Which begs the question…would I still be there if he hadn’t gotten an itch I couldn’t scratch? Miserable, walking on eggshells, feeling less than human? And that’s another thing that it might be time to change. New Luna is brave, facing her fears and slaying dragons. And there’s one dragon that I haven’t slayed yet…one that is crouching in its lair, waiting for the right time to burn down the village. I have to face it, and what better time than at the emergence of New Luna.
Gabe has just essentially handed me the wheel and told me to drive us wherever I want. The request threw me off, coming so soon after I decided to take control of my life for the first time in over a decade. But not anymore. And there’s something I have to admit to myself—and to Gabe—if the new me is going to have a chance of making it.
I take a deep, fortifying breath and whisper, “To answer a previous question, yes.”
“What do you mean?” Gabe asks. I open my eyes and he’s frowning at me, his pale blue eyes narrowed.
I take another deep breath and hold his stare. “Yes. He hit me. A lot.”
A heavy weight doesn’t fall off of my shoulders and I don’t feel like everything’s going to be all right. I feel…I don’t know. Maybe a little like I’m being silly about something stupid. But Gabe’s reaction isn’t silly or stupid.
He sucks in a breath and his body stiffens until he’s so rigid from head to toe that he’s actually shaking. His eyes narrow to slits, and he straightens slowly, sitting up in the seat and turning to face me fully. The blue of his eyes is fire, but not the sensual kind I’ve seen before. This fire sends me shrinking back into the seat, immediately regretting telling him.
His teeth grind together and his lips barely move when he growls, “The kids?”
I shake my head. I’ll say that for the son of a bitch…he might ignore them and be a piss poor role model and father, but he never laid a hand on the girls. “No. Not ever. Just me.”
He sucks a breath in through his teeth and closes his eyes. “Do you remember what I told you would happen if I found out he hit you?”
How could I forget? I swallow and whisper nervously, my voice trembling a little, “You said you’d ruin him.”
Gabe nods once and opens his eyes. “Yes. And that you’d be very sorry you lied to me.”
I hate that it makes me nervous when he gets that hard edge to his voice, the steel in his eyes. I gulp back the nervousness and dig deep, trying to find the controlled resolve that was at the surface when I climbed on his lap just a few minutes ago. It’s a long time coming, but somehow I manage to bring it back. My heart slows and my thoughts clear.
Fucking awesome. Now I can think well enough to give myself a leg to stand on.
“Did you expect me to confess the ugliest secret of my marriage to you at that point? That’s not something I can just blurt out, Gabe, especially so early in a relationship. It’s still early, actually.”
He moves stiffly, jerking back to face front again, and tugs at the neatly tied bow at his neck. It comes undone beneath his fingers and he rips the top two buttons open of the shirt to take a deep breath.
I try to remain rational and sane. “You can’t ruin him…”
“The fuck I can’t!” he snaps, jerking around to glare at me.
“Don’t.” I put a little force behind it, just trying it out to see if the “obey-me-now” voice works on him the way it works on mischievous little girls.
It does. He clenches his jaw and his eyes go a little fuzzy.
Huh. I push a little harder, testing.
“I want you to leave this alone, Gabe. Understand?” I feel a little strange…a little silly talking to him like a child.
But something happens…he doesn’t relax, but the tension changes, morphs somehow. Heat is still pouring off of him, but in the time it took me to get the words out of my mouth, it changed from fury to…something else. “Yes,” he whispers, and lowers his gaze to my lap. His breathing is faster and his fists are clenching and unclenching.
I open my mouth to talk to him, sort all this out…his insistence on screwing with my ex, the way he just caved immediately, how he underwent a drastic change so rapidly, and—if I’m going to be completely honest with myself—the heated curiosity over the things he told me at the beach house.
“Sometimes you need to put everything aside and let someone else take control. Sometimes you need to be the one in control.”
Before I can ask though, the limousine stops and I look out the window. Tucked between two huge steel warehouses, the tiny wooden shack with a tin sign reading simply, “The Dock” looks horribly out of place and maybe slightly trashy. But it’s one of the most expensive restaurants in Mobile, and has been on several television shows.
But I’m not hungry. I want to finish this. Before I can speak, the door opens and a gloved hand enters my field of vision. Gabe nudges me gently and I roll my eyes and climb out.
“Fine,” I snap as he climbs out and straightens directly behind me, close enough that his chest brushes my back. “But we’re not done.”
He lowers his head until his lips touch my ear. “No, moon goddess. We’re not done yet.”
My knees wobble at the rasp in his voice and I get all gooey again. So much for being the one in fucking control.
* * * *
For being considered the “best” restaurant in Mobile, dinner actually kind of sucks. Then again…maybe it’s the way Gabe keeps looking at me one minute like he wants to tear my dress off, and the next minute like he’s waiting for something. Every now and then his gaze is scorching hot, making me squirm. A couple of times he looks so pissed that it makes my stomach flip. He’s got more of an effect on me with a single look than anyone else has with all the touches of a lover and it makes me crazy through the entire meal.
Conversation is scarce, but I don’t think either of us would be able to stick to a topic that’s even close to being acceptable at dinner. So Gabe just shoots me strange looks that slowly drive me insane while I choke down scallops with a sweet white sauce. In fact, besides the short discussion about what to order, we don’t actually speak to one another the entire time.
