“Beautiful, would you like chocolate too? m&m’s™ perhaps?” I nodded my head, a huge grin spreading over my face. He got me some peanut butter m&m’s™ and we headed into the theatre. The movie had been out for a few weeks, so we pretty much had the whole place to ourselves. He led me all the way up the stairs to the last row and we grabbed the center seats. I smiled inwardly, the teenage girl still hidden inside me secretly hoping that we’d make out. We plopped down in our seats and got the snacks situated. He took my hand and brought it to his lips, gently kissing the inside of my palm. My heart was beating so loudly I was afraid he could hear it.
“Thank you for spending the day with me, Lily.”
“T…t…thank you, Gabriel. These last few nights have been the best of my life. It’s like you’re almost too perfect,” I replied.
“I assure you, I’m not perfect, kitten.”
“But you seem to know just what to say or what I’m thinking all the time, Gabriel. It’s like our minds are connected…maybe even our hearts,” I said and looked down at our hands linked together. He leaned over and lightly brushed his lips against mine.
“I think they are too, kitten,” he whispered. The previews started, saving me from having to reply. I had never had a man be so open and honest about his feelings for me. I was freaking out inside, but at the same time, I was falling hard. This man was just that, a MAN. Not a typical guy or a boy, as I was used to being with. He was beautiful, and talented, and funny, and intelligent, and apparently he wanted to be mine. The little voice in the back of my head was still nagging me though, wondering how he knew so much about me. He had admitted to being a stalker, but I had never seen him outside of the occasional class that he’d attended.
He squeezed my hand then put his arm around me. I snuggled up against him and was immediately immersed in Ana’s story. I’d loved the books, having devoured them in the span of a week. Christian was so secretive and so sexy and he spoiled Ana to no end. It pained me watching them on screen, seeing Ana’s pain when Christian wouldn’t let her touch him. I couldn’t even imagine Gabriel not allowing that. He was all about the touching. Even now, he was stroking his long fingers mindlessly up and down my thigh.
I turned to look at his profile, warming at the thought of his hands traveling higher. I suddenly wished I had worn a skirt, giving him easier access. He turned to look at me, his dimple showing in the light coming from the screen. His eyebrows furrowed, his signature smirk playing on his lips. Oh god, had I said that out loud?
“Yes, kitten?” he asked in a whisper.
“Nothing, just wondering if you like the movie so far?” I replied. We had reached the part where she was researching BDSM and my mind was going in a million different directions. I was also curious about that lifestyle, but it kind of scared me too. I had been a control freak pretty much all of my life, so how could I possibly give up all control to a man?
Christian was showing Ana how “nice” he could be but Gabriel’s eyes never left my face.
“I’m getting a few ideas,” he said teasingly.
“Really, now?” I asked, blushing furiously and thankful that it was dark enough so he couldn’t see.
“Mmmhmmm. Has it been “nice” knowing me so far?” he teased again, his fingers moving higher up my thigh. I swallowed loudly, a smile playing at my lips. Oh how I wanted those fingers to repeat what they did last night.
“Meh, I guess you could say it’s been nice. I’d go with “OK” really. That might be a better word for it,” I replied. Two could play at this game. I felt so brazen, egging him on, but I wanted to see how far I could take this.
His fingers found my center and stroked lightly as he placed his lips on my neck, right on my secret sensitive spot.
“OK, huh?” he asked as his fingers stopped and pressed down hard. I could barely breathe, the sparks shot through my body, lighting me on fire. I turned my face into his neck and licked right behind his ear. I had never tasted his skin before and it was sweeter than any cupcake I’d ever had. His breath caught and I bit down lightly on his skin, feeling like a naughty 16-year-old girl again.
His hand came up and cupped my breast as his lips trailed kisses up my neck, across my check, and finally landed on my lips. He nibbled my bottom lip and squeezed my nipple hard through my clothes. Gasping I tried to pull away from his grasp, but his other hand came around to the back of my neck and held me in place. The gasp allowed his tongue entrance into my mouth and before I knew it we were full on making out. Our tongues entwined, our teeth nipped at each other’s lips, and our sighs filled each other’s ears. The hand on my breast moved to the other once, caressing it through my shirt, then pinching it just as hard. This time I was ready and I bit down on his lower lip, tasting the slight tang of his blood.
It was his turn to gasp, as he pulled away slightly, though his hands never left my body.
“Like it a little rough, do we kitten?” he asked in amazement.
“It would seem that way, Gabriel,” I purred. I felt the sexiest I had ever felt, like I could come completely unhinged sexually, and Gabriel would lap it up. I had tried it once with Ryan, getting a little rough, and he had called me a crazy bitch. Needless to say our sex life had dwindled miserably after that.
