Concealed - A Hiding From Love Novel #2 (13 page)

“He didn’t take it at all like I’d expected. I thought he’d be pissed or hurt, rage or beg. One of those things people do when they get dumped. But instead, he took my hand and started telling me all this stuff about how people react to traumatic experiences and that attaching to someone who shared the event was normal. Like Stockholm syndrome.”

“Wait,” I interrupt, my blood pressure rising by the second. “Stockholm syndrome is when kidnap victims bond with their captors, right?” She nods. “He did understand you weren’t kidnapped, right? I mean, did he think I held you against your will or something?” I sound angry, and fuck it, I am. If I didn’t like Marco before, I really hate him now.

“No, he didn’t think that, Gabe. It’s just…I don’t know. He made a good case for how I might have confused my feelings because of the circumstances. At first I was adamant that he didn’t understand, but then my parents got involved. They said they agreed with Marco, and they kept going on about how you were from California and you were Anglo and couldn’t understand me or our family. They talked about how loyal Marco had been to me all those years and how worried he’d been when I was in Afghanistan.”

“Jesus Christ!” I stand up off the tailgate and kick the tire. “That’s the biggest bunch of crap I’ve ever heard, Alexis.”

She takes a deep breath. “But it’s not, Gabe. Not all of it. I’m not going to live my parents’ life, but my culture and my family are a really important part of who I am, and you don’t understand that. You couldn’t. You’re not Hispanic.”

“But, Alexis, how do you know I can’t understand it if you never give me the chance?”

She looks at me and finally nods. “You’re right. I guess it’s prejudiced of me to assume you can’t cope with it when I’ve never let you.”

“The rest of it though,” I say, my voice gravelly. “You really think the way we felt about each other was only because we were trapped together?”

I hold my breath, so afraid of her response my lungs temporarily forget to function.

“No. I know we weren’t a lie, Gabe. Or a trick or anything caused by trauma. We were as real as it gets, and that’s why I broke up with Marco this morning.”

My heart stops, and I realize in the back of my mind that if I don’t remember to breathe and pump blood soon I’m going to pass out on the asphalt of Ramon’s parking lot.

“You broke up with Marco?” I choke out.

A little tear rolls from the corner of her eye. She wipes at it absentmindedly. “We’re taking a break. After the other night, it’s not fair to him, Gabe. I know you’ll never understand, but he’s a good guy, and I care about him.”

I feel my chest constrict with the pain her words are inflicting.

“So, yeah, Marco and I are taking a break, and I’ve got to figure out who the hell I am now.”

I slump back down onto the tailgate next to her, my body suddenly exhausted from the emotional roller coaster.

“And you’re telling me all this why?” I ask quietly.

“Because even though I’ve been trying to deny it for two years, whoever I’m going to become, you’re part of that.”

I turn and look at her. Her sweet lips are parted and the sun shines on her dark, smooth hair. I reach over and lay my palm along her face, rubbing my thumb over her soft lips. Her eyes flutter shut as I pull her closer to me.

“Will you let me in, babe?” I whisper against her lips.

“I want to. I need some time. Maybe we can get to know each other again?” She bends her head until our foreheads touch. We sit like that as I stroke her soft, smooth cheek with my rough hand, and our heartbeats synchronize like they used to, our mingled breaths becoming one air. Finally, I lean in and brush a single featherlight kiss across her lips. She makes a small noise deep in her throat and my heart bursts a little inside of me.

“You do whatever you have to to get to know me. I know everything I’ll ever need to about you, which is that you’re meant for me. You’re mine, and I’ll be right here until you understand what that means.”

She leans in and kisses
me
this time, pressing more firmly against my mouth than I did against hers. I slide my tongue along her bottom lip, tasting the sugary lip gloss she’s wearing. Her tongue meets mine as I enter her mouth, and she flicks it before she strokes along the surface of my top teeth, sending an electric jolt through me that lands squarely in my balls and settles there uncomfortably.

If there were words for the way you feel when you see a beautiful sunset, or watch a perfect little child laughing with joy, or taste a bite of your favorite rich, decadent dessert, those would be the words I would use to describe what it feels like to have Alexis let me back into her life, even if it’s just the tiniest bit. The images of the life I want with the woman whose mouth I caress fly through me, one after another, and I feel the backs of my eyes stinging from the sheer joy that pumps through my soul.

I reluctantly end the kiss and pull away from her. “I think I like your way of getting to know me again.”

She giggles and blushes. “Well, we always did communicate pretty well that way.”

“Damn straight we did. Think we might get to do a little more of that kind of communication soon?”

She slaps at my chest. “You’re impossible.”

“See? You know me a lot better than you think you do.”

She gives me a big beautiful smile. “Will you come to my apartment after work? Maybe we can grab some dinner or something?”

“I’d love to.”

We hop off the tailgate and start walking toward the garage, the sun shining weakly through the moist haze. I take her hand and bring her knuckles to my mouth to give them a kiss. “I’ll see you tonight then?”

