He stayed in his position, face firmly planted in her pillow, smelling her sweet scent as his ears and sense of touch reached out for her.
He heard the shower and smiled.
It was gonna be tricky and would, most likely, become a stealth operation. But it was something he wanted, fuck needed, to get out of the way so that their lives could begin.
Their real lives.
Gabe felt his heart beat speed up at the thought.
Were other people like this? he wondered. Were they so anxious to start their lives together that they had to scheme?
Maybe they didn't have to scheme, his heart reminded him.
Yeah, him and his big-shot, high school, dick-driven mouth.
He heard the water shut off and raised himself up off the pillow, only covering his morning hard with the sheet. She may be in there another half-hour or only seconds but he wanted to be awake and ready for her.
He knew she'd have questions, reasons and would argue how his plan wouldn't work but he needed to be awake and ready for her when she came out of the bathroom.
And waking up wasn't exactly his strong suit.
It felt like only seconds when she finally came through the door, the steam of the bathroom announcing her presence, winding its way around her, clad only in a towel.
But the clock said it was thirty minutes from the last time he'd looked.
Shit.
She was gorgeous with her skin all pink and her hair slicked back. Looked good enough to eat, is what his mind told him, as his cock sprang back to life.
"Hey, baby," she said softly, moving to stand between his legs and hug him close to her chest. He smelled her body lotion and slipped a finger into the tucked towel making it drop to the floor.
She gasped and Gabe felt that gasp all the way down to his balls, which contracted fast and hard.
He wound his arms around her waist as his lips kissed her breastbone.
"We've got shit to do, Gabe," she warned. "Plans to make. Lies to concoct."
She chuckled.
"Down, boy," she said as he rubbed his length against her inner thigh.
"God, Kess," he breathed, realizing that even though he may be turned all the fuck on, he was still half asleep.
"Really, Gay?" she asked. "You need it that much?"
"I need you that much, Kitten," he moaned as his fingers slid to her smooth cleft to tease her rapidly swelling lips.
"Gabe," she moaned, her hips softly, shallowly thrusting.
They stayed that way, his hand moving against her hardening clit, dragging the wetness he'd caused to moisten his moving fingers.
"Stop," she almost yelled as she stepped back.
"Stop," she repeated, softer as she moved further away.
"I've stopped, Crys," he reminded her.
"Yeah, but then you looking so goddamn fine is not helping me here," she said, her eyes catching on his before roaming his chest and arms. "Shit, Gabe."
She wanted him.
She wanted him like he wanted her.
Christ!
He tried to tamp down the want, knowing that she was gonna need to talk through their plans and didn't want the distraction of what their bodies could do to one another as they worked out the logistics of their trip to Oregon.
"Okay, Kitten," he said, feeling his hard lessening as he untangled himself from the sheets. He moved towards the bathroom.
She was in the kitchen when he finally made it out of the bathroom, after a freaking shower that was only done to cleanse and not satisfy himself. But, damn, he loved having sex in the morning and was more than a bit grumpy that she wouldn't go the distance.
The smell of sausage and gravy hit him as he roamed down the hall after seeing the bed made and their previously strewn clothes picked up and put away. Gabe wasn't sure if it was her nature or her way of creating order from chaos, but she was one neat freak.
"Biscuits and gravy?" she asked as he wrapped himself around her, her back to his front, while he dropped a kiss on her shoulder.
"Yeah, Kitten. Sounds good," he said and started setting the table.
He was finally sitting across from her, shoveling her amazing food in, before she brought it up.
"So, we're gonna fake everybody out and I'm going with you to close your life in Oregon?" she asked, dragging her fork through her mound of biscuits and gravy.
"Pretty much," he said around his mouthful of food.
"You see how we're gonna do this, Gay?" she asked, her eyes on her plate.
He stopped and thought about what she was, but wasn't, saying.
"I know you don't like to lie," he said slowly and saw her raise her eyes to his. "But, baby? We've got to. At least, for the moment."
"I'm supposed to tell the guys that I have an unexpected seminar in Albuquerque and you're gonna tell them that you're going to Oregon?" He saw that her eyebrows gave testament to her disbelief.
"I think it'll work, Crys," he said finally. "I don't like lying to them either, you know. But I've got to get the shit in Oregon sorted and I want you with me when I do."
She nodded, her eyes back on her plate.
"But, Gabe," she spoke softly, catching his eyes and then moving them to the window. "If you start a relationship on a lie…"
"Stop, Crys," he said firmly. "You and I both know that if I hadn't started this shit in high school that we cou…"
"Don't freaking tell me to stop, asshole," she said, dropping her fork with a clatter. "You want me? Then when do the lies stop? Huh?"
He stared at her, taking in the moment.
At long last, he got it.
He understood.
She was scared.
He thought hard, trying to come up with another way of getting what they both wanted, but came up empty handed.
"I dunno, Kitten," he admitted.
She was still looking out the window, her chin sunk in her hand.
"You gotta know that, if I could love you out loud, I would," he said, reaching for her hand that was still on the tabletop. "But, at the moment, I can't. I need to get the Oregon shit done and then, and then, Crys, I don't fucking care what other people will think, alright?"
