Olivia looked to the man who had gotten Amalric away from her.
He was extremely tall with a thick, muscular frame; he pulled off the fitted black V-neck t-shirt, leather jacket, and dark denim jeans rather well. His pale skin contrasted well with his long yet cropped raven locks and his matching beard.
“Thank you for that,” Olivia spoke softly, looking into his intense gray eyes.
He had been watching to make sure Amalric was staying away, but then turned to look at her.
“It’s no trouble,” he told her, his voice still gruff and deep.
But just as it seemed like he was about to walk away, his eyes widened a bit as he caught a glimpse of her. The man stood there, studying the details of her face for several moments. His facial expression shifted from stern into a strange look, almost like he had seen a ghost. His eyes traced every inch of her face before he quickly turned and walked away. Olivia’s eyes watched him as he walked back across the bar and found his way back to a booth of his fellow bikers.
What had that been about?
She looked back to her drink, trying not to read too much into it. He had gotten that annoying man away from her, and that was all that mattered. He had put on a strange vibe though, seeming to be aloof. The man hadn’t tried to create any additional conversation with her; he simply accepted her gratitude, gave her a good look over, and then left.
Olivia shrugged her shoulders and finished off the last bit of her drink. That was enough drama for her for one evening. She looked at her phone again, and to her disappointment, there was still no message from Emily. Letting out a deep sigh, Olivia stood up to leave the bar.
But something was still troubling her. She couldn’t stop wondering why the man who helped her had given such an expression when he did look her over, and why it seemed almost as though he was so uncomfortable to finally look at her that he had to leave abruptly. It just didn’t make sense and left her mind spinning.
CHAPTER THREE
As Olivia went to polish off the drink she had, she could feel a tingling on the back of her neck. Someone was watching her, and she had a good suspicion as to who it was.
Slowly, Olivia turned her head to glance over her shoulder. She spotted the eyes immediately. The bearded man sat among his friends, but wasn’t speaking at all—and his eyes fixated on her. Olivia never thought of herself as a stunner but she did typically get her fair share of male attention at a bar. But something about this man was different. He didn’t seem like the sleazy type who would try to pick her up with some cheesy pick-up lines; rather, it was like he was studying her from a distance.
Olivia turned back around, thinking maybe she was imagining things and that she had just turned around and locked eyes with him while he was glancing around. But as she ordered another drink and started on that one, she could still feel his eyes on her.
Olivia dared another look, still finding him looking in her direction. She tried to brush it off, but her mind wouldn’t let her. It was like the man had instantly invaded her mind. His stare didn’t make her uncomfortable, strangely enough, it made her curious as to why in the world he was doing it. Every time she glanced over her shoulder, he would be looking at her. Olivia contemplated gesturing to him, but she quickly decided against it. After all, she didn’t even know his name and who knew what his intentions were.
Olivia sat in the bar for another hour or so, nursing two more rum and cokes before Emily finally texted her back saying she was on her way home. Thank goodness. Olivia stood from her stool and stumbled just a bit, the alcohol having affected her more than she anticipated. Perhaps she needed a cab for the journey home.
Jesus, why couldn’t Emily have texted her a drink or two ago?
She put the money needed for her drinks on the bar before grabbing her bag and heading to the door. Olivia was ready to go home anyways; the bar was still far too loud for her liking; she also needed to get plenty of rest before having to go into work the next morning. The evening had been more eventful than she had anticipated, but overall, the experience was ok.
As her hand gripped the brass door handle, a hand appeared on the door above her head, pushing the door closed. Her eyes followed the arm up to the face to find the bearded man standing over her. She looked him over. He must have been at least six foot four, being a good foot taller than her. The man towered over Olivia, making her feel small and slightly intimidated.
His gray eyes were locked onto hers as he stood over her. “Let me walk you home,” he said finally.
Olivia gave him a strange look, “Excuse me?”
“Let me walk you home,” he repeated. “I can tell you’re at least a little drunk, and I don’t want you walking home alone.”
Olivia was confused. Why did he care? He didn’t know her.
“I don’t even know you, why would I let you walk me home?” she questioned him.
The man dropped his hand from the door and held it out for her to shake, “I’m Gabriel.”
Olivia paused before taking his hand, immediately noticing how cold his hand was; but he was in a bar, he had probably been holding a drink. Gabriel. She had never known anyone with that name before, but somehow, it felt oddly familiar.
“Olivia,” she responded.
Gabriel looked her over again before speaking, “Look, Olivia, I promise I don’t mean any harm. I don’t have to walk you all the way home, but at least make sure you get about there. There’s plenty of men in this city waiting to prey on a tipsy woman, walking alone at night.”
There was something lingering in his stormy gray eyes that seemed to hold concern, making him seem genuinely worried for her well-being.
“Oh yeah?” she questioned. “And how do I know you’re not one of them?”
The corner of his mouth pulled up in a lopsided grin then, appreciating her wit. “Point taken,” he chuckled just a bit, before looking to her, “Really though, what do you say?”
Olivia looked him over as she pondered.
