Tainted Legacy (YA Paranormal Romance) (13 page)

“
I
don’t think they’re reckless. I just thought
you
would think they’re reckless,” he admitted.

“Are you a bad driver?”

“No.”

“Do you drive too fast?” He opened his mouth but she cut him off. “Let me rephrase that. Are you capable of driving the speed limit?”

He made a face that suggested it was a possibility.

Not a priority.

“Perfect. Then I see no problem.” Ava beamed at him happily.

“Your parents are okay with this?” Gabe wondered. The last thing he ever concerned himself with was what a girl’s parents thought. He told himself he was only curious this time because he couldn’t have Ava getting in any kind of trouble that would result in not being able to see him. And he was only concerned about
that
because he needed to keep his father happy. Any other reason would be completely absurd.

“Yes,” Ava assured him. “My parents are both fine with it. As long as you drive the speed limit and I wear a helmet. In fact, my dad used to have a motorcycle when I was a kid. You know, just because he’s a pastor and just because my family has a strong faith doesn’t mean we can’t have
fun
.”

“I’m beginning to get that,” Gabe muttered as he handed her the required helmet.

He had been surprised when she’d suggested it. They had been trying to decide what to do the next time they got together. They’d gone everywhere there was to go in Hunter Falls. The thought of returning to Granville so soon after the mugging incident left an unpleasant feeling in Ava’s stomach.

So she had suggested taking a ride on Gabe’s motorcycle.

The look on his face had been a priceless blend of surprised anticipation.

Ava took the helmet from him. Her eyes roved over the machine in appreciation as she slipped heGit on. She missed riding with her dad. She’d been more upset than he when he had decided his reaction times had slowed too much and it needed to go. She’d loved the feel of freedom and excitement.

Admittedly, her parents had not been excited about the idea of Ava riding with Gabe. She pointed out how responsible he had always been with her and had assured her parents she felt perfectly safe with him. Ava had promised that the speed limit would be maintained, a text would be sent every once in a while confirming her safety and a helmet would be worn. After reiterating these ground rules countless times, they had relented.

“What about yours?”

Gabe just smirked.

“What? You’re one of those guys that think you’re invincible?” Ava asked as she ground her fist into her hip and pretended to glower at him.

“Something like that.”

“No one is invincible,” Ava disagreed as she worked the chinstrap. “And I’d be unbelievably upset if something happened to you.”

“Nothing is going to happen to me. I promise,” Gabe said as he made a serious face at her,
“because I’m going to behave myself and drive the speed limit. Now, where to?” he asked as he easily swung a leg over the seat.

Ava climbed on behind him, realizing she enjoyed holding on to him a little more than she should.

“I could get used to this,” she teased. She had decided that tonight, she was going to figure out what was happening between them. She wasn’t exactly sure how, but she had a few ideas. She didn’t know if Julia’s assessment had been accurate but at least now she had a theory to work with. And she was going to put it to the test.

“Used to what?” Gabe asked as he tossed a curious glance over his shoulder.

“This,” Ava told him with a flirty smirk. She wiggled a little closer, tightening her grip around his waist.

“Oh.”

She thought she caught a glimpse of the look Julia had been referring to but he shook his head subtly and his features cleared.

She tilted her head to the side and gave him a playful smile. “Is that okay?”

His voice seemed to drop an octave, sending a little rush down Ava’s spine. “Yeah, it’s okay. So, uh, where did you say we’re going?”

“I didn’t. But I thought since it’s such a beautiful evening we could just ride for a while? Then later, there’s something I want to show you.” She hadn’t gotten approval from her parents to bring Gabe to her cabin. But since she hadn’t asked, they hadn’t exactly disapproved either.

“Can’t you show me now?” Gabe asked smirking back.

“Later,” Ava assured him. “I have this little cabin. I just thought maybe you’d like to see it.”

“A cabin? You’re just full of surprises,” Gabe told her.

“I hope that’s not a bad thing?”

He shook his head and laughed. “That really depends on how you look at it,” he evaded but his eyes grazed over her face appreciatively. “So, I guess for now, we’ll just ride.”

He turned around and started the bike. The rumble it sent through the air and the vibration it sent through her body made Ava tremble with exhilaration. When he took off, she momentarily wished she was without a helmet too, so she could feel the wind pulling at her hair. But she would never go without and wished Gabe wouldn’t either. She was certain no amount of nagging on her part would change his mind so thought it best not to bother.

At times Ava felt herself relax, barely hanging on to Gabe as he drove through the quiet country side. Other times she leaned into him holding on tightly, sliding her hands up the inside of his leather jacket so she could trace lazy circles across the hard muscles of his abdomen. She could feel his body stiffen in surprise when she did this but he never moved her hand away or asked her to stop so she took the liberty to continue to do as she wished.

Since the moment Gabe had agreed to take her for a ride, she’d been daydreaming about it. About being so close to him for hours on end. She had admitted to herself nearly from the start that she had a little crush on him. But she felt it growing into more than that. He was always so polite and fun to be around. She was finding she loved to spend time with him. The few times that they couldn’t get together had left her feeling disappointed but then she was just looking forward to the next time that much more.

