Trusting Gibson (Last Score Book 2) (20 page)

Chloe

Tired of condescending remarks from beautiful-on-the-outside-ugly-on-the-inside women, I couldn’t wait until it was time for us to leave M3rCy’s after party. Tori had been a bitch but the final straw for me was when a groupie called Erica made a play for Gibson right in front of me.  Gibson’s guilty look told me she was someone that may give something away he didn’t want to have to admit to. From how he reacted to her come-on it was blatantly obvious that he’d slept with her and was embarrassed about it. Either that, or he was worried that it would embarrass me. It did.

Everything that happened today suddenly caught up with me and I felt like I was suffocating again and when I saw the pained pitying look he was giving me, it all became too much. I just had to get out of there so I stupidly ran.

“Chloe, wait.” Emma was running behind me and caught me by my arm just as I was hitting the exit bar on the door leading out to an alleyway. Jerry began to step forward and the car was waiting, but Emma put her hand up in an I-got-this motion and Jerry turned and walked slowly to the front of the car, giving me the space and privacy I needed at that moment.

“Well, Chloe? What are you doing? You are just gonna hand the hottest piece of man candy I’ve ever seen to a whore? Because if that’s your fight girl— I’d hate to see what you’re like when you roll over.” Emma’s words incited fury in my belly like I’ve never felt before and I almost tore her off a strip for implying that I was weak. Especially in light of how hard I was fighting all those kind of feelings after how Kace had treated me, but that’s exactly what had just happened.

“You don’t know me yet, Chloe but trust me you got to go back in there because if you don’t, every groupie in every town will do what Erica did. Want to know what I saw in there?” Emma’s eyes searched my face waiting for me to give her the go ahead but whether I’d agreed or not, I knew she’d give me her opinion anyway.

“Gibson was mortified at her approach, Chloe. I read remorse on his face as plain as day. You know what I saw in her? Erica was someone desperate to rock the boat, but someone who was inconsequential to the man that loves you, Chloe. And, as I’ve stuck my neck out I may as well finish, if you don’t get back in there and claim him, you’ll humiliate him. As far as I can see that guy is completely knocked out by you, but is somehow still standing. You may not be aware of this, but he can’t take his eyes off you. I’d give my life for a guy who looked at me like that. Gibson has this…hypervigilance around you, and a constant need to check that you are still there.”

Emma was giving me a great piece of advice, even if I wasn’t feeling it. I knew she was right. I had to show Gibson and those women my intentions toward him if we were going to get a smooth run at this.

So I walked back in there with renewed determination and shoved him down on the sofa, climbed over to straddle him and Gibson seemed delighted I had come back. Shortly after that, Gibson lifted me and carried me out of the room with my arms wrapped around his neck, him cradling my ass in his hands. We’d just given everyone in the room a public display of affection, but it was more than that. All those groupies knew that Gibson was mine and that I was willing to fight for him.

Just before we got into the car, Gibson and I had a moment and I admitted I needed to toughen up, then told him that his past is the negative side of loving him. Immediately Gibson jumped on this and asked if I thought I’d learn to love him. It wasn’t the way I wanted to tell him but I couldn’t hold it back any more, so I told him.

Staring wide eyed with a stunned look on his face, Gibson froze for a moment, then he looked thrilled at my admission, his face brightening as soon as he’d gotten over the shock of my declaration. When I slid toward him along the back seat of the car, he squeezed up close beside me and kissed me so passionately, I was worried he was going to try to get me naked for a couple of minutes.

The flight from Chicago to Seattle took about four hours and we slept for most of it. Slowly, I was beginning to know the man behind the rock star. True to his word, he passed out after being on stage and slept like a baby almost all of the way there.

Every time Gibson told me I was beautiful or called me darlin’, my heart skipped a beat. Every time he held my hand, my heart swelled in my chest, and every time he told me he loved me it felt like I was going to burst. Everything Gibson had said and done since we’d first spoken on the phone had made me fall in love with him.

The transfer took no time and we had the now customary kitchen back door welcome on the way to the penthouse. Since we got in the car, I had been feeling queasy, but I thought it was because it was 5.30am and I was just overtired. The previous twenty hours had been packed with some big emotional events.

