Page 47 of Angels & Whiskey
Like most mornings,Rich woke me, telling me it was time to go to the gym. I had a little pep in my step as I got ready because I was hopeful I’d see Gabe. Rich asked me which tie he should wear to work and I chuckled; he only asked because of our previous fight. Biting my tongue, I picked the purple and black striped one that matched the purple shirt he was wearing.
After he'd left for work, I changed into my workout clothes, making sure I put on a long-sleeved running shirt to hide my bruises.I’d never forget to hide them again.
I hurried to the gym, and when I arrived I looked around the space, secretly hoping I’d see Gabe, but I didn’t. Starting my usual run, I was lost in thought when I saw him approach out of the corner of my eye.
He didn’t speak.
I didn’t speak.
But my mind was going a million miles an hour.
How could I trust a stranger? Part of me felt as if Gabe was planted by Rich to find out what was going on. But then I remembered how we met.ThenI remembered that it was still possible for Gabe to be a spy.ThenI remembered how angry Rich was when he found out I even talked to Gabe. If Rich planted him, then I was certain he would try to manipulate me into telling him about Gabe, not walk into the house yelling and screaming.
Ihadto be right. Rich would kill me if I were wrong and Gabe was working for him.
When I woke up this morning, I’d never thought my lips would have touched Gabe’s. I woke up thinking I needed to talk to him—that I needed to tell him what was going on because something told me that he wouldn’t let it go that I had bruises.
And … I was right.
For days, I couldn’t get him out of my head. I’d never thought he’d feel the same way. I was married for Christ sake. But Gabe … Well, Gabe obviously didn’t care.
Now, I stared at him under the florescent lights of the racquetball court. I could hear rubber balls being hit against the walls in the next court over and I just stood there, running my fingers along my lips. His kiss felt nice—like really fucking nice, and I had to fight everything in me not to let it continue until I couldn’t breathe.
If things were different …
If I had already left Rich, then I wouldn’t hesitate. But at the end of the day, I was married. Married to an evil man; a man I was certain would kill anyone who touched me, especially with his lips.
Did that prove Gabe wasn’t working for Rich or was it part of his plan?
“Angel, say something,” Gabe pleaded.
He’d said it wouldn’t happen again and to make sure of that, I had to leave.
Turning, I ran toward the door. Before I could open it, Gabe’s hand slapped against it, holding it shut.
“Don’t run. I’m sorry. It won’t happen again. I want to help you, Autumn, and you can’t run for that to happen.”
“He’ll kill you,” I whispered, looking down at the floor. I couldn’t look up to meet his eyes because I knew I would stare at his lips, wanting them on mine again.
“He can try. But if I can survive Afghanistan, I can survive your asshole of a husband.”
I took a deep breath, still not looking up. Before I could speak, Gabe spoke again. “Let’s just be friends. We can be friends, right? I’ll keep my distance in public and when I need to talk to you, we’ll come here.” He motioned to the enclosed space with no windows.
I finally glanced up at him. I was already pushing the envelope so to speak with Rich and if I weren’t doing anything wrong, he couldn’t tell me who I could and couldn’t be friends with.
“Okay.” I nodded. “Friends.”
“Friends who sometimes kiss.”
He smiled and I wanted to smile back. I knew he was joking, but I wanted to agree. I loved the way his lips felt against mine. His kiss was tender and I hadn’t had a tender kiss in a very long time. His lips were soft, and he used the perfect amount of tongue to give me a tease of what it could do on other parts of my body. If things were different, I wouldn’t have stopped.
“Gabe—”
“I’m just kidding. I’ll bide my time until we can get you away from him, then I can’t make any promises.”
Damn his smile! I had to look away, nodding again. “I better go. If you happen to show up at Starbucks, I’ll see you there.” I looked up at him after I stopped talking.
“It’s a date.” He smirked.
