Black Blood by Melissa Pearl Read Free Book Online

at her aching
head.
    He’s been… How long has he been…
    “Gemma!”
    Harrison raced towards them. He skidded to a
stop at her feet and wrapped her and Sam in a shaking embrace. Sam
struggled free of the sandwich hug and gave his brother a shy
smile.
    “You okay?” Harrison brushed the damp curls
away from his brother’s face.
    “Yeah, Gemma saved me.”
    His adoration made her blush.
    “It was nothing, kid.”
    Harrison’s eyes
were rich as he leaned towards her with a kiss. He pulled away and
shot his brother an amused look.
    “Now see,
that’s a story I really want to hear. How about we head home and
you can tell me all about it.”
    Sam beamed as
he reached for his brother. Harrison stood tall with Sam in his
arms.
    “The Mustang?”
Gemma followed the guys to the truck.
    “The Mustang
can wait.”
    “And the
police?”
    Harrison’s
shoulders slumped. She slid her hand up his back and squeezed the
nape of his neck.
    “I’ll deal with
it. You take Sam home. I’ll give a statement and get the cops to
drop me back to Bryan’s.”
    Harrison was
shaking his head, but she ignored the gesture and pushed him
towards the truck.
    “ I’ll see
you at home.” She put a finger to his protesting lips and stopped
him. “Sam needs you more than I do right now.” Kissing him lightly,
she turned and walked towards the police cruiser, giving Harrison
no chance to argue.
     
    * * * *
     
    The garage was
quiet as the police car pulled to a stop.
    “ Thanks
for the ride.” Gemma shook the policewoman’s hand with a smile
before waving goodbye. Reaching into her pocket, she drew out her
bike key and flipped it around her forefinger as she approached the
Ducati.
    Bryan had
closed up early for the day. She could just imagine his reaction
when he heard the news. Helen would have been even worse. She hoped
they were coping okay.
    Swinging her
leg over the seat she reached for her helmet and smiled as she
pulled out the note inside.
    We’re all at
home waiting to lavish you with hugs and kisses. I’ll see you soon.
Love you. Harrison.
    She had been
expecting a P.S. Something like… we need to talk about the guy on
the bike that whisked you away from me with no explanation. You
scared the crap out of me. Don’t do it again.
    He may not have
written it, but she knew to expect it. Gunning the engine, she
slowly turned her bike onto the road and accelerated towards the
Granger/Chatsworth residence.
    The reception
was overwhelming. Helen’s embrace was unrelenting as she whispered
repetitive thanks. Gemma tried to brush it off as nothing, but she
could tell her antics had moved her up a notch in the whole aura
category. She was worried this might happen. She didn’t want them
to look at her this way. She just wanted to be normal like
everybody else. Why, oh why had God blessed her with the ability to
jump off motorbikes and into moving vehicles at 100 miles per
hour!
    She could
feel her shoulders straining with tension as the evening wore on.
Her mind was tensed for questions that never actually came. If it
had been her, she’d be wondering why this strange girl had the
ability to do such things and who the man was that had helped her.
In the end she figured they were too blinded with relief to really
analyze the situation.
    But what about
tomorrow when the dust settles?
    Harrison
noticed her quiet distress and came to her rescue an hour before
she had to leave. Pulling her up to his room, he shoved her onto
his bed and began kneading her shoulders.
    She let out a
sigh as she buried her face into the pillows. Harrison remained
quiet as he soothed away her tension. She knew he was waiting. He
was always so patient.
    Fue led by a
sudden guilt, her lips began moving.
    “The guy on the
bike was the guy on the beach.”
    Harrison’s
hands stilled and she rolled onto her back in order to see him.
    His face was
pale, his eyes set with worry.
    “So he’s been
following you?”
    She nodded,
biting the inside of her cheek.