My eyes widen as I turn to look at her. Her expression is apologetic yet resigned. “Sorry, Mar.”
“You called him?” I screech, standing from my chair so fast it crashes into the wall behind me.
She stands as well, her hands raised in front of her as if she’s trying to calm me down. “No! Of course not. He’s been blowing up my phone since you turned yours off. I couldn’t lie to him and tell him you weren’t here. He knew better.” The banging continues from the front door. “I barely got three words out before he told me he was on his way and hung up on me,” she says.
“Marley!” Gabriel yells from the other side of the door. I have no doubt he’s woken all of Carmen’s neighbors.
“Jesus Christ,” Carmen grumbles as she stomps to the front door. Before I can tell her not to, the door is jerked open. “Will you please quiet the fuck down? You’re going to get the cops called on me. I swear to God, if you get me evicted, I’m going to kick your ass!”
Gabriel doesn’t pay her any attention, he just brushes past her and stalks to me. I back up with every step he takes until my back presses against the wall behind me.
He’s in front of me in the blink of an eye, his expression ravaged. Grabbing my face in both of his hands, he closes the distance between us, pinning my body against the wall with his. “My bella—”
“Fuck you,” I hiss. “Get away from me!” I fight against him, but it’s useless. It’s like trying to move a brick wall.
“Marley, just listen to me!”
“No! I don’t want to hear anything you have to say. You’re a liar!”
His hands move down and grab my wrists, lifting them above my head and pinning them to the wall. “Stop fighting me!”
“Go to hell!”
“Jesus Christ! Stop being so fucking difficult!”
“I hate you,” I seethe, and the second the words leave my mouth, I instantly regret them. No matter what’s happening, no matter what I’m feeling, I don’t hate him. Even if he cheated on me, I could never hate him. And that realization does nothing but fuel my anger.
His face goes from ravaged to fierce the second the lie leaves my lips. Not saying another word, he bends down and throws me over his shoulder.
“Gabriel!” I yelp in surprise. “Put me down!” He doesn’t say a single word as he storms toward Carmen’s front door. I beat on his back, screaming the entire way.
“Goddamn, fucking volatile relationships,” I hear Carmen grumble under her breath as he crosses the threshold.
As soon my ass hits the passenger seat of Gabriel’s car, I clam up. I refuse to utter a single word to him as he climbs in and begins the drive. I can only assume he’s taking me back to his apartment.
The ride is silent, except for one time when he whispers, “You said you trusted me.” The anguish in his voice cuts deep and some of my resolve crumbles, but I remain quiet.
When we get to his apartment building, he pulls into his spot in the parking garage. I dart from the car, using my own access key to call the elevator, hoping it arrives before he reaches my side. No such luck.
The minute the doors open, he grabs my elbow and jerks me in behind him. No matter how many times I try to yank my arm from his hold, he won’t let go. When the elevator doors open again, he pulls me after him into the apartment, walking so fast I stumble a few times trying to keep up.
“What are you doing?” I demand when he leads me into the bedroom.
“Stay in here until you calm the fuck down.” There is no softness in his voice, his face an impassive mask as he stares down at me.
“You can’t make me stay here, Gabriel!” I yell.
He charges me and I trip over my own feet trying to get away from him. His expression is furious. “You’ll stay in here until you calm. The. Fuck. Down! And so help me God, Marley, if you try and run, you’ll regret it.”
His deep, livid voice sends a chill down my spine, but I continue to push my luck. “Are you threatening me?” I ask between clenched teeth.
“That’s a promise, baby.” His endearment sounds nothing but sinister. “I’ll fuck the fight right out of you then spend the rest of the goddamn week making sure you’re properly punished for the bullshit you’ve pulled tonight.” His words scare me at the same time they cause my pussy to clench and wetness drenches my panties.
“You can’t keep me here,” I whisper in a pathetic voice.
“Fucking test me, Marley. I dare you.”
When I say nothing in response, he turns from the room, slamming the door behind him so loud it makes me jump. I have no doubt he’s serious. And because of that, I have absolutely no plans to test him.
