Chapter 39
Amber
It had finally been a week. At noon, Gabe was supposed to meet me on the Brooklyn Bridge. I wondered whether he’d found it in his heart to accept that I was standing by my friends despite their connections. It was possible that I had ruined our chance at everlasting love by saying too much, too fast.
I tried to put my doubts out of my head and focus on getting ready. I pulled my hair up in a ponytail that cascaded down my left shoulder, and smiled at my reflection. I put lilac lotion on my fingers and lightly traced my long neck with them. Inhaling the floral scent, I closed my eyes.
For a second, I had a strong memory of Gabe’s soft lips raining kisses down my neck. On the brink of reaching my hard nipples with his tongue, he had stopped. My breath hitched. He looked up toward me, penetrating my soul with his smoldering eyes. “I could hold you in my arms and get lost in your scent all day,” he’d said, right before he crushed his mouth on top of mine.
I exhaled, opened my eyes, and came back to reality.
I felt tingling between my thighs. I slid the moist panties down. Damn, I’ll have to find another sexy pair to wear! I had bought the red lace ones for this occasion. Unfortunately, I only owned a few enticing panties. I raked my hands through my sloppy drawer until I found a black pair. Pulling them out and inspecting them, I approved of the level of hotness, with the black lace and how they would ride high up on my buttocks. They weren’t as alluring as the red ones, but they were a close second.
I pulled them on. Turning side to side while looking in the full-length mirror, I approved of the combo of my red lace bra and black lace underwear. God, I hope Gabe gets to see this.
I put on a tight tank top. The deep red color complimented my auburn locks. I gazed into the mirror and ran my hands down my sides, admiring my slender figure and perky breasts. I pulled on a pair of black pants. I turned slightly, and my reflection showed how well the denim hugged my perky butt. I looked good, damn good. So good that Gabe wouldn’t be able to resist me. I bit my lower lip and thought of how my body melted into his whenever we kissed.
Even though our love was still new and exciting, I could imagine being with him for a long time. There was something about the way he moved, the way he listened to me, and especially the way he treated me. He was the one. I knew it through and through.
I took a cab to the bridge. Since it was nearly noon, I shoved my money at the driver and bolted out. I headed toward the walkway. Looking down at my watch, I saw that I had almost no chance of being on time. I sighed deeply as I increased my stride.
Up ahead, a crowd cheered as they swarmed around the walkway, nearly blocking me. The family had blue shirts with the word “Henderson” on the back. Why are they just standing there and not moving? Shit, don’t move to that spot, kid. The tall kid filled the remaining space to pass them. He stood, talking loudly. I approached them a second later.
The kid’s back faced me. I tapped him on his shoulder and yelled over their laughter, “Excuse me.”
He didn’t budge. My blood boiled from him being rude—all of them were. A man came from behind and squeezed past the crowd as he nudged the kid over with his right shoulder. Exhaling, I immediately followed. If he could manage the unbearable crowds of tourists, so could I. I mimicked his moves, staying close to him. We darted around numerous groups with ease.
The wind whipped my ponytail around my neck. My curls pricked my collar like tiny needles. A constant whooshing sound from the cars driving below muffled the clip-clop of my shoes hitting the wood planks.
I saw the Manhattan tower ahead. Gabe would be at the Brooklyn one. I glanced at my watch.
Damn. I’m late.
My heart raced as I tried to speed walk and keep up with the man on a mission, but he disappeared as the sea of people engulfed him. Shit! I’m going to have to make it through the crowd without him leading the way.
Sweat trickled down my forehead. I wiped it away with the back of my hand. As I struggled to make it through the never-ending stream of people, the drum beat of my heart pounded louder. So much for smelling like flowers. Now I am going to smell like I just got back from the gym. Ugh.
Eventually, I passed the Manhattan tower. Hold on, Gabe, I’m coming.
The closer I got to the meeting point, the more I feared losing Gabe. If my choice to stick by my friends despite their shady relationships led to the ending of Gabe and me, I would feel as though the city had won—as though it had beaten me.
The city seemed to have a personality, the kind that I either loved or hated. Sometimes, I swayed back and forth between love and hate. I loved the vibrant energy of the city. I hated that it took a lot of resources just to survive. Most of all, I hated the people who lived or worked in the city and had infected my life with their wicked ways by manipulating my friends and driving a wedge between Gabe and me.
Will I lose Gabe forever? I couldn’t breathe. Losing him would be like losing the warmth of the sun and living in cold darkness. My jaw went slack, and I couldn’t exhale for a second. Gabe stood for everything good. He was my only bright spot, shining a light of hope in a city where evil had terrorized my friends. Finally, I exhaled. I closed my dry mouth and swallowed, trying to push down the lump that had crept up in my throat. It didn’t budge.
I increased my pace, trying to get there faster, but the people on the bridge made it difficult. I was only halfway to the next tower, where Gabe could be. I thought of texting him, but it would just slow me down. There was no chance of jogging. I could use the bicycle lane, but that would be crazy. For a second, a woman looked down at her cell phone as she crossed over into the bike lane. I held my breath as a cyclist approached her going fairly fast. The man on the bike rang his bell. She sidestepped just in time to avoid getting hit. Damn, too close.
Minutes went by. My feet couldn’t move fast enough. Will he leave before I can reach him? Luckily, the crowd started to thin out, and I could walk faster. I finally got there. I turned the corner and went around the tower, holding my breath and waiting to see if Gabe was there.
The love of my life stood in front of me, looking out at the east river. I let out a big breath to release all of my pent-up tension. He came. His sandy-brown hair had a soft glow from the warm afternoon sun. He wore black dress pants, a black shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and a red tie. Biting my lower lip, I imaged undoing his tie and unbuttoning his shirt to reveal his abs. He held a bouquet of red roses. As though he was in a trance, he pulled the petals off of one of them. He watched as they cascaded to the ground one by one. Tears filled his eyes.
I approached him. “Gabe, are those for me?” I asked, my voice quivering with joy.
“You came.” He turned toward me. His eyes lit up, and a smile spread across his face as he embraced me. “I thought—”
“I’m here. I’m always here,” I said.
He pulled away but kept his hands wrapped around me. “The thought of us breaking up was too much to bear. I hate to think of you being around dangerous people, but your loyalty to your friends is a noble trait. If you promise to keep me in the loop and close by, then I believe I can help you to help them in the right way.”
“I promise.”
“No secrets. That goes for me too. I won’t aid your father in spying on you ever again. I promise.”
We held onto each other and looked deep into each other’s eyes, standing off to the side as people walked by. They were all in a hurry to get somewhere. All I wanted was to stay in Gabe’s arms.
He embraced me again. Stroking my back, he said, “I’m so glad we’re okay. The more time went by, the more I was scared you wouldn’t come. I thought you were trying to protect me from getting involved with your questionable friends. I was going to pick apart all these roses before I knew for sure you weren’t coming.” His smile thinned into a line.
I looked down. There were several petals clustered by his feet. “Can I have the flowers?”
“Oh, of course. If I could pull myself away from you, I could give them to you.” He chuckled, breaking into a grin. “Here’s what’s left. I’m sorry I did that. I had to come up with some system to determine if you were coming. Even though I could wait forever, my ego wouldn’t let that happen. I love you, but I do have some pride.”
“I understand. They are lovely.” They smelled fantastic.
“Not half as lovely as you.” He kissed me. The sensation of his tongue pulling me deeper into his mouth allowed all my doubts about him handling my messy life to disappear. For a moment, it was as if we were the only two people on the bridge. All I could hear was his heart beating with mine. All I could smell was his sandalwood cologne. All I could taste was him.