Chapter 7

CHAPTER SEVEN

GABE

I stroke the angel’s hair with one hand while cradling her waist in the other, smiling as her knee nestles in between my legs and she drifts gently into sleep. Callie is such a surprise. She knows exactly who I am now, I can see it her eyes. Maybe she doesn’t understand the division in the family, those who don’t adhere to the law and those who walk a very fine line, stepping over it when and if they have to, but she knows just the same. She knows about the family now and there’s no denying that.

Not once in all the years since I left this town has anyone I’ve slept with really known just where I come from and who I am. They only know the name on the door in corporate America, the well-dressed family who gives them what they need at charity events, or backs the financing on another worthless project that will put more money in their pockets and ours.

I fall asleep dreaming of the angel who knows exactly who I am and yet sleeps in my arms as though I’m her greatest protector. But after a couple hours of rest, our bodies find one another, each of us hastily peeling the clothing between us until we’re skin to skin, fueling the fire that hasn’t a chance in hell of going out now or anytime in the near future.

My alarm goes off and I hit the button on my watch to stop the sound. I stroke Callie’s face and run a finger down the length of her neck, mesmerized by the pulse beating steady and true. “Wake up. Let’s get dressed and get you something to eat. I could use a coffee before the truck gets here.”

She graces me with a shy smile and covers her mouth as she yawns. “Short night.”

I grin. “That it was.”

Callie keeps the sheet tucked under her chin as she reaches for her shirt.

I smirk. “You’re shy now?” She blushes a deep pink and gives me a set of exaggeratingly wide eyes. “Turn, I believe you’ve seen quite enough for one night.”

I laugh, letting her take the rest of the sheet.

Her eyes wander to my groin and the exceptionally hard cock I’m sporting so early in the morning. She averts her gaze, looking instead at my bare feet as she waddles across the room in her sheet and gets dressed while I stand and get my jeans zipped up.

I slip into my loafers as she gives her hair a quick brush with her fingers. “So what now? Do I have to pretend I don’t know who you are?”

“Everyone else in town knows the family I come from. It’s no secret around these parts. You just may not want them to associate you with me,” I tell her recalling all the well-meaning fathers who didn’t want their baby girls anywhere near the likes of me, or all the warnings over the years about keeping our distance from females we care about.

In my family’s business, no matter how removed you are from the dirty side of it all, the rivals will take what’s yours.

She reaches into her purse and pulls out a clear pack with toothpaste, a toothbrush, and floss. “I suppose since you’ve kissed every part of me, you won’t mind sharing a toothbrush?”

I grin. “Not at all. Mine’s still in my bag outside.”

Callie turns those smoky eyes on me, looking up as she pulls on her sexy little boots that one night soon, I plan to see wrapped around my neck without another stitch on besides. “Was this a one-night stand?”

I inhale a breath and close the distance between us in two steps, caging her against the wall, stroking a finger down that creamy doll-like skin. “Did it feel like a one-night stand, baby?”

Her voice is barely above a whisper. “No, it feels like the beginning of something that fills a part of my heart that was missing. I just don’t understand it because it’s all happening so fast.”

“My parents were married two weeks after they met. They were together for almost forty-seven years before my mother passed. Some things are just meant to be. Come on, let’s get our teeth brushed and get outside. The guys should be here shortly.”

Blake and his sister Anabelle, Dawson, and Grady pull into the parking lot in their decked-out F-150s, just as we walk out the back door intending to go to the coffee shop down the street for a drink and something to eat.

Blake glances at our clothes, the same ones we had on last night before he left and conceals a smile. I could never get anything over on Blake no matter what I was doing. He could always see the truth about everything, but he never turned his back on me, no matter what anyone else said or did. Not him, not Dawson or Grady, friends like that, you have for life.

Not once have I thought about bringing a female into my inner circle. No, caring for a female in my family is too dangerous to start considering. Better a one-night stand, enjoy the night and say goodbye in the morning with a cup of coffee and a smile. Hell, it’s worked for me for this many years of my adult life.

But I already know this isn’t ending like the rest of them. She knows it and so do I.

Still, the presence of the serious looking security team scowling at me from the parked SUVs is a stark reminder of just how dangerous my life can be, no matter that it hasn’t been up to now. The sheltered cousin with no one who means anything to me or the family the rivals could use. And I should keep it that way. I know it, and so do they. No one needs to say a word. I feel the weight of that world even hours away.

I walk over to the car window and the Chet hands me two coffees and a little bag of bagels with egg and cheese. “For you and the little lady,” he says.

“You need to work on your hard-ass persona,” I tell him before taking the bag and the cups as Callie walks up behind me.

“Creamer and all the sugars are in the bag,” Chet says.

Her mouth opens. “Oh, my lord. I need this today,” she says, unwrapping a bagel sandwich and taking a bite of it with zeal before peeling the other one and handing it to me. “Trade you,” she says, gesturing to one of the coffees.

