Some of the fire inside me snuffs out as he reaches up and tucks a strand of hair behind my ear.
“Would you like me to go back in and set her straight? Because I’ll gladly do so if it’ll put a smile on your face.”
He doesn’t allow me time to respond before he’s turning on his heels and taking a step back toward the restaurant.
“No!” I blurt out as I grab hold of his arm.
Just imagining the scene he’s capable of making causes me anxiety. I always make an effort to shy away from people’s attention, and him confronting Alison would certainly cause us to be the center of attention—something I do not want. He turns back to face me, and I suck in an audible breath.
“I don’t want you to do that.”
“But you said it yourself. She offended you by flirting with me. I’m sure this isn’t the first time she’s done something like that, so it needs to be brought to the attention of her boss.” His eyes shine with mischief as a knowing smirk slowly appears. “I mean, you said you aren’t jealous, so it’s clearly her lack of professionalism that’s bothering you. I say we handle that right now.”
He turns again, but I jerk on his arm while letting out a frustrated groan.
“Fine! I was jealous.” The end of my sentence comes out in a mumble.
Cupping his hand to his ear, he asks, “What was that? I couldn’t hear you.”
I roll my eyes at him even though I can’t help but laugh. “I said I was jealous.”
“Ah, I see.”
At that, I feel the need to defend my jealousy. “It’s just…I was right there, you know? I was next to you the entire night, and she didn’t even bother to look in my direction once. Who the hell does that?”
He just stands there and allows me to rant.
“I mean, how slutty do you have to be to shake your ass in front of a man’s face while he’s with a date? Oh! And how she spoke to you? Come on! No woman talks like that unless she’s a phone sex operator, which is exactly what she sounded like. Seriously, could she try any harder? It was pathetic.”
Once I’m finally done rambling, I take a soothing breath and exhale slowly as I wait for Gabriel to say something, anything. He doesn’t speak right away, but what he does sets my heart beating at a frenzied pace. He moves into my personal space, causing me to step back. The bare skin of my back hits the cold metal of the car, sending a chill up my spine. Placing both of his hands on the car next to me, caging me in, he leans in until I can feel the heat radiating off his body.
“That woman can’t even touch you, bella,” he speaks softly. “She doesn’t even compare. When I’m with you, there isn’t another woman on the planet who can catch my attention. It’s thoughts of you that invade my head every day, that make my cock painfully hard. You don’t have anything to be jealous about.”
Oh God. His words are burning me alive. I don’t know how in the hell I’m going to be able to go slow with this man when every single thing about him makes my body tingle. Being in his presence has me in a constant state of arousal so intense that I feel I might go insane if he doesn’t do something to relieve the pressure building inside me.
He places a lingering kiss on my cheek before pulling back and opening my door. My head is in a fog as I go through the motions of sitting down and buckling my seat belt. That’s what Gabriel does to my senses. Every line is blurred when it comes to him. I’m in such a daze that I don’t even realize he’s gotten into the car until his door slams shut, startling me out of my stupor.
The drive back to my apartment is made in comfortable silence. It’s as if we know each other well enough that filling the quiet with small talk isn’t necessary. I am thankful for this. Not only do I need to figure out how to slow things down between Gabriel and me, but I also need the quiet to get my body under control.
When we finally pull into the parking lot of my complex, my body is no less heated than it was at the restaurant. I know that it’s a good thing the date is wrapping up, but a little pang of disappointment still lingers at the thought of leaving Gabriel. Yes, I told him I was willing to give this thing between us a shot, but I have no clue when I’ll see him next. And the fact that just the thought doesn’t sit well with me is unsettling. I don’t want to cling to Gabriel, but I feel like that’s what I’m beginning to do. Hence, my determination to take things slow even if that determination has already proven to be failing.
He pulls into a parking spot and turns the key, killing the ignition. I let my gaze scan the area around me. It’s not lost on me that his insanely expensive car seems totally out of place in my middle-class complex.
