by Rye Hart
My mother looked over at Gabriel with a nervous look. “I have a small favor to ask of you, Gabriel.”
“Shoot,” he said. “Anything that you need, Nikki.”
“I’m not sure if Dylan has returned to the hotel room,” she said. “I don’t know where he’s gone, and I don’t want to go back there until I know the police have picked him up and he’s no longer a threat to anyone. I was hoping I could stay here until then.”
Gabriel glanced at me worriedly. Even though I could see his concern for my mother’s safety, something that I felt as well, having her underneath his roof complicated things even more for us. So far, we had lied to everyone about what was really going on. It didn’t help my guilt, seeing the worry on Alyssa’s face as she gazed over at me.
“Of course,” he said. “I can make up the couch for you. It’s comfier than most hotel beds. And you and Penny are welcome to stay here as long as you’d like.”
She nodded gratefully, and I retreated to my guestroom to collapse on the bed with a sigh. I didn’t know what else to do besides curl up in a ball and fall into a dreamless sleep. By the time I woke up hours later, it was dark in my room, aside from the little bit of light that streamed through the bottom of the door. A heavy arm was draped over my waist while a large hand splayed itself across my stomach.
After everything, it felt amazing to wake up with Gabriel beside me, like he was watching over me and keeping me safe. I sighed in contentment and curled into him, laying my head against his masculine chest, wanting nothing more than to sleep next to him like this forever.
Fear jolted through me as reality broke through the pleasant fog in my head. As good as it felt to have him next to me, he couldn’t be here, not with Alyssa and my mother in the condo. I sucked in a deep breath before twisting beneath Gabriel’s arm to face him in the dim light of the room. His eyes were wide open when I looked into them.
“What are you doing in here?” I whispered, cupping his face with my hands. “You can’t be in here. What about Alyssa and my mom?”
“It’s nearly two in the morning,” Gabriel whispered back, pulling me into him without hesitation. “I couldn’t sleep without feeling you in my arms tonight and knowing you were safe. They aren’t going to wake up, unless you make noise.”
I buried my face into his chest. “We can’t be together right now, even though I want to. Not with my mom in the living room.”
“I know, Penny,” he muttered, voice stretched thin. “I know that. I just wanted to make sure that you were going to be okay once you got up.”
“I’ll be fine, Gabriel. I promise you.”
His warm lips landed on mine through the dark with surprising accuracy. The feeling of them gliding along mine eased every bit of tension in my body. I found myself returning that kiss with just as much passion as I felt deep inside of me. I let the kiss simmer for a few precious seconds before I forced myself to pull back. I couldn’t let anything else happen with my mother now lying on the couch.
“I can’t do this,” I whispered, tracing his lips with my fingertips. “Not right now, at least. Okay?”
“I understand. Come to me if you need anything.”
He stole another quick kiss from me, and then slipped away from me on the bed before leaving the room. He pulled the door all the way shut, and darkness crashed over me. I stared up at the ceiling with tears glittering in my eyes. I wished things between us could be simple. Simple enough for me to say that I wanted him to stay with me, but I couldn’t. Not right now.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN – GABRIEL
I slept like shit throughout the night after Penny roused from her sleep. I didn’t know what possessed me to crawl into her room after I was confident that Nikki and Alyssa were both asleep, but it had felt right to hold her in my arms, to feel her even breaths as she slept peacefully without stirring when I had pulled her close to me.
I rose early in the morning to hear Nikki’s voice chatting away cheerfully in the kitchen. Having her here certainly complicated everything; that much, Penny was right about. We couldn’t afford to risk being together with the both of them around. Even though having Nikki around increased the risk of getting caught, it didn’t dampen my desires at all. My feelings for Penny had only strengthened since the day before. The urge to pull Penny close last night and to make love to her had been so strong that it took everything in me to respect her wishes and pull away from her. She had a lot of emotions to sort through over the next couple of days, just like I did.
