Her hand moved up and touched the skin on his neck, her mouth opening up to his. He greedily deepened the kiss, knotting his fingers in her hair and pushing her down onto the bed. It wasn’t about sex with Victoria, it was a much deeper connection. But fuck, that connection made the sex so much better.
His hand traveled down to Victoria’s hip, and then to her thigh. He pushed her skirt out of his way and felt the soft skin on the side of her leg. She parted her legs for him, and he happily accepted the invitation, rubbing her through the thin fabric of her panties.
She moaned against his mouth and his cock shoved against the denim of his pants. He went to push her panties aside, but she shoved his hand away and sat up. Before he could ask what was wrong, she was straddling him, taking his mouth and locking her hands in his hair.
He gripped her ass, shoving the skirt out of his way and squeezing her perfect curves.
Gabe pulled the shirt she wore off of her and over her head, tossing it aside but being careful not to throw it near the candles. She wore a lacy black bra, sexy as hell, but he couldn’t wait to remove it from her chest.
Her fingers began working at his buttons undoing them one at a time until his shirt fell open. Her hands left a trail of heat on his chest as she rubbed them along the skin there. He wanted her to touch him forever, to never leave his side. What the hell was happening to him?
He needed to hear her moaning his name, needed to give her more pleasure than she’d ever known. Gabe shoved her off of him, pushing her onto her back and ripping the skirt off of her. He moved to her panties, but she stopped him.
“Wait,” she breathed, shoving at his chest.
“What?” Gabe asked her.
She pushed him again, so Gabe stood. She stood, too, and Gabe couldn’t help but stare at her. Everything about Victoria was perfect to him, every little thing. He wanted to take her, claim her, make her his.
She moved towards him, unbuttoning his jeans and shoving them down. What was she-
She fell to her knees, staring up at him with those gorgeous fucking eyes of hers.
“Baby, you don’t have to-”
She took him into her mouth, kissing, licking, and sucking as her hand worked the length of him. Gabe felt a low groan escape his throat as he knotted his hands in her hair and leaned his head back.
He was about to burst when he shoved her away from him. “Need you. Now,” he growled.
He pushed her onto the bed, taking her mouth in his again and kissing her with absolute need. He tore the remaining fabric from her body so that she was completely naked for him, and then he lowered himself to the bed.
Victoria placed a hand on his chest, straddling him and pressing her sex against his length. He felt like he was going to explode, but not without her. He wouldn’t let go until she was crying out in pleasure.
When he felt the tip of his cock pressing against the opening of her sex, it took every bit of control he had not to push into her. Victoria locked her hands with his, staring down at him with a breathless expression on her face.
Victoria pushed down with her hips, taking his entire length into her and moaning in pleasure as she did it. She began slowly rocking her hips against him, driving Gabe absolutely mad. As her pace began to pick up, Gabe felt that same primal urge come over him.
“Victoria,” he moaned. “Tell me you’re mine.”
She moaned in response, continuing to ride him as her breathing came heavier.
“Be mine,” he said again.
She looked down at him before sighing out the words he so desperately wanted to hear.
“I’m yours.”
Gabe released her hands and grabbed her, pulling her down towards him as he drove into her. “And I’m yours, baby.”
Her moans grew louder as he continued to thrust into her. Her breath quickened. He knew she was close…
“Gabe!” she gasped his name as her sex contracted around him. It sent him over the edge, and he was with her, riding out the waves of his orgasm and holding her tightly against his body.
She was his.
***
IT TOOK AWHILE FOR their breathing to return to normal. Victoria stayed where she was, glued to Gabe and unable to move even if she wanted to. She couldn’t imagine not feeling him against her, the ecstasy of her release still swimming in her head.
Slowly, reality returned to them both. Victoria pulled away a bit so that she could see Gabe’s face. The early shadow of a beard was covering his jaw, and as much as Victoria usually hated facial hair, she couldn’t help but feel in awe at how handsome he was.
