“Yeah,” I rasp, no longer able to pay full attention to what he asked.
It’s impossible to think straight when he touches me. His hands slip down a little further, tangling with the hem of my sweater before gliding back up to my waist, taking my top with them. The instant his fingers brush my bare skin every nerve ending comes alive. I’m dangerously close to becoming lost to his touch, and I’m loving every minute of it.
My head falls back against his shoulder as he kisses and nips at the sensitive flesh below my ear. I’m just about to turn in his arms and deepen our connection when my stomach emits a horrifyingly loud noise.
I drop my head and cover my face in humiliation. I can hear Gabriel’s laughter at the same time I feel it vibrate from his chest.
“Are you hungry, baby?” He’s still laughing as I turn and smack his shoulder playfully.
“It’s not that funny, Gabriel,” I insist.
He’s so beautiful when he laughs that I discover my lips curving into a smile of their own. “Come on, bella. Let’s get you fed.”
Taking my hand, he pulls me out of the living room and past what appears to be the formal dining room with a massive wood dining table that has at least twelve covered chairs surrounding it. He leads me through a swinging door and into the most beautiful kitchen I’ve ever seen. The white cabinets and white stainless steel appliances are complimented by light granite countertops and a beautiful white and taupe tile backsplash. If I had a dream kitchen, this would definitely be it. Everything from the butcher block-island, to the gleaming country sink and dark hardwood floors is amazing. There are pops of color in the accents throughout, creating a warm and inviting space. I am absolutely in love with this kitchen.
Off to the right of the cooking area is a cute little eating nook with a round table and six chairs next to another large window overlooking the city.
“Gabriel, your place is amazing,” I say in awe. If everything about his home is as wonderful as what I’ve seen so far, I’m running the risk of never wanting to leave.
“I’m glad you like it. I hope you’re in the mood for Chinese tonight. I’m afraid my culinary skills limit us to take out.”
At this point, I was so hungry anything sounded devine. “Chinese is perfect,” I say, turning back to him. “But I have to tell you, this poor kitchen has gone to waste if you never cook in here.”
He chuckles as he starts pulling out containers from a bag on the island. “Trust me, this kitchen gets put to use, Jane makes sure of it.”
A twinge of jealously sparks in me at the sound of another woman’s name on his lips. Trying to play it off as curiosity, I tilt my head and ask, “Jane?”
He looks up from where he’s dishing out General Tao’s chicken to address my question. “She’s my maid. Well, housekeeper would be more appropriate, I guess. She does all of the cooking and cleaning for me. She’s in love with this kitchen.”
The envious feeling that was bubbling up quickly simmers back down at the mention of her being only his housekeeper. “I can see why. If I was here every day I don’t think I’d ever want to leave this room.”
Gabriel places both hands on the counter top and gives me a seductive look from across the island. “Is that right? So you’re telling me all I have to do to keep you here is bribe you with me kitchen?”
I feel myself growing wet as a flush spreads over my body at the sound of his husky voice. “Are you planning on keeping me?” I ask flirtatiously. Being around Gabriel brings out a brazen side of my personality I never knew existed.
His eyes grow dark and hungry as he stares at me. “Oh, baby. I plan on owning you.”
His words are like a bucket of ice being dumped on me, extinguishing the delicious flames that had been building just moments ago. My body goes still and I feel as all of the blood drains from my face.
I watch as the seduction and humor fades from his expression and is replaced with worry. “Marley, what’s wrong?”
Gabriel quickly makes his way around the island and reaches for me, but I step back out of his reach. “Please don’t say that,” I say in a broken whisper. “Please don’t say that.”
I feel myself spiraling down as my breathing accelerates and my heart pounds against my ribs. My vision begins to blur around the edges.
“Marley, look at me,” Gabriel demands. He places his hands on my cheeks and forces my eyes to meet his when I don’t respond. “Look at me, baby.”
