Crys And Gabe Read online

  He also knew if Crys tried to read 'every fucking word' on the paperwork before signing that they would be in the stuffy little office until after midnight. Crys had been diagnosed in third grade with ADHD and ADD, with acute dyslexia thrown in just to round everything off.

  Reading was a struggle for her.

  But Gabe could read it to her and then she could decide if she wanted to sign it or not.

  "Kitten, call Sam," Gabe had leaned over and whispered in her shoulder-length, light blue hair when Jamison left to see about getting the documents copied. Sam McKenzie was Gabe's godfather and an attorney in Cortez, a town about an hour south of Grantham. "Let's make sure that he's available if there are any questions, alright?"

  When all was said and done, Crystal got the house with the three acres of land surrounding it, her dad's 1990 Jeep Wrangler and one third of Human Hieroglyphix. All free and clear due to the insurance that Max had held.

  But as Gabe looked around the house now, four years after Max's death, he was concerned.

  Nothing had changed.

  Not one thing had been added or taken down.

  The only thing different was that Crystal had moved into the master bedroom. The other two bedrooms were basically empty, with one bedroom used as storage.

  Crys used to have roommates but she'd decided to try living alone after the last one left.

  Right around the time that Gabe came back to Grantham.

  Gabe stopped on that thought.

  Don't do that what-if shit, Gabe thought and made his way to the kitchen for a beer.

  He kept a firm rein on his thoughts until he finally felt sleepy enough to close his eyes.

  But the fucking couch was too short and too hard to lay in one position for long.

  Gabe turned off the TV and snagged his blanket and pillow.

  She may have a shit fit when she woke up.

  He could deal with Crys.

  But he was not fucking dealing with a sore neck and back from sleeping on that Goddamn couch.

  It was later when Gabe woke up.

  The room was still dark and he didn't have a clear shot of Crys's clock from where he was to see the time.

  Since he had woken up abruptly, he knew something had awakened him but wasn't sure what it was.

  He turned on his side and then heard it again.

  A soft, low moan.

  Gabe lifted his head. Was she in pain? Did she need more pills?

  "Oh, God," he heard her mumble, groaning.

  Gabe moved over onto his back. It hadn't been a moan of pain, exactly.

  "God, Gabe," she mumbled, drawing out his name, her legs restless under the blankets.

  Holy shit.

  Crys was dreaming.

  And he was a part of that dream.

  And, if her moans were any indication, it was a damn good dream.

  So exactly how was he supposed to get back to sleep with her moaning so sexy beside him?

  Fuck.

  Chapter Six

  I woke up slowly, my hands throbbing behind my bandages. As I slipped further awake I became aware of a warm firm body pressed up against my back. There was also a large arm draped over my waist and a heavy leg bent and pressed between my thighs.

  A sleepover?

  I never let guys stay over. Didn't want the drama when I had to toss their asses out in the morning.

  I turned my head trying to see who it might be.

  "Morning, Kitten," I heard the deep voice mumble against my hair.

  Gabe.

  All the tension I had accumulated since realizing I wasn't alone in my bed immediately released and I snuggled back down into my pillow.

  "Mornin', Gabe," I mumbled right back and closed my eyes. "My hands hurt."

  "Pain pill or ibuprophen?" he muttered.

  "Ibuprophen," I mumbled back. "And a Red Bull."

  "Your wish is my command, oh Princess Kitten," his voice rough and flat, muffled by both my head and his face planted in the pillows.

  I smiled at the use of his childhood title for me.

  There were a few moments of quiet before I heard his breathing deepen.

  He had fallen back to sleep.

  The ass-wipe, I thought with a smile.

  My hands were really starting to hurt and I needed to go to the bathroom.

  I straightened my legs, hooking one of my heels over the edge of the mattress before flinging his arm away from me to slide to the edge.

  "Said I'd get it, Crys," he mumbled, his face now in his pillow. "Red Bull and pills."

  "Yeah, but you can't pee for me," I said softly.

  I loved his voice in the morning.

  Rough, slow and sexy.