Gibson became very attentive helping me undress, giving me water and something to settle my stomach and it was as much as I could manage just to get myself into bed. Snuggling up behind me he was very careful not to put pressure on my belly and just laid his hand on my thigh. Kissing the back of my neck he whispered, “You don’t think you could be pregnant do you?”

Stiffening instantly, I wondered what was going through his mind with his thought. Was he horrified? Did he even want children? That particular subject hadn’t even been a distant consideration in everything between us. I was feeling too sick to panic about that, but knew that I had already made sure that I’d never have a child by Kace, by having a Depo-Provera shot. My last one had been only seven weeks ago and I normally had it every three months, so I knew I should have the birth control aspect covered. “No.” I didn’t have the energy to explain, because I was fighting the nauseous feelings inside.

Kissing the back of my neck, Gibson leaned forward and murmured to me. “Darlin’, whatever it is, know I love you, know that I never want you to be sick and know that I am with you for the long haul if you’ll have me.”

Squeezing my thigh for effect at the same time as I felt his hot breath hit the back of my neck, I felt reassured that if there were an unexpected pregnancy, he wouldn’t be staying with me for the sake of the child. The normal reaction to something that profound would have been for me to turn and face him but I was too exhausted and felt so sick, I was scared to move.

Somehow, I managed to drift off to sleep, only to wake two hours later with the overwhelming feeling that I was going to vomit. Gibson was startled awake by me tearing out of bed and trying to make it the bathroom before I vomited everywhere so violently it made my head swim.

Gibson came rushing into the bathroom after me, grabbed a wash cloth and ran it under the tap.  My body convulsed as I heaved, spewing the contents of my guts while Gibson placed the cold flannel cloth at the back of my neck and scooped my hair out of the way and held it. “I got you, Chloe.” His soothing tone did nothing to stop the continuous retching and I wasn’t even embarrassed about him seeing me that way.

After twenty minutes, Gibson turned the faucet on in the bath and steam filled the bathroom. I had stopped vomiting but my stomach ached and my guts growled sensitively, like there may be more to come. Already naked, Gibson placed me into the bath and he began wiping my face, stopping periodically to kiss the top of my head. “Damn, Chloe. That was like the vomiting scene from “The Exorcist.”

Barely raising a half smile as Gibson helped me out of the bath. I was feeling so unwell I wasn’t sure I was going to make it back into bed. Gibson wrapped me in a towel, then swiped his phone off the nightstand and called the hotel reception. “We need a doctor and our bathroom cleaned.” Throwing the phone on the bed, he came over and began to rub me dry. “Come on darlin’, let’s get you back into bed, you look terrible.”

Suddenly I was shivering with shock and couldn’t get warm. Gibson dressed me in a t-shirt of his and lay down behind me and wrapped his arms around me. “I got you, darlin’, I just want you checked out. The doctor will be here soon.” Just after he said it, there was a knock on the door and Gibson pulled away from me. Wrapping a bath robe around him he went and answered the door.

After checking on me, Dr. Grant decided I had contracted food poisoning. A shot of anti- sickness medication made me feel less nauseous and he also left us some sachets of mineral salts to add to water and took a swab from my mouth for culture. The bathroom was being cleaned while the doctor was with me.  There was a brief discussion about intravenous fluids, but Gibson was quick to tell the doc he’d support me to drink more and by the time the doctor left I was feeling less shocked and more able to settle to sleep.

Gibson’s low voice woke me and I heard him say, “I’m not leaving her.” Sitting up, I pushed myself back against the headboard and saw he was on the phone. “How are you feeling, darlin’?” Really I shouldn’t have sat up because I was feeling nauseous again. “Not great.”

Gibson frowned in concern. “I’m just talking to Johnny, I’m staying here with you. They’ll just have to cancel the gig.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Gibson, I have food poisoning. I’m not dying.” Gibson looked worried, a deep crease forming between his brow.

Gibson sat on the bed and touched my cheek, “You’re sick. I’m not leaving you here and going to work.”