Well, he had already ripped one creep away from her, and he really didn’t seem like he held any malice towards her. And he was right, he didn’t have to walk her all the way home, she could let him walk her to her block. And with the thought of men lurking in the shadows to take advantage of her in her inebriated state lodged in her mind, it was hard to turn down his offer.
“Okay, I guess,” she finally agreed.
Gabriel gave a nod and opened the door for her, letting her step out first before stepping out with her. Olivia was reminded once again how drunk she was as she looked around the street and couldn’t remember for the life of her which way she had come from originally. It took her a minute or two of glancing around, debating on the options before finally recalling which direction home was in.
As they walked, there was a silence hanging in the air between them. Surprisingly, it didn’t feel that awkward. Gabriel reached into his jacket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter, putting one between his lips and lighting it before putting the pack and lighter away.
He looked over to her, “Are you from here?” he asked her casually.
Olivia shook her head, “No, I’m not. I just moved here actually,” she told him.
Her eyes drifted to the tall man next to her, “What about you? Are you from here?”
Gabriel shook his head, dragging on his cigarette before answering her, “No, I’m not,” he answered simply.
Olivia could feel his eyes continuously glancing over to her as she guided the way back towards her apartment. “Where are you from?” he asked her.
Olivia hedged about answering him at first, but couldn’t find any harm in telling him.
“I’m from a small town in Ohio. What about you? Have you been in town long?” she asked him curiously.
“No, I haven’t. Just a few months,” he told her simply, completely ignoring her first question. “How old are you?”
Olivia was starting to feel like she was in a speed dating round or something with how many
questions he was asking her.
“I’m twenty-one. How old are you?” she asked him.
The man looked down at her before staring forward, flicking his cigarette butt to the side, “Twenty-seven.”
They approached a crosswalk, Gabriel reaching and pressing the button for them. “Do you have any French in your ancestry?” he asked.
Olivia felt a little blind-sided by the strange question.
Why did that matter? Why did he care?
“Uh… I don’t know,” she told him. “I mean, my dad was from Wales, so I know I’m half Welsh… But my mom was born and raised in Ohio, so I have no clue…” Olivia rambled a bit from her slight drunkenness as she actually tried to think about it. She had never really been around her mother’s family much since they had lived upstate from them, so she guessed she had just never thought to ask.
“Why?” she asked him.
He was silent for a long moment, giving a shrug, “Just thought you looked like somebody I knew one time. They were French. That’s all,” he told her casually.
Before she could respond or even think much more on it, Gabriel spoke again, “Do you live alone here?”
“Nope. I live with my best friend, Emily,” she answered him easily.
“No boyfriend?”
Olivia’s eyes slid over to him, finding his grey eyes already on her. She took just a moment to look over his features. He had such strong bone structure, the slope of his nose perfectly straight and his cheek bones well defined; and she was certain under his small yet bushy beard, there was a strong jaw.
She then gave a small, sweet smile, “Are you asking to make conversation, or because you’re curious?” she asked him boldly.
His eyes averted from her, his hands sinking into his pockets as they walked along, “What’s the difference?”
Olivia scoffed a bit, “Asking to make conversation is asking because you just want to fill silence. Curiosity is wanting to know the answer.”
Gabriel raised a thick black brow then, looking down to her yet again, “Call it both.”
Smiling a bit shyly as she replied, “No. No boyfriend. Do you have a girlfriend?” she asked him.
“Filling silence or curious?” he fired the same question at her.
Olivia’s cheeks flushed a little, not having flirted with someone since she first started talking to Kent. “Curious,” she admitted to him.
The stoic and aloof man gave a smirk then, a bit of humor gleaming in his eyes as he let out a sigh and looked to her, “No girlfriend.”
Olivia couldn’t help but smile, unable to help it. Even the thought of the ridiculously attractive biker possibly being interested in her made the woman feel a little giddy.
Before she knew it, they were actually approaching her building. Olivia couldn’t believe she hadn’t stopped herself at the corner or something, having told herself before that she wouldn’t let him come all the way to her building.
But, as strange as it felt, she didn’t feel worried about it. Gabriel didn’t seem like the axe-murdering type. Besides, it wasn’t like he would know which apartment she was in; the building had twelve floors.
Olivia came to a stop just outside the entrance, “Well, this is my stop,” she sighed.
Gabriel looked up to the tall building before looking back down to her.
He opened his mouth to speak when her phone started ringing from inside her bag.
“Sorry,” Olivia blushed, embarrassed about the interruption.
She dug into her bag and fished it out, thinking it was going to be Emily asking where she was. But just as she went to answer it, she noticed the name on the screen wasn’t Emily’s, but Kent’s.
Olivia had managed to forget about their conversation earlier that evening during her time in the bar, and certainly during her walk with Gabriel. Emotions came flooding back to her, the alcohol heightening them a bit. Tears pooled in her eyes as she hit the ignore button and put her phone back in her bag.
“Hey, are you okay?” Gabriel asked, stepping closer to her.
“I’m fine,” Olivia said tersely, going to step around him.
