Desperate (A Contemporary Romance)

by Katerina Winters

Ignoring the man, she focused back on Bishop. With her feet partly tucked underneath her and to the side she leaned heavily on the cushions next to her. Laying somewhat on top of her folded legs Bishop laid his head on her side staring at her with tired eyes as she scratched behind his ears. Marveling at his soft fur Salene felt her eyes close as her head rested further against the pillows.

  Nuzzling into the soft cushion Salene slowly opened her eyes. Confused she tried to look around the dark room to get her bearings. Dim light spilled into the room from behind her giving her eyes a slight break from the strain of darkness. Now she remembered, she was in the den. Sitting up Salene smiled when she noticed Bishop curled up on her outstretched feet. The dark blanket tumbled down in her lap as she sat all the way up. Did Gabriel put this on her? Well he had to have, she thought, but her mind could not process it. It would actually be more believable to her if Bishop dragged the cover over her while she slept. Looking down at the sleeping dog she smiled. Yeah, she was just going to stick to that scenario.

  Carefully extracting herself from the sleeping canine, she folded the blanket before walking into the kitchen. The silent figure at the barstool nearly sent her screaming.

  "Oh my God Gabriel," she hissed while clutching her beating heart. "Why in the world are you just sitting here?"

  The kitchen was lit only by the dim ambient light above the bar. With a snifter of brandy in one hand Gabriel gave her an unreadable look.

  "Okay then," weirded out by his silence she walked around the kitchen counter towards the guest bedroom. "Oh before I forget, the lock on the bathroom door does not work."

  Without turning around to look at her, he replied coldly. "As if I or anyone would want to look at you Salene." Sipping the brown liquid, he kept his back to her. "Despite the moment of weakness, I let you have earlier you are not my guest you are simply a freeloader. The faster you are out of my house the better."

  No matter who it was, hearing someone pretty much equate you to nothing and being told to get out of their lives hurt. With no energy to fight back, she continued down the hall to her room.

  "Good night Breslin."

  Chapter 7

  With his windows down Gabriel leaned back in the seat of his truck. It was gorgeous outside, the sun was shining bright, and there was a nice occasional breeze in the air. Fall in Dallas was a local best-kept secret, because everyone knew once the rest of the country figured out that Dallas wasn't a year-round inferno the game was over. Dallasites did not want anyone else moving in on their territory, keep the overcrowding to the other cities.

  Today was especially good since he got off early. With the new haircut and the regular attendance again Gabriel was slowly getting back into his boss's good graces. With his work life back on track now all he needed to focus on was his personal life. The mere thought of his home life immediately brought her up in his mind. Letting out a frustrated sigh Gabriel leaned one elbow on the windowsill while holding the wheel with the other hand.

  Living with Salene was torture. Every day the woman was pulling his mind in all different directions. Accepting the fact, he could not just throw her out on the streets Gabriel was more than content to torment her during her stay. Arguing with Salene was like being jolted with white-hot electricity, sometimes painful but always heart racing. After everything with Amber, it was cathartic really. The memory of chasing the frightened woman was just too good. The fear on her pretty round face only made him want to chase her more.

  Running a hand through his short hair Gabriel frowned at the rest of the memories from that night. He realized that Salene was not as straitlaced as he initially thought, there was a secret ribbon of vulnerability to the woman. A vulnerability she hid well under layers of confidence and polished etiquette. That night the carefully built wall of control cracked. Built-up frustrations finally broke free in front of the one person she did not want them to. At that moment Gabriel could see how hard she had been trying to keep it together. Instinctively he ignored all his emotions on the annoying woman and pulled her close into his arms. Gripping the wheel tighter he refused to think about the way her shapely little body felt against his. No dammit he would not allow himself down that dangerous path.

  Driving down the street Gabriel had to do a double-take at the flash of white in the corner of his eye. Leaning forward he looked out his rear-view mirror and got a better look. It was Bishop trotting happily along with the familiar figure. Unfortunately, and for reasons he refused to explore he recognized the yoga pants clad ass immediately. With the skill of a man driving trucks his entire life Gabriel swung the large truck around in a perfect U-turn on the residential street.

  Rolling down his passenger window, he pulled up next to them. "Salene where are you taking my dog?"

  Stopping she gave him a startled look before narrowing those honey brown eyes at him. "I saw signs for an estate sale when I was getting the mail."

  Stopping the vehicle along the sidewalk he gave her a silent stare, knowing his sunglasses hid his eyes.

  "You have no money." He felt the need to remind her of that glaring detail.

  With a caustic smirk, she tilted her head slightly, causing some of her brown curls to fall off her shoulder. This was the first time he had ever seen the brown curls down and loose.

  "It's not for me genius, I was actually going to look for you." She shielded her eyes from the bright sun while Bishop sniffed at her knee. "Some of these sales will have some really great pieces for absolute deals. Besides your house needs it, it's practically empty."

