by Sandi Lynn
“Are you done screaming and pounding?” Gabriel asked.
“I am; for now, at least.”
“Come downstairs and meet my brother Caleb.”
“Why should I? Why would I want to meet a man who turned his back on me and refused to help?”
“There’s nothing he could have done. He didn’t have the key and you can’t unlock this type of lock with a credit card.”
“Now I have to question what kind of person you really are.” I arched my brow. “Who has locks like that on their bedroom doors?”
“To be honest with you, these locks were on the doors when I bought the house. I had found the keys tucked into a drawer in the kitchen.”
“And you didn’t think that was weird or bothered to have it changed?” I folded my arms and cocked my head.
“It wasn’t a priority of mine. Please, come downstairs. I’ll be cooking dinner for us soon.”
Rolling my eyes, I followed him downstairs and into the kitchen where Caleb was sitting.
“Caleb, I would like you to meet the woman who stole my watch. Woman who stole my watch, I would like you to meet my little brother Caleb.”
“Nice to meet you. I think,” he spoke as he held out his hand.
Placing my hand in his, I lightly shook it.
“I take it you aren’t in the family business?” I asked.
“How can you tell that?” He cocked his head.
“By the way you look.” I smiled. “You’re more rugged than your brother.” I took his hand and turned it over, slipping the watch right off his wrist. “And you have calluses on your fingers. Are you a musician?”
“I am.” He smiled. “How did you know?”
“I can read people very well.” I smiled.
“I’m sure that comes in handy when you’re ripping people off,” Gabriel spoke.
I shot him a look and then turned my attention back to Caleb.
“Are you in a band?” I asked.
“I am. We’re called Fallen Angels.”
“Cool name.” I grinned. “I play the guitar. Acoustic mostly.”
“Really? How long have you been playing?”
“Since I was about eight years old.”
“She’s playing you, Caleb,” Gabriel spoke.
“For your information, Mr. Quinn, I do play the guitar.”
“Right you do.” Gabriel winked.
“Call her bluff, Gabriel,” Caleb spoke. “You have that Gibson J-45 around here somewhere. Go get it and let’s see if she’s telling the truth or lying.”
Gabriel looked at me, his eyes burning through mine.
“Good idea, Caleb. I’ll be right back.”
Rolling my eyes, I walked into the living room and took a seat on the couch.
“Tell me how you did it,” Caleb spoke.
“Did what?”
“Stole my brother’s watch without him knowing.”
“Why? Are you thinking of getting into the business?” I smirked.
“No. I’m just curious.”
“I would show you, but I already took it.” I smirked as I held up his watch.
“What the fuck! How?” He smiled in amazement.
Gabriel walked into the room and handed me his Gibson J-45 acoustic guitar.
“Here. If you can play, then play.” His brow arched at me.
“I don’t want to because I don’t like your attitude, Mr. Quinn.” I raised my brow as I set down the guitar.
“That’s because you’re lying. You told Caleb you knew how to play to make him believe you had a common interest. To gain his trust so you could play him.”
“Whatever.” I looked away.
“I’m going to start dinner. You can either help me, stay in here, or go back up to your room. It’s your choice.”
“I’ll stay here.”
“Fine,” he spoke with an attitude. “Caleb, come with me.”
As soon as the two of them walked out of the room, I picked up the guitar. The feeling that overcame me every time I held one in my hands never got old. I placed my fingers in position on the strings and began playing A Thousand Years, singing the lyrics as I strummed each chord.
Gabriel
I set the knife down on the counter and looked at Caleb. Walking into the living room, I stood and stared at her while she played the guitar and sang. Her voice was beautiful and took my breath away. I swallowed hard as I placed my hands in my pockets and watched her. She wouldn’t look at me. She just sat there staring out the window as she strummed each chord. When she finished, Caleb slowly clapped his hands.
“Wow. Just wow.” He smiled.
She got up from the couch and handed me the guitar with a sadness in her eyes.
“Thanks. I’m going to go upstairs for a while,” she spoke.
“Fine. I’ll call you when dinner is ready.”
When she left the room, Caleb and I walked back into the kitchen.
“Bro, did you hear that? I know you heard it. She’s amazing and she wasn’t lying.”
“I heard it,” I spoke as I took the steaks out of their package.
“Listen, I have to go. Me and the guys have practice. I’ll call you later. Be gentle with her, Gabriel. There’s more to her than just the woman who stole your watch. I felt it and I heard it in the way she sang and played the guitar. And I know you did too.” He winked.
After I prepared dinner, I went upstairs to get her and found she wasn’t in her room. Shit. Where did she go? I knew she didn’t leave the house, so I went up to the terrace and found her sitting on the couch with her knees up.
“There you are. Dinner’s ready.”
“It’s nice up here,” she softly spoke as she stared out into the city.
“Thank you. It’s probably my favorite part of the house.”
Since she liked it up here, I had an idea.
“Why don’t we have dinner up here? I’ll bring everything up.”
“I’d like that.” She gave me a small smile.
Placing my hands in my pockets, I began to head towards the elevator when I heard her call my name.
