"Umm thank you again, Derek," she spoke up quickly, cutting through the escalating male tension. "Don't forget to go out and get some barbecue."
With relief her interjection seemed to have worked, nodding politely her way Derek stepped past Gabriel out of the den. Now she was alone with Gabriel, cautiously Salene looked up at him to gauge his mood. Still gripping each end of the towel around his neck Salene could see the ripple of movement across his knuckles down his powerful forearms. For a brief second Salene was transfixed by the full unhindered access of his bare biceps on display as they flexed beautifully in their curled position. Using every drop of control, she tore her gaze away to see him round the back of the couch, stopping in front of her Gabriel stood in the spot that Derek was in earlier.
Looking down past the bridge of his nose Gabriel regarded her with silent observation. Since he was standing in the space between the couch and the coffee table Salene couldn't stand up unless she wanted to be pressed flat against his body. The very thought made her mind go into overdrive.
"Are you mad?" She asked, not able to endure the silence any longer.
"No," one eyebrow raised slightly. "Should I be?"
The question was loaded as they came. Depending on how she answered Salene could be enticing his anger or admitting to the untitled feeling growing between them, something she wasn't sure she was ready for or even quite understood.
Looking up at him Salene went with her instincts despite whatever deep meaning might ensue. "No."
A little of the tension he was holding visibly dissipated from his body.
"Did he give you his number?" Gabriel seemed to know Derek's kind very well.
Handing him the business card Derek gave her Salene knew that in a way she was giving into Gabriel by giving him the number. Taking the card from her fingers, he crumpled the card in his fist before shoving it in his pocket. The fire in his emerald gaze burned away the icy tension that Derek's presence caused. Gripping the top of her shoulders Gabriel pulled her to a standing position pulling her flush against his nearly bare body. With nowhere else to put her hands Salene gripped each of his biceps as he held her close, the hot skin beneath her fingertips seared itself into her mind.
"I cannot wait for this damn party to be over and done with." He whispered hoarsely.
Salene's body was on fire as it reacted to the boiling desire in Gabriel's body. Not able to say anything as her mouth went dry, her eyes filled with want and nervous fear as she looked back at him.
Reading her emotions masterfully Gabriel gave her a comforting smile as his large hands massaged her shoulders. "Don't worry, I will be on my best behavior tonight."
Salene wasn't sure if she should believe him.
Chapter 18
It was nighttime when Salene waved off the last guest, shutting the door she leaned against it in a sigh of relief.
Tossing some paper plates, he gathered into the trash Gabriel let out a deep groan. "Dear God I'm never doing that shit ever again."
Smiling tiredly, she nodded in agreement as she went to the kitchen to put away the leftovers. Hiding a yawn behind her hand Salene wasn't surprised to realize how exhausted she was, it was surprisingly energy draining to mingle for hours under the hot sun. Putting up the last of the food she thought of Kevin and Tobias's disappearance midway through the party. Salene couldn't wait to hear the details.
"What are you smiling about?" Gabriel leaned against the counter across from her looking just as tired.
"Nothing really, I was just thinking of Kevin and Tobias."
He laughed, finishing the rest of her sentence. "And their disappearance act?" He guessed correctly.
"Yes," she smiled guiltily, embarrassed by her next words. "I'm a little worried about…about which… Which one would be…" Salene's cheeks felt hot as she stumbled over the words, unconsciously fiddling with the paper towel holder on the counter.
With a wide smile, Gabriel leaned further against the counter and crossed his forearms. "You mean which one will be the most dominant?"
Mortified at his brazen approach regarding their friends' sex life she nodded, covering her smile with one hand.
Gabriel let out a deep laugh. "I have no clue, and since Tobias and I will most likely never speak on it, I will leave that to you to procure."
Shaking her head, she laughed as she walked around the counter towards the hallway to her room. The sudden hold on her hand caught her mid-stride, turning Salene looked down to see Gabriel's hand covering hers on top of the cool granite counter. The arch of his eyebrow told her he wasn't finished yet.
"You and I still have much to discuss." Lifting her hand softly from the counter he held her arm out tugging softly for her to come closer.
Biting her lip nervously Salene relaxed into his pull letting Gabriel gently tug her out of the kitchen patio door. The large backyard was eerily dark and deserted, only the soft greenish blue lights of the pool offered any illumination while the remainder of the yard was draped in darkness. Salene was focusing on the well-defined lines of muscles around his shoulder blades when they stopped. Looking down she noticed he had led her to the in-ground hot tub. The teal blue water bubbled invitingly next to a tray containing a bottle of wine and two glasses.
"I thought the hot tub was out of order," she whispered, afraid her voice might crack as her nervousness rose. During the party the hot tub was covered the entire time, Salene just assumed it was not working.
"Nope, it works just fine." Gabriel stepped into the deep round tub as proof. Turning around, Gabriel stood in the middle of the churning water looking up at her expectantly. "Will you join me?"
