Trusting Gibson (Last Score Book 2) (15 page)

“Both facilities are through there.”

Gibson took my hand and I was conscious of how much noise my heels were making, walking across the hallway with him. Smirking wickedly at me, he placed his mouth close to my ear and whispered, “Get you, attention-seeker.”

Pulling back, he smirked wickedly then turned and pulled the black latch to open the door. Inside was a short corridor with both restrooms next to each other. I barely registered this before Gibson swung me around and pressed into me, kissing me with so much passion I was in no doubt he’d missed the closeness we shared.

Peppering kisses down my neck, he was delivering a kiss every few words and I was giggling at how worked up he was.

“Fuck. Chloe. The noises. You made. Encouraging. Those women. Made me so horny. I nearly asked for a fuck break.”

Chuckling close to my ear, he ran his warm hands up and into my hair at the side of my face. “After the gig tonight, you are going to be so worn smooth. Make sure you stock up on your energy with that Chinese food, because I won’t be responsible if you pass out with what I have planned for you.”

Shaking my head, I swatted his arm and pushed him back by his chest. “Gibson Barclay, is that all you ever think about? Getting laid?”

Gibson gave me that sexy roguish grin he does and my heart fluttered in my chest at how attracted I was to him. Smirking he stated, “Here lately, pretty much yeah. I don’t hear you complaining…screaming yes…complaining…” Winking cheekily at me, he turned and pushed the door for his restroom. “The difference now is that I have my own pussy instead of random women letting me borrow one.”

My jaw dropped and his words shocked me to my core. Gibson left me standing with my mouth gaping at his crude comment. I should have been horrified, but I couldn’t be mad at him when what he really meant was that he had me.

CHAPTER 13 - TAGGED

Chloe

Johnny drove us to the airport in Michigan after we left the security facility. I was relieved that Gibson was taking me with him to his gig, because I was still unsure about Morgan and I wasn’t convinced we’d seen the last of her after our stilted interactions and Gibson’s dismissal. Actually, if truth be known, I think if it had been me I’d have been devastated to be cast aside like that.

One thing had not changed about Gibson in all this time, he never made excuses for his decisions, and that worried me for the future. What might happen if and when my time was up? Would it be Johnny or Jerry’s job to protect him from any backlash?

Dark twisted thoughts began to seep into my mind. If Gibson decided to throw in the towel with me, from what I’d seen of him in the past, there would be no discussion around it. I knew he’d just sever the ties. End of the story. That revelation stonewalled me and I sat struggling with yet another topic to think about. The transfer between the car and the plane became a blur, my mind preoccupied with doubts again.

Everyone expected me to be confident and ecstatic because I was Gibson Barclay’s girlfriend. Women would kill to be able to say that. I knew having this label would carry a special status, especially in the world of music and the celebrity scene and even more so with Gibson Barclay’s mega rock star status.

However, when everything was stripped back—the fame, his privilege, money and the excessive quirky lifestyle—underneath all of that, Gibson was just a guy who was fallible and I was… just a girl who was a tiny bit broken and scared.

The evidence so far from Gibson seemed extremely positive, with him going to lengths to ensure my protection, the attentive way he cared for me and the fact he’d told me he loved me, it all said Gibson wanted me.

I knew I’d been on the fence because Kace’s negative, manipulative ways were still causing me doubts and because of my past, I expected things to go wrong in my future. Everything about us seemed too good to be true, so it was no surprise I was having trouble convincing myself that this could pan out. Fans already hated me and we were starting our fledging relationship with the world’s media watching our every move.

“What?” Gibson was tugging my jacket off my shoulders and I turned my head to look at him. I had been completely preoccupied.

“Huh?” Meeting Gibson’s concerned eyes, I took in his frowning face full of concern and swallowed noisily.

“You’re doing it again…thinking you can’t do this, aren’t you?” Gibson’s mouth pulled into a line.

I had no idea how he did that—knew instinctively what was going on in my head. Gibson sat down in the seat next to me and buckled both my and then his belt, turned as best he could and gently teased my hair behind my ears with gentle fingers. Cradling the sides of my face in his hands, he gave me a sexy half smile.

