AllFreeNovel
Share Us
‘I’msorry…it’s just thatIcame upstairs because, well…’—becauseIwanted to screw your brains out—‘becauseIwanted to see if you were home, andIheard you screaming...’
‘It’sfine.Ithappens sometimes.’
Herbrow creased in a frown. ‘Gabriel, whatIsaw last night was notfine.’Wouldhe want to talk about it?Shewouldn’t push him because it was none of her business, even though she cared.She’dtake her lead from him.
Heflinched and his hands tightened on her waist.Fora moment, she wondered if sex would help him feel better.Itwasn’t necessarily the circumstances in which she wanted to sleep with him, but she would do it, if it helpedGabriel.That’swhat she’d wanted from him last night, anyway, when she came to his flat.Didit matter if thewhyhad changed?
Theystared at each other, with no sound except for their breathing.Inhis eyes, she identified desire warring with other emotions in the way his eyelids flickered and refocused on her.Jesswondered how she’d ever thought this man was cold.Hewas just damaged and trying to protect himself.Shewanted to protect him, too.
Gabrielswayed towards her—just a centimetre—and her lips parted.Butthen he seemed to have second thoughts, sighed, and rolled onto his back.Hesqueezed his eyes shut and massaged his temple with his ring finger and thumb.
‘Ineed to get out ofParisfor a few days,’ he said to the ceiling. ‘Sometimes, this place feels too claustrophobic.’
‘Oh.Ofcourse.’Disappointmentreared within her and her heart dropped.Shewas leaving onThursday.Ifhe went away untilWednesday, then that would pretty much be the end of her trip.Butshe knew the deal: this had been a no-strings-attached transaction.Hedidn’t owe her anything.
Thatdidn’t stop it from hurting.Youidiot,Jess!Howhad she gotten so invested, so fast?Andyet, here she was, caring about this man, and the fact that he didn’t feel the same way about her unexpectedly distressed her. ‘Iunderstand.’
Shestarted to sit up when his hand wrapped around her wrist.
‘Wannacome with me?’
AsGabriel’sblackSUVsped down the motorway through the patchwork countryside southwest ofParis,Jessimagined she was in a getaway car, whisking her away to a secret location for an illicit rendezvous.Allshe needed was a pair of oversized sunglasses and a scarf to wrap around her hair à laGraceKelly.
Itwas almost perfect, like a scene from a movie.Theonly issue…?Classicalmusic played on the radio andJessmade a yuck face.Itwasn’t really her thing. ‘Doyou mind ifIchange this?’
Gabrielplaced his hand over his heart as though mortally wounded. ‘Youmean, you don’t likeBeethoven?’
‘No.’
‘Mozart?’
‘Nope.’
‘Debussy?’
Shelaughed. ‘Youcan name all the dead composers in the world, butI’mgoing to keep saying no.Sorry.’
Hehuffed. ‘Fine, change it.Butthis conversation isn’t over.’Shetwirled the dial until she found a pop station playingTaylorSwift—ironically, it was ‘GetawayCar’, a song about a rebound relationship.Thistime,Gabrielmade a yuck face, and she laughed.Shecouldn’t imagine a singer that would be less on his radar (but who totally should be).
Jessstill couldn’t believe she was doing this, heading out of town with a man she barely knew and yet knew so well in other ways.Hestill hadn’t said anything about last night.Shefigured he would talk to her when he was ready…if he was ever ready.Maybehe never would be.Itwasn’t like she was his girlfriendor anything.Herchest tightened with a feeling she was loathe to name.
Asif compelled, her head tipped towards him.Shestudied his straight nose and full lips, which she could feel on her body if she closed her eyes.Helooked so handsome in his linen top and aviator sunglasses, with his hair newly washed, his stubble recently shaved, and his woodsy cologne freshly applied.Hewore shorts, his prosthetic leg fully visible to her.Hisclothes choice gave her the impression he felt comfortable in her presence—a thought that made her inordinately happy.
Thefurther they got fromParis, the more relaxed he became: his shoulders began to unknot and his jaw unclenched.Heeven laughed at a joke she told about pirates; she’d heard about a million of them from her kids:Aslice of pie costs $2.00 inJamaicaand $3.50 in theBahamas.Theseare the pie rates of theCaribbean.
Shegrinned.
Gabrielcaught her eyes on him and gifted her with a rare curve of his lips. ‘What?’
‘Nothing.Ijust like looking at you.’Herstomach fluttered as she said it.Thewords bordered on intimate, but who were they kidding?Theywere undeniably attracted to each other.They’dbe having sex at some point in the next couple of days—hopefully, sooner rather than later.Couldn’tget much more intimate than that.
Hissmile turned wolfish and a ball of heat exploded between her legs.Hereached over and took her hand in his, bringing it to his lips for the briefest of kisses.
Icould get used to this, she thought and immediately slapped the sentiment away.Thiswas a fling.Reboundsex.Nothingmore.
‘Sowhere are we going?’ she asked to take her mind in a different direction.
‘Ihave a small place in the country,’ he explained as he turned off the motorway. ‘It’sa fixer upper, butIneeded a project, so it keeps me busy.’
