The physical pain is agony but the mental pain is unbearable. Roseline has a gaping hole in her heart, oozing misery at an alarming rate. The passing days have run together and the pain shows little sign of letting up. On the contrary, it seems to be ramping up with sadistic excitement.
Now she knows why bonded partners are never meant to be separated. Although the bond in invisible, the effects are not. She can’t eat, can’t drink, and can’t think of anything but Gabriel. Every cell, every fiber, longs for him.
She stumbles from the chair by the window back to the bed. The same routine she carries out every hour just to have something to distract her. It doesn’t really work, but she feels better just thinking it might sometime. It is pretty pathetic when she thinks about it so she chooses not to.
Cockroaches scatter around her feet, skirting the yellowing floral wallpaper that is peeling from the motel walls. They seem to thrive off the mold growing around the pipes in the bathroom. Who knows what other things lurk in this room.
She made it to somewhere in southern Illinois before running out of gas. Not the crude oil type. Emotionally and physically she had fallen apart. Her legs had given out on her and dumped her off on the front step of this dive, nearly a thirty-minute run from Jimmy’s bar and where she left Gabriel behind. One quick stop at her house for a bag of clothes was all the delay she allowed before she ran for it.
Too bad she doesn’t have a clue where here really is. All she knows is that it’s some backwoods motel with farmland as far the eye can see. Despite the Bates Motel feel about the place it does offer one very appealing thing—privacy.
Flickering static on the TV screen is the only light she allows into the room. The only interaction she has with the outside world is her call to the lobby to pay the sleazy, armpit-stained, tobacco-spitting clerk, who has suggested more than once that he is free after ten each night if she wants some company. She might want to wallow in her degradation but she does still have some moral standards.
When the phone rings on the bedside table, Roseline stares blankly at it. The annoying sound wiggles through the haze shrouding her mind. Her hand flops against the sticky tabletop and shoves the old-fashioned corded handset onto the floor. The ringing is replaced by an irritating loop informing that the call has been disconnected.
Rolling back over, she buries her face in the soiled cover. Even the scent of sweat isn’t enough for her to move. She wants to die, to do anything to make the pain cease.
With cat-like agility, Roseline leaps from her bed and hovers behind it as the motel room door rocks on its hinges. Someone or something has just slammed against the other side, and it doesn’t sound human.
Terror washes over her like a wintry sleet as her gaze sweeps the room. Acid churns in her stomach as she realizes she never planned an escape route. Stupid!
She lunges for her bag, tucks into herself, and then silently rolls to her feet beside the door. Whoever is on the other side will know she is braced for attack. It is fight or be taken and she refuses to even consider the second option.
The wall-shaking bang comes again as Roseline crouches low, dropping her bag beside her so her hands are free to fight. There is a pause and a disgruntled curse. Her ears prick at the sound of a key sliding into the lock. She scowls, annoyed with the hotel clerk for royally screwing her over.
Her muscles pull taut as she waits. She stills her breathing and focuses only on the sounds outside—deep breathing and indecipherable, angry muttering.
The door swings open and she dives, slamming the person into the far wall. Plaster rains down around them as Roseline fights for the upper hand. “Ouch!”
“Gabriel,” she gasps, leaping back from him. She backs away, watching as the figure rises in the dark.
“Nice to see you too, Rose.”
“Oh no.” She quickly spans the small gap between them and spins him around, scanning for any injuries. “Are you okay? Did I hurt you?”
“I’ll be fine,” he huffs, holding his bruised side. “Man, you’ve got a good tackle. Too bad you’re a girl.” His chuckle sounds forced and edged with a pain that he tries to smooth over. Roseline helps him to the edge of the bed, wincing at the drool-dampened spot where she had just been lying.
She backs away to a safe distance once he is settled. Crossing her arms over her chest, she chews on her lower lip. When he doesn’t speak, she is forced to ask the obvious question. “Why are you here?”
“I came for you.”
She sinks to her knees as her wobbly legs give way. It is bittersweet to see him. Just the sight of him chases away the sorrow.
Apart from a gash above his eyebrow and probably a few bruised ribs to add to what looks to be one heck of a black eye, Gabriel looks amazing. All warmth and unrelenting love.
“Ugh,” he grunts, looking around the room. “This place is disgusting.”
Roseline makes a sweep of her own and cringes. “Yeah, well I wasn’t going for five-star luxury. I just wanted somewhere secluded.”
At the reminder of her sudden disappearance, Gabriel’s face droops. “Do you have any idea how worried I was? Sadie’s convinced some psycho kidnapped you. William has been putting up signs with your picture on it all over the neighborhood. I wouldn’t put it past him to get you plastered on a milk cartoon!”
“I know,” she sighs, bowing her head. The tips of her greasy hair brush the cigarette-burned carpet.
“I thought I lost you,” he mutters. Roseline closes her eyes to the pain in his voice. It hurts just knowing that he was upset. He drops to the floor before her. “I can’t imagine living without you.”
A tear escapes through her clenched eyes. “I know.”
“Do you?” he asks. His hand reaches out to push back the clumped curtain of hair from her face. “I stopped going to school, stopped going to practice, and royally ticked off Steve, but none of that mattered anymore. You consumed my thoughts and pushed out the rest of the world. I thought I would go crazy if I couldn’t find you.”
“How did you?” she whispers, staring up into his glorious face through her tears. It is the face of an angel, her guardian angel. Suddenly she wonders why she had ever been foolish enough to leave his side. This is where she belongs. She knew that from the first time she felt the tug toward him, but she fought it. A lot of good that did!