Nervous didn't quite sum up her feelings, Salene felt shaky and dizzy all it once under Gabriel's expectant gaze. Never in her life had she been pursued like this, with such single-minded intensity. Compared to Gabriel, men in her past seemed darn near cavalier about it, and for some reason, Salene felt that even this level of Gabriel's pursuit might just be the tip of the iceberg.
Secretly taking a deep breath, Salene turned to the side as she slipped off the red lacy cover up. Feeling exposed in just her bikini, Salene fought the urge to cross her arms over her breast. Turning her head to peek back at Gabriel, her breath caught in her throat when she caught his gaze. Gabriel made no effort to hide the severity of his desire from his gaze, causing something deep and instinctive within her to want to step back and run. Clamping down on her quixotic emotions Salene walked towards the water's edge. Besides, knowing Gabriel running might be exactly what he wanted and Salene wasn't totally confident in herself to think logically when he caught her.
"Here," holding out his hand for her Gabriel guided her down the submerged stairs.
Reluctantly, Gabriel let the other hand he used to guide her on her hips slide away once she was seated on the underwater seat. Relieved that the bubbling water at least covered a portion of her breast Salene relaxed into the warm water.
"Tonight we're going to celebrate two important things," Gabriel handed her a pre-filled wineglass. "The first being that this damn picnic is over."
Salene laughed careful not to spill the gold liquid into the churning water. "Well I am glad all our hard work paid off, everyone really look like they were having fun."
"Yeah, it did go well except for one minor annoyance."
Knowing he was referring to her moment with Derek earlier Salene avoided Gabriel's gaze focusing on the water below. Course hair rubbed against her calf sending ripples of awareness through her body. Under the water's distortion, she watched as Gabriel locked her legs in between his, making it difficult to move away if she wanted to. Doing her best to ignore the jolting feeling of nervous desire he was causing she tried to press on.
"What was the other a cause of celebration?" She prayed her voice did not sound as strained to him as it did to her.
Smiling widely as if he was waiting for her to ask he lifted his glass. "I'm officially divorced."
"Oh," the information stunned her f
or a moment. "I mean congratulations." Lifting her glass to meet his, the fragile glass tinked lightly as they met.
Taking a sip of the sweet liquid, Salene thought of something.
"Ummm actually," Salene cleared her throat as she carefully set the glass on the concrete. "I have some news too."
The excitement in his eyes immediately vanished, warily Gabriel set his glass down as well. The air around them practically vibrated as he sat stone still waiting for her to speak.
Water sloshed around her hand as she held it up quickly.
"Oh, no it's nothing bad. It's actually really good." Seeing him relax slightly she continued. "Well, thanks to you letting me stay here for a little while I was able to talk to the doctor's office about the payment plan." This is the first time she told anyone about her intentions since she got off the phone with the doctor's office on Friday. Excitement and nervousness made her want to laugh a little. Seeing his growing confusion Salene rushed to explain. "I'm finally getting my breast surgery." Salene rushed out.
"Oh," Gabriel looked genuinely shocked by the news. "You're getting them…"
"Reduced, yes." She finished for him. "They have made my life a living hell."
Long legs surrounding hers within the bubbling water moved slowly, rubbing against her tantalizing every nerve ending. Suppressing a smile Salene interlocked her legs around one of his, now he had one of hers and she his.
"When you say a living hell," he took a sip of wine calmly as if they were not currently leg wrestling within the water. "Are you referring to your self-esteem or dating?"
"Both," she confessed.
Leaning forward he gave her a look of disbelief. "Are you telling me some of your previous dates have not enjoyed the size of your breast?"
"No… Yes… I mean no," beyond mortified by his directness Salene took another healthy sip of her wine. "I just feel like they have tried to enjoy them too much."
Taking the nearly empty stemware from her hand, Gabriel refilled it before handing it back.
"Tried?" He questioned.
"I mean what I'm trying to say is, it's a lot of work," just thinking about some of her past dates annoyed her. "I have to make sure it's dark enough to my liking, and they're not to be too gropey. It has just…Hasn't been ideal, let me just say that."
"Mmm... I guess all men are different." Gabriel said thoughtfully, wading one hand in the water casually as he stared up at the sky.
The arrogant man was baiting her, she knew that. Seconds dragged by in silence until she couldn't take it anymore. "What is that supposed to mean?"
Lifting his head slowly, he gave her a roguish smile. "What I mean is that I," he emphasized 'I,' "Would have never let you get away with that."
An unmeasurable heat rose in her chest. "What?!"
"Let's just say," his eyes creased as he searched for the right words. "I am more of a take charge sort of man."
"I see," ignoring the creeping warning in the back of her brain. Salene took the presented opportunity to poke the beehive for its information. "So you are one of those dominant types that seek a submissive." She made air quotes with her fingers at the word submissive as she suppressed a laugh.