“Marley,” he says, drawing my attention back to him.
I turn to him, and am struck speechless at the intensity in his expression. Neither of us speaks for several seconds. We’re too caught up in each other’s captivating gaze. I watch as he leans across the center console and brushes a strand of hair from my face. His fingers whisper down my neck where they come to a stop at my shoulder.
“I’m going to kiss you. If this is going too fast, you need to say something now.”
My lips part on a gasp, but no words come out. Taking that as all the invitation he needs, Gabriel wraps his hand around the nape of my neck and pulls me the rest of the way to him, closing those last few inches that remain between us.
There is no hesitation on his part, no room for me to escape his grasp, as his lips meet mine. I thought the jolt I got simply from his touch was mind-blowing, but nothing prepared me for what it would feel like to be kissed by him. His lips are just as soft as I’ve imagined they would be, and I’m instantly greedy for more of him.
My mouth opens further on a moan, and he doesn’t hesitate to slip his tongue in and tangle it with my own.
God…
The taste of him is even more exhilarating than his smell, and I find myself meeting his tongue thrust for thrust, reveling in the thrill of it. His fingers on the back of my neck flex as he grabs hold of my hair, and that slight tug causes wetness to build between my thighs. I’ve never felt like this. It’s exciting and scary how much I yearn for him in this moment. He must feel the same way because the second I push my body closer to his, a deep moan reverberates from his chest.
His free arm snakes around my waist, and before I know what’s happening, I’m being lifted over the console and onto his lap, straddling his hips. My hunger for him has taken over, and I barely even recall that being in this position with a man would have caused a panic attack in the past. The only thing that exists right now is Gabriel and me.
His hard-on presses into my core as I settle my weight fully onto him, and the jolt of pleasure it sends through me causes my hips to buck, pushing harder against him. A growl escapes Gabriel just before he bites down on my bottom lip. That small twinge of pain combined with the pulsing sensation against my clit is almost enough to send me spiraling out of control. I’ve never had an orgasm by anything other than my own hand. The sexual encounters from my past were always too devastating to find any pleasure. But everything in my body tells me that I’m just seconds away from coming simply from grinding against his cock.
His hands snake down to my hips where he squeezes and pulls, quickening the pace at which I’m rubbing against him. He bucks up at the same time he pulls me down roughly, and everything inside me shatters. Ripping my lips from his, I throw my head back and cry out his name as I come. The orgasm is so overwhelming that I can’t catch my breath. He continues to drive himself against my throbbing clit, drawing each wave out, until there’s absolutely nothing left, until my limbs give out, and I collapse into the muscular expanse of his chest. I can feel that he’s still hard, but there’s absolutely no strength left in me. I couldn’t move right now if my life depended on it.
We remain silent for several seconds, trying to regulate our breathing.
“So much for slow,” I joke once I’ve caught my breath enough to speak.
His chest shakes with laughter beneath my ear as I remai
n leaning against him. His hands trail up and down my back in a soothing pattern. After that orgasm and now his relaxing touch, I’m only seconds away from passing out.
“Invite me up,” he whispers in his ear.
I sit up so that I’m able to look into the face of the only man who’s ever given my body such pleasure, and I find my resolve to take our relationship slow nonexistent. I want him. I’m almost desperate for him. I know it’s insane to feel this way about a man I barely know, a man who scared me when we first met, but I can’t help it.
I open my mouth to invite him into my apartment, only to be interrupted by the shrill ringing of his cell phone.
“Fuck,” he seethes as he lifts his hips a fraction of an inch in order to reach into his pocket.
I try to slide back into the passenger seat, but his other hand still on my waist tightens, preventing me from going anywhere.
“Don’t move,” he commands as he looks down at the screen of his phone. His eyes that were dark with lust just seconds earlier grow hard. His brows pull down as he frowns at the screen, and I can see the tension building in his jaw.
