“Hi, Gabe. What’s up? Just wanted to check in with you.”
Gabriel walked toward the hotel’s exit. He stood near the door so Giada wouldn’t miss him when she came down.
“All is good, my friend. Did you speak to Giada yet?”
“I tried calling her phone, but she didn’t pick it up.”
Gabriel shifted the phone to his left side. “She must be in the shower. We’re in Aix, getting ready to go out for dinner.”
Giordano made a short whistle. “Cool, and here I thought you were stuck in that boring mansion with Noëlle. I thought you weren’t traveling until later.”
Gabriel cleared his voice. He didn’t feel like explaining everything to Giordano. One confession per day was all he could muster. “We switched up our plans a little. First pleasure, then business.”
Giordano chuckled. “Fair enough. But don’t have too much fun with my sister, okay?”
His voice was teasing but it made Gabriel’s heart stutter. Did Giordano suspect Gabriel’s change of heart? His friend was a detective, after all, even if only a private one. Maybe he’d discerned from Gabriel’s tone that his attraction for Giada was growing. “What makes you say this?”
Giordano’s voice grew serious. “Nothing, I was just kidding.” He paused for a second, then said. “Just as an afterthought, please watch out for Giada. Don’t make her feel too…how shall I put it…special?”
A lump formed in Gabriel’s throat so that it was hard to cram a sound out. “Why?”
Giordano sighed. “It’s probably nothing, but I think Giada used to have a little crush on you. She never spoke to me about it, but I could see she had a soft spot for you. I don’t want her to confuse your gratitude for the favor with something that you aren’t feeling.”
Giada used to have a crush on him?
Excitement plowed through Gabriel. Was Giordano right? Did Giada use to look at him differently at some point? He wracked his brain for memories that could confirm his friend’s far-fetched hypothesis, but he came up empty-handed. True, Giada had always been there for him, but she’d never, ever, given a sign that she considered Gabriel something other than a good friend.
He sighed. “Sure, buddy. Don’t worry. I’m a gentleman with her. I think you’re worrying about nothing. Your sister isn’t interested in me. If she were, I would’ve realized it.”
Giordano must have stepped away from the phone because his voice echoed as if he was speaking from a distance. “Well, yeah. Fine, then.” His tone changed. “I’ll be right there, Mr. Donaldson. Just a second.”
Was he with a client? Gabriel glanced at his watch. He never contemplated the fact that private investigators had to work late shifts similar to firefighters.
“Do you have to go?” he asked.
Giordano’s baritone answered, this time closer again. “Yes, sorry. Mr. Donaldson wants to check my progress on the case, damn it.”
His friend’s voice sounded strained and bore a weird undertone. Gabriel wanted to inquire about it but Giordano didn’t give him a chance.
“I’ve got to hang up now, Gabe. Give my sis a kiss from me.”
The line went dead.
Just as he put away his phone, Giada’s soprano called out.
“Here you are. I checked the bar first but you weren’t there.”
Gabriel twirled around and his breath caught. The entire lobby seemed to go quiet, not even the hum of the air-conditioning reached his ears. He could only hear the thumps in his own chest, as if his heart wanted to break free and run to her.
How in heaven’s name could she look this breathtaking?
Her summer dress, in the shade of lavenders, complemented the soft tan she’d acquired during their afternoon walk. Her dark hair cascading over her shoulders was a violent splash of color against the golden hue of her amber irises. But it was her lips that captured Gabriel’s glance more than anything. Instead of lipstick, the natural, rosy tint of her lips was enhanced with a hint of gloss.
His pulse quickened with forbidden longing, while Giordano’s last words came back to him. Without giving his brain time to stop him, he stepped over and leaned in to her cheek.
Maybe he should pass on Giordano’s message verbally? But the temptation was too big. He was drawn to Giada’s soft flesh like an object in free fall toward the center of Earth. No one could fight gravity.
He barely had the strength to restrain himself from landing his fervent mouth on her lips. His kiss reached the spot close to the corner of her mouth. Close enough to catch her startled breath on his nose.
