“If I have to explain it, then we’re going to be here for a long time.” She chuckled, remembering those were the exact words she said the first night they were together. She smiled when his hands slowly trailed up her rib cage and inward, cupping her full breasts. Her nipples were taut and budding, begging to be nipped and sucked. He gently squeezed her breasts, then trailed his hands back down her stomach until they reached the juncture between her legs.
Her breathing became erratic.
Her chest was heaving and her skin taut.
“How are you doing, little bird?” he whispered against her chest, his tongue trailing from breast to navel.
She arched up, gasping, “Ah.”
The bed dipped next to her as his finger gently twisted a nipple. “I love you, Antoinette.”
Annie was about to say something when his mouth swooped down, covering hers. Like a moth to light, her body responded like magic. Gabriel was relentless as he kept taking everything she offered. His hands were tender and strong at the same time and they were moving down her body to her sides, touching her stomach, breasts, and neck.
She whimpered and moaned in pleasure as his mouth began to move down her body. When he reached her thighs, she cried out, “Oh please.”
“I love how you are so responsive,” he said, kissing her everywhere but the place she wanted it most. He was killing her.
“You always know what my body wants,” she shouted in frustration as he began to move away. She heard him laugh that wicked laugh.
“That is true, little bird, but I want to know what your heart wants.”
Annie growled out her frustrations, and was about to move when his strong arms quickly came down around her. Unable to move, she looked at him and smiled. “I want you to eat me.”
His smile melted her heart. “With pleasure,” he said, and then instantly she felt his breath mere inches from her pussy. Her body, wound tight, was pulsing with need. She wanted nothing more than to shove his face between her legs. She needed her release. Her body was on fire. Just when she thought he was going to stop, she felt a cool wind blowing on her clit.
Oh god!
“I want,” she gasped as another breath blew toward her wet pussy.
“What do you want, Antoinette? Tell me, and I will give it to you.”
His words were driving her higher and higher. She didn’t know how much longer she could hold off. “Your mouth. I want your tongue there! I want to come!”
“And my tongue will make you come? I think my words alone will make you come. I think all I have to do is say the word, and you’ll shatter. I so love this state you’re in. You would do just anything for me right now. Anything I wish.”
God, his words were killing her. She’d never stayed on the edge so long. She was dying for release, and he was right. All he had to say was just one word.
“Anything, just let me come!”
“Then come now!” he firmly said, and at his word, her body shattered like thousands of glass shards exploding.
“Gabriel!” she screamed out as another orgasm took her flying, soaring high as pulse after pulse of her pussy spasmed, flooding her already-wet channel. It was then he put his mouth on her, drinking her in, sending her into the clouds. He devoured her, inhaling everything her body gave him until she no longer remembered her own name.
* * * *
The sun was shining as she opened her eyes. Her body sore and exhausted, she slowly turned her head to look at the man who lay next to her. Her heart cried out for him, and she wanted nothing more than to curl up into him and tell him that she truly forgave him. He had taken her places last night that she never knew existed, but more importantly, he had shown her trust.
It was a heady feeling. She just wasn’t sure that he would fall from grace once again. The thought of that pain he had caused was more than she was willing to risk. She just wasn’t ready yet. She knew that, but for the life of her, she couldn’t get her head to agree.
Silently climbing out of the bed, Annie quickly dressed. She picked up her purse and took out a letter she had planned to leave with Matthias before she left last night but never got the chance. Laying it on the pillow next to his head, she turned and slipped from the room.
She couldn’t look back because if she did, she would never leave.
Chapter Thirteen
Gabriel was leaning against the window of his office watching the light snowfall over the mountains. No one had bothered him all day, and he was eternally grateful for that. When he woke to find her gone, his heart shattered, and then vanished when he found her note.
She had made up her mind, and there was nothing more he could do.
She was leaving him, leaving Treasure Cove, and she was never coming back. He did not blame her. He tried and failed. There was nothing more he could do. The damage he caused was too great. He wanted her with a passion, a deep, driving passion that shook his mere soul. She listened as he talked and pleaded, but the pain was too great. He had done everything to win her back, and yet she still left.
She didn’t trust him, and he didn’t trust himself to go to her.
His own busy life prevented him from running to her and begging her.
Looking at the note in his hands, all he saw were meaningless paragraphs, a stream of unconscious thoughts and rambles of nothingness. Maybe one day their story would all come together as a novel, but for now it was nothing more than words on a page.
His thoughts turned to last night, the last night he would ever have with her, and he smiled remembering her giving herself freely to him. His cock hardened at the memory of her.
He watched as her explosive orgasm rocked her body. Shaking and trembling, he soothed her until her breaths eased as she succumbed to bliss.
She had fallen asleep. Leaning back against the pillows on the bed, he watched her. She was, without a doubt, the most beautiful woman in the world. Her chestnut hair shined in the muted lights, and her eyes, those seemingly timid emerald depths, captured his soul at first glance. Her body, slim and fit, enticed him. He wanted nothing more than to possess every inch of her body. She had a shy smile, loved to laugh, and he loved her. Her fingernails were long enough to provide both pleasure and a bite of pain. Her hands were never still.