As she did, the woman stumbled and started to fall to the ground.
Two strong arms caught her and brought her in, bringing her to a steady stance. Olivia looked up to Gabriel, the man holding her close to him. She could feel a static come into the air as they stood close together. His gray eyes were examining her green hues with concentration, only to flicker down to her lips before moving back up to her eyes.
Gabriel’s arms stayed around her as he asked, “Can I see you again?”
Olivia was a little surprised, not having thought of whether or not they would see one another again. She gave a simple nod. His eyes lingered over her face for several moments before finally dropping his arms.
“Meet me at the bar tomorrow night? At seven?” he asked her.
“Yeah… that’s fine,” she nodded, not really liking the idea of going back to that bar—but she wanted to see him again.
She gave him a weak smile before finally stepping around him and grabbed the door to her building, “Good night,” Olivia called to him, looking to him one last time for the night.
His eyes were still on hers, his gaze softer and less intense than before, “Good night, Olivia.”
She stepped into the building then, heading directly towards the elevator. Olivia felt like she was dreaming. There was no way a man like Gabriel existed and was interested in someone like her. Her head was spinning from it all, unable to stop thinking about him. He was so mysterious, which was so rare those days; everyone was an open book, posting every little detail of their lives on social media.
Once the elevator arrived, she stepped into it and selected her floor.
She couldn’t wait to tell Emily about her evening, especially the part including Gabriel.
CHAPTER FOUR
“I can dress myself, Em,” Olivia groaned as she sprawled over her bed as her best friend and roommate tore apart the inside of Olivia’s closet.
“No. No you cannot,” Emily corrected her, tossing several clothes over her head.
“This is big! Do you not get that? A man, who is not Kent, flirted with you and you liked it. And you said he was sexy and mysterious. This is the kind of love you cannot afford to pass up!”
Olivia sat up, looking at her with a raised brow, “Love? You’re getting way ahead of yourself. He walked me home and invited me to drinks tonight. You’re acting like it’s a marriage proposal. Calm down, will you?”
Emily’s head snapped in her direction, “I’m still going to dress you.”
“No. You can pick an outfit and I can decide whether or not I want to wear it. I’m not having you dress me like a hussy, that’s not who I am.”
“You don’t even have any ‘hussy’ clothes,” Emily grumbled as she continued to rummage through the closet.
After what felt like eternity, Emily threw her hands up in defeat, “You have nothing! I’ll be back,” Emily huffed, hurrying out of the room.
Olivia gave a bit of a pout, looking at her wardrobe which was then a ‘floordrobe’.
Did Emily really not like any of her clothes? Olivia had never considered herself particularly stylish, but she thought she dressed at least slightly better than average.
She stood from the bed and started to gather all of the discarded clothes, putting them back in her closet. Once she had picked the last of the clothes up, Emily came running back into the room.
“Okay, I took what you said into consideration. What do you think of this?” she asked, pulling something out from behind her back.
It was a plain black dress that looked formfitting, and cut off a couple of inches above the knee; and it had sleeves the length of t-shirt sleeves. It was simple and cute, and wasn’t as revealing as what she thought Emily would have picked—it was rather flattering.
“Yeah, I actually like that,” Olivia smiled a bit, walking to her and taking the dress.
&n
bsp; Olivia walked into the bathroom right outside her bedroom door and slipped into it. She looked at herself in the mirror, finding herself liking it even more than she thought. She supposed she could add a bit more sophistication to her style rather than just cardigans and Vans.
Olivia walked from the bathroom, back into the bedroom.
Emily applauded, “You look beautiful, gorgeous…and extravagant!”
Olivia blushed a bit at her friend’s excitement and compliments. She had really missed having such a positive force in her life during the years they spent apart. While Olivia had never branched out much after having to part with her best friend, the few acquaintances she had through Kent were negative, a little immature, and definitely rude. It was refreshing to be around Emily again.
Emily walked back over to Olivia’s closet and picked up a pair of black high heels.
“No way, Em. I’m going to be drinking, remember? I don’t want to die on the walk home,” Olivia mused to her friend.
Emily dramatically rolled her eyes, “Yeah, but that gives him the perfect chance to catch you again.”
Olivia just shook her head, walking around her friend and grabbing a pair of ballet flats and slipping them on.
“You are no fun!” Emily huffed.
“How do I look?” Olivia asked, gesturing to herself.
She had already masterfully straightened her hair and put on just a bit of makeup with winged eyeliner and a dark pink matte lipstick.
Emily looked her over and let out a sigh, “You look like Olivia Price. Simple and adorable with an added splash of my sophistication.”
“Thank you,” Olivia smiled, looking at the time on her phone. “Well, you’ve managed to finish just in the nick of time. I gotta go.”
She walked towards her bedroom door, picking up her handbag along the way.
“Be careful! If he gives you any trouble, you call me and I’ll send Isaac to beat him up!” Emily called to her.
“I’m not beating anyone up!” Isaac called from Emily’s bedroom across the apartment.
Gabriel's Secret: A Vampire's Obsession: Book 1 Page 2