It would hurt her pride. And likely shatter her heart.
She chewed on her inner lip. She was acting immature. It’s clear that Gabe will have a new woman in his life at some point. He was too special to stay alone. Giada wished for him to be happy and, in her opinion, true happiness only came when finding one’s soulmate.
But Giada was sure that person wasn’t Aurélie.
Jean-Pierre sighed. “You make me sound pitiful.” He opened his hands, lifting his shoulders. “But what can I do? I do like Aurélie, she’s smart and decisive. And damned gorgeous…and I probably love even more what marrying her would mean for my career.”
Giada gaped open-mouthed at Jean-Pierre. She didn’t know what to tell him. Nothing in his reasoning resonated with her. Nothing at all.
“Don’t judge me too harshly.” Jean-Pierre gave her a weak smile. “I was very honest with you, more than I’ve been with anyone. I don’t know why, but I feel at ease when speaking to you.”
Giada furrowed her brows. “Jeez, thanks.”
“I truly hope for both of our sakes that Aurélie won’t get what she wants this time, and that Gabriel doesn’t lose sight of what he has with you.” He winked and took her hand. “Otherwise, we might just need to console each other. It wouldn’t be the worst thing, what do you say?”
Giada wiggled her hand free from his grip and stood up. “It won’t come to that. Gabriel and I are very happy. So you should get on with picking a date for your engagement party soon, otherwise we might miss it.”
Jean-Pierre straightened. “Let’s see what these next days bring.” He stepped closer and blew a kiss on Giada’s cheek. “It was lovely to talk to you. Thanks for letting me unburden myself.”
He turned and strolled toward the mansion, whistling a French chanson.
Giada stared at his back. Yes, he looked more relaxed. No wonder. He’d dropped all the weight on Giada’s shoulders and it was crushing her now.
Gabriel had lied about Aurélie. His ex had hurt him. His pride and possibly his heart.
Had he wanted Giada to be his date to get back at Aurélie? What if this whole farce had nothing to do with his grandmother’s wish or his inheritance? Perhaps he only wanted to show his ex that he’d moved on. But had he really?
Giada pressed her palms to her temples and closed her eyes. All these thoughts were making her dizzy. Best to go to bed. Who knew when Gabriel was coming back. Maybe Aurélie had already sidetracked him.
She stomped her foot and gave out a growl.
She’d known it would be better to decline this insane proposition, but she just couldn’t help herself. Now she must bear the consequences, whatever those might be.
She opened her eyes and went inside.
Chapter 10
Gabriel glanced at the dark windows of the guest house and peered at his watch. It was late and Giada had probably gone to bed. It was better this way.
He pressed a hand to his chest. The thumping had diminished somewhat, but one memory of his conversation with Mémère would be sufficient to send his heart on a race again.
He drew in a deep breath and stepped over to the door. He opened it as quietly as he could and tiptoed into the living room. He changed into his pajamas, then sneaked into the bathroom.
As he switched on the light and stared at his own face in the mirror, his throat swelled. How could Mémère be so stubborn and unreasonable?
Your father has made too many mistakes. It’s time he starts to pay for them.
She didn’t even call Gabriel’s father her son. Didn’t she realize that Gabriel had no other choice but to ask her for the money? He couldn’t let his father end up in jail, or worse, be beaten to death by those shady figures from the casino.
He brushed his teeth and splashed water on his cheeks. The cool droplets helped to calm the burning of his skin.
He hated begging others for help. Especially for money.
Also, deep down, he knew Mémère was right. It would do his father good to assume responsibility for his own actions.
Just like Gabriel did. If Gabriel could renounce working as a fireman, which had always been his dream, then his father could very well face the consequences of his addictions.
His mother’s pleading voice resounded in Gabriel’s head. Help him, please. Just once more.
He wasn’t doing this for his father. He was doing it for his mom, to help her avoid the pain of having a convict as a husband.
Or a dead man.
