| Treasure By Ladybug |
| Chapter 9 Having never been to Nassau before, Gabby was rather surprised at how crowded it was. It was definitely what she would consider a “tourist trap”. There were shops everywhere, selling everything and anything you could imagine and the prices were outrageous! Tanner seemed to know exactly where to go. After docking the boat, he’d grabbed her by the hand, telling her to stay close, and off they went. They hit several shops, including the scuba shop, where Tanner apparently knew the owner and was able to get Gabby a new wet suit for a lot less than the tourists. After completing their shopping, they stopped for a bite to eat at a small café. “How long do you think it will take Dunlap to figure out where we are?” Gabby asked after finishing her Caesar salad. Tanner pushed his own empty plate away and leaned back in his chair. “We should have a few days at best before someone who works for him spots us.” He watched her closely, and though she hid it well, Tanner could see the fear in her eyes. Leaning forward in his seat, he reached out and caressed her cheek, getting her attention. Her eyes met his and they held. His gut twisted at the thought of anything happening to her. His hand shook slightly. “I won’t let anything happen to you, Gabrielle,” he whispered softly. “I swear it!” Gabby smiled as she raised her hand to cover his and pressed her cheek into the warmth of his palm. “I’ll hold you to that Tanner Graves, because I’m not ready to leave this earth yet. And besides,” she continued with a wry grin, “somebody needs to look after you.” Tanner’s heart stuttered in his chest and he frowned, his face becoming dark and closed off. He pulled his hand away from her face and sat back in his chair. “I don’t need anyone looking after me, Gabby. I’ve been quite capable of taking care of myself for years.” Gabby rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Okay, fine.” Gabby stood and gathered her purse and shopping bags. “You want to continue to play this game of denial, that’s fine by me. There are plenty of fish in the sea for me to pick from. I don’t need you or your contradictory actions!” With that she turned and walked off. She was tired of dealing with Tanner and his on again, off again feelings for her. Tanner sat there stunned for a moment, then anger filled him at the thought of another man touching her. Damn her for getting under his skin! Damn her for causing him to start feeling again! Without thinking, he jumped up and went after her, catching up with her quickly. Grabbing her arm, he spun her around roughly. “You think I’m in denial?” he growled. Gabby winced as his fingers dug into her arm. “Tanner, you’re hurting me!” “It’s only sex, Gabby,” he said, wanting to strike out at her for causing him to struggle with his feelings for her. “Pure and simple. I lust after you, just as I would for any woman with a great-” Tanner broke off when he felt the stinging slap of her hand across his face. Hurt, anger and tears flooded Gabby’s eyes as she glared up at him. “That was uncalled for, you bastard!” She turned to walk away from him, but he grabbed her arm again, gentler this time, his expression shocked. “Gabby, I-” “Don’t touch me, Tanner!” She yanked her arm from his grasp. “Don’t ever touch me again. When this is over, I never want to see you again.” Again, she turned and walked away. Tanner could only stand there and watch her walk away from him. What the hell had just happened? What in God’s name had possessed him to talk to her like that? Guilt nearly overwhelmed him as he shoved his hand into his hair in frustration. He needed to get a grip on his feelings before they had him so distracted that he got them both killed. Slowly, he walked forward and followed Gabby back to the boat. His heart pounded erratically in his chest at the thought of never seeing her again. He was going to have to make it up to her somehow. She was right, though. What he’d said to her had been uncalled for, and he was a bastard for saying it. Maybe it was for the best that they keep their relationship platonic, and after this was all over, maybe it would be for the best if he just slipped out of her life again. He could feel his gut twisting at the thought, but ignored it. It would be for the best, he kept telling himself. It would be the best for both of them. ***** Gabby threw herself down on the bed in the stateroom and began to cry. She couldn’t believe that Tanner had been so cruel to her, especially after everything that had happened between them. Well now she knew how he truly felt. To him, she was just another conquest, another notch on his belt. That hurt more than anything. She could have handle it if it had just been about not wanting to make a commitment, but to know that he truly didn’t care about her one way or the other hurt more than she ever thought possible. Tanner heard her crying the moment he stepped on deck of the boat. His heart wrenched at the sound coming from the stateroom. “You really are a bastard, Tanner,” he told himself quietly. He went below and stopped in the doorway of the stateroom and wanted to kick himself when he saw Gabby curled up on the bed, sobbing into the pillow. “Ah Gabby,” he whispered softly as his heart broke. Moving quietly, he approached the bed and sat down on the edge. “Go away, Tanner.” “I’m sorry, Gabby. I didn’t mean what I said. I was angry and I lashed out at you.” Gabby wiped at her eyes and pushed herself up into a sitting position. She glared at him. “I don’t want your apologies, Tanner, I want you to leave me alone. I’ve never hated anyone in my life as much as I hate you right now. I trusted you and you tore my heart out. I didn’t deserve that.” Tanner felt a mixture of guilt and anger. “No, you didn’t, but I warned you not to get involved with me, Gab. I told you I would just end up hurting you.” “So you did. I guess that absolves you from any responsibility then.” Tanner couldn’t stand the look of disgust and disappointment on her face. He didn’t know what to say to her. He was torn between wanting to grab her and make love to her until they both screamed or just walking away from her now. “Gabby, please-” “Please what, Tanner? Let you off the hook? Pretend none of this ever happened so that we could just go back to the way it was before? I’m sorry, but I can’t do that. I won’t do that. I handed my heart to you on a silver platter and now I know what you thought of it.” “Stop it!” Tanner snapped. “I never asked you to fall in love with me. I never asked you to give me your heart. That was your decision. You have no clue as to what’s going on inside me, what I’m struggling with.” “Of course I don’t, because you won’t tell me! All I get are contradictions and half-truths. You say there can’t be anything between us, yet you can’t keep your hands off me. You say you can’t love me, yet you treat me as if I’m a precious jewel. You tell me I’m nothing more than a body to warm your bed, yet you’re here now practically begging me to forgive you. Now you tell me: what the hell am I supposed to think, Tanner?” He had no answer for her. He just could not bring himself to admit the truth that he was in love with her. To admit that would mean commitment and trust, and everything inside him rebelled against that. He would have to walk away from her. As much as he hated the idea of never seeing her, never touching her again, when this whole mess with Dunlap was finished and he knew she was safe, he would walk away. Tanner stood up. “I’m going to move us back out to sea where we will be safer. Get some rest, we have a long day tomorrow.” His voice was flat, without emotion. He didn’t look at her as he walked away and went back up on deck. Gabby felt her heart twist painfully in her chest and she cried softly until she finally fell into a restless sleep. ***** “This better be good news,” Frank Dunlap barked into the phone when he answered it. “We found them.” “Excellent.” “They were seen in Nassau this afternoon. I can have myself and a couple of men there by tomorrow morning.” “No more screw ups, is that clear? I want Graves dead and Gabrielle brought to me, unharmed.” Dunlap looked up at the naked woman straddling his waist. He pictured Gabby in the woman’s place and felt himself growing harder. The woman smiled and rocked against him, thinking that she was the one turning him on. Dunlap just let her think what she wanted. “Yes, sir, it will be taken care of tomorrow.” Hanging up the phone, Dunlap was suddenly in a good mood. By tomorrow night, Gabrielle would be warming his bed. He turned his attention back to the woman above him. “Let’s finish this, shall we?” He flipped her over onto her back and moving over her, he drove himself hard inside her, smiling when she cried out in a mixture of surprise and pain. Aaahh, that’s better, he thought to himself as he sought out his own pleasure, not caring about the woman at all. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Treasure - Chapter 10 |