Gabe

by M. Malone

  The simplicity of that stuns me through and through. Even with everything she knows about me, who I am and what I've done, she likes me. She believes in me. And she makes me want to be a better man.

  I move the covers back slightly, moving slowly so I won't disturb her. I pull on a pair of jeans and T-shirt and with one last glance back at Sasha, I make my way downstairs.

  Zack is at the breakfast bar hunched over a bowl of cereal. "Hey. I noticed Sasha's car was still in the drive. It's not having any problems, is it?"

  "No. She stayed over last night. She's still asleep."

  His eyes widen slightly. Being under his gaze makes me feel antsy, so I start rooting around in the pantry, finally pulling out a box of dry cereal. I pop a handful in my mouth and lean against the counter. Zack raps his knuckles against the granite surface to get my attention.

  His eyes are solemn as he says, "I'm really happy for you, man. She's amazing."

  I crunch loudly on another handful of cereal, uncomfortable with the serious tone of the conversation. "She just crashed here last night, dude. I didn't say we're getting married."

  His serious expression doesn't change. "You didn't have to. The fact that she's here says it all. And it's a good thing."

  "Isn't this a little heavy for Sunday morning conversation?" Although I understand what he means, it makes me feel even more like a fraud. He thinks I'm stepping up to the plate, giving Sasha the serious commitment she deserves when I'm just another guy taking advantage of her trusting nature. Because if she knew the truth about me, she definitely wouldn't be upstairs wrapped in my blankets.

  "I'm serious, Gabe. You deserve to be happy."

  "Do I?" I don't have to qualify the statement. Zack knows who and what I am. What I'm capable of. He knows just how far I'm willing to go past any lines of morality when I want something.

  Zack looks like he's about to say something else but before he can, his attention suddenly snaps to something over my shoulder.

  "Morning."

  I turn at the sound of Sasha’s voice. She's wearing my dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a pair of my boxer shorts. Under my gaze she blushes slightly and tugs at the bottom of the shirt.

  "I hope you don't mind." She glances over at Zack before her eyes come back to me, as if she's not sure how to act in front of him.

  I move around the counter and pull her into my arms for a quick kiss. Afterward, she breaks into a wide smile.

  "Of course I don't mind. It looks way better on you. Do you want some breakfast? We don't have much other than eggs."

  "Eggs are perfect." Sasha accepts the coffee mug that Zack hands her and then pours herself a cup from the pot on the counter.

  Zack sits again and then looks over at me. "You going in to the shop today? A friend of mine asked me to take a look at her carburetor. I didn't get a chance to do it yesterday."

  The way he says friend tells me that he's doing it for some girl.

  "I probably should. I need to catch up on some paperwork."

  Zack nods. "Better you than me. You should come with us Sasha."

  I have the refrigerator open and freeze with my hand on the carton of eggs. What the hell is Zack doing? Sasha isn't the type of girl who wants to hang around in an auto-shop with a bunch of guys.

  Awkward silence descends and Sasha shakes her head. "I should probably get going pretty soon. I have some stuff to do."

  "It would be fun. I'd much rather look at you than this guy's ugly mug." Zack points at me.

  Sasha takes a small sip from her cup, eyeing me over the rim. "Honestly, he's prettier than me."

  Of course, that has Zack howling with laughter. He gets up and pulls Sasha into a hug. "Please come entertain me. Don't leave me alone with this stick in the mud and a bunch of horny old men."

  Laughing she hugs him back. "I'm sure Gabe has a lot of stuff he needs to get done today. I wouldn't want to get in the way."

  Something about the way she says it makes my hand pause in the act of cracking the eggs into the skillet. She looks uncertain. Then I remember our rules last night. Keep things casual. I hope she didn't think that meant she has to make herself scarce every time we have sex.

  I abandon the skillet on the stove so I can look her directly in the eyes. "Sasha, you are never in the way. Ever. I want you to come. I was hoping that you'd hang out with me today. I didn't even get to give you a full tour of the house yet."

