Page 63 of Untamed Protector

Damien gives him an intense stare. “Lighten up, dude. She’s beautiful,” he whispers behind me so I won’t hear. But I do.

“Take a seat,” he says, throwing me an encouraging smile and pointing to the couch before sinking into an armchair across from it. “I have good news. Well, sort of. It’s good you’re here, Lexi.”

I sit down, and Gabriel joins me on the arm of the couch. He’s not even touching me, but his closeness sends shivers down my spine, a mixture of nervousness and an irresistible magnetic pull. His masculine perfume fills the air, making it feel more intimate.

A jolt shoots through me, a sudden urge to bridge the space between us. I want nothing more than to close the distance, to feel the spark from his touch that still ignites memories of our secret nights. But I don’t know if he’s okay with being affectionate in front of his friend. I miss Gabriel from our secret nights together. Daylight Gabriel, all business and seriousness, feels like a stranger compared to the man I’ve met after dark. It’s like I’m losing him to all the secrets and private matters that keep him closed off.

“I couldn’t find any evidence of Lexi being targeted by the Dark Sun Cartel or any other criminal groups in the port. I’ve been reaching out to all our contacts around the city for the past three days,” Damien says.

“You’re his cop friend?” I ask.

“Yes. Well, sort of. I work for a governmental agency that also deals with law and order, just in a different way.”

So Anita was right. Gabriel has a friend who saves his butt when he’s in trouble with the law. And he’s got his other friend Dominic, who’s loaded, to bail him out of his money problems. What does Gabriel actually do in this city?

“I talked to Dominic earlier,” Gabriel cuts in. “He hasn’t found any other leads in Lexi’s case, either.”

“That’s good, right?” I say.

“It’s good that it’s not the Cartel. They don’t mess around. One warning, and that’s it,” Damien explains.

“The problem is, we still don’t know who it is,” Gabriel adds. “It could be someone just as dangerous. They might be going solo, but it looks like they have a clear plan for you.”

“Maybe Peter just overreacted out of fear, and you felt like you had to step in,” I say, resting a hand on his leg. I don’t look at him while I speak, but I can feel him getting closer. I’m not sure how much Damien knows about our fake relationship, but I’m assuming he doesn’t.

“Oh, hey, I almost forgot,” Damien says, leaning in a touch. “Congrats on your new relationship. You two are all over the gossip news and social media.”

“Come on, you know what this is about,” Gabriel says. So Damien knows about us, too. I pull my hand away from his leg.

Gabriel’s next move surprises me as he gently puts his arm around my shoulders in a reassuring squeeze. I look up into his eyes, and he envelops me in a smile so warm and trusting that it has me almost melting away. His body dips closer, slow and deliberate. I have a feeling he’s going to kiss me right there in front of Damien, who already knows that we’re only fake dating. Except what I feel right now is not fake; neither are his lips that will soon settle over mine. It’s about time I got the kiss I wanted, the kiss that would soothe me after the events of a crazy day that isn’t over yet.

So Gabriel isn’t just playing a role! I hear myself thinking before Damien says, “This fake dating thing you guys are doing… it’s working, you know? My buddies at work really bought into it. They wanted me to pass on some congrats to you. You pulled it off. And, of course, some were less than excited to hear the news.”

Gabriel stills, the kiss hanging suspended; only his hand lingers, gently running his palm over my forehead to tuck a lock of hair back into place. Damn it!

A knot of unease tightens in my stomach as Damien’s words replay in my head. Was he talking about his female police colleagues? Other women who’ve heard Gabriel’s no snooping rule? This is proving to be a day full of revelations about him. I should keep my eyes open; who knows what else I’ll find out. Could Anita be right after all? Could she surprisingly turn out to be the only honest person… cruelly honest with me?

Gabriel’s phone buzzes on the table. “Hey, Dom,” he answers, pausing for a moment to listen, then says, “Hold on. I’m with Lexi and Damien. Let me put you on speaker so they can hear you.”

“Hey guys,” we hear Dominic’s voice. “I’ve got an idea. Why don’t we go to the boat show at the marina on Thursday? Alice got us four tickets and a table in the VIP section. We’ll be able to see everything and be seen by everyone.”

“Who’s the fourth ticket for?” Gabriel asks. “Is Lena coming?”

“Hah. Good one. Lena said she can’t be seen in public with someone like me. Apparently, it would be like social suicide. So, Alice is coming instead,” Dominic replies.

“Yeah, women can be hard to figure out sometimes,” Damien says with a shrug and a grin toward Gabriel. He clears his throat. “Guys, I need to go. Lexi, be careful. I’ll keep following up on this. See you both on Thursday at the show!” He hugs me and then shoots a look at Gabriel, signaling for him to follow outside. I guess they want to continue the conversation I interrupted earlier.

“Wait for me downstairs,” Gabriel asks him as Damien walks out.

I hear Dominic saying his goodbyes, but before they close, Gabriel takes him off speaker. “Dom, I need you to come with me. This thing with Stella is getting complicated. We need to pay someone a visit.” He listens to Dominic’s reply, then continues. “Damien’s waiting for me downstairs. I’m going to leave Lexi with Mike. We should be done in a few hours.” Dominic must be on board because I see Gabriel ending the call.

The office door clicks shut, leaving us alone in the tense silence. Gabriel paces back and forth by the window, tapping away on his phone.

“Gabriel, let’s just skip this thing—the show that Dominic suggested. You’ve got enough going on, from what I can tell.” He stops and looks at me, biting his lip.

“There’s always something going on. That doesn’t change anything. Give me a few hours to take care of some things, and I’ll get back to you. We’re sticking to our plan.”

“Maybe I should go back to Lena’s and start looking for a job.”

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