Page 83 of Gabriel's Salvation

“Lonely?” I finish, knowing exactly how it felt for her because that’s how I felt when I stopped sharing a room with Nate.

“Exactly. Lonely. Don't get me wrong, we still both like our space sometimes, and the room is big enough so that we both have our little areas, but it's kind of nice knowing she's there. That if I need her, she's just a few steps away. Does that make me sound like a total codependent freak?”

“No, I get it. Me and Nate shared a room for years. Pretty much our whole lives, actually. When I moved out of the Jacksons’ home, that was one of the hardest things to get used to,” I admit.

“The Jacksons? Who are they?” Riley asks and instantly I feel my walls shoot up in defense.

“Nobody, just fucking drop it,” I bark at her a little more harshly than intended. I don't miss the shock and panic that briefly flashes over her face before it's replaced with a fake grin. Fuck! Why do I have to ruin everything?

“I'm going for a smoke,” I announce and turn to leave, not even waiting for a response. Why the fuck did I mention the Jacksons?

“All ready to go?” Riley eventually asks from the doorway.

“Yeah, let me just grab my shit.”

I brush past her and put my boots and jacket on. I grab her small bag from the bed and hand it to her.

“You know you can talk to me about anything, right?” she says softly as she takes the bag from my hand.

“Just fucking drop it, please,” I reply, silently begging for her to listen to me for once.

We walk down to reception, hand back the keys, sign off all the extra charges and then hop on my bike in silence. She doesn't say a word as I take her bag and place it into my seat or as I put the helmet on her head. She doesn't say a word as she wraps her arms around my waist. We drive in silence for a while until she finally squeezes me to get my attention and shouts, “Pull into Target.” I drive in and park near the front door. She climbs off and removes her helmet.

“I need my purse,” she says, sounding unusually timid.

I climb off the bike and hand her the small black purse which she takes, and then heads inside without saying another word. I stand outside waiting, half tempted to head inside and grab a beer since I haven't had one since last night but decide against it. For some reason the idea of drinking then driving when I’ve got her on the back just doesn't sit right with me.

She comes out no longer wearing the dress from last night. She's now wearing jeans and a simple top that makes my mouth water and my dick start to rise. She could wear a burlap sack and it would look amazing on her.

“You changed?” I say without thinking.

“Yeah, I can't exactly ride a bike in a short dress can I?” she laughs. “Unless you wanna just take me home and call it a day.”

“No,” I say before she has a chance to finish that thought.

“Look I'm sorry for earlier. I didn't mean to push you into talking about something you obviously didn't want to,” she says, and again there's that hint of sadness in her voice I hate.

“It's fine. Let’s just move on,” I suggest pulling her against me. She wraps her arms around me and buries her face into my chest.

“You alright, Gabe?” Lucas, one of the guys I work with, says as he comes out of the store and walks past us. Instinctively, I push Riley away.

“Let's go,” I snap. Shit, I hope Lucas doesn't tell anyone he saw me hugging Riley. Damn. Who am I kidding, that boy is so scared of his own shadow he wouldn't have the guts to spread shit around work.

Either way, I'm not risking anyone else seeing us, but I also don't want our time to end. “Hold on tight. I'm taking us somewhere out of town,” I call back. The truth is I've no idea where I'm taking us. I just know it needs to be somewhere no one knows us.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Gabe

Irev the engine and head out. Driving and driving until the town is behind us and all that can be seen is the open road. Unsure where to go, I continue driving till we get close to the town I visited before, although this time I have no intention of wasting my time with a drunken hen party.

I pull up to the vaguely familiar bar and after parking we head inside.

“What do you want to drink? Wine?” I suggest.

“Wine? No. It's like lunchtime.” Riley laughs. “I'll take a Coke and a bag of chips, please.”

“And for you, sir?” the barman asks.

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