“Chloe, you gotta fucking stop this. All the time your mind is toing and froing, you’re talking yourself out of something so incredible that’s happening between us. Have you ever thought I might just be feeling what you are feeling? That any second you are going to think what the fuck—I was happier without all the attention and just take off…that I’d never see you again? Don’t you understand it would fucking kill me if you were to walk out of my life like that?”

Gibson drew in a deep breath and I saw the strain my constant indecision was having on him clearly for the first time. When he let out a shaky breath and stared pleadingly at me, something shifted in my head that lightened my heart and filled my insides with relief. His words had somehow penetrated my hardened shell and touched me deep inside. Something on a spiritual level seemed to radiate between the two of us. At that very second, Kace was history.

Only when I felt free did I realize that even after everything that had happened between us, Kace had still managed to tuck himself into a corner of my aching heart. But when I saw what that was doing to Gibson any feelings I had for Kace, good and bad, were wiped out by a strong emotional ache of need in my body for Gibson.

Concerned grey eyes stared back at me with a dark, grim expression on his face and it made my heart bleed. Suddenly I knew without doubt, Gibson was the man I really cared about. Gibson Barclay was my future if I wanted it.

Did I want this? God…I wanted it more than I knew until that moment. Trusting any man was going to be difficult with what had happened in my life, but I had learned to deal with it day by day and hopefully Gibson would keep giving me reason to believe I could have a happy ever after with him.

“Thank you for taking care of me, Gibson. I’m sorry, I haven’t been fair on you. You’re right. Nothing that happened to me was your fault and nothing you did when you were a teenager should affect your life today. If you were some normal guy, I’d have had no idea about your past.”

Gibson was staring intensely at me and sitting stock still, holding his breath. His lips pursed together, and I became aware of his body humming as he looked at me with the same dark worried look, but this time a glimmer of hope shone in the look he gave me.

“You know how you said you like me, Gibson? Well if I’m honest with myself, I really like you as well.”

Gibson’s serious expression relaxed and his tongue flicked nervously between his lips before they curved up in a smile. His eye contact was softer, then seemed to twinkle with delight.

“Oh you do? Well hot damn girl, it sounds like I just might get lucky tonight…if I play my cards right.” His roguish smile was damn sexy, but there was a mixture of emotions at play on his face. Then his smile dropped as his serious glance held my gaze for a second longer before looking down as if in thought.

Leaning closer, Gibson suddenly placed his lips against mine, shutting his eyes and I could hear him have difficulty swallowing. His normal reaction to something I did that pleased him would have been for his kiss to be passionate and consuming, but there was a reverence in this one that felt like he was relieved.  Just as he moved back, his gruff voice was barely audible but he whispered huskily into my ear, “Thank you, darlin’.”

Reacting out of character, Gibson straightened and sagged back in his seat, but reached out to clasp my fingers in his before closing his eyes and sitting silently. Initially, I thought he was going to sleep, but as I continued to watch him I could see he was thinking and taking time out from our interaction.  It dawned on me that Gibson truly wanted my acceptance, and now that I’d given it to him, he didn’t really know how to deal with it.

By the time we took off Gibson had fallen asleep and with one hand I awkwardly put the headphones on to listen to some music. Ronan Keating began to sing “When You Say Nothing At All” and I sat back to listen to the words.

When I told Gibson that I really liked him, the smile he gave me lit up his face and I could see how my words had touched him. Tears welled in my eyes and one overflowed, spilling down my cheek. Emotion grasped my heart as I swallowed hard, thinking that Gibson had been patient with me.

My hand gave a tight, involuntary squeeze against Gibson’s and all the emotional feelings and thoughts I had been suppressing began to bubble up into my throat, but this time I was even more scared about being in a relationship with him. This was the very moment that all his thoughts, actions and protective caring ways made me fall in love with Gibson Barclay.

Luckily, Gibson slept for the rest of the journey while I tried to regain my composure. There was no doubt in my mind that I was getting stronger. On previous occasions when my emotions were tested I had become overly emotional, dissolving into a hot, teary mess but this time it was a quiet, dignified kind of release.

