His gaze is undeniably lethal.
It’s frightening in its intensity.
“For fuck’s sake,” Jared mutters under his breath. Looking up at Gabriel, he says, “There’s no problem here, man. I was just explaining that to Madison.”
“No, you weren’t,” I answer firmly, stepping out of his grasp. “You wanted me to take Jacey a message.”
“And that is?” Gabriel raises an eyebrow.
Jared doesn’t answer, so I do.
“He wanted me to tell her to stop lying. And he called her a slut.”
I couldn’t help but add that last part on. Jared so deserves it and he’s so obviously scared of Gabriel.
Gabriel calmly sets his breakfast down on the roof of his car and approaches us. His gaze hasn’t moved from Jared. It’s like watching a lion and its prey. It’s fascinating to witness.
I step back.
Gabriel steps forward.
Jared turns around.
“Fuck this,” he mutters. “That bitch isn’t worth it.”
He bolts for his truck and peels out from the parking lot.
Gabriel stands still, watching him go. Then he turns to me.
“Are you all right?” he asks quietly, his dark eyes flitting over me, checking for damage. I nod, noticing the way Gabriel is dressed in workout clothes, the way his T-shirt clings to his broad chest, the fabric skimming over his chiseled abs. I swallow.
Suddenly this doesn’t seem like a game anymore. Gabriel is serious and concerned, strong and lethal.
And I want him.
I want him.
I want him.
I swallow, dropping my gaze before he can see the truth.
“I’m fine. Jared is just an ass. He’s always had a temper problem.”
“Maddy!” Ethan calls, coming forward now that it’s safe. “Are you all right?”
No thanks to you, I think, utterly disappointed in everything about him. His candy-ass clothes, his bland personality, his ability to stand aside and watch Jared harass me.
I hate violence and I hate bullies, but standing up for someone smaller or weaker is something different entirely.
And Ethan didn’t do it.
Resentment wells up in me. Seriously. He was ten yards away. He could’ve stepped up to help, but he didn’t. What kind of man does that?
“I’m fine,” I sigh, fighting the urge to be a bitch, fighting the urge to tell him what a pussy he is. “Gabriel stepped in.”
I turn abruptly, blocking Ethan from my sight. It might be rude, but I’m pissed.
All I want to look at now is Gabriel. I want to revel in the fact that he stood up for me. He stepped in when he didn’t have to.
No one’s ever done that for me before.
“Thank you,” I tell Gabe simply. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“I didn’t?” he asks doubtfully. “I’m not going to watch something like that without stepping in. You were holding your own like a champ, but once he put his hands on you, it was game over.”
I nod, suddenly feeling a little choked up.
Gabriel is night and Ethan is day. And all of a sudden I see the beauty in that.
Yeah, Ethan is a doctor who is trained to save lives. But he doesn’t have it in him to stand up to someone if he needs to. And even though I should probably respect that about him since I hate violence, I just can’t. I need someone who can walk a thin line—someone who isn’t a bully, someone who isn’t violent, but someone who has the ability to summon up all the fury of hell if he needs to protect someone.
Someone like Gabriel.
Gabriel has been trained to protect people at all costs, even if the cost is his own life. He’s not a violent bully. He’s a protector.
For some reason, even though I should’ve seen it before, this knowledge slams into my chest and leaves me dumbfounded. The idea that I need a protector makes me feel weak. But the idea that I just had a protector makes me feel strong.
Invincible.
I only savor the feeling for a minute before I shake it away. Needing someone like that makes you weak. You can’t count on other people to be there. You can only count on yourself.
Myself.
Ethan walks into my periphery again and I shove my annoyance with him away. Now isn’t the time. I don’t know why I ever thought, even for a minute, that he and I could work.
“Maddy, I’m sorry,” he says hesitantly, staring from Gabriel to me. I can see that he’s very uncomfortable standing next to Gabriel, but he doesn’t address it. “I’ve got to go. A patient is fully dilated and ready to deliver. Can we get a rain check on breakfast?”
