Chapter 16
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
JASMINE
It was after nine o’clock when we finally arrived on site.
Once we had Juniper taken care of, it was time to settle in for the night.
I stepped into the living quarters with Gabe trailing close behind me.
The door banged shut, and I nearly jumped out of my skin.
I hadn’t realized how tense I was until then.
This was the first night we’d be spending together, and I was nervous.
I shouldn’t have been. He’d erected a wall between us when my dad called to check in and asked me to put him on speakerphone so he could talk to both of us.
Gabe’s demeanor instantly changed. He grew distant, a mask of cool professionalism slipping into place while he spoke with my father.
The only time it slipped was during his nightly video call with Rory.
He’d placed his phone in the mount on the dash so he could use its GPS, making it the perfect spot for him to talk to her hands free.
When she grew bored of him, she insisted on talking to me instead.
I reached for the phone at the same time Gabe did, and we bumped hands.
He pulled his hand away instantly as though I’d burned him.
But then, to my utter delight, he rested his hand on his thigh and flexed it before rubbing his palm over his jeans.
He. Did. The. Hand. Flex.
When I plucked the phone from the holder, he returned his hand to the steering wheel, gripping it so tight the leather creaked. Satisfaction swelled in my chest and internally, I did a little victory dance.
I chatted with Rory for a long time. She had so many questions, and I indulged her curiosity.
It helped ease a little of the tension inside the cab.
But now, there was no buffer between us.
There was no Rory to distract from the situation at hand or the butterflies taking flight in my belly.
I needed a moment to breathe, to settle my nerves before sharing this space with Gabe.
“I’m going to hop in the shower,” I said before scurrying to the bathroom. I washed up quickly and brushed my teeth before completing my nightly skin care routine and slipping on my pajamas. Gabe was gathering his toiletries and clothes when I emerged.
“It’s all yours,” I announced, and his gaze briefly flicked to me and back to his bag of supplies.
But then he did a double take, his wide eyes snagging on my bare legs and drifting up my body.
He swallowed hard at the sight of me in sleep shorts and a tank top.
It was the same thing I always wore to bed, but he looked at me like I’d walked out in a negligee, and it made my entire body heat.
“Thanks,” he replied, quickly glancing away.
I did my best to suppress the pleased grin threatening to appear at his reaction.
He disappeared into the bathroom, and I set about preparing a snack tray with my favorite nighttime snacks.
I always came prepared when I traveled with pre-cut fruit, nuts, Greek yogurt, and a little dark chocolate.
I was just curling up on the sleeper sofa with a blanket and the TV remote when Gabe walked out of the bathroom, a pair of gray sweatpants slung low on his hips and plain white t-shirt stretched across his broad shoulders and sculpted chest. My mouth fell open and a raspberry escaped, landing in my lap.
I quickly scooped it up and popped it back in my mouth, clicking on the TV so I had something else to focus on.
“Want to watch a show?” I asked, my words coming out breathier than I’d intended.
“Sure,” he replied with a shrug and settled on the opposite end of the sofa. It was so small, I could reach out and touch him. He was close enough that his intoxicating scent wrapped around me. I breathed him in, fighting the urge to close my eyes and take a deep inhale.
I held out my tray of goodies. “Want some?” I asked.
He scanned over the contents, and I scooted closer to give him a better view of the options.
He shifted in his seat, angling his body toward me slightly so he could reach over and pluck a few berries and a handful of almonds from the tray.
The movement caused our shoulders to brush, and his thigh pressed into mine.
I fought the gasp threatening to escape at the contact, worried he’d instantly pull back if I reacted.
He tossed a few blueberries into his mouth and faced the screen, but didn’t budge an inch or try to put any distance between us.
“What are we watching?” he asked.
I cleared my throat and attempted to keep my voice even despite my heart thundering in my chest at his proximity.
“The Vampire Diaries,” I replied, and he cocked a brow, shooting me a sidelong glance.
“It’s my comfort show,” I explained in defense of my choice of entertainment and playfully nudged his shoulder.