Gabe was rugged and hard, but that wasn’t what attracted her to him. There was more to Gabe, so much buried beneath the surface. Victoria spent nearly a decade studying human psychology and trying to work out the inner-workings of the human mind, and she had done a pretty good job of it. Yet Gabe still remained a mystery to her. He kept her on her toes.
When she’d first met him, he was sweet to her like nobody else was. When other boys made fun of her music taste, or her crazy hair, or her black eyeliner, Gabe treated her like a human.
As the years went on, her childhood crush continued to deepen. She grew into herself, learned to put down the eyeliner pen, grew out her hair so that the wild curls fell into loose waves. But any boy who paid her attention after that meant nothing to her, because they would’ve never given her the time of day when she was younger. But Gabe did.
Gabe was a kind soul with a battered heart, and Victoria adored him for that.
She felt that even stronger after he’d opened up to her and told her about the fallout he had had with his father.
Maybe she could give him a second chance… maybe they could try again, and do it right this time.
“What are you thinking about?” he asked her.
Victoria felt the corners of her mouth pull into a smile. “You,” she replied.
The smile that spread across Gabe’s face made her heart melt.
“Oh yeah? What about me?”
Victoria was all too aware of Gabe’s hands on her bare hips, and of his hard length that was growing inside of her.
“This,” she breathed into his neck as she began to rock her hips against him again. A growl escaped Gabe’s throat as his hands tightened on her waist and he began moving with her once more.
***
GABE PUSHED THE SLIMY egg mixture around in the frying pan. The smell of breakfast meats filled the air as the mixture began to take a solid form. He continued to move the spatula, pushing the eggs from side to side and ensuring the contents of the pan cooked thoroughly. When the mixture was mostly solid, Gabe dumped in shredded cheese. A little too much if he was being honest with himself, but oh well.
This was certainly new. Gabe couldn’t remember the last time he’d cooked food, period, let alone made somebody breakfast. Thinking about it, actually, Gabe didn’t think he had ever cooked somebody breakfast.
Scooping the finished product out of the pan and into two plates, Gabe moved over to the table and put the plates down on either side. He walked over to the fridge. It was nearly empty. There was apple juice, though, so he grabbed the bottle and placed it on the table, along with ketchup, salt, and pepper.
Truthfully, this all seemed a bit unreal. Logically, Gabe knew that this was all very stupid. He had hurt Victoria so badly all those years ago, there was no way she’d want to be with him. He was a good lay, that was all. And the same should’ve been true for him, too. It certainly was when this had all started. Best sex of his life, take two? Three? Four? Ten? Fuck yes.
But then somewhere along the way, things changed. He saw things with her, saw a future. Hope. Happiness. Redemption.
Her rejection at the lake should’ve been the end for Gabe. He should’ve been happy they could still fool around, and give up on thoughts of anything else. After all, Gabe didn’t do attachment. It shouldn’t be a problem at all to let go, right?
He thought he’d wake up and feel like his normal
self again, but that’s not what happened. Instead, he woke up even more certain. He didn’t want to run, he didn’t even want to go at it again. He wanted to kiss her, instead.
Something weird was going on here with Victoria.
But Gabe really didn’t care. He saw the light at the end of the tunnel for the first time in years, and that light was her.
***
STRETCHING HER ARMS out, Victoria breathed in deeply, the smell of last night filling her nose and warming her belly. Gabe’s masculine aroma was all around her, and she couldn’t help but crave him again. It took nearly nothing to make her want him. It was bordering on crazy…
After a few moments, she smelled food. Eggs? Definitely bacon. Was Gabe… cooking?
What the hell?
Victoria shot up in bed, holding the blanket to her chest. She looked around the room, and then she spotted Gabe’s shirt. She jumped to her feet and grabbed it, pulling it around her body and immediately feeling warmth between her legs at Gabe’s musky smell hanging on the shirt.
