Beautifully Used (The Beaumont Brothers Book 2) by Susan Griscom Page B
Authors: Susan Griscom
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grabbed the towel from me and began wiping it across my chest, smearing the sticky mess around more than drying it up. I placed my hand over hers helping to sop up the shake, her eyes widened and lingered at my chest as her fingers brushed against one of my nipples. I held my breath as her fingertips skimmed down over my stomach along with the towel.
“ You’re all sticky now.”
“It’ll wash off.”
“I’m so sorry,” she said again, still trying to get the stickiness off my chest, but only managing to make my blood turn a little warmer. I should get away from her. Now .
“ No big deal. It’s okay. I’ll just hop back into the shower again and rinse it off.”
“Again?”
“Yeah, I just had one, but now you can join.” I couldn’t resist. I know, I was a cad, but she looked so gorgeous standing there, her t-shirt slick with ice cream, smelling of vanilla and being so upset about plowing into me.
She completely ignored my offer to join me, which didn’t make sense and certainly didn’t seem like the Gabrielle I was beginning to know. That Gabrielle would have come back with something sarcastic, or some vehement refusal. I was sure of it. Instead of sarcasm, she stood there staring, her brown eyes wide with … I don’t know, horror? Jeez. Was I that bad?
I thought it best to forego my stupid offer, and attempted to cover it up with, “Look, it’s no big deal. I’d barely dried off from the first shower. I can just hop back in.”
She didn’t seem to hear me as s he stood looking like a scared little girl, murmuring in a small soft voice, “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. Please don’t be mad.”
I reached out to touch her arm and she flinched. “I’m not mad. Are you okay?” I asked because she was definitely not acting or sounding like herself. There was something going on inside that pretty head of hers, and I wasn’t so sure she was going to snap out of it. I touched her arm again, and she cowered back as if she thought I might hurt her.
She slowly shook her head as though in a daze. “Please don’t make me …”
“Make you do what?”
She seemed so far away as she stood there mumbling, “I didn’t mean to. Please. I’ll be good.”
“Gabrielle. What’s going on?” She took a step back, shaking her head at me. “ Gabrielle!” She continued stepping away, staring at my stomach. “Gabrielle! Look at me!” I said, taking her arms in my hands. I let the towel drop to the floor and her eyes followed it. “Gabby, please look at me!”
She finally l ooked up and our eyes met. Hers were glossy with wetness as a tear dripped down her cheek. She swiped at it with the back of her hand. “Sorry.”
“Wha t the hell is going on? Where did you just go?”
“Nowhere.” She tugged out of my grasp and took off for the guest room she was staying in. She went inside, shutting the door.
“ What the fuck just happened?” I mumbled and took off for another quick shower.
Chapter 12
Gabrielle
After closing the door, I leaned up against its hard surface and sank to the floor. I brought my knees up to my chest and cradled my arms on top of them, burying my face on top of my arms, not caring that my t-shirt was rather sticky and smelled like vanilla milkshake. Why had that awful vision come into my head? I hadn’t thought about any of that stuff for many years. Except when I wrote the book, but even then, the memories hadn’t been that prevalent in my mind. In fact, I’d felt much better after writing it all down. Giving the story to my characters instead of me had helped relieve my anxieties. Removing myself from the situation and giving the problems to someone else had been something I’d done inside my head many, many times. Writing it as someone else was just as easy. It paid off, I guess, since my new publisher and editor both said it seemed so real. The editor even asked me if it had happened to me. I denied it all, of course. I always tried to see the
“ You’re all sticky now.”
“It’ll wash off.”
“I’m so sorry,” she said again, still trying to get the stickiness off my chest, but only managing to make my blood turn a little warmer. I should get away from her. Now .
“ No big deal. It’s okay. I’ll just hop back into the shower again and rinse it off.”
“Again?”
“Yeah, I just had one, but now you can join.” I couldn’t resist. I know, I was a cad, but she looked so gorgeous standing there, her t-shirt slick with ice cream, smelling of vanilla and being so upset about plowing into me.
She completely ignored my offer to join me, which didn’t make sense and certainly didn’t seem like the Gabrielle I was beginning to know. That Gabrielle would have come back with something sarcastic, or some vehement refusal. I was sure of it. Instead of sarcasm, she stood there staring, her brown eyes wide with … I don’t know, horror? Jeez. Was I that bad?
I thought it best to forego my stupid offer, and attempted to cover it up with, “Look, it’s no big deal. I’d barely dried off from the first shower. I can just hop back in.”
She didn’t seem to hear me as s he stood looking like a scared little girl, murmuring in a small soft voice, “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. Please don’t be mad.”
I reached out to touch her arm and she flinched. “I’m not mad. Are you okay?” I asked because she was definitely not acting or sounding like herself. There was something going on inside that pretty head of hers, and I wasn’t so sure she was going to snap out of it. I touched her arm again, and she cowered back as if she thought I might hurt her.
She slowly shook her head as though in a daze. “Please don’t make me …”
“Make you do what?”
She seemed so far away as she stood there mumbling, “I didn’t mean to. Please. I’ll be good.”
“Gabrielle. What’s going on?” She took a step back, shaking her head at me. “ Gabrielle!” She continued stepping away, staring at my stomach. “Gabrielle! Look at me!” I said, taking her arms in my hands. I let the towel drop to the floor and her eyes followed it. “Gabby, please look at me!”
She finally l ooked up and our eyes met. Hers were glossy with wetness as a tear dripped down her cheek. She swiped at it with the back of her hand. “Sorry.”
“Wha t the hell is going on? Where did you just go?”
“Nowhere.” She tugged out of my grasp and took off for the guest room she was staying in. She went inside, shutting the door.
“ What the fuck just happened?” I mumbled and took off for another quick shower.
Chapter 12
Gabrielle
After closing the door, I leaned up against its hard surface and sank to the floor. I brought my knees up to my chest and cradled my arms on top of them, burying my face on top of my arms, not caring that my t-shirt was rather sticky and smelled like vanilla milkshake. Why had that awful vision come into my head? I hadn’t thought about any of that stuff for many years. Except when I wrote the book, but even then, the memories hadn’t been that prevalent in my mind. In fact, I’d felt much better after writing it all down. Giving the story to my characters instead of me had helped relieve my anxieties. Removing myself from the situation and giving the problems to someone else had been something I’d done inside my head many, many times. Writing it as someone else was just as easy. It paid off, I guess, since my new publisher and editor both said it seemed so real. The editor even asked me if it had happened to me. I denied it all, of course. I always tried to see the
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