***
I’m not sure when exactly I fell asleep, or how I was able to sleep with my mind in such turmoil, but the sound of the bedroom door opening and closing wakes me. I blink my eyes to get them to focus, and once they are, I see Gabriel standing, shoulders pressed against the door, ankles crossed, and a glass of scotch in his hand. He’s still wearing his work clothes, but he’s since removed his jacket and tie, the two buttons at his collar undone, showing the skin at his throat. I mentally slap myself for thinking about how much I want to kiss that spot. His hair is disheveled, as if he’s been running his hands through it all night. He studies me for a while before finally pushing away from the door and heading toward the bed. Bringing the glass to his lips, he swallows down the rest of his drink and puts the empty glass on the nightstand before sitting on the edge of the bed with his back toward me.
Resting his elbows on his knees, Gabriel puts his head in his hands, and my eyes instantly lock on to the muscular expanse of his back as his shirt stretches over it.
Turning my head away from him, I focus on the alarm clock on the bedside table, trying to ignore the familiar arousal coursing through me. He always has the same effect on me. No matter how many times I’ve seen his body, naked or clothed, it still makes my mouth water. I count the minutes as they tick by, five in total, before the deep rumble of Gabriel’s voice pulls my attention back to him.
“I’m going to talk, and you’re going to listen,” he starts. My shoulders stiffen and my mouth opens to argue, but he cuts me off without even looking at me. “I swear, Marley, if you argue, I’ll bend you over my knee and tan your fucking ass until you can’t sit down.”
My mouth clamps shut. I pull my lips between my teeth and bite down to keep silent, but at the same time, I shift on the bed, pressing my thighs together against the telltale flutters in my core.
“You ran from me again tonight,” he states in a dry voice. “You saw something you didn’t like, and instead of coming to me to let me explain, you did what you always do. You said you trusted me, but the minute that trust was put to the test, you fucking bailed.” His head drops and his hands rake through his hair in frustration.
My chest tightens at his words, my stomach in knots. We’ve fought before, countless times, but he’s never seemed so emotionless before, so cold. “Kiersten came by the bar tonight,” I say quietly. “She knew that you’ve been working late, and then I got those pictures on my phone. What was I supposed to think?”
He finally turns to me, but what I see in his gray eyes brings tears to my own. Anger, hurt, but worst of all, disappointment. “You were supposed to trust me,” he answers through clenched teeth. “You were supposed to have enough faith in me to fucking talk to me. But you couldn’t even do that. You let that bitch get into your head. You let her cause you to question our relationship.”
“How did she know you’ve been working late, Gabriel?” I question, anger in my voice that he thinks I have no right to be hurt.
“It’s not like it’s hard to find out, Marley! She could have called the office, who the hell knows. She’s fucking crazy; she could have very well been following me.”
It made sense but I wasn’t ready to relent. “Well, what about those pictures?”
“Those pictures are fucking old, Marley. If you’d have looked at them harder, or fu
cking asked me, I could have told you. It would have been obvious when you looked at them that we were much younger.”
My eyes widen at the realization that he’s right. I barely looked at them, only long enough to see what was happening in them, but thinking back, I’d only briefly glanced at their faces. Remembering now, I can recall the differences he’s talking about.
Steeling myself to do what I need to do, I grab my phone from the nightstand and begin scrolling through the pictures.
Oh God. I really look at their faces this time. He’s right. It’s obvious how much younger they are in these pictures. The differences don’t pop out like a neon sign, but looking a little closer, they are definitely there. Younger features, slightly different hairstyles. Hell, it’s even clear Gabriel’s muscles are a little less defined than they are now.
Tears prick the backs of my eyes and a lump forms in my throat when I finally look back up at Gabriel. I am such a bitch. Everything he said is true. The minute our relationship was put into question, I took his trust and threw it back in his face.
“I-I’m so sorry,” I speak through the tears clogging my throat, knowing those words aren’t nearly enough.
