16. Gabe

SIXTEEN

Gabe

Being in the house alone with Kat was torture.

Livy was having a sleepover at her friend's place, so the Martin home was quiet. Before, I would've gone to my room and kept to myself…but now it felt odd, rude.

I wanted Kat. I wanted her so bad sometimes I felt I couldn't help myself.

But we were holding off until all this was resolved, and that made me ache somewhere deep.

We'd spent most of the night hanging out in the living room—me watching the game, Kat reading a book in the big armchair to my right. I wanted her in my arms—curled up beside me like the night of the break-in, or…fuck, I wanted her naked. I wanted her straddling me, riding me.

I couldn't take it.

"I'm gonna grab a burger at the diner," I announced, standing up. "Want anything?"

"Actually, can I join you?" Kat surprised me with her question.

The whole point was to get away from her, but I couldn't exactly say no…which is how I ended up driving my truck into town, Kat in the passenger seat wearing a gorgeous yellow sundress.

Fuck…I was well and truly fucked.

The drive was something else. I felt like I was sitting next to a live wire, every inch of me aware of her presence. We didn't talk much—hell, what could I say without letting slip how much I wanted her? How beautiful I thought she was? The silence was thick, punctuated only by the hum of the engine and the occasional rustle when she shifted in her seat.

"Nice night," I finally managed to choke out, keeping my eyes glued to the road.

"Yep," she replied softly, her gaze fixed outside the window.

I couldn't help but steal glances, taking in the way the occasional headlights danced over her features. It was maddening.

I was lovesick, and it annoyed the hell out of me.

"Thanks for coming with me," I said, breaking the silence again. "I just needed to get out of the house."

"Of course," Kat answered, turning to offer me a smile that almost distracted me enough to miss the turn.

I gripped the steering wheel tighter, forcing myself to focus on anything but the longing. On the road ahead. On the space between us.

On the fact that Livy needed us to be strong and not lost in whatever this was.

It was a damn relief when I finally pulled up to the diner. Parking a little way down the street gave me a moment to collect myself before we walked down Main Street together, under the watchful eyes of Millie's neon sign.

"Hope you're hungry," I said, the smalltalk stilted and awkward.

"Starving," she replied.

We pushed through the door, and I could feel it immediately—the shift in the atmosphere as heads turned and eyes narrowed. I felt the weight of their stares, the silent questions hanging in the air. I'm sure they were all wondering what we were doing together; Kat Martin and the guy she used to hate.

"Let 'em talk," I muttered.

"Nothing else to do," Kat whispered back.

I led her to a booth tucked away in the back corner, a pathetic attempt at privacy, and we slid into the worn red vinyl seats. Betty was on us in an instant, menus in hand and a smile on her face. She threw me a wink that might have been innocent in another life. I felt the heat crawl up my neck as Kat caught it, too—a smirk teasing the corners of her lips.

"Will it be the usual?" Betty asked, her pen poised over her notepad.

"Sure," I managed, my voice gruffer than I intended. "And coffee, black."

"Make mine an iced tea, thanks," Kat chimed in, her eyes still dancing with silent laughter at my expense. "And my usual burger. I don't think we need menus."

"Coming right up," Betty said before bustling off, leaving us in a bubble of silence.

I could feel Kat looking at me. I glanced down at my hands, trying to think of something—anything—that wouldn't end up with me blurting out how much I wanted her.

"Shadow's doing better." Kat broke the silence, thank God. "He let me brush him down today without a fuss."

"That's good news." I nodded.

Then…silence again.

Damn it.

"Didn't know if you wanted something…back at the house," she said, finally breaking the silence. Her voice held this cautious note, like she was walking on the edge of something fragile.

I glanced around. The diner wasn't exactly busy, but there were a few people watching us. None within earshot…I hoped.

"Kat," I began, leaning forward, my voice low, "I don't expect anything."

It was half true. I didn't expect anything, I just wanted it.

Badly.

"Okay." She shrugged, but her eyes didn't quite meet mine, and I caught a flicker of disappointment there.

"Look," I said, unable to stop myself, "do you want me to sit here and lie? Pretend you're not on my mind?"

"Of course not," she replied, her voice barely above a whisper. "I just…"

Our eyes locked, and for a moment, it was like we were the only two people in the world. She bit her lip, and something primal inside me stirred.

She wanted me to want her.

I wasn't just going to let that slide.

"I've been thinking about you," I went on. The way she looked at me then—like she was starving and I was the only meal for miles—it nearly did me in. "Every damn night, Kat. Wishing you were in my bed, thinking of a thousand more things I want to do with you. Things I can't talk about in public?—"

Betty bustled back to our table, plates in hand, breaking the spell.

