Free Where She Belongs by Asrai Devin Page A

a
quick breakfast then I'll run you to your parent's house for clothes
and we'll head to work."
    "You
can take me to my car."
    "Afraid
someone will know you slept with me?" He couldn't resist teasing
her a little.
    "No.
I'd rather have my car," she snapped.
    He
shook his head. Serious, guarded Shanna was back in full force. "Go
make coffee and we'll figure out the rest after that." She
seemed frozen in place. "I will change in front of you, Shanna."
    That
spurred her into action and she left, clomping down the stairs. He
dressed quickly not wanting to squander anytime he had with her now.
Downstairs, sipping coffee, she looked calmer. He poured himself a
cup of coffee and sat across from her at the table.
    "You
could have told me you had another bathroom." She lifted her
brows at him.
    He
couldn't help smiling. "I could have, but I didn't know if you'd
make it in time."
    She
shook her head, but smiled back.
    His
heart lurched as he imagined sharing coffee at this table every
morning. Even better, lazy weekends together, where he would bring
her breakfast in bed, then make love to her afterward. His entire
body reacted to that idea, and he realized his masturbation session
in the shower hadn't done much.
    "Toast?"
he asked.
    "Sure.
That sounds good. I usually eat light for breakfast."
    He
got up and filled the toaster. "I guess it's a good idea if I
take you to your car first. You'll want to go to the hospital in the
afternoon."
    "I
don't know if I told you, they said they might release Dad today."
    "That's
good news. I guess they don't want to do the pacemaker."
    "Not
yet anyway. It's still a possibility. We should really consider the
possibility that you will be running things for a while."
    He
didn't want to consider that she wouldn't stay. He couldn't let it
happen. He opened the fridge to get the margarine and jam.
"Strawberry okay?"
    "Whatever.
I'm serious Gabe. I don't know how I can relax in Toronto if I know
he's working."
    He
wanted to tell her to stay. Or ask. Hell, in nine days he might start
begging. The toast popped and he turned to tend to it. A few minutes
later he settled across from the table, watching her bite into a
piece of toast and wondered if he'd survive if she left him again.

    *
* *

    Shanna
absently picked up her cell phone that beeped from the desk beside
her, “Hello?”
    “ Shanna,”
Trenton’s voice sounded a million miles away. She missed the
warmth of his skin. Their relationship seemed slightly surreal to her
now. Her days were filled with Gabe’s presence and her nights
were filled with echoes of her feelings for him.
    “ Trenton,”
she nearly shouted. “I’ve been wanting to call you all
day, but I didn’t want to disturb you at work.”
    “ The
presentation went so well, they’ve given me a ton of more
stuff, and I miss sitting in the condo, bouncing ideas off each
other, having you right there to give me feedback. I didn’t
know how much I enjoy your company until you were gone. Are you
coming back soon?”
    She
sighed. “I wish. I miss you, too. Gabe is a total pain.”
Okay, it wasn’t only when she was drunk that her mouth decided
to run away from her. She needed to shut the fuck up for the next
eight and a half days.
    “ What’s
he done?”
    Well,
I was moments from ripping his clothes off and wrapping her legs
around him. “It’s not really him, it’s everyone.
Seems like everyone thinks I should stay here. Everyone says the same
thing, the company needs you.” She sighed. She was a horrible
girlfriend. She should break up with him right now. And then what?
    “ You
don’t want to stay, do you?”
    She
laughed and closed her eyes. “God, no.” She pushed back
from the desk and moved to the sofa in the corner. “I’d
miss you too much. Not to mention my job and the city. I’m not
cut out to stay here.”
    “ Good,
I’d miss you too and I really don’t want to move there.”
    “ I
know, baby. Do you know what I miss most?”
    “ Your
car?”
    She
snorted.