I nod quickly, almost relieved. I almost feel guilty for being pissed that he didn’t step up, but I don’t. He stood over there looking on even after he hung up his phone. He could definitely have done something then.
But he didn’t.
Because he’s a candy-ass.
“Of course,” I tell him. “Not a problem.”
I stand still, waiting for him to leave, and he looks at me uncertainly again.
“Maddy, I’m your ride.”
Oh.
In the heat of the moment I’d forgotten. And Gabe’s intoxicating nearness isn’t helping either. I inhale his power and his strength with every breath I take. It’s distracting.
I flush and take a step away from him. My foot doesn’t seem to want to comply, but I force it.
“Right,” I say sheepishly. “I came with you.”
Gabe smiles, like he knows exactly why I’m distracted. Like he can see the comparison I’ve been drawing between him and Ethan. Like he can see how much he wins that comparison.
“I can take you,” he offers. “I mean, if the doctor has an emergency.”
Ethan looks uncertain for a split second, then nods. “That would be great. I really should go. Maddy?”
Ethan looks at me, expecting me to agree. And there’s really nothing else I can do, not without seeming like an utter bitch.
But the idea of Gabe and me… sitting within the small confines of a car again. The mere thought almost makes me twitch, because all I can do is think of the last time.
When Gabe licked his fingers clean.
Warmth spreads into my panties.
I can’t help it.
Gabriel’s dark gaze is on me, potent and powerful, and I swear to God he’s remembering too. His lip actually twitches, trying to fight off a smile.
The man can affect me without saying a word, especially now that I’ve decided I was wrong about him. I was so, so wrong.
He’s a protector.
That makes it even harder to fight off this attraction.
You don’t need protecting anymore, I remind myself. You’re all grown up—strong and independent. No one can hurt you now. But that doesn’t matter. None of that matters. All that matters is how Gabriel is making me feel right now.
Safe.
My fingers tremble so I clench them into fists. He makes me self-conscious, like he can see right into my thoughts.
I swallow hard and try to act nonchalant, as though he doesn’t affect me at all.
“That would be fine,” I finally manage to say. “Thank you, Gabriel.”
“I’d give you a ride anytime,” he answers and I look at him sharply. His double entendre hasn’t been missed. At least not by me. Ethan is oblivious.
“Thank you,” Ethan tells Gabriel grudgingly. He starts to walk away, then calls over his shoulder, “I’ll call you soon, Maddy.”
I don’t even answer.
Gabe looks at me, amusement in his dark eyes. “What the hell do you see in that guy?”
“I… er…” and then I can’t help but dissolve into a giggle.
The memory of Ethan standing helplessly to the side, watching while Jared puffed out his chest like a rooster, suddenly makes me laugh. I’m no longer even mad about it. It’s just so ridiculous.
“I don’t know,” I finally manage. “He’s been a friend for a long
time. He was probably just afraid. Fighting isn’t really his thing.”
“He’s a candy-ass,” Gabriel answers simply. “Fear is a choice.”
What an interesting thing to say. I’m sure that, for him, fear is a choice. It’s how he’s been trained. He’s hard and strong and he’s not afraid of anything.
Except for one thing. The thing that brought him to his knees that night in Chicago.
His secret.
We walk to his car and I slide into the passenger seat, clicking my seat belt. I don’t know what it is about guys and hot rods, and I’ll probably never understand it.
As Gabe pulls out of the parking lot, he glances at me.
“I’m sorry about your parents.”
Crap.
“You overheard that?” I ask, not looking him in the eye. I hate talking about this with people. I hate the sympathy in their eyes and trying to figure out what to do with it.
He nods.
“Yeah. I was standing right behind you.” But then he drops it.
I don’t know whether he’s just not interested enough to ask questions or whether he’s uncomfortable talking about stuff like that, but either way I’m grateful. If I never talk about my parents dying again, that would be just fine with me.