Gabriel squeezes his eyes closed as if my words cause him pain, and the knot in my stomach constricts even more. He turns his face from me with a shake of his head and stares off into space.
Desperation courses through me at his silence and I fear I’ve done irreparable damage. Climbing to my knees, I crawl the rest of the way across the bed to him and wrap my arms around his neck, pressing my chest to his back. “I’m sorry, Gabriel. I’m so sorry,” I whisper as my tears finally break free and trail down my cheeks. He stays stiff as a board as I hold on to him for dear life. “Please say something,” I beg. “Yell at me, punish me, whatever you have to do, but please, say something.”
He reaches up and wraps his hands around my wrists, pulling them from around him. When he stands from the bed, terror takes over.
“I don’t have anything else to say.”
At that, a sob breaks free from my throat. Trying to get myself under control, I look up at him with tear-filled eyes. “Are you…are you done with me?” I can’t look at him as I await his answer. I dread what he might say. I don’t know what I’ll do if he tells me he’s finished.
“Marley, look at me.”
Right now, I’d give anything for him to call me my bella, or even baby, anything other than my name spoken with such cold indifference.
When I finally look up, the emotionless mask he’d been wearing is gone, something I can’t recognize in its place.
“I’m not done with you.” My chest swells with hope until he speaks again. “But you’re going to have to earn back my trust.”
Closing my eyes and sucking in a fortifying breath, I strengthen my spine and lift my chin. “Whatever I have to do, I’ll do it.”
“Whatever I have to do, I’ll do it.”
Fuck, seeing her strength as she speaks those words, the fierce determination as her gaze stays on mine, unwavering, is almost enough for me to cave, to crack under pressure and tell her all is forgiven. But my bella needs to learn a lesson. She put me through torture tonight, and I can’t just let her off without suffering the consequences. Her lack of faith in me proves that, and although I do believe she trusts me to a certain extent, we still have so much to overcome.
“Take off your clothes,” I command, making sure I keep my voice and face completely impassive. She can’t know how she’s affecting me or this punishment won’t work. I stand still as I watch her follow my orders, stripping quickly and impatiently. Her nipples have already tightened into hard points and her breathing is growing more and more erratic with every passing second. She thinks this is going to be like every other time we’ve fucked. Poor girl, she couldn’t be more wrong.
Once she’s naked, she takes a hesitant step in my direction, but I quickly hold up my hand to stop her. “On the bed, hands above your head.”
I see confusion and trepidation flicker across her face before she steels herself and climbs up on the mattress. She’s spread out on the bed; arms raised, creating a beautiful arch in her back. Her tits push up just begging to be sucked on, and I briefly have to turn away from the erotic vision in front of me. If I don’t get control of myself, I know I’ll cave.
Taking the time I need to curb my lust for Marley, I glance around the room looking for just the right thing. Ah, that’s perfect. Snatching her discarded panties from the floor, I let my eyes meet hers just before I rip the lace in my hands clean in half.
She gasps at the same time her eyelids droop; and I have no doubt, if I were to touch her right now, she’d be soaking wet. I climb onto the bed and straddle her frame making sure I don’t touch any part of her, my knees on either side of her ribcage.
“W-what are you doing?” she asks breathily, and sparks shoot straight to my dick, making it stand at attention. I keep my eyes trained on what I’m doing, and refuse to answer as I wrap the fabric around her wrists, making sure it isn’t too tight before tying the other end to the headboard.
“How does that feel? Too uncomfortable?” She pulls at the restraints, her brows furrowed.
“No, but I want to touch you,” she whispers with a frown. I already knew that. Every time I’m inside her, her hands are all over my body. It’s clear she craves her hands on my skin every time I fuck her. She can’t get enough of it.
“Until I know I can believe what you say, I think it’s only fair you not be able to touch me, don’t you?”
Her eyes widen and her lips part on a sharp inhale. “You’re punishing me?”