After a several grueling seconds my vision begins to clear and I can see that Gabriel’s eyes look like storm clouds as he looks over every inch of my face. “Are you all right?” His voice is full of so much concern.
Mortification begins to seep into me as my mind reengages completely. I’ve done such a good job over the past few years at keeping my meltdowns private, that knowing Gabriel’s just witnessed me hitting such a low point makes me fear I may lose the contents of my stomach.
Clearing my throat, I step back, breaking the contact between Gabriel and me. “Uh, yeah. I-I’m okay.” My eyes dart around the kitchen, looking anywhere but at him. “C-can I use your bathroom?”
His brows furrow as he directs me to the restroom. I can tell he doesn’t want to let me out of his sight by the way his eyes are drilling into my back as I walk away, but I need a minute to myself.
I all but run to the bathroom and lock the door behind me, praying I don’t get sick.
After sitting on the toilet seat for several minutes, trying to calm my breathing, I finally step over to the sink to splash cold water on my face. Looking up, I take in my reflection. My skin is pale, my eyes wide and bloodshot. What little makeup I’d been wearing is now smeared by the tears that leaked out, staining my cheeks. I look like I’ve just seen a ghost. And I guess, in a way, I kind of have. I’ve tried so hard to erase my past that some days it’s like I only dreamed those horrible things happened. It’s moments like this—where my present clashes with my past—that reality comes crashing back down, causing me to crack.
I stay locked in the bathroom for what feels like an eternity. In the short amount of time I’ve been at Gabriel’s I’ve already managed to ruin our evening. Feeling discouraged, I decide that the best thing for me to do is to call it a night. Hopefully he’ll understand. I wanted this night to go so well, but there’s just no coming back from the scene I just caused.
I unlock the door and open it as quietly as possible. Maybe I can just sneak out and send Gabriel a text later explaining why I needed to leave. I really hope he understands.
I slip out, walking on my tip toes in order to make as little sound as possible. I’m so busy watching my steps, trying not to make any noise that I haven’t noticed Gabriel watching me until he speaks. “Going somewhere?”
I let out a startled shriek and clutch my chest. There goes my hope of escaping quietly. His expression holds concern and disappointment as he looks down at me with his arms crossed over his massive chest.
“You scared the shit out of me,” I say, trying to deflect from his question. “Why are you standing in front of the bathroom door?” I know I have no right to sound accusatory, but being caught trying to sneak out after having Gabriel witness my panic attack is just too much for me to handle in one night.
He doesn’t move a muscle as he stares, watching me like a hawk. “I wanted to make sure you were okay. And I had a feeling you might try to bolt. Looks like I was right.” Now it’s his turn to sound accusatory.
A defeated sigh escapes as I break eye contact. I feel like he can see too much when he looks as me. Maintaining my mask is nearly impossible when he’s around. “Look, I think it would be best if I just go. I’ve already managed to ruin our evening, let’s not make it any worse, okay? I’ll text you later.”
I try to step around him and head for the front door, but he steps into my path, blocking me. “No.”
My eyes shoot back up to his, momentarily confused by the determination in his voice. “No? What the hell do you mean ‘no’?”
/> “I mean I’m not going to let you run from me again.”
Anxiety begins to bubble up, but I try my best to force it back down. Squaring my shoulders to appear more in control, I tell him, “You can’t force me to stay here, Gabriel.”
“The fuck I can’t,” he hisses through clenched teeth.
At that, my head snaps back in shock and panic begins to take over. “Move out of my way. Now.”
Uncrossing his arms, Gabriel takes two quick steps towards me, causing me to flinch away from his sudden movements. I squeeze my eyes shut as he reaches out for me, but slowly peel them open to look at him when I feel his rough palms gently caress my cheeks. “Bella,” he whispers. “Do you trust me?”
Do I trust him? That’s a good question. When I first met Gabriel, what I felt for him was so intense—so unfamiliar—that I ran, fearing the emotions he managed to awaken in me with just a simple look. But no matter how hard I tried to push him away, I could never do it. Something about him spoke to me. My feelings for him may have scared me but he didn’t.