The only way to get the money was to comply with Mémère’s crazy stipulation. How could she even put such a clause into her will? He’d never thought much of it before because he didn’t need his grandmother’s money. He never wanted to be rich.
Now, however, he needed those bucks. But getting married for it? What world was Mémère living in? You shouldn’t force people into marriage by bribing them.
He switched off the light and stepped into the corridor. He could hear Giada’s soft breathing coming from the bedroom. He was about to return to the sofa when a sudden urge to check on her filled him.
With careful steps he walked over to her bed.
She was sleeping across the double bed in a diagonal line with the sheets all wrinkled around her. Her dark mane spread over the pillow like a halo, framing her face in the twilight.
A soft gasp escaped from Gabriel’s throat as his eyes took her in. Suddenly, his grandmother’s question about why he wasn’t proposing to Giada no longer seemed so absurd.
He slapped himself softly on his cheek. What was he even thinking? He couldn’t fake-marry Giada. She would never agree to it.
Heat prickled down his spine as his gaze wandered to her leg peeking out from the blanket. Her dotted pajama shorts couldn’t hide her lean thighs. She looked so abandoned, peaceful. And sexy. He swallowed as sweet desire coursed through him.
He sat down on the bed and stared at her. How did he never notice how truly beautiful Giada was? He thought back to all those times when they were growing up. Somehow he’d always known she was a woman, and a very special one, but only now was he starting to realize that she might be more to him than just his friend.
Giada’s hand gripped a piece of her blanket. Her fingers were long, those of an artist. She used to sleep like this as a teenager as well. Always holding something in her palm.
He caressed her wrist with his thumb.
Giada stirred and gave a breathy little moan. She murmured something. It sounded like his name. Or was it just his imagination?
Before he realized what he was doing, he bent forward and swept a curl back from her neck. As he got closer, he breathed in her scent. Her perfume was doing things to him, things he didn’t know whether he could, or even would, want to resist.
“Gabriel,” she whispered softly. Her eyes were still closed.
Was she awake? Why was she calling for him? Was he maybe in her dreams?
He inched closer to her lips. Her warm breath tickled his nose. It would only take a second to close the distance and finally taste her. His eyes dipped to her mouth, which glowed a deep purple in the dark room.
What was he doing? He couldn’t kiss Giada. Not when she was awake, and definitely not when she was sleeping. He clenched his jaw and moved back.
Despair twisted inside him. This was exactly the reason he couldn’t consider the condition Mémère had set. His heart was already too unsettled from this fake relationship with Giada. He mustn’t see where a further lie would push his feelings. It might lead him into a realm from which he could never return—at least not without a broken heart.
With as little noise as possible, he stood up and hurried out of the bedroom.
He slouched onto the sofa and pulled a pillow over his head. He was the biggest loser on the planet.
He couldn’t be a fireman anymore. His father was a small-time criminal whose butt he had to save. He’d forced Giada into playing his girlfriend. But his grandmother had refused to help him.
And now, he was falli
ng for his fake girlfriend. For his best friend.
He closed his eyes and concentrated on his breathing, just as his therapist had shown him. The loud noise of his exhalation didn’t do much to distract him. He kept at it, though, hoping that eventually he would fall asleep.
Soon an orange glow appeared in front of his eyes, snaking around in violent motions.
The scream of the woman came out of nowhere. It wasn’t the same throaty cry that had tormented him for the past month. This was a shrill, acute soprano—something so familiar and close that it knocked the wind out of him.
Giada.
She was in danger. Burning.
He jumped up and tried to bolt toward the sound, but his legs had grown roots into the ground. He couldn’t move an inch.
Another shriek, this time even more horrified.
Oh, no. He couldn’t let her die.
He forced his feet to move, but nothing. He was paralyzed. The flames were everywhere now, surrounding him, obscuring his view. He screamed from the top of his lungs. “Gi-aaadaaaa!”
* * *
A soft hand on his shoulder woke him.
