Page 58 of Touched By Destiny
“I think so.”
Eric’s head spun at the news. “Do you think this has anything to do with the car from a few weeks ago? The one that was parked outside the house?”
“I don’t know, but if it’s not, there’s no way I’m leading them back to the house. We’ll take the employee entrance into the casino and go straight to Clark’s office. I’ve already texted him. He’ll be waiting for us.”
Giving in to the impulse to touch Gabriel, Eric laid his hand over his soulmate’s. Gabriel turned his wrist and gently squeezed Eric’s fingers. Then Gabriel glanced over at Paxton and pulled his arm away. Eric sighed. He hated the way he had to refrain from being fully himself when he was anywhere with Gabriel besides the inspirit’s house.
But he’d signed up for this. Eric had agreed to keep their relationship private, so he’d play by Gabriel’s rules, even though he didn’t want to. No one said a word as Paxton drove them from a remote church to the colorful city of Las Vegas. It didn’t matter that it was late morning or that there was a chill in the air—tourists filled the sidewalks on either side of the main road.
Eric spent little time in the beautiful city with its expansive casinos, but he loved the varied themes of them. Although each one was unique, the buildings created a vivid harmony against the tall, snowcapped mountains in the distance. But architecture and nature were far from Eric’s mindas Paxton stopped the car near a nondescript door at the back of the largest Marwood property on the strip.
Moving as swiftly as possible, Eric followed Gabriel out of the car, waved goodbye to Paxton, and followed his bodyguard into the casino. Even at the back of the massive building, Eric heard the musical jingling of the slot machines. Gabriel hustled him into an elevator reserved only for those employees with a card allowing them access to the higher floors.
As head of security, there was no part of the property Gabriel couldn’t enter. The doors swooshed shut, and Gabriel hit the button for the highest floor the elevator reached.
“I’m sorry,” Gabriel said.
Eric shook his head. “Don’t worry, the spirit went into the portal. I’m sorry to say I won’t miss that guy.”
“I’m glad to hear it, but that’s not why I’m apologizing.”
“Okay?”
“Eric, I’m sorry about the entire hand thing in the car. I shouldn’t have touched you with Paxton right there.”
Frustrated Gabriel would dare regret such a simple caress, Eric frowned. “I don’t want your apology.”
“It’s going to be hard to keep this a secret if I don’t remember not to touch you in front of people.”
Since Eric didn’t give a shit if their secret was revealed, he clenched his fists. “I don’t think anyone is going to figure out the truth because you patted my thigh.”
“I’m not trying to piss you off. I just—”
“You justwhat, Gabriel?” Eric asked after Gabriel stopped mid-sentence. The elevator dinged, and the doors slid open. Gabriel stalked out, and Eric had no choice but to follow.
“We should talk about this when we can be alone.”
“I don’t really see the point,” Eric countered. “I don’t want you to apologize for touching me in front of Paxton. End of story.”
Gabriel’s mouth tightened, and they both stood there staring at one another in the quiet hallway.
“This isn’t always easy,” he finally said.
“Us? You mean us?”
“Look, this isn’t really the time or place,” Gabriel replied, then he leaned forward so his warm breath hit Eric’s cheek. A delightful shiver rushed through Eric despite his frustration with Gabriel. “The problem isn’t us. We’re good. We’re so good. It’s everything that comes along with being us.”
Gabriel’s words brushed away Eric’s irritation. It wasn’t their relationship but Gabriel’s ongoing desire to keep it private posing the issues. Eric could live with that. At least until Gabriel realized they gained nothing with secrecy. Although Gabriel was worried, Eric didn’t share his concerns. He couldn’t imagine anyone arguing about why they were soulmates.
“Okay,” Eric whispered, his gaze locking with Gabriel as the inspirit stood up straight again. “I still don’t want your apology. I was tense. You were tense. It was just a pat. We held hands for a like a second. We’ve known each other my entire life. I don’t think anyone is going to assume anything from a little touch.”
With a nod, Gabriel turned away. “Let’s go talk to Clark.”
Relieved that Gabriel didn’t say he was sorry again, Eric followed without complaint. The issue with his soulmate was resolved, and his spirit had taken the portal. Which meant Eric could focus on the big issue of the day—who the fuck was in that car and why were they following them?
Gabriel barely acknowledged the staff they passed, but Eric smiled at the hard-working people who aided his father’s company. The fast pace Gabriel chose didn’t allow Eric any chance to chat, so he went with a jaunty wave as he nearly jogged after the long-legged inspirit he was intimately acquainted with.
When Gabriel finally came to an abrupt stop inside his father’s massive office, Eric nearly rammed into his back. He teetered for a moment and feared he’d plummet to the floor to avoid slamming into Gabriel, but he didn’t need to worry. His father yanked Eric into his arms and held him tightly.