Storm Warning

CHAPTER Eight





The charity car wash was in full effect by Saturday. Three blue buckets were lined up and filled with soapy water in the Pet Palace parking lot. Signs with purple and blue glitter were posted on each side of the lot and Tory had placed one at the closest major intersection, as well.

Hard rock music blasted from the stereo of one of the trucks as she scrubbed bug guts and Lord knew what else off the grill of a cherry red, souped up roadster. The driver, a bleach blonde male with a flashy smile and pumped up ego, was openly admiring the view.

Tory felt his eyes on her and she gritted her teeth every time he told her she’d missed a spot. She obliged him and reached a little further to the left to scrub the invisible spot. After all, the pervert had donated a hundred dollars for their charity. She only wished she’d worn a little more than the bikini top and cut off jean shorts she had on. If she slipped into her t-shirt now, she’d look like a coward.

Tory picked up the hose and sprayed the remainder of soap off the car.

“All done, Mr. Austin. Thank you for your donation.” She dragged the water hose out of the way so he could leave. “You have a nice day.”

“Ah, thanks. Tory, wasn’t it?” He slid on his sunglasses in a swift—obvious—calculated move. She fought the urge to roll her eyes.

“Mmm.”

“I was wondering how long you were going to be in town.” He leaned back on the car she’d just scrubbed for a half hour.

“Were you?” She waited a beat. “Wondering?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh. Well,” she evaded, keeping a firm grip on the water hose sprayer. A handy weapon if necessary, she mused. “We leave today.”

“Ah, that’s too bad. I bet they’d understand if you told them you needed a couple hours. You deserve to have some time off, have a drink with a handsome man.”

“You know, you’re right. I think I will.”

“You will?” He cleared his throat. “I mean, cool.”

“Hey, Gabe. We should get a drink tonight.”

Her laughing eyes caught his annoyed ones. Yes, she knew he had been listening to their conversation and no, she didn’t hesitate to use him.

“Uh, I thought we could go out, I mean.”

“I don’t think he’d like that. He’s really… macho-like. And he’s really possessive.” Choking on her laughter, Tory tossed another look at Gabe who was smiling mischievously now.

Oh shit, she thought as he sauntered over toward them.

“Mr. Austin here suggested you and I go get a drink tonight. Doesn’t that sound like a nice idea?” She forced a stiff smile that clearly said play along, or else.

“I think I’m busy. But you should go on without me. After all, you do deserve it.” Gabe moved a piece of hair out of her face and smiled down at her.

Oh, you son of a bitch. Tory saw red.

“Great, then it’s settled,” Gabe chimed. “Have a good time, you crazy kids.” He winked at Tory and walked away.

“Doesn’t seem possessive to me. What time should we meet?” he asked as he slid an arm around Tory.

Still not quite believing what had just happened, Tory turned and saw Gabe’s back was to them. His shoulders were shaking. He was laughing at her. She pasted a brittle smile on her face and turned to Blondie.

“No,” she stated.

“No?”

“No! We are not going out. Get in your car and go. Now!” At the explosive ending to her statement, Blondie scrambled to his car and revved up the engine. After the ear-piercing sound of screeching tires, he was gone. Left behind was the faint smell of burnt rubber.

Tory stared after him and waited until he fishtailed around the next corner and raced out of site.

One problem down, one to go. She squared her shoulders and kept a firm grip on the nozzle to her water hose. Payback was a bitch and so—at the moment—was she.

She wandered over to where Gabe was now standing, talking to Adam. By the look on Adam’s face, she had a good idea what they were talking about. She stopped two feet away from Gabe and cleared her throat.

He turned around with a lazy smile on his face. “Plans for tonight?”

Adam didn’t miss the gleam in her eyes. Nor did he miss her tightening grip on the water hose.

“No, Tory,” Adam said sternly, attempting to put himself in the way of Gabe. He held his hands up, palms out. “Tory, now wait!”

“Step aside Adam. I won’t be held responsible for innocent bystanders.” Tory raised a brow in challenge when Adam remained standing in front of the traitor.

He exhaled and stepped out of the way.