His eyes sprang open as he wheezed loudly.
Giada kneeled beside the sofa, her face exactly at the height of his.
“Gabe, you had a nightmare.” She stroked his head with slow motions, her fingers sending delicious shivers down his spine.
“I’m sorry I scared you,” he said.
She smiled at him. “Don’t worry about me. What is it that made you scream? It had to be pretty bad.”
Gabe sighed, rubbing his eyes. “Yes, it was. I’ve had this recurring scene ever since that accident at work…” He didn’t want to burden Giada with his hell. She was already doing so much for him.
Giada sucked in a breath and leaned closer. Her nose was almost touching his. It was impossible to ignore her gaze. “Gabe, please tell me. What really happened?”
Her voice was husky and her pupils so large that they swallowed the amber circles of her irises.
Gabe’s ribcage was robbed of air as he stared at her. The desire to bare his soul overcame him so suddenly and forcefully that his brain had no time to stop the words. “It was Friday evening. Me, Jimmy, Stuart, and Phil were on duty when we got the call. It was a fire in a small house of the suburbs. A lady and her two grandchildren…”
Giada’s breath hitched. She reached for his hand. Her warm fingers engulfed his icy palm. She traced small circles on his skin but didn’t push him to say more.
After a few seconds, Gabriel continued. “It had to be one of the kids who started the fire. Jimmy and Phil secured the perimeters, Stuart called for backup, and I went in to save them. It was easy to grab the two children, but the grandmother was in the kitchen, which was blocked by the flames. As I returned to rescue her, a pillar holding the ceiling in place came crashing down. I wasn’t paying attention to it because I was so distracted by her shrieks. They were raw and terrifying—the sounds of a person who was burning alive.” His voice broke down.
Giada squeezed his palm. “I’m so sorry, Gabe…it must’ve been…I can’t even find the words to describe it.”
Gabriel’s stomach hardened. Giada was feeling sorry for him, but in truth, he didn’t deserve it. It was that poor old lady who deserved it. The one who was reduced to ashes through his carelessness. “Giada, please stop. It was my fault. Didn’t you listen? If I’d paid attention to that pillar instead of letting it knock me to the floor, then maybe Jimmy would’ve saved the woman—and not his buddy.” He threw back his hand and lifted himself to his elbows.
His voice came out harsh, revealing the frustration brewing inside of him. Maybe it was time to show Giada that he wasn’t such a great man.
The effect of his words was immediately visible on her expression. She frowned and angled herself backwards.
Gabriel’s heart dropped. Now she found him repulsive, just as much as he found himself.
But when she spoke, her words surprised him. “I did listen, Gabe. I heard that you saved the lives of two young children. And I heard that you went back to save their grandmother, but you got hijacked by a fallen pillar.”
No, this was all wrong. Didn’t she hear it? He wasn’t a hero in this story. “The woman’s blood is on my hands. If I’d been more careful then—”
“You mean if you had been less human? It isn’t a crime, you know.”
He shook his head. “It is if you’re a trained fireman.”
Giada huffed and moved up to the sofa. She grabbed his shoulders and shook him gently. “Stop it, Gabe. You have this tendency to blame yourself for everything that goes wrong around you. It was an accident. You are a frigging good fireman. All of your colleagues that I’ve ever met told me this.”
Gabriel pursed his lips. “Maybe I was. But I can’t do it anymore. I’m afraid I might freeze and cause more deaths. In my nightmares, I always freeze.”
The image of the flames and Giada’s desperate cry flashed through his mind and he shivered.
Giada narrowed her eyes. “What did you just see? Was it the dream I woke you from?”
He nodded. “Yes, it was. Only this time, I saw you burning in the flames.” His eyes were fixed on the checkered blanket. He couldn’t bear to look at her. It was the first time he’d shown someone what a mess he really was.
