by Dena Christy
And she wasn't sure if friendship was what she wanted with him anymore. He had been her and Ian's friend, and as much as it hurt her to think about, her life with Ian was over and she was starting anew. Gabriel had said the invitation was prompted by his leaving Waldron Valley and that he wanted to say goodbye to her. Perhaps it was time to make it a permanent goodbye.
Her cell phone rang just as she was clipping in a pair of earrings, and she rushed to answer it. The screen told her it was Gregor calling, and she bit her lip for a second. By mutual agreement they had decided that their days would be spent apart, but their nights would be spent together. She hadn't yet told him about her dinner plans, and she hurried to answer the phone after it rang a third time.
“For a second there I thought you weren't going to answer.” Gregor's deep voice rumbled in her ear, and for a second Elle deeply regretted agreeing to go out with Gabriel for dinner. She would much rather have told Gregor to come over, and to spend her evening with him. Every night since that first night he came to her, and their lovemaking was more intense and passionate with each passing day. She wanted more of him, but deep down the intensity scared her a little. She was getting so deep so fast with him that perhaps her subconscious mind had prompted her to accept Gabriel's invitation because it wanted some distance between her and Gregor. "Elle, are you there?”
“Yes, I'm here. Sorry I'm just a little distracted.” And more than a little nervous of his reaction when she told him she was going out to dinner with another man.
"I see. I'm finished with what I needed to do today. I was wondering what time you wanted me to come over. I thought perhaps I could take you out to dinner."
Oh shit, he wanted to take her out to dinner too. There was no way she could juggle two dinner dates in one evening and knew she would have to tell him she'd made other plans. For the four years since her husband died her social life had been dull and empty. Now in the last couple of days she turned into Miss Popularity.
“Actually, I’m not going to be able to have dinner with you tonight. I've made other plans.”
There was a silence on the other end of the phone." I see. Is it anyone I know?"
“It’s my friend Gabriel.” The silence on the phone stretched out, and Elle felt the need to fill it. “He mentioned something about leaving town and wanting to say goodbye. I'm sure I won’t be with him for long, and we can get together after. You have a key so you can let yourself in if I'm not back by the time you want to come over.”
“He said he was leaving town? Can’t he say goodbye and be done with it?” There was an edge to his voice she'd never heard before, and she wasn’t sure she liked it.
"I don't know what it is you have against him, but there's no reason for you to be jealous."
"I am not jealous of him."
“Then what is the problem?” She waited for several moments but it seemed that he wouldn’t answer her. Despite his protestations she was sure that what had prompted his attitude was jealousy. She would not try to reassure him again since she’d already done it once. The buzzer downstairs rang, and she had to go. It wasn't worth getting in a fight with Gregor about someone who wouldn’t be in her life after tonight. “I have to go, but I want to see you when I get back. I hope that something you want to.”
And with that Elle ended the call, put her phone in her purse and slipped on her shoes. The buzzer rang again, and she rolled her eyes. “I'm coming, I'm coming. Hold your horses.”
She grabbed a wrap from the hook by the door, draped it over her arm and left her apartment, locking the door behind her. She was on her way down the stairs when he rang the buzzer for the third time, and when she got to the front door of the shop, she yanked the door open.
"I heard the buzzer the first time, ringing it a couple more times after that was unnecessary." She was tempted to tell him to forget it, that she wouldn’t go out to dinner with him. But canceling just because he seemed a little too eager seemed like an overreaction. Especially when he held his hands up in surrender and gave her a sheepish smile. And how did she really know the urge to call off the date wasn’t down to her own reluctance to go out with him, especially when doing so may very well have screwed things up with Gregor.
"Sorry. I can't help it if I'm a little impatient." His eyes scanned her from head to foot and his smile changed from that of a sheep to one of a shark. "You look fantastic."
He leaned in toward her, and for a horrified second Elle realized he would kiss her. Thinking quickly she turned her head in his lips brushed against her cheek instead of landing on her lips. She wrapped her shawl around herself and sidestepped so he was no longer directly in front of her.
"I think we should get going, don't you?" Her fingers tightened around her she looked up at him, and his mouth gave a sour twist before his features smoothed out.
“Yeah, it's time for us to go.” He seemed unperturbed by her reaction to his attempted kiss, and for a moment she thought perhaps she’d had imagined his initial reaction. She walked alongside him down to the sidewalk where his car was parked. When they got to it, she hesitated for a second as he held the door open for her. A sudden chill ran down her spine, and with it came a small fission of fear. She couldn't explain it but a flash of intuition told her not to get in the car.
It was a silly thought one she should ignore. Gabriel had done nothing to her, other than come on a little too strong and seem a little overeager to move beyond friendship. But the feeling would not be ignored, so she looked up at him and smiled.