“What was Jared saying about my sister?” Gabe asks as he turns onto the main road. I shake my head.
“He said she was lying about him and wanted me to tell her to stop. I have no clue what he was talking about.”
Gabriel looks thoughtful. “I don’t know either. But he ran like the pussy he is. You know, he grabbed you. I’m sure the gas station probably has a surveillance camera. You could press charges if you want to. Teach the little shit a lesson.”
“I might,” I answer. “I keep thinking that he’ll get tired of messing with Jacey, that he’ll just go away, but he hasn’t so far. Maybe we really should call the police. On the other hand, if I do, that might really piss him off and he’ll never stop. I grew up with him. He’s always gonna be an asshole.”
“You don’t need to be intimidated by him,” Gabriel says firmly. “That’s why I’m here, so that he can’t shove you guys around. He’s a schoolyard bully that needs to grow up. But don’t underestimate him.”
I nod slowly. “Let’s change the subject. I’ve had enough of Jared for the day.”
Gabe finally smiles, a slow smile that spreads along his lips.
“OK. First you can tell me which way to turn, then you can tell me the real reason you’re fucking around with doctor boy.”
I roll my eyes. “Left. And I told you the real reason. He’s been a friend for a long time.”
Gabriel’s the one rolling his eyes now.
“He doesn’t think he’s just your friend,” Gabe points out as he turns down my road. “You should put him out of his misery.”
“And why would I do that?” I demand. “You don’t know what I’m going to do.”
“No,” Gabriel concedes. “But I know what you want. You want me.”
“Oh, geez. Are we back to that?” I shake my head, but his words cause a rush of warmth to spread through me. I do want him, asshole cockiness and all.
“Jacey thinks you should date me,” Gabriel announces as he turns into my drive.
I put my hand on the car handle. “You don’t want to date me,” I tell him. “You want to fuck me. There’s a big difference.”
He shrugs. “Tomato, tomahto.”
A thrill shoots through me and I can’t help but smile as I open the door.
“To be honest, I rarely do what your sister suggests. She’s insane.”
“Yes, she is,” Gabriel agrees. “About most things. The verdict is still out on this particular thing, though.”
“Oh, really?” I ask, my eyebrow cocked.
“Yup. Maybe we should do a little research. You know, just to see. Let’s have dinner on Saturday night.”
And with that, just like that, the game is back on.
He stares at me, waiting for me to accept.
Do you want to play? Yes or no?
He apparently thinks there’s no way I would decline. I have to avoid looking at his totally cut body so that I can. I have to put the image of him standing up for me out of my mind.
Because there’s something about him that I don’t know.
Something secret.
Something that made him freak the fuck out, turning this strong protector into a violent incoherent guy who has panic attacks and punches walls. And I have no idea what that something is.
I shake my head.
“You’re so cocky,” I tell him. “So fricking cocky. I would’ve thought that you would be too busy with your other dates. But it doesn’t matter. I can’t on Saturday. Sorry.”
I have no plans whatsoever, but he doesn’t need to know that. If he can throw his dates in my face, I can throw mine in his. Even if mine are imaginary.
Gabriel looks stunned and then realization clouds his face as he remembers that he told me he had a date last night. He starts to say something, but I cut him off as I spin around and head for my house. With every step I feel his dark gaze hitting me between the shoulder blades.
I ignore it.
But one thing I can’t ignore is that everything about that man makes my knees weak. I can’t ignore the look in his eyes: that dark, dark look that says, Don’t worry. No one will hurt you on my watch. I can’t ignore the way one look from him sets my blood on fire.
And I can’t ignore the biggest thing of all, the heavy question that sits on my chest all the time, even though I’ve only just acknowledged it.
I know he has a secret that has the ability to turn him into everything that I’m afraid of.
The question is, are all the good things I know about him enough to make me see past it?