Unable to speak past the lump forming in my throat, I give him a small nod. His face lights as his thumbs lightly brush across my cheeks. “I won’t hurt you, baby. I need you to believe that. I don’t know what happened in your past, but I will never do anything that to cause you pain. Do you believe that?”
I nod again.
“Will you talk to me about what just happened back there?”
I let out a deep breath and drop my gaze to the ground between us. “I can’t. Not yet.”
I expect him to push me, to try and force the subject, but he doesn’t—which is both a surprise and a relief. “Okay. Will you at least come back and have dinner with me?
My lips curl up in a small smile as I look back up at Gabriel. “Yeah, let’s eat. I’m still starving.”
***
“So you took over Bertozzi Enterprises at nineteen when your father passed away?”
Somehow as dinner progressed, Gabriel managed to put me back at easy was we enjoyed our meal. We’re currently sitting at the round table in the little nook off of the kitchen talking about Gabriel’s childhood. Thankfully, I’ve successfully managed to avoid discussing mine so far.
“Yep, that’s right. I’ve managed to build it up quite a bit in the last twelve years.”
“That’s a lot to take on at such a young age, don’t you think?”
He shrugs casually, like running a huge corporation as a teenager was no big deal. “My father had been grooming me to take over the company ever since I was old enough to understand the ins and outs of how it ran. It wasn’t that surprising. Mom was a housewife and stay at home mother once I was born, so the responsibility naturally fell to me.”
“But you were just a kid. Didn’t you want to go to college or maybe travel for a while?”
Gabriel places his fork down on his plate and rests back into his chair. “Not really. I’d known for a long time that I’d be in charge of the company one day, it just happened a lot earlier than expected. I’d been studying how my father ran things for a while and I already knew I wanted to make some big changes when I took over.”
After one last bite, I place my fork down and lean back in my chair, stuffed beyond belief. I’ve never learned moderation when it comes to Chinese or Mexican food. “So in the twelve years you’ve been running Bertozzi Enterprises have you been able to make those changes?”
At my question a faraway look crosses over his face. “Not all of them.” His response leaves no room to question further. Feeling there’s something there he doesn’t want to discuss, I change the subject. I appreciate him not pushing me so I won’t push him either.
“So what about your mother? Are you two close?”
As if he hadn’t just appeared distresses seconds ago, his mouth tips into a large grin. “Yeah, we’re close. She’s probably the strongest person I know.”
The admiration in his voice as he spoke of his mother warmed my heart. Just because I didn’t grow up in a loving household didn’t mean I wished ill on those who did. Gabriel lost his father—his mentor—at a young age. To hear that he still had a strong relationship with his mother pleased me.
“She’s very loving, a nurturer to her core, you know?
“She sounds amazing,” I say with a warm smile.
“She is. Tough as nails, though. Never let me get away with shit when I was growing up.”
There’s no containing the deep belly laugh erupts from me. I can just imagine the trouble Gabriel got himself into as a teenager. “We’re you a difficult kid?”
He lets out an embarrassed groan. “That’s an understatement. But enough about me. What about you?”
Running my fork through my food aimlessly, I ask, “What about me?” already sensing what he’s about to ask. It’s not an uncommon question for me to receive, but still bothersome none the less.
“Are you close with your parents?”
I give him the same answer I give everyone who asks. “I never knew my father and my mom passed when I was eighteen,” I reply, trying desperately to sound unburdened, even though my stomach was in knots.
Gabriel reaches across the table and takes my hand in his, “I’m sorry.” His sympathy grates at me. I’m not sorry my mother is gone, and if he knew how truly evil she was, he wouldn’t be either.
I just shrug, “It’s okay. We were never close.” After saying that, I’m done talking about this. I lift my hand from his and peek at my watch thinking that maybe we should end dinner now while it’s still on a good note. “Dinner was wonderful, Gabriel. Thank you.”
