Chapter Seven
1263 Words
Gabrielle
”You did really well.”
Diablo’s warm tone made something inside of me purr. It was unexpected , the big Saber toothed tiger was always so hard and rough it was strange hearing him speak in such a soft voice.
I blushed. “Thank you.” Truth was , even the short bike ride had me aching all over. My back felt like it needed to crack but that might have been because I had been holding on for dear life to Diablos wide back. My arms tight around his waist and my face pressed up against the softness of his leather jacket.
“Here.” He was suddenly standing too close, his big hand massaging the small of my back. Working out the knot that had formed there.
“You were pretty tense, so I know you must be a little stiff.” Firm fingers dug into my back but it wasn’t painful . He seemed to find the knots and being almost instant relief.
“I’m sorry…” I don’t know what made me say it but it came out a whisper.
“Don’t be sorry Gabrielle, you did really well. Better than really well.” His eyes met mine, sincere and I gave him a smile. For some reason nice Diablo made me even more nervous than grumpy Diablo.
“A few more rides and you will relax a little. You might even enjoy it.” He added as an after thought.
“I did enjoy it.”
“Good.”
Silence stretched between us. Giving me the chance to look around . We hadn’t ridden far at all but I hadn’t expected him to take me somewhere so secluded. The bar I had expected. That is where everyone seemed to hang out if they weren’t in the club house. This secluded little park was unexpected. I hadn’t even know it had existed.
“its pretty here.” I said finally as he started walking towards a nearby bench. Folding his massive frame onto the metal. I stood awkwardly. Gazing about me, not knowing what to say. ”I didn’t realise places like this existed here. It reminds me of home.” My voice was wistful I couldn’t help it. “The view is…..” self consciously I glanced down at him. He was staring at me unblinking. “The view is pretty as hell.”
Heat crept up my cheeks.
Was he talking about me? Or the actual park?
Was Diablo flirting with me? It wasn’t like I had anything to compare it to. The last time a man had flirted with me I had been in my teens and now I was a grown ass woman rapidly approaching middle aged. Well not quite but I was definitely on the wrong side of thirty to be this inexperienced.
I blushed again.
“I like it when you blush Gabrielle.”
His words only made me flush harder. Unsure what to do or say I fell into the bench next to him. Not quite touching and definitely not looking at him.
“It makes you look younger, girlish somehow.”
“I am definitely not a girl.” My words tripped over themselves.
“No you are most definitely a woman.”
I sucked in a breath.
I could feel his eyes on me unwavering. I wanted to be better at this , to be able to laugh and flirt. To be confident.
“Why do you call me Gabrielle?” I asked when the silence had stretched on too long. “You make everyone here call me Gabrielle but everyone at home calls me Gabby.”
“Your name is Gabrielle isn’t it?” He turned his head to face me. Giving me the full weight of his stare and I nodded.
“Your too pretty to be called Gabby anyway.”
He huffed. “Plus that is what your dragon lover called you , this is your home now and we will call you Gabrielle because it’s a beautiful name for a beautiful woman.”
Dragon lover? That was the only thing I heard in that entire sentence.
“Dragon lover? What dragon lover?”
He laughed and it was a harsh sound. Seemed like gentle Diablo was gone again.
“There’s no need to play coy Gabrielle.” He chuckled darkly. “We all have a past.”
The way he said it made me grumble loudly. I knew he had a past. I had seen his past throw themselves into his lap or even worse on to their knees of numerous occasions. But my past and his were totally different.
“I…. it’s not something I want to talk about.” I wanted to change the subject. “Why are are we here Diablo?”
“Can’t two people just take a ride and relax?”
I flicked my eyes at him. What was he talking about now. Of course friends could do that but we weren’t friends. Every time we spent any length of time together it ended in a fight. “We aren’t friends.”
His eyes narrowed. “Doesn’t mean I don’t want to be friends , but if you want to know the truth of why I asked you here. I will tell you. I want to know about your past.” He swallowed hard and my eyes followed the bobbing of his Adam’s apple. “I want to know about your relationship with David Llewelyn.”
Well I had well and truly fallen into that one. By trying to change the subject I had managed to give him an opening to ask me out right.
“What about it?” I asked noncommittally.
“You lived with him right?”
“Yes. Since I was eighteen.” Ok this wasn’t so bad. These weren’t personal questions, these things were public knowledge.
“That’s a long time.” The tip of his finger brushed against my thumb as it lay on the bench between us. “To be physical with someone without commitment.”
I was about to ask what he knew about commitment and then thought better of it.
“I was just his house keeper and when his son was born I helped looked after him.”
“You don’t have to lie to me Gabrielle , I don’t judge you for doing what you needed to do to get through it.”
Judgement? Why would he judge me for being a house keeping and raising a child. Loving a child? Diablo was speaking in riddles. Again.
”I did my job.”
He snorted , actually snorted . Like what I had said was amusing to him somehow.
“You think I’ve had…. s*x” I stumbled over the word. “With David?”
“You haven’t?” He raised an eyebrow as if he didn’t believe me and I shook my head. My eyes cast downward to my hand, where his finger was lazily drawing back and forth.
“ No but I don’t expect you to believe me.” I added as an after thought. “He didn’t see me like that.”
Diablo growled. His fingers suddenly on my chin. Turning my face towards his. “Then he is a fool Gabrielle.” His eyes searched my face. “You’re telling the truth.”
“Yes.”
His smile grew, teeth flashing in the sun as if that was the best thing he had heard all day. “Good. You are in love with him though?”
Was I?
“Maybe once I thought I was.” I gave a small shrug. “I don’t know. I care for him and for Rhydian and his mate Amelia…she isn’t so bad once you get to know her. And I miss them.” I tried to give him a small smile and failed. He was looking at me so intently it made me squirm.
“Come on.” He tugged me uptight. “Let’s get you back to Sarah’s before she thinks I’ve kidnapped you.” He gave a small laugh. But his hand didn’t drop mine as he started walking back in the direction of his bike.
I had no idea whether he was angry at me or not. His face was impassive so I could do nothing but follow behind him in silence.
Diablo was one confusing p***y cat.
- Writer