"It's such a nice night, why don't we walked to the restaurant." Thank God the restaurant he’d mentioned taking her to was not very far from her shop, and it wouldn't really be necessary for them to drive there. Years of working as a psychic had honed her skills, and while she could never see her future directly, she’d learned not to ignore those little nudges of intuition. The last time she’d gotten such a nudge, she’d ignored it and Ian had gone out of their home to his death.
She didn’t think Gabriel would hurt her but there was no harm in not taking any chances. At least if they walk to the restaurant, and while they're eating dinner, they would be in public. Gabriel had done nothing untoward toward her the entire time she’d known him, but something about the coldness in his eyes when she'd turned her face away from his kiss sent a chill down her spine.
“Sure, whatever you want.” He shut the car door with a little more force than necessary and turned to face the direction of the restaurant. He held out his arm to her and looked at her with a raised eyebrow. With some reluctance, she put her hand on his arm and they walked down the street toward the restaurant. She couldn't help noticing that putting her hand on his arm had done nothing for her, whereas if it had been Gregor's arms she was holding she would've felt the thrill of excitement knowing soon those arms would be around her.
She struggled to think of what she could say on the short walk toward the restaurant, but words eluded her. He said nothing either, and the awkwardness of the silence stretched up between them. This whole dinner idea had been a waste of time, she hoped that perhaps once they got to the restaurant things would go a little better. Otherwise this will be the longest, most boring evening she'd ever experienced.
As she predicted, the outing turned out to be the least electrifying she’d ever had in her life. During the meal Gabriel had attempted conversation with her, and while she wasn't rude enough not to answer her mind kept wandering. The subject of those wandering thoughts was Gregor. She hoped that once this date was over, she would go back home and find him waiting for her.
“Do you want dessert?” Gabriel looked at her with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. She hoped he wasn't interested in staying for dessert because she wanted to date to be over. And she could say goodbye to him, he would leave town and she could forget all about him.
"I really couldn't eat another thing." And she mentally crossed her fingers that he would say the same.
“You hardly ate what they brought to you. But i
f that's what you want I'll just call for the check.” He signaled for the waiter and drummed his fingertips on top of the table. The waiter came swiftly and said he would be back with the check in a few moments. The muscle worked in Gabriel's jaw and Elle felt the need to say something.
"I'm sorry if this evening hasn't turned out the way you wanted it to. It's just that I think too much time has passed, and things are different now. I don't think either of us are the same people we were years ago."
“Is there someone else? Is there a man in your life now that you have forgotten to mention?” The chill in his gaze was so strong Elle was surprised that she couldn't see her breath. She also didn't like the way he had framed the question as if he had a prior relationship with her and she was stepping out on him. And she decided that perhaps it was time to stop being so nice and coddling his ego. He would never take the hint that she didn’t see him as someone she wanted a relationship with. He needed to know there was no chance of them having a romantic relationship. Even if Gregor was not in the picture, it still wouldn't happen between them but he would never realize that unless she stood firm with him.
“I didn’t forget to mention him, since there was no reason for me to tell you at all. But for the sake of clarity between us, I will tell you. Yes, there is a man in my life. We've been seeing each other for a while, and I am with him. So I'm sorry if you thought this evening would be something more than two old friends saying goodbye to each other.”
Silence followed her pronouncement. The same feeling she’d gotten when he wanted her to get in the car, came back to her as he stared directly into her eyes.
“Well, I guess we better get out of here so you can head home.” He stood up, reached into his pocket and took out his wallet. He pulled out several large bills, which were more than enough to cover their dinner and he threw them on the table. Elle hastily stood, put her purse strap over her shoulder and wrapped her shawl around herself.
The walk back to his car was swift and passed in silence. She stopped when she got to it and hoped he wouldn't insist on walking her back to her shop.
“I never had a chance with you, did I?” There was a bitterness in his tone, and her first instinct was to soften the truth to spare his feelings, but she realized that perhaps she’d been doing too much of that with him.
"I've never seen you as anything other than a friend. So if what you're asking is if there was ever a chance for us to have a romantic relationship, then the answer is no. Sometimes chemistry just works that way." She looked up and gave him a sad smile. "I hope you find what you're looking for, Gabriel. Goodbye."
And with that she turned away and quickly walked toward her shop. She could feel his eyes on her, but she didn't stop to turn around. It was all she could do to stop herself from running down the sidewalk to get away from him faster.
She got to the shop, unlocked the front door and walked in. A startled gasp ripped from her went strong masculine hands pulled her to an equally strong body. Gregor’s mouth came crashing down upon hers and she kissed him back eagerly.
"I didn't know if I’d be seeing you tonight." Elle’s voice was breathless and she tilted her head to look up at him.
“Just try to keep me away. Let's go upstairs.”
Elle nodded eagerly and turned away for a moment to pull the shade down on the door. Out of the corner of her eye she thought she saw a shadow move, but when she looked directly at the spot where she thought she’d seen it, there was nothing there.
