"Hey." Chris opened the cruiser door and moved to stand next to Gabrie, setting a hand on her arm. "Death happens. Jack's a grown man and he knew this was coming with Philip. You don't need to feel bad about breaking the news."
She looked down to where his hand rested on her arm. His fingers were warm and callused. For a brief second, she flashed back to when Jack had his hands running along her arms, her back, her legs...
Gabrie jerked away. "What are you doing here?" she bit out.
His brows drew together. "I told you. Drake might be coming here to get back at Jack. I'm keeping watch."
"At the end of the drive? Where I can't even see you from the house?" She crossed her arms over her chest. He licked his lips and she could tell he was trying to figure out what to say. "Don't bullshit me, Chris. Just tell me what you want."
"I know about your mom," he said finally.
Her mouth went dry at his admission and she struggled to form words. "What?"
"I looked you up after we talked this morning. I know what happened to Lily Moss."
She hated when people found out the truth. Suddenly Gabrie wasn't just a coworker, fellow student, or friend. She was different. To his credit, Chris hadn't seemed to look at her strangely. "What does that have to do with you parking outside my house?"
"Drake isn't coming here. He was a badass, but that was mainly because he could hire tough guys to hang around him all the time. After the house burned, whatever wasn't destroyed is in our custody now. I know Drake. He's a survivor. He's not going to risk everything for revenge. At least not today. Maybe after he's moved on and collected more money and lackeys, using a different name."
She let out a deep breath and opened her mouth to remind him that he hadn't answered her question, but he continued. "This is a nice town. I wanted to make sure you weren't scared off by all this. Especially considering all you've been through."
Gabrie took another step back. "You didn't have anything better to do?"
He shrugged. "I brought some paperwork with me."
"I don't need your pity, and I don't need your empty gestures, okay? The fact that my mom was murdered didn't make me scared or weak. It made me strong, and I don't need the illusion of your protection."
He held his hands up. "Whoa, I didn't mean to imply that you were—"
"I'm going to run to the store to pick up some comfort food for Jack, and I'd appreciate it if you were gone by the time I get back."
"Gabrie!" he called, but she didn't turn around as she strode back to her truck. The last thing she needed was some cop, handsome or not, who thought she needed to be taken care of.
There might've been a time when she jumped at every unexplained noise in her college dorm room and when she'd aimed her pepper spray at any student guilty of walking a bit too quietly behind her. But that was then. She still kept her pepper spray close, but after hundreds of weekends spent at the shooting range, she was confident enough to walk down the street, knowing her protection was loaded and right in her purse.
And she'd thought Chris was being so nice to sit at the end of the drive all day in the heat. In his mind, he was probably doing her a big favor, taking time out of his day to make the new, frail woman feel comfortable.
Gabrie learned long ago that she could only depend on herself, and she wasn't about to have anyone thinking she couldn't handle herself. He didn't even think she was in danger! Instead, he'd been trying to protect her from herself, which made her madder than anything.
She was still fuming as she pulled into the big box store that every small town seemed to have these days. She'd told Chris she was picking up comfort food for Jack, but she had no idea what to get. Neighbors had brought over casseroles and pies after her mom was murdered, but Gabrie was no good in the kitchen.
The only thing she really knew Jack liked was beer because she'd seen him drink a bottle yesterday. Considering he had some powerful pain-killers running through his system, maybe alcohol wasn't the best option.
Gabrie grabbed a cart and wandered down the aisles, but nothing was quite right. Cookies seemed too young-ish. Cake seemed too celebratory. And bringing the man a non-homemade cake seemed like it was against some unwritten law of the South.
Before she knew it, she'd walked through the entire grocery section and the only thing she'd picked up was a case of beer. Even if he couldn't drink it right away, she knew more than most that the grief of losing a parent didn't disappear overnight.
