Watch Me Take Your Girl by Tina Martin

muscular frame. “Tyson, look at me.”
    He reluctantly did as she asked, but felt angry at the thought that he might lose the woman he loved. “Tyson, I appreciate you. I care for you and I know there’s not a better man for me.”
    “Then why are you going away with him, Gabrielle?” he asked, giving her a penetrating look.
    “Because I need to do this. I know you don’t understand . Sometimes, I don’t even understand, but I need to do this. Just trust me.”
    He took her into his embrace, strumming his fingers up and down her back. “Okay,” he said, brushing a kiss across her temple. “As long as you come back to me.”
    “I will. I promise.”
    Tyson drowned his hands in her hair and tilting her head up, he drove his lips into hers, kissing her. He’d let her go with Dilvan so she could get her closure, but if Dilvan so much as put a scratch on her, he’d be a dead man.
     

 
     
     
     
    Chapter 10
     
     
    “ I’m so glad you’re back, Gabrielle,” Padma said, squeezing Gabrielle. “Oh I’ve missed you so much, daughter.”
    “I missed you too, Padma.”
    Gabrielle was at the grand opening celebration of Padma’s Food House , the second location in Tyson’s neck of the woods. With this restaurant, she managed to get a waterside location, even had an outside deck for guests to dine.
    “This is beautiful, Padma.”
    “Thank you, darling.”
    “You’re welcome,” Gabrielle said. “The patrons are just going to love this view of the water.”
    “Yes. It certainly adds to the ambience.”
    Gabrielle noticed the black and white balloons lining the deck and the front entrance of the restaurant.
    “Come on in, Gabrielle. It’s pretty crowded in here, but I had Prasad save us a table.”
    Gabrielle followed Padma inside. The place was crowded and loud, filled with a blending of voices, conversations and background music. This grand opening was a big deal. There were several town officials present who admired the work Padma did for the community.
    The waitresses were serving appetizers and finger foods – mini beef tenderloin sandwiches, shrimp cocktail, panko-crusted crab cake bites and bacon quiches.
    Tyson was in the kitchen preparing al l the desserts, including mini Oreo cookie cheesecakes, chocolate cakes and chiffon cakes with chocolate and vanilla layers.
    As Padma and Gabrielle approached the table, Heshan stood up and said, “Hey, Gabrielle. Good to see you.”
    “You as well, Heshan.”
    “Hi, Gabrielle,” Prasad said.
    “Hi, Prasad.”
    “You haven’t met my wife, have you?”
    Gabrielle glanced over at the beautiful, West Indian woman sitting next to him with long, black, silky hair and beautiful brown skin.
    “This is my wife, Lalita. Lalita, this is Gabrielle.”
    “It’s so nice to meet you, Gabrielle,” Lalita said.
    “You as well.”
    Gabrielle took a seat.
    Padma ran off to the kitchen to make sure everything was running efficiently.
    Gabrielle exchanged small talk with Lalita , laughing and conversing with her like they were old girlfriends, making plans to get together soon.
    When Gabrielle saw Dilvan emerge from the kitchen, she gasped. He was stunning. She could understand why all the women on his Instagram account were drooling over him, leaving comments about his gorgeous eyes, his well-toned body, stroking his ego; especially over his Hanes photo shoots.
    Today, h e was dressed in a gray suit that enhanced his phenomenal gray eyes. He wore a lilac colored shirt underneath and a charcoal necktie. Gabrielle inhaled a quick breath when she realized he was heading straight for her. The man still made her skin crawl and not in a good way. Even though she tried to be strong and pretend she wasn’t intimidated by him, the truth was, she was afraid of Dilvan. After what he did to her, she had ample reasons to be.
    Why am I going away with him , she thought to herself. If she felt this nervous now, she’d be a wreck in the same car with him. At a private beach