Black (Clashing Colors Book 1) (14 page)

“Uhm, your ice cream tastes amazing, it’s like a little piece of heaven,” I said and took another big bite.

Gabriel studied me for a moment. “I hope your little piece of heaven is worth the hell you’re getting when you come over here, young lady.”

I kicked at the water to make him wet and grinned. “Ohhh, is Daddy going to punish his little girl for being naughty?” I said, but the expression on his face almost made me drop the ice cone.

“What did you say?” he asked, but he wasn’t laughing, and the way his Adam’s apple jumped in his throat made me go over what I had just said in my head. “Oh shit, no, I didn’t mean it like that.” I tried to explain. “I don’t want you to spank me or play the P game or anything.”

We both knew I was referring to Anna and Mark’s perverse games of age-playing. But we were nothing like them.

Gabriel stood there, staring at me with the soft ice dripping down his hand.

“Okay,” he said and blinked a few times. “No, of course I won’t spank you.” But there was no conviction in his voice and the way he looked at me made my heart beat faster.  

“Here, you can have your ice cream back,” I said and hurried to him.

He looked down at the half-melted soft ice in his hand and then he threw it far into the ocean.

“Hey, that’s littering,” I accused him.

He squatted down to wash the soft ice off his hands. “No, it’s not. I’m simply feeding the fish.”

“I was going to give you back your pistachio, but now that you threw my ice cream away, I’m keeping it.”

He got up and surprised me with his speed when he reached out and grabbed my wrist. “We’ll share it,” he said and brought my arm closer to his mouth. Keeping eye contact, he licked a large chunk of the ice cream, and I swear it did funny things to my stomach. Then he pushed my arm back toward my mouth and by default I spread my lips and tasted the sweet pistachio.

I didn’t know what to do when he stepped closer and took another bite of the ice cream while it was still in my mouth. The way he leaned in while gazing into my eyes made me think of kissing, but of course our lips never met, as the ice cream was between us.

Yet with his closeness and the burning expression in his eyes it felt dangerous, and I was starting to freak out.

In reflex, I pushed the ice cream away from me and because he was so close, most of it ended up on his nose.

“I’m so sorry,” I said while he was trying to get the ice cream off him. He used the ocean to wash his face and hands and got pretty wet in the process. It was a good thing that the weather was so warm and sunny.

“Let’s do what we came here for,” he said and started walking toward the main street again. “Let’s find you some clothes.”

I followed him and when he reached his hand back I even took it. We were, after all, still playing the roles of father and daughter.

Gabriel found a small shop with women’s clothes. The selection wasn’t big but he was excited when he found a colorful stack of t-shirts.

“How about this one?” he asked and held up a yellow t-shirt with a v-neck.

I wrinkled my nose at his suggestion and picked up a black one that I liked.

He arched a brow. “No black, Cia.”

With a questioning look I picked up the same style in a charcoal gray.

He shook his head and pointed to the third color in that style. White.

I picked it up and held it out in front of me. I couldn’t remember ever wearing anything white, but it was better than the rainbow colors I’d been wearing at the camp and the yellow color he had just suggested. I agreed to at least try the white shirt on.

“How about a pair of jeans?”

“Black jeans?” I asked hopeful.

“No, white jeans or blue.”

I chose white since the blue ones reminded me of my mother who had always worn tight blue jeans.

“What about bras and panties?” he asked and went to the rack and picked out a white set with lace.

“I don’t even know what size I am, I only ever wear sports bras,” I told him.

He held out two sets to me. “I think one of these two will fit.”

I took the jeans, the shirt, and the two sets of underwear and headed for the fitting room.

“Remember, as your dad, I need to see it on before we buy it,” he said with a charming grin.

A woman turned her head and gave us a curious look.

“He’s much older than he looks,” I muttered as I passed her.

Gabriel followed me with a chuckle.

The jeans were a size too small, so he went back and got me the right size. The shirt looked nice – too nice, but he liked it. The underwear was sweet and yet seductive. I was flattered that he had chosen two in a C cup because even though it was ridiculous I was still happy that he estimated my breasts to be much bigger than they were.

“Why don’t we try with a B cup? I think that’s more realistic.” I told him.”

He frowned. “Not to sound cocky or anything, but I’ve seen my share of tits and yours are definitely a C cup,” he said. “My ex, Heidi, was a lingerie model, and I know about these things.”

Figures that Gabriel’s ex was a lingerie model, and here I was trying on my first set of grown-up underwear with lace. To my surprise, the man was right. I was a small C cup. I took a minute to admire the design in the mirror.  

“Wow, you look good,” Gabriel said and I lifted my head to see him peeking in from behind the curtain.

“Hey, don’t be a creep, I didn’t say you could look.”

His head disappeared quickly and I got into my pre-teen clothes and met him outside the fitting room.

He took the pile from me. “Anything else you want?” he asked.

I shook my head. “No, I already owe you too much money.”

He paid for the clothes and handed me the shopping bag.

“Come on, sugar, I need a cup of coffee.”

The woman in the store told Gabriel where to get the best coffee, and since the town was very small we reached the small coffee house quickly.

“There is something I wanted to discuss with you,” Gabriel said when we sat at a table with our drinks in front of us. “You owe me three hundred dollars for the bail and I wanted to make you an offer on how to pay it back.”

I tensed and sat down my glass of iced tea. This was it. I had known all along that he was too good to be true. I prepared myself for the disappointment over his proposal and wondered how many sexual favors he felt he should get for three hundred dollars.

