Chapter Fifteen
“Tell me everything.”
Elle balanced the phone as she elbowed her way out of her house. She didn’t want to deal with Roxanne freaking out, but it was better than her showing up here, demanding answers. “There’s nothing much to tell.” Nothing except Gabe giving her one of the best orgasms of her life on her couch, and then spending the day making her lose her mind in bed. On top of that, he promised a date to remember this weekend. But she could hardly tell Roxanne all that.
“Baloney. And you didn’t tell me how gorgeous he is in that roughed-up sorta way. What happened after he hauled you out of here? Because I half thought he was going to toss you over his shoulder like a caveman if you didn’t go willingly.”
Elle rolled her eyes. “It wasn’t anything like that.” Yes, it had been. She could still see the expression on his face when he told her to take the Benadryl or he was going to force her to. Gabe wasn’t someone to be messed with. Funny how that used to turn her off and now she thought it was hotter than hell.
“Now you’re just teasing me. Spill.”
There was no getting around this, no matter how much she wanted to. But she had to talk about it with someone, and Ian wasn’t around. Not that Elle had ever been able to talk to him about guys. Because, seriously, he’d almost killed Jason after he found out they had sex. She shuddered to remember the look on her brother’s face before he’d gotten in his truck and driven away. Next thing they knew, the cops were showing up with him in the backseat. Not exactly the brightest moment of her college career.
“Are you still there?”
She shook her head to clear away the memories. “Yeah, sorry. Just had a weird thought.”
“Focus on me, the one who’s dying to know what happened last night. Come on!”
“Okay, fine. He dragged me to the grocery store, bought a bunch of stuff that I didn’t need, and then drove me home and refused to leave.” When Roxanne gave a shuddery sigh, Elle pulled her phone away from her face and frowned. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine. Keep going. What happened next?”
“Next…” Her phone beeped. Elle looked at it again and a stupid grin spread across her face. Gabe. “Rox, I’m going to have to call you back. Talk to you later.” She switched over, cutting off her friend’s protest. “Hello?”
“Hey, beautiful.”
Butterflies erupted in her stomach and her heart skipped a beat. All from a single word. “How are you doing this morning?”
“Could be better.”
“Is something wrong?” God, what if he was having second thoughts about taking her out again?
Gabe laughed. “Just that I didn’t wake up with a sexy blonde in my arms. Know anyone who fits the bill?”
She didn’t know what to do with this casual flirting. Elle swallowed, trying to find something witty to say in response. “Not so much.” Oh, that was great. Now he was going to think she was fishing for a compliment—Oh please, won’t you tell me I’m pretty? Ugh. Better change the subject before this got even more uncomfortable. “So what are you up to today?”
“Nathan’s dragging me out to Clayton for lunch.”
“Clayton?” There wasn’t anything out that way but endless fields and a lone trailer park as far as she knew. Sure, Loon Lake was a few miles past, but if they were going there, Gabe would have said so.
Once again, she was hit with a longing for a beach. Maybe she should scrap her plans to run errands and head out to the lake for a few hours… It was an irresponsible thing to do, but she couldn’t shake the urge.
“You mean you aren’t aware of the Clayton Burger? Woman, you have got to get out more. It’s the single most disgustingly fantastic creation in the area—a burger with a hot dog. The best of both worlds.”
She made a face. “Sounds…appetizing.”
“Yeah, it’s not really your thing. I get that.” He laughed again. “What are you doing this afternoon? Can I see you again?”
Elle pressed a hand to her mouth. Yep, the stupid grin just got wider. What was it about this guy who made her feel so out of control? The free-falling sensation should have sent her into full on panic mode, but all she felt was giddy.
“I have half a million things that need to be taken care of in town. Honestly, though, I’m kind of thinking about playing hooky and going to Loon Lake.”
“Let’s do it. I’ll grab some beer and meet you there. Or do you like those wine cooler things?”
Screw errands—she was going to the lake with Gabe. “If you get Blue Moon, I’m good.”
“Consider it done.”
“What about Nathan?” She didn’t want him to ditch his brother to hang out with her, especially not after what he’d told her yesterday. And, honestly, she wasn’t sure how she felt about Nathan now in general. Elle had been so certain he was the man for her, but then Gabe showed up and blindsided her. He made her feel so much. Far more than Nathan ever had. But that didn’t mean she wanted to mess with their brotherly bonding time.
“Oh, I’ll give him a heads-up. He can come, too, if he wants.”
Elle tripped over the bottom step of her porch. “Come too?”
“Yeah, why not?”
Because she didn’t know how to deal with being around them both at the same time? Obviously Nathan knew something was up, or he wouldn’t have practically shoved her into Gabe’s arms, but… What if Gabe told him about last week—and last night? How was she supposed to look Nathan in the face?
Gabe continued on, oblivious to her inner turmoil. “Meet you there at noon?”
She glanced at her watch. Plenty of time to change and get up there. “Sure.”
“Good. See you soon.”
Elle made her way to her bedroom, wondering how she got herself into these messes. It seemed to be an ongoing thing where Gabe was concerned. One minute she was on the straight and narrow, her path laid out in front of her, and the next she was flying down a rabbit trail, without supplies, and completely lost.
Okay, yeah, she just went off the deep end with the metaphor.
She put on her bright pink bikini and cover-up. Elle paused in front of her floppy hat. It was a silly thing, but she loved it. And, heck, she was so fair that skin cancer was a very real concern…but it wasn’t sexy. She frowned. Was she seriously thinking about not wearing this hat just because it was more suited to a grandma than a sex goddess? No, just no. He could take it or leave it, but this was her, right along with all her other quirks.
Funny how her mental rant didn’t do a single thing to calm her stomach as she shoved the hat into her beach bag. Right next to her sunscreen, towel, and steamy romance novel. Elle dropped the bag on the bed before she could start messing with its contents, and went searching for her beach flip-flops. She slipped them on, wiggling her toes. They needed another coat of polish, but there wasn’t time and the sand played havoc on it anyway.
Enough with the second-guessing. It was time to leave. Sure, she’d get up there early, but there was nothing wrong with that. This way she could take some time to zone out with her book. It had been so long since Elle relaxed she wasn’t even sure where she left off with the story. Maybe she should just start from the beginning again.
She grabbed her bag and a bottle of water and left. The drive passed quickly, and she eyed Clayton as she flew past. There was a ramshackle building that must be the restaurant, but she never would have guessed just by looking at it. There wasn’t even a sign. Thank God Gabe hadn’t invited her along to lunch. She wasn’t sure she would get past the front door.
Elle paid the five-dollar fee to get into the park and then made her way down to the rickety stairs. She passed directly in front of the huge U-shaped dock where all the kids were playing, and picked a spot on the second, smaller beach. It was mostly empty, but for a middle-aged couple.
After rubbing every exposed inch of her skin with sunscreen, Elle stripped off the cover-up and lay on her stomach, romance novel open in front of her. The floppy hat provided just enough shade to counteract the glare of the pages, and she promptly got lost in the story of a Highlander and his reluctant bride.
Things were so much simpler in romance novels, when she knew that—no matter what trials they went through—there was a happily-ever-after waiting for the couple involved. Real life was rarely so simple.