Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 93984 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 470(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 313(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93984 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 470(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 313(@300wpm)
Justin’s grim tone had Gabriel looking over at him. His expression was serious for the first time that day. He could almost bet that Justin would come up with an alternative cover for him right there on the spot if he couldn’t fake it, but he wasn’t going to back out because a slow sense of panic was started to crawl up his spine now that he was faced with going through with this act in front of other people. If the never-serious Justin could put on a show of liking Gabriel for a few hours, then Gabriel could do the same. They would be safe. No one would try to kill them for such a thing. And if they did, Gabriel was older now, trained. He could handle this.
“Of course I can do this.”
Justin’s grin returned, and he winked at Gabriel. “I know.”
He threw the car into park and smiled up at the valet opening the driver’s side door. Gabriel sucked in a steady breath and climbed out of the car.
For the first time, he looked at the massive home they’d pulled up to. He couldn’t remember a time in his life when he’d been so unaware of his surroundings. Justin had a way of distracting him from everything that he was supposed to be paying attention to. If he didn’t get his head in the game, it would be a shock if he survived this job.
The two-story home was made of gray stone and had tall floor-to-ceiling windows that reflected the early afternoon sunlight. He walked around to the front of the car, eyes skimming over the other people who were moving toward the entrance of the home.
Fingers grazed his, and Gabriel nearly jerked his hand away but stopped himself at the last second. Justin smirked at him before threading his fingers slowly through Gabriel’s.
Keeping his fingers stiff, Gabriel stared down in wonder at their joined hands for a second. He’d never held a man’s hand, not even in private. But the thought of doing it in public, where anyone could see them…his heart raced and a weight settled on his chest, threatening to cut off his supply of air. A panicked voice was screaming in his brain to pull Justin close, to shield him from the reach of others.
His eyes jerked to Justin’s face and there was no missing the concern there. Justin slowly reached up and placed his other hand on Gabriel’s cheek. “No one is paying attention to us,” he whispered. With his eyes locked on Gabriel’s, he slowly lifted their joined hands to his lips and brushed a kiss across his knuckles. Just a light touch and Gabriel felt like he could suddenly breathe again. “No one is going to hurt us here because of this.”
Gabriel gave a jerky nod. His heart thudded painfully, but for an entirely new reason. There was no escaping Justin’s eyes or the knowledge he saw there. The man could very easily guess some dark parts of his past, and he didn’t want Justin to know anything from those horrible days. Gabriel wanted to forget and become more than those ugly bits, but they clung to him like globs of tar.
“We should get inside,” Gabriel said, forcing the words past the lump in his throat.
“Definitely. I could use a drink.”
* * *
A single drink wasn’t going to cut it, but he couldn’t get buzzed while in the middle of a job. Justin forced himself to slowly sip the white wine spritzer he was holding and smile.
There was no shaking the memory of the terror that streaked through Gabriel’s dark eyes when he’d taken the man’s hand. His skin had almost instantly taken on a cold, clammy feeling and his face had become frighteningly pale. It was as if he’d expected to be struck down that instant for holding a man’s hand.
Justin hadn’t been sure if Gabriel would run or tuck Justin behind him while drawing the gun secreted on his body. From the tension humming through his lean frame, Justin had been willing to bet that it was more the latter than the former.
Part of him wanted to say fuck the damn garden party and take Gabriel straight home where he could demand some answers about what the hell had happened to him to create such a response. Not that Justin needed too many answers. Judging by what he could surmise about the man’s origins, Justin could make some damn good educated guesses.
But getting the truth out of Gabriel wouldn’t fix their current problem, and it was easy to guess that talking was the last thing Gabriel wanted.
And then there was the question: why the fuck was he feeling so protective of Gabriel? There were times when it seemed like Gabriel was only tolerating him, while at other times, Justin thought that maybe Gabriel enjoyed his company. It didn’t hurt that they were explosive together from a sexual perspective.