“Now you, Wills. Hands up and beg for mercy.” She held the hose in her hand like a gun and placed her palm on the trigger of the sprayer.

“I don’t beg.”

“All right. Have it your way.”

She tightened her grip and let out a stream of water. Gabe jumped out of the waters path and lunged forward. Anticipating the attack, she jumped to the side and doused Gabe with the cold water.

“Apologize!” She ordered still running backwards from him. He looked murderous and drenched. “Apologize and I’ll stop.”

“Give me the hose!”

“Okay.” She lowered the hose and continued to saturate him. “You got it!”

Finally, he grabbed her arms and yanked her forward. Tory brought the hose up in an attempt to defend herself, but she threw him off balance and sent him flying backwards onto a soft mound of grass.

“Give!” She struggled to maintain control of the water hose and her laughter. She clamped her legs around him and grabbed a fist full of his soaked grey t-shirt.

“Not a chance.” He flipped her over with an oath, grabbed the water hose from her vice-like grip, and sprayed her with it. “You give!”

“No!” She swiped at him, but fighting physically was useless. With all the seriousness she could muster, she clamped her hands over her face and sobbed.

“What the—” Gabe jerked back as if she’d turned to fire. He’d dropped the hose in the process of panicking. “Did I hurt you?”

“No,” she sniffled.

“Tell me the truth.”

“I am telling you the truth.” She uncovered her face and stuck her tongue out at him.

His face hardened, his eyes darkened visibly. “You little—”

Whatever name Gabe would have called her was interrupted when Tory caught him off guard and thrust her body against his, sending him cruising back down to the ground beneath her.

“I win,” she said. “Fair and square.”

“How the hell was that fair?”

“You’re stronger than me physically. I had to make up for it somehow.” She shrugged. “Oh, come on. Be a good sport.”

She gave his cheek a little pat.

“I’m not good at being a good sport.” Reaching up, he wrapped his hands around the nape of her neck and pulled her down to him. “Re-match.”

Talk about fighting fair, Tory thought as his lips caressed hers. She cruised on the sensation and let his taste consume her. She drove her fingers into his wet hair and gripped, Oblivious to the widened eyes and astonished gazes around them, she lost herself in the kiss.

Through the roaring in her ears, she heard someone clear their throat.

“Ah, Tory. This was kind of your idea and all. Are you going to wash cars or play horny teenage girl with the photographer?”

“Cram it, Adam.” But she rolled off Gabe.

She grabbed two towels and tossed one of them to Gabe, then focused on drying herself off. When she’d done all she could, she lifted her chin, picked up the hose and a scrub brush, and went back to work. Sometime later, a shadow loomed over her.

“Hey, Tory.” She heard Billy’s voice over the noise of drums and air guitars screaming over the radio.

She looked up from the tire she was scrubbing and lifted a brow.

“There’s a storm in Oklahoma forming. If we leave by eight tonight, we can get there by about three in the morning. Grab a hotel, couple hours of sleep, and set up first thing in the morning. It looks big.”

Her stomach dropped. Oklahoma.

“Where at?” she asked quietly.

Billy looked down at the ground and shuffled his feet. “We don’t have to go.”

“Just tell me, Billy.”

“We’d want to bunk down in Ada to stay close to the action.”

Pain slammed into her like a bruising whirlwind. Billy kept talking, but the sound was like a buzz in her ears. She’d been prepared to hear it and had braced herself for the impact. But Ada brought more than pain. Ada.

“We’ll go.” She interrupted her own poignant thoughts.

“Are you sure?”

“I said we’ll go.” Tory dropped the scrub brush in a bucket and grabbed her t-shirt off a chair. “I’m taking a break. Does anyone need anything?”

“No,” Billy said.

“Be back in ten, then.”

Not quite running, she crossed the parking lot and took the sidewalk.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew she would have to go home sometime. She stayed in town during off-season in the tiny apartment she rented. She could never bring herself to live in her parent’s house without them. Now they were going back and from the moment she’d heard Billy say Ada, she knew they would stay at her house.

