Fraud (Antihero Inferno #2) - Lily White Page 0,38
thank her, though, for both the warning and the reminder.
I think it’s fairly obvious I can’t be trusted to control myself around Gabriel. He has the insane ability to pull every emotion out of me. Mostly anger, but often lust. Occasionally a broken heart, but according to him, we don’t talk about that.
It wasn’t two seconds later after returning to our seats that he hid behind his mask again, the tiny glimpses I get of the man beneath few and far between.
We didn’t speak for the rest of the flight, which was fine by me, and once the plane landed, we made our way down to his waiting car.
Now we’re on the road to who knows where. He won’t tell me. His mouth curling with a cryptic grin every time I ask.
It isn’t until we pull up to the gate at Highland Hills that I realize he’s taking me straight to Tanner’s house.
My stomach knots painfully as Gabriel stops at the small security building, cocks a brow at the guard, then pulls ahead slowly as the gates slide apart.
“I was hoping you were taking me home. I have a nasty situation to straighten out, thanks to you.”
Grinning, he laughs softly as we wind along the two-lane road, passing beautiful houses that are status symbols of the powerful people who own them.
“I wouldn’t have spent so much time creating that situation if I’d planned for you to fix it.”
At least he’s talking again.
“Would you like to tell me exactly what you did to create it?”
Another laugh, the easygoing jokester firmly in place now that we’re back home.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he says, his tone mocking as he swings the car into Tanner’s driveway and pulls around the house to the back.
Asshole.
Now that he’s like this again, I know I won’t be able to get anything out of him, even if I were to slice him in half to dig it out. I’ve seen this side of Gabriel so many times that I can get confused when it happens. I sometimes forget I know the lie.
Parking outside a large garage, Gabriel turns off the car and gets out. After rounding the front to come to my side, he opens my door and offers his hand to help me to my feet.
It’s insane how well-mannered he is, always the gentleman like I tease him about. But that’s all part of the easy charm he portrays to hide what’s really going on inside.
I accept, and that damn spark jumps the second our hands touch, my eyes lifting to his to see he’s staring down at me, a million thoughts swirling behind the emerald green that make my heart race and my thighs slam together.
Once I’m on my feet, he steps closer to me, pinning me to the car, his eyes searching mine for only a moment before his mouth moves to my ear.
“Do you think if I kissed you now, an earthquake would stop us?”
A tremor runs through me at the rasp in his voice, the rough edges teasing my body with the sexual frustration I know he feels.
“I’m sure the ground would open up and swallow us whole. We are not supposed to be together. It’s an affront to the natural order of the world.”
I feel his mouth grin against my cheek.
“Maybe I need to take you to a place where no fault lines exist, and no volcanoes are nearby.”
Laughing at that, I answer, “Then it would just be a tornado, a hurricane or some other natural disaster. Because that’s what we are.”
He sighs, and those lying eyes drag back to mine.
“I suppose you’re right. It’s too bad I hate you so much. You’re not bad to look at. I wouldn’t mind finding out how nice the view is without your clothes.”
“As if I’d let you see all that. You’d fall in love, and I’d never get rid of you.”
The smile I know so well is back in place as he releases my hand and steps away.
Nudging his chin toward the house, he silently tells me to start walking, the car door shutting behind me as I breathe out a steadying breath and head in that direction.
I reach a side door and Gabriel steps around me to open it.
Glancing at him, I ask, “When will you be taking me home?”
Those deceptive lips pull into a charming smile.
“I’m not sure why you’d want to go there when we are so hopelessly in love.”