"Do you normally make-out with the people you're hired to kill? It doesn't strike me as very professional."
"Put the gun down," Gabriel panted, not answering her.
"Why on earth would I do that?"
"Because you're not going to shoot me," Gabriel rep...
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Gabriel woke the next morning with Ash still asleep on his chest. He smiled, gently brushing her hair out of her face. When she wasn't being an absolute terror, she was really beautiful.
Who was he kidding? She was still beautiful when she was an absolute terror.
Ash's eyes fluttered open, taking in Gabriel's face. "Morning," she murmured.
"You're still here," he said.
"Against my better judgment."
"I disagree. This is probably the smartest decision you've made so far."
Ash rolled her stunning, amber eyes.
"I'm going to take a shower," Gabriel said, kissing her forehead. "Then I can go find us some breakfast. If you run..."
"You'll kill me," she finished, irritated.
"No," Gabriel replied. "I think we've both come to the conclusion that I can't. So if you run, I'll just have to punish you instead."
Gabriel watched, amused, as Ash's eyes widened. It was clear his threat had its intended effect. She wasn't going anywhere.
Gabriel stepped into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. He let the warm water fall over his body. For once, his mind was peacefully blank. All he thought about was how pleasant the water felt.
The effect eventually wore off, his thoughts drifting to Ash. He knew more about her now, but he still felt like he knew nothing at all. And all he wanted to do was learn more. He wanted to know her feelings, her dreams, her thoughts...though he admittedly wasn't confident he would be able to follow them. He had a chemistry with her he had never experienced with anyone. But she refused to open up to him because she didn't trust him.
Is it really any wonder? Gabriel asked himself. You met her by being hired to kill her. You both roofied each other. It's not that crazy that you two would have trust issues. She didn't even fully trust Kyle and that guy practically worshipped her.
He was confident that she couldn't kill him, but he was starting to realize that death wasn't what he should be concerned about. She wasn't dangerous because she was going to physically hurt him – the harm she would cause him would be far more damaging than that. As much as he hated to admit it, he cared about her.
She may not be able to kill him, but she was slowly gaining the power to destroy him. And he had no doubt that if it came to it, she would. Yet Gabriel was finding himself helpless to stop it from happening.
He dried himself off and threw on a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. Stepping out of the bathroom, his eyes went to Ash, who was sitting straight up on the bed, staring at the TV.
Immediately he knew something was wrong. She looked like a statue, unmoving, with her eyes completely fixed on the screen. "Ash, what's wrong?" he asked.