I begin undressing as I answer her. “Not only did you run from me today—something you’ve promised you’d never do again, I might add—but you lied when you told me you trusted me.”
“I wasn’t lying! I swear, Gabriel.”
“If you trusted me completely, you wouldn’t have reacted the way you did.”
My chest contracts painfully at the unshed tears glistening in her green eyes. “I made a mistake,” she whispers. “I’m sorry.”
“And for that mistake, you aren’t allowed to touch me. I believe that’s a suitable punishment.”
Marley turns her head away from me, staring at the ceiling as she sniffles and blinks rapidly, fighting against her tears. I remove my last article of clothing and stand, hard and naked as her gaze reaches mine once again. She watches in utter silence as I place my knees on the bed and climb over her. I don’t allow myself the opportunity to second-guess my decision. Hands placed near her shoulders, I keep my weight off her body making sure there’s minimal contact between the two of us. She’s always so desperate during sex, clinging to me in any way possible. I know her not being able to touch me will be hard enough, but I’m hoping that my refusal to touch her will be enough to push her over the edge.
I settle myself between her spread legs, and with a simple shift, I bury my cock in her drenched pussy in one swift thrust.
Throwing her head back and arching her spine, Marley cries out and wraps her legs around my waist.
“Legs on the bed, or I’ll tie them down,” I growl as I pound into her wet heat. Her stunning green eyes meet mine and widen before she complies and releases me. I continue pumping into her at a brutal pace, sweat starts to bead on my forehead and trickle down. I feel that knowing quiver as her cunt starts to squeeze around me and I know she’s getting close.
“Gabriel! Yes, baby. Just like that. Don’t stop,” she chants as her orgasm starts to build. Gritting my teeth as hard as I can, I shove my cock deep inside her and stop.
“What are you doing?” she yelps.
“Quiet,” I snap, drawing a startled gasp from her. When her walls stop clenching, I begin again, fucking her hard, just as she likes it, drawing those delicious moans and whimpers from her I love so much. Every time she gets close to the edge, I stop, denying her what she’s becoming desperate for. Over and over until she’s frantic and begging.
>
She’s finally starting to catch on to what I’m doing, and her body begins to thrash underneath me. “Please, baby. Oh, God. Please!”
“What have you learned, Marley?” I grind out through clenched teeth as I stall my movements once again. This punishment is for her, but I feel like I’ll explode if I don’t come soon.
She shakes her head back and forth, as tears begin to build. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, baby,” she cries. “I never should have run from you. I trust you, Gabriel. I swear I do!”
Christ, her tears are killing me. But this has to be done. Somehow, by the grace of God, I manage to hold on just a bit longer as she continues.
“You’re right to punish me. I said I’d do anything and I meant it. But please let me touch you. You don’t have to let me come, just let me touch you.” Her voice breaks as she stares up at me beseechingly.
I don’t grant her request to touch, but I do start thrusting into her again, knowing this time, I have no plans to stop. She’s learning. My bella is a fast learner.
“Do you have any clue how much I love you?” I grunt as I fuck her. “How much it destroys me when you run from me? Christ, you’re my fucking world, Marley!”
Her tears run down her cheeks faster, her moans of pleasure mixed with sobs. “I love you,” she tells me. “I love you so much, Gabriel. I’m so sorry. Please forgive me.”
And that’s all it takes. Shoving my cock in deep, I grind my hips against hers, causing her to detonate. She screams my name repeatedly until she’s gasping for breath. Two more thrusts then her pussy clamps down on me, sucking my release from my body. With my eyes screwed shut and my head thrown back, I groan as I flood her. Holy fuck, I don’t know if I’ve ever come so hard in my life. Seconds feel like minutes, minutes feel like hours before her body finally wrings me dry.
Collapsing on top of her in a breathless heap, I make sure to keep as much of my weight on my forearms as possible, so as to not crush her.
After a few minutes, I feel her begin to move under me. “Untie me,” she rasps. “Gabriel, untie me!” She jerks at her restraints so hard I’m afraid she’ll hurt herself.
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