She dragged her eyes to his.
Weighing. Things were moving behind the navy blue eyes that he loved so much.
"Okay, Gabe," she said softly, but he could tell she still didn't believe him. Didn't believe this would work and wouldn't blow back on them creating a world of hurt.
"We go to the shop today and start to rearrange as much as we can, find out when we can leave and then take it from there. You gonna be okay with that?" he asked, mentally crossing his fingers that she wouldn't press it.
"Yeah, Baby," she breathed and looked back down at her plate.
"Eat your breakfast," he commanded softly, but firmly. "We'll make it right, Kitten. In time, it'll all be good."
*.*.*.*.*
I felt uncomfortable going into the shop with Gabe, knowing what we were gonna try to pull off and what I needed to do to cover our tracks.
But, I absolutely hated lying.
My dad always told me that if you love somebody you'd tell them the truth and take whatever came with it.
But, a lie?
You have to deal with both the backlash of it and then the outcome of the truth.
The boys hadn't done shit since I'd been gone, if the mess on the reception desk was any indication.
The voicemail was full, which they should've been checking twice a day.
There was a stack of mail that hadn't been opened and was spilling out across half of the long counter.
And appointments were not marked through in the appointment book.
I checked the tall cabinets behind me and saw that the aftercare bags were down to five. I tried to keep a stash of at least twenty-five at the ready which included instructions and a small tub of A & D ointment that had the Human Hiero logo on it.
While we didn't charge extra for it, the reviews stated people
were really impressed when they walked away with them.
"So what've you got to do, Kitten?" Gabe asked as he came back to the counter, reading over the big appointment book.
"I've got about seven hours of work here," I said, my eyes travelling over the mess that was supposed to be, was originally, my desk.
"Okay," he said, his voice low. "I'm gonna call these appointments and see if I can either schedule them for tonight or put them off until next week. I'll go grab lunch and you need to figure out if you can reschedule your shit as well. Got it?"
"Got it, Baby," I said softly, keeping my eyes off him as we spoke. I was sure we weren't fooling anyone, but if that's how Gabe wanted to play it, I was cool.
I was kept very busy with all that I wanted to do, all that I didn't want to have to do when we returned from our planted road trip as Gabe kept supplying the food and drink before we finally called it a night and made our way back out to Gabe's truck.
"Hey, guys," I heard Dex call across the parking lot.
Gabe stopped before putting his key in the lock of his passenger door and we both turned. I was trying really hard not to shoot a glance at Gabe as Dex spoke.
Dex was not a lame-brain. A complete and total dick, sure. But not stupid by anyone's scorecard.
"You're going to Albuquerque, Crys?" he asked as he trotted towards us.
"Yeah, since my hands aren't a hundred percent," I replied. "Plus, I need some more training before the Silicon Implants thing in July."
"And you're moving back to Grantham fully?" Dex asked, his chin lifting towards Gabe.
"Need to end it in Oregon, Dex," Gabe said before turning his head back to his truck to unlock the door.
"Calling bullshit," Dex said softly, but his tone was firm.
We both turned back to Dex, not looking at each other. Convinced that if we looked at each other the jig would be up.
He locked eyes with each of us in turn.
"Here's what I know and I give this advice for free, this time," Dex finally said. "I know that you two have a connection. A connection that is deep and, hopefully, will be long, good and true. But you gotta know that if you're gonna do it, you've gotta do it. Without fucking lying."
My eyes hit the asphalt and I saw that Gabe's feet were shuffling next to me.
"If you love each other enough to do it, then you gotta love each other enough to take the shit that comes with it," he said, his hands on his hips, feet planted wide. "Love you two like you were my own, and I'm not gonna tell you that it doesn't hurt that you're trying to sneak this thing between you around Benny. And around the other people that love you. But, fuck, just let us in, 'kay? Not everyone is against you."
The lump in my throat was huge, choking off my air, making my breath hitch as I reached for Dex.
He let me go to do the one-arm hug, with a fist thump on the back, with Gabe.
"Not everyone is against this, 'kay?" he repeated.
"Okay, Dex," I murmured, trying my best not to look at Gabe. "Love you."
"Love you, Baby Girl," he said, reaching for me and planting a kiss on my forehead. "You look better without all the makeup, by the way."
"Thanks," I said, hearing the shakes in my voice.
"Call Elle," he instructed before releasing his hand that had a grip on the back of my neck. "She worries."
Gabe finished unlocking the door and helped me inside before turning back to Dex.
They bumped fists before sharing a long, silent look.
Gabe nodded before turning to make his way around the truck.
I saw Dex nod in return before he turned away to make it back to the shop.
Gabe started up the old, restored truck and then handed me a tissue from the carton he'd shoved into the console.
"Good people, Crys," he said, his voice thick.
"Ye-yeah, Baby. Good pe-people," I managed to choke out, loving that the royal dick who was Dex took the time to talk to us. Took the balls to talk to us, but he'd caught us in our own game and had basically said he would keep our secret for now.
We were quiet as he pointed the truck toward home.