She started her second round of aimlessly walking through the store, but three aisles in, the hair on the back of her neck seemed to stand on end. She glanced behind her, but there was just a mom pushing her young child in a cart and an elderly man perusing the bread section.
She shook off the feeling of unease and kept walking. This was hardly the type of place to give her the creeps. In the middle of the weekday, most of the patrons were hardly suspicious.
But she couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched. The next aisle she turned down was full of cans and the store's tiny international section that mostly consisted of taco ingredients. She was the only customer in this aisle, so she paused. She glanced between the two openings to the aisle, waiting to see if anything or anyone she saw set off alarm bells.
A minute ticked by and no one suspicious walked by. Gabrie squeezed her eyes shut and rubbed the back of her neck. What the hell was happening to her? This whole town had her messed up. Maybe she should take Carson's advice. Get the hell out of town and run back to Raleigh. Use the rest of her severance pay to find another boring office job.
It might suck her soul away, but at least she'd have her sanity. Just as she put her hands back on the cart, she saw him.
He had a confident stride disproportionate to his slight build, but his cocky grin didn't leave much doubt as to his identity.
"Drake," said Gabrie with a grimace. "There are a lot of people out looking for you."
He stopped a few feet away, and his eyes roamed over her. If he was impressed with her calm, he didn't show it. But she wasn't afraid. If it was a dark alley in the middle of the night, that was one thing. But this was in a reasonably busy store in the middle of the day. If he was going to make a move, it wouldn't be here.
"Thanks to your boyfriend burning down my house," he said with a sneer.
She raised a brow. This wasn't the person she was expecting. She thought Drake was an addict cut off from his friends and supply. She'd assumed he'd be fuming. Desperate for revenge and a fix.
But this man was calm and collected. If it weren't for his weathered skin and missing front tooth, she would never have guessed he was a junkie. If he wasn't there for revenge, though, what did he want?
"He allegedly burned down your house," she corrected.
"Don't worry. I'll be paying Jack an extra special visit. I just wanted to stop by and see his new woman who everyone's been talking about so much."
She blinked a few times, but quickly tried to hide her surprise. Who would be talking about her and Jack? No one knew about their awkward/amazing sex when Gabrie thought he was Darren.
Penny. They'd eaten lunch together yesterday. Now the entire town probably thought there was something going on. Damn small towns.
"Did you run Jack off the road?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," said Drake with a vicious gleam in his eye.
Gabrie tightened her lips and glanced around at an older couple passing by the opening of the aisle. Once she was satisfied they were alone, she took a step closer and kept her head held high. "Listen. I know you don't know me, but I want to make myself clear. I'm not afraid of you. Jack isn't afraid of you. If you do anything to hurt, or attempt to hurt, me, Jack, or Darren, I'm personally going to shove my gun down your throat and pull the trigger. Not only am I not afraid to shoot you, but I'm hoping you give me the chance."
Instead of showing the slightest bit of fear, the corner of Drake's mouth hooked up. "He didn't tell me you'd be so feisty. I like it."
<
br /> A layer of Gabrie's bravado fell, and she stepped back. She hadn't really expected Drake to run away screaming, but at least a slight hesitation would've been nice. He wasn't supposed to get happier when she threatened him.
"I don't want any trouble, Drake. Just leave me alone."
His eyes raked over her once more, causing goose bumps to cover her arms. "I'll be in touch." He turned away and sauntered out of the aisle.
As soon as he was gone, Gabrie's nerves finally took over, and she brought a shaking hand to her forehead. She tried to appear as normal as possible as she scrambled back to the front of the store, throwing anything that could possibly be comfort food in her cart, including frozen pizza, ice cream, cake, and an apple pie.
Her eyes darted around the store as the young clerk rung her up, and she struggled to act normal as the girl asked the usual "how are you doing" questions. But she didn't truly feel out of the clear until she was in her car and driving away.