“Gabriel?”
“Yeah?” I stopped with my back turned to her.
“My name is Kate. Kate Harper.”
A smile crossed my lips. Turning my head, our eyes met, and I gave her a slight nod before leaving the terrace.
Chapter 12
Kate
Telling Gabriel my name felt right. I’d never told anyone who I really was. If I wanted my freedom, I’d have to gain his trust, and his trust was what I needed right now. But I’d have to be very careful because trust wasn’t something he had of mine.
He rolled the serving cart onto the terrace and set the table for dinner. Walking over to the cocoa brown wicker patio chair, I took a seat and placed a napkin in my lap.
“This looks really good. Thank you.” I gave him a small smile.
“You’re welcome,” he replied as he poured some white wine into a glass and set it down next to my plate.
He took a seat across from me and picked up his fork.
“Who taught you how to cook?” I asked.
“My housekeeper, Grace. In fact, you’ll be meeting her tomorrow.”
“Can’t wait,” I spoke with sarcasm as I sipped my wine.
“Do you have any family?” he asked.
“Yes, and I’m sure they’re very worried about me.”
“Is there someone you’d like to call?” He pulled his phone from his pocket and held it in front of me. “I wouldn’t want them to worry.”
Shit. He knew I was lying.
“Go ahead. Call them.”
I took the napkin and wiped my mouth as I looked down at my plate, breaking our eye contact.
“I’m going to assume that you lied and you don’t have anyone at all. The lies are going to stop, Kate. Do you understand me?” he commanded. “Are you even capable of not lying to someone? Or have you been doing it so long that you don’t even know the difference be
tween lies and the truth anymore?”
“That is not true!” I slammed my fist down on the table before getting up and walking over to the railing.
“Then tell me one piece of truth about yourself!” he shouted.
“My name is Kate Harper, that’s the truth. I’m twenty-four years old and I’ve seen more shit in my life than a person my age should have. My mother died a day after giving birth to me and my father raised me. We moved around from state to state and I never had any friends. I couldn’t get close enough to anybody because the minute I did, we’d move. Children grow up with best friends, Gabriel, but I’ve never had a best friend. I was too afraid to get close to anyone.”
“Why?” he asked.
“Because I knew if I did, somehow or some way, something would happen and I’d have to leave them. That was my life. That is my life.”
“It doesn’t have to be, Kate.” He walked over to me and placed his hand on mine.
As much as the touch of his hand felt incredible, I couldn’t allow it. Not yet.
“You don’t understand, Gabriel.”
“Then make me understand.”
I took in a deep breath. “If you’re going to keep me locked away here, then I’m going to need some of my clothes from my apartment. Can you take me?”
The suspicious look in his eyes told me that the answer was no.
“I’m afraid I can’t let you out of this house. You’ll run and I can’t allow you to do that.”
“Jesus Christ.” I walked away, throwing my hands up in the air. “What are you, an FBI agent or something? Handcuff me, then. I don’t care. You know my real name. If I run, you’ll call the cops and they’ll track me down. I’m not stupid, Gabriel. All I want are some clothes so I don’t have to keep wearing the same thing. Unless you want me to walk around naked?” I arched my brow.
“Fine,” he spoke. “Go get your shoes and I’ll meet you downstairs.”
“Thank you.” I gave him a small smile.
I headed to my room and put on my shoes, went downstairs, and waited for him. I could do this. I could escape. I had one passport hidden under my mattress with about three thousand dollars in emergency cash. I heard his footsteps coming down the stairs, and when I turned and looked at him, he walked over to me and slapped a handcuff on my wrist.
“What the fuck, Gabriel?” I shouted as he slipped the other one on his wrist.
“You seriously didn’t think I could trust you? Did you?” He smirked.
Well, there went my escape plan. I took in a deep breath to try and calm the anger that rose inside me. He led me outside where two security men dressed in black stood guard at the front door and Carl stood holding the door to the limo open.
“Watch your head,” Gabriel spoke before I climbed inside.
“I’m not stupid,” I sneered.
“I never said you were.”
The ride to my apartment was silent until I had a question I needed answered.
“So you just keep handcuffs lying around your house?”
“Yes.” He smiled. “I keep them in my bedroom.”
I narrowed my eye at him. “You’re sick.”
“Somehow I don’t believe you really think that. Are you seriously going to tell me that with all the guys you’ve been with, you have never been handcuffed during sex?”
“No. I haven’t.” I stared out the window, for I was telling the truth.
“Then I feel sorry for you. You’re missing out. Maybe I can show you sometime how good they can be.”
I tightened my legs at the thought. I could picture the whole scene in my head. Lying on my back with my hands cuffed together behind my head. His muscular body hovering over me, doing things to me that only he could. His tongue sliding over every inch of my bare skin, teasing me until I orgasmed. Shivers ran through me like a brisk wind on a winter day. I inhaled a sharp breath as I could feel the wetness form in my panties.
“Not going to happen,” I spewed.
