Taking a Chance

Chapter 18

Daryl had his arms wrapped around Gabrielle as they stood by her front door. They had literally spent the entire weekend in bed, emerging only to eat. It was the best weekend of his life and she was the greatest thing that ever happened to him.

Gabrielle's head was pressed into his chest with her arms holding onto him, not letting him go. He, however, had to go. He had work in the morning and he knew he needed sleep. They had spent a lot of time in bed, but there had been very little sleeping accomplished.

His eyes once again took in the luxuriousness of how she lived. It was a lifestyle he never would be able to afford. That she had to make so much more than he did bother him...big time. From the first second, he met her everything about her screamed upscale and high class. Everything that he was not. He had almost forgotten that, but once he was thinking with the right head again, reality slammed back into him. There was no fucking way this would work.

"Hey I gotta go," he said to her softly. "Wanna get home before dark, Princess."

"But I don't want you to go," she whined. Gabrielle knew she was sounding like a petulant child, but she never knew a man like him. That she wanted him around non-stop was unique for her. Usually, she always needed her space, but not with Daryl. She couldn't get enough of him.

"I know," he chuckled, "But I gotta. I don't want to, but I got work in the mornin' and so do you."

Daryl took her face in his rough work hands and kissed her deeply. He was the one who pulled away first. The kiss was going to have to last him a long time. He had to go. He'd lose more than his job if he stayed.

"Call me... text me during the week?" Gabrielle asked.

"Definitely," he said know he was lying to her. After one last deep passionate kiss and he was out the door. Daryl put his sunglasses on immediately, needing to hide from the world around him. The air was still thick with all that they couldn't and didn't talk about.

Their fears.

The distance.

Their love.

Something had shifted. He knew he'd found someone very rare and very lonely like he was. It would be difficult to let her go like she belonged to him already. That they were married didn't mean anything, that was just a piece of paper. She belonged in his heart, where no woman had ever gone before. He found her, just in time to let her go.

He knew Gabrielle watched him walk down the hall and he gave her a wave from the elevator. The doors closed on him...and on them.

The whole ride home he was in turmoil. Was this the right thing to do? He should never have tracked her down and spent this weekend with her. It had been a huge mistake. He played with fire and knew the resulting burn was going to be more painful than he could ever imagine.

It already was.

He had fallen for her harder than he thought possible. He had loved every single minute he had spent with Gabrielle. They laughed, they talked and they shared their bodies as only people deeply connected could.

A small smile crept on his face. He knew every inch of her body now and she was something he would never forget. She had one hell of a body to start with and she responded to him like they were made for each other. His smile quickly faded when he knew he was going to hurt her too. In the long run, this was the best option. The more time they would spend together the harder it would be when reality hit. The reality that there was no way a woman like her would settle for a loser like him.

Sure they got along now, but that wasn't always the case. Also, once the novelty of a guy like him wore off, he'd be yesterday's news. Cutting it off now would be the best thing for him to do. If that was true, why wasn't it hurting so badly then?