ILL-FATED MATCH

BREWING STORM

Gabriel silently uttered a curse . He was supposed to keep her at arm's length until he figured out the best decision to make about their situation. The job he had in mind was going to make it difficult for him to keep from marking her. Not that his wolf minded. He could even sense him smiling. "Traitor." He watched silently as her eyes first betrayed excitement, relief then disbelief. They suddenly narrowed in suspicion.

"Why are you being so kind to me? What do you want from me?

He grinned wolfishly and her heart raced faster and beat harder. He had straight white teeth. His canines were longer and sharper than usual, giving off primal and dangerous vibes which only made him sexier. The heady combination of great looks and danger was exciting to most women. Selena wasn't immune.

"What do you think I want Selena?"

His blue eyes burned brighter as his gaze moved from her eyes to her lips to the generous swell of her breasts under her t-shirt. The heat of his gaze left her breathless and did things she didn't quite understand to her body. A hot wave of arousal swept along the length of her. Helplessly, she felt her n*****s harden and poke through the fabric of her t-shirt. Selena thought she saw a flash of bright silver in his eyes before he quickly averted his gaze. She suddenly thought he must have seen her naked breasts back in the restaurant's changing room and felt her face heat up. She desperately tried to think of something to say to dispel the awkward silence.

"How come you were there in the changing room? How did you find me?

Gabriel looked up from the intricately patterned rug he had suddenly found interesting and said simply, "I heard you scream"

She waited for further explanation but got none. It was quite impossible for diners at the restaurant to hear whatever went on in the changing room.

What actually happened was soon after the episode with Clara and Raphael in his bedroom, he had somehow fallen asleep again and had awoken, heart pounding with an unexplainable sense of urgency, one thought ringing through his mind—"find mate". He had dashed out of his parents' house and driven like one possessed towards the Meat and Greet Restaurant. He had been scarcely a turn away from the restaurant when her screams had filled his ears. Not bothering about proper parking, he had jumped out of his car and followed the trail of her scent. White hot fury filled him again as he remembered what Michael Knowles, the pig, had done and had been about to do. He took a deep breath. There was no need to let his wolf take control and scare Selena. He turned to face her, fully composed now. His eyes betrayed no emotion except sincerity.

"I'm offering you a job because I can see you need one and also because I want to help. Let's just say I'm always willing to help. It's something that was instilled in my late sister and I by our parents. I can't help it. So what do you say?"

Selena saw the sincerity in his eyes and nodded. "What kind of job?"

"My niece and nephew, you've met them…"

"Ah yes, the ones with no sense of personal space" she cut in, her tone laced with amusement.

Gabriel smiled. "You can't blame them. You're quite fascinating". She tried not to blush.

"Clara and Raphael have expressed their burning desire to live here with their favourite uncle who happens to be a bachelor with no clue whatsoever about how children are raised. Yours truly wants to grant their wish but for that to happen I'm definitely going to need the service of a nanny and that's where you come in."

"I see" she murmured.

"Don't worry they are good kids and won't give you much trouble"

Selena raised one eyebrow in skepticism. Those two were living and walking mischief. She had seen it in their eyes.

"So…" he pressed

"It's not like I have a choice…."

"Of course you do" he cut in.

She went on as though she hadn't heard him. "I'll take the job. So let's talk about the pay"

Gabriel tutted and shook his head. "You're supposed to do this for free you know. I mean… I rescued you"

For a moment Selena didn't know what to say and was actually considering serving him for free. Gabriel burst out laughing, a rich musical sound that tugged at her heartstrings. "I was just kidding"

She frowned, a little bit pissed that he had been teasing her.

"I'll pay you three times what you were earning at the restaurant"

Her eyes widened in shock as she did the math. "When do I start?"

"Are you sure you're willing to take this job? You're going to have to work full time. You would have to live here"

Selena gave him an incredulous stare. Not because he suggested she should live in his house, which was obviously a mansion( "Who wouldn't want to live in one?") , but because he thought she was going to give up this job for anything. Not that she cared much about the job itself, but the money, free food and accomodation. Also the opportunity to escape her parents. She ignored the tiny voice that whispered of her father's disapproval.

"Can I start tomorrow?"

"Of course" he replied not sure if he should be delighted or filled with despair at this latest temptation. "The kids will be not a little pleased."

● * * *

"Who was that?" Gerald questioned immediately Selena stepped inside the house.

She gently shut the door and replied, "my new boss"

Gabriel had insisted on driving her back home despite her strong refusal. He was very stubborn and had an overprotective streak. Now she was going to pay for it. Her father had forbidden her from being close to any man without reasonable cause. Good Christian girls do not allow men to walk or drive them home.

"Since when?"

"Dad I was nearly r***d at work today and he saved me" she said in a rush trying to earn his sympathy and direct his anger elsewhere.

"You were what?"

She repeated what she had said earlier. Slowly this time. She didn't dare meet her father's gaze. Her eyes were focused intently on a spot on the worn carpet. When the silence became too painful to bear, she snuck a peek at her father and found that he was eerily composed. His face was an emotionless mask. His cold eyes were still focused on her. This frightened her more and she squirmed where she stood. Her legs were already beginning to ache from standing for so long but she didn't dare move.

At last he spoke. His voice calm. Too calm. "Go to your room"

She didn't need to be told twice. Once in her room, she stripped and walked into the bathroom where she proceeded to thoroughly scrub off any imprint Michael's hands may have left on her body. While she did this, she thought in fear about her father's next move. Knowing him, she knew this was far from over. His silence was like the calm before the storm. She turned off the shower and toweled herself dry with a large purple towel which she then flung carelessly on the bed. For no obvious reason, she doned a pair of boy shorts and tank top hastily. As she tied her hair into a loose bun, she realized that she hadn't seen or heard her mother since she stepped inside the house. She walked over to the door and turned the brass handle. At the last moment, she thought better of it and just settled on pacing the room, too bothered to even sleep. For a moment she thought she heard her father's footsteps approaching the door and her heart slammed hard against it's cage. She took out the new cell phone she had allowed Gabriel to get her after she had made him swear to deduct the money from her salary, and was about to watch something interesting when a notification popped up. It was a message from Gabriel and inspite of her inner turmoil, her heart still danced.

"I'll come pick you up at 2pm tomorrow. Good night"

She texted him right back. "Thanks. Good night"

Right after that, she realized she hadn't even told her dad about the fact that she was going to have to leave the house. She was well aware that it wasn't the right time to approach him with a sensitive topic such as that. She groaned and buried her face in her palms. "This was going to be one long night".

After a few scenes of "Anabelle Creation" she threw the phone on her bed in frustration. It wasn't working. She was sure nothing was going to distract her from her fears. Then she remembered she had read somewhere that yoga worked wonders in calming the mind and inducing sleep. She retrieved her cell phone and a few clicks later she followed along as the yoga instructor demonstrated some moves and led a guided meditation at the end of the video.

It must have worked, because five minutes after the whole practice her eyes were already heavy with sleep.