I had no idea what I wanted, either, and I got the feeling that Penny had no idea what to make of our relationship at this point. Things were so complicated between us, making it impossible to get a handle on what exactly we felt for each other.
I found Nikki sitting at the kitchen island with Alyssa, who was already showered and dressed for the day—a sign that she intended on venturing out at some point.
“Morning,” Nikki said cheerfully. “There’s a fresh pot of coffee sitting over there for you, if you want some.”
“Thank you,” I mumbled, rubbing at my aching eyes. “What are you two up to?”
“I have to go into the city to meet Scott, if that’s okay with you,” Alyssa said cautiously. “I didn’t think it’d be a problem since you both are here now to keep an eye on Penny.”
Nikki reached across the kitchen island to pat Alyssa on the hand. “Of course, it is, honey. You don’t have to ruin your plans. Your father and I are here for her.”
I poured myself a cup while I fought to keep my irritation levels down. I had to get through an entire morning with a painful erection straining in my pants that my sweater thankfully covered up. More than anything, I just wanted some damn alone time with Penny to talk things out before we figured out what to do. From the looks of it though, it wasn’t going to happen with Nikki wandering about my kitchen as she frowned at me.
“You look like hell, Gabriel. You were one of the first ones to go to bed, too.”
“I laid in bed for a long time,” I said, which was the full truth. I had waited until I knew everyone was asleep before getting up. “What are you looking for in my kitchen, Nikki?”
“Things for breakfast,” she said. “You have nothing in your fridge at the moment, besides milk and creamer.”
“We don’t eat here,” Alyssa said. “That’s why. We normally just order in because neither one of us knows how to cook a decent breakfast.”
She hopped down from the bar stool to peck a kiss against my cheek. I nodded goodbye to her while Nikki continued to rummage through my cupboards with light clucks of her tongue. I took a long drink of coffee in the futile hope that it would stomp down my frustration, but it didn’t work. I set my coffee down on the kitchen counter when she slammed a cupboard door shut with more force than necessary.
“No need to take your anger out on my kitchen,” I remarked cynically. “Alyssa is right. We don’t eat here most of the time, and when we do, it’s usually take out from somewhere close by.”
Nikki shook her head at me in dismay. “You need to be cooking that child some home cooked meals. I always made a point of doing that for Penny growing up.”
“Alyssa is nineteen years old,” I said. “She doesn’t care about that type of stuff. Plus, she’s already gone to go meet with her boyfriend.”
“Well, I’m not going to stay idle in here. I’m going to the store to get something to cook my child for breakfast.”
She left the kitchen to grab her purse from the living room. I shook my head as I heard Nikki mumble to herself while she swept through my kitchen with a notepad in her hand. She was clearly looking for a way to make things up to her daughter, and breakfast seemed like the easiest thing to do for her right now.
“Mom?”
I looked up at the sound of Penny’s voice cutting through haze of the morning. Her eyes flicked over to where I stood near the kitchen sink before focusing on Nikki who scribbled something else down on her notepad.
“What are you
doing?” Penny asked with a tired smile. “You look like you’re annoying Gabriel.”
Nikki glanced up at me indifferently. “I am getting you all groceries. That’s what I’m doing. I’ll be back in a little bit. There is a supermarket down the street that I can walk to.”
She kissed Penny on the apple of her check before the front door clicked shut behind her. Penny and I stood there in a mild daze before she let out a strained laugh.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “She can be tenacious about things.”
I shook my head. “I’m just glad that we have some alone time to talk.”
“I suppose,” Penny said, and reached up to twirl a finger through her hair nervously. “I’m sorry about kicking you out last night. I just didn’t want things to get out of control.”
My erection already throbbed with the temptation to take advantage of the time we had alone together. This was why we never had the chance to talk. We both wanted to be physically close to one another. Just one kiss. It wouldn’t hurt to indulge in one little kiss.