  Looking away from her to control his smirk, he remembered passing a bright pink sign at the end of the block mentioning a sale nearby. Gabriel would have never guessed the prim and prissy Salene was a bargain hunter, Amber sure is hell was not. If the item was not name-brand and gift wrapped she was not interested.

  Leaning over he unlatched and pushed open the door. "Get in."

  Bishop took the command in one leap as he pulled her into the truck with the snap of the leash. Grumbling about the dog's betrayal Salene reluctantly settled into the passenger seat beside him while Bishop sat in the middle.

  One estate sale and two garage sales later Salene revealed herself to be a haggling demon. Where Gabriel was totally satisfied with the prices, Salene scoffed and rebuffed with the familiar air of haughty chilliness. Gabriel watched in pure rapture as she turned that slick tongue onto two attendants, politely arguing the price down like a seasoned trial lawyer. And if he was not damned if those bastards did not comply and take it with a smile. With narrowed eyes behind his shades, Gabriel watched as Salene unknowingly entranced an old geezer with her skintight outfit and in minutes had the guy loading up Gabriel's truck.

  With the bed of his truck filled to the brim, Gabriel looked over to see Salene positively humming to life with satisfaction.

  "How much was that, about four hundred, five hundred?" She questioned rhetorically with no real desire for his input as she beamed over her bargain hunt. "We got so many good things today at an absolute steal. Good job team." Holding out her hand for Bishop he gave her his paw, which she promptly returned his affection in vigorous scratches behind the ears.

  "So I take it you have done this before?" He gave her a curious glance as he drove towards the house.

  "Oh yeah, my mom was a master at this growing up. That is how she cut the cost for six children." Stealing another look from the road Gabriel caught her smiling as she stared out the window obviously remembering the past.

  "Jesus, six kids?" Damn that was a lot of people in one house, Gabriel could not even fathom it since he grew up as an only child rattling around his house by himself practically.

  She let out that husky laugh that sent his blood pumping.

  "Yup three boys and three girls crammed in a three-bedroom bungalow in Florida. My mom did not have a job, she had enough work taking care of us. My dad worked for the state, so his pay was meager at best considering six kids."

  Letting out a whistle of shock he
turned onto the street. "Yeah I fucking believe that."

  "What about you, do you have any siblings?" Her tone was careful almost delicate.

  "No, it was just me growing up." There was a couple of beats of silence, Gabriel was aware that his stoic response changed the mood in the vehicle.

  "Oh don't worry," Salene turned towards him and gave him an evil smile. "I will wish that you are blessed with a house full of girls in your future."

  At this he could not help but laugh out loud, this would be the second time she has brought up the idea of him having daughters in his future. Gabriel never really thought about what kind of children he would have in the future he just knew that he wanted some eventually.

  Pulling into the driveway, he carefully rolled the truck behind the house and in front of his garage door.

  "I am going to get some cleaning supplies," she chirped happily behind him as they walked into the house. "I want to clean and polish all of it first. It’s going to look so good once we get it inside."

  Walking to his room, he changed out of his work slacks and button down shirt. Throwing on some basketball shorts, he realized he was out of T-shirts. Annoyed he walked to the laundry room.

  "Salene!" He bellowed as he opened the laundry room door. The woman was supposed to be taking care of shit like this.

  Stepping into the laundry room Gabriel flipped on the light.

  Well damn.

  All the clothes were washed and folded neatly sitting in about three baskets.

  "What is it?" He heard her voice coming around the corner.

  Turning around they came face-to-face in the doorway, the light brown eyes quickly scanned his naked torso before averting away. Grabbing one of the folded T-shirts Gabriel slowly slipped it over his head never taking his eyes off the slight rosy color of her cheeks. He was quite aware how good he looked, he did not spend hours in the gym daily for nothing. It was more than gratifying to know that his hard work was not wasted even on his most ardent of enemies. Actually the fact that it was Salene blushing and turning away felt like even more of a victory.

  "What did you want Breslin?" She mumbled as she continued to look away.

  "I just wanted to make sure you are not going to try and leave me hanging with all this furniture in the back of my truck." He lied, grabbing her shoulders he slowly guided her out of the kitchen and through the garage.

  After about a half an hour of meticulous cleaning, they had all the furniture placed in the house. It was an odd feeling decorating with Salene, months ago he pictured doing this task with his newly minted wife. Amber, on the other hand, turned out to have no such shared dream.

  "My God it looks like an actual house now." Salene laughed as she admired the front living room. Looking around he had to admit she was right—nonverbally of course. The front living room now had a beautiful wood coffee table that looked like a cut tree, along with the new area rug, two end tables, and matching lamps. The decoration was actually really nice, a mixture of modern and rustic. The rest of the furniture, mirrors, and pictures were spread across the long house removing the Spartan feel.

  "My favorite piece has to be this mirror." Walking to the front entrance hall, she stopped at the new side entry table and mirror.

