He lifted my chin and ducked to meet my mouth. He hesitated for just a moment, softly brushing his lips against mine then claiming my mouth as his.
I led him across the street to my apartment and butterflies danced around in my stomach as we climbed the stairs that never seemed to end. As I led him upstairs, I said a silent prayer of thanks my mom had moved out last weekend into her own place.
I unlocked the door to my apartment and Gertie came bounding over to greet him, jumping up against his leg repeatedly until he bent down and picked her up.
“Hi.” He kissed the top of her head and held her to his chest as she struggled and squirmed to lick his face.
I showed him around the small apartment, the open kitchen, living and dining room. I pointed out my room, the guest room and the bathroom at the end of the hall. He dropped his duffle bag on the floor of the guest room as we passed by. My heart did a little shuffle wondering if we were going to be together now, if he was just trying to be polite by putting his things there.
We sat on the couch and caught up while I savored watching him. He was just as I remembered and had no lingering effects of being in jail for a month.
“So what happened?” I asked.
“I had to go back to Del and work a few shows to save up some more money. I bought a plane ticket and came out here as soon as I could.”
“But you’re…free?”
He nodded. “Probation. Anger management classes. Avoid knives,” he rattled off, imitating the judge’s voice.
I knew he’d gotten lucky to get off so easy, but I didn’t really know what to say, how to talk about this situation with him. “So, Del took you back?”
“Why do you look so surprised?”
“He fired you.”
He shrugged. “Yeah, but you know Del. He just tries to keep the peace. And Sasha finally succeeded in getting Dmitri fired, so that made things a little easier. She told Del about what actually happened between you and Dmitri and why I fought him. You’re like a daughter to Del – he was not okay with what Dmitri tried to do. Plus I don’t think Del ever liked the way Dmitri looked at Marta.”
I guess a lot had changed in the few weeks I’d been away. “Wow, Sash must be happy.”
“Ecstatic.” He smiled.
The sun hovered low in the sky and I offered to make the three of us dinner. “You’ll eat?” I asked. “I don’t know how to make anything spicy, but there’s this special dish that Gertie likes––”
“I’ll eat,” he confirmed, chuckling at me.
We went to the kitchen and he sat on a stool at the island.
I made a production of sliding the knife block away from him. “Maybe we’ll just keep this over here.” He shot me a look across the island and fought off a smile. I took armfuls of ingredients out of the fridge and cupboards.
“I didn’t really scare you when we first met, did I?” He reached out and ran his finger along the counter.
“Kind of,” I admitted.
“I figured you could tell the way I looked at you that I was falling for you. I thought I was so obvious.”
“What you’re thinking is never obvious,” I said.
“Well, you can always ask me. I told you I’d never lie to you,” he said softly.
“What are you thinking right now?” I smiled shyly.
Gabriel moved his eyes down my body and I felt hot under his gaze. He swallowed. “You look beautiful,” he said. He came up behind me and offered to help chop the vegetables, placing his hand over mine on the cutting board.
I slid the knife away from him, shaking my head. “Judge’s orders.” He laughed under his breath, next to my ear. It felt good to have him close to me again. His arms on either side of me pinned me to the counter, but I squirmed my way around so I was facing him. I looked up into his eyes, waiting for him to kiss me, but he took a sudden step back.
He moved back to the stool and watched as I boiled pasta, steamed the veggies and simmered the sauce on the stove. I’d made linguine pasta with lemon cream sauce and asparagus one night a few weeks ago, and Gertie lapped up every drop of sauce, proving there was nothing this dog wouldn’t eat. Afterwards, I got her some dog food that she now ate most of the time, though she wasn’t happy about it.
I opened the cabinet to retrieve two glasses and noticed my hand still formed into a dance position when I wasn’t thinking about it – my wrist delicately curved, my fingers held erect – as I reached for a glass. I might not be a ballerina anymore, but pieces of that life would always be a part of me. Gabriel had been right – we were shaped by the experiences we’d been through.
When the pasta was ready, I dished up three bowls and set one down on the floor. Gabriel and I moved over to the dining table.
He looked down at the bowl of pasta in front of him. “Do you have any hot sauce?”
I shook my head. “Wait…. Hang on.” I got up and checked the spice rack. I handed him an unopened jar of red pepper flakes that had come with the spice rack.
“Perfecto.” He covered the pasta in red pepper flakes and took a bite. “This is really good.” He wiped his mouth with the napkin.
I told him all about the new show I was performing in. We tried our best to eat, and make small talk. I could tell the feeling of nervous excitement was something we both shared.