"Here you go, loves." Betty set the dishes down with a clatter, oblivious to the tension.

"Thanks, Betty," I managed, feeling like I'd just been dunked in cold water.

"Enjoy your meal." She winked at me, then walked away.

We both reached for our burgers, and the moment was gone. I took a bite, the taste somehow bland compared to the rush of desire that had just been coursing through me. I caught Kat sneaking glances at me between bites, but neither of us spoke.

The silence wasn't awkward; it was charged, every glance loaded with words we couldn't say. I was trying to focus on my fries when I heard our names being tossed around from the next table over, a low murmur that was impossible to ignore.

"Think the ranch will go under?"

What the fuck? Somebody was talking about Kat just a few tables down.

"Maybe it should," someone replied, not bothering to lower her voice. "Heard Ben was hard on those animals. His own horse was always so skittish."

"Kat's no better, they say."

I saw Kat stiffen across the table, her fork suspended mid-air. Her eyes flickered for a moment, betraying her attempt to listen without looking like she was.

"Bad to the horses, bad to poor Olivia too, maybe?"

"Ignore them," I muttered under my breath. The urge to march over and set things straight was strong, but I hesitated, not wanting to make a scene.

Or at least, that's what I thought until I saw Kat's reaction.

"Excuse me," she said sharply, dropping her half-eaten burger.

"Kat, wait?—"

She was already on her feet, food forgotten as it clattered onto her plate. Her face was a mask of fury, her hands balled into fists at her sides. She didn't look back as she stalked towards the source of those ugly words. I shoved out of the booth and trailed after her, feeling the weight of every eye in the place upon us.

The women at the table went pale as death when Kat bore down on them. They shrunk back into their seats, but the damage had been done; they couldn't unring the bell.

"Where did you hear that? That horrible rumor?" Kat demanded, her voice shaky with barely contained anger.

"Um…I don't remember exactly," the woman stammered, her bravado gone now that she was confronted. "Just something going around the middle school."

I stood behind Kat, ready to intervene if things escalated beyond words, but when she turned to face me, tears were welling up in her eyes. It took me by surprise—the tough-as-nails woman I knew seemed so vulnerable all of a sudden.

"We are kind to our horses," she choked out, her voice raw with emotion. "Ben's horse was skittish because he was abused before—and Ben was the one who rehabilitated him. How dare you spread lies about how we treat our animals, our Olivia…about my dead brother !"

Kat stormed out. I followed her, barely keeping up with her brisk pace, as she pushed through the door and out into the cool night air.

"Kat, wait!" I called after her, but she didn't slow down, her strides long and determined. The distance between us grew until I was practically jogging to catch up.

"Let me go back and get your food," I offered when I finally reached her. "You barely touched it."

She was crying now, furious tears that she wiped away with an angry swipe of her hand. "No," she snapped, her voice brittle. "Just take me home, Gabe. Please."

I nodded, not sure what else to say or do.

Fuck this town…fuck gossip, and fuck anyone who wanted to hurt her.

We walked back to the truck in silence. Kat climbed into the passenger seat and slammed the door shut, her body language screaming leave-me-alone . I got in on my side and started the engine.

This dinner had gone sideways fast.

Kat was quiet as we drove, leaving the lights of town for the dark backroads of the country. She stared out the window, jaw clenched, looking like she was trying to hold herself together.

For miles, the only sound was the rumble of the truck, until we crossed the edge of the Martins' property—close to where Ben had been shot—and she just broke down.

She let out a choked sob, her hand flying up to cover her mouth. I glanced toward her to see that tears streaked her cheeks, her eyes red.

She must have been crying this whole time…and I hadn't said a damn thing.

"I'm doing my best, Gabe," she sobbed. "But it never seems good enough. Livy's lost so much already—her mom, then her dad. I'm all she has left and I can't…I can't replace them."

She drew in a shuddering breath, and I could hear the self-doubt that crept into her voice. "I'm trying to keep the ranch running, but sometimes I feel like it's all just too much. Like the whole world is against me."

Her words were like a gut punch. I couldn't stand to hear her talk about herself like that—like she was anything less than incredible. On impulse, I yanked the wheel and veered off onto the shoulder. Gravel crunched under the tires as the truck skidded to a stop.

Kat's head snapped towards me, eyes wide and startled. "What the hell, Gabe?"

"Listen to me, Kat," I said, ignoring her shock. I grabbed her hand and held it tight. "You're strong enough for this—all of it. You're more than capable of making the ranch work."

