His green eyes darken. “And then what?”
“Only one way to find out.”
Gabriel considers, then—
“No deal.”
I gasp in fake offense, then move closer. Lean down over him. He still smells like lemony hospital soap, but the scent of his skin underneath isgood.
I brush my lips along the side of his neck. Up to that spot just below his ear.
Gabriel shivers. “Do that again.”
I move to the other side of his neck and do it again. He groans, and I lean down in front of him and put my lips so close to his that I can almost feel the kiss. Gabriel breathes me in.
His eyelids flutter, then close. “Elise…”
I tip the pills into my mouth and kiss him. Gabriel’s hands come up to my neck, pulling me in deeper, and he licks into my mouth. It’s not the kiss of a man who’s recently jumped out of a building. It’s deep and desperate. He makes a low noise when he discovers what I’ve done with the pills. He licks them directly off my tongue.
I try to pull back to give him a drink of water, but Gabriel doesn’t let me go. He keeps tasting me. Deep enough that I can tell he swallowed.
There’s a moment when I feel it—the distance he uses to protect himself. It’s hard to describe what’s different. It’s not that he gets less enthusiastic, or less good at kissing. God, no. It’s something under his skin.
I feel him shake it off. Refuse it. For me.
Oh, this is going to hurt.
He breaks away, panting, and rolls his forehead across mine. “I need these off.”
A single note in his voice makes me absolutely sure he’s not flirting. Something’s not right with the jeans and the sweatshirt he wore to come get me. It could be related to his experiences with the hospital, or with my father, or with the house. I don’t need to know.
“Okay. Let me help.” I put the glass of water on the bedside table. Gabriel’s breath gets shallower, but I can’t rush, or I’ll hurt him. I ease the shirt over his head. His ribs have been stabilized with an elastic wrap. Gabriel closes his eyes once it’s off, and I help him lie down.
“I need them off,” he says again.
“It’ll only take a second.” The jeans are harder, but they’re no match for me. I leave the clothes folded on the chair in the corner of the room, then help Gabriel under the covers. It’s a slow, painful process.
I think he might be falling asleep.
But when I lean down to kiss his cheek, he curls his hand around the back of my head. “Stay.”
I want to. I want to stay with him so much. I want to crawl into bed next to him and lie there while he sleeps, even if I’m not tired.
“I’ll only be a couple minutes.” The lie hurts. “I’ll be right back. I love you.”
Gabriel sighs. “I love you.”
I nuzzle his cheek, pretending just for a few heartbeats that I can keep my promise.
Jameson’s at the door when I get there, his hand on the light switch. “You headed out?”
“I need to get my purse from the car.”
“Somebody can bring it up,” Jameson offers.
“It’s no big deal. I’ll just run down and get it.”
I look Jameson directly in the eyes, and he looks back at me. His eyes are the same color as Gabriel’s. He has longer hair, and a slightly leaner frame, and I think he knows I’m lying.