“Every night, my angel. I was there for you, and you pulled me from the wreckage that had become my life. I fell in love with you the moment I saw you, but I didn’t know what love truly meant until the day I let you see me and you stared into my eyes so freely.”
“That day in class? I thought I had seen you before that?”
“You had seen the ghost of me. I wanted you to take notice, to get used to me being around, but I wasn’t fully ready until the day of finals. It was your last class and I had watched you check every one of your answers twice. It was so adorable and so you and suddenly I was desperate to touch you. I had no idea how amazing you truly were, Lily.”
I sat in stunned silence. I had no idea how to respond or what to do. I kept my hands in his, afraid to break the spell.
“Can I touch your scars again?” I asked.
He smiled and said, “Anytime you want to see me half naked is ok with me.” I punched him lightly on the arm and slid my hands up the back of his shirt caressing his scars.
“These are as much mine as they are yours, Gabriel. My life has hurt me in ways that you don’t know. My scars may not be physical or visible on my body, but your scars hold both of our pain.” I ran my fingertips over them over and over, as though trying to absorb some of his pain and memories. I so desperately wanted to make him feel the love that was bursting in my heart. I pulled my hands out from under his shirt and fixed it back on his body. Grasping his chin, I turned his face towards mine and pulled him closer.
“Everything will be ok”, I whispered. “I’ll watch over you now, I’ll take care of your heart. Like recognizes like remember? My heart recognized your heart.” He placed his hands over mine and leaned in to caress my lips with his. I sighed into the kiss, gently caressing his lips with my tongue. A growl escaped him and he put his hand on the back of my neck, pulling me even closer. His lips began to devour mine, his tongue attacking mine as though he were trying to escape his demons in this kiss. My core tightened and my panties felt damp. This man’s kiss would be the death of me.
“Let’s get out of here,” I said against his lips. He threw some money on the table, grabbed my hand and pulled me outside. We walked around to the back of the diner where I noticed a small path leading into the woods. Gabriel led me into the trees, walking almost too fast for me. I could feel his need rippling off of him and entwining with mine. Was this it? Was he finally going to fuck me? I nearly giggled with giddiness. I was still so wound up from the nipple clamps and teasing, that I didn’t know if my body could take much more.
We finally reached a clearing where a giant lone tree stood in the center. Gabriel stopped walking and turned to face me.
“Lily, I wanted our first time to be slow and special, and in a bed. But I can’t wait any longer. I need to feel you wrapped around me as I bury myself in you over and over.”
“Gabriel, any time with you is going to be special. I’m not some 20 something virgin you need to take things slowly with. I want to feel you right now.”
“Strip,” he commanded. That dark, hungry look was back in his eyes. I began to peel off my clothes slowly.
“Faster,” he growled as he took his clothes off with me. I whipped my shirts off in quick succession and tore off my pants. I stood there in my bra and panties, wishing I had on something frillier.
“There’s no need for frilly,” he said as he walked closer to me. He grasped the front of my sports bra and tore it in two, making gasp in surprise. “I’ll just rip it off you and ruin it,” he smirked. He pushed me up against the tree and did the same with my white cotton underwear. He stepped back and stared at my body. It took everything I had not to cover myself, suddenly feeling very self-conscious.
“Fuck, Lily. You are incredibly sexy. Especially with that blush creeping up your breasts and neck. You have the most beautiful, pale skin.” I was too nervous and excited to speak. I silently took in his body, staring at all the tattoos and my eyes traveled further south only to see him straining against his boxers. He took the waistband in his hands and lowered them to the ground, his eyes never leaving my body. Stepping out of them, he slowly stalked over to me and pressed himself against me. His hardness pressed into my belly and I could feel my wetness start to drip down my leg. He took my hands and lifted them above my head.
“I’m going to fuck you now, Lily.” I licked my lips, preparing for the delicious punishment I knew would follow and heard him growl. “I’m going to fuck you hard.”
“Are you still on the pill Lily?" he asked quietly as he ran his nose up and down the right side of my throat.
