Consent (The Loan Shark Duet 2)

The sound I’m waiting for doesn’t come, but he gives me better. He wraps his arms around me and pulls me to his body. The minute his strength envelops me I collapse, my knees caving in while my hands fist in the shirt under his jacket. It doesn’t matter that I can’t stand, because he is there to catch me. I breathe in his spicy and clean scent, enormous relief making me dizzy and, now that I’m no longer alone, also leaving me weak.

“I was so afraid,” I whisper, letting out a tremulous breath and clutching his clothes as if they’re my lifeline. “I was so afraid every day.”

“Shh. I’m here now.”

His hands are broad and strong on my back, and I sink deeper into the strength he provides. The way he holds me is hesitant. I sense he wants to say more, but after another heartbeat, he scoops me up in his arms, snatches my bag from the makeshift table, and carries me to his car.

I know men like him, and I know the gift he just offered is greater than any I could’ve hoped for. More than believing me when I said I didn’t fall pregnant on purpose, he forgave me for running, and he’s allowing me to have a baby he doesn’t want. He didn’t have to. He could’ve dropped me off at a clinic with instructions and fetched me back as his toy. Men like Gabriel don’t do well with pregnant toys. A big belly won’t serve his needs. Or maybe I’m done being his toy. Whatever the case, I’m filled with relief. I lean my head on his chest in gratitude.

He opens the door, lowers me in the passenger seat, and fits my seatbelt. He removes his jacket and dumps the gun in the cubbyhole. The jacket goes on the console between our seats and my bag at my feet. When he takes the wheel, I dare to ask again, “Charlie?”

He squeezes my knee. “Don’t fret, beautiful. He’ll be fine.”

After fastening his seatbelt, he steers us into the traffic and dials Rhett on the hands-free kit with a single instruction. “Take Charlie home.”

I lean my head back, for the first time in three months not worrying about dying. With the earlier adrenalin wearing off, I feel like a washed-out ragdoll. I don’t care about what waits for me at home. All that matters is that we’re safe.

Gabriel cups my neck and pushes my head down in his lap, my body cushioned on his jacket. I keep my eyes open and absorb his power. His thigh muscles bunch under my cheek as he steps on the clutch and changes gears. I watch his enormous hands as he grips the wheel and takes charge of my destination. The feeling I once had of placing myself in his hands, trusting him to be a good driver who’ll bring me safely to my destination, is now real. I rely on him to drive us six hours straight through the night and deliver us home. There’s not a doubt in my mind he’ll navigate any pitfall without falling asleep or crashing the car. Gabriel is too decided, rational, and faultless for that. His chest rises and falls with steady, deep breaths, the reassurance I need that he’s securely on his course and knows what he’s doing. I can let my guard down. For once, I can rely on someone else to take control.

I nestle deeper into his lap, letting his warmth enfold me. Masculinity radiates from the flex of his muscles as he manipulates the powerful engine of the car. He doesn’t break the speed limit, and this further reassures me. He turns up the heater and puts the radio on a classical music station that helps soothe me.

Once on the open road where he doesn’t have to change gears, he brushes a palm over my head, tangling his fingers in my hair. For a while he rubs the tresses between a thumb and forefinger, and then he strokes my shoulder and arm. He runs his hand over my back and comes to a stop on my waist, his fingers playing gently over the side of the bump that used to be my flat stomach. I turn slightly to find a more comfortable position, and Gabriel doesn’t change his hold on me. He keeps his fingertips on the curve of my belly, lightly, yet protectively.

The moon is visible from the passenger side window where it breaks through the clouds. It moves with us, bringing along the milky-way stars. There’s something soothing about the sound of the tires rolling on the tar and the music playing softly in the warm background while I’m cocooned in a strong man’s lap as the cold, dark night speeds past outside. Finally, the comfortable, luxurious safety of it all lulls me to sleep. I fall down a rabbit hole of deep, exhausted, crazy dreams where property like me is cherished.