Free Abel by Elizabeth Reyes Page A

loosely, but it was just a figure of speech. Although when she’d told Roni that it was what she was doing with Abel, she knew what she wanted Roni to think it meant to her. It was likely what he wanted it to mean as well. She remembered his apprehension on the cruise and the entire months leading up to it when the sexual tension between them had begun to feel unbearable. It wasn’t until she’d made it clear what she was game for that he was interested. In case he was asking because maybe she’d begun to give him the impression that perhaps the rules had somehow changed, she played it safe and went with that. “Just enjoying my freedom, I guess. I have no one to answer to now, and I’m taking full advantage of it.”
    Again that beautiful Adam ’s apple on his big thick neck distracted her. She’d expected a smile maybe, at the very least a slight show of relief in his eyes. But there was neither. She sensed he had more to say or ask, but he didn’t. Instead he finally pulled his penetrating gaze away and sat back, taking a drink of his water.
    It seemed he was done killing time with small talk or talk of her divorce. Without letting go of her hand , he laid his head back on his seat and closed his eyes.
    ~*~
    They each checked into their respective rooms at the hotel, but Abel had no intention of sleeping alone that night, not for their entire stay for that matter. They would be there for three nights, so it’d be the first time they’d be spending this many days and nights of letting loose together. And if Abel got his way, it wouldn’t be their last.
    The young male attendant behind the counter had recognized Abel immediately , and he was a talker. The last thing Abel wanted was for this guy to go spreading the word about him and Nellie checking into one room only as he would’ve liked. The press would begin hounding her in no time. So they went through the motions of checking in separately for appearance’s sake.
    The moment the elevator doors closed , Abel pulled Nellie to him and kissed her. “Stay in my room tonight,” he whispered against her lips. “Only reason I had them book two rooms was because of the damn paparazzi; otherwise, I would’ve just gotten one.”
    He waited to see if she ’d protest in any way about his presumptuous admission. “You sure no one will catch wind of it?” she asked, staring at his lips.
    Abel couldn’t help smiling. “I honestly don’t give a shit for my sake. I just want to avoid your life being turned into a circus.” Feeling his smile wane a bit, he added, “For as long as I can anyway.”
    Lifting her gaze from his lips to his eyes , she stared at him momentarily without saying a word. He wanted her to get that this thing they had wasn’t going away anytime soon. And while he kept reminding himself that he’d already tasted firsthand his reaction to knowing she might still be living it up with other guys, getting her to change her mind about that eventually might be easier than pulling back now. Because with every moment he spent with her now, the likelihood of that happening was beginning to feel impossible.
    The anxiety mounted as he waited for a response to his last comment. Would she remind him again of the unspoken rules ? Point out that he was starting to sound as if he might be breaking them? Already he’d asked her about her ex more than once. He’d even taken it a step further by asking if she was seriously thinking of never remarrying. She, of course, reaffirmed her desire to make up for what she’d missed out on when she’d been tied down to one guy the first time. What had been the most galling was that serious relationships were not on her to-do list.
    “ Don’t worry about me.” She smiled, easing his anxiety a bit. “I’ve had my share of the press, and I think I can handle them.” The elevator came to a stop, and she began pulling away from his embrace. “But I know how private you are and how much you’d prefer to stay out of