"How sleepy are you, Kitten?" he asked, waiting for traffic to clear so he could make a left turn onto the long, winding country road to my house.
"Kind of, not really," I said distractedly. My heart was still on Dex, the look on his face, his gestures, his acceptance and cautions.
"Could we hit the road tonight?" he asked.
I brought my thoughts into the here and now.
"Yeah, probably," I admitted. "I can be packed in about thirty."
"Good," Gabe said as his hand reached across the full bench seat to capture mine.
I turned my head to see he was grinning, so gorgeous in the lights of the dashboard.
"Yeah, Gabe," I agreed. "Good."
Chapter Twenty
It was a couple of hours later, we were on our way north, when it actually hit me that we were doing our first road trip together.
And, I've got to admit, I got giddy.
If the directions we'd downloaded from the internet were correct, it was one very full day of both driving there and driving back. So, basically two days to get his shit sorted and back on our way home.
I'd never heard Gabe talk so much or be so goddamn funny. He was teasing me about anything and everything; from the way I spoke, to my makeup to the different persona's I'd taken on throughout the years.
"You were, too, a tom-boy," he yelled with a laugh. "Fuck, Crys, you wore the damn overalls until, what? First grade?"
"I liked them. So, sue me, Gabe!" I yelled back, as I tried to keep my giggles inside. "You're mom bought me my first dress for Christ's sake."
He shot his eyes to capture mine.
"Yeah, Kitten, she did," he finally said, his voice soft. "The pink checked thing, with puffy sleeves and the ruffle at the bottom."
I was quiet remembering Deby and I on that long ago shopping trip.
"Loved that dress, Gabe," I said. "Still have it in my memory box."
"Your what?"
"My memory box. The box where I keep the shit that means something to me," I admitted on a sniff, pointing my nose towards my window even though there was absolutely nothing to see in the dark.
"What else you got in that box, Crys?" he asked, using his thumb to rub my knuckles on the hand he'd been holding for the last couple of hours.
"I dunno," I muttered, but knowing that everything that was in that banker's box, those that the accountants use, was filled with memories. "A couple of things that mean something to me, I guess."
The sound of the tires on the freeway was the only sound within the confines of Gabe's truck cab.
"The small piece from your cast," I finally said. "Your Ninja t-shirt. The pick you used when you sang at your mom's…"
I swallowed thickly.
"A huge maple leaf from when we … we, ah, kissed that time. The sweater you left behind when you first told me you loved me after sneaking in drunk after your first six-pack. A rose from Dad's casket and the announcement you designed. A couple of emails you sent to me."
I let my voice die down.
It was just a lot of shit to most people.
But it was important shit to me.
"What else, Crys?" he questioned, releasing my hand and changing his grip on the steering wheel.
"Uhm, the key-ring from my first boyfriend," I said slowly. I didn't want to discuss the time without having Gabe in my life.
"From Niko, you mean," he said.
"Yeah."
"Do you love him, Kitten?" he asked softly.
I glanced at him, his beautiful face profiled in the soft lights from the dash.
I thought about it.
It was a fair question.
"I love that he's always been there for me, Gabe," I whispered.
"Does he still love you?" he asked.
I was quiet, with my face again turned towards the window.
"Yeah, he says he does when
he's had a few drinks," I admitted with a sigh.
"Was he your first?" he asked, his voice a bit rough but not troubled.
I didn't know if I should admit it. I mean, I knew that Gabe hated Nik only for the reason that Nik had been with me when Gabe couldn't man up.
"Yeah," I admitted into the dark.
"Was he good to you, Kitten?"
"Yeah, Gabe," I said, realizing that we needed to be truthful in order to move on with the 'us' we were creating. "He's always good to me, good for me."
I saw him nod in my peripheral vision.
I let a few miles pass underneath the truck's wheels before I started my questions.
"So who is she?" I asked softly, but I've gotta admit I was steeling my heart against his reply and any additional knowledge that I knew I wasn't gonna like.
"Trish. Her name is Trish," he said after a couple of beats. "You know when you were asking who was I doing on Saint Paddy's Day?"
I nodded and saw him glance my way.
"It was Trish," he said. "Here's the thing, though."
I heard him clear his throat which told me that my man was conflicted about whatever he was gonna reveal.
I was back to thinking that vocal chords were unnecessary on a man unless they earned them.
"I know I've never loved her," he said on a tone I didn't recognize. "Or have ever even really liked her. We don't even get along very well. It's like our anger is our passion, which I've never been fond of, never wanted to have."
Anger?
Having, sharing, passion based on anger?
I didn't get it.
And, according to him, he didn't understand either.
"You aren't interested in forever with her?" I had to ask.
His head quickly twisted to me so that our eyes were captured, held.
"There's never been anyone, not fucking anyone, with forever stamped on them, but you, Crys," he said forcefully. "Not for me. Ever."
The words hit my heart with a clang, a finality that I understood. Niko had been my boyfriend.
Gabe was always my future even when he was long gone from where I had been.
We were quiet for a long time as those words sparked the air in his truck.
"Nobody but you, Kitten," he said, reaching for my hand again.
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