Page 1 of Gabe's Obsession

Chapter One

"I've gotto go to work for a few hours and take care of a few things," Gabe spoke from the doorway, a frown marring his beautiful face.

Nina didn't respond. Instead, she continued to stare at the ceiling while lying in the bed. There was so much she could say, but none of it she knew how.

"Nina, did you hear me?"

Again, she said nothing. Gabe Michaels was the last person she wanted to talk to right now. She was broken, not stupid. The infuriating man had a thing for her. She got that now. But that didn't mean she'd let him into the pain trying to swallow her whole. At this point, she believed her whole life may be a joke.

Ever since Savannah Lewis had confessed to the murder of her husband, Nina's life had been in a tailspin.

"You're going to have to talk to me eventually. I've been patient and kind up to now, but that doesn't mean you get to act like a petulant child every day."

She slid her eyes toward the door where he currently stood filling it. Any time he walked into a room, he somehow dominated it. And it wasn't all about his huge six foot plus body that made women swoon to get his attention. All the stuff she'd heard and occasionally seen at Purgatory Club explained some of what she sensed, but not all. Just because he liked to do kinky stuff in the bedroom, didn't explain why her insides quivered the moment she heard his voice.

For years they'd done a dance around their attraction with neither of them doing anything to take it very seriously. At least, that's what she'd thought. Apparently, Gabe did not agree.

He glanced at his watch. "I really do have to go now, but when I return the two of us are going to talk or else."

She almost broke her silence to demand what he meant byor else. When it came to Gabe, all bets were off. She'd heard the rumors for years. He liked women who obeyed and when they didn’t, he enjoyed doling out punishment. And it appalled her that deep down she wanted to disobey him just to find out what he would do with her.

"Tori is on her way over so you might want to get up and get dressed. Maybe take a shower. I'm done letting you lay there feeling sorry for yourself." He took a step closer. "Get ready, Nina. I'm not kidding here."

She slid her gaze back to the ceiling trying to ignore the nervous butterflies in her stomach. There was something strangely appealing about bossy Gabe. Not that she'd ever tell him that. If he got a whiff that she might have submissive tendencies, he'd probably have her tied up across a spanking bench before she could get a word in edgewise.

When the front door closed behind Gabe and the house was once again engulfed in silence, Nina emerged from the oversized plush bed and padded into the bathroom. He was right, of course. It was time for her to shake off this funk and get back to work. If Tori was coming here then she had no idea who was running the café.

She turned on the water in the shower the size of a carwash and waited for it to run hot. She stared into the mirror above the sink and cringed at the dark circles under her eyes. The results of not getting enough sleep these last couple of weeks were less than flattering and she wondered why Gabe continued to bother.

Unresolved attraction between them did not call for such devotion.

When the steam filled the room and fogged up the mirror, she stepped into the water and let the near scalding heat penetrate her skin. She hated this little girl lost feeling that had taken root inside her. In fact, she couldn't ever remember feeling quite this lost before.

Of course, that might have something to do with the fact that she couldn't remember certain times of her life. Particularly the months leading up to and directly after the death of Reverend Lewis. The man otherwise known as her bastard father.

She tried to push away those fruitless thoughts. No matter how hard she tried, she simply couldn't remember the night he died. Her brothers did though. They remembered the fire, the blood and even the knife supposedly buried in the good reverend's chest.

She dropped her forehead against the cool tile of the marble shower. Why the hell couldn't she stop thinking about it? If she couldn't remember, it was probably for good reason. Tears burned at the back of her eyes. It wasn't that she missed her father or even that Savannah's confession really mattered to her.

What did matter were the looks of pity and suspicion she now saw across her brothers' faces.

They believed she was the killer, not Savannah.

The mere thought sickened her. First, the idea that she'd been the one to plunge a knife into her father's chest was ludicrous. What would have motivated her to do such a thing? The man had played little to no role in her life before his death. Even less since. The trust fund that her half-brother Mason had offered her had gone untouched.

Second, how couldtheythink she'd done it? Her own brothers. The only men in her life besides Gabe she trusted.

Not that she could imagine Savannah doing the deed either. The woman had spent the last decade in a psychiatric facility because she refused to speak. The more she thought about the situation, the more complicated it sounded. None of it made sense. What could've prompted her stepmother to suddenly come forward after ten years of silence and claim responsibility for her husband's death?

Of course, if she had the answer to that she suspected everything would be clear. Except Mason had informed the family that Savannah refused to share any further details about that night.

Nina's head jerked up. Maybe the wrong person was asking. Just because she didn't want to open up to her lawyer or her son Tucker didn’t mean…

Nina finished her shower and grabbed one of the plush bath sheets from the cabinet and wrapped her body in the soft cotton. If Savannah wouldn't talk to her son, maybe she would talk to her.

With an idea firmly planted in her mind, Nina hurriedly dressed in jeans and a sweater before shoving her feet into a pair of Converse. Despite the fancier clothes Gabe had offered her, she preferred her typical casual uniform. If it was good enough for the café, it could be good enough for a jail visit.

She grabbed a light jacket, a ponytail holder, sunglasses and the Carolina Panthers ball cap she'd found buried in the back of Gabe's closet. Not the best disguise in the world, but it would do in a pinch. She had no idea if reporters still hovered around the courthouse that also happened to house the jail, but it was probably better to be safe than sorry.

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