“Yes sir,” I replied, "and I'm clean, I got tested the other day after...well you know. After I found out about the cheating.”
He bit down hard on my shoulder and picked me up. "Wrap your legs around me." I wrapped my legs around his narrow waist, feeling his dick pressing against my core. God he was huge. I wrapped my arms around his neck as he pushed me up against the tree, kissing my lips with such fervor I thought we'd spontaneously combust. I pulled away slightly and looked into his eyes, stunned at the emerald greenness that stared back at me. There was pure love and lust in those gems.
He thrust his hips and entered me fast and hard, no teasing, no warning, just a swift entrance, filling me up more than I had ever been before. I gasped at the fullness I felt, not realizing exactly how big he was. God he was hard. He gave me a minute to adjust and catch my breath, our eyes never breaking contact. And then the magic happened.
He began to move his hips, slowly at first, moving in and out of me. He leaned his head forward and began to nibble my neck. I returned the favor, running kisses up and down his jaw, gently licking his stubble and tasting the sweat on his skin. I moved down his neck to his shoulder and bit down hard. He sucked in his breath and started pounding into me harder and faster. The bark of the tree was scraping my skin, but I could barely feel it. He was so deep inside me, he was hitting all the right spots.
"Like that, kitten?" he growled into my ear as he ground his hips into mine.
"Yes, just like that Gabriel. Please don't stop." I was worried he was teaching me another lesson and I don't think my heart, or my clitoris, could take it.
"I'm not stopping, Lily. I’ll never stop pleasing you," he whispered as he reached one of those magical hands down between us. His thumb found my center and started rubbing in small circles. He pumped faster and I tightened my thighs around him, feeling the orgasm build up inside me.
"I'm so close Gabriel, please make me come," I panted.
"As you wish," he panted with me. His thumb moved faster and his hips pumped harder. I cried out as I exploded around him, seeing stars and fireworks, and all those things I had read about in my romance novels. His grunting got louder until he stilled, growling out my name as he emptied himself into me.
I rested my forehead on his and whispered, “Wow.” He chuckled softly and nodded, still too out of breath to speak. As our breathing slowly returned to normal, I unwrapped my legs and he lowered me to the ground. My legs were wobbly so I held onto him for a minute, trying to get my bearings back. I'd never come so hard in my life.
"Me either, kitten," he grinned at me. I grinned back and began to get dressed. He stopped me when I went to put on my pants. Holding out his hand to me, I saw he was offering me a handkerchief to clean myself off. This small act of kindness made my heart leap with hope that this was the real deal. This was what it looked like when someone truly cared about you. I took the small cloth and smiled broadly at him. He turned his back to me, giving me privacy. I looked at him getting dressed and wondered how in the world I had gotten so lucky.
I finished cleaning up and tucked the hanky into my pocket. He turned back around and came over to place a kiss on my forehead. He placed a finger under my chin and lifted my face up until my eyes met his.
“I love you, kitten,” he whispered. I could only stare at him with wonder in my eyes. He pulled me into his arms and rested his chin on my head. “I kno
w it’s too soon for you to say it…and that it’s a bit clichéd to say it after sex, but I wanted you to know.” I nodded quietly and let him lead me back to his bike.
After we pulled up to my apartment, I slowly got off the bike, my legs still a little unsteady from earlier. I handed Gabriel my helmet and we walked up to my door.
“I’m finally all moved in,” I said, just to make conversation to keep him with me a little longer. I opened the door and let him peek inside. “I’ll give you a better look when my boxes are unpacked,” I said with a smile.
“It’s very...cozy,” he replied, returning my smile and pulling me close. “I can’t wait to see it when it’s finished, especially if you give me a naked tour.” I chuckled quietly and asked if I could call him tomorrow when I was finished setting it up. I lowered my head, waiting for him to say we should take some time and not rush into anything.
“Lily, you never have to ask if you can call me. Call me any time you want. Would you like me to come over when you’re settled?” he said as he took one of my hands in his and brought it to his lips.
