Dominion (Guardian Angels) - By Melody Manful Page 0,18
a guest list, I had helped my mother with it, and this stranger wasn’t on the list, was he?
He stared at us, waiting for someone to answer, but we all stared silently back at him. He cleared his throat. “I hope I’m not crashing your party.”
“Of course not. Besides, a party isn’t a party until someone crashes it,” Danny finally answered, and as he pushed me aside, I came back to life.
“Can you show me where I can find a bus stop?”
“Of course we can,” Jake said, taking over. “Abby is about to go home, and she can drop you off at the bus stop. She drives right past it,” he added with a big smile on his face, as if he had just done me a huge favor. I knew he only offered because he knew my bodyguards would be there. He would never have allowed me to give a stranger a ride. The stranger turned and looked at me, and then I did the worst possible thing I could think of, I smiled at him and blushed.
I’m escorting the most drop-dead gorgeous guy I’d ever met to the bus stop? Maybe he’d ask me for my number. Wow, I scared myself with that thought. I was usually not the girly type. I’d never had a boyfriend, and I’d like to think it was because I didn’t have any privacy. I’d never even kissed a guy before.
“That’s nice of you. I’m Gideon,” he introduced himself.
I didn’t remember any Gideon on the guest list. Looking at him, I knew he probably bribed the guards at the front door. My behavior disturbed me. A lot of hot guys had asked me out on dates before, and yet here I was, speechless, because of some stranger.
“The...me...car is…ready out,” I babbled.
He grinned. I didn’t even know what I was talking about. No one did.
“Sorry, I meant, the limo is…outside,” I corrected, shamefaced.
More awkward and embarrassing moments followed. He asked why I had a limo, and Jake took it upon himself to tell him that I was the daughter of a famous designer and then proceeded to ask if he’d been living under a rock. Sarah, who stole a moment with me before I left with the stranger, told me how hot Gideon was and how I was to make sure he asked for my number. I understood that this was her way of telling me I needed a boyfriend.
With the thought of giving a stranger a ride, warning alarms went off in my head. After I said goodbye to my mother, who tried to get me to stay without succeeding, I returned to Gideon.
“I’m ready,” I told him.
We left the party, and I led him to my limo. I asked Ben to drive him to the nearest bus stop. We climbed inside the back and Ben pulled away from the curb. Silence filled the limo. I felt the staring eyes of the stranger beside me. When I turned and looked at him, he smiled.
Surprisingly, I found myself asking, “What?” Then I quickly looked away.
“My question—you never answered me.” He reached out and closed the privacy screen in the limo, separating Ben from us. My heart jumped even faster, unsure of what Gideon was doing. Could this be one of those nights when I would wake up the next morning and ask, “Damn, did I do that?”
“What,” I swallowed breathlessly, “question?” He looked as if he didn’t know he was charming.
“You said guys only wanted one thing,” he said.
Then suddenly he had my hands in his. My heart pounded. What was he doing?
“What do all guys want?” He was defiant now.
It was my turn to talk. “They…I mean, they only want…” I turned away from him and took a few deep breaths. “They want to…fool around…I mean have…fun?” I ended with a question and pulled my hands away.
Really, Abby? Why not spell it out?
I could shoot a can off the top of Logan’s head without blinking, and I was speechless because of a guy? This must be what happens when you trade dolls for guns, I thought.
“Fool around?” He laughed.
I couldn’t explain how wonderful his laughter sounded, but I felt like moving toward him, getting closer to him.
“Are you for real?” Gideon laughed again.
Please, God, let us reach the bus stop before I collapse out of shame, I prayed.
“I didn’t mean…” I took another breath. “I guess it’s…you know…” I looked away without continuing. Honestly, even I didn’t know what I wanted to say.