He straightened, shame choking him. Did she realize what he’d almost done?
Giada’s eyes searched his face, her brows drawn together, creating a delightful double wrinkle on her forehead. “Wow, are you this glad that I’m ready?”
Thanks goodness, she was letting it slide.
“It’s Giordano. He wanted me to give you a kiss and say hi.”
Giada’s mouth moved into a small circle. “Ah, yes? Okay, I see. Well, thanks for the realistic demonstration of my brother’s affection.”
Gabriel rubbed his neck. “Are you ready to go? Our table is reserved for nine thirty.”
“Sure, let’s go.”
Dinner flew by quickly. They managed to keep the mood light, avoiding any talk about Gabriel’s work, his father, or anything tied to the insane adventure he’d dragged Giada into. It was almost as if they were on a real vacation together.
Gabriel admired Giada’s poise at trying all French delicacies, including snails, without so much as blinking an eye. She’d always been courageous when it came to novelty, but the genuine curiosity with which she confronted life didn’t cease to amaze Gabriel.
After eating, they strolled silently beside each other along Cours Mirabeau. It wasn’t a quietude that bore the embarrassment of having to say something. On the contrary, it was that peculiar absence of speech that could be described as a true peace that only occurred between people who knew and understood each other well enough.
Gabriel observed Giada from the corner of his eye. She walked with a serene smile on her lips, tugging a curl behind her ear every now and then in the cheeky evening breeze.
Could Giordano’s words have a grain of truth?
Not that he suspected his best friend of lying to him. But maybe as Giada’s twin Giordano imagined he could interpret his sister’s actions without it actually being true. He said himself that Giada never expressed her interest toward Gabriel to him.
Gabriel shrugged. In the end, it didn’t make a difference. Even if Giada thought of him differently at some point in her life, in this moment, she clearly didn’t. He really needed to stop touching her spontaneously. From the look on her face when he kissed her cheeks, she agreed.
Giada stopped in front of a fountain and pointed to the formation in the middle of the water. “Look at that. It’s beautiful.”
Gabriel smiled. “Leave it to you to ignore the fountains of La Rotonde we just passed, but then stop in front of the Fontaine Moussue.”
“Fontaine Moussue? As in moss fountain?” She studied the vibrant green color of the moss, then bobbed her head. “Yes, yes. It figures.” She bent and dipped her fingers to the water. Her brows arched. “It’s warm. Come, try it.”
Gabriel chuckled. “No, I prefer not to. I believe you. That’s why this fountain is this town’s mascot. Aix is often named the ‘city of a thousand fountains.’ Technically, of course, it doesn’t have a thousand, but it has a lot. However, locals often favor this particular one for its thermal water.”
Giada was now submerging both hands in it, making small circles as she swayed them. “I guess you can’t drink from it, though.”
“At some point people did, but I wouldn’t try it now.”
Giada straightened and shook her hands, so that small drops sprayed on Gabriel’s white shirt.
He feigned an angry look. “You got me all wet.”
Giada winked. “Well, you didn’t want to t
ry the water, so I had to show you how warm it is.”
Gabriel narrowed his eyes. “I could pay you back for this.”
Giada grinned. “Ah, yeah? How would you do that?”
One side of Gabriel’s mouth quirked up. “As I recall, you’re ticklish as hell. Or did you learn to control your laughing fits in these past months?”
Giada’s eyes widened and she took a few steps back, shaking her head. “No, no. You wouldn’t…”
Gabriel squinted. “Wouldn’t I? I’ll give you a head start while I count to three. Then I’m coming to get you.”
He didn’t know why, but his heart was accelerating.
She cocked her head to the side, weighing whether he meant what he’d just said. But as he started to count, she squeaked and ran off down the wide avenue.
Gabriel laughed and darted after her.
She zigzagged between bystanders and families strolling through the street, letting out shrill cries and gurgling giggles as she realized he was closing on her. She took a narrow cobble-stoned street to the left, where she managed to gain some advantage, while Gabriel accidentally knocked a bag off of an old lady.