Penny’s eyes widened as I approached, but she didn’t back away. She looked up at me through long, dark lashes that framed her beautiful eyes.
“What are you doing?” she whispered, panic intermingling with desire. “What if—”
“Alyssa is gone,” I said, quieting her fears. “And your mom just left. Just one kiss.”
I pushed my lips against hers. A small sigh escaped her lips as she returned the kiss. Her arms wound around my neck, and she tilted her head back for an even deeper kiss. Our tongues touched lightly while I slid my hands along the slope of her back to grasp her firm ass cheeks through the sweat pants she wore.
“Hey, Penny. I was thinking that—”
The sound of Nikki’s voice felt like cold water splashing over Penny and me. I didn’t even have time to let go of Penny when her mother strolled back into the kitchen, stopping in complete shock and horror. Her wide eyes swept over Penny, who hastily moved away, before “What the hell is going on?” she yelled.
“Mom,” Penny started. “Please, don’t freak out. Don’t—”
Nikki didn’t bother hearing the rest of her daughter’s words. Her eyes cut at me coldly as she turned to walk out of the room.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN - PENNY
The door slammed shut so hard behind my mom that the mirror on the wall crashed down to the floor and shattered into a million pieces. Tears were streaming down my face as I gently pulled myself away from Gabriel who stood quietly behind me.
“I have to go after her,” I whispered. “After everything that has happened, I need to go talk to her alone for a moment.”
Gabriel nodded in understanding. “I understand. I’ll give you both a few minutes alone.”
Mindful of the shattered glass on the floor, I slipped into a pair of boots to jog down the hallway, hoping to find her standing at the elevators. She was nowhere in sight at the end of the hallway. The only clue I had was the little indicator above the elevator doors that was traveling downward to the lobby.
I pushed past the stairwell entrance and jogged down the steps as fast as I could. The air was bitterly cold in here, and every breath stung my chest. This was the last thing I’d wanted to happen, but it was out in the open now, like I had assumed it would be eventually. I just wanted to minimize the damage.
As much as I wanted to explore my feelings for Gabriel, I didn’t want to lose my mother in the process. She had just lost her boyfriend after he assaulted me. Even though the guy was a piece of shit, I knew it had rocked her world. She had cared about him, even if the feeling wasn’t mutual. It was a lot for her to handle, and I was supposed to be the one person she could cling to at a time like this. But I had just shocked her to the core, too. I needed to catch up to her and explain everything. She deserved that much, at least.
I reached the lobby just in time to see the elevator doors slide open. My mother stormed out of them with a furious expression painting her face. She stopped short when I jogged into her path, holding up my hands.
“Hold on,” I panted, trying to catch my breath. “Please, Mom. Just hear me out.”
“The truth would be nice to hear,” she said darkly. “I just walked in on you kissing Gabriel, or was it him kissing you?”
“We were both kissing each other. It wasn’t one-sided.”
My mother crossed her arms over her breasts. “I can’t believe you, Penny. Do you have any idea how old Gabriel is?”
“Of course, I do.”
“He’s old enough to be your father, Penny. You realize how dysfunctional that is?”
“It’s just a number, Mom,” I said. “You, of all people, can’t tell me that an age difference is really that big of deal.”
“We aren’t talking about Dylan here. We are talking about how the hell this happened between the two of you.” She shook her head in dismay. “Dear God, Penny. I thought you had a better head on your shoulders than this. That is Gabriel Bradley you’re kissing. He used to take care of you when you were a baby. He used to—”
“I’m aware of who he is,” I said, glancing around the lobby to find that it was thankfully empty of people. “Can you come upstairs to talk, please?”
“I am not talking in front of him,” she spat out harshly. “He was supposed to be looking out for you, not taking advantage of you!”
“I know it looks like that, but it’s not. He’s not taking advantage of me, Mom. I’m an adult, and I fully consented to everything.”
My mother’s eyes glittered coldly with rage as she weighed out my words. She finally let out a pent-up breath as she nodded stiffly. “Fine. Tell me how this all happened.”