“Lily, you are fucking amazing,” he said, his eyes full of wonder and heat. He crushed lips back down on mine and wrapped his arms around me. This theatre had those adjustable seat arms that you could move out of the way so we were able to fully embrace. He swiftly pulled me into his lap, and I straddled his long legs. I could feel his length growing against my core. His lips searched mine as though he were looking for an answer to some unspoken question. My heart thundered in my chest and I fisted my hands through his thick hair. He held me tight against his body and slightly rocked his hips, moving his length along my center. It felt so amazing to be in his arms. It was like I belonged there, just like he had said last night; it felt like home.
He moved his hands to my face and gently moved me away. He stared into my eyes and shook his head.
“What?” I whispered.
“I’m completely in love with you, Lily,” he whispered back.
Chapter 12
I stared at him, dumbfounded and at a loss for words.
“You don’t have to say it back, kitten, it’s ok. I just wanted you to know. I don’t play games like your hero on that screen down there. I’ve known you for two years and have been dying to tell you every day. I love you,” he repeated.
“T…t…two years?” I finally said, “That makes no sense Gabriel, we’ve only had the one class together.”
“I know you think we’ve only had once class together, but honestly there is so much more. I promise I will tell you everything, just not today, ok? I want today to be about you. Is that alright?” he pleaded. I took a moment to think, looking deep into his eyes. They were still so green, even in the dark, and mesmerizing. Something deep inside me stirred and I longed to trust him. I didn’t want to fight, and I didn’t want to ruin this beautiful moment.
“Please don’t hurt me, Gabriel. I couldn’t take it,” I implored. He brought my lips to his once more, his kiss pleading with me, his lips setting me on fire. His kiss was his promise. As his tongue entwined with mine again, I could feel his emotions flowing through me and I knew. He really was in love with me. I couldn’t explain it; it wasn’t rational, it simply was. I refused to fight it; I gave in to the kiss and let his love cocoon me.
The movie ended and the credits came on. We hadn’t seen the last half and we chuckled quietly, so lost in each other. He helped me off his lap and we gathered our trash and headed for the door.
“What would you like for lunch, beautiful?”
“Chinese?”
“Sounds great; I know the perfect place,” he said as he grabbed my hand.
A few minutes later we arrived at this tiny little mom and pop restaurant and he led me inside. We grabbed a table in a secluded corner and looked over the menu. Every
thing looked so good, but I wanted my favorites: beef lo mein and vegetable egg rolls. My mouth was watering just thinking about it. He took my hand in his and smiled at me above his menu. His words kept replaying in my head over and over. He was so confident about saying those three little words. Most men only said them to get sex or because they had messed up. I gazed at him in wonder and smiled back. He was so beautiful to look at, it wasn’t hard getting caught up in staring at him.
Our server came by and we chatted with him for a few minutes then ordered our food. Gabriel poured me some hot tea and spooned a little sweetener in it. Of course he would know how I like my tea. I wondered how many times he had been at the same Starbucks as me, and I had never even noticed. How had I not seen this gorgeous man? I shook my head in wonder, mentally kicking myself.
“What’s going on in that head of yours, kitten?” he asked with a smile.
“I just don’t know how I never noticed you before that last day of classes. You had to have been around me a lot, if you know all these things about me.”
“I’m very good at being a wallflower,” he replied.
“I doubt that,” I countered, “You’re too beautiful.” I gasped quietly, surprised at the words that had just flown out of my mouth. My face turned bright red and I wished I still had the menu to look at so I could hide behind it. He laughed softly.
“Thank you, gorgeous,” he said. I took a sip of my tea, trying to calm my nerves. I wondered if I’d ever feel calm around him. My body seemed to always be on high alert around him.
“So, Lily, tell me more about yourself. Where did you grow up? Do you have siblings? Are you close with your family?”
“So there ARE things you don’t know,” I replied, laughingly.
“Yea, guess I’m not THAT good of a stalker, huh?” he said sheepishly.
I chuckled and told him about growing up in the suburbs of my no-name town, being picked on at school because of my weight and acne, and how I had basically raised my siblings. I adored my brother and sister and still kept in close contact with them even though they lived out of state. I explained that I had left home early, to live with family then friends, never having really connected with my mom. I explained that my sister had done the same thing but chose to live with her dad (my stepdad) instead. I talked about how we had grown apart until after I left for college, but how now we were closer than ever.
“So you never really connected with your mom?” he asked with concern.
“She had a lot of problems, I guess. I don’t think she really wanted to be a mom, but she felt she was supposed to have a family. She was not a nice person when we were growing up,” I replied quietly. He reached across the table and took my hand in his.
“What do you mean, Lily? Did she yell at you a lot?”
I nodded and replied, “That and she was somewhat violent when we made her mad, which seemed really easy to do. She had a pretty bad temper and seemed to be angry a lot. Maybe she was just angry in general, at the hand life dealt or something.” His eyes searched mine, looking somewhat angry. I wondered if I had told him too much.
“She hit you?” he asked through his teeth.