He stopped to help the woman collect her belongings and excused himself, then continued the chase. The old lady’s grumbling rang in his ears: “Ces fous amoureux.” These crazy people in love. Well, the lady was mistaken. Pretending to be teenagers again with Giada was liberating. And he was clearly smitten with her. Yes, she’d somehow managed to enter all crevices of his soul and come alarmingly close to his heart. But Gabriel wasn’t in love with Giada.
Giada’s mocking voice woke him from his trance. “I remembered you being faster. Maybe it’s time you get back to your fireman training, Gabe. You’re becoming a softie.” She stood sixty feet from him, waving her hands.
Gabriel paused and narrowed his eyes. “Pay attention to what you call me.”
He launched himself forward and quickened his pace, like he was running for his life. Giada didn’t react in time, and he closed the distance before she had the chance to dash off.
He opened his arms and caught her hands. He pinned her wrist behind her back with one hand and with the other, he started to tickle her below her ribcage.
Giada burst into laughs, bending forward to protect her belly. Her chest pressed to his, as she struggled to free herself from his grip.
“Ple-hee-ee-aaseee,” she giggled. “Let me go-hooo-oo!”
Gabriel’s head turned giddy from her closeness, but he kept at his game. “Only after you take back what you said. I’m no softie.”
Giada squeaked. “My sides hurt. Okay, okay. No softie. Definitely no softie.”
Gabriel let go of her, and she took a step back to recover.
He followed her, cornering her against a wall. “I’m still not sure I punished you enough. The tickles were for calling me a softie. But you also got me wet.”
Giada blinked at his chest. “It’s almost dry now.” She reached out and ran her hands on the fabric. “You see, I told you that it’s—” Her fingers worked their way to the opening of his shirt and were brushing against his bare skin. Her cheeks became crimson and she dropped her hand. “Sorry,” she muttered.
Gabriel’s blood heated as tingles followed the trail she’d left on his skin. Why was she blushing? Was he having this effect on her? Should he push to find it out?
He watched her face as she stared down at her hands. The sound of her choppy panting stirred his insides. He couldn’t control the rising urge anymore, so he hooked two fingers underneath her chin and lifted her face.
He tried to ignore how this simple contact sent sparks up his arm. Giada kept looking downwards, but when he let go of her, her eyes darted to his.
There was something familiar and scary about how her eyes bore into his. He realized it wasn’t the first time he’d felt this attraction toward Giada, only before, he always blamed the rapid staccato of his heart on something else.
But now he couldn’t. It was clearly Giada doing this to him.
Her eyes widened and her lips opened slightly. Gabriel couldn’t command his arms anymore. He reached out and cupped her face.
Giada inhaled and bit her lip. The color of her flesh deepened, and a raw yearning took hold of Gabriel.
He wanted to taste her.
He needed to taste her.
But something still held him back. He didn’t want to do something that Giada didn’t want. He could never hurt her like that.
He stared into her eyes, trying to read her. Perhaps she wanted it, too? But how was he to know whether he interpreted her signs correctly?
“What do you think would be a suitable punishment?” he whispered.
Giada swallowed twice before answering. “Kiss and make up?”
Gabriel’s heart leaped. He worried for a second that her soft words were spoken in a moment of confusion, but he didn’t care. She’d given him permission and he wasn’t going to refuse it. Not when she was all he wanted in that very moment.
His fingers slid to her neck, taking a hold on her nape. He bent forward, pulling her closer. Their eyes remained locked as their lips touched. Her mouth began to move softly against his, and her eyes closed. Warmth swirled through his belly and he lowered a hand to her waist, hauling her entire body to him. A soft moan escaped her throat.
He deepened the kiss, letting his own eyelids fall. She tasted sweet and tempting, like the most delicious fruit he’d ever eaten. She threaded a hand through his hair, massaging his scalp. He abandoned himself to the luscious feeling of having her in his arms.
It was as if all of his cells were infused with a high dose of caffeine. He felt alive and alert like he’d never been before. It was as if all the years he was dating other women, everything he’d done and everyone he’d met were only preparation for this moment.
