“I promised you I’d make it worth your while and I intend on sticking to my word. Once we dissolve this thing, you can go your own way.” I couldn’t believe his attitude. I placed my hand on his arm and tugged him back to face me.
“I don’t want your money. I’ve told you that. I’m not some whore you can pay off, and in case you forgot, you promised me my job would be intact.” My gut twisted in anguish. How could he do this?
“Fine, whatever you want. I know this is miserable for you.” After a moment and another drink, he crossed the room and sat in a chair in the corner by the windo
w.
I joined him and glanced out the large picture window beside us. “It’s not miserable; it scares me that I’ve been so out of control. I got married on a whim, and now I’m not sure what to do. The last thing I want is for us to fight.”
He pulled me down across his lap. “We’re not fighting.” We sat that way for a moment, watching out the window until we settled in closer together, our heads resting together as the city below was alive with activity and the sun lowered in the distance.
As a soft kiss brushed my forehead. “What are you doing?”
His response was quiet and calm. I much preferred this Gabriel to the one from minutes before. “Being your husband, I guess. I mean, I’m not sure, because I’ve never been one before, but this is the kind of thing that a husband does, isn’t it?”
“Husbands do lots of things… What did you mean when you said that you were disappointed we’d only kissed?” I glanced over and met his eyes.
“I wanted you so bad when we got back that night. I wanted so much more for us that night, but then you faded fast. I couldn’t take advantage of you.” His voice was still calm and sincere, and I felt myself being lulled by his smooth tone.
“Thanks again for not taking advantage of me. At least I can tell my father that despite a crazy, whirlwind marriage, I’m still his virgin daughter. It should at least lend him a bit of comfort knowing you didn’t defile me in my unconsciousness.” I laughed, but when I looked from the window back down to meet his eyes, his mouth had gone slack and he was looking at me as if I were an oddity. “What?”
His eyes narrowed. “You’re honestly still a virgin?”
My cheeks reddened, and I suddenly felt like a schoolgirl. “Yes, I thought I mentioned it.”
He chuckled. “No, that I’d remember.” He pulled me in closer and kissed my forehead as Mason entered the room. “Speaking of your old man, shouldn’t you go talk with your father?” The words slapped me into perspective, and I scrambled to my feet. Mason regarded us with a hard glare before going to the bar for a refill.
“I’ll be a little bit.” Before I could take two steps away, Gabriel captured my hand.
“I’m sorry you have to do this, but I wanted to thank you.” His expression was hard again. “Good luck with your dad.”
“Thanks.” I wasted no more time dialing my dad, considering it had been two weeks already. My heart pounded in anticipation as I listened to the phone ring.
“Please tell me that you’re home.”
“I’m sorry, Dad, but no. Not yet. I still don’t know how long I’ll be, but I did get to go back to the station today and they are following other leads. It looks like there were several men involved with the women, so I guess that’s good news.”
“I suppose that depends on who you are.” He had a point. I could only imagine what the victim’s families were going through.
I chewed my nail nervously and took a deep breath to give me courage. “Look, Dad. I called for a reason. I have something to tell you, and I’m afraid you’re not going to like it.”
He whistled. “Should I sit down for this or drive to the hospital now so when I fall out the staff can scoop me onto a gurney and take me straightaway to the morgue?”
“Probably the latter, but before I tell you, I want you to know it’s not as terrible as it sounds. At least, I’ve got it worked out.” I closed my eyes, thankful that I couldn’t see him. It would be terrible to have to tell him face-to-face.
“Spill it and let me decide.” His tone was harsh and as I heard him take a deep breath, I decided to blurt it out.
“Gabriel and I got married the night of the murders.” There was a long pause as I waited for his reaction. Not even a breath sounded through the phone, and I worried that I’d dropped the call. Now wasn’t the time for that kind of bad service issue. “Dad, are you still there?”
“Please tell me that you’re not pregnant, too.” His voice was calm. Much too calm.
“No, sir, actually we haven’t engaged in sex-”
“Well, what the hell kind of man drags a poor girl off to Vegas and manipulates her into that type of thing? He’s obviously got more money than sense.” As my dad continued to rant, Gabriel came into the room and sat beside me.
After a few minutes, my dad said he needed some time and would call me later. I hung up the phone and covered my face. It was horrible, and I felt terrible.
Gabriel stroked my back. “I’m sorry you had to go through that.”