“And I am not allowing you to disappoint 30,000 people because of a touch of food poisoning. Just because you have the luxury of working for yourself, Gibson, doesn’t mean you can’t consider the bigger picture. I’m fine. Well I feel pretty crappy really, but I’ll live. Go. Do your job, see Toby and have fun. I’m happy to stay here with Emma. I’m a big girl and as touched as I am by your caring ways, to be honest, you’ll just be in the way today.”

Seeing the look of rejection Gibson gave me almost made me change my mind, so I spoke in a softer tone. “Gibson, you have no idea what your gesture means to me, but really…I’m tired…worn out from vomiting, I’m no company today. I just want to sleep. Please, it’s only one day and I’m fine.”

Staring at me for a few minutes, I could see the conflict on his face that was playing out inside his head. Eventually he huffed a heavy breath and nodded. “Okay, but Emma comes here and stays with you.”

Gibson called Johnny back and told him he’d be ready to leave in a few minutes. When he bent down to kiss my cheek I realized he had showered and gotten ready to leave while I had been passed out. Taking my hand and squeezing it he said, “I’ll be home as soon as the gig finishes.” I shook my head no at him, because the whole reason we had traveled during the night was so that he got to catch up and spend time with Toby.

“No. I don’t want that. Spend time with Toby, please have fun, you never get to see him and the last time you did, I got in the way of that. You work so hard, Gibson. Take the time with your friend then come home, I’ll still be here.”

My cell rang just as I was finishing talking and Emma’s ID flashed on the screen. Swiping the screen, I answered and Gibson stood waiting to hear what was going on. Emma had been sick in the night as well, so as Gibson hadn’t eaten any of the Chinese food and we had, we were able to narrow down what the cause of my sickness was. Emma said she had been feeling delicate but was just about to head up to our suite in a couple of minutes. I tried to make my voice sound lighter and said I was feeling a bit better for Gibson’s benefit.

Gibson’s face visibly relaxed when I told him that Emma was coming to the room so he kissed me again and said that he’d call me later. I told him not to in case I was asleep, just to enjoy his time with Toby and not make too much noise when he came home. Gibson gave me a half smile, swiped his wallet and phone from the room dresser and blew me another kiss. “Keep that bed warm and get well quickly, my dick’s getting cold out here all by itself.”

As soon as the door latch clicked I flopped back heavily against the deep pile of the soft pillows, sighing deeply. I wasn’t feeling well at all but my great act had convinced Gibson to do what I knew he had to.

Soft tapping on the door signaled the arrival of Emma, so I slipped gingerly out of bed and pulled on the bathrobe that Gibson had discarded on the chair during the night when he got back into bed. Checking my face in the mirror, I had a slightly pale yellowish tint to my skin, so I pinched my cheeks and tucked my hair behind my ears before opening the door.

Paralyzed, my heart stopped beating in my chest. Kace’s face met mine and before I could think, his hand quickly gripped my forearm, like a vice and he yanked me so hard that I came right off of my feet. He placed some kind of acidic-smelling cloth over my mouth and nose, I struggled but in my weakened state was no match for him and my muffled screams went unheard.

Kace grappled with me until his arm was wrapped around my waist and he was applying pressure like he was squeezing the life out of me. My senses became dimmer with every passing second and my lungs were constricting tightly as I fought for air, but with each deep gasp I was overcome with fumes until I slipped into blackness.

CHAPTER 18 - JOB TO DO

Gibson

Leaving Chloe sucked. This is one of those times I wished I was just any ordinary John Doe with an ordinary job and could throw a sick day from work to stay home and take care of her. Then again, I’d probably still have to go anyway. At least she was in the capable hands of Emma. We landed on our feet with her, she has fitted in so well and yesterday she had Chloe’s back from the moment she stepped in the room. I was relieved that Chloe seemed to like her.

Once Johnny was behind the wheel and we were heading to the gig, he filled me in on the plan so far, for drawing Kace out. Every time Johnny spoke about him he was kinda cagey and I knew he was worried that I’d do something deadly to him when I finally set eyes on the piece-of-shit-for-a-man. Trust me, the thought had crossed my mind on more than one occasion and I wanted more than anything to make him suffer the way he had made Chloe suffer, but being smarter than the average bear, I’d be more inventive about getting my pound of flesh.