Taking a deep breath, Victoria moved towards the stairs up from the basement. She reached the door at the top, pushing it open and stepping out into the hall. She walked to the kitchen and saw two plates of food on the kitchen table, condiments set out, apple juice, Victoria’s favorite, and Gabe, rinsing dishes in the skin before turning towards her. His jeans were hanging low on his hips, his bare torso perfectly carved and all too tempting. His hair was a mess on his head, the sexiest mess Victoria had ever seen.
As the smile spread across his lips, Victoria realized she hadn’t seen Gabe in the light like this before. Not since they were children. He wasn’t perfect like she’d imagined. He had a scar running across his chest, his eyes were tired and… sadder, than they once were. He looked like a man who had been through war. And yet, no matter how hard she looked for flaws, she couldn’t find them. No blemish, no scar, no crease near his eyes or gray in his beard could ever change her mind about Gabe. He was still exactly what she wanted, exactly what she had always wanted. He wasn’t perfect like she had once thought he was, but he was still perfect to her.
And something about that, about the vulnerability that came with that… it frightened her.
“Breakfast, m’lady?” Gabe said jokingly, smiling and motioning towards the table.
Victoria’s heart fluttered in her chest. She moved towards the table, but Gabe grabbed her, pulling her into his arms and pressing a kiss to her lips. Victoria kissed him back, feeling his hands on her lower back as she wrapped her arms around his neck and moved onto the tips of her toes.
She expected his hands to move lower, she ached for them to, but instead, he pulled away. She looked up at him, and he was still smiling.
“Let’s eat,” he smiled before sitting down.
Victoria sat at the table. Shifting in her seat, she wondered what he was up to. She was acutely aware of the lack of clothing she wore, and stretched Gabe’s shirt further down her thighs. Why hadn’t she stopped to find pants? Shorts? Panties, at the very least?
“You look beautiful,” Gabe said, as if recognizing her discomfort.
Victoria smiled, thanking him and beginning to pick at the meal he’d made.
“How’d you sleep?” Gabe asked her.
Victoria brought a napkin to her lips, surprised at how good the eggs tasted. “I slept well! How about you?”
“Great,” Gabe smiled.
“Last night was fun,” Victoria said, smiling shyly and testing the waters with Gabe. She wanted to know where his head was.
“Yes, it was,” he said before continuing to eat his food.
“Did you, um-” Victoria stopped herself, feeling too awkward to get the words out.
“Did I…?” Gabe drew out the word.
Did you mean it when you said you were mine? “Nothing.”
“Don’t do that to me, Vic. What were you going to ask?”
Victoria blushed. “Did you like it?”
Gabe stared at her in disbelief, as if he couldn’t comprehend the question she’d asked him. Finally, he answered. “Uh, yeah, of course!” He shook his head and laughed. “Couldn’t you tell?”
Victoria laughed sheepishly and looked away. “I guess so,” she said.
“I like everything I do with you, sweetheart,” Gabe said, taking Victoria’s hand from across the table. “And I look forward to more,” he winked.
Victoria smiled, happy with the answer.
“What are your plans for today?” he asked.
Victoria swallowed her mouthful of food.
“I was actually going to see your parents today for lunch,” she answered. “Then back home to unpack some more.” She thought about her bare apartment, filled with the basic pieces of furniture and a few too many boxes.
Gabe turned his attention to his food, pushing the food around in his plate. Victoria eyed his change in behavior, noting the slight slumping of his shoulders, the avoiding of eye contact, and the nervous way he moved his food without truly eating it.
“You should come,” Victoria said quickly before she could stop herself.
Gabe looked up at her wide-eyed. He began to shake his head, a movement so subtle she barely caught it. Then he said a firm ‘no’ before looking back to his meal.
“Why not?”
Victoria watched as Gabe let out a heavy sigh, shifting in his chair and slowly meeting her gaze again.
“I haven’t talked to my parents in years,” Gabe finally said.