  The mirror was simple enough, gold braided metal intertwining within itself made up the frame in a shell-like shape. Running her fingers along the edge of the frame Gabriel could see her smile through the reflection, her mind seemed to be elsewhere. Taking the unsupervised opportunity, the hunter within him observed the figure before him.

  All throughout college and his entire dating repertoire Gabriel had only dated one type of woman. Women that were tall, lithe, and bordering on frail. The woman in front of him was a complete contradiction to that type of woman. Salene's body finally made him understand what curvy meant. Because to truly caress a body like that a man's hand would never stop dipping and rising. Tonight like the other night she was wearing one of those skintight workout outfits and despite his animosity towards the woman he found his eyes drawn more than once to her curves. Shapely legs that led to an impossibly pleasing ass, hips that curved perfectly into her waist and to top it off the biggest set of tits he had ever seen. Too bad she was the most annoying woman on the planet.

  "Ugg I feel extremely grimy, I am going to go clean up," running her fingers through the long thick hair she snapped a rubber band around it. "There is soup in the fridge."

  Watching her walk away reminded him of what he wanted to tell her.

  "Oh yeah, this Sunday I have a bunch of guys coming over to hang out." Gabriel watched her for her reaction, but she simply turned and gave him a questioning look. "What I am saying is, I need you to make yourself scarce. I do not need you around seeking attention or trying to gain any sympathy with your homeless sob story."

  Like a switch to a light being flipped, the happiness in her eyes vanished. "Why do you have to be so rude Breslin, we were actually having such a nice time?"

  Annoyed he pressed further, ignoring his instincts to stop. Leaning against the living room sofa, he crossed his arms over his chest.

  "Woah don't get upset Salene," he gave her a mean smile. "I am simply just trying to prevent any sad and desperate acts of attention seeking on your part. I know how women can be around a group of guys." His mind immediately went to memories of Amber around his friends. The woman became unrecognizable, drunk off the male attention being the only woman in the room.

  Shaking her head with a cold smile, she laughed, that empty patronizing laugh he had heard many times before. "You are pathetic."

  No one could make him go zero to a hundred like this fucking woman.

  "Normally I would debate that with you," straightening from the couch he stood directly in front of her looking down at her. "But you and I both know you are just displaying a textbook case of dissociative anger over the fact that unlike yourself I have more than one friend. Friends that pick up the phone when I call."

  The stinging words hit their mark like a poisonous arrow. Pain flashed through her brown eyes as she took a step back. Gabriel immediately regretted the barb as she tried to compose herself.

  "You are right Breslin," her eyes looked at him with a fire that should have warned him. "I just hope once your friends discover your hateful personality they will not run out on you as well. I would hate for that to happen a second time."

  Not waiting for a response she walked off.

  Clenching his fists Gabriel turned to go towards his gym. It was a good thing she left when she did because he was in a dangerous mood. With the desire to hit something he slammed the door shut behind him to the gym. Never in his life did he want to strangle a woman as bad as he wanted to wrap his hands around Salene's pretty little neck.

  By the time Sunday evening arrived Gabriel had not shared more than a handful of words with his roommate. Both of them were far too prideful to back down. Salene was still setting up the food when Tobias arrived. Even though he gave her his credit card and instructions for food, he did not expect such a spread. Sandwiches, dip, tacos, chips and a whole bunch more.

  "Hi Salene," Tobias leaned against the kitchen counter giving her his award-winning smile. "You ready for the game?"

  The smile she gave him did not quite reach her eyes, remaining listless just like the past few days since their argument.

  Not looking up she focused on the creamy dip she was pouring into a bowl. "Umm no I am going to have to take a rain check if you do not mind Tobias." Still not making eye contact she turned towards the sink. "I have my orders, and I have about ten applications waiting to be filled out."

  "Orders?" Tobias immediately turned back to him casting Gabriel an angry glare.

  Tobias had made it quite clear to him that he did not like the way he treated Salene. Annoyed Gabriel went to the den to get the TV and surround sound setup, anything to get away from the emotionless brown eyes.

  "What the hell man?" Tobias whispered coming up behind him. "You locking he
r in her room now?"

  Whether Salene knew it or not she had made one friend almost on-sight with Tobias.

  Scrubbing his face with one hand Gabriel threw down the remote to face the muscled up behemoth. "Look, I told her to make yourself scarce tonight. I do not need her making a fool out of herself in front of the guys."

  Leaning on the back of the couch with both hands to his sides Tobias gave him a serious look. "When are you going to realize that she," he pointed towards the kitchen. "Is nothing like Amber. I am not even sure how those two were even friends."

  The giant well thought out spread on the counter was evidence that the two women were different, along with so many other factors Gabriel tried to ignore. Rubbing the stubble on his cheeks in the habit of frustration they both heard the voices at the same time. If Gabriel was not already annoyed, he sure as fuck was now when he stepped out of the den to see Derek Cipriani smiling largely to a wide-eyed Salene. Her hand was still in his as if he was just greeting her, but Derek had yet to let go. Holding her hand in his, Derek was saying something to her as she nodded and gave a soft laugh.