  I finally managed to untangle myself and sit up. I glanced back and saw that he was on the outside of the covers with a blanket from the hall closet thrown around him.

  I liked the view.

  Gabe awake was hot, with his gray eyes and thick dark hair.

  But half naked and half asleep in my bed?

  Oh, yes, ma'am.

  Smokin'.

  When I came back from the bathroom, where I'd taken a moment to brush my teeth, I was gifted with a view of a bare chested Gabe sitting on the edge of the bed.

  Sure I'd seen him without a shirt a trillion times but, back then, he had been a scrawny boy.

  The man now sitting on the edge of my bed had broad shoulders, large biceps and, oh dear God, washboard abs.

  Yummy.

  My eyes dropped to the tattoo that was barely visible beneath his arm on his right side. It appeared to be a dragon breathing fire and ran from below his jeans to his pectoral, the flames from the dragon's mouth encircling his nipple.

  I hadn't seen the ink before but, like I said, he was a scrawny boy the last time I paid attention to him with his shirt off.

  Now?

  Freakin' hot.

  He raised his eyes to me as I got closer. I saw he was holding two Red Bulls and the bottle of ibuprophen.

  "Here," he mumbled shoving them at me as I crawled around him to get back between the covers.

  "You're gonna have to open them for me," I said trying not to stare at the line of hair that went from his belly button to below the open buttons on his jeans as he twisted, following my movements.

  I wondered how far down the dragon went beneath his jeans.

  To the top of his leg?

  To just his hipbone?

  God, that was the shiver worthy kind of hot.

  He held out two tablets and one of the drinks and I took them, hoping they'd work fast since my hands were hurting pretty bad.

  I watched as he upended his own Red Bull and sat it down on the nightstand.

  I held mine out to him and watched his arm move, that beautiful bicep flexing. I may have been in pain but if a girl likes the view, there isn't any reason not to enjoy the scenery presented. Right?

  I wiggled my way down further into the bed and watched him lay back next to me with his head on my pillow.

  "Wish I had a nickel for every time we shared a bed, Crys," he said. "We'd be fucking millionaires."

  He wasn't kidding. I think I was ten years old before we started regularly sleeping apart. But then something changed and Gabe didn't want to sleep next to me anymore.

  "Why'd we stop?" I asked.

  "Puberty," Gabe said turning towards me, draping his arm around my waist and bending his legs so his thighs were snuggled against my ass.

  "Oh, yeah. The chubbies," I said, rolling my eyes and chuckling softly, looping my legs over his thighs completing the position we'd always seemed to take when we lay together.

  "Hey, I was becoming a man and I couldn't sleep next to a little girl anymore," he said softly pressing up against my side.

  "So why'd you start back up last night?" I asked tilting my head his way.

  "Because, Kitten," he breathed. "We're not little anymore."

  Ohmigod.

  My heart started beating a bit faster and I swallowed thi
ckly.

  "Besides, I fucking hate your couch."

  "Dick," I said, laughing.

  "Bitch," he chuckled.

  "Nope, Caitlin tells me I'm too pretty to be a bitch," I countered.

  I felt his arm tighten around me and I felt a fluttering in my stomach.

  Oh, God.

  "You are, Crys," he whispered, his lips right next to my ear.

  I felt my nipples harden and the heavy beat of my heart was echoing between my legs.

  He rubbed his nose around the outside of my ear.

  How can someone's nose rubbing your ear be sexy?

  He stopped and came up on his elbow, head in hand.

  "Where's your jewelry?" he asked.

  "Probably in my purse," I replied. "They made me take them all out for the tests."

  "Wow," Gabe said, his eyes roaming over my face.

  "Wow, what?"

  "I can't remember the last time I saw you without your metal," he said still looking my face over.

  "Well, you wouldn't get a tattoo from someone without any ink, right?"

  I saw him nod as he looked at me.

  "Same goes for Piercers," I explained. "But I feel almost naked without them."

  "Them? How many have you got now, Kitten?" he asked.