“It just happened, Mom. I don’t know what to tell you. It just happened one night, the way things do, and it kept going on. That’s all I can really tell you.”
“Did he pressure you? Make you think it was a good idea? Play on your vulnerabilities about Dylan?” she asked.
“God, Mom, no! You know Gabriel. He would never do something like that. I know it’s hard for you to wrap your head around, but I’m twenty-one and I’ve been making my own decisions for a long time now.”
“You’re not the first woman to want the thrill of being with an older man, Penny,” she said, her voice softening. “I know it might seem exciting now, but it’s just a passing infatuation. Surely, you can understand what I’m saying.”
I stared into my mother’s narrowed eyes in disbelief. She had spent a majority of her life dating any younger man who would pay attention to her. Dylan had been no exception. I didn’t understand why she viewed it so differently when it came to Gabriel and me.
“Come on, Mom,” I said. “Why is it ok for you to date younger men but not ok when the situation is reversed?”
“That’s different,” she returned harshly. “None of those men I dated were that much younger than me. They weren’t young enough for me to be their mother, and on top of that, I never watched over them when they were children. I didn’t watch them grow up. Unlike Gabriel, who I trusted to watch over you and keep you safe.”
“Well, he definitely kept me safe from Dylan,” I said. “And Gabriel never did anything to hurt me. He didn’t pressure me into anything, or persuade me into—” I didn’t even know what word to label what was going on between us.
Whenever we had a chance to be alone together, passion had overwhelmed our conversations. We never could talk about exactly what we were doing together, but I refused to believe that Gabriel would stoop so low as to just use me. I knew it was more than that. But it was impossible to gauge what our relationship was because we’d been forced to keep things a secret.
“That’s my point, Penny,” she said. “You haven’t talked about what is going on between the two of you, and there’s a reason for that. He doesn’t want a committed relationship with you. He wants a fling while you’re here visiting on winter break. Once you go back to school, I doubt you’ll ever hear from him again.”
“That�
��s not true,” I said.
“Nikki.”
The sound of Gabriel’s smooth voice echoed in the quiet lobby. I glanced over to find the security guards stepping outside, a polite gesture to give us privacy. I turned to look over at Gabriel as he came from the stairway door as well. My heart swelled with relief at the sight of him. Just by showing up, he proved everything my mother said was wrong.
Gabriel came to a stop behind me. He glanced down at me before placing his hands on my shoulders, giving them a reassuring squeeze.
“This just happened,” he said. “Neither one of us planned it. Penny is an amazing woman, and I think the world of her. I would never do anything to hurt her. I need you to know that, Nikki.”
My mother’s eyes narrowed at Gabriel in disgust. “For God’s sake, Gabriel. I trusted you with my child. I trusted you to help her with whatever she needed while she stayed here with you. And this is how you take care of my baby girl? By seducing her?”
“He didn’t seduce me,” I said defensively. “And it wasn’t one-sided, Mom. I care about him, too.”
“It is one-sided, Penny,” she said, shaking her head. “You’re too young to understand.”
“With all due respect, Nikki,” Gabriel interjected. “You don’t know what in the hell you are talking about. I never intended for any of this to happen, but it did. Penny is not just some hot young thing to boost my ego. She’s an amazing young woman who I happen to care about very much.”
“Young being the operative word,” my mother spat.
“Mom—I started, but Gabriel continued.
“Penny and I haven’t really had a chance to talk things through, but I care about your daughter more than I’ve cared about any woman since Kelly left me. This isn’t just a fling. Not for me, at least.”
My heart skipped at hearing those words. Gabriel cared about me, and not just in a platonic way. He cared about me in a way that could lead to something more. I reached out to grab hold of one of his hands resting on my shoulder, and I squeezed his fingers encouragingly. I knew this wasn’t going to be easy, trying to convince my mom after everything that had happened with Dylan.