She tried to look away, but I wouldn't let her. I raised my hand to clasp her chin, tilting it toward me. "And you won't be doing it alone," I continued. "I'm here, right beside you. I meant every word I said the other day in the supply room. You're one of the best people I've ever met."

A muscle worked in her jaw as she fought back tears. "Gabe, you don't have to?—"

"Damn it, Kat, let me finish." My grip on her hand tightened. "I've seen what real heroics look like, up close and personal, in my time overseas. And you've got that same fire, that same courage. You just don't see it yet."

Her breath hitched, a soft sound in the quiet of the truck. For a moment, everything else faded away—just the sound of our breathing and the faint rustle of leaves outside. She squeezed my hand back, her thumb tracing the lines of my knuckles, sending a jolt through me.

"Kat…" I started.

But before I could finish, she cut the distance between us.

She lunged for me, crashing her lips to mine with a force that knocked the air from my lungs. Our kiss was desperate, frantic, as if we were trying to say all the things words had failed to express.

"Kat," I murmured against her lips, the taste of her name sweet and intoxicating.

"Shut up, Gabe," she breathed out. "Just…shut up."

I needed her like I needed to breathe, desire threatening to tear me apart. She must have felt that same desperate craving because, in one fluid motion, she clambered over the center console to straddle me. Her sudden closeness sent my senses into overdrive; the scent of her hair, the heat of her body pressed against mine—it was overwhelming.

"Jesus, Kat," I groaned as she settled onto my lap. Her lips crashed back onto mine, hungry and demanding, while her hips found a rhythm that made my head spin. The friction of her grinding against me was torture and bliss all rolled into one. My body responded to her touch, hard and ready, losing itself in the sensation of her pressing down on me.

"Kat, I—" She silenced me with a look that was all heat and raw need.

"Stop talking," she commanded, her hands working at my belt buckle with an urgency that matched the thudding of my heart. She fumbled with my button, my zipper, her movements quick and purposeful.

"Damn it," I gasped as she freed me from the confines of my clothes. "I know you said we shouldn't…but I need to…I need to fuck you…"

She didn't respond with words. Instead, her fingers wrapped around me, strokes firm and sure, driving me to the edge of madness. With one hand, I reached for her, yanking her panties aside so roughly I was afraid I'd tear them right off.

She gazed at me, challenged me.

She sank down…taking me to the hilt.

Fuck .

Our eyes locked, her hands gripping my shoulders with bruising intensity. Her lips parted in a silent gasp. Everything else faded—the truck's cramped space, the night outside, the world itself—it was just Kat and me, connected.

She started moving.

Bracing herself on my shoulders, she began to ride me, moving up and down, up and down… Her pussy clenched around my cock, her lips parted. All I could do was watch her, struck dumb by how beautiful she looked when she was riding me.

"You're beautiful," I groaned, barely recognizing my own voice. It was hoarse with desire, thick with the weight of held-back words and restrained touches. I wanted to tell her I loved her. It was stupid.

Maybe it was true…I didn't know.

She didn't answer, just kept moving, her rhythm picking up speed. She clenched around me like a vice, her moans vibrating against my tongue when I captured her lips in a desperate kiss. It was slow at first, but the passion flared, and soon it was all teeth and tongues, messy and urgent.

This wasn't supposed to happen—not here, not now—but damn if I could stop.

"Harder," she gasped against my mouth, and I obliged, thrusting up into her with everything I had. There was no holding back, no more pretense of control. We were two forces of nature colliding in the night, on some forgotten backroad where nobody could see us, hear us, judge us.

"More, Gabe, give me more," she demanded, nails digging into my shoulders.

"Anything," I replied, because in that moment, under her spell, I would have given her the world if she asked for it. But all she wanted was me—all of me—and I was powerless to deny her anything.

"Right there," she moaned, finding that spot inside herself that turned her breaths ragged and her movements erratic.

"God, yes," I choked out, feeling her tighten even more.

We chased the edge, pushed each other closer with every thrust, until…

…the dam burst, and we came together.

The shockwaves rolled through us, the two of us holding on to each other in the aftermath. My lips found hers and I kissed her hard, wanting her more than I'd ever wanted anything else.

As the tremors subsided, she crawled off me, slipping back into the passenger seat. Her chest heaved as she caught her breath, and I tucked myself back into my pants, the fabric rough against sensitized skin.

"Take me home," Kat said, her voice rough. She swallowed hard, eyes not quite meeting mine. "I need…I need more."

It was the last thing I'd expected to hear—but I wasn't going to deny her when I wanted it so badly myself.

So without another word, I put the car in drive and pulled back onto the road.