He chuckled as Carl pulled up to my apartment building. Gabriel climbed out first and carefully helped me from the car. Throwing his coat over our wrists, we entered my building and took the elevator up to my apartment.
“Can you at least un-cuff me so I can pack?” I asked.
“Hmm—No.”
“Gabriel, come on!”
“I said no, Kate. You’re staying cuffed. I don’t trust you.”
“And I don’t trust you!” I shouted.
“Okay then. So we’re just two people who don’t trust each other. Now get packing so we can go home,” he commanded.
“I am home, you idiot. Your place is far from home to me.”
“I’m not discussing this any further. You can either pack your shit and come back with me or go to jail. The choice is yours, sweetheart.”
“What the fuck is the difference? Either place is jail!” I spoke with an attitude as I threw my suitcase on the bed.
I never should have fucked him. Okay, yes, I should have because he was sexy as sin, but I never should have taken his damn watch. How the hell did he know it was me? I’d done the test before and none of the others had a clue I was the same person. I threw my things in the suitcase and shut it.
“Here. You can carry this. I have something else I need to grab,” I spoke as I walked back into my closet and grabbed my guitar case, pulling Gabriel along with me.
We climbed back into the limo and drove back to his house. As I stared out the window in silence, I felt the handcuff unlock. When I looked over at him, the corners of his mouth slightly curved upwards. With my other hand, I rubbed my sore wrist.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” he spoke as he uncuffed himself. “You can end all of this and go home.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You say you don’t have the money to pay me back, but I know that’s not true. You con people, Kate, for financial gain. Do you really expect me to believe that you don’t have any money?”
“Don’t believe me. I don’t care, Gabriel. I don’t have thirty thousand dollars to give you.”
“Then what the hell did you do with all the money you took?”
I took in a deep breath and stared out the window as we approached his house.
“I had things to pay off.”
“What types of things? Or is it none of my business?”
“I can’t talk about it right now. So please, just let it go. I’ll figure out a way to get your money. I can do one last job and then you’ll never have to see me again.”
We climbed out of the limo and he lightly grabbed my arm.
“I will not take stolen money,” he spoke in an irritated tone. “Go to your room. I’ll bring your bag up later.”
Grabbing my suitcase from him, I held it in one hand and my guitar case in the other.
“I can carry it up myself.” I turned my head and headed towards the elevator.
Chapter 13
Gabriel
Shaking my head, I walked over to the bar and poured myself a bourbon. It was late and I was tired. She moved around a lot. But why? She said her father wasn’t in the military, but that was all the information she offered. I had the feeling she had to be secretive her whole life and that was why she wouldn’t tell me much about herself or her childhood. I needed to figure out what I was going to do with her and how I was going to get my money back. I still didn’t believe she didn’t have any money, and judging by that apartment of hers, she was paying a pretty penny.
I threw back the rest of my bourbon and headed upstairs to check on her and lock the door before I went to bed. When I reached her room, I lightly knocked and she told me to go away. Rolling my eyes, I opened it and found her lying across her bed on her stomach, propped up on her elbows and reading a magazine. She was in a purple satin two-piece short set and she looked sexy as hell. Her long blonde hair was wrapped up with a clip in the back securing it. I took in a sharp breath as my cock started to rise.
“I didn’t invite you in,” she spoke as she turned the page of her magazine.
“It’s my house. I don’t need your permission to enter this room.”
“What do you want, Gabriel?” Her piercing blue eyes looked up at me as she asked in irritation.
“I was just checking to see if you needed anything before I went to bed.”
“I’m fine.”
“Okay, then. Good night.”
“Night.”
I shut the door and when I went to insert the key into the lock, I stopped. Fuck it. She didn’t need to be locked in there. If she tried to escape tonight, she wouldn’t get past the porch. So I put the key in my pocket and headed to my room.
I awoke out of a sound sleep at one thirty a.m. My throat was dry, and when I went to reach for the bottle of water on the nightstand, I found it was empty. Sighing, I climbed out of bed and headed to the kitchen.
“Can’t sleep?” I asked Kate as she stood with the refrigerator door opened.
She jumped.
“Shit, Gabriel. You scared me,” she spoke as she placed her hand over her heart.
“Sorry. I just came down for a bottle of water.”
“And I came down for some food. I’m hungry.”
Seeing her standing there in her pajamas was wreaking havoc on my cock. All I could think about was how good it felt when I fucked her that day.
Kate
When I looked at him, I caught his eyes raking over me from head to toe. I could tell he wanted to devour me. He stood there in his black pajama bottoms. His six-pack shredded, chest puffed out, biceps that were perfectly sculpted, and the hint of a V-line that I found so incredibly attractive. I already knew what he sported underneath those pants, and as much as I hated him for what he was doing to me, I still wanted him inside me again.
He reached over to grab a bottle of water and his arm lightly brushed up against my boob. I gulped. Our eyes met for a brief moment and then he turned and began to walk away.
“Gabriel?”
“Yeah.”
“How did you know it was me?”
He set the bottle of water down on the counter and invaded the small space around me. Bringing his hand up to my cheek, he spoke, “Your smile.”