Breaking Down(The Garage Series Book 2)
Holly Renee
This love story is on loan until you find your very own.
Never give up.
My heart pounded in my chest as I pressed the gas pedal to the floor in Kat's car. The walls of the car seemed to be closing in on me, and the open window only seemed to suck out my breath. I felt like a caged animal. Anger and fear coursed through my veins, and I wasn't sure which feeling would take over. We were too close to losing Kat. Too damn close. I wanted to kill her piece of shit brother, but I wasn't any better than he was. At least his sister made it. He could walk up to his sister and put his arms around her. He could see her smile. Watch her laugh.
My chest squeezed so tight I could barely breathe. It did it every time I thought about Kara. Every time I thought about how I didn't protect my baby sister. I tried to avoid thinking about her at all costs, but this situation with Kat brought Kara's memory crashing into me like a tidal wave. The feeling of drowning had become a familiar sensation over the years, but it was one I would never get used to. My lungs filled with haunting memories but somehow I still managed to tread water. Somehow I still managed to breath in enough air to survive.
I pressed the pedal harder and Kat's Camaro purred under the pressure I was putting on it. I knew Kat would kill me if she saw the way I was driving her baby, but I couldn't bring myself to care. I needed it. I needed to feel something other than the gut wrenching pain of Kara's smiling face flashing through my thoughts.
There was only one person that I wanted to see. She was the only one who could make me forget. She was the only one who could take all the pain away. She was too damn good for me. I would ruin her. I knew it, but I couldn't stop it. I had to have her. I had been holding back with her, but I couldn't anymore. I needed to feel her. My foot got even heavier as I raced my way to the one place I knew I had no business going to.
"Are you sure that she's okay?" The panic in my voice almost made my words unintelligible.
"Yes, Erica. I promise. She's asleep with her head in my lap right now. We'll be home soon. You should check in on Gabe." Blake's words did little to ease my anxiety, but as soon as he mentioned Gabe's name a different sort of panic took over.
"Is he okay?" I squeaked.
"Physically, yes. I think this just hit a little too close to home for him."
I didn't know what that meant, but I knew Blake wouldn't tell me. If I knew anything about Blake Reagan, it was that he was madly in love with my best friend, and he was fiercely loyal to Gabe.
"Okay. I'll try to talk to him, but you know he doesn't open up to me."
"Just give him time and be there for him. That's all he needs."
Blake and I said our goodbyes then I rang Gabe. It went straight to voice mail and the fear inside me seemed to double.
"Gabe. It's Erica. I'm just calling to check on you. Are you okay? I hope you're okay. I'm here for you. You know that right? I'm always here for you when you need me. Just … call me when you get this. I need to know that you're okay." I barely managed to whisper out the message. It was hard to tell Gabe how I actually felt because he didn't want to hear it. Gabe didn't feel nearly the same about me as I felt about him, but I didn't care. I would wait for him to come around. I would give him time.
Gabe was about as closed off as they came. Sure, we talked and laughed, but it was never about anything of any importance. If I dared skim past the surface, Gabe would shut down and any progress that I had made with him would disappear into thin air.
We were friends. Friends who didn't talk about anything that actually mattered and who had to restrain themselves from jumping each other on a regular basis. I didn't know when it happened. We never had a talk with each other about not becoming anything more. Note the not talking about anything of importance.
We were just pushed there. It wasn't a gentle push. Gabe steered our relationship straight into the friend zone and never looked back. There were times when I knew it was killing him. I would catch him staring at me when he thought I wasn't looking. The way he stared at my lips when I talked caused me to squirm in my seat.
There had been too many times to count when something would almost happen, but Gabe would always pull himself out a sort of trance and lock everything down again. He danced with me when we went out, he sat next to me at the bar, he made it impossible for any other man to get close to me, but he never allowed himself to get close either. It was infuriating.
I was going to die of sexual frustration. It was killing me. I couldn't hide my lust the way Gabe did. He could see it. He knew I wanted him. Franggy, my vibrator, had been putting in his time. We had spent more time together since I met Gabe than we ever had before. He was loyal, and he didn't just want to be my friend.
A knock at my door pulled me from my thoughts and day dreams about Franggy. I opened the door and the next thing I knew I was being slammed against the wall by Gabe. A picture frame fell off the wall in a loud crash, but it barely penetrated through my shock. I had no idea what the hell Gabe was doing. His mouth came down on mine and he roughly took what he wanted. Our tongues danced, teeth clashed, and lips dragged across each other. I didn't know what to think. I couldn't think. The only thing that I could process was that Gabe was kissing me and I didn't want it to stop. His hands were rough against my body. Pulling me into him like he had no other choice. I melted under his touch.
I wrapped my arms around his shoulders to hold on, and I could feel the tension vibrating through his body. Concern washed through me, but I would never stop him. So I kissed him with everything I had. I didn't know what happened with Kat. I didn't know what he had experienced in his life to make him so closed off, but in that moment, I didn't care. The only thing that mattered to me was taking it all away.
Gabe pulled his mouth from mine and worked his way down my neck. My chest was heaving when he bit down on my ear.
"I need to fuck you, Erica." His voice was rougher than I had ever heard it before.
I shivered in anticipation as I nodded my head, but he wasn't looking for my reply. He wasn't asking permission.
Gabe spun me around until my chest was pressed against the wall. He moved my long blonde curls to one side and brushed his lips against my neck. It was the only place I could feel him. He wasn't touching me except for the soft trail of his lips.
My hands were on the wall near my head supporting me as my knees felt like they might buckle. He kissed my neck just below my left ear as his hand skimmed my right hip. His touch was almost non-existent. It was pulling me in then disappearing before I could really get a taste. I tried to look over my shoulder to see what he was doing, but as soon as my eyes met his, his hand on my hip tightened, and he slammed my hips back against his.
My moan echoed throughout the room as I felt his length against my ass. I leaned my forehead against the wall and tried to slow down my breathing. His touch was consuming me. Gabe pulled my hips out further until I was bent at the waist with my hands on the wall. His hands crawled up my sides leaving chill bumps in their wake. I felt him lean over my body right before his teeth grazed my ear and his hands began kneading my breasts.
I pushed back into him and ground my hips against his. His hands moved up my t-shirt until they were at the edge of my v-neck, each hand caressing me as they moved. He tugged on the top of my shirt, and my nipples tightened in anticipation of his hand moving below the fabric that separated us.
Cool air hit my chest as my shirt was ripped down the middle. I couldn't stop my moan or the shiver that ran through my body. My t-shirt hung open as Gabe slipped his right hand into my bra and electricity shot through me when his rough skin finally met my aching breast.
"Please, Gabe." My whimper filled the room as Gabe pulled me up until I was fully standing again.
"What do you want? You want me to fuck your sweet pussy? God, Erica. I know you're going to taste so sweet."
My moan was the only answer he got from me. I couldn't form a coherent sentence. My arms were pulled tightly behind me and it took him no time to restrain them with my useless, ripped shirt. Excitement coursed through my veins as I tried to imagine what his next move would be. Sex had never been like this for me before. I longed for the next touch of his skin.
Gabe's rough fingers trailed from my back to my stomach as he moved in front of me. He didn't make a move at first. He just stared. He stared into my eyes before his gaze slowly moved down my body to my breasts that were pushed forward due to my arms being pinned behind my back. He seemed to be so in control but just barely. I could feel him simmering just under the surface.