For him to recognize what real pleasure was. Because this was it. It had to be.
“Oh, mon Dieu. What a coincidence! It’s Gabriel and Giada.”
The high-pitched female voice didn’t quite register in his consciousness, but it clearly forced its way through Giada’s, because she drew back, breaking their kiss.
Gabriel’s head was spinning from the intense rollercoaster her flavor had sent him on. He needed a second to gather his wits.
Giada snapped her head around at the sound, and her mouth popped open.
Gabriel followed her gaze and his own jaw dropped.
Aurélie beamed at them. “Isn’t it magnifique? I’m so happy to bump into you…”
Chapter 13
Giada’s heart was beating in her throat, her entire body pumping at an erratic rhythm. She was kissing Gabriel. She had boldly suggested it herself. Of course, she did it in a half-joking way so that she could back out if he reacted badly to her proposal.
But he didn’t. His arms had snaked around her waist, holding her firmly. Not that she needed any encouragement to mold herself to him.
She concentrated on how his mouth claimed hers with a raw, almost hungry desire. Licks of electricity coursed through her veins and her insides quivered. He was such a good kisser, and such a perfect man.
She took a deep breath, and his scent enveloped her. It was all she’d dreamed about throughout her entire adolescence and most of her adult years. It was finally happening. And it felt so much better than in her fantasies.
Her happiness would’ve been spotless, if not for one thought that nagged at the back of her mind. She tried to ignore it, to focus on how soft Gabriel’s skin felt, how heavenly he smelled, or how his teeth played with her lower lip.
But the disturbing idea came back like a boomerang each time she pushed it away.
Why was Gabriel kissing her now? What had changed? Did anything change at all?
Are you nuts? Gabriel has finally noticed you. It doesn’t matter why, how, or how long. Enjoy the moment.
It would be so easy to listen to the irresponsible voice of her inner goddess. The one only concentrating on pleasure. But Gia
da’s other half, the more responsible, worrying, eternal romantic, the one who had true and deep feelings for Gabriel, didn’t let go.
Was it her frigging dress? Maybe she should’ve worn her normal clothes instead of trying to play femme fatale for a simple dinner. She might’ve given Gabriel the wrong impression.
Was it all a moment of lust for him? Did the enticing setting of this village prompt this reaction from Gabriel? Was he just blowing off steam after their stressful conversation?
Gabriel’s fingers teased her neck, hauling her back to reality. The shivers cascading down her skin made her dizzy. To hell with these preoccupations. She was just going to see where things went. For now, they were on an amazing course.
“Oh, mon Dieu. What a coincidence! It’s Gabriel and Giada.”
What the heck? The unpleasant voice was all too familiar. Could it be…?
Giada pulled away from Gabriel and looked around. She snapped her head in the direction of the voice and froze.
How could this be? How did Aurélie find them?
She stood not far from them with one arm looped around Jean-Pierre’s elbow. Gabriel’s cousin’s eyes were fixed on the sky, his mouth pulled into a frown. He looked like a tiger on the circus ring. Angry and at unease.
Aurélie, on the other hand, was smiling brightly at them. “Isn’t it magnifique? I’m sure happy to bump into you. We were just strolling through this street searching for Cours Mirabeau.”
Gabriel, who had been standing like a statue ever since Giada pulled back from their kiss, flinched. “It’s that way.” He pointed at the direction they’d come from.
Giada glanced at him. His lips looked swollen and his hair was slightly disheveled. Just enough to make him look extra-hot. Sweet desire tingled in her veins. She would’ve loved to ignore Aurélie and Jean-Pierre and continue where they’d left off.
But Aurélie had no intention of leaving. “Ah, yes. Now I remember. We used to come here to dance. Right, Gabe? There’s that nice club somewhere in this district, the one with Latin rhythms and super yummy mojitos.”
“Dark Angel,” Gabriel murmured.
Aurelie pulled her hand away from Jean-Pierre and clapped. “That’s it. Dark Angel. You used to say its name suited me. I think because—”
Saving The Brother's Best Friend (Gems 0f Love Book 4) Page 9