“Is everything all right?” I ask, causing his eyes to come back to mine.
He quickly hits a button on the side of the phone, effectively silencing it, before tossing it over in my abandoned seat. The sudden shift in the atmosphere around us is beginning to make me uncomfortable. It’s gone from hot to cold in a matter of seconds, and the fact that I’m still sitting on Gabriel’s lap with my dress pulled up around my waist isn’t making me any more comfortable.
The agitation in his features melts slightly as he looks back at me and brushes a lock of hair from my forehead. “Just work, bella,” he tells me with a smile that doesn’t meet his eyes. “Unfortunately, it’s something that requires immediate attention.”
“Oh.” At his announcement, my body deflates slightly, and I drop my head to study my lap.
But maybe it’s for the best. After what just happened, it’s probably a good thing that I have time to myself to get my head on straight.
His hand comes to my chin and lifts my face to his. “Do you have any idea how beautiful you are when you come?”
There’s no escaping the slight embarrassment his words cause, and my skin heats as I recall my desperate whimpers and moans.
“Hearing you scream my name was the most erotic sound I’ve ever heard. I’ll play that over and over in my head tonight as I jack off while thinking about you.”
Knowing I affect him so much sends another shot of pleasure to my already sensitive core, making me wish he didn’t have to leave.
“You screamed, Gabriel.”
I let out a small giggle. “Well, that is your name.”
His smile finally hits his eyes, and it is so contagious that I have to smile back at him. “Well, as you know, most people call me Gabe.”
He’s right. He’s asked me countless times to call him Gabe, but now that we’re at the point we’re at, and things seem to be good for the time being, I’m finding I really like his full name. It seems like something special, just for me.
“I like Gabriel,” I say with a slight shrug.
He runs a strand of my hair through his fingers and twirls it around when he gets to the end. “Gabriel likes you, too.”
I giggle again and give his shoulder a playful shove. “You know what I mean.”
“Yes, well, if you like referring to me as Gabriel, then Gabriel it is.”
The fact that he’s so accommodating makes me warm up to him even more. I’m in jeopardy of seriously falling for this man.
“Thank you.”
“You’re quite welcome, bella.”
His eyes shoot down to where our bodies are pressed together, and I’m suddenly very aware that I’m still sitting on his lap, completely disheveled.
“I should go. You have work.”
His chest rises and falls with an annoyed sigh. “This definitely isn’t how I was hoping this night would end.”
Reaching up, I run a hand through his unruly dark hair, enjoying the softness of it between my fingers. “It’s okay,” I reply, hoping I’ve managed to mask the disappointment in my voice.
Gabriel reaches down and helps me pull my dress back into place before opening the car door and helping me out. Once we’re both standing, he leans back in for another kiss. This one is slightly more reserved but no less powerful. Taking my hand in his, he walks me up the stairs and to my apartment, not leaving my side until I have the door unlocked and open.
“I’ll call you tomorrow, baby.”
Baby. That one word makes everything in me melt.
“Okay,” I breathe.
He kisses me one last time before turning and walking away, and after tonight, I know that he’s managed to blow a gaping hole in the wall I’ve built around myself. Only time will tell if that’s a good thing or not.
“Boss,” is the only thing Aldo says when he answers his phone.
“Whatever you were calling for better have been fucking good,” I speak between clenched teeth. “You managed to cock block me with a simple phone call. That takes skill, man.”
“We got a problem,” is all he says, immediately setting me on edge.
He doesn’t need to tell me what the problem was. I already know. “Gianni,” I state simply.
“Yep.”
What the fuck happened?” I shout into the phone. Tonight was supposed to go off without a hitch. Reyes and his crew were supposed to meet my guys at the warehouse for the pickup. It was a simple in and out job; one step closer to getting me and my boys out of the goddamn drug business and handing the reins over to Reyes completely.
“At the office, boss. Meet there in twenty.”
