Innocent (Innocence, Book Two) copyright 2013 by Gem Frost.
Cover art copyright 2013 by Erin Lark.
When they'd first met, he'd been struck by the unearthly beauty of Gabriel's face. But now, with effort, Gabriel's body was beginning to fulfill its promise, too. Gabriel was still a bit on the thin side, but his muscles were well-defined. With some more work, Dom thought Gabriel could be a model or a Hollywood star.
It was really too bad the kid wanted to be a software developer. But since that was precisely what Dom was (albeit a wildly successful one), he wasn't about to try to change Gabriel's mind.
“I just...” Gabriel sighed, and looked out the window. They were driving down a narrow, twisting road lined with old trees and thick underbrush. It was one of the best sections of Virginia Beach, but many of the expensive mansions were half-hidden behind the dense walls of greenery. The Superbird was bright orange (a color the manufacturer had whimsically labeled “Vitamin C”), and its gaudy paint job, sporty lines, and huge rear wing were in sharp contrast to the elegant and refined luxury sedans driven by most of Dom's neighbors. “Well, in a week you're not going to be my boss anymore.”
“I'm not really your boss anyway,” Dom pointed out. “I mean, it's not as if you report to me or anything.”
“Yeah, but you own the company. That makes you the boss. And once I'm not working for Dominick Technologies anymore, well...”
“We're still friends, aren't we?”
Gabriel looked back at him. His dark brows drew down in a frown. “I guess,” he said. “I mean, yeah, we're friends. But I honestly don't know why. I mean, you're like rich and famous and stuff, and I'm just...”
He broke off and waved his hands forlornly.
“You're you,” Dom said, his voice gentle. “And that's why I like you.”
“Yeah. Okay. I get that, kind of. I mean, I don't like you because you're rich and famous and all that, either. It's more that you're really interesting. You know all this stuff about art and music and wine and all. And I'm, well...”
“You're learning.”
“But don't I bore you? I'm just an ordinary guy.”
Privately, Dom thought Gabriel was the furthest thing from ordinary. It wasn't just the way he looked, either. It was the way he made Dom feel. Dom had never before had a friend he could let his hair down with, metaphorically speaking. With Gabriel, he could relax. He could be himself.
But he knew he couldn't explain that to Gabriel, not really. Instead he said, “Remember last week, when we went canoeing?”
“Yeah.” Gabriel's mouth curved up in a happy smile that made him even more beautiful. If that was possible. “That was a lot of fun.”
“Yes, it was. And that's my point. There aren't a lot of people in my life I can have fun with, Gabriel.”