“It’s OK, Gabriel, it was a long time ago. I got over it and I’ve moved on.”
“It’s not OK, beautiful. It’s never OK to hit a child, or anyone for that matter,” he said, his fists clenching, “I want to know about it. When did it first start? How many years did it last?”
“Umm, are you sure you want to know this? I’m at peace with it now, Gabriel.”
“Yes, Lily. I want to know you, all of you.”
I took a deep breath and began the story of my childhood. I told him about my first memories of her and how she would scream at my sister and me when we were very little. How some days she wouldn’t get out of bed until the afternoon and we would have to wait to eat until she got up. I told him how she would make us go outside and play and lock the door so we couldn’t come back in until she was ready, which was usually around dinner time, and about how sometimes the neighbors would feed us and make sure we had water.
I told him about how she would smack us across the face if she ever thought we were talking back, and how we had gone to the principal about it once. I explained that Children Services had come over and how much of a show my mother had put on convincing them it was a misunderstanding; then how we both got spanked with a hanger later that night for telling on her. Needless to say we never spoke up again. I talked about how she refused to drive us to school some days so we had to find our own rides or walk the 2 miles there and back. Usually we could get a hold of our papaw and he’d take us, thankfully.
I went through her list of men and failed relationships and how it affected all three of us kids. I also told him about the day I grabbed her arm when she went to slap me for “talking back” and held it away from me. That was the day I had told her if she ever hit me again I’d hit her back. I was 15 and I was tired of her anger being directed at me. After that I went to live with relatives until I turned 18. At that point I had stayed with a friend until I went off to college. While I talked, Gabriel held my hand, forcing me to eat one handed. I didn’t mind it though, as his touch was very soothing and I was able to get through my story without crying. As I came to the end, I looked into his eyes. They were filled with pain and anger and love. There was no pity, no fear that I was crazy. I took a deep breath and set my chopsticks down.
“So there you have it. That’s me in a nutshell,” I joked softly.
“Jesus, baby. I had no idea how strong you really are,” he said in amazement. “Thank you for sharing that with me. I knew you were amazing, but I had no idea just how fucking perfect you were.”
“Gabriel, I’m not perfect. I mean, look at me,” I said pointing to myself.
“I AM looking at you Lily,” he said quietly, “I’ve been looking at you for two years and now I see how truly perfect you are…for me.” He took my hands in his once more. I sat there silently staring at him. I was on the verge of tears now, and took a few deep breaths.
He continued, “Thank you again for sharing your pain with me Lily. I want to know you, all of you, even the muddy, rainy, and cloudy parts.”
“Gabriel, this street goes both ways, though. I can’t keep baring my soul to you while you keep everything hidden.”
“I know, beautiful. Like I said, I promise I’ll tell you when I’m able to. I’m working through some things, and when I get everything sorted out, I will tell you everything I can.”
“OK, thank you. I don’t mean to rush you but I just want to know all about you too. Even the muddy parts,” I said with a small smile.
Gabriel smiled in return and went up to pay the check. He had never once expected me to pay for anything. It felt so nice being taken care of like this. If he needed a little more time to divulge his past, I would give it to him. I was afraid if I pushed him too hard, I might push him away. He came back over to the table and took my hand and led me to his car.
“I’ve got a busy day tomorrow, but I’d like to see you again tomorrow night. I’m performing at the Secret Word, and I’d love it if you were there.”
“Of course, Gabriel, I love watching you perform!” He kissed my forehead again and tucked me into the car and drove me home.
Chapter 13
After a long day of cleaning and packing and paperwork, I was so ready for a few drinks and more time with Gabriel. I couldn’t wait to hear him sing again. He looked so sexy playing his guitar and singing into the mike with his eyes on me. I had chosen to wear some skinny jeans, a simple white tank, and my black leather jacket to blend in with the hip crowd at The Secret Word. Desperately wanting more kisses, I hoped Gabriel thought it was just as sexy as the red dress from the other night. I applied another coat of lip-gloss and walked into the club to the sound of someone screeching into the microphone.
OMG, Gabriel had invited me to karaoke night! There was no way I was going to get out of this. We had already made one be
t that I had somehow gotten out of, mostly because we couldn’t help but kiss each other. I looked around the club and realized it was packed. The stage where I had first seen Gabriel perform was set up with a mike and a teleprompter. Oh god, I needed my liquid courage. Gabriel came up and squeezed my hand, bringing me out of my reverie, and I turned my face to look up at him.
“Ready to sing, beautiful?” he asked with a smirk.
“Seriously? I’m gonna need some whiskey, Gabriel!” I almost shrieked. He started laughing quietly and signaled to the bartender. Rosy came bounding over with two shots for me and a beer for Gabriel. I grabbed them off the tray and downed them quickly. If my gut instinct was right, we would be up very soon. Since Gabriel owned the place, he pretty much got whatever he wanted.
Deceiving (The Watcher Series Book 2) Page 5