Leaning forward, he caught a sensitive earlobe in his mouth. She moaned softly. He felt himself harden. She moaned, caught so deep in sleep that she did not realize when her dreams ended and reality began.
His hungry mouth teased her lips, coaxing them open. His hand strayed to her breast to squeeze it gently. His lips trailed down her neck, nipping, then settled over one soft breast. She gasped and arching her back into him. Her hands grasped his head as his tongue flicked her pebbled nipple. His other hand toyed with the bare nipple, and then his mouth fastened on it, leaving his hand to play with her now-aching breast.
He was on top of her. His hard cock pressed against her wet pussy.
No words were spoken. Her whimpers filled the room as his mouth and hands left her breast. His hand slid down between her legs, testing her with one finger. His finger left her, and he slid his hard cock home into her silkiness, placing his finger into her open mouth.
She bucked beneath him, begging him to use her hard. She sucked and licked his finger furiously, tasting herself there. She reached her peak, crying out, grasping his hips with her legs, her nails digging into his back.
He thrust into her body, emotion guiding him as he promptly gave one last hard thrust and filled her with his cum. His mouth found hers, swallowing her whimpers and tasting her tears. She held onto him, her legs pulling him closer as she buried her face against his neck. Their breathing slowed, finally becoming normal, and they lay there, his body still on top of her.
She playfully nipped his neck, and he lifted his head to look at her.
“I love you, Antoinette.”
“I know,” she murmured, sighing as he rolled off her then gathered her close in his arms.
He had twenty-fo
ur hours left to find a way to convince her.
He’d take her and never let her go if he could find a way. And damn it all, he would.
Grabbing his phone, he called her.
* * * *
Annie was out in the south field with Alex and her brothers as she helped them with the calves recently born. She loved being out on the open range, the fresh air kissing her cheeks, and the freedom to run.
Her thoughts turned to him and last night. What passed through her mind only reminded her of what was never going to be. As much as she hated to admit it, she still couldn’t trust him. She was scared, frightened of what he could become and not willing to bend any further than the boundaries he would set.
However, she also realized that things could change in a matter of seconds, even if she didn’t want them to. Life was all about change, and she hated it. She knew she wouldn’t go to him for there simply was too much at risk to do that. She couldn’t take the chance of him leaving her again. She’d certainly lose the rest of her soul.
No, she needed to return to her former life. She needed solitude, to forget the past.
Of course, again, he would be correct. She wouldn’t forget. She would never forget. Her vibrating phone interrupted her thoughts. Reaching for it, she frowned when she saw the number. Taking a deep breath, she answered. “Hello,” she whispered.
“You’re leaving?”
“Yes.”
“Is there nothing more I can do?”
“No.”
“Are you staying for the wedding?”
“Our flight leaves that morning. I have already informed Charlotte.”
“Alex is going with you?”
“Yes.”
“Please stay.”
“I can’t,” she replied as a shiver of coldness ran through her veins.
“I can hear your teeth chattering. Where are you?” he asked, concerned.
“Helping my brothers with the calves, I’ve got to go. Good-bye, Gabriel,” she said quickly, not trusting her own voice and hastily shut her phone, ending the conversation, but she wasn’t fast enough because just as she pulled the phone away from her ear, she heard his anguished voice say, “Good-bye, little bird.”
Little bird.
His pet name was her undoing. She shivered as a cry of despair ripped from her soul.
She was weakening, and she knew it.
There were many things in her life that she regretted. She now wondered if this was going to be one of those times. Of course, she already knew the answer to that question, because every time she thought about getting on that plane and flying away, her heart cried out. The problem was she knew it wasn’t crying out for her home, but for him.
“Annie, you okay?” Caleb asked, walking over to her.
Sniffing, she quickly wiped her eyes and nodded. “Just being sentimental.”
“Baby girl, you can lie to yourself all you want, but you never could lie to me. Go to him. Tell him you forgive him.”
“I can’t.”
“Why?” he asked, placing his hands on her shoulders.
Crumbling, Annie fell into her brother’s arms and cried. She cried out for all that she lost, all the pain she endured, but mostly, she cried for him.
“Sweetheart, forgive him. Let the past go and move forward. Before you do, ask yourself this, is leaving the man you love worth the heartache you’re feeling now, or is not forgiving him going to hurt more? Because if it’s not the forgiving him part, then before you can begin to live again, you must find a way to let him go.”
Just then, the honking of a loud horn interrupted them. Turning, she saw Charlotte slam on the brakes of Braxton’s patrol car, jumping out as she yelled, “What the fuck are you doing!”
“Excuse me?” Annie asked, shocked.
“You heard me. You’re just gonna cut tail and run away. How convenient of you. Only thinking of yourself and forgetting about all the others who give a damn about you. I get that your love life sucks, boo-hoo! Get the fuck over it and stop whining and fix it. Don’t run away because you’re too chicken shit to fight for what you truly want,” Charlotte shouted at her.
Annie was speechless. She had known that when Charlotte got on a rampage that nothing would stop her, but she had never thought of being on the receiving end of one of her tirades.