CHAPTER SIX
He was alone. Jack frowned at the realization. He'd looked in every room and had called out for Gabrie, but there was no response. Of course, he should've just looked to see whether her car was still there in the first place, but for some reason he'd never considered she'd leave.
She knew she could be in danger and he'd come all the way back from the hospital just to be with her. Didn't she realize that she shouldn't be alone? How was he supposed to protect her if she snuck out while he was sleeping?
Jack took a second to rest his head in his palms. He knew he was more mad at himself for falling asleep than at Gabrie for leaving. Damn drugs. Though, he was feeling better. The constant headache was less of a hammer pounding on his skull and was now a dull ache.
He padded over to the bathroom and peeled one of the bandages on his arm aside. The shallow cuts inflicted by the broken glass didn't look that bad. They stung a bit to the touch, but nothing too worrisome.
He felt a presence behind him and turned to see Tank in the doorway of the bathroom. Apparently the dog was feeling a bit better too. Jack leaned down to pat Tank on the head as he moved past him and back to the living room. Gabrie had made a lot of progress for one day. He'd been skeptical when she'd said she was taking down the wallpaper, but she seemed to know what she was doing. The walls that had been cleared so far looked great.
He remembered lying on the couch and watching her work. The sweat glistening off her back. The sway of her hips as her arms worked on the wall. He rubbed his hand over his eyes. Why couldn't he stop thinking about her body? She didn't want him. She'd made it clear that the only Cross man she was interested in was his brother.
The door opened and he swung around to see Gabrie push her way inside, her arms full of bags. He rushed over to help and grabbed a few out of her hands as she pushed the door shut behind her, flipped the lock, and turned the deadbolt.
"Sleeping Beauty's awake, huh?" She grinned.
He forced himself to smile back. "Not my proudest moment." He followed her into the kitchen. She set her haul on the counter and pulled the food out.
"Did you have a sudden craving for sugar?" he asked as she pulled out every sweet he could imagine.
She stopped unloading and looked up at him. Just as quick, she turned away. "How are you feeling? You seem to be doing better."
He narrowed his eyes. She was hiding something. "I'm feeling better. Happy to be out of the hospital and awake. What's going on?"
"It's been a really long day." She twisted around to put the ice cream in the freezer.
"So you had the sudden need to buy the entire party store?"
She took a deep breath. "Damn it. The beer is still in the car. I'll be right back." She pushed past him and unlocked the door before he could say anything else.
He pulled one of the bags over to him and glanced inside. Some sort of cheesy potato chips and an apple pie. It wasn't as if she was expecting anyone, and it was just the two of them. Maybe Darren was coming home soon and she wanted to throw him a party.
Then Gabrie was back with a twenty-four case of beer. Funny, Darren didn't seem like a beer drinker. He was more of a top shelf Scotch man. But who the hell knew? Jack had never shared a drink with his twin.
"Tank seems to be doing better," he said, to change the subject. He'd rather go back to the hospital than listen to Gabrie talk about her plans to get back together with his brother.
At the mention of the dog, some of the tension seemed to leave her. "Yeah. I was a lot more worried this morning. After today, I don't think he was all that injured."
He raised a brow. "Really?"
"Look." She crouched down and motioned the dog over. Tank meandered across the room and pushed his head into her chest. The way she was balanced on her heels, she had to wobble to catch her balance, and Jack bent down next to her.
She let out a little laugh as she steadied. "He's got scratches all over his face, but the worst of it was on his neck." She rubbed the dog's ears.
He moved in closer to get a better view. "It looks nasty."
"Well, it's not good, but it's not weeping or bleeding. It should've probably had stitches and I think that's why it seemed so bad at first."
Jack's brows drew together. "So the dog's going to be okay?"
Gabrie shrugged. "I can't be sure. But look at him. He's walking around. His tail's wagging. He ate a big bowl of food this morning. Those are all good signs."
Jack ran his hand over Tank's rough fur, and the dog seemed to push back into the contact. "He looked like he was going to die last night."