  At my words, she gives a little nod. "Well, I really can't anyway because I don't have anything to wear."

  Zack speaks up, looking over at me mischievously. "Wear something of Josie's. She's got a ton of stuff here."

  When Sasha's face closes up, I want to strangle him. "She stays over sometimes when she can't deal with her folks. All her stuff is in the guest room." I emphasize the words while glaring at Zack.

  "I'm sure she doesn't want some random chick wearing her stuff," Sasha protests.

  "Good thing you're not some random chick then."

  After a quick breakfast of eggs and toast, I lead her upstairs before Zack can stir up any more shit. She comes down ten minutes later in a pair of jeans that are slightly too loose and a blue sweater. Her hair is bundled up on top of her head in some kind of complicated knot.

  "I'm ready to go."

  After grabbing our coats, we head outside. Sasha flips up her hood as a defense against the brisk wind. Once settled in the passenger seat of the car, she looks over at me.

  "I really don't mind staying in the car while you do whatever you need to do."

  "Why would you stay in the car?"

  She shakes her head slightly. "I just don't want you to feel obligated. I know Zack sort of pushed you into inviting me but we're just hanging out, remember? I don't expect you to introduce me to everyone you know. No expectations."

  "I don't feel obligated. I want you to meet the rest of our crew. They're a bit rough around the edges but they're good guys." The thought that she feels like I don't want her with me is so far from reality that I'm not sure how she even arrived at that conclusion. If anything, I want her with me way more than I should. We're supposed to be keeping things casual but I want her to be at home in every part of my world.

  She smiles and nods. As I pull out of the driveway, I can feel her sneaking glances over at me.

  I park in the back lot behind the shop. As soon as we enter, Jim looks up from the computer in the back office.

  "Good, you're here. The inventory is fucked up again."

  "Uh, Jim. This is Sasha."

  At the sight of her, Jim stands a little straighter. "Beg your pardon, miss."

  Sasha just laughs. "I remember you. You were the one who towed my car."

  He extends a hand and pumps hers heartily. "That's right. I'm usually the one that goes on the runs if I'm here."

  I motion toward Jim. "He's also the only reason Zack and I have a shop. He's the one who taught us about cars."

  Jim cackles. "Only after I caught you both trying to steal mine. Little bastards." He glances over at Sasha again.

  She clamps her lips together and I can tell she's trying not to laugh. "So you caught him trying to steal your car? How did you go from catching a thief to teaching them how to fix cars?"

  Jim grins, revealing a row of crooked teeth. "I figured teaching them how to do something useful was better than letting 'em get hauled off to jail. My old man wasn't around a lot when I was a kid either so I know how it is. Plus, I was a little sweet on Debbie back then. Gabe's momma has always been a looker."

  I clap him on the back, halting his story. "Okay, that's enough about that."

  Jim nods to us both as we continue up front. One of my mechanics, Reed Harris, looks up as we enter the front of the shop. He's in the reception area making a cup of coffee. After more introductions and Reed sending me an impressed look when Sasha isn't looking, I lead her into my office. There are a few new client accounts that I need to update and I also have to check the upcoming payroll to make sure ever
yone’s hours look right. When I look up, Sasha is watching me.

  “Sorry, I know this is boring. That’s why I thought it was weird for Zack to invite you. Hanging out in an auto garage doesn’t seem like it would be your thing.”

  “Are you kidding? I’m already thinking of all the stuff you can show me here. I saw a motorcycle in there. Can you teach me to ride? Then we could race!”

  She gets excited about the strangest things. I'm willing to bet that she was a handful as a kid. I have a vision of a gorgeous little girl that has me wrapped around her finger the same way Sasha does. The clarity of the image stuns me almost as much as how badly I want that. It takes me off guard, this sudden longing for all the things I never imagined I'd want. Security. Stability. Family.

  Shaken, I cover my reaction with a forced smile. “Sasha, we're not racing motorcycles.”

  She sticks out her tongue and then jumps up. “Maybe Zack will do it!”

