Page 96 of Gabriel's Salvation

I see her sister standing at the doorway for a second before all I see is a huge mass of dark black fur bounding towards me. Instinctively I pull Riley in front of me to shield myself. As soon as I do, the dog leaps up and attacks, Riley squeals then…. Laughs?

“Oh, Honey,” Riley laughs as the dog jumps up and tries to attack her face. Why is she laughing? Is she scared? Is it a scared laugh? Do I drag the dog off of her? Do I smack it?”

“Honey, stooop. I don't want kisses.” Riley laughs again as she pushes the beast away.

“Honey! Enough!” Harper calls as she grabs hold of the collar and pulls the dog away.

“Thanks for your help there,” Riley laughs as she wipes her cheek.

“Er, I thought about hitting it?” I admit

“Hit her, I'll hit you!” both girls exclaim in unison. Wow, that's freaky.

“Why did she attack you though?” I ask as I scratch my head in confusion. Why would you keep a pet that is aggressive?

“Attack?” both girls question again. Seriously this horror movie, twin shit needs to stop.

“You were just giving kisses, weren't you baby?” Riley coos bending down and bringing her face closer to the black haired beast.

The dog barks loudly in her face. Instinctively I try to grab her jacket to pull her back.

“Aww, is the big bad Gabey scared of mommy's little baby?” Riley coos. As she makes no attempt to move her face away from the gnashing teeth that dog probably has.

“Can we go?” I ask as I take a step back.

“Honey, bed bed,” Riley commands, and instantly the dog retreats back towards the house. Oh yeah, now the beast listens.

Now that the dog is finally away, I pick up the helmet I dropped in the commotion and hand it back to Riley. “Look,” Riley says towards Harper, “isn't it pretty?” she says proudly as she shows the pattern to her sister and carefully traces the gold pattern with her finger.

“So pretty,” Harper confirms. Yes! I did something right for once.

“Gabe got it for me,” Riley says excitedly, “and the jacket,” she adds before spinning around to give her sister a full 360 view.

“Mmm,” Harper says as she looks at me. “Nice to see you taking care of my little sister. Riley knows,” she says turning her attention towards his sister, “that I don't like her riding on your metal death trap, but…” her attention and pointy finger are now aimed back towards me, “...since she won't listen, I'm trusting you to take care of her like precious cargo,” she says in a very serious, commanding, will murder me kind of intimidating tone. “Because if you don't, you and this death trap will be making friends with my baseball bat.”

Wow, and I thought Riley was the wild sister.

Unsure what to say, I simply nod. Thankfully, it must pacify her because she turns around without saying another word and walks back inside the house.

“I’m precious cargo, don't ya know,” Riley says in a playful mocking voice. Before placing the helmet on her head. That you are my little flame, that you are.

Riley

Looking down at the way my leather blends in with his leather, I can't help but feel all fuzzy inside. An hour ago, I was worrying he’d changed his mind about me and all this time he was out buying me proper gear. A huge smile forms on my face, one I don't even try to hide, as I nuzzle my head against him as the bike speeds off.

Sure, flowers and chocolates are nice, but this is far more romantic. It wasn't some shitty ass, last minute generic gift picked up on a whim. This was thoughtful and special.

Gabe reaches back and gives my thigh a reassuring little squeeze as we stop at the red light and that simple touch alone causes heat and longing to form where our bodies meet.

We speed off, dipping in and out of traffic until we finally hit the open road. This feels so freeing; it's almost like flying, I think to myself as the wind whips beside me.

I rest my head against Gabe as my arms squeeze around his waist. How is this beautiful, god of a man, mine?

He places his hand on top of mine for a second and gives it a gentle tap before returning his hand back to the handlebars. I wish we could stay like this forever. I close my eyes and enjoy the moment until I feel us slowing down. Opening them and lifting my head, I see we are outside Six Flags.

“We’re here,” Gabe says excitedly as he parks.

“I love Six Flags!” I squeal. I attempt to climb off but my legs wobble. Gabe reaches his arm out to steady me.

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