“You’re quite welcome.” I stand and reach for my purse in the chair beside me, but clearly he has other plans. “Come with me. I want to show you something.”
Forgetting about my purse, I take his hand and let Gabriel lead me from the kitchen into the living room. He stands me in front of the massive windows before turning to a dial on a nearby wall and lowering the lights. As the room grows dimmer the lights outside the window shine brighter, creating a breathtaking view of the city below us.
“Wow,” I breathe. “This view is amazing.”
“It is.” I can feel his breath on the side of my neck as one of his arms wraps around my waist from behind. With his free hand he brushes the hair off the side of my neck, placing his lips just above the collar of my sweater. His chest presses hard against my back, causing my body to instantly melt in his arms.
A soft moan escapes my lips when he bites down softly on the cord of my neck. “Jesus, bella. You’re so fucking beautiful when you make those noises.”
“Gabriel,” I whisper on an exhale when his hand snakes up to cup my breast over my clothes. I’m unable to control the distressed whimpers as he massages my breast, wishing there was nothing between his hand and me.
“Are you already wet, baby?”
He has everything in me so hot I’m unable to speak. All I can do is gasp as he manipulates my body in the delectable way only Gabriel can. “If I slid my fingers into your pussy would you be dripping for me?” His words cause a gush of arousal to flood my panties. “Answer me,” he says as he pinches my nipple through my sweater and bra, sending sparks straight to my core.
“Y-yes.”
His free hand skirts the hem of my sweater, lifting it up to the top of my jeans. I catch the movement in the glass in front of us and become transfixed by our reflection. I watch with rapt attention as Gabriel pops the button on my jeans and slowly lowers the zipper. His calloused fingers brush against the bare skin of my belly making it quiver. With his other hand still working my nipple he’s creating twin sensations of pleasure that make it feel like an electric current is running through me. I can’t tear my eyes away from where his hand is disappearing into my jeans. He works his way under the waistband of my panties, dipping lower until those rough fingers reach my mound.
When he stops is downward progression I think I might yell out in frustration. What Gabriel is doing to my body is unlike
anything I’ve ever experienced. I want this. I want him. There is no fear, no flashbacks. Only him. “Do you want me to touch you, baby?” His words are like gravel as his lips move against my neck.
Not being able to form a coherent sentence, I nod my head in jerky motions, praying he’ll continue.
“Say it, Marley.”
“Yes, Gabriel. Please touch me,” I beg.
“When I fuck you with my fingers, you want it hard or soft?” Flashes of Gabriel with those other women skate through my mind. I don’t feel any jealousy at these memories, only desire. I want him to be with me how he was with them. I want the raw, animalistic man I’ve witnessed. I don’t want to be treated as though I might break. I want him to take me how he wants.
“Hard. Please. I want it hard.”
At my words, Gabriel plunges two fingers into my pussy making my eyes roll as I throw my head back against his shoulder. “Fuck. So goddamn wet.” His fingers pump in and out of me at an almost brutal pace, hitting every perfect spot along the way. My hips move against his hand trying to get his as deep as possible. I can feel his cock thickening against my ass and grind myself against him. The moan that echoes through him alone almost sends me spiraling into orgasm.
“That’s it, bella,” he coaxes. “Fuck my hand, baby. I want to feel you come all over it.” His words shatter me. My pussy clenches and pulses around his fingers as my orgasm pulls me under. It’s so intense I have to grab hold of the arm he has around my waist and hang on for dear life. My nails dig into his skin as I writhe against his hand, moaning his name. He continues to work me until my limbs become putty. My upper body starts drift forward, but is caught in Gabriel’s strong embrace before I can hit the window.
My eyes finally drift open at the feeling of him removing his fingers from my sensitive folds. I watch his face in the window as he lifts his hand to his mouth and sucks his fingers clean. “Mmm, you taste so goddamn good.” It’s the most erotic sight I’ve ever seen, and I feel myself growing needy again just watching him.
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