  I watch in astonishment as she races out the door. By the time I catch up to her, she’s behind the front desk where Reed is picking up the keys for the next vehicle he’s going to work on.

  He grins down at her. “Did you lose something, boss?”

  "I hope not."

  She gives me a cheeky grin. "Don't let me distract you. I know you need to get some paperwork done. I don't mind waiting."

  My first instinct is to protest but I know I won’t be able to focus if she's in my office. "Okay, I only need fifteen minutes and then we can go."

  I hate to leave her with nothing to do but I really do need to get stuff done. Besides, how much trouble can she get into in fifteen minutes?

  With a nod of thanks to Reed, I walk back to my office. As soon as the door closes I hear, "Okay, now we can get to the fun stuff. You can show me how to hotwire a car!"

  And I can't keep the smile off my face.

  chapter twelve

  SASHA

  Monday morning, I move back and survey the table that I've just assembled. After the initial suggestions Gabe had given me about reducing my budget, I'd been confident enough to start ordering furniture. Keeping costs under control is really important but I couldn't resist splurging on a few things. The scarred wood tables invoke the look of an old school speakeasy. They look so good that I dance a little jig.

  "Performing already?"

  At the sound of the amused voice behind me, I halt mid-booty shake. Busted, I turn around slowly to see Gabe standing in the doorway behind me holding a large brown paper bag.

  "I totally knew you were there."

  He snorts. "Right. I brought you lunch but please don't let me interrupt you. I was enjoying the view."

  Coyly, I give a little shimmy and dance my way over to him seductively. Gratified at the slack-jawed expression on his face, I snatch the bag from his hand.

  "I'm starving!"

  He growls and then grabs me from behind. "You can have the food but I need my daily dose of Sasha." Then he buries his face in my neck and plants a soft kiss behind my ear.

  Just like that, I melt. Oh the things this man does to me!

  Suddenly breathless, I clutch the bag tighter. "Thank you for bringing me lunch. You didn't have to do that."

  He circles one of the tables. "I wanted to see you. And I wanted to see your new stuff. It looks good."

  "Yeah, it does, doesn't it? Sit down, try it out."

  He obediently takes a seat, stretching his long legs beneath the table. Excitement bursts through me again. Somehow having someone else here makes it all seem real.

  Gabe unpacks the food, which turns out to be sub sandwiches and little containers of potato salad. While we're eating, he listens to my ideas for decorating the club once all the furniture has been delivered.

  "I wish I had a magical team of genies to build the stage." There's an intense satisfaction in doing things on my own but after the time and effort it took to unpack today's delivery, I’m starting to think it's going to take a miracle for me to pull this off. It's not just the money, it's the sheer physical effort required to put everything into place. I thought I was in decent shape but I'm already exhausted!

  Gabe gives me a measured look. "If you want, I could probably do it. I'm pretty handy."

  "I bet you could. Is there anything you can't do? No, don't answer that."

  He grins and finishes off the last bite of his sandwich. As he wipes his hands on a napkin, I suppress a little pang of sadness that our lunch date is almost over. After this, it'll be back to assembling the rest of the tables on my own. The one thing I hadn't counted on was how lonely it can be doing all of this by myself.

  After gathering up the wrappings and empty containers from our lunch, Gabe grabs my hand. "Seriously, Sasha if you need anything, I'm more than happy to help."

  "I know. But I really want to do this on my own. It’s my project and I need to feel like I'm doing it on my own steam."

  "Stubborn girl. Stubborn beautiful girl." But he squeezes my hand in understanding.

  "Besides, maybe I don’t need a stage. Maybe my performers will move throughout the crowd and sing directly to the audience. It’ll be an interactive show. Kind of like those cool flash mobs you see online where everyone is singing and dancing together." I do a little turn and spin away from him like a ballerina.

  When I turn around, Gabe is watching me with the strangest expression. "You are remarkable. Nothing keeps you down for long, does it?"