“Can you cook?” he asked, and that made me raise my brows.

“No,” I answered. “Not unless you call scrambled eggs and microwave noodles cooking.”

“Can you clean?”

“I’ve cleaned the rooms at The Inn for the last seven years. Of course I can clean, why?”

“Because I was hoping you would help me out over the summer until I go to Missouri.”

He had told me about his new job, training sappers, and I didn’t like the thought of him going away. “When is that?” I asked.

“September. We still have almost four months, and I don’t like cleaning and cooking, so I wondered if you would help me out and work off the money that way.”

“What about the money I owe you for the therapy?” I asked.

“I told you that was a gift,” he answered.

I looked down. “How often do you need me to come by your place and clean?”

“Daily.”

“Daily?” My head whipped up. “How messy are you? I can’t come daily.”

“Why not?”

“I live in Kirkland. It will take me at least an hour a day on the commute alone, not to mention the cost of the bus fare to Seattle. You’ll have to cover that.”

“Nope.”

I played with my glass. “Come on, G, it’s at least five dollars for a round-trip ticket. That’s thirty-five dollars a week; I can’t pay that.”

“Why take the bus when you can crash on my couch?”

I narrowed my eyes. “Are you serious?”

He took a sip of his coffee. “Yes. I’m very serious.”

“I don’t know. What happens when you leave in four months? Lee is probably already pissed at me for staying away these two weeks. If I disappear for months, he might not take me back and where would I be then?”

The way Gabriel slammed his coffee cup down on the table made me jump in my seat.

“You are never going back to sleeping in that closet,” he said with fierce determination.

“All right. So let me get this straight. You are willing to let me sleep on your couch if I clean your house and cook for you.”

“Yes.”

“Can you cook?” I asked him.

“That’s debatable, but I guess we’ll just have to learn together.”

“I make a mean bowl of cornflakes and milk,” I joked.

He grinned at me. “Then at least we won’t starve.”

“Okay.” I smiled at him.

“Okay,” he repeated and smiled back. “Then that’s settled.”

When we drove back to Camp Crazy we were both quiet, and I for one was contemplating the generosity of his offer. We had already been roommates in a small cabin for ten days, but still, for him to share his apartment with me was something else completely.

I turned my head and studied him for a long minute.

He shot me a side glance. “Do I have something on my face?”

“Were you always such a kind and generous person?” I asked.

“Ha. If you ask some of my exes, they’ll tell you I can be a real ass, and as I recall it, you weren’t too impressed with me a few nights ago yourself.”

“I know, but still, you didn’t have to bail me out of jail, or take me home with you, but you did. You even went above and beyond when you came with me to Camp Crazy.”

He kept his eyes on the road but a smile lurked on his lips.

“No one has ever done anything remotely as nice for me, and when you got between me and Anna, that was just…”

He turned his head and looked at me. “Just what?”

“It was amazing. No one has ever stood up for me before, and I’ve had to face bullies all my life. I can’t tell you how cool it was to have you as a huge wall of human protection between me and that lunatic.”

Gabriel scratched his stubble thoughtfully. “I could have sworn I would never push a woman, but seeing her go at you just made me furious.”

“So you came to defend me.”

“And protect you.” After a minute he added, “When I was a kid and my mom married my stepdad I couldn’t do anything when he talked down to my stepbrother and -sisters. I used to sit at the table and watch it happen and I knew deep inside my soul how wrong it was, but there was nothing I could do.”

“Could you have spoken up?”

“I tried speaking up a few times, but I was only a small kid and he would just ignore me like I didn’t even have a voice. I think seeing Anna attack you brought me back to that feeling, only this time I could actually do something.”

“Is that why you became a soldier? To fight injustice?”

He nodded slowly. “Yeah, and to protect the weak.”

“I’m not weak,” I objected.

“Really?” he said and I sensed a challenge.

“Why would you think I’m weak…? I’ve survived on my own always.”

“Yet you’re not strong enough to face your demons.”

I snapped my head toward him and clenched my jaw. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“Your mom. You’re still scared of your mom.”

“Ha!” I scoffed. “The only thing that scares me about her is that I might end up killing her if I ever see her again.”

“I won’t let that happen, I’ll make sure she doesn’t touch you and vice versa.”

I didn’t answer him but sat quietly and thought about it.

“As I see it, this is an ideal chance to confront her and find your peace. Bruce is on your side and will be there to mediate between you. I’ll be there as your bodyguard, and I guarantee she won’t touch a hair on your head.”

“A bodyguard has to be willing to take a bullet for their clients, you know,” I said in an attempt at humor.

“I know,” he answered simply.  

“So if I don’t confront my mom, you think I’m weak?”

He lifted his shoulders. “Maybe not weak, but you would definitely earn some serious street credit in my book if you did it. That would make you a real badass.”

“And who doesn’t want to be a badass with street credit in your book?” I said sardonically.

Gabriel grinned and turned on the radio. “Whatever you decide, I’m on Team Cia.”

“Even if I decide to confront my father.”

“Especially if you decide to confront Brent. I would even make a huge banner, if it helps.”

“If you promise to dress up in a cheerleader uniform and bring pompoms, I’ll do it.”

He laughed. “I don’t think cheerleading uniforms come in my size – and besides,” he said dryly, “if you’re strong enough to confront your mom, Brent will be a walkover.”

“So you really think I should do it?”