She nods as Beth bounds up, her usual enthusiasm spilling out all over the parking lot.

“You get that issue with your car worked on, Beth?” I ask sarcastically.

“Yep! How about you two? Figure that algebra problem out?”

I laugh, and Alexis scowls. She grabs Beth’s arm and starts leading her away. “Later, girls!” Mike hollers as Ramon shakes his head and chuckles.

When the clock hits five p.m., I’m out the door of the garage faster than a lightning strike. I can hear Ramon laughing his ass off as I jog out to the parking lot and hop in my truck. I don’t care though. I have an actual invitation to spend time with Alexis and I’m not going to miss a single second if I can help it.

I pull up to the apartment and climb out of my truck as I look at the Nissan Leaf parked next to the stairs. What the fuck? Apparently Marco has an invitation too. I hesitate, not sure how I’m supposed to handle this. Finally, I lean back against the truck in full view of his car and the stairs to Alexis’s place. I cross my arms and I wait.

A few minutes later, Marco and Alexis come out the door of her place. Marco is carrying a small moving box and Alexis is following him out onto the open walkway. She sees me right away and gives me a small smile and a wave. Marco turns and looks down at me before looking back to her and saying something I can’t hear. Once he comes down the stairs, I saunter over to him as he puts the box in the back of his tiny car.

“Just don’t, man,” he says with his back still to me.

“That the last of your shit?” I ask.

He finally stands up and turns around. “Yeah, that’s the last of it.”

“Good,” I tell him. “I wouldn’t want you to keep using it as an excuse to see her.”

He shakes his head. “You really don’t get it, do you? I don’t need excuses to see her. I’m part of her. I’m part of her family, of her history. I’ve always been there.” He steps forward so we’re nose to nose. “And I always will be.”

I lift one side of my upper lip in some approximation of a smile. “Keep telling yourself that, college boy. But it’s a new day. The past is the past, and Alexis is more than what you and her parents have told her she can be. You don’t get how incredible she is, not really. I’m going to help her soar, and she’s going to fly away from you. You can’t stop it, brother. It’s too late.”

He steps back, slams the hatch on his car, and walks away from me.

“See you around, man,” I call out as I wave. Then I turn and walk up the stairs, where my future stands, waiting for me.

Alexis

Te quiero con toda mi alma.

I love you with all of my soul.

I
stand outside my apartment and watch as Gabe talks to Marco in the parking lot. It makes me really nervous. I’ve been waiting for Gabe to beat the crap out of Marco ever since he hit town, and I’m even more concerned now. I know I’m going to have to lay down some ground rules for our new situation, but I haven’t had the damn chance yet.

Luckily, no punches are thrown, and a few minutes later, Gabe is standing in front of me, smelling like motor oil and guy, and I’m having a hard time remembering what I’m supposed to be telling him.

“Hi,” he says as he steps up to me.

“Hi,” I gasp out. I’m an embarrassment to independent women everywhere. One hot, sweaty tattooed guy and I can barely remember my name.

“So, he’s not coming back anytime soon is he?” he asks as he jerks his thumb toward the parking lot where Marco has just driven away.

“Sorry about that. He called and wanted to get the rest of his things. I thought I could get him in and out of here before you showed up.”

“As long as he’s really gone, it’s all good.” He steps closer to me and runs a hand down my bare arm.

“He’s gone,” I whisper.

“Good,” he growls. “You won’t regret it.”

Then he moves his hand around my back and yanks me up against him hard as he lowers his lips to mine and kisses me breathless. Utterly breathless. When he finally pulls away, I gasp, feeling lightheaded.

“Go get something sexy on. I’m going to grab a shower and then I’m taking you out to dinner,” he says as he slaps me on the ass and walks away. Gabe is back, and all sorts of places inside of me leap for joy.

Thirty minutes later, I finish spritzing some perfume on as a knock sounds at my door.

I swing it open to see Gabe standing there, holding a pretty box all tied up in a blue bow.

“I brought you a little something,” he says with a big smile.

I can feel my cheeks heat. “You shouldn’t have done that.”

“I wanted to.” He runs his eyes slowly down my body, taking in the gauzy lavender sundress I’m wearing with a pair of brown cowboy boots. “And you definitely deserve it,” he growls as he puts a hand on my waist and pulls me close, grinding briefly against my hips, which only starts a whole chain reaction of flutters and aches throughout my body.

“Okay, enough of that,” I scold as I step back. “Come on in and I’ll open this.”

He follows me inside, closing the door behind him. I sit on the sofa and he joins me, not too close but close enough to sling his arm across the back of the sofa and play with the ends of my hair.

I untie the ribbon, watching the satin slide smoothly against itself as it unwinds. The feelings Gabe ignites in me suddenly make everything seem sensual, and I have to resist the urge to lean my head back into his hand and purr.

As I lift the lid on the box, I see familiar brown cellophane wrapping and I smile. “No way,” I laugh. I pull the item the rest of the way out of the box. “You did. You got me an MRE!”