She should call the cleaners she’d hired to maintain the house and property and ask them to stock the house. Her mind was on those things—food, toilet paper, fresh towels—as she walked quickly down the hallway to her room.

She dug her key out and unlocked the door. Shock held her still as she took stock of her room. Her files were no longer in neat stacks on the table, but slung out on the floor along with the contents of her suitcase. She hadn’t been in her room since the morning before since Gabe had insisted that she stay with him, so she didn’t know when it could have happened.

Not wanting to clutter his space, she’d only taken a small bag to Gabe’s room, leaving the majority of her things behind. What wasn’t damaged was scattered around on the floor. The room looked as though it’d been slammed by a tornado.

“Tory, what the hell’s wrong with—” Gabe came up from behind her and without turning, she knew he staring at the wreckage as well.

“Who did this?” he finally asked.

Tory shook her head mutely and advanced further into the room. “They didn’t miss much, did they?”

“Tory, who did this?” He walked into the room behind her and immediately began checking the bathroom and closets. She shivered, not having thought someone could still be in the room.

“It should be obvious. The Vikings.” Tory all but spat the name as she gathered her belongings. Her arm full of clothes, she cursed Charlie Johnson and wished she’d taken a punch herself the other day. She tossed the clothes on the bed before going for another armful.

“Why?”

“Probably to piss me off. They’re good at it.” She bent to retrieve all her data and notes, giving a silent prayer that they hadn’t damaged any of the articles she’d yet to type up. “Want some coffee or something? I was just coming to take a break.”

“No.”

“Suit yourself. Why don’t you go tell everyone to pack it up? I know we have a few hours yet, but I have to get my things back in order and we can leave early for—for the next location.”

“What are you going to do about this?” He gestured vaguely to the room.

“Ignore it.”

He cursed and stalked to her. She shot her chin up and matched his glare. So he was mad, she thought, watching his grey eyes go black. Fine, she was livid. His hands shot out and she braced herself for anger. She couldn’t have been more shocked when he curled his fingers around her shoulders and rubbed them.

“You okay?” he asked.

The change from violence to gentleness rocked her system. Because her throat was constricted by an unbelievable pressure, she looked at him and nodded.

“All right.” He kissed her brow and drew her against him. “I’ll go tell the guys to pack up and we’ll have dinner tonight before we head out. Do you want to talk about Oklahoma now or later?”

He saw everything, she thought, fighting against the tears. “Later.”

“I’ll be back after we clean up.”

Alone, Tory walked over to the bed and sank down.

She knew she was in love with him and she accepted it. But how could she have been so stupid? She knew what would happen if she fell for Gabe. Hadn’t she warned herself a dozen times now that he would be leaving—at the latest—in August?

On a shaky sigh, Tory rose and faced herself in the mirror above the dresser. She took her time to take her hair down while she stared at her reflection. Could Gabe ever fall in love with someone like her? He was so sophisticated and polished. He always knew the right thing to say and everyone who knew him loved him. She wasn’t any of those things.

She imagined he could have any woman he wanted. He’d been rumored to be with beautiful women. What made him interested in her? She wouldn’t have called herself beautiful.

She didn’t see herself as ugly. Ordinary, maybe—average.

But Gabe had called her beautiful, she recalled. He had such pretty words. What would she do if he told her he loved her?

Tory laughed aloud at her own fantasies. A man like Gabe could never love a girl like her. Why would he? He had money, fame, and he could have any of those beauties he’d been pictured with by crooking his finger.

What would world famous photographer, Gabe Wills want with orphan and nobody Tory Fairchild—waitress and storm chaser? On an oath, Tory spun around and finished stuffing papers back into their files.

She wouldn’t dwell on Gabe anymore. She would just get through the next eight weeks and enjoy the time she had left with him. When August came around, Gabe would walk away. Her heart would be broken and she would deal with that. What choice did she have?





Gabe came back as promised with the rest of the crew in tow. Tory watched them all walking to the hotel from her window and sighed. He looked so right there, she realized, like he belonged. Would it seem empty when he was gone?