"What did he have to live for? I think he was depressed. In pain, hungry, never knowing kindness in his life. I don't think the antibiotics are hurting, but I'm willing to bet all he really needed was some TLC."
She smiled as her eyes met his, and Jack realized exactly how close he was to her. She smelled fresh and clean, so she must've showered while he was out, and he cursed himself through sleeping through the possibility of seeing her naked.
For the briefest moment, her eyes fell to his lips and his entire body was on alert. This wasn't just one-sided. She wanted him too.
And he'd be damned if he just sat back and let his brother scoop up the most fascinating woman he'd ever met. He leaned in, already imagining the feel of her lips against his.
"Your father died today," she whispered.
He fell back and rested against the aged, white cabinets. "You're serious?"
Gabrie sat back too, and Tank seemed to take the cue and lay down next to her. "His lawyer, Robert Carson, stopped by earlier. I didn't want to wake you up."
"I saw Dad today. He seemed..." He was about to say fine, but that wasn't true. Dad had been in a deep sleep in a hospital bed. There was nothing fine about it.
"I'm so sorry," she said.
He shook his head. "I knew it was coming. It still seems so..."
"I know." She reached over to hold his hand in hers, and he started to jerk away. But her warmth sunk into him and instead he gripped her hand tighter.
"I guess that explains the food," he muttered. A sick part of him was happy she'd done it for him and not for Darren. Fuck. What the hell kind of son was he to disappear for ten years and then have the nerve to show up and be sad about the father he'd barely known? "Does Darren know?"
"He hasn't returned any of my calls. I don't understand why. I've left a bunch of messages. It's not like him."
Jack nodded. "I don't have your number."
She looked over to him. "Huh?"
"Your phone number. We're roommates now. We should probably exchange numbers."
She started to push herself up, but he held her hand tighter. "Not now. Let's just sit here for a few minutes."
"Sure." She sat back down. "So you actually have a cell phone?"
He frowned. "Doesn't everyone?"
"I don't know. All I really know about you is that you have a twin and you're unemployed."
The corner of his mouth hooked up. "And I'm good in bed. Don't forget th
at part."
A blush crept up her cheeks and for a second, he was overwhelmed with the need to kiss her again.
"Trust me, I didn't forget," she breathed.
~~~~~
Gabrie ripped her gaze away from his. "Jack, I—"
"Can I ask you something?" he interrupted.
She bit her bottom lip and brought her eyes back to his. "Sure." She had the feeling that she didn't want to hear what he had to say.
"Why Darren?"
Damn it. Why did he have to ask? "I already told you."
He shook his head. "No. You didn't. When I look at you, all I can think about is dragging you upstairs and kissing you until I'm the only man you ever think about."
Her mouth went dry as she imagined him doing just that. The worst part was that she didn't have to imagine all that much. She already knew exactly how good his hands felt running up her legs. Through her hair. His fingers slipping into delicate, sensitive folds.
"So tell me. Why Darren?"
Gabrie blinked away her erotic thoughts and steeled herself to answer his question. "Darren's good to me. Good for me."
"Screw that," snapped Jack as he scooted closer to her. "You want me. I want you. And you're lying if you say you've ever felt this way about Darren."
She let out an insincere laugh. "You don't know a thing about me and your brother."
"I don't need to. I know about us, and I've never felt anything like this before."
Neither had she. But that didn't mean things were ever bad or dull with her and Darren. Everything went the way it was supposed to with the good brother. Three dates, then sex that led her to her first orgasm ever and a whirlwind romance that fizzled when she got cold feet.
Jack was less of a whirlwind and more of a tornado. Everything seemed to go wrong around him, but she couldn't help but feel some sort of pull towards him.
"No." She pushed herself up and away from him. "You're grieving and trying to distract yourself with me. I told you before, what we did was an accident and it's not happening again."
Cross Falls Saga - Southern Suspense Box Set Page 10