Fraud

He’s casual today, dressed in a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt. It’s a good look on him, the cotton doing nothing to hide the strength of his body.

I might as well be naked for the way he stares at me.

“Get out,” I remind him. “I need to get dressed.”

He crosses one ankle over the other and settles against the pillows, his biceps bunching when he lifts his arms to place his hands behind his head.

“Actually, I think we have a score to settle on that front. I seem to remember you stripping me down to nothing and getting a good view. It’s only fair you return the favor.”

Cocking a hip, I laugh. “It wasn’t that great a view. Don’t flatter yourself.”

Yes, it was, actually.

Insane, really.

This man’s body should be immortalized in sculpture.

He cocks a brow in challenge. “Are you shy, Ivy? That’s so unlike you. I’m disappointed.”

“Maybe I’m just trying to save you the frustration of seeing everything you’re not allowed to touch.”

He grins at that, and his eyes flicker with evil.

“I’m not leaving. You’ll want me here in the next hour or so. I can promise you that.”

Laughing, I shake my head. “Sure. Whatever you say. Stay put if you want. It’s no skin off my back.”

I try to hide the fact I’m walking on shaky legs. Hoping I’m not failing, I cross the room to a bureau set near the bathroom and pull out a small summer dress and clean panties.

My back is to Gabriel when I pull my nightgown off, a choked sound from the bed drawing my notice.

Clutching the nightgown to my bare chest, I glance over my shoulder to see Gabriel taking a long, slow look down my body and back up again.

“Problem?”

He smiles when his eyes meet mine. “Not at all. I just swallowed down the wrong tube. You know how it is.”

Such a liar, this man.

“Uh huh. And here I thought you must have seen something you like.”

A small shake of his head as he looks around the room and back to me.

“There’s nothing special that grabs my attention. I’m not sure why you thought that.”

With a roll of my eyes, I grab my clothes and haul ass into the bathroom.

“I’m taking a shower,” I call out. “If you get bored by yourself, there’s a balcony you can jump off.”

He laughs. “I’d never do you the favor.”

“Such a shame,” I say, the door slamming behind me just before I lock it and slide down the smooth surface.

Fuck my life. I have no idea what to do to get rid of him. I can call Scott and tell him to get me. I can jump on my dad’s private plane and fly away. I can run again, but I have the sneaking suspicion none of this will be easy.

Gabriel wouldn’t have come all this way if he didn’t have a plan in place. And what did he mean by saying I’d want him here?

I don’t want him here.

I want him at home, a thousand miles away from me, his cold fury and jagged temper a perfect match to the cement and steel city.

How the hell did he even get into my room this morning?

There’s no telling with him, and with that thought in mind, I shove up to my feet and force myself into the shower. The hot water does nothing to soothe my frayed nerves, is powerless to ease the tension from my shoulders.

I want to hide in here forever, but I know that’s pointless. He’ll wait forever just to piss me off. Gabriel is aggravating in his level of patience.

One thing I’ve learned through my war with him is you never know when he’ll strike back.

Knowing this won’t end the longer I stay in the shower and panic, I get out and get dressed, being sure to take my time brushing my teeth and throwing my wet hair up into a messy bun.

Gabriel is still on the bed when I walk out of the bathroom, his eyes glued to the screen of his phone instead of lifting to look at me.

He’s far too relaxed for me to trust anything about this situation.

“Okay, so enjoy the room for the next hour or so, but I won’t be here much longer. They’ll probably ask you to leave since I’m checking out.”

I begin packing my things, and he chuckles behind me.

“I’m going with you, or I guess I should say you’re coming with me.”

“It’ll be a cold day in hell when that happens.”

“You should grab a coat, then. I’d hate for you to catch a chill,” he murmurs, the tone to his voice ru

I spin to look at him.

What the fuck has he done?

You know what? No. There’s nothing he can do to trap me. Gabriel is lying like he always does and is trying to psych me out.

It’s not going to happen.

After finishing my packing, I march into the living room to grab my phone from my purse. Gabriel steps out of the room just before I hit the button to speed dial Scott, my lips twisting up into a fuck you grin.

He cocks his head and stares back at me, casually leaning a shoulder against the doorframe while I listen to Scott’s phone ring on the other end.

The call goes to voicemail, and my brows tug together in confusion.

Scott never misses my calls. Not even in the middle of the night when I shouldn’t be calling.

Maybe he’s in the bathroom or taking a shower.

Hiding the twinge of panic I’m feeling, I leave him a chipper message letting him know to pick me up as soon as possible.

It’ll take me a little while to check out and settle the bill, so I’m sure he’ll have heard the message and be heading over by then.

Hanging up, I drop my phone back in my purse and stare at the amount of bags I have. There’s no way I’ll be able to carry them, so I grab my electronic key and decide to leave them behind.

“How’s your bulldog doing?” Gabriel asks, his voice far too assured to be comfortable.

“He’s great,” I lie, refusing to meet his stare. “Never been better. He’ll be here any moment.”

I head for the door, and Gabriel calls out at my back.

“You’re leaving all your stuff behind?”

Flicking my fingers at the massive stack of bags, I answer, “I’ll send a valet for them. That’s too much to carry.”

Gabriel grins, just the corner of his mouth tugging up. “If you say so.”

Oh, I do not like the look on his face. Not at all. The liar is up to something, and it’s hard to breathe.

“Are you ready to go?” he asks as he pushes away from the wall.

“I don’t need an escort,” I insist while opening the door to step out into the hall. “It’s been good seeing you, Gabriel, but I have places to be.”

He steps out behind me like a demon at my back.

“We’ll see about that, Ivy. I can’t wait to find out where you’ll go next.”

What the hell is that supposed to mean?

And why do I get the feeling I don’t want to find out?