Page 2 of Gabe's Obsession

For the first time in weeks she felt energized. The idea that Savannah could clear up her memory loss gave her a kernel of hope that she might come out okay on the other side of this nastiness after all. All she had to do was prove without a shadow of a doubt that she did not kill her father.

Before she could make it out the front door, the doorbell rang.

Shit.

She'd forgotten that Gabe told her Tori was on her way over. Now, she'd either have to try and get rid of her as quickly as possible or, she looked behind her at the back door that led to the garage, she could leave out the back way and call for an Uber once she got a couple of blocks away.

She nodded to herself. Yeah, that sounded like the better choice. Now that she had a plan, she wanted to go and visit Savannah before something else could get in her way.

Nina scooped up her cell phone and opened the back door while looking down at the screen. This caused her to miss the first step as she pitched forward only to crash into something that blocked her way. That something she recognized instantly by the scent of the cologne he wore. She swore softly and looked up, only to come face-to-face with Gabe.

"Going somewhere?" he asked.

She hesitated a fraction too long and his eyes narrowed down at her.

"Fresh air," she said, without elaborating any further. First rule of lying was to give them as little detail as possible. "I thought you were going to work." Second rule of lying was to deflect by changing the subject.

"I was. But something told me I was needed here more. That and the fact Tori messaged me to let me know you are not answering the door."

Nina sighed. "Oh for Christ sake. It's been like two minutes."

He frowned down at her. "Actually, it's been more like twenty-five. She was starting to get worried."

"I was in the shower. Is that somehow against the Gabe rules?"

His right eyebrow arched. "The Gabe rules?"

"That's what it feels like. You appear to have a whole set of rules you expect everyone to follow and especially me. And from my experience if it looks like a duck, acts like a duck and feels like a duck, well then, I guess it's a duck."

He pushed into the house forcing her to take a step back. "I'm some sort of a duck now?"

"It's a metaphor, genius."

He took another step closer and removed her sunglasses. "And what is it a metaphor for? Friend? Caregiver? Babysitter? Or maybe lover?"

His use of the word lover came out on the sexy low rumble that never failed to send a shiver down her spine. But it was his fingers pulling at the holder wrapped around her hair that really caught her attention.

Any time he touched her, it managed to scramble her brains until she couldn't think straight.

"More like tyrant," she said on a breathless gasp. This was exactly why she needed to get away from him. The more time she spent with him, the more her resolve weakened. "What are you doing?"

"Removing this silly disguise. If you want to go out, you don't need it."

There were a lot of things she wanted whenever she was around him. That was part of the problem. The longer she stayed the more she wanted to give him and she feared that more than anything. Hence the silence.

As long as she stayed withdrawn, it kept him at bay.

"I'm going to work too," she finally said.

"I'm sure Tori will be happy to hear that. Maybe you should answer the door and talk to her. You can go together.”

She cringed at his words. It had been wrong for her to rely on the other woman to run her cafe for this long. Now she was adding lies to the rest of her recent transgressions.

No!She didn't lie about wanting to go to the cafe. That was in the plan as her second stop. She just failed to mention her entire itinerary.

The pounding on the front door continued and she wondered whether that was Tori or her heartbeat frantically trying to get his attention.

"Why don'tweanswer the front door and you and Tori can discuss it?"

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