I trace her lip with a finger. “Say please.”

Her mouth drops. “He got that for me.”

Chet smirks. “Because the boss asked me to,” he says, laughing as he rolls up the tinted windows to extricate himself from the conversation as other trucks begin pulling up with volunteers.

Callie doctors her coffee up with a substitute sugar packet and cream containers until it’s just the color she likes. She takes a sip and draws in a deep breath. “Thank you. The night and morning couldn’t be more perfect. Even if it’s cheesy and we don’t see each other again, I mean that.”

I draw her near and give her a kiss on the lips because no matter what, the secret’s clearly out, and there’s no way that I want to spend the next week pretending, or not touching her when she’s near, no matter what.

Anabelle’s eyes widen at the two of us as she and Blake walk over. Callie huffs under her breath. “Now I’m going to have to fend off Anabelle for the rest of the day cause she’s going to want every single sordid detail of last night. She is relentless but also my closest friend. She was the first person I met when I got to town.”

My eyes shift to Anabelle who gives me a grin as they get closer. “The little sister I never wanted,” I mouth.

Anabelle laughs, and flies into my arms, almost knocking the coffee right out of my hand. “It’s so good to see you. Why didn’t you come into town the last time you were here? Did you forget your manners?”

I grin. “Not all of them, just a few. Sorry, it was just a quick fishing trip, back-to-back meetings on either side of the weekend. Just a guys’ weekend fishing and telling stories about the one that got away.”

“And drinking beer and scouting for deer, don’t forget that part,” Blake says.

She turns and waves a dismissing hand in the air at her brother. “Yah, yah!” she says. “Looks like you’re loaded down pretty good with all this stuff. We’ll stay here and grab the load from the semi and meet you down at the river,” she says, eyeing the other trucks pulling different size boats behind them, making their way across the main road, turning into the side road that will bring them to us.

Callie nods. “Great idea. That’ll give us time to get things set up before you all get there.”

I open the back door and we scoot into the first SUV while the guys slide back into their trucks loaded with fishing gear, pulling nice size fishing boats. Chet turns around in his seat up front. “Does everyone here have a truck and a boat?”

“Pretty much.”

I point to a small road on the left. “Take this left, and it will come in from the back way, bring you out just by the bridge that separates counties.”

Callie looks excitedly at the gathering group as we pull in. She is not afraid of hard work. We work side by side until Anabelle and the others arrive, and finish hefting box after box, until the gear and supplies for the fishing tournament are unloaded.

The blue skies and fresh air make it perfect for an event, with everyone catching fish, telling stories about the ones that got away, and contestants who wait eagerly to see if they’ll end up with the catch of the day.

Blake goes over to talk with someone who pulls up in a sporty red truck and brings back a plastic bag full of food after a few minutes. “This is from Glenn. He loaded us with burgers, fries, homemade pieces of pie, and waters. Pass the bag around, take what you want and don’t be shy.” He gestures to his friend’s truck. “There’s more where this came from.”

Blake taps me on the shoulder in warning. “Someone said a helicopter is sitting out on the private air strip. They’re trying to figure out who it belongs to.”

Anabelle keeps talking, unaware of the shift in Callie’s focus, but I feel the depth of those smoky eyes searching for answers to questions I’m not ready to divulge.

I eat, my attention no longer on the fishing tournament, the size of the fish being brought in, or the crowd around us. My only thoughts are how to tell Callie the real reason I’m here.

The ladies take a seat on the tailgates to eat. I can’t help but overhear the conversation between Anabelle and Callie. “I was chatting with your sister late last night. She said a group of investors are sending some bigwigs in today to go check out some land deal. She’s supposed to show them around. That’s why Bill’s with the kids today and not fishing.”

“Too bad it had to be today. Bill was looking forward to this all year, but their sitter got sick.”

I guess they’re flying over by helicopter and one of the guys is going to make some decision about the steel mill that everyone is talking about. I hope it’s the right one. Lord knows we need good jobs locally.”

Blake, Dawson, and Grady are the only ones who know the full truth, the real truth about me and even I see the tightness of their jaws after hearing what she said. There’s no sense standing here pretending the guy they’re talking about isn’t me. “I’m the guy, Anabelle. I’m the guy she’s planning to meet. I’m the guy with that decision on my shoulders. My job is to give a financially solid recommendation to the business my family represents on whether to put up a steel mill in the community or walk away over a negotiation dispute about pricing.”

Callie crumples the white sack and tosses it in my direction. “You should have told me the truth.” She gets up and swishes past me and the others. I move to go after her, but Blake stands in my way and grabs my shoulders. “Give her time, Gabe. Bill’s out of work and needs that job. That’s why he and his wife and kids are living with her. Everyone around here needs work.”

I push him out of my face because she’s already jumping into that truck, she doesn’t know these back roads like I do, and Dawson’s F-150 may be nice but it’s not going to make it through some of the back roads if she takes a wrong turn. “Callie!”