Page 41 of Gabe

I obeyed automatically and followed him, despite the arousal still surging through me like an electrical current traveling from my brain to my toes and back.

Was that it?

The man practically sucked my soul out between my lips, then just moved on like nothing happened?

When we reached the car, I thought we might continue once we were safely inside, but no. Gabe started the engine and pulled the car onto the road without a word of explanation.

What did it even mean?

Was he happy about what I’d done?

Surely a kiss must indicate positive feelings. Yet, he’d walked away and continued as if nothing had happened. The man didn’t even look flushed and not a hair stood out of place, while I felt like a throbbing mess of arousal and confusion.

Scowling, I tossed the binders into the backseat, then leaned against the window in the hope that the cool glass would calm the unsatisfied itch under my skin.

Not once, during the entire car ride back to the safe house, did Gabe look at me. He barely even said two words as his gaze remained locked on the road and his hands were perfectly poised on the steering wheel at ten and two.

I idly played with my braids, keeping my own hand busy. As I thought about it, I came to two conclusions. Either Gabe hadn’t agreed with my actions when I stole the binders and the kiss had been a way to shut me up and keep me obedient, or Gabe did agree with my actions, and the kiss had been his idea of a reward for a job well done. It certainly hadn’t been due to any actual desire on his part. He’d walked away too easily, as if we’d merely exchanged handshakes.

Eventually, I settled on the second option. The kiss had been meant as some sort of reward for successfully stealing the binders. There were worse reasons to be kissed, but it wasn’t the one I wanted. While the kiss had been hot during the moment, once it was done it felt like a business exchange.

Empty.

Cold.

Emotionless.

The hours back to the safe house were the longest, most awkward car ride of my life. We didn’t even play the radio. Just sat in silence as the miles flew by under our tires.

When we reached the safe house, I wasn’t sure whether to feel relieved or even more frustrated. Newt and Sebastian would break the unbearable silence, but I would have to act composed around them while on the inside I felt like a cat whose fur had been rubbed the wrong way.

Taking a deep breath, I stepped out of the car. The weather had been getting warmer recently, but the air within the shadow of the woods was still cool and refreshing in my lungs.

In the front window of the house, I could see Newt and Sebastian moving around in the kitchen. Newt seemed to be doing most of the work preparing something, but Sebastian was managing to help here and there from his wheelchair. It wasn’t ideal. The size of the kitchen, and the house in general, made it difficult for Sebastian to maneuver the chair, but it was the most activity I’d seen from him since he was injured. No matter how frustrated I was in that moment, seeing one of my patients making good progress always brought a warm feeling to my chest.

I reached for the door handle to go inside, but Gabe’s hand on my wrist pulled me away.

“Hey, wait. Where are we going?”

His only answer was to pull me toward the RV, which sat exactly where I had left it. Although the sun was still in the sky, it was blocked by the foliage of the surrounding trees, so the atmosphere inside the RV was as dim as dusk. The door to the RV rattled on its hinges when Gabe closed it hard enough for me to feel the vibration through the floor.

When he finally let go of my wrist, I crossed my arms and scowled at him. “Are you going to explain what you’re doing, or am I going to have to guess?”

I’d barely finished speaking when Gabe grabbed my face between his hands and kissed me. It was just as hot and intense as back in the alley, as if the several-hours-long car ride never happened and we were immediately picking up where we left off. The quick change between hot and cold and hot again left my head spinning.

“What is up with you?” I demanded when I managed to pull away enough to gasp out a few words.

“You just…” Gabe gripped my upper arms almost hard enough to bruise and he seemed to be fighting off the urge to shake me. “Do you have any idea what you do? What you cause?”

At first, I thought he was angry at me, but that didn’t align with the kiss. There were a lot of reasons to kiss someone, and anger wasn’t usually one of them.

I looked at him closer. His gray eyes were dilated so wide his pupils had practically swallowed the iris.

With a snap of clarity, I understood.

“Oh.” Reaching out, I plucked at the buttons of his shirt. “I see. My little act of petty theft got you all… flustered.”

He shook his head but didn’t let me go. If anything, he pulled me closer. “Not petty. And barely theft. That info could be used to hurt a lot of people, and now, we can protect them instead.”

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