage of the nice Seattle evening and walked. She figured the fresh air might do her some good, maybe help her get her head straight. Ignoring what was going on with her wasn’t really working, in fact it was only making her and presumably Gabriel miserable, but what could she do? It was either ignore it or give in and she wasn’t sure that she could give
in. Being with Gabriel would likely only leave her broken hearted. If not her, then definitely Gabriel if the fear she had of resenting someone like him ever came to pass. She didn’t want to be the sole breadwinner in her relationship. She didn’t want to be the one with all of the responsibilities. What she wanted was an equal partnership and she wasn’t sure she could get that from a bartender.

  But wouldn’t the time before the heartache be amazing? Wouldn’t it be worth it?

  Lost in her thoughts, she reached Arrow sooner than she realized. She nearly walked by and probably would have if Sylvia hadn’t been outside getting some air. The bubbly blonde stopped her, asking her all sorts of questions about her dates and whether or not she planned on seeing any of them again. After a few minutes of badgering, Sylvia excused herself to go back inside to work. Standing alone on the sidewalk Savannah sneaked a peak at Gabriel through the window. He was as breathtaking as ever as he quickly moved from one side of the bar to the other.

  He wore a dark green button up that he had rolled up past his elbows. She had no doubt that the green in the shirt would accentuate his green eyes making it even more difficult for her to look away from him when…if he looked at her. His hair was once again in that stylishly messed up state that made him look like he had run his hands through it numerous times. The constant five o’clock shadow was trimmed to perfection and as always Savannah wondered what it would feel like against her soft skin. With a sigh, she walked through the door of Arrow and noticed that like every night “her” stool was open. Since that first blind date, every night she came in the stool she occupied that night had been empty. Even when the bar was as full as it was now, with some people standing, her stool had been left open. She had a feeling that Gabriel had something to do with it, but never got up the nerve to ask just in case the answer was no.

  She walked past Sylvia, giving the other woman a small smile and a nod of the head letting her know that she’d be in her usual place. Thankfully, Gabriel was at the other end of the long bar, his back to her, as she sat down. She unashamedly checked out his ass as she waited for him to notice her. The black slacks that he wore were tailored to perfection against his backside and his strong thighs. Licking her suddenly dry lips, she let her eyes travel over the rest of his body, taking in every square inch of muscle and tattooed skin. As her eyes reached his beautiful face, their eyes met and she felt her cheeks warm. He gave her one of his dazzling smiles as he finished pouring a drink and then headed toward her. Heart beating faster in her chest, she smiled back at him.

  “Hey,” she said when he finally stopped in front of her. Inside she groaned at her stellar conversational skills.

  “Hey yourself. I was wondering if you were coming in tonight.”

  His voice was soft and held a hint of uncertainty and yet it made Savannah squirm in her seat. The man could probably recite the alphabet and then sing Celine Dion songs off key and she’d be putty in his hands. Without taking his eyes off of her, he grabbed a wine glass and a bottle of wine out of the refrigerator next to his hip. He poured the wine into the glass and then handed it to her, his hand lingering against the glass even after she had taken it. Her skin tingled where their fingers brushed, immediately she wanted more. Instead of reaching out to him, she pulled the glass back and downed nearly the entire drink in one gulp. She held the glass back toward him and with a raised eyebrow he poured more into it.

  “We’re about to pick a location for the new store. I’m almost split 50/50 on two locations, although there’s a third still in the running,” she said suddenly trying to get her mind to think of something other than Gabriel.

  She quickly finished her second glass of wine and waited for him to finish with other patrons before he refilled her glass. He looked at her, the uncertainty that she had heard in his voice, now etched on his face. With a shrug she lifted the glass to her mouth and took a smaller sip. It was the delicious pinot grigio that he served her the first night she sat at the bar. She knew it was an expensive brand and here she was chugging it like a teenager. Her nerves were getting the better of her; she probably looked crazy. She knew she needed to calm down before her date showed up. Whether she liked the guy or not, that was definitely not an impression she needed to make right out of the gate, especially since it would get back to Kerrigan and then Brooklyn.

  “So, do you think that maybe we could talk tonight after your date?” he asked.

  She raised her eyes to meet his, as predicted she nearly became lost in the depth of the vibrant green. With a shaky hand she raised her glass to take another drink nearly spilling the expensive liquid all over her and the wood she leaned against. Was she ready to talk to him? Could she do it face to face, where nothing could hide her emotions?

  “Yes, we can talk afterwards. I’d like that,” she said before she realized what was happening.