We’re as out of place here as we were at the theater, though at least here no one gives us strange looks. There seems to be a business-casual dress code, so our prom-like duds are only slightly ridiculous. For some reason though, I’m more self-conscious about it amongst Mobile’s higher income bracket. I can’t put my finger on it exactly. Maybe because I’m afraid they’re staring at me, whispering about the intruder in their midst, the poor single mother waitress from Corybelle trying to fuck her way up into Mobile’s self-proclaimed high-society.
Several men stop by the table to shake Gabe’s hand—which, since we’re eating, seems pretty rude to me—and he introduces me to each one as “a very close friend.” I’m not certain how I feel about that, though I have to admit…calling me his “girlfriend” does sound a bit juvenile. No one hangs around for more than a minute or so, and Gabe and I go back to just looking at each other between bites. It should be awkward and uncomfortable, but it’s not. Instead, despite how confusing the ever-changing looks are, it still feels like we’re so in tune with one another that we don’t need to speak. The silence is comforting, in a way. Almost as though we agreed to just leave it alone for now.
As soon as the dinner plates are cleared and we’ve both turned down dessert, Gabe signals for the check. Which is fine with me. I’m ready to go, even though I’m dreading climbing into the limo and losing the comforting silence we’ve enjoyed during dinner.
When the waiter takes Gabe’s card to run, Gabe pulls his phone out and taps on it for a few seconds before replacing it in the inside pocket of his jacket. He keeps his hand in there a little longer than necessary and gives me a slow smile that makes me wonder what he knows that I don’t.
Then I remember. My panties are still in his pocket.
He starts to pull his hand out and for a second I panic, thinking he’s goin
g to wave them around. But he doesn’t, nor would he. I know that. He doesn’t even tease me with it, just leans back and watches me, that little knowing smile still curving his lips. One hand is resting on the table, long fingers tapping lightly. When the waiter brings his card back with the ticket, I watch Gabe’s hands as he signs and replaces the card in his wallet.
He stands and moves to pull my chair out, offering me his arm when I stand.
A girl could get used to this.
The limo is waiting when we walk out the door, the driver holding the door open. I brace myself to finish the conversation we were having earlier as I slide in and across the seat. When Gabe slides in beside me, he leans his head back against the seat and closes his eyes with a deep breath.
I want to forget the conversation entirely and just curl into him, cuddle up to that big, warm man and just let him hold me. So that’s what I do. Conversations can wait, especially when they’re the type that might change something or make me uncomfortable.
When I settle against his side, without lifting his head or opening his eyes, Gabe wraps his arm around me and pulls me in close, positioning my legs over his lap and resting one hand on my thigh. I close my eyes and relax, the smooth motion of the limousine lulling me into almost-sleep. I don’t know if Gabe sleeps or not, but we don’t speak or move, other than the occasional shift all the way to Corybelle.
It’s amazing. I can’t put words to it…how comforting it is to be held by him. Every time I’m in his arms I feel this way…cherished and protected. It’s addictive. His warm palm strokes up and down my arm, my back, through my hair, across my cheek for the entire ride. Twice I almost tell him to have the driver turn around and take us back to his house so I can curl into him and sleep that way all night, conversations about control and abusive ex-husbands forgotten. But I’m too content with the embrace to ruin it, and too hesitant to talk about either of the topics we both seem happy to avoid for now. They’ll come up again, and probably a lot sooner if I stay with him.
For now though, we’re just Gabe and Luna, sharing a moment of incredible intimacy that says a lot more about our relationship than anything we’ve ever verbally discussed. And despite all that’s still standing in our way, all that remains uncertain and unanswered, I think we’ll be all right…wayward souls that we are.
Because even though he’s stripped me down to the soul and laid me so completely bare, I wonder if, just maybe, I haven’t exposed him too.
Not Quite the End…
Author’s Note
Dear Reader,
You didn’t think I’d leave you here, did you? Of course I wouldn’t. Gabe and Luna’s story is far from over. There’s so much left for them to overcome that I simply couldn’t fit it all into one book. Their continued story will be in your hands before you know it. In the meantime…you know I can’t leave you without a little wisdom, don’t you?
Luna’s revelation at the end, that she was a victim of domestic violence, is a confession that many women in that situation never make. If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, please don’t wait to seek help. There is help available, and you do have somewhere to go. Please visit The National Domestic Violence Hotline’s website at www.thehotline.org, or call 1-800-799-7233 or 1-800-787-3224 (TTY).
If you are not a victim of domestic violence, please count your lucky stars. If you’re able, consider giving a donation to this organization that has offered sheltering arms to so many women and children.
As always, it’s been a pleasure. Take care of yourselves and your loved ones. Until next time…
All my love,
Kristin
Publisher’s Note
Please help this author's career by posting an honest review wherever you purchased this book.
About Kristin Leigh
Kristin has been a fan of all kinds of romance books most of her life. It’s no wonder when she decided to write that she decided to become a romance author. She spent years as a soldier and military spouse and developed a love for all those who wear the uniform. Military romance is where her heart is but she also enjoys writing all romance genres. When she’s not downloading or writing romance eBooks, she’s wandering in the woods with her children, happily marching to the beat of her own drum. http://www.facebook.com/kleighauthor
Luna Exposed Page 26