Chapter Sixteen

Gabby rolled over and breathed deep, the dream fading slowly, the images holding on tight, the delicious scent of Taka’s skin that permeated the pillow under her face strengthening their hold.

A slow smile curved her lips as she realized where she was.

What a rush.

Keeping her eyes closed, she could still feel his touch. His mouth had done serious things to her insides. She reached up and touched her still swollen lips. Man, he could kiss. Her body ached with remembering him filling her, to the point she thought she’d die of ecstasy. Every spot he’d kissed throbbed with the lingering remnant of his mouth.

He’d woken her in the depths of the night with those drugging kisses and they’d done it all over again. Several times. He’d dug into his nightstand drawer, fumbling to find the packet of condoms he kept there, swearing when at first he couldn’t find them.

Her smile split into a grin remembering his reaction to her repaying his attention to her body. The way his body reacted to her, and the memory of the sounds he’d made when she’d taken him into her mouth sent chills through her.

Waking in his bed like this after being with him was as close to perfect as she could think of. The only thing better would be if he were still in it. She’d love to see his reactions in the light of day.

Gabby glanced at the clock on the nightstand and sighed. She supposed she should get up. It was past ten. Pulling back the comforter, she hunted for her underwear. She slipped them up over her hips and padded out of the room and down the hall. She was amazed at how comfortable she felt, like she was meant to be there.

The phone bleated out a discordant jangle of notes to her left. Gabby grabbed the kitchen handset, flicked the button on the kettle to boil and put the phone to her ear.

“Hello?” She grabbed a mug from the cupboard in front of her. “Hello?”

Nothing. Just the static of the open line.

She placed the mug on the bench, fear and anger somersaulting in a violent tangle deep in her gut. “Who is this?”

Still no answer. “Fine!” she growled, letting the anger win, and slammed the phone back into the cradle. She was getting mighty sick of this. Better to be angry than scared.

She grabbed the mug she’d claimed as hers from the bench. It was a stark glossy black number with scarlet Kanji slashed across it. She focused on that instead. It said something about destiny and goddesses and the like. She wasn’t so good at reading written Japanese. Taped to the handle of the mug was a note. Gabby read as she threw a tea bag into it. She smiled at the words. Her turbulent emotions settled a little.

‘morning, pretty lady.

He’d called her that once before, years ago.

The old doubts struggled to resurface. She stomped hard on them, but was unable to force them all down. Some escaped, haunting her.

His age. It was still a problem, but not an insurmountable one. She couldn’t use that as an excuse anymore. He was a grown man now. But it didn’t stop the niggling voices in the back of her head telling her it still made a difference, that she was too old for him.

And this was all assuming Taka wanted more than casual sex with her. It could be that one night was more than enough for him.

She glanced back at the notepaper in her hand. His beeper number was there in case she needed him. Gabby wondered if that included asking him to come back to bed.

Matt was coming by after his shift finished to take her back to the hospital to see the physiotherapist. The physiotherapist wanted to go over her exercises and make sure she was doing them properly. Perhaps she should tell him that she had done more than her share of exercise for the day yesterday? Grinning, she glanced at the clock on the microwave. She still had a couple of hours. Maybe she’d check out Taka’s bathtub.

 

 

Gabby sat on the edge of the tub while it filled. He was using the main bathroom while she was here since she’d commandeered his shower. She eyed the water critically. Bubbles, that’s what she needed.

The vanity had a matching overhead timber unit on the wall above it. The mirror on the front hid the recessed cupboard. She opened it up and glanced around for something resembling bubbles.

Taka had little in the way of products in his cabinet. Toothpaste, aftershave, cologne and sunscreen. Gabby grinned—typical.

She hunted behind the empty cologne box. Her hand knocked the bottle of aftershave, which fell forward toward her. She fumbled with the glass bottle, desperately trying not to break his stuff. Her wrist hit against something behind the aftershave and the whole lot came tumbling out of the cabinet.

Gabby made a grab for the glass bottles as they made a bid for freedom. She managed to catch them before they hit the sink. The other boxes and packets fell to the countertop and the floor. She shook her head at herself.

“Dammit!”

She placed the escapee bottles back where they’d come from and bent down to pick up a packet from its place on the floor.

A small, black velvet box sat a few inches from the packet. She picked both up and went to replace them, then realized that it was a jewelry box. Gabby placed the packet back in its spot, and looked down at the tiny box in her hand. It looked fairly new.

Curious, she opened the lid, and almost dropped it again.

An unbelievably beautiful diamond ring sparkled up at her, seeming to wink in the sunlight that streamed through the open bathroom window. Gabby gingerly took it out to look at it more closely in the light.

The platinum-set, princess-cut solitaire was the prettiest thing she’d ever seen.

It had baguettes across the crown, leading to the stunning square stone. It was the purest of white. Its cut was flawless. It had to be at least a carat in size. Gabby held it in her hand in the shaft of light, mesmerized by its beauty. Something on the inner band caught her eye, and she picked it up from her palm to stare at the inside.

