“I would have to be electrically charged to have sex with Ella Gibson,” I say, standing. “But thanks for the gross imagery.”
He gives me a thumbs up and I go to the reception desk. I fill up two cups of coffee, and Z is still smoking as I go back into the room. Ella is still sleeping, spooning Motor, her face half buried in his fur. The dog is snoring, tongue lolling out.
I place the coffee on the nightstand. “Time to get up, Gibson.”
She groans, pressing her face deeper into Motor’s fur. “No.”
“Yes.” I flick her cheek, and she growls at me. “We need to be on the road in ten minutes. Get up. Clean yourself. Do whatever it is you do to wake up and be your usual, frustrating self. You too, mutt.” Motor huffs, his lips vibrating as he does. “You’re both fucking lazy.”
Twenty minutes and two arguments later, we get into the car. Luckily, the brothers are already gone, so that saves Ella potentially freaking out again. She puts on Asher’s headphones and gazes out of the window as I drive. Motor sleeps in the back seat, and I enjoy the silence.
I glance at Ella occasionally, keeping an eye out for tears. She doesn’t cry, but she doesn’t smile much, either.Still, at least she’s being quiet, and I should be grateful for that, right?
Tapping my fingers against my leg, I check the navigation, but I already know where I am, so I don’t need it. I switch on a radio station, but the songs annoy me, so I quickly turn it off again.
“You okay back there, boy?” I ask Motor. He ignores me and keeps snoozing. I look at Ella again. “Hey.” She’s focused on the scenery, music blasting so loud through the headphones even I can hear it. “Gibson.”
She looks at me, tugging them off. “What?”
“You’re being rude.”
She blinks. “You always tell me to shut up.”
“Well, I’m bored.”
“Ah-ha!” She points at me. “You enjoy my company.”
I gesture at the road. “It’s a long-ass journey, I’d enjoy the company of Hannibal Lector right now.” She makes the Hannibal Lector hissing noise with her teeth, and I turn my face away, so she doesn’t see me laugh. “Just, say something entertaining.”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know. You’re always talking. Just talk.”
She shrugs. “Why don’t you talk? I know nothing about you.”
The idea of talking about myself for the next few hours turns my stomach. “Put your headphones back on.”
“Oh, come on. Tell me your story, Gable. I could put you into one of my books.”
I tap the steering wheel. “Really?”
“Yep.”
That doesn’t sound so bad. “I’d have to be tall.”
“You are tall.”
“But my character has to be tall, too. And handsome. And well-endowed.”
She cackles. “I’m not lying to my readers.”
I look at her. “I will show you right now.”
“No, thanks.” She shifts in her seat so she’s facing me. “Tell me something. Anything.”
It’s been a long time since I’ve told anyone about me. Asher knew everything, Hunter knows most things, and I never meet anyone new to let them see more of myself than I want them to. Ella Gibson is the third most consistent person in my life. I shudder at the thought.
“What you said at brunch about your stepdad,” she says gently. “Was that true?”
