“He’s not, sweetheart. I’m sure he’s fine.”
“But how do you know?”
“I don’t,” she admitted. She ran her fingers through the soft strip of hair down the center of his head, trying to comfort both of them. She tried to catch his eye, but he was too busy staring into the horror in his own mind to see her. “Why don’t you call the police station and see if they picked him up? You’ll feel better knowing that he’s safe.”
Gabe tensed and then turned his head. His eyes focused on hers at last, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
“Why didn’t I think of that?” He kissed her and pushed up from the bed. “My woman is a genius,” he said. Before she could track his movement, he was already out of the room.
She prayed that the cops had come to pick the kid up after Gabe had called them. If they hadn’t, she’d pack Gabe into the truck and go looking for the teen and his rusted old pickup truck. Gabe wouldn’t be able to rest until he was sure the kid was safe.
She pushed her hair off her face and rubbed her eyes. Lord, she could only imagine the guilt he felt over Joey’s death. She didn’t even want to think about what it had been like for him to hear his name screamed in agony. And to keep hearing it in his dreams? She shuddered.
She was glad they’d lied to Joey’s parents and told them that their son had died instantly. No one needed the burden of the details. Certainly not her hunky, nerdy, sweetheart of a rock star. She wished she could erase that memory from his mind and his heart. She couldn’t even fool herself into believing that she’d made any sort of a difference in listening to him tell the story. And now it would haunt her too.
Wide awake, she climbed from the bed, stretching her arms over her head and taking note of the time. It was just after ten p.m. Her stomach reminded her that they’d skipped dinner. Again.
She was going to write a book on the Gabriel Banner Diet Plan: how to lose weight by being too distracted to remember to eat. The accompanying exercise book would be X-rated for sure. Equipment not included. Readers would have to find their own distracting hunk and accessories—Gabriel Banner was her workout partner and hers alone.
She headed toward the kitchen for something to eat and hoped he didn’t mind her making herself at home.
She was bent at the waist searching for food in the fridge—and she was pretty sure that three olives did not make a meal—when she heard an intake of breath behind her.
“Now that is definitely the most delicious thing that’s ever been in my kitchen,” Gabe said.
“Food?” she asked, backing out of the refrigerator and looking for whatever Gabe had discovered as delicious. “Where?”
He chuckled. “I was referring to you,” he said.
She flushed. “Oh. Thanks. But I could really use something that I would find delicious.”
“How about a protein shot?”
“Eww, Gabe!” She cringed and he laughed.
“I keep the fridge empty when I’m on the road, but there are probably some nonperishable goods in the pantry.”
“I was starting to think you don’t ever eat. It would explain why you’re so lean.” And why he looked so damned good naked.
“I think that’s from all the energy I expend drumming.”
“Oh.”
“And when you’re near, f**king.”
All part of the Gabriel Banner diet plan, she thought, but she didn’t want to sound stupid, so she refrained from voicing her thoughts.
He went to a narrow door off the kitchen and disappeared.
“Let’s see,” he called out to her. “We have beans, peaches, and spaghetti sauce. What sounds good?”
“Protein shots.”
He popped his head out of the pantry to look at her in surprise, and then he laughed. “That can be dessert. I don’t think you should swallow that stuff on an empty stomach.”
“I don’t think I should swallow it at all. Do you have any pasta to go with that spaghetti sauce?”
He brought out a mostly empty box of penne, a bit of elbow macaroni in a cellophane bag and half a serving of fettuccini. “This should be interesting,” he said.
She followed him into the kitchen and leaned against the counter to watch him as he set a pot of water to boil.
“Did you get in touch with the police about that kid?” she asked, thinking he must have because his mood had improved significantly.
“Yeah, the truck was impounded and his grandfather came to pick the kid up from the station,” he said. “I bet he’ll think twice before getting wasted and stealing his grandfather’s truck in the future.”
“I’m glad he’s safe.”
“Me too,” Gabe said and rummaged through the freezer until he found some frozen meatballs, frozen garlic bread, and frozen vegetables.
“So that’s where you hide all the food,” she said.
“I guess I should have gone shopping this afternoon instead of making you go swimming against your will.”
“I had fun at the lake,” she said.
“I’m glad you’re easy to satisfy.” He tossed the frozen meatballs into the microwave.
“I wouldn’t say that. I’d say it’s the company I’ve been keeping that made today perfect.”
She caught his pleased smile as he wrested a cookie sheet out of a cabinet with a loud clatter. She knew people complimented him all the time about his musical talent, but she got the feeling that few truly appreciated him for who he was off tour.
The doorbell rang, and Melanie stiffened, acutely aware that she was naked and that the entire front of Gabe’s house was glass.
“Who would be visiting at this hour?” she said, hurrying toward the bedroom for clothes.
Gabe was right on her heels. “It can only be one person,” he said.
A female voice called from the foyer. “I saw your lights on. Are you fit for company?”
“Who is it?” Melanie said, thinking it awfully rude for someone to barge into someone else’s house without an invitation at almost eleven o’clock at night. She shimmied into a clean pair of panties and hunted through her suitcase for an outfit that sort of matched.
“That would be my mother,” Gabe said, tossing a long-sleeved T-shirt over his head. He was fully dressed and rushing out the bedroom door before Melanie could get her arm in a single sleeve.
“His mother?” she said under her breath. She eyed his bed, not because she wanted to roll around in the sheets with him, but because it looked like a decent place to hide.