This wasn’t a conversation we could have on the phone. Whipping my car around, I head back toward my office to get the bad news in person.
***
“Motherfucker showed up with a tiny army and a fuck ton of fire power.”
What? This wasn’t making sense. Up until now Gianni had simply been a disgruntled ex-employee pain in the ass that needed to be put in the ground. “Who the hell is he working for?”
“No clue, Gabe. But the dude has someone backing him.”
Motherfucker. “Tell me what happened.”
“Bout fifteen of ‘em stormed the warehouse, blowing bullets in whatever they could. Our guys managed to get outta the line of fire without getting dead, but Reyes’s men weren’t that lucky. He lost two of his crew. Gianni and his guys managed to get their hands on the product before taking off. I got the call from Carlo after things went south. Brice and Ant both took bullets but they’re superficial. I got the doc over there taking care of them right now.”
“How did he even know where we were?” I ask, running my hands through my hair in frustration. Just an hour ago my night had been going perfectly. Now this.
“Your guess is as good as mine, Gabe. But I’ll tell you this, Reyes is beyond pissed. If Gianni keeps fucking with us Reyes is gonna pull out. No doubt about it.”
He was right. Taking a deep breath, I try to relax myself before I destroy everything in this office. Gianni needs to be dealt with and that needs to happen now. “Find him. Whatever resources you need, however much it costs, I don’t give a shit. Anything you need is at your disposal. Just find that fucker.”
Aldo stands from the chair he’d been sitting in this whole time. “Already on it. I’ll let you know as soon as we know something.”
I wave my hand dismissively, not knowing what else to say. This is turning into a clusterfuck of epic proportions. Growing up, Gianni and I had been the best of friends. Even tighter than Aldo and I are. How the hell did we go from that to where we are now? My stomach is in knots, and bile rises up in my throat at the thought of what I have to do. This isn’t who I wanted to be five years ago when I was forced to make moves in order to exact my revenge. No matter how distressing, the fact still remains; I’m going to have to put a bullet in my old friend.
He’s left me no other choice.
***
Sleep was impossible to come by last night. As I lay in bed, the memory of me coming apart in Gabriel’s arms played on a continuous loop in my head. My body remained in a constant state of arousal at the thought his touch. If I was so affected simply by a memory, being with him for real was sure to kill me. And I couldn’t think of a better way to go.
Rolling over onto my back, I reached my arms high above my head and let out a satisfied groan as I stretch my body. A quick peek at the clock shows it’s already ten in the morning—which means two things. First, I need to get my ass in gear if I want to make it to work in time, and secondly, Carmen was sure to be beating my door down any minute now in order to get every detail from last night.
Knowing my time is running out, I hop out my bed—instantly missing it’s warm comfort—and pad across the hall to the bathroom. I hastily wash my hair then scrub my body as I let my conditioner set before finally rinsing.
I’ve just barely had enough time to dry off and wrap my still damp hair in a towel when the knocking begins. Smiling to myself, I throw on yoga pants and a tank and make my way to the door. I pull it partially open then turn and make a bee line for the kitchen in search of some much needed caffeinated goodness. I don’t need to look to see if Carmen’s following, I already know she’s right on my heels.
I turn into the kitchen, going straight to the cabinet for a mug and place it under my Keurig and hitting the button. When I finally turn to look at her, Carmen has her ass planted on the counter across from me with a shit eating grin on her face.
“What’s that smile about?”
“Oh, nothing,” she responds casually as she starts swinging her legs back and forth. “Just wondering if you’re gonna tell me how you got those bruises on your hip. You know, the ones that look like fingerprints?”
My eyes shoot down to where she’s talking about, and sure enough, she’s right. My top has ridden up, showing off purple fingerprints Gabriel must have left when we were fooling around in his car. I hadn’t even noticed he was squeezing hard enough to leave a mark. Everything he was doing to me felt too good, even those small twinges of pain had catapulted into pleasure.
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