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Dropping the phone on the bed, I went to the kitchen to check on the lasagna. The closer I got, the stronger the burned smell was. The fire alarm went off and I ran the last few steps.
Waving a hand in front of my face, I raced to the oven, turning it off. When I opened it hot smoke smacked me in the face.
I backed up, my eyes watering. Coughing, I turned and blindly felt my way out. My hand collided with a warm surface.
Arms closed around me. “What happened? Are you okay?” Gabriel led me out of the kitchen. “How much smoke did you inhale?”
“I’m fine.” A cough escaped, mocking my declaration. “I need to open the windows to let the smoke out.”
He led me to the stairs, sitting me on the bottom one. “Stay here. I’ll sort it.”
After I heard a lot of swearing and banging, the fire alarm turned off, and he reappeared. “Not sure what you were trying to make, but it’s now fused to the pan it was in.”
Tears sprang to my eyes, and I turned my head to the side to cover them. “That was supposed to be dinner.” My voice came out wobbly.
Gabriel took a seat next to me. “How do you feel about pizza?”
Licking my lips, I exhaled, successfully stopping more tears from falling. His attention shifted to my mouth and stayed there, as if he couldn’t help himself.
“I’ve never had pizza.”
His head snapped up, his gaze meeting mine. “You’ve never had pizza?”
“I wasn’t allowed to. But I always wanted to try it.”
He got up, and I noticed how tight his T-shirt fit over his chest and biceps. The effect was mesmerizing.
Putting his hands in his pockets, he stood facing me. “Then it’s settled. We’re having pizza for dinner.”
Burned lasagna forgotten, I couldn’t help but smile. “Can I have pepperoni? Or Hawaiian? Oh, wait. I want one with everything. Or should I start small?”
Gabriel’s face went soft, losing all of his usual sternness. “You can have whatever you want. Here, have a look at the menu.”
He handed me his phone, the menu already on the screen. Our fingers brushed, but I ignored the now-familiar jolt running through me at the contact. Whatever was between us would fizzle out eventually if I ignored it long enough.
We ended up ordering four pizzas, and I was so excited I couldn’t keep still. Gabriel let me choose a movie, and we ate while sitting on the couch and watching TV, another first for me.
Once I finished, I sank back into the couch with a groan, patting my belly. “I can’t move.”
He laughed, the deep, rumbling sound shooting through every part of my body. “I’m not surprised since you ate almost a whole pizza.”
His phone rang, and he shot me an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, but I have to take this. We’ve been having issue at one of our warehouses.”
My body locked up tight when he didn’t move from his seat on the other end of the couch. I clenched my hands so hard my nails bit into my palms, drawing blood.
Why isn’t he going to another room? Maybe I should excuse myself before I hear something I shouldn’t.
Oblivious to my inner turmoil, he shot me a smile before answering whoever was on the phone. “Nobody knows that the next shipment is coming in two days earlier. That should stop any issues. And we have a decoy filled with our men on the actual day, so hopefully we’ll finally catch the bastards who’ve been messing with our shipments.”
He listened to the other person talking, and I stood up. Gabriel shot me a raised eyebrow, and I mouthed, “Bathroom.” Then I ran out of there, locking myself in one of the guest bathrooms on the bottom floor.
Before I could think about it, I pulled my phone out of my hoodie pocket where I’d stashed it earlier and texted Aleksándr.
Me: The next shipment is coming two days early. Don’t touch the one arriving on the day. It’s a trap.
He didn’t respond, but I didn’t expect him to. He’d complain that I’d texted instead of calling, but the less I spoke to him, the better. The guilt about what I’d just done made my stomach constrict. Rushing to the toilet, I threw up all the delicious pizza I’d consumed.
Once the heaving stopped, I splashed water on my face, avoiding looking in the mirror. The hate and shame over the person I’d been forced to become made me want to smash the glass. I’d never despised my life more than in that moment.