11
The wait for her to come home from dinner had been agonizing, but Gregor realized that it was what he deserved for his behavior with her. As soon as she’d hung up the phone, he’d realized his mistake. He’d come on too strong, had been too much like a jealous idiot. He wasn’t so secure in his place in Elle’s life that he could afford to alienate her. And so he waited for her to come back from her dinner with Nash. He refused to call it a date. Not that. She had given no sign she was interested in Nash that way, and he didn’t think she was the type of woman who would sleep with him if she was romantically interested in anyone else. Elle was too honest for that.
The shop door opened and there she was. He couldn’t hold himself back and he seized her by the arms and pulled her to him. He sent his mouth crashing down on hers, and in his kiss he had to admit even to himself that there was a little bit of a man claiming what was his.
Relief pour through him when she responded to his kiss and returned it. She wasn't pushing him away, she was embracing him. He hadn't messed this up.
She pulled back in her voice was breathless. “I didn't know if I'd see you tonight.”
“Just try to keep me away.”
He needed her. Needed to touch her, hold her and make love to her. She turned away to pull the shade down over the shop door and paused for a moment.
“What is it?” Please don't let it be something that would take her away from him again. His need to claim her and prove to himself that she was his was growing stronger by the minute.
She turned back to him with a smile, and a tiny shake of her head. “I thought I saw something, but it turned out to be nothing. Let's go upstairs.”
She took his hand and walked with him to the door to her apartment. Once they got to her living room, he moved toward her bedroom. She did not follow, and she pulled him to a halt.
"We need to talk first."
No, they didn't. He was here and so was she. There was nothing that needed to be said that couldn't wait until later. He took her hand, but she was unyielding.
Gregor sighed. He should've known he would not get off that easy for his behavior tonight.
“Would it help if I apologized?”
“Only if you mean it. But that's not what I wanted to talk about. I know why you acted the way you did when you phoned tonight. You were jealous.”
His first instinct was to deny it. The dragon inside him insisted that there was absolutely no reason he would be jealous of anyone, especially not of some hunter. But the man in him knew he and Elle could not move beyond this until he admitted what was truly going on inside him.
“You're right. I was jealous. And I'm sorry for being such an ass.”
“And I'm sorry for not explaining how things really are between Gabriel Nash and me.” Gregor’s gut clenched for a moment. Was she going to tell him that there was something going on between her and Nash? “I knew Gabriel Nash a long time ago, and he's never ever been anything more than a friend. You have absolutely no reason to be jealous of him, especially now that he is leaving town and will no longer be a part of my life.”
Gabriel breathed a sigh of relief and enfolded her into his arms. The tight ball in his stomach eased for two reasons. The first was her words of reassurance that there was nothing for him to be jealous of, and the second was that they would no longer be troubled by Nash. Julia had been correct when she had said the hunters would obey her grandfather's orders. His family would be safe, and so would Elle. But he needed to make certain that Nash would not rear his ugly head somewhere down the line.
“And how can you be so certain that Gabriel Nash will no longer be a part of your life?”
“Because I told him about you.”
Gregor’s heart stuttered to a halt for a moment. Elle could not tell Nash that he was a dragon, because this was something that not even she knew, yet. But if she had told Nash the circumstances under which they’d met, it could spell disaster for them both. Nash would not be stupid enough to believe there had been two injured men running around the vicinity of Elle’s shop that night.
“And what did you tell him about me?” Gregor put his arms around her waist and pulled her to him. He held her as he looked into her eyes.
“Only that I met you and that I’m with you.” Her hands curved around the back of his neck and she drew his head down. As his lips met hers, a fire ignited between them and there was no more talk of Gabriel Nash.
He bent and scooped her up in his arms as he lifted his head and
carried her toward the bedroom. The need to have her was urgent, and as he set her on her feet beside the bed, he could see in her eyes that her need was the same as his.
Despite the urgency, despite the need to have her, he wanted to make this as good for her as it would be for him. With slow, gentle hands he undid the buttons of her blouse one by one as she kicked off her shoes. He slid the silky red material down her arms and it puddled to the floor. He could see her excitement in the tiny flutter of her pulse at her neck and the way her nipples strained against the fabric of her bra. A wicked grin crossed his face as he leaned in and ran gentle lips along her collarbone. Her breath shivered out, and he hooked one finger under the strap of her bra and slid it over her shoulder with his lips following the path he was creating.
“I need you.” Her voice came out in a breathless rush as she reached around her back, loosening the band of her bra and it fell forgotten to the floor.
Gregor put his hands on either side of her rib cage and a startled gasp escaped her as he lifted her off her feet so that her breasts were level with his mouth. He took one stiff peak in his mouth and suckled on her. Her fingers threaded through his hair, and his scalp stung when she clenched her fingers as he loved first one breast then the other.
He lowered her slowly back down onto the floor. Her hands were eager as she grasped the hem of his shirt and tugged upward. He helped her by pulling the shirt off over his head. She ran light fingers over the flesh of his torso, and his pulse sped up. Already he was aching to be inside her, and he needed them both to be naked.