She only wished she could get Gabe to talk a little more about his family, or even himself. He was often vague and changed the subject as soon as he was able. Or he turned around whatever question she had asked so that she was the one who ended up answering.

Today wasn’t the day for more questions. Today she was just going to enjoy spending time
with him, being able to keep her arms around him because it would be expected.

Soon, though, she was going to make him talk.    

They rode for hours, stopping periodically to check out some scenery or an interesting little road stand and lastly, to grab something to eat. It was dusk by the time they rolled down the driveway to her cabin. She had almost suggested skipping it and saving it for another night. She knew her parents would be happier if they’d reserved riding for daylight hours. But they hadn’t insisted she come home yet so she was going to take advantage of that.

“So your grandpa just gave this Cst f that.

“He left it to me in his will, yes. I used to spend hours out here in the summertime. He’d take me fishing or sometimes he’d fish and I’d just lounge around in the boat and read. I know it’s nothing fancy,” Ava began.

“No, it’s…” Gabe faded off, searching for the right word.

“Cute?” Ava suggested as she glanced around, trying to see the cabin through his eyes.

“Yes!” Gabe said with a teasing smile. “‘Cute’ was
exactly
the word I was going to use.”

“I figured,” Ava teased back. “That or ‘girly’”.

“It is that, too,” Gabe agreed.    

She knew the place wasn’t all that impressive. The log siding had been painted brown and was in need of a new coat of paint. Ava planned on tackling that later but first she’d concentrated on transforming the inside to her liking. After her redecorating it was comfy and cozy and uniquely her own.

She’d painted the kitchen cupboards cream and the walls a pale turquoise to accentuate the 1950’s style formica table and chair set that was in shades of cream and aqua. The living room she’d painted navy blue since it coordinated with the plaid jewel-tone furniture set her grandpa had left. For the bedroom she’d chosen the same deep plum as her bedroom at home. There was a small woodstove in the corner of the living room but Ava rarely used it since they closed the cabin down for the winter.

“Your grandpa lived out here?” Gabe asked as he threw himself down in the overstuffed chair. Ava, disappointed, sat on the sofa across from him.

“Yes, after my grandma passed away, he did. He always loved it out in the country. He used to preach at a small country church not too far from here. It closed down after he retired. It was over a century old, like a lot of country churches,” she explained. “It had become almost impossible to maintain so when he retired, the church council decided to close it down and most of the parishioners moved into town.”

“He was a pastor too?” Gabe acknowledged with a slight frown.

“Is that a problem?” Ava asked. She was confused by the look that had crossed over his face but it had quickly evaporated. She had seen this look before. Or at least she thought she had. It faded so quickly that it usually left her wondering if she’d imagined it due to her unquenched curiosity about him.

“What? No. I mean, I know you mentioned he was a chaplain in the war, I just didn’t realize he was a full-time pastor after he came back.”

“Why would you know that?” she wondered.

">
He shrugged. “No reason.”

“Okay, well, it’s getting late but there’s one more thing I wanted to show you.” She rose from the couch and took Gabe firmly by the hand, leading him outside. It was the first time she’d taken his hand in hers. She instantly liked the feel of her much smaller hand getting lost in his.

The evening air had cooled off considerably after the sun had set. She was glad she’d worn her boots and a denim jacket.

“This is it,” Ava said as she led him onto the dock that jutted out into the lake. It wobbled and swayed gently under their weight. “I just wanted you to see the view at night.”

The lights from town splashed a hazy, amber glow over the treetops on the far side of the lake. The water glittered as it reflected the stars above.

“I love it out here,” Ava told him. Gabe stood beside her at the end of the dock. Her fingers still comfortably entwined with his. “My dad is really into astronomy, gazing up into the heavens and all that. We used to sit out here at night with a telescope.” Ava sighed happily. “In fact, for my tenth birthday he had a star named after me.”

“Really?” Gabe asked, curious.

“I can show it to you,” she offered.

Gabe’s eyes swept over the night sky. “Ava, do you realize there are like a million stars up there?”

She laughed. “Actually, you can only see about a thousand at any given time.”

“Well, that does narrow it down some,” he teased.

“Here,” she said as she stepped in front of Gabe. She automatically leaned back into him as she tried to align her sight with his. Her body curved into his like it was meant just for him. His hands went to her hips and she relaxed against his chest.

“See that star that’s pulsating slightly?” she asked as she pointed to it.

“I’m not sure where you’re looking,” Gabe admitted. As he leaned over, his cheek rested against Ava’s as he followed the path of her pointing finger.  “Okay, yes. I think I see the one you’re pointing at.”

Her heart did a little tumble in her chest as she felt his slightly rough cheek rest against her smooth one. She shivered, hoping he would attribute it to the cold. Or maybe she wasn’t hoping that at all because when he slid his hand around her waist, pulling her back ever so slowly until there wasn’t a sliver of space between his body and her own, she felt all traces of the frigid night melt away.

“Is that it? The one that’s twinkling?” he asked. 

“Then go up two, and over three.”

“That one?” he asked as he took over the job of pointing out one single star in the midst of a thousand other stars. His hand bumped into hers.  Instead of removing it, she took his hand in her own, pointing along with him.