You are my heart, my soul. I love you, Takeshi.

Gabby’s breath caught in her throat. What was he doing with an engagement ring? She sank down slowly on the side of the tub, her bath forgotten.

Was it Monique’s? She looked at it again. It had to be. She was the only person he’d been involved with in the last year, and she knew the girl had given the ring back. Jon had said so. If Taka had kept it, he must still care. A lot. That inscription alone said it all.

Matt was right. He was interested in someone—Monique. It was so obvious now. He’d gotten cold feet because their engagement had happened so fast, and her accident had given him the excuse he’d needed to step back and think it through.

Gabby’s hand went to her mouth, pain coiling and welling up from deep inside. But he’d said he didn’t love Monique. She didn’t know what to think. He’d slept with her only the night before. The Takeshi she remembered would never do something like that. Had he really changed that much?

…You’ve never met her. Matt’s words rang in her ears.

He was right. She’d never met Monique.

It was too soon, too early for her. She hadn’t had time to get him used to her being here. There was a time he’d loved her like that, something she’d wanted so desperately, but had been too afraid to accept. She needed more time.

Gabby choked back the pain at the stark beauty sitting on her hand and placed the ring carefully back in the box, closing its radiance within. Any illusions that he cared for her beyond what she already knew were gone, shattered with the brilliance of that diamond.

He may be happy to share his body with her, but his heart belonged to someone else, and she simply couldn’t fight that. Even if he’d told her the truth and was unsure, she had no right to stay here and confuse him further. He needed time on his own to sort out what he wanted. Who he wanted, if indeed she was even in the running. She stood up and replaced the box carefully back where it had come from and closed the cabinet.

The water gurgled and spun when she pulled the plug from the tub. The bath no longer held any interest for her. She walked back up the hall, her arms wrapped around her waist. The shock of seeing the ring was slowly wearing off.

Did she stay and confront him, ask him what in hell was going on? Or did she just leave, go to a hotel for the remaining time left until her house was ready to move into? She really had no right to question him when he hadn’t so much as looked at her until she’d begged him to.

She hadn’t shown any interest, hadn’t done anything to give him any idea she cared, other than last night. She’d thrown herself at him then, that’s for sure. But he didn’t know she loved him, just that she’d wanted his body, his company, to keep away the ghosts in her head.

Their relationship had improved after the debacle at her home the night of Matt’s eighteenth, but it had taken years. They’d barely spoken until the year he graduated. They were almost back to the easy friendship they’d enjoyed beforehand. She didn’t want to mess that up. Sex changed things, changed people. And if he were as lonely as she suspected, as Matt had said, occasional sex decades apart wouldn’t be enough.

A soft scraping noise at the front door caught her attention. She jumped, startled when a small envelope flew beneath the door.

She stepped toward it, cautious.

Small, white. Totally innocuous. But why slip it under the door instead of in the mailbox? She moved into the foyer silently and stepped up to it, listening. No sound from outside penetrated the thick timber door. Picking it up, she turned it over in her hands. Simple. Plain. Nothing unusual.

Nothing except her name emblazoned across the front.

Who would be leaving her a note, and why not knock on the door? The envelope wasn’t sealed. She slid out the ruled notepaper inside and unfolded it.

Nice place. Be a shame to see it burn down.

Dread washed over her, from her tingling scalp, down her spine, to settle like a hard lump of sour dough in her belly. Gabby flew to the closest window that overlooked the street. Nothing. Not a soul. She spun and ran to the doors that opened onto the deck. Again, nothing.

What was going on here?

The phone rang, making her jump. She turned toward the office and listened, determined not to pick up this time. The answering machine kicked in. The line crackled for what seemed an eternity, then the deep beeping tone of the hang-up echoed out into the hall.

The hang-ups. The note. The car on the street yesterday. It all came together in a seething rush. Peter Marsden was out of jail. He wasn’t happy with nearly killing her. He’d singled her out for retribution.

It all made sense, in a twisted kind of way.

Gabby hurried back to her room and grabbed her cell phone, frantically pushing buttons. Mistakes had her hanging up and trying again. Damn her hands for shaking! She was put through on the second ring.

He knew where she was. She had to get out of here. She wouldn’t risk Taka’s safety, regardless if he meant what he’d written. Her being here threatened that safety, so removing herself was the only way to solve it. Who knew what twisted reasoning lay behind the threat, but she couldn’t take the risk he might do something stupid and hurt the man she loved.

She’d get out of there, and go straight to the police. Maybe they’d have more luck finding him when they found out he was still in Seattle.

“Hi, I’d like to speak to Alex Masterson, please. It’s urgent. It’s about the closing on a house I’m purchasing. It’s supposed to close on Friday. I want it today. It’s not negotiable. If it’s not today, I’m pulling the contract. Yes, I’ll hold.”