Page 2 of Forever Mine

I don’t even see Gabriel move. He’s like a fucking stealth ninja. One minute he’s at the door, and the next minute he’s got Marcus pinned up against the wall.

“See, that’s the thing. You won’t be fine. Because Monica is my responsibility. And I’ll be damned if your bonehead ass is gonna touch her beautiful skin once more. Ya feel me,Piço?” Gabriel asks.

“What the fuck does that mean?” Marcus stutters.

“It means dick, jackass,” Gabriel mutters as he twists Marcus’s arm hard. Gabriel turns to look at me, his eyes burning with intensity. “You alright,anjinho?”

I nod, unable to speak. I wonder whatanjinhomeans. I know Gabriel’s parents emigrated from Brazil, and he usually calls mequerida, so I assume he’s calling me something. I’m just not sure if it’s good or bad.

Two police walk into the back room and take Marcus from Gabriel. He immediately comes to me, crouching so he’s at eye level. He gingerly reaches to gently pull my hair away from my face and sighs.

“Oh,querida. Let’s get you to the hospital,” Gabriel says quietly. I attempt to stand, but he grabs me and slides his arms under my legs, picking me up and holding me against his chest. “She needs medical attention. Can we go to the police station tomorrow?”

“We’ll have an officer accompany you to the hospital, ma’am, so you can give your statement while it’s still fresh in your mind,” the officer tells us. I nod silently. My face is throbbing, and I’m pretty sure I sprained my wrist when I landed on the ground after the first hit.

Gabriel takes me directly to his car and carefully deposits me in the passenger seat before putting my seatbelt on. I love his car. It’s a Mercedes sedan with every damn bell and whistle imaginable. But what I love most is it smells like Gabriel. Woodsy with leather and amber. It’s a scent I’ll never be able to think of without thinking of Gabriel now. It’s a smell that permeates my dreams.

I expect Gabriel to take me to the hospital, but he doesn’t start the engine once he’s in the car.

“What the fuck were you thinking,” he states quietly.

“What do you mean?” I stammer. He turns to me, and I can see the anger simmering in his gaze.

“I heard you tell your friend that he had gotten more angry. More volatile. Why would you agree to meet him? Why would you put yourself in that situation? If I hadn’t seen your car at this bar …” he trails off and wipes a hand across his face in frustration.

“How did you know it was my car?” I whisper.

“I know everything about you,anjinho,” he responds.

“What does that mean?”

He sighs, struggling with his response.

“It means my angel.”

I inhale quickly as I stare at Gabriel. He’s been my boss for over six months. I never believed his words that he wanted more with me. I always knew … or thought … that it was just a fun game. That he didn’t feel anything and knew he wouldn’t cross that line because of our working relationship. Granted, we’ve had a few moments together. Ones that live in my mind rent-free. Times where I almost let my attraction to him overcome the realistic part of my brain that reminds me I’m not cut out for relationships. Happily ever after isn’t meant for broken girls like me.

Gabriel is the managing and designated broker at my relatively small real estate firm. I’m a real estate agent. He’s in charge of all the day-to-day administrative tasks for our office and oversees all the agents. With only fifteen agents on staff, Gabriel takes a more hands-on approach to interacting with the realtors. Up until recently, I assumed he joked around with all the agents and flirted with all the women.

I just never thought he’d be interested in me. I’m a decade younger than him. Gabriel is around forty-five. I just never thought his antics had any meaning. I figured he just found me amusing and wanted to see how far he could push me. I knew he was attracted to me, but I figured I was a conquest he was trying to conquer. The thrill of the chase.

“Let’s get you to the hospital,anjinho,” he says quietly.

I don’t respond. My mind is moving a million miles per minute. Is he joking? Why is he calling me that? How did he find me tonight? Should I be worried? Ugh. My head is pounding now. I close my eyes as the car headlights approaching us are grating on my senses.

“Gonna rest my eyes,” I mumble.

“Stay awake, okay? You might have a concussion if he hit you hard enough. So you need to stay awake, Monica,” Gabriel orders.

“Okay, daddy,” I mutter.

I hear his intake of breath.

“Puta merda,” Gabriel says under his breath.

“What does that mean?”

“It means holy shit.”

---