“God, I can just imagine.”
“I feel guilty,” I whisper.
“Why? Toto, this wasn’t your fault? How could you think that?”
“Because it was my fault,” I insist. “I wouldn’t let him choose the restaurant because I was worried about a photographer spotting him with me. So I chose, and then I told him we could walk. If it wasn’t for me, we would have never been there. And if that wasn’t enough, I acted stupidly under the circumstances, just making the whole situation worse.”
Alanna stops in her tracks, pulling me to a halt.
“No. I won’t let you do this.” She stares at me intently. “This is absolutely not your fault, Victoria. They were just really shitty circumstances that you couldn’t control. You had no way of knowing, and quite frankly it could happen to anyone, anywhere in this city. You acted the best way you knew how in the situation, and I don’t think you were stupid at all. You were trying to protect the man you care about.”
I nod sheepishly, trying to hold back the tears. I’m so sick of crying. I don’t want to cry anymore.
We walk on in silence for a few more moments before Alanna speaks again. “I’m really sorry about my slip up earlier Toto. I didn’t mean to say that in front of Gabriel, I was just so worried I wasn’t thinking straight.”
“It’s okay,” I reassure her. “I just hope he won’t be interrogating me about it later.”
We spend nearly three hours shopping. I end up with two silky camisoles and some new lace panties for the weekend. I buy a small bottle of jasmine massage oil and a new baby blue tie for Gabriel. I liked the color on him, and I hate that his new shirt got ruined.
Alanna insists on treating me to a pedicure, saying it’s very important to have pretty feet on these kinds of trips. We stop for coffee and dessert on the way home, and that manages to kill most of the day. By the time we get back to the apartment, I have just enough time to pack and throw on some warm clothes before Gabriel arrives.
Once we’ve ensured Alanna arrives safely at Nathan’s apartment, courtesy of Paul, Gabriel and I head downstairs. I half expect another driver to be waiting at the curb but am shocked when all I see is a sleek black motorcycle.
“Is this what we’re taking?” I turn to him excitedly. The thought of him riding that has my panties soaking wet already. The bad boy has returned.
“You’ve got it, baby.” He winks. “You’re gonna’ have to hold on tight.”
Chapter Nine
Gabriel
I thunder down the freeway with Victoria’s arms wrapped around me tight. She’s the first woman that’s ever been on my motorcycle, not to mention the first I’ve ever taken to my cabin. For some reason, she’s the only one I could ever imagine bringing here. Anya would have hated coming to a place like this. So would the rest of them.
We spend two hours on the road before we make it to Hunter. It’s just a small town, in New York away from the noise of the city. But my cabin is even further away, down a long dirt road in the middle of a whole lot of nothing.
I purchased this place for that very reason. It’s my place to hide away from the world when I need to. Nobody else knows I own this property. But I look forward to showing it to Victoria, holing up with her for the next two days.
After several miles of driving through dense forest, I turn down another dirt driveway that dips into a small valley. As the cabin and private lake come into view, I hear Victoria gasp behind me.
I pull to a stop and turn off the motorcycle. As I unload the bags and lead Victoria inside, her eyes are darting around, taking everything in. I’m afraid to ask if she likes it. Because I really need her to like it.
The lights are already on, courtesy of the housekeeper. Victoria stands in the doorway, looking around the kitchen and dining area. When she turns, she spots the large open windows overlooking the lake and finally makes a noise of approval.
My chest fills with relief as she walks across the room and stares out at the water.
“Gabriel, this place is amazing,” she says. “So beautiful. I never would have expected it.”
I walk over and pull her against me, kissing her softly.