  I thought it through. Six in my right ear, four in my left. One in my septum and a Madonna on my right cheekbone. My nipples, navel and clit made up the rest.

  "Sixteen, I think," I replied mentally going through them all again.

  "Fucking hell, Crys," he said in shock. "Sixteen?"

  "Yep," I said looking up at his face. I could see he was trying really hard to work it out in his head. And as he did, I let my eyes roam over his face.

  A face that was as familiar as my own.

  His eyes, now the color of smoke since he was relaxed, could go all the way to gunmetal gray when he was angry. I'd always been fascinated with his eyes and how they could change color depending on his mood.

  And those thick fucking eyelashes. I always wanted Gabe's eyelashes which is what I had always hoped to achieve with all the mascara I wore. But the makeup just clumped, no matter what I tried.

  His perfectly shaped eyebrows with their perfect curve and perfect separation. All there as nature intended. I practically needed a weed-whacker to tame mine into submission.

  I guess he would've been a pretty boy if not for the squared off nose and the square of his jaw.

  I smiled when I thought of how Gabe would jut his jaw when he made a stand.

  And the older Gabe got, the more of a stand he took.

  On freaking everything.

  "What's so funny?" he asked on a soft voice.

  "You," I said equally as soft.

  Our eyes caught and held.

  I didn't realize I had licked my lips until I saw his eyes move down to my mouth.

  My heart speeded up as he begin to lean down, his eyes still watching my mouth.

  Oh, God.

  I wanted his lips on mine.

  I wanted to see if my memory from the hospital was right, that he really had kissed me.

  With tongue.

  And to see if it was as wonderful as it had been then.

  "Hello? Crys?" I heard Benny call from around the front door.

  *.*.*.*.*

  Gabe pushed himself off the bed and moved fast, scrambling to find his t-shirt as he threw the blanket and pillow he had used on the floor. He was just settling his t-shirt down his chest as his dad walked in the bedroom.

  "Hey, Benny," Crys said when he was at the bedroom door.

  "Hi, Dad," Gabe greeted.

  "Kids," Benny said with a chin lift. "Dex said you needed the light box so I brought it by with some paper, the flash and pencils."

  "Thanks," Gabe said trying to sound cool even though his heart was beating a million miles an hour.

  "We called all your clients, Crys. Told 'em there was an emergency and that you'd call them to reschedule," Benny said his eyes going to Crys.

  "Thanks, Ben."

  "We'll get a list made up so when you come back you can schedule them in the big book," Benny continued. "You know when you're gonna be back?"

  "My hands were pretty cut up but I should be able to do reception in a couple of days if my headache lets up," Gabe heard Crys say.

  "Yeah, Doc said you had some pretty deep cuts. But, I'm doing reception so no need to hurry back," Benny said, looking at the floor.

  Gabe shot a look to Crys who had turned her head toward him at Benny's words.

  Something was wrong.

  His dad working reception? It was one thing if his dad couldn't ink. But, reception?

  Gabe moved around the bottom of the huge bed to stand closer.

  "What's going on, Dad?" Gabe asked. He glanced at Crys and she raised her eyebrows and shook her head.

  She had no idea either.

  "Got a call from the Doc after this last test. I can't ink until we find out whatever it is I've got," he said, slowly dragging his eyes to his son and then to Crystal. He swallowed thickly before continuing. "Doc says I have to go to the lab so they can draw more blood and send it to Denver for more tests."

  Because tattoo artists worked with needles that went into a person's skin, it was in their best interest to have routine blood tests to ensure they hadn't picked up a blood-borne pathogen. This time, Benny's routine test hadn't come back clean for the second time.

  Since it was his second test, the doc had gone further, just to make sure the first one was correct. It was these failed tests that had brought Gabe back to Grantham.

  And the second test had now come back with problems.

  Shit.

  The air in Crys big bedroom got very thick with Benny's words floating through the air like the dust motes that played in the sunlight streaming through the blinds on her windows.

  "When?" Gabe asked, his eyes on his dad.