  The open affection in his voice warms me through and through. He doesn't seem to expect an answer, just pulls me into his arms. He holds me for a long time and I have the sudden urge to clamp my arms around him. To never let him go.

  But then he just kisses me on the forehead and says, "Lock up behind me, okay?"

  * * * * *

  About ten minutes after I get home that evening, the doorbell rings. I was all geared up for a night of conditioning my hair and eating leftovers since Gabe already warned me he's working late tonight. We’re supposed to be casual so I hadn't let on that I was disappointed. But I was. And worried that maybe I'm more into this than he is.

  Taking my sister's advice and presenting Gabe with an offer he couldn't refuse was always a risky prospect. Pretending that I'm okay with a casual thing hasn't been easy. But the way he acted today, the way he held me … wasn't so casual. I shiver remembering. Maybe he's been thinking about me all day, too? I skip to the door. Maybe he decided to ditch work and come over anyway!

  But when I look through the peephole, I see the last two people I was expecting. I yank open the door.

  "Kay? Eli? What are you guys doing here? Were we supposed to meet?"

  Usually I'm not the forgetful type but with everything that's been going on lately it's possible that I spaced when we were making plans. I'd noticed a missed call from Kay earlier today but I’d been so exhausted that I'd figured I'd call her back this evening.

  "No, I just wanted to come by." She doesn't meet my eyes as they come in. I shut the door behind them and turn around. Usually Kay comes right in and gets comfortable on the couch. Today she's standing awkwardly in the middle of the living room and hasn't even taken her coat off.

  Something is wrong.

  "Okay, what's going on?"

  Kay wrings her hands. “I came by your new space around noon today. I wanted to take you to lunch."

  "You did? Why didn't you come in?" Then it hits me that I was busy at noon. Having lunch with Gabe. Suddenly her discomfort makes sense. Depending on when she came by she could have seen something completely innocent or something completely … not.

  "I tried to stay out of it.” Kay glances over at Eli.

  He takes over. "When Tank asked me to find his youngest brother, I did a little digging on all of them. I wasn't trying to be nosy but I figured that there might be something that connected them that would help me find Luke. Well, the things I discovered about Gabe were troubling. I wasn’t going to say anything but when Kay mentioned seeing you together today, I figured you'd want to know." />
  "Troubling?"

  "He's got a clean record as an adult but there were a few incidents that didn't add up for me. So I took a look into his juvenile records. It didn't take long to figure out the guy's a grifter."

  "Not sure what that means but if you're trying to tell me he's a thief, I already know. He told me."

  "He told you?” they ask in unison.

  Kay recovers from her shock first. "Okay, well that's good that he's not hiding anything. But I couldn't help but worry."

  I contemplate just telling her the truth but I'm honestly not sure how to explain what I'm doing with Gabe. It's not that I think she'll try to stop me but I know she's already worried about me getting hurt. So I go with a modified version of the truth.

  "Gabe has been helping me out a lot with the business. It's really not a big deal.” I don’t mention the incredible sex or the fact that my heart turns over in my chest every time I see him. Kay will just worry needlessly.

  As expected, my words seem to calm her. ”Well, good. Anyway, I know you keep saying you're on a dating strike but I told Eli about my plan to fix you up and he thinks Maddox might be a good match. I don't think you've ever met him but he's worked for Eli for years. He's good looking, too. I think you'll like him."

  "Good looking?" Eli repeats.

  Kay rolls her eyes and waves him away. "Divorced but you know that's to be expected when you like older men."

  Words can't even begin to describe how awkward this is. Eli is not the type of guy with the patience for gossip so I'm not sure how she got him to listen to the tales of my troubles. He looks completely uncomfortable.

  "Kay, I'm sure Eli has way better things to do than worry about my social life."

  Normally Eli is pretty reserved so I'm shocked when he suddenly leans closer. “You are my baby’s best friend. I want you to be happy. And any guy that hurts you is going to be on my shit list. I’d rather just introduce you to some guys that I know have their heads on right.”