Assassin's Honor

Chapter 20

"Hey sleeping beauty, wake up." Gabriel nudged her awake.

"Mmm?" Honorera sat up in the bucket seat and rubbed her eyes. It was dark already, and they were in the parking lot of a restaurant. "Where are we?"

"Pennsylvania. We will stop here for the night. I thought we'd get a bite to eat, and then head to the hotel."

"Oh." Honorera bit her lip and couldn’t help but wonder if they would share a hotel room again. Would they sleep in the same bed? She didn’t know if the idea made her feel nervous, or excited. She had already shared the cottage with him in Pete's Peak, she had already passed several nights sleeping with Gabriel’s huge arm curled around her, and he’d always been a perfect gentleman.

He came around to her side of the truck and opened the door. "Do you like Chinese food?"

Her eyes widened. "I've never had Chinese food."

"Never? Well, tonight you will try it. Hopefully, we can find something you like." He helped her out of the truck and kept his hand on the small of her back as he escorted her into the upscale Chinese restaurant. There were bamboo plants, and colorful murals of mountains and panda bears on the walls. The tables were covered with red table clothes and white cloth napkins folded up like flowers. Honorera had only eaten at restaurants a few times in her life, and certainly never one this fancy. She felt uneasy and out of her element.

Gabriel pulled her chair out and pushed her in before he took his own seat. She watched him unfold his napkin and place it in his lap, and she copied him. He seemed perfectly at ease in the posh atmosphere.

A waitress came and handed them leather-bound menus. Honorera flipped it open and frowned over all the unfamiliar options. She'd heard of these things of course, in books and movies, but she didn't really know what any of it was. She looked helplessly across the table at Gabriel. "I don't know what to order?"

He smiled easily, "Why don't I order a few dishes for us to share? You can sample a few things, and see what you like?" She nodded in relief. "And to drink?"

She could manage the drink, she thought, and politely asked the waitress for a fruit punch. Gabriel requested the same and ordered several exotic-sounding dishes before handing back the menus. "This is a really nice place," she commented, still admiring the Asian-themed decor.

"Mmm," he agreed, but he was only looking at her, like she was the most interesting feature of the entire restaurant.

The waiter arrived with their drinks, served with little paper umbrellas stabbed into chunks of pineapple and cherry. Like a child, Honorera was delighted with everything new. She ate the bits of fruit and played with the little umbrella, which actually could open and close.

When the appetizers arrived, Gabriel showed her how to hold a pair of chopsticks. His warm hands closed around hers, positioning her fingers around the bamboo sticks. But how was she supposed to pay attention to his instructions when those little sparks were dancing over her skin? She awkwardly tried to pick up a spicy dumpling, but it kept sliding out of her pincer grasp.

Gabriel chuckled, used his own chopsticks to grab the food, and offered it to her mouth. She blushed and took it delicately between her teeth. "Ohh, mmm." she chewed thoughtfully. "It is really good!"

That was her opinion of just about everything he had ordered. Honorera thought everything was delicious, and she found that she enjoyed things a little spicy. She eventually gave up on the chopsticks and asked for a fork so she could stab her own food and feed herself. Otherwise, she feared she would be wearing most of the dinner down the front of her new shirt.

Gabriel watched her closely from across the table. Watching Honorera eat was incredibly sexy. She would try something, close her eyes, savor it, and make the most sensual noises. Watching her lick the sweet sauce off her lips was killing him. He was almost relieved when she groaned and put her fork down. "Oh, I'm so full."

"Did you like it?" He asked eagerly. It was incredibly important to him that she was pleased and satisfied with every new experience.

"Oh yes! I think Chinese may be my favorite food, ever."

The waitress brought their bill, sliced orange, and fortune cookies. "Are those fortune cookies? How fun!" she reached for one, opened the plastic wrapper, and cracked open the dry cookie. She pulled out the paper with reverence and read the small print. "Your mysterious past has collided with an exciting future." She frowned over the message. "Well, that doesn't tell me anything."

Gabriel raised his eyebrows. He thought it was surprisingly accurate. He opened his cookie and read his own fortune. "Your dreams will lead you to the thing you desire most." Indeed, they had led him straight to her. He stuck the little fortune in his pocket to keep. "Take an orange slice,” he instructed her, picking up a wedge of the fruit, “it’s supposed to be good luck."

She obediently took a slice of the juicy orange, and sucked on it, which only further ramped up his libido, as he could easily imagine her sucking on something else. He pulled out his credit card to pay the bill so he could get her out of there before he jumped across the table to devour her.

The hotel was just down the highway at another exit. He had stayed there before, so he knew it was quiet and comfortable. He had thought about looking for something fancier, just to impress Honorera, but he figured it was too soon for something like that. He pulled up and took their bags from the back of the truck.

The man at the reception desk recognized him and welcomed him warmly. "Welcome back Mr. Shepherd, I have your room all ready for you." He handed the two keycards across the desk to him. "Enjoy your night," he said and cast a meaningful glance at Honorera. Gabriel took the cards and growled low in his throat, giving the man a glare. Thankfully, Honorera was distracted and didn’t notice the exchange.

"They have a swimming pool!" Honorera gasped as they made their way to the room, "Oh and hot tubs! I wish I had a bathing suit."

Gabriel’s brow wrinkled up. "You want to swim, now?" To Honorera, his words sounded tired and exasperated.

She lowered her head, feeling childish. Gabriel was a sophisticated man. Of course, he didn't get excited when his hotel had a swimming pool. He probably didn't even think about it. Her inexperience in life was painfully obvious. For reasons she couldn’t begin to understand, what little confidence she had was slowly disintegrating.

Honorera quietly entered the hotel room behind Gabriel’s broad back. She noticed there was only one, giant, king-sized bed, and an ugly thought niggled at her. Had he been buying her all these things, and treating her so nicely, all the while expecting sex in exchange?

While Gabriel was busy putting their bags in a closet, she shut herself in the bathroom, locking the door so she could have a moment away from his intoxicating presence just to think.

She heard Gabriel on the phone, but she couldn't exactly hear what he was saying. She closed the cover to the toilet and sat on it, her head in her hands. What was she supposed to do now?

The more she thought about it, the more upset she became. Of course, no one would want her for an actual relationship! She was ugly and boring and stupid! The words she’d heard used to describe herself echoed around in her head. She didn't even know how to use chopsticks!

What was she doing here, in this hotel, far from everything familiar, far from the mountain and the trees and everything she knew?

"Honorera?" She heard him at the door, knocking softly. "What's wrong?"

"N-nothing."

"Come out. I have something for you."

She scrubbed at her eyes and flushed the toilet to make it sound like she'd been in the process of relieving herself, instead of hiding in the bathroom crying like a baby. She ran the water and washed her face, wiping it with the fluffy white towel. She looked at her reflection and sighed. It didn't matter if you put fancy clothes on her, and took her to nice restaurants. The girl looking back in the mirror was still just Honorera Talbot... trailer trash, the ward of the town drunk. She longed for her favorite grey hoodie, so she could pull it low over her face and hide behind it.

Instead, she opened the door and faced Gabriel, still not really knowing what his intentions were.