A teasing grin tugged at his lips, and I rolled my eyes.
“I always watch it while I’m on the road.
It’s tradition. I’ve been through the entire series twice now and am working on round three. ”
He chuckled and shook his head as I hit play, but soon he was just as engrossed as I had been the first time.
“Wait,” Gabe began after about twenty minutes of watching the show, “is she in love with both brothers?”
“Kind of. It’s … complicated.”
“Aren’t they, like, two hundred years old and she’s just a teenager?”
“No,” I replied in mock defensiveness. “They’re only about…” I began, attempting to do the math in my head based on when they turned and what year the show came out, “A hundred and seventy, give or take a few years.”
Gabe’s laughter rumbled through his chest, and I felt the vibrations where our bodies were pressed together.
“My bad. That makes it so much better,” he said, his tone playfully sarcastic. The lightness of the moment and ease of the conversation made me want to test the waters a bit.
I shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. “Kind of puts things into perspective,” I began, and he faced me with a questioning look. “Doesn’t make a decade or two age difference seem like that big of a deal, does it?” I let the not-so-subtle suggestion hang in the air between us.
His Adam's apple rose and fell, and something like yearning flashed in his eyes, but it was gone so quick I couldn’t be certain.
“No,” he agreed, his voice low and a little gravelly.
“It doesn’t.” Goosebumps erupted over my skin.
He was so close now, I could lean up and kiss him.
He could easily drop his lips to mine and take what I would freely offer.
But he wasn’t ready. Instead, he cleared his throat and turned back to the screen, placing his hands on his knees and rubbing them over the soft material of his pants as though they were sweating as he stretched his back.
“Either way, both these guys are red flags. I don’t know why any of these ladies would even give them the time of day,” he commented.
“Well, they’re hot for one,” I explained, and he snorted a laugh. “It’s the whole bad boy persona, the ‘I can fix him’ mentality. We love when they can be redeemed. Plus, their devotion to Elena is what epic romances are all about.”
“Whatever you say,” he replied breezily, but there was a hint of hope wrapped in skepticism in his tone.
We fell into comfortable silence as the show played out.
I finished my snack and set the tray aside, settling back to get more comfortable and pulling the blanket around me tighter.
I offered to share with Gabe, but he declined.
I wasn’t surprised. It was far too intimate of a position to be in.
Besides, I doubted he was cold with all the warmth radiating off his body.
I wanted to curl into him and absorb his heat, but I refrained.
It might push him over the edge and cause him to put some distance between us, and I was enjoying this moment of closeness far too much to risk that.
I didn’t realize how exhausted I was from traveling until my eyes began to feel heavy, and I dropped my head back to rest on the back of the sofa.
Despite my best efforts to stay awake, they drifted closed and I slumped against Gabe, my head resting on his shoulder.
Barely lucid, I waited for him to move me, my limbs so heavy I wasn’t sure I had the strength to move myself.
But he didn’t budge, aside from the deep, shuddering breath he drew in and slowly released.
The last thing I remembered before sleep pulled me under was the pressure of his cheek dropping to the top of my head.
Or maybe it was his lips. I couldn’t be sure and would probably never know.
I dreamed of Gabe scooping me up and cradling me against his chest. My arms looped around his neck, and I nuzzled my face against his shoulder, breathing in the heady scent of his skin as he carried me to bed.
“Mmm, you smell so good,” I groaned, my voice groggy. “I wish I could stay right here, wrapped in your arms,” I confessed, reveling in the feel of his strong arms wrapped around me and his hard, chiseled body against mine.
“Me too,” he said, tightening his hold on me as I swayed in his arms. The admission was so unexpected, my eyes blinked open, and I realized I wasn’t dreaming.
This was really happening. I didn’t want him to know I was awake, though just barely, so I closed my eyes again as he lowered to the bed.
He covered me up and descended the stairs, returning to the sofa, but when I drifted off again, I dreamed that he’d climbed under the blankets and curled his body around me so he could hold me all night.