Page 4 of Fragile

My mouth dropped open in horror. Did the man have no filter? How could he speak to me in such a manner when we had only just met? OMG, I almost died inside as mortification swamped my senses.

Withdrawing my hands from my pockets, I dropped them by my sides and shot him my best haughty look. “That’s not really any of your business.”

Gabriel was marginally amused by my outburst and he leaned against the wall of the mirrored lift with an arched eyebrow. The reflection showed several of him; like I could cope with more than one. His stance forced me to move back slightly. His presence was suddenly suffocating. “None of my business?” he challenged.

“Of course not. Stuff like that is private,” I whispered towards the lift floor, suddenly feeling afraid to face him.

His tone became firmer. “It is my business if you think you’re going to make this place into your little love nest,” Gabriel pointed out tartly.

Lifting my gaze, I managed to level him a look but I was so out of my comfort zone. I hated conflict and moody waves now rolled off him. Unprovoked ones in my opinion. “As I said. No. I just need a place to crash. Have my own space. I don’t have much cash right now and Ash said that you’d make it affordable for me to live here. It would only be until I got back on my feet.” I felt so pathetic and his next words made me feel worse.

He pushed his shoulder off the wall and dashed a hand across the stubble on his chin. “So, you’re a proper charity case?” I hated the fact that he was right. I was a broke dance student who spent most of her funding on tuition fees and headshots.

Gabriel couldn’t have been more insulting if he had tried. The atmosphere between us had suddenly nosedived.

The lift pinged to say we had arrived at his floor and the doors slowly opened.

“After you,” he said with a wave of his hand.

I walked out directly into what appeared to be a living room. Thankful to be free of that enclosed space. The sound of the lift doors sliding shut echoed into the quiet. I could hear the TV softly in the background.

Clearing my throat, I felt the need to answer his earlier comment. “I wouldn’t say I’m a charity case. I’m just a bit down on my luck right now.” My defensive words reeked of desperation. I imagined this was what those poor people who sat on the streets felt like.

Gabriel smiled and his eyes creased at the corners as he followed me out of the lift and into his apartment. It wasn’t a nice smile; slightly cruel I would say. “Can’t you ask your parents for help?” His words hurt. But of course, he wouldn’t get that. My mother and father were both dead. That fact was very private to me and I had asked Ash to keep it to himself.

“No, that’s not possible,” I replied as I broke eye contact and looked around the room.

Pushing that painful thought of my non-existent family to one side, I found my backbone. “Have I said something to offend you?” The words left my mouth like a whip and I saw him flinch slightly.

Gabriel recovered quickly and went in all guns blazing for round two. “Not at all. It was just a suggestion. I just hope you’re with Asher for the right reasons. I won’t allow anyone to use my brother as a meal ticket.”

It took me a minute to translate his point, his brain was certainly functioning quicker than mine. My nose wrinkled in disgust. “No of course not. He’s my friend and I would never use anyone. I’m not like that,” I assured him, my eyes flashing angrily. How dared he?

He took another step in my direction which forced me to crick my neck so I could retain eye contact, he was so much taller than me. I was desperate to study the space I was in, but I didn’t dare look away.

“I thought he was your boyfriend?” he batted back, clearly suspicious. Drat, had I blown our cover already?

Gabriel’s expression then switched as he looked me up and down.

“Give me your coat.” The commanding thread of his voice had me automatically shrugging out of it.

He took it from me and walked away, with long lazy steps and hung it up on a hook with other coats beside where the lift doors were supposed to be. You almost couldn’t see them. They were decorated to match the décor of the living space which was clever.

Gabriel came back to stand in front of me and I felt like folding my arms across my chest. The way he was watching me made my blood heat in my veins. I wasn’t stupid, I knew I was reacting like a woman does to an attractive man. But how I could feel that way when he was being so off was beyond me. My body and my head were in two very different corners.

I started to regret my decision to take Asher up on the offer of viewing the room. Gabriel was so direct; how could I live with someone who said whatever came into their head? A man who didn’t care about hurting a person’s feelings.

My shoulders slumped. “Maybe I should go?”

He didn’t move from my path, if anything he appeared to grow taller. “You just got here.”

“I’m just wondering if there is any point in seeing the place,” I mumbled.

“Why? He questioned sharply with a threaded brow.

“Well, I get the feeling that you don’t like me much.”

Gabriel exhaled sharply, his nostrils flaring. “What can I say? I’m training to be a lawyer, it’s in my nature to be suspicious. I just want to make sure you’re being truthful about your intentions.” The man was unshakable, his face now adopting a hardness and there had been no hint of sympathy when I’d given him a slice of my sob story.

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