Arriving in Chicago, Gibson continued to be attentive as we transferred from the plane to the car and saying that we weren’t going back to the cabin because he wanted to fly straight to Seattle after the concert. I was feeling fed up being told where I was going, but now wasn’t the time to bring it up.

M3rCy was playing two dates there and he reasoned if we went straight there, we’d overlap with Toby Francis and his band Gametes who were playing there as well. Toby was Gibson’s childhood friend and they had both hit the big time with their music talents, but had very different tastes in music.

I had met Toby when we spent time with his band and the rest of M3rCy when I ‘won’ the competition. Gibson had already told me their quality time together was very rare due to their schedules, so as soon he mentioned that Toby was playing in Seattle, I knew that he’d want to get there, rest up and save his energy for after the gig, so that they could meet.

My first reaction when he told me was stilted. I wasn’t sure how I felt about facing Toby again. From the first time I met him, I could tell that his opinion had already formed and he thought I was just like all the other girls Gibson had been with. That made me cringe, because I could only imagine what he thought I was doing sexually to keep Gibson’s attention and float his boat.

As soon as I thought the word ‘boat’ I smiled affectionately, feeling a little excited inside, because when I won the prize to meet Gibson, the day trip involved boats. Various events occurred where I was accident prone or uncoordinated, and each time Gibson told me I had an issue with boats. In fact, it was because of our candid sex session on a boat that I was even invited along on tour at all.

Settling back into the car seat, Gibson pulled me tight against him and kissed my head. No words, but then again, I had none of my own to offer him anyway. I was still coming to terms with my revelation about my feelings for him.

We traveled in a comfortable silence, but he was still holding my hand in a firm grip and as his thumb lazily grazed back and forth over the skin on the back of my hand, his little gesture gave away his secret thoughts, because it told me his thoughts included me.

Once we arrived at the concert venue, Gibson dismissed Johnny to rest because he was flying us to Seattle later, and Jerry was taking the helm from him. The ultra-modern venue was much more comfortable than the other places we’d been so far it even had a dining space in the suite with a table where we could actually sit to eat, instead of the usual buffet type stuff that was laid out for us.

The aromatic smells of the Chinese food wafted out of the room before we entered it and tantalized my taste buds. My stomach instantly growled in protest, feeling deprived of sustenance. Neither Gibson nor I had had any lunch.  On the plane I had kept my eyes closed, so with Gibson asleep and me seemingly so, we had been left uninterrupted.

Lennox beckoned us over as soon as we walked through the door, but Gibson put his hand up and turned to face me, gazing with furrowed brows.

“Not you, I know you’re hungry. Your belly sounded like Victorian plumbing on the way over here.” Inclining his head toward the dining space, he licked his lips and smiled affectionately at me. “Get started and I’ll be with you as soon as Len tells me what’s happening.”

Cartons of noodles, special fried rice, chili beef, lemon chicken, tiger prawns and spring rolls made my stomach growl again at having to wait a second longer to devour it. As soon as I eased my way into my seat at the thick smoked glass table, Tori came over with her teenage boy attitude and climbed up on the black leather chair across from me, sitting precariously on the backrest with her biker booted feet planted firmly on the seat.

God forgive me, but I was willing the dining chair to fall over or snap. I didn’t want her hurt, just to knock herself out for ten minutes so that I could enjoy my food without getting indigestion. But with all the will in the world, I knew that wasn’t going to happen. Gibson was out of earshot, had his back to me and was deep in conversation with Len, so Tori was taking full advantage of this.

“Still here? Girl, your pussy must do some amazing things for Gibson’s dick if he’s keeping you hanging around. I thought he’d have broken you by now.”

I watched her drag her gaze exaggeratedly in an up and down scan of my body, then she continued, “Sooner or later he’ll tire of you. Gibson’s way too much of a bad boy to keep you for much longer. You’re a pretty, shiny little plaything…a novelty, and we
all
know that
they never
last.”