“I’d love that,” I whispered as I looked up into his eyes. The darkness from earlier wasn’t there, but I could see a hint of mischievousness mixed in with adoration. Did I feel like this was moving too fast? Shouldn’t I feel like that? Who was I to know what encompassed moving at a decent speed. You could know someone better in a few days than you could know someone else in a few years...like Ryan.
He lowered my hand and brought me into his arms, holding me tightly against him. I held onto him and thought about everything that had happened between us so far. It occurred to me he hadn’t mentioned Rosy. Should I even say anything about that? After all he’d shared, was it fair to bring up some a small topic?
“I will tell you more about Rosy and our past tomorrow night, if you’d like. I promise you that she was before I had even met you. So please stop worrying about that. There’s also more to my story that you need to hear, so long as you’re ready to know everything. I don’t want you to pull away or be frightened of me.” Damn, he keeps invading my thoughts.
I sighed and pulled away slightly, “I need to get used to you hearing my thoughts, huh? Yes, I want to hear about Rosy. I still don’t like the fact that I found out about her the way I did or that you kept it from me. I know we’ve only known each other a short time, but that seems like it was an important tidbit. I want to know you, Gabriel. All of you...even the not so shiny parts.”
“I’ll show you my not so shiny parts if you show me yours,” he grinned almost boyishly.
“Oh jeez,” I snorted. “You’re a brat!” Giggling, I pulled him closer and talked into his shoulder. “Tomorrow night, let’s just have a normal stay at home date. No heavy talk, no talk of our pasts. Let’s rent a movie, order in, and relax. I think we could both use that.”
“Sounds like heaven,” he replied with a sigh. He kissed me on the forehead and made sure I went in and locked the door. Once inside I flipped on the light and leaned my back against the door. I took a deep breath and tried to let the stresses of the past week go. That’s when I noticed something on my dining room table. It looked to be a figurine of some sort. I wondered if Ryan had stopped by at some point and was still trying to butter me up. I walked over to the table to get a closer look and a scream caught in my throat. It was a porcelain angel and its black wings had been broken off and shattered. Next to it was a note written in a fancy script of some sort. When I read it, the tears began streaming down my face and my hands began to shake.
“Be careful, kitten. Curiosity killed the cat.”
Chapter Ten
*****
Lily
The note fell from my hand and I collapsed to the floor, bringing my knees to my chest. My cats were wandering around me so I knew no one was here with me. I stared at the wall, trying to figure out what the note meant. What was I being curious about? How did they know Gabriel’s pet name for me? Obviously it was someone who knew his secret and knew about me. Fuck, was it Rosy?
Was Rosy trying to warn me away from Gabriel because she still loved him? Maybe she was a fallen angel too and was afraid Gabriel was going to give her secret away. No, that was too farfetched. Maybe she was just a jilted lover who wanted him back and thought that scare tactics would work. It had to be her. Who else knew about him?
I carefully picked the note back up, trying not to get my fingerprints all over it. I placed it back in its place by the figurine and snapped a picture of it and sent it to Gabriel with the caption “Came home to a present.” Almost immediately he called me.
“Lily, are you ok? Is someone still in your place? Tell me it’s raining outside if someone is still there?”
“No one is here Gabriel. My cats would have alerted me,” my voice was shaking and I could feel my legs begin to wobble. I walked over to my couch and sat down, leaning my head back on a pillow.
“What is this Gabriel? Is this a joke? Is this one of your exes? Should I call the police?”
“I’m on my way back, don’t touch anything and don’t leave. Lock your doors and wait for me to get there before you call the police. I want to take a closer look at the handwriting.”
“OK,” I said in a small voice. I hung up and tossed my phone to the end of the couch and waited for Gabriel to come back. He hadn’t gone that far and was back at my door in minutes, pounding on it let him in. I got off the couch, opened the door, and went to my kitchen to pour a drink. He rushed over to me, slamming the door behind him and wrapped his arms around me. His warmth started to melt the ice that seemed to have settled over my skin. I didn’t know if I was more scared or more furious.