Gabriel, on the other hand, did not suppress his humor, laughing deeply he shook his head.
"No, I'm not whatever bad porn or trashy book that's running through your head right now. No whips, no blindfolds, and no humiliation techniques." The simmering heat in his eyes foreshadowed the change in the conversation. "I'm simply the type of man that tells you what to do, not the other way around." With every word it felt like he was coming closer, as if the hot tub was shrinking around them. "I don't need you to be a submissive Salene, I just need you to submit."
If she had any doubt in her mind beforehand if he was speaking rhetorically his dangerous words put that to rest. Nervous and not sure how to respond Salene began to shift restlessly in her submerged seat. At some point during their underwater movements their legs reversed positions, hers were on the outside of his out stretched legs. Intimidated by the overwhelming aura between them Salene gripped the side of the pool to lift herself out for a hasty retreat.
Before she could stand Gabriel used the position between her ankles to his advantage. Quickly pushing each ankle away from the other until her legs were spread far apart, not giving her time to react he suddenly stood in the churning warm water coming close. Now Gabriel stood between her legs, Salene pressed herself against the tiled wall of the hot tub as the slippery fabric of Gabriel's swim trunks glided against the inside of her thighs. Rough, callused hands scratched softly against the column of her neck as he ran the pad of his thumb against the length of her throat.
"I know there is a connection between us Salene," his body seemed to hover inches away from hers, but she could practically feel the rise and fall of his chest. “I know you can feel it."
Of course, she could feel it, Salene wanted to scream and argue that she could feel it very well. It was a sexual connection that she had never before experienced, a raw desire that overwhelmed her in its pull. Salene wasn't sure how to answer, was he just talking about a sexual connection or something more?
"I don't know," Salene could hardly think as she heard her own breathless reply. Instinctively she put her hand up to try and push him back to give her a chance to think and catch her breath. That was a mistake the feeling of his hot skin, sparsely covered in fine golden hairs, sent reams of powerful energy through her body. Covering her hand with his own Gabriel didn't allow her to pull back. Salene's thoughts felt as if they were drowning in Gabriel's proximity. Looking down she did her best to organize her thoughts. "I… I just feel like this is so sudden, that this could be nothing more than…"
"It is not all of a sudden," the depth of his voice shook the air in between them. "If anything it is more of a concession on my part. I realized I had to stop fighting what I really wanted."
Salene couldn't speak, thoughts were racing through her head, but no words came out of her mouth. Involuntarily she clutched at the golden hairs beneath her fingers, which only seemed to prompt him to come closer until his chest was touching hers and his thighs were pressed against the cement underwater seat only a hair's breath from her center.
"Will you give me a chance?" Dipping his head at her neck, Salene shivered at the feeling of his trimmed beard scraping along her cheek. "Will you give us a chance before you say no?"
The hot wet feeling of his mouth against her pulse made Salene cry out. Sucking at the sensitive skin, Gabriel wrapped his hands around the back of her knees pulling her until her aching center was flush against his hardening length. Salene let out a low moan when she felt his teeth scrape against her skin. She felt like she was hyperventilating as if she couldn't catch her breath properly. Every intake of breath only felt like hot air that was burning her body inside and out.
"Wait," gathering an ounce of strength she pushed herself back, shaking her head. Salene needed to know this was real first, she had to know he was serious or was this some joke or something. "I don't..."
Slowly Gabriel pulled back to her surprise, holding him back from her with one hand she searched for the right words to say "This can't…
"I see," Gabriel nodded, his face hardening as he looked away.
The green eyes that were lit with such raw passion seconds ago tightened with rejection and a tinge of hurt as he stepped back in the water. The loss of his touch was shattering as he began to pull back from between her legs.
"No, don't!" Clutching at his shoulders, she stopped him from going any further. "I just don't want this… I don't want this to be a joke." Stumbling over her words in flustered embarrassment.
Seeing the matching need in her eyes, Gabriel returned to her with full force. "My God sweetheart I am dead serious." Relief punctuated his words as he lifted her by the waist from her submerged seat.
Clutching his shoulders as he turned around, Gabriel changed their positions sitting on her previous seat forcing her to str
addle his lap. The hard bulge in his lap pressed against the thin fabric of her bikini tantalizing every nerve.
"It's more than apparent I have much to make up for," the hands at her waist slowly traveled up in unison until they stopped just underneath her breasts. The soft graze of his knuckles against the weight of her breasts made her gasp. "But I'll go slow Salene, I promise."
Closing her eyes at the bliss, he was causing she felt his lips against the underside of her jaw.
"Tell me Salene," again he kissed her only inches from her mouth driving her crazy, all she wanted was to end this never ending torture. "Tell me you will give us a chance?"
Nodding she dug her fingers into his large shoulders. "Yes," she replied breathlessly. Salene was burning up with need, she would say anything he wanted at this point.
Desperate (A Contemporary Romance) Page 13