“I felt you,” he whispers, gently rubbing his thumb along her cheek. “I can’t really explain it without sounding crazy, but I could. I knew you were alive but I didn’t know where you were. Then this morning I just couldn’t stand it anymore. I got in my car and drove around the city, trying to think, and that’s when I felt you. It was faint, almost like a small pulse when I turned onto the interstate but I decided to follow it.”
“This pulse led you to my door?” she asks, amazed.
He nods, a smile stretching across his face. “It was the strangest thing, but I knew I would find you. I didn’t care how far I would have to drive or how much it would cost me, I was going to see you again. Thankfully you were only a few hours away ‘cause I sort of forgot my wallet when I ran out of the house this morning and didn’t love the idea of having to thumb a ride when I ran out of gas.”
A small laugh escapes her lips. “Somehow I think someone would have given you a lift.”
He returns the smile. His hand slips around to the back of her neck. “I found you and I am not letting go this time.”
The intensity of his promise stakes Roseline to the ground. The fire in his eyes cannot be denied, nor can the flames burning within her chest. This is right, as incredible as it is, and Roseline doesn’t want to fight it anymore.
She had been wrong to assume that he would be able to forget her. By whatever magic that binds them together, Gabriel has become just as in tuned with the bond as she is. The why’s and how’s will no doubt plague her for many nights to come, but in this moment, she feels her resistance
falter.
Her fingers curl around his shirt, pulling him toward her. His eyes widen but she only smiles as she brings her lips to within a hairsbreadth of his. Gabriel’s hands press firmly on her arms. She frowns, leaning back, annoyed at his rejection.
“No offense,” he says, crinkling his nose. “But you kinda reek.”
“Oh,” she gasps, scrambling to her feet as she realizes the state she is in. “Don’t look at me.”
She makes a mad dash for the bathroom and slams the door behind her. She slides down the door as Gabriel’s chuckle reaches her. “Take all the time you need. I don’t want you stinking up my car.”
“Be thankful I can’t reach you right now,” she threatens through the door as she reaches to turn on the shower. Freezing water sprays in erratic squirts as she strips and jumps in. “You never said what your dad did when you stopped going to practice. Did he flip?”
“You could say that,” Gabriel responds. “I practically had to sign over my life to him to make up for nearly getting kicked off the team. If it weren’t for the fact that they need me to win State, I would be long gone.”
“So what did you have to agree to?” Roseline rubs the suds into her hair, sighing with relief as days of filth wash away.
“I’m not allowed to miss any more practice. I have to make up all of my homework that I’ve missed and I have to wax his car every weekend until I leave for college.”
Roseline reaches out to shut off the water. Small wisps of steam rise from her unnaturally warm skin. She yanks down a towel and dries off before tiptoeing to the door. “I’m really sorry, Gabriel.”
“It’s worth it.”
She gazes at his profile through a narrow opening in the door, wishing she could run her finger over his smile. The memory of their kiss in the museum makes her weak in the knees. Heat begins to flame in places best ignored during situations like this, alone, in a grimy motel room.
“Can you throw me that bag by the door?” She holds the bathroom door tightly against her chest to minimize his view.
Gabriel snatches the bag and peeks inside. “You mean this one? The one with all of your clothes?”
Roseline narrows her eyes at his mischievous chuckle. “Don’t even think about it.”
“What?” he says, grinning from ear to ear. “Would it be my fault if I accidentally threw it just out of reach so you’d have to come get it?”
“Trust me, you will regret it if you do.” Her threat falls weak as she bursts into giggles.
Silence fills the room. She leans back against the bathroom wall. “Gabriel?”
“I’m thinking.”
Roseline chews on her lip, thinking over her options. She shrugs and gives into her reckless side as she slips out of the bathroom. The towel she is wearing is small, more like a glorified hand towel, but it covers her well enough. Gabriel stands just a few feet away, twirling the bag around his finger. The moment he sees her, his mouth drops open and the bag falls to the floor, forgotten.
His gaze follows the beads of water slowly sliding down her shoulder, dripping from her wet hair. The farther south he looks, the hotter his cheeks grow. All of Roseline’s former confidence vanishes as she fidgets under Gabriel’s intense scrutiny. For the first time, she is struck with low self-confidence. It’s a foreign feeling, one that she detests. He gulps, finally returning to meet her gaze.
“Wow,” Gabriel says.
Roseline smiles timidly. “Can I have my bag now?” Her fingers dig into the towel’s rough material, praying that her trembling hands do not betray her and let go.
Gabriel’s Adam’s apple bobs as he nods, dipping low to pick up the bag. He steps forward, leaning to hand it to her. His rampaging pulse sounds loud in her ears as he closes the distance. The instant his fingers touch hers, Gabriel jerks back and marches determinedly towards the bed. He flops onto it and plunges his hands through his hair. A heavy sigh escapes his lips.
“Are you okay?” Roseline asks, suddenly unsure. She has never had a guy react like this before but, then again, she has never been with a guy who is physically able to walk away, especially when she presents herself in such an appealing manner.
“Uh…yeah,” Gabriel clears his throat, blinking slowly. “I think so. I’m just not sure how much self-control I can manage at the moment.”
“Right, well I’ll just go get dressed.” Roseline slips back into the bathroom. Even through the closed door, she can hear his whispered groan. “Calm down, you idiot. You’ve just found her so don’t mess this up.”
Roseline’s fists pump in a small surge of triumph. So, Gabriel isn’t completely immune to her charms.
Nineteen