After dinner, he insisted on loading the dishwasher. This was starting to feel very domestic and I wondered what was going to happen next with us.
We went and sat down in the living room. “Are you staying here tonight?” I asked.
“Is that okay?” He slid over closer to me on the couch until our legs were touching. I could feel his body heat through his jeans. I turned to him and brought my hand to his face. It was rough with stubble.
“Of course. I’ve been waiting for you.”
“I was worried about coming here. I didn’t want to mess anything up between you and your parents. Your dad helped when I really needed it. How’s everything going by the way?”
I dropped my hand from his cheek. Maybe I was trying to move things too fast for him again. Bringing up my parents as our topic of conversation when I was touching him didn’t exactly urge me on. “Surprisingly well,” I said. “Maybe it’s guilt over their divorce, but neither seems to be mad at me.”
He nodded and looked down at his hands. “And what will they think about me in your life? I’m assuming they know about my past.” So this is what he was still worried about, that he won’t be accepted or fit into my life?
“They know and I explained that you were doing the right thing, and that you protected me when I needed protection too.”
“I have no idea what I’m going to do. I’m broke, I have no job, have a criminal record....”
“Shhh.” I brushed my finger across his lips. I couldn’t seem to stop touching him. “That doesn’t matter. You have time to figure it out.” I was finding it increasing difficult to keep my hands to myself. He tilted his head back and rested it against the wall. His eyes drifted closed. I knew I’d hinted that he stay here with me during that time, but neither of us spoke openly of that yet. “I saw your painting…in a gallery…”
He nodded. “Yeah, I sold a couple of pieces to that lawyer friend your dad hooked me up with. His family owns a gallery. Crazy, huh?”
It was a start. A start for him rebuilding his life. I smiled and squeezed his hand. “I was so scared to see you in jail,” I finally admitted.
“Yeah, that sucked,” he said, downplaying it.
I laughed. I loved the way he made fun of the bad things in life and moved on. “You did look surprisingly hot in that orange jumpsuit though.”
“Really?” He cocked his head to the side to look at me.
I nodded. “Kinda wanted to rip it off you,” I joked. Sort of.
“Hmm.” He nodded, pleased by what I’d said. “That was probably against the rules.”
“Yeah. I checked. It was frowned upon.”
He scooted over closer to me.
He brought his hand to my throat and did that thing where he tickled his fingertips lightly across my neck, driving me crazy. He pushed my hair back behind my shoulder and slowly traced patterns on my skin. I felt my cheeks flush with excitement. He leaned closer and brushed his lips across my neck. His warm breath against my skin sent tickles down my spine. His kissed my throat and inched his way toward my jaw and then finally my mouth.
I was breathless by the time our lips met. I bit his bottom lip and pulled him toward me.
He pulled back. “Wow, they warned me that prison roommates could be rough – but I had no idea….”
I bit the inside of my cheek and looked down.
“I’m kidding.” He raised my chin up to meet his eyes. “Everything’s going to be okay now.” I nodded and he kissed me again. I felt my nervousness fall away.
I felt his mouth open and when his tongue slid against mine a pressure that had been building up inside me since I’d first kissed him threatened to overwhelm me. I moaned and tangled my hands in his hair, pulling him closer. He lifted me easily and moved me to his lap. He kissed me deeply and let his hands roam up my back. He pulled me toward him and my breath caught as I pressed up against the stiffness of his body. It felt so amazing, like our bodies were molded to be together. A strange desire I’d never felt before surged up through my body, making me crave him.
He stood up suddenly, lifting me with him and then he carried me into my bedroom. He placed me on center of the fluffy comforter and looked at me for a second before quickly joining me. He continued kissing me and I sat up to peel off my shirt. He expertly unhooked my bra with one hand while cradling my jaw with his other, causing my desire for him to rise to new levels.
He leaned back to admire my body and I used the opportunity to lift his shirt, exposing his chest to my kisses. He pulled his shirt the rest of the way off and tossed it beside the bed. I’d missed the patterns his tattoos created and let my fingers trail over the designs. Getting no resistance, I used the opportunity to unlatch his belt and work at unbuttoning his pants. I was glad he didn’t stop me, and in fact, his fingers found mine and helped me, making my pulse race.
He thrust his pants and boxers down around his hips and continued pushing them down until he could kick them off the end of the bed. I looked him over in all his manly goodness and suddenly got a little nervous. But then he was back to kissing me and I forgot about everything else. I worked at the button on my jeans and felt Gabriel’s warm hands join mine. I lifted my hips and he slid my jeans and panties down my legs, and left them in a heap on the floor. The warm length of his hard body against mine caused my skin to ignite in anticipation. I loved looking at the contrast of his ink-decorated skin against mine. He was perfect.