“Someone is trying to sabotage us before we even start,” I said. “Is it Rosy?” I asked point blank. I was beyond playing coy at this point. The anger made me feel safer than the fear so I rolled with it. He ran his fingers through my hair and held me tighter,
“No one is going to come between us. I’ve only just gotten you, I’m not letting you go. Let me take a closer look at it and see if I recognize the writing.” He let me go and walked over to the table, careful not to touch anything. As he neared the note, he let out and audible, “Fuck!” and furiously ran his fingers through his hair. I was frozen to my spot in the kitchen as I watched him begin to pace back and forth.
“Gabriel, you’re scaring me. Who’s the note from?”
“Fuck!” he said louder. He stopped pacing and crossed his arms across his chest. He looked up at me and said, “I’ll take care of this, Lily. It’s not who you think it is. Let me handle it ok?”
“What do you mean it’s not who I think it is? Tell me what it means!” I cried. He was back to being this enigmatic man that I didn’t like. I thought we had crossed a bridge back in the forest and in the diner. He had been so open and honest, why was this side of him back?
“I can’t just yet. It’ll only make matters worse. I can’t tell you anything right now. The only thing I can do is stay away from you for a little while until this blows over.”
“Are you fucking kidding me Gabriel? Are we back here again? Didn’t today change anything? Can’t you see you can trust me with anything? You can tell me, I promise I can handle it, and we can deal with it together.”
“No, I’m sorry Lily, that’s not how this works. I have to go. Please don’t call the police. I’ll take care of it. You’re safe, so please don’t worry about that. I’ll call you in a week or so after I’ve handled things and we can have that stay in movie date.” He had grabbed the figurine and note as he was talking and shoved everything into his pockets. He came over and kissed my forehead then went to kiss my lips, but I pulled away.
“Get out,” I said quietly. He stared at me, stunned. Then his eyes hardened and he became a stranger to me once more. “Don’t bother calling me at all. I’m done.” He gave me a curt nod, just like Ryan used to do when I was angry and emotional, and walked out the door.
I tried not to cry, honestly I did, but I was wea
k. I’d been through too much in the last few weeks to even try to be strong. I went into the kitchen, poured myself two fingers of Jameson, and sank to the floor. I sipped on the whiskey, feeling it burn my throat, and cried into my glass. All sorts of clichéd country songs came to mind about crying into my whiskey, but I couldn’t even muster a smile. This was the final straw. As much as he had revealed about himself, I still knew next to nothing.
His scars and who he truly was didn’t change the fact that he’d lied to me or the fact that he was hiding things from me. That statue was in MY house and I deserved a god damned answer. I threw back the rest of the whiskey and stood up. Marching to my bathroom sink, I resolved to find out the truth whether Gabriel was going to tell me or not.
I rinsed my face, brushed my teeth, and got ready for bed. Checking my phone, my heart sank as I realized there were no texts or missed calls. Just once I wanted a man to fight for me. Was that too much to ask? I climbed into my new bed, glad I had splurged on the super soft sheets, and turned off the lights. Poe and Ted snuggled in with me and I let out a contented sigh. Perhaps I was simply meant to be single. I could be a crazy cat lady. I’d pretty much already been one for the last 10 years. Listening to the purrs I was soon fast asleep, the exhaustion hitting me hard. I dreamt of Gabriel again, in his true form.
My Immortal by Evanescence was softly playing as I watched a young Gabriel cowering in the corner of a cage. He had to have been 13 or 14, but he was so small. I could see he was dirty and his ribs were showing as if he was rarely fed. I looked around and noticed the room was very dark and not much cleaner than his cage. I could hear what sounded like a circus announcer not too far away. There was a loud roar and then a round of applause. I tip toed past the cage, careful not to make any noise. I peeked out the slightly open door and saw a small audience sitting in a semicircle around some sort of makeshift stage.
The Watcher Page 20