Chapter Ten
Work seems particularly monotonous today. I’ve placed next month’s food order, drunk four cups of coffee, and I have a caffeine buzz when I follow up with Jacey and make sure that she’s up in time to come to work.
She’s made a habit lately of coming home from the clubs in the early-morning hours, then oversleeping for work. That was one thing when we were teenagers, but we’re not kids anymore. It’s time to grow up.
“Yes,” Jacey sighs into the phone. “I’m up. I’m showered. I’ll be there shortly. You didn’t need to check on me. And what did you do to my brother this morning? He said he gave you a ride, but he was mean as hell when he came home.”
“Nothing. I just told him I couldn’t go out with him on Saturday.”
“God,” Jacey grumbles. “Why can’t you just hook up already? You know you both want to and you’ll both be happier when you do.”
I’m starting to think she’s right, but I don’t say that.
“Whatever. I’ll have your paycheck ready when you get here.”
“ ’K. I’ll be there soon.”
We hang up and I stare forlornly at the papers balanced precariously in stacks on my desk. I decide to take a quick break and run out to the dining room to stretch my legs. As I enter, Tony calls for me from the bar.
“Hey, Maddy. Your sister just called and wanted to know if you’d bring her out some soup on your way home. Pax is in Hartford for a week and she’s not feeling that well today. She really didn’t sound good. Maybe you should take it to her right now.”
I’m instantly concerned. Mila isn’t one to complain, not ever. She could be on her deathbed and she wouldn’t whine.
“Seriously?” I ask Tony as I lean against the bar. “What’s wrong with her, did she say? Is it morning sickness still or something else?”
He shakes his giant head. “She didn’t say. She just said she feels sicker than usual and that she’s going to stay in bed today.”
“Well, hell,” I mutter. “That’s not like her. I hope she doesn’t have the flu. If you box something up I’ll run it out to her right now.”
“Already done,” Tony grins, handing me a large carryout s
ack. “There are saltines in there too. They might settle her stomach.”
It’s not a problem to make a food run to my sister. Her house is only a few minutes away, perched on the edge of the bluffs by the lake. It was Pax’s before they got married and it’s a gorgeous home.
I knock on the door and when Mila finally answers it I’m even more concerned. Her face has a grayish pallor to it, her normally bright eyes dull, and she’s still in her nightgown.
“What the hell?” I exclaim as I follow her into the house. “What’s wrong with you? Is your morning sickness worse? That’s not normal, right? Shouldn’t you be over that by now?”
“I don’t know,” she groans. “I had the worst stomachache last night, so I was up all night long. I barely slept.”
I gently push her onto a barstool and begin unloading her lunch. “When did Pax leave?”
Mila drops her head onto her crossed arms. “Yesterday. Don’t tell him that I’m sick or he’ll come straight home. He’s got meetings with his grandpa this week.”
I stare at her uncertainly. “I don’t know, Mi. You look pretty bad.”
“That’s exactly why I don’t want him to come home, Madison. Have a heart. It’s just a stomach bug. He doesn’t need to be here, listening to me every time I’m in the bathroom. Seriously. How embarrassing.”
I sigh. “Fine. I won’t call him yet. But you’ve got to promise to get some rest. Is there anything else I can bring you?”
She shakes her head. “Nope. I’m just going to finish eating this and then curl up and sleep.”
“I’ll sit with you for a bit.”
Mila manages a smile. “You’re as overprotective as Pax is.”
I don’t even bother to answer, because I know she’s right.
“So, how’s life?” she asks quietly in between bites. “How was your date with Ethan?”
I roll my eyes. “That’s probably the last time I listen to your advice about my love life. It was dry, boring, vanilla… all the things that Ethan is.”
“Awww. Poor Ethan,” Mila answers sympathetically. “He can’t help it.”
“I know,” I answer ruefully. And I do.
“This soup is good,” Mila says, blowing on another spoonful as she changes the subject. “Can you tell Tony thank you for me?”
If You Leave: The Beautifully Broken Series: Book 2 Page 12