  "Today," Ben said quietly, his light blue eyes catching Gabe's gray, the gray darkening even though they were down to one-word sentences. "This afternoon."

  "You want me to go with?" Gabe asked, his voice tenderly rough.

  Benny grinned. "Appreciate it, Buddy. But think I can do this on my own."

  "You'll let me know, right?" Gabe pushed.

  "Yeah, Buddy. You'll be the first to know," Benny said reaching his arm out towards Gabe, who grabbed his dad in a one-armed hug.

  As they broke apart, Gabe glanced at Crys and saw her eyes were suspiciously moist and turned away from the two of them.

  So it wasn't just him.

  This really was a BFD. A big fuckin' deal.

  "You gonna be okay, Crys?" Benny asked.

  "I'm staying with her for a couple of days, Dad. I'll make sure she's okay," Gabe answered before Crys spoke.

  "Yeah, Ben. I'll be okay. Gabe will be here," Crys said, her voice firm but flat. Which for Crys meant that she was starting to shut herself off.

  Benny glanced at Gabe who nodded.

  Benny knew that Crys was gonna need some help processing this and Gabe accepted the responsibility to take that on.

  Benny leaned his hands on the bed and kissed Crys's cheek.

  "Love you, Baby Girl," he said as he pulled away.

  "Love you, too, Ben," she whispered.

  Gabe walked his dad out to Ben's truck.

  "You okay, Dad?"

  "Yeah, Gabe. Doesn't feel like there's anything wrong. Just two tests came back and Doc wants to do another one," Ben said trying to head off Gabe's worry. But it was too late for that. Gabe's heart was beating pretty fucking fast and his mind was spinning.

  "Okay, Dad," Gabe said, trying and finding his own equilibrium at the thought of his dad being sick. "Call me if you need me, alright?"

  "Yeah, Gabe," Ben said, climbing into the big cab of his big, shiny, 2011 maroon Ford F-150. His dad liked new things. Pretty new things, he called them. Gabe thought that applied to everything in his Dad's life from women, to poker, to flash designs and ca
rs.

  Just another way which showed how different they were from one another.

  Just before turning over the ignition, Benny turned back and let his eyes wander over the front of the house.

  "You sure about this, Gabe?" he asked softly.

  "More than ever, Dad," Gabe replied, crossing his arms and planting his feet.

  His dad nodded, maybe not with acceptance, might even have been with resignation.

  Gabe watched as his dad drove down the gravel driveway before turning out onto the street.

  She was wiping her eyes with the sheet when he finally got back to her room.

  "Baby?" she asked as he moved to the bed.

  He stayed there on the edge of the mattress letting the sight of her calm him. Too much was going on at once and he didn't want to let the emotions rule him.

  "Right here, Kitten," he whispered, crawling across the big bed to lie next to her as he gathered her in his arms.

  "You okay?" she whispered back, turning her face to his.

  He was quiet as he looked into her navy blue eyes. Eyes such a dark blue you almost took them for brown, until you got close.

  Or until she let you get close.

  "I thought you'd be pissed when you woke up and found me in your bed," he whispered.

  It was her turn to go quiet as she stared back at him.

  "I don't get pissed at everything, do I?" she asked softly, her brow wrinkling.

  Gabe didn't answer straight away, coming up onto his elbow, his eyes never leaving hers.

  Then he leaned in and kissed her, softly at first then allowing all that his heart was feeling to flow from his lips to hers.

  When she opened her mouth under his, he captured her tongue.

  And he was lost.

  Lost in the taste and touch of Crys, the girl/woman that he had loved all his life.

  He was only conscious of her; her mouth, her arms that held him to her so tightly, her legs wrapping around his hips as he moved himself onto her.

  His hips that were thrusting between her legs, covered though they were by a sheet and a blanket.

  Tied up and twisted through the bed covers.

  Grinding against each other, mouths fused, moaning as they writhed.

  Gabe's cock was on fire for her, throbbing, needing a release.

  Her cellphone, charging on the nightstand, rang.

  He pulled up from her mouth.