“Right.” Aveline snaps her fingers together, standing up and tugging up her baggy gray sweatpants. “You're his sister, aren't you? Definitely looked like a sibling bonding moment out there earlier. You two are just lucky the neighbor didn't see. That bitch would happily host a sniper for Karl, take both of you assholes out.”
“Goodnight, Aveline,” Gill snarls, moving away and pausing by the front door while I grab my coat. If I'd have given him the chance, he would've gotten it for me and tried to help me into it. Can't deal with any niceties or favors from him right now.
“Where are you two off to?” Cliff asks from behind us. I turn as I slip my arms into the black and white wool coat, the one with the houndstooth pattern that I've been dying to wear since I bought it. Tonight's the first real opportunity I've had to get out of the house since that ill-fated breakfast with Gilleon. A double-breasted princess coat fits the occasion perfectly.
“Dinner,” I say before Gill can interject. “To talk,” I add, knowing Cliff will sympathize.
“Well, don't stay out too late,” he says, coming over to me with a coffee mug in hand, and kissing both my cheeks. He doesn't know yet. Thank God Aveline was the only person in the house to actually see the deed go down. “And stay safe.” He gives Gilleon a pointed look and turns away, heading back towards the kitchen and whatever novel's caught his fancy today. Gill, surprisingly, has a very large collection of classics and brand new bestsellers both. Go figure. Must run in the family.
“See you later, Papa,” I say, giving Gill the opportunity to open the front door and do a quick sweep of the yard and the car before I go out. I watch from the window as he greets a friend of his, some off duty cop who's sitting in his cruiser across the street. A police officer helping protect a jewelry thief from the guy he stole from. Interesting.
“And don't let him get to you,” Papa warns before he disappears around the corner and I hear a chair scrape across the floor.
“Definitely don't do that,” Aveline purrs, winking at me and turning away join to Cliff.
“I won't,” I call back at them and then wonder if I already have. Am I letting Gilleon get to me with his big, blue eyes and his full lips? He says all the right things, does all the right things, but I can't trust him, not like that. Not ever again.
“All clear,” Gill tells me, gesturing for me to join him on the front porch. I step outside and close my eyes for a moment, listening to the quiet silence of the evening, breathing in the smell of wet leaves and autumn. There's a cold snap in the air that promises that winter is on its way. “I'm sorry about Aveline,” he says as we descend the front steps and … he pauses to open my door for me. Damn it, Gill. I know it doesn't seem like a big deal, but the more I let him in in little ways, the more he'll get to me in a big way. That's Gilleon. Love letters, black and white cards with silly sentiments, breakfasts in bed, quirky smiles, impromptu dance parties in the living room. It's what he does, and he does it well. Too well.
“Don't apologize for your friend,” I tell him as we climb into yet another vehicle—an SUV this time. Gill's car's now parked in the garage, and new rentals keep appearing. I don't know how that really helps if this Karl guy knows where Gilleon lives. Maybe it just makes it harder for the guy to find him when he goes out? “She's right anyway.”
“Right?” Gill asks, raising a dark brow and turning to look at me. The close confines of the vehicle are hard to deal with, especially after what just happened between us. Start the damn car, I think at him, but he just sits there staring at me. “Right about what?”
“What we did was stupid,” I say, and I refuse to let my stomach fill with butterflies when I think about it. A quickie was all it was, just a stupid, meaningless quickie. “Solène could've seen us.” I pause and purse my lips, looking out the window and not at his face. “Or Cliff.”
“You're right,” he says, and my stomach drops a little. I don't know why. I want him to agree with me, move past this so we can talk business. “We should've been more discreet with so many people around.” He leans over with a creak of the leather seat and presses his hot lips to the side of my neck before I can stop him, sending a wildfire burning through my body that I don't even begin to know how to stop.
I breathe out with an involuntary sigh, and my breath fogs the passenger side window.
“Gill,” I snap, turning towards him and putting a hand on his chest. He's already pulling away, lips twisting into a devilish smirk. “That wasn't the only thing that was wrong with what happened today. You know that?”