  The smile that appeared on Gabriel’s face was one she hoped would be etched in her memory forever. It was the same dazzling one that she was used to, but there was so much more to it. She knew it was just for her, which made her stomach somersault. Her heart felt like it would burst from her chest, it was beating so hard. If this was how she reacted to a smile and how he reacted to a simple yes, she was scared, yet excited to see the way they’d react to more.

  By the time number twelve showed up, Savannah had finished four glasses of wine and was definitely feeling buzzed. She had only eaten breakfast that morning, opting to skip lunch so she could get some work done around the house. As soon as she was seated, facing Gabriel and the bar, she started to munch on the complimentary bread that Meghan had set on the table when she’d taken their drink order. Despite already polishing off a bottle of wine, Savannah agreed to order a bottle with her date. She needed to keep up the liquid courage so she could make it through her date and then through her talk with Gabriel.

  Before ordering dinner, the chit chat between her and Stewart had been nice. On paper he was another one that seemed like a good match for her, but he was nowhere near as good looking as the last few dates had been. Normally she wouldn’t have a problem with the fact that his hair was thinning and that he was a tad pudgy around the middle, if his personality had made up for it. But the more he talked, the worse he got. Not only was he not attractive, but he was a complete jerk. He was demanding and condescending and when he asked her if she would be willing to sell her businesses she nearly lost it. Instead of reacting, she continued drinking until it didn’t matter how much she’d eaten, she was so far past drunk she couldn’t even see it in her rearview mirror. When Stewart realized how plastered she was, he went into a rage, yelling at her and causing a huge scene. She just stared at him, unwilling to react even though all she wanted to do was kick him in the nuts. She didn’t even have the wherewithal to use the signal that she had worked out with Gabriel for when the date went bad.

  “I’m sorry sir, but I need you to calm down and quite yelling or I’ll have to ask you to leave. You’re upsetting your date and the rest of my customers and I can’t have that,” Gabriel’s voice and face were the embodiment of calm, but his body language wasn’t. He looked like he wanted to strangle the guy in front of him and he didn’t care who watched. His jaw twitched as he waited for Stewart to sit back down, which was interesting since Savannah never saw him stand up.

  “Who the fuck are you to tell me what to do? I’m a paying customer and the customer is always right. As for my date…who cares if that drunk bitch is upset? She just wasted my time and my money.”

  Gabriel’s jaw tightened as his hands clenched into fists at his side. Savannah couldn’t tear her eyes off of him or his muscles as they flexed beneath his clothes. She wanted to grab onto his forearms, then his biceps so she could feel the strength beneath his inked skin. She wanted to lick his jaw until it relaxed, but instead of any of that, she picked up her glass of wine and drained it not caring that in the morning she was going to have one hell of a headache. All that mattered was that when this horrible date was over she was g
oing to finally have that talk with Gabriel and if she was lucky there might be more than just talk at the end of her night.

  “Don’t worry sir; you are no longer a paying customer. Please get your stuff and leave. Don’t ever come back into Arrow and don’t ever contact this woman. If I see you near her or this restaurant again, I will not be accountable for my actions,” Gabriel said between clenched teeth.

  Savannah watched Stewart grab his jacket from the back of his chair. His red face was covered in sweat. He looked absolutely ridiculous, so much so that she couldn’t help but laugh which did nothing to help his attitude. He turned and glared at her before stomping toward the door, she could barely hear his mutters of bitch and asshole as he left, but that made her laugh even harder. Tears started to stream down her face as she laughed hysterically. She couldn’t stop, which she figured was probably because of the wine, but also because her life was such a joke at the moment.

  “I’m sorry,” she said between the hiccups that had started when she tried to stop laughing.

  “Oh Savannah.”

  Gabriel shook his head before kneeling in front of her. He ran his thumb across her right cheek and then moved his hand through her hair. She closed her eyes wanting to get lost in the moment, in his touch. The night so far had been an epic disaster, she wanted him to make things better, to take everything away and give her something good to think about. She pressed her face against the hand that he let rest against her cheek. His skin was warm and he smelled faintly of sweat, beer and something light like fabric softener or cologne. All she wanted was to get closer to him, to wrap herself around him as he pulled her against his strong body.

  “Babe, we need to get you home and to bed. You’ve had a lot to drink tonight and I have a feeling you’re going to regret this in the morning,” he said

  She opened her eyes to meet his. “I’m so sorry this happened. Let me pay for the meal and I’ll head home. I walked here. I’ll be fine walking back. It’s not far.”