Healing Gabe (The Last Hangman MC #3)(14)

“I know you and Annie talked about the clubs and so I started spying on Trent whenever I could to gather info so she could tell you. I was hoping it would give us a chance to escape if you guys knew what the Kings were up to and decided to take them down. The day she was going to tell you about their attack was the day that she was stolen from us.

“I tried to warn you as well but Jared was at the compound that day and caught me spying on them. They knocked me out and threw me in their van and then drove to the warehouse. When I woke up, you were tied up to a chair and Annie was attached to one of the beams and you know the rest. I wish I could have warned you and they could have been stopped. Maybe I’d be dead and she would be alive, and then you two would still be together.” I can’t hold the tears back any longer and I break down in his arms. He pulls me closer to him and just sits there for a moment.

“Shhh, it’s going to be okay, Viv. I don’t know how but I’m gonna make sure everything is okay from now on,” he whispers in my hair.

“Nothing will ever be okay.” I look up at him and brush my fingers along the scar. “I’m so sorry,” I whisper. He places his hand over mine, closes his eyes and nuzzles my hand.

“It’s a daily reminder of the hell I’ve been through, and yet it brings back memories of those beautiful purple-ish eyes looking up at me with relief when I took you away from that motherf*cker.” I swallow hard. This is too intense and I’m scared of my body’s reaction to him. I just want to wrap myself around him and make us both forget all that has gone on. I want to make him happy again; I need to make him happy again. He opens his eyes and his gaze locks with mine. “I’ll never regret stepping in that day. It is probably the reason why I’ve been through so much shit, but I’ll never regret meeting you.” He brushes his lips over mine and for a second I let myself get lost into the moment, despite knowing deep down, he’s talking about Annie. They may have only had each other for a short amount of time but she was his one true love and he was hers.

I pull away and look at him, biting my lower lip. “This is a bad f*cking idea. We shouldn’t.”

“No, we shouldn’t have, but it f*cking happened.” He sighs and goes to the kitchen. “Do you have lemon, salt and a deck of cards?” He looks at me with a smile playing on his lips.

“What in the hell do you plan to do with lemon, salt and a deck of cards? A magic trick?”

“Oh, I’ll show you a magic trick.” He smirks and grabs his cock through his jeans and I roll my eyes.

“You’re disgusting.” Disgustingly hot! He shouldn’t do those kinds of things. I’d go down on my knees and suck him in a heartbeat. What the f*ck is wrong with me?

“I know and you love it. So? Deck of cards? Salt? Lemon?”

“Fruit bowl, cupboard above your head and I’ll get the cards.” I glare at him before going into my office, looking in a few boxes before I find a pack of cards. I smile when I find a picture of me and Gabe, it’s the only one I have of us. Annie was bizarrely insistent on taking a picture of the two of us, I think deep down she knew I was in love with Gabe as well. I think back to the day the picture was taken, we were all at the fair and Gabe had just won a huge teddy bear for Annie and I. Clearly ecstatic with ourselves, me and Gabe are smiling stupidly and he’s wrapped me in his arms while I’m trying to hug both his waist and the bear. I smile at the memory and walk back to the kitchen to show him. His smile slowly turns to a frown then back to a smile.

“I remember that day.” He chuckles. “You two had been bugging me for hours to win you each a huge bear. I’m just glad I won two of those f*ckers or one of you would have been bitching at me for hours!” He smiles up at me and looks back at the picture, brushing his fingers over my face. This gesture fills me with joy and sadness at the same time. He seems to be warming up to the idea of being around me which is good, even if it is a constant reminder for me that he will never be mine. “You bet we would have!” I smile softly and hand him the deck of cards. “So, what are they for?”

“Strip poker?” he says making me spit out the sip of beer I had been taking, nearly choking on it.

‘What did you say?”

“Strip poker.” He smirks and holds up a bottle of tequila.

“Oh no, we’re not!”

“Oh yes, we are. Come on, it’ll be fun and we both need to loosen up a little. What better way to do that than with alcohol?”

“Why does it have to be strip poker though?”

“It makes it more fun.” He grins and takes everything to the living room and begins setting up the coffee table. “Come on!”

I sigh and reluctantly follow him. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind one bit seeing more of his toned, tanned naked body, but I’m not comfortable with him seeing me naked. I suck at poker and I’ll be naked in no time, knowing my luck he’ll still be fully clothed. “This is unfair,” I say sitting down.

“What is and why?”

“This!” I wave my hand over to the cards. “I can’t play poker.”

“Even better for me then.” He chuckles.

“Fucker!”

“You know it and you love it, so suck it up, Viv.” He winks at me and distributes the cards while explaining the rules. “Think you can handle it?”