However things went between them, her feelings were her responsibility. She wouldn’t burden him with silly declarations of love and need. He had enough to deal with, she thought, aching for him all over again. After having lost both parents recently, she was surprised he managed to laugh and smile as much as he did and make her laugh in return.

She hadn’t handled it as well as he was. True, she’d only been a child. She remembered when the caseworker had come to pick her up, she'd let her pick some things out of her parent’s room to keep.

Tory horded her mother’s jewelry box, never wearing any of the pieces, but keeping them locked away along with her father’s favorite deck of cards and box of cigars he hadn’t had the chance to smoke.

Gabe hadn’t grieved like that. He’d simply buried his beloved parents, hopped on a plane, and was immediately bombarded with her hostility and foolish insecurities.

He was strong, she reminded herself. And for right now, she thought as she watched him from the window, he was hers.

His gaze met hers in the window and he grinned. She smiled back without thinking and felt her heart go to her throat. Love, she mused, was scary as hell. She loved the way he walked, his long, lazy strides eating up the concrete. She watched the lean muscles in his legs bunch and strain with each step beneath his form-fitting jeans.

Absently, she wrapped her hair around her finger and wet her lips, ready to feel his mouth there. His grin turned a little wicked as he watched her. She saw the change in his eyes and reveled in it.

He winked at her before disappearing behind a clutch of trees outside the hotel entry way. Tory closed her eyes on a wistful sigh and rested her head against the window.

She heard the soft click of the door opening, then closing. He crossed the room silently and stopped behind her. His warm fingers touched her scalp, sending delicious tingles to her stomach. Her hair was damp from her shower, making his hand feel hot against her chilled flesh.

His eyes met hers in the glass. Her breath caught in her throat at the raw desire she saw there. “You are so lovely.”

“I’ve been waiting for you to come in here.”

“Have you?” he murmured, running his hand down the side of her silk robe. He untied the sash and she felt the material slide down her skin. His hands replaced the discarded robe making her burn.

“You’re so soft. Your skin feels like the underside of a rose petal. I can’t seem to get enough of it—or of you.”

Tears welled, but she blinked them back. Hadn’t she told herself she didn’t need words? Didn’t want them? Now, they stripped her bare. She was afraid that in that moment, she would give him anything he asked for—even knowing he would give it back to her eventually.

But he didn’t ask. He took. He seemed to know what she wanted, what she needed, and he gave it to her. His lips were warm on hers as he kissed her. His hands were everywhere stroking and feeling. Gentle, then strong. Everywhere he touched, she burned.

“Gabe.” She wanted to tell him things like he was telling her—the way he felt, the way he tasted, but she couldn’t form the words.

“Shh.” He took his mouth down her neck and began to nibble lightly, torturously on her collar bone. His hands gripped her hips as he slid down to sit on the bed, bringing her down to straddle him.

“I’ve thought about doing this all day,” he said as he unbuttoned his shirt. “I’ve thought about making love to you all day. I wanted to punch the prick with the sports car for looking at you.”

She smiled. “I couldn’t stand him.”

“That’s the only reason he left with his face.” He grinned at her when she giggled. “Tell me what you want, Tory.”

“Only you.”

Determined to show him, she brought her mouth down to his. With steady fingers, she helped him take off his shirt, then his pants and when he was naked as she, she took her time tasting the salty flesh on his neck.

His hard, calloused hand closed over her breast. Soft moans escaped her throat. She let the pleasure take her and when she couldn’t stand it anymore, she brought herself up and took him slowly inside her. She trembled with the intense pleasure of being filled.

His low groan of pleasure heated her blood as she moved with him. He gripped her hips as his mouth found hers and she drove herself deeper and deeper. Colors exploded behind her closed lids and when the heat finally crested, she exploded with them. The climax ripped through her and tore her apart, leaving her limp and shuddering.

She would have wept with the glory of it, but Gabe pressed her back against the cool sheets. Then he moved over her like lightening. His hands sought hers and fingers intertwined as he found her mouth again.

“Stay with me.”

She had no choice. She could do nothing but hold on to him, her only anchor in the storm on her bed. She cried out again and again as she crested, then went limp beneath him.

Gabe buried his face in her hair and let himself fall with her.