He ran his fingers across my stomach and hips, slowly driving me crazy. “I love you Ariel,” he murmured against my lips.
“I love you too,” I said. We kissed until I felt like I couldn’t handle any more. “Gabriel,” I breathed against his mouth.
He must have seen the need in my eyes and kissed me once on the forehead. “Are you sure?” His eyes met mine. I nodded. I felt him fumble around with his jeans at the side of the bed. He rolled a condom on and was back on top of me, the weight of his firm body on mine, kissing and nipping at my mouth. While his tongue moved against mine, I felt him position himself at my entrance, then anchor his hand firmly against my hip. I whimpered lightly as I felt him push against me and then he began to ease inside of me. My breath caught at the sudden fullness of him and I kissed him back harder, trying to balance out the sensations.
“Are you okay?” Gabriel asked, his brow knitted in concern.
“Yes,” I whispered softly against his lips.
He was slow and careful with me and never took his eyes from mine. We found our rhythm and moved together. I lost myself in the sensation, the tenderness of his touches, the soft gasps that punctuated his thrusts, the damp kisses he rained across my throat, and the way his eyelids drifted closed with pleasure.
“Oh God, you feel too good,” he groaned. He cradled my head in his hands, brushing loose tendrils of hair back from my face, as he continued moving his body against mine. His eyes were dark with desire and his eyelids drifted closed. He kissed a wet path up my throat, nipping and licking the tender flesh.
“Gabriel….” My moan died on my lips as I heaved in another breath. Pleasure exploded deep inside me and I tightened my hold around him.
He captured my mouth again and my tongue swirled with his, dancing and pirouetting in perfect harmony.
Afterward we lay together, warm and breathing hard, nestled together between the sheets. While we caught our breath Gabriel held me, running his hands along my arms and playing with my hair while we talked in the fading light. Everything about this moment felt right, from the way Gabriel made me feel cherished, to the way our bodies fit together, like two halves of a whole.
A few minutes later, he rolled over on his side to look at me. “I forgot to tell you, Del said that we’re welcome to come back next summer. I’m not sure I would want to, but something to think about, I guess.”
I was quiet while I thought it over.
“What? You wouldn’t want to go back?” He tucked my hair behind my ear.
“I don’t know, maybe. But…our act?”
He shook his head. “No. If we do it there’d be no more knives. I’d rather be designing sets and props. And you should be dancing.”
I nodded, agreeing. My days as a target girl were done. I didn’t know what the future held, but I knew it was suddenly looking bright. “I’m so glad you’re here,” I admitted.
He brushed my hair back from my shoulder so he could run his fingers along the back of my neck. “Me too,” he whispered and leaned over to plant a damp kiss on the column of my neck.
The sweetness in his kiss told me everything I needed to know. We were done running from our pasts, done dodging the future. It was time to live. And there was no place I’d rather be. I closed my eyes and nestled into Gabriel’s arms, the smile on my lips refusing to fade.
~The End~
About the Author
Ryann Kerekes writes young adult novels with a strong dose of romance. She lives in Minnesota with a super cute husband and two puppies, one of which may be part monkey. When not writing, she enjoys reading, hiking, laughing and day dreaming about kissing scenes. For more information and news about upcoming titles, please visit: www.RyannKerekes.com
Acknowledgements
To the boy who shares my name and so much more, every dream, every prayer, every wish for an amazing life. You love me with endless patience and cheer me on despite my silliest dreams. You pretended I was completely normal all the nights the bluish glow from my laptop illuminated my face and transformed me into a giddy, grinning puppet master as I plotted conversations and scenes in my head. Best. Husband. Ever. I am lucky beyond measure and thank God for you every day.
To my family for believing that anything I tried was possible, even though those first drafts made it seem highly improbable. My little sister, Kelly Perez who is my dearest fan and yet also my toughest critique. Thank you sis for always cheering me on while also shooting me straight – a crazy-hard balance you strike perfectly. I wouldn’t be here without you. I hope you never stop challenging me to be better.
I also need to thank my life coach, my biggest fan and girl crush, Sammy Rae. You read all my drafts with joy, and provided endless inspiration and YA goodness. I strive to write books worthy of you. You are my muse. Love ya like a sis!
To my early readers for your enthusiasm and thoughtful critiques: Kaleen, Yasemin, Rachel, and Amanda, and most especially my writing buddy, Liz.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
About the Author
Acknowledgements
The Cirque Page 18