“I’m sorry you think that, Charlotte. I never met to hurt your feelings.”
“Fuck my feelings! I’m talking about you being a coward. I was there last night, Annie. I saw how Gabriel looked at you. I also saw how you responded to him. Yeah, he fucked up. He’s a stupid man who thought with his other head. No one said he was perfect. Damn, girl, what more does a man need to do to say sorry? And you! Don’t even get me started on you!” Charlotte shouted, pointing her finger in her face.
“What about me?” Annie yelled, getting pissed.
“You devote your whole fucking life to one man, never giving another a chance, and when he fucks up, you no longer love him? Sorry, Alex.” Charlotte stopped mid-tirade, grinning at him.
“Couldn’t have said it better myself. Please continue.” Alex smiled.
Picking right back up where she left off, Charlotte continued, “That makes no fucking sense. If you loved him as much as you’ve said, then his fuckup, and I’ll admit he did fuck up, shouldn’t be that hard to forgive. You can’t go and put one man so fucking high above others and then get all shocked when he falls. It ain’t right, not to him or you. How is anyone ever gonna measure up when you have such high standards?”
There, it was the crux of the matter.
Stumbling, Annie, realized that Charlotte was right. She had placed Gabriel above all others, and when he stumbled and fell, she realized that he wasn’t some perfect, indestructible knight in shining armor. He was just a man, a man who made a mistake.
Gasping for air, her chest constricted as she tried desperately to gulp the air that was evading her. Tears burned hotly down her face as her soul leapt forward, screaming at her to mend her shattered heart. “Oh God, what have I done?”
“Nothing that can’t be fixed. Now get your shit together. I have a plan.” Charlotte grinned deviously at Alex.
“Charlotte, Braxton just called me. He said he’s going to bust your ass if you don’t return his patrol car,” Jeff shouted, riding up on his horse.
“Yeah, tell him to bite me. I have something to do.” She grinned and then turned to Annie. “Get up, and stop crying. Geez, you maudlin women need to grow some balls. Come on. I ain’t got all day,” she said, turning and walking toward the squad car.
Annie got up and dusted herself off and followed Charlotte. Getting into the front seat, she had just buckled her seat belt when Charlotte turned on the sirens and peeled away from the field. “Holy shit, Charlotte, slow down!”
“Can’t, we ain’t got the time to dawdle!” She laughed, stepping on the gas.
Chapter Fourteen
“You ready?” Braxton asked, coming up beside him. Gabriel’s head was somewhere else. He had been scanning the lobby for the last ten minutes hoping that she would come. The last time he saw her was twenty-four hours ago, and though her note said she and Alex were leaving this morning, he prayed they would have changed their mind. Gabriel knew that she had already had the papers drawn up for the divorce because Matthew delivered them to him this morning. When he opened the manila envelope, his heart sunk as the finality of what he had done stared him in the face.
His life was slowly fading, and he was out of options. He didn’t know what to do. She was so bound and determined to leave him, and at this moment there was nothing he could do to stop her.
The thought of her leaving him was a blow he wasn’t ever going to be prepared for.
His whole life all he ever wanted was to find peace and some semblance of happiness. He thought he had everything he needed until she walked into his life. Now, he wanted it all. He craved it all. Watching his friends and how they all loved their wives, he hoped that he could have
it, too.
“They left. She actually left me,” he whispered, looking at the back doors.
“I’m sorry, Gabe. We all thought she would have given in by now.”
“It’s all right. I never expected her to forgive me. How can she forgive me if I can’t forgive myself?”
“You did everything you could think of. Look, I understand if you want to duck out of here. Everyone will understand.”
“Thank you for that, but I would like to stay if that’s all right with you.”
“Sure.”
Together they walked to the front of the church and took their places. Gabriel had been to plenty of country weddings, but this one was unlike any he had ever seen.
An air of sophistication surrounded the small church, like walking into a winter fairy tale, the women of the town went all out to make sure Charlotte got her dream wedding.
Thousands of snowflakes fell from the ceiling adorned with sparkling lights, giving the church a winter effect. Chairs draped in a shimmering white cloth looked liked mounds of snow, and then there were the flowers. Red roses with a single white orchid placed in the middle were bundled together and placed sporadically throughout the hall. At the front of the hall stood a trellis adorned with roses and snowflakes where Braxton and Jordan stood waiting for the woman they loved. Dressed in tails, their black and white tuxedos reminded Gabriel of a time long forgotten, and they exuded strength, honor, and grace.
The black-and-white affair was something out of a movie. It was magical.
Standing next to his friends, Gabriel watched as the last of the guests found their seats, and before he could pray that she would show, the music started playing. His eyes found Jeff’s, and when he saw the resignation, Gabriel gently shrugged his shoulders.
She wasn’t coming.
The ceremony was about to begin, and Gabriel knew as Braxton, Jordan, and Charlotte’s lives were about to begin, his was over. She had made her decision. He was unprepared for the pain he felt as it crushed him. Closing his eyes, he accepted his fate as a single tear fell from his eye.
Gabriel's Heart [The Men of Treasure Cove 5] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 20