Victoria was surprised. The Matthews family had always been very close. At least, that’s what she had thought before last night… Even so, Victoria knew them, and she knew it would be therapeutic for Gabe to reconnect with his parents.
“You should come,” she said again, firmer in her stance now. “It would be good for all of you to reconnect.”
She waited. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six.
A sigh from Gabe.
Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten. Eleven. Twelve. Thirteen.
“Fine,” Gabe said. “But you owe me,” he winked.
“Oh? And what do I owe you?” Victoria couldn’t help but giggle at the flirtatious grin on Gabe’s face.
“A date. A chance. Let me woo you.” His smiled was carved into his face, refusing to falter in the slightest.
Victoria swallowed hard. God, he was handsome. He was so damn handsome and so damn bad for her. When this had all started, it was supposed to be physical, nothing more. But that smile? God. She’d never been able to resist that smile.
“Why?” She had to ask.
“Why what?” His confusions was so fake. The smile on his face told her that.
“Why do you want to go on a date with me?”
“Because I like you. I like spending time with you. And I’d really love to make you mine someday,” he said before quickly adding, “assuming the date goes well. Of course.” He winked at her again, same confident smile on his face that couldn’t get wider if he tried.
Victoria’s heart was beating way too fast. She remembered the night before, the way he had begged her to say she was his… At the time, she thought it was something sexual. Suddenly, she wasn’t sure.
“What I did to you in the past… I’d like a chance at a future, Vic. I just want a chance. One date.” His eyes were pleading as her heart pounded in her chest.
Victoria nodded slowly, stretching her right arm across the table and offering her hand to Gabe.
“Deal,” she said.
Gabe took her hand, and as if just to prove Victoria wrong, his smile spread even wider. “It’s a deal.”
Chapter Eleven
GABE WAS WEARING A black button up and light blue jeans. He quickly ran his fingers through his hair, trying to make sure it was where it should be, or at least close. He patted his jeans and looked to Victoria, letting out a rushed breath and feigning a smile.
Victoria started up the walkway to his childhood home while Gabe followed closely behind her. Her leggings tightly hugged her
ass, and even with his nerves completely fucking rattled, Gabe couldn’t help but take in the perfection of her curves. She had on a loose gray sweatshirt that fell over her left shoulder, and since she had brushed all of her hair to the right, it left the skin of her collar exposed.
Gabe looked towards the white house, staring at the deep brown door. As much as he’d like to fantasize about Victoria, he needed to be present right now. He hadn’t seen his parents in years, and they were probably all better off for it.
What the fuck was he doing here?
He took a deep breath as the door opened and he saw his parents step out, hugging Victoria before spotting him and staring with wide eyes.
“Gabe?” His mother spoke first.
“Hey, ma,” Gabe smiled weakly.
Before he knew it, she pulled him into an embrace. His father greeted him with a nod, and they invited him and Victoria into the house. Seating everyone in the living room, Gabe sat in an armchair next to Victoria, and his parents sat directly across the coffee table from them on the loveseat. His mother set down coffee for them all. She made it the way Gabe liked it. All these years and she still remembered. Hell, she was his mother… of course she’d remember that.
“How have you guys been? It’s been so long!” Victoria opened the conversation, placing her coffee in her lap while still holding tightly to the cup.
As his parents began asking her about school and New York and her new private practice, Gabe stared at her. There was something about Victoria that was just… cute. She was sweet and gentle, and no matter how tough she tried to play it, Gabe knew she was still the same dreamer she’d always been. Hope poured out of her every word and gesture. It was ingrained into who she was as a person.
The admiration Gabe had for her was incredible. He’d felt more for this girl than he’d ever felt. She inspired him. She made him think things could be better somehow. Maybe he could have the life he’d never wanted and always needed. A house, children, a beautiful wife… he’d bend over backwards to be a good husband to an angel like Vic. Fuck, he wanted that. Was it too late for him?
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