His therapist would be in seventh heaven. He raved about what these cathartic moments could do for his emotional state. Well, for now, he couldn’t understand why. He didn’t feel better. Just ashamed of being such a wreck of a person.
“Oh, Gabe.” Giada launched herself forward, hugging him closely. Her arms snaked around his neck, and her cheeks pressed to his neck.
Her hair smelled divine and, with her warm body pressed to his, Gabriel had a hard time focusing on her words. Didn’t she realize the effect she was having on him despite all his good intentions?
Then she tilted her head up and their eyes met.
There was so much concern and tenderness in her eyes that his heart squeezed. The sudden yearning that invaded his body dissipated, and only a warm glow remained. His limbs became light and his shoulders relaxed.
Giada smiled and whispered, “There you go. It’s better. I’m here and I’m well. And I’ll help you get through this. You’ll be back in your job saving lives. You’ll see.”
Gabriel didn’t know why, but a grain of hope flickered through him. For the first time, he could believe that it might actually happen. He reached down to Giada’s waist and pulled her closer.
They stayed embraced for a long minute, neither of them moving.
Gabriel let the emotions wash through him. It felt so right to be this close to Giada.
Like coming home after a long hike. Like a hot bath after a cold winter day. Like the sunshine after a tempest. Like…hugging a person you want to be with.
Giada slowly backed away and released him. “I’ll leave you to get some rest now. If you need me at any time, don’t hesitate to call.”
The places where her skin was pressed to his felt bare and cold. He knew it was insane, and probably unwise, but he didn’t want her to go back to the other room. He wanted to spend the night with her. Even if nothing could happen.
Just holding her could chase his nightmares away.
She was about to stand up when he took hold of her wrist. “Please, would you stay with me tonight?”
Her eyes widened. “You want me to sleep here? Isn’t this sofa narrow for one already?”
Gabriel’s eyes drifted to the thin surface he was sitting on. “Yes. Sorry. I just didn’t feel like staying alone for the rest of the night. But you’re right. We would probably tumble to the floor.”
Giada giggled. “And you would smash the air from my lungs if you landed on top.”
Though she was joking, the image of her lying underneath him sent his heart off in a crazy dance.
He cleared his throat. “Then it’s better to avoid it. I wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to you.
”
He let go of her arm.
She didn’t move, but stared at him. “You know what? Why don’t you come over to my bed tonight?”
He snapped his gaze to her. “Really?”
A shy smile appeared on her face. “Sure. You’ve rescued me from my nightmares so many times when we were young. Now it’s my turn. Come, buddy, let’s go.” She held out her palm to him and he took it.
He stood and they walked hand-in-hand to the bedroom. Giada was serious about evoking their past sleepovers. She snuggled into his armpit like it was the most natural thing in the world. Moments later, she was blissfully asleep.
Gabriel watched her face. Perhaps he was making too big of a deal out of this. He should just consider it one good friend helping out another. But even as he thought about it, he knew that it would be impossible.
His gaze moved to the ceiling.
Something had changed. Something important. He couldn’t look at Giada with the same eyes he used to. It was going to be difficult to keep pretending that he was in love with her without actually falling deep.
He sighed. Maybe he could take Giada on that tourist trip sooner than promised. After all, Jean-Pierre and Aurélie were stalling with their celebration, and his grandmother had made it clear she needed time to think about Gabriel’s request.
Yes, this was a great idea. They could leave tomorrow and travel to Aix and then to Avignon or maybe even to Marseille.
If they were alone they didn’t need to keep up their act and he wouldn’t be forced to caress Giada or give her kisses in public. If he kept their physical contact to the minimum then maybe he could still keep these blossoming feelings at bay.
His eyes wandered back to Giada. Okay, tonight is an exception. The one that proved his rule.
From tomorrow on he would avoid touching her skin or breathing in her intoxicating scent, and then perhaps he could salvage this situation that seemed to spiral out of his control with every second.
Saving The Brother's Best Friend (Gems 0f Love Book 4) Page 7
