“I think it’s a good idea,” Jimmy said after a moment, rubbing his hand up and down her arm, but she could feel him shaking, just the tiniest bit. She didn’t believe for one second that he was nervous about the drug dealer. As he shifted his weight, she remembered what they’d been doing before the doorbell interrupted them. She imagined doing it again, perhaps with Gabriel. That, more than anything else, decided her. She wanted to see where this would go and didn’t care if what she imagined could happen was nothing but fantasy. And too, it would probably be a good idea to have more than one man here who knew something about fighting and protection because she certainly didn’t know how to defend herself.
“Okay,” Sabrina said simply. Jimmy nodded as Gabriel smiled.
Agent Patrick spoke for the first time. “I’m going to go get your bag from the car, Oliver, and I’ll do a quick perimeter check while I’m out there, though I doubt there’s any more danger. They rarely stick around after one of these drive-bys.”
For a moment, she thought Gabriel frowned, but then he nodded in agreement. What’s bothering him? she wondered as Agent Patrick unlocked the door and strode outside, every inch the confident FBI agent. Once he’d left, the three of them stood alone in the hall for the first time. No one spoke for a long moment. Were the men nervous too? Sabrina wasn’t sure, but she couldn’t stand the quiet anymore.
“Does my dad know about this?” she asked, trying to break the tension between the two men. It didn’t feel hostile, but it made her uncomfortable. She hoped Gabriel didn’t regret the offer to stay.
“Not yet.” Gabriel relaxed a fraction. “I planned on calling him in a bit—I don’t want him coming home. There’s nothing he can do to protect you, and it’s likely that Miltos will simply wait until he leaves again before attacking you.” He rolled his head, obviously trying to loosen his muscles. Sabrina thought he looked slightly more relaxed now that the other agent was gone. She saw him eyeing Jimmy, his face almost smoothing into a smile.
“So, in a sense, you want to use me as bait.” Sabrina felt a trickle of apprehension.
“Yeah,” Gabriel sighed. “That’s putting it badly, but yeah, pretty much. That’s also why I need to stay here, try and keep things as safe as possible without raising any suspicion. I can always say that I’m an old friend of Jimmy’s come for a visit.” Gabriel looked at Jimmy, and Sabrina suddenly knew he still felt something for Jimmy. Then Gabriel looked at her and she trembled at the look of concern she saw on his face, mixed in with the attraction for Jimmy he couldn’t quite hide. Or was it attraction for her? His eyes quickly skimmed her body, and Sabrina swallowed, feeling uncertain until Gabriel smiled. She could tell he was a good man from the kindness evident in his expression and when she glanced at Jimmy, she found him staring at Gabriel. She knew Jimmy was remembering his brief affair with the other man. Gabriel shifted uncomfortably for a moment; then his eyes met Jimmy’s.
The heat that flashed between the two men made Sabrina shiver. It was gone in a moment, but she knew that even after several years, nothing had changed between them. She wondered how she would fit into this situation. Maybe she should just back out of this thing with Jimmy. She didn’t want to. She really didn’t want to back out. She thought about how both men looked at her. Could it be possible? she wondered. Two guys? Sabrina knew that if it could be done, she wanted to try. She didn’t want to keep Jimmy from having what he’d lost so long ago, and she didn’t want to give him up. She tried to imagine making love to both of them at once and found the idea so erotic, a flash of heat pooled between her legs. And then she remembered that she was still naked under her skirt. She took a deep breath, trying to control herself, belatedly realizing both men were staring at her. She tried to remember what they were talking about.
“Well, you are an old friend of Jimmy’s,” she said, hoping she didn’t sound as breathless as she felt. Gabriel looked at her intently as she spoke, his expression tight with some complicated emotion. She glanced down at his hands. He’d shoved them in his pockets. She couldn’t tell what he was thinking from his face, and his body language was very controlled. Doubt moved through her as she waited for his response. She noticed that the men avoided each other’s gaze.
“I am,” he replied, then laughed. “This is insane. We’re standing around talking like we’re complete strangers.” Gabriel moved toward Jimmy. Sabrina didn’t know what to say as she watched her boyfriend stare at the other man in shock for a split second before his face broke out in a grin.
“Yeah, man, come here.” Jimmy let go of her to reach out to Gabriel. The two men moved together awkwardly for a moment; then they both relaxed into the hug. She was struck by how good they looked together: Jimmy just a bit taller than Gabriel, both of them strong and graceful. Jimmy ducked his head down into Gabriel’s neck just as Gabriel turned to bury his face in Jimmy’s hair, breathing deeply.
Sabrina flushed. They didn’t let go as fast as most guy friends do from an embrace. In fact, it looked like neither one wanted to let go as their strong bodies touched from head to toe, neither one ashamed to push closer. She could see Jimmy’s hands trembling against Gabriel’s body. There was definitely more going on under the surface than she could see from where she stood. They moved apart, smiling, and she wondered what had really happened between them two years ago. Was it ever more than just a kiss? She trembled, thinking of them together. What would they look like kissing? They stood there smiling, both looking a bit disheveled. Gabriel glanced at her, then turned away as the front door opened.
When Agent Patrick came back in with the bags, she showed Gabriel upstairs to the guest room. Jimmy returned to the den, saying something about calling his editor. There were four bedrooms on the second floor. Her dad’s room was the largest, sitting at one end of the house, a bathroom and windows on either side of the room, facing both the front lawn and the backyard. Hers was one of the bedrooms at the opposite end with windows facing the front and side yards. The room Jimmy was using sat at the back and side of the house. The steps leading upstairs rose from the foyer near the front door beneath a high ceiling, and her bathroom stood directly across the stairs at the top of the landing. The other guest room was to the right of the stairs.
“Here you go.” Sabrina showed Gabriel up the stairs. He looked around intently, and she saw his gaze linger at the high window above the foyer before noting where each of the other rooms was located. She waited for him in the doorway of the second guest room. It was a simple space with a futon and one dresser, where she stored their spare sheets. He set his bag down to the side of the futon and checked out the small closet on the wall near the hallway. It was mostly empty. Sabrina kept some shoes in there and a few extra blankets and sleeping bags.
“It’s not much.” Sabrina pulled open one of the drawers to get some clean bedding, “but it’s cozy.” She placed the blue sheets on the futon. Then she went into the closet to get out a matching blanket and an extra pillow.
“Thanks.” Gabriel waited as she crawled back out of the closet. The blue blanket she wanted had been on the bottom of the pile, and as she stood up, Sabrina suddenly remembered she wasn’t wearing any panties. Oh man! she thought. Could he tell? She hoped her skirt hadn’t slid up. She stepped back from Gabriel, awkwardly trying to smooth the fabric down along her thighs. It was long enough that she didn’t usually have to worry when she wore it, but still, she’d never walked around without underwear before. Gabriel smiled at her, but his gaze flicked from her face to her legs and then back to her eyes. He seemed amused, and she tried to convince herself he hadn’t seen anything as she held out the blanket. He took it from her, his gaze speculative, and she left the room, muttering a quick “excuse me” as she dashed to her bedroom, shutting the door firmly. She’d just fished her torn panties out of her pocket when Gabriel opened the door without knocking. She squeaked, turning to him indignantly.