Closer

by Kaia Bennett

"Then don't hold it in. Go 'head and let it out, Nic." The menace in his voice and the way he palmed her breasts firmly in his large hand as he fucked her harder and faster wasn't lost on her. He was getting very close to getting what he wanted.

  "Fucking son-of-a-bitch," she growled at him. Her voice was desperate, lustful, and angry all at once.

  "That's no way to talk to your man when he's about to make you come, is it?" His breathing was getting short. He wasn't going to last much longer.

  "Gabriel..."

  "That's it, call out my name... Make sure they know who fucks you so good!"

  He pumped harder and longer. Her nipples were scraping against his chest through his shirt as he pulled himself closer to her. No longer worried about keeping her arms bound, he wrapped one hand in her hair, while the other switched between grasping her breasts hard. He groaned louder, and gave each full, shaking breast a sharp slap that felt like an electric shock of pain and pleasure on her sensitive flesh.

  "Ungh!!! Goddammit!!" She snarled through gritted teeth. She was bucking against him like a wild woman, drowning in pleasure. She was going to walk out of this room sweaty, smelling like a good hard fuck and she didn’t care anymore. She didn’t care about saving face or pride or the past. All she cared about was the way Gabriel made her feel, the words he made her say with relish.

  "Beg me," Gabriel demanded gruffly. He gripped her neck, tilted her face up with his thumb so she was looking into his eyes.

  Nicole stared at him, her lips parted with the weight of the words, her body and her eyes as ferocious and crazy with lust as his were. "Please... Gabriel... make me come, make your dirty girl come!"

  All restraint was lost. Each thrust pushed them closer to the edge. They forgot to care who heard, they forgot to care if either one of them made it out of the room able to walk. Nicole's thighs trembled and clamped around his waist. Gabriel's hips slapped against hers, his cock leaving no inch of her tight sheath unclaimed even when it seized him almost painfully as she came.

  She was practically sobbing, so lost, so gone, spiraling out of control, and just as she was about to come down to earth, Gabriel picked up the speed and let her know with a desperate moan that he was about to lose control, too.

  Nicole tucked her head against him, wishing she could hold him as he broke within her, but her arms were still bound behind her. Her body was racked with every spasm, every hard thrust as he found satisfaction within her. She whimpered in his ear, feeling a wave of heat spread through her as the hot rush of his come flooded her womb. He came so hard and so long that she was overflowing before he'd even stopped thrusting.

  And as they resurfaced from the overwhelming ocean of orgasm, they heard the countdown outside.

  10, 9, 8...

  He was breathing deep and hard, pulling the dress down her arms so she was free to hold him the way he wanted her to.

  7, 6...

  She immediately wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her forehead against his with a tired smile.

  5, 4, 3...

  Their lips brushed against each other’s, soft and teasing.

  2...

  Saving the best of their kiss for that final moment.

  1.

  The noise outside the bedroom was boisterous, the sound of screams, singing, and champagne popping playing in the background of their kiss. When they finally parted, Gabriel looked into her eyes and smiled. That brief savage glimpse of him was gone. He was almost sheepish, as if coming out of a trance that had left him vulnerable. She couldn’t believe this was the man she’d spend the next year with, the man who had claimed her in a ways she didn’t know she could be claimed.

  "Happy New Year, sweetheart," he whispered breathlessly.

  She smiled back, murmuring, "Happy New Year, babe," against his lips, before claiming them completely.

  Chapter 9

  Gabriel was waiting outside the studio entrance for Nuke so they could head home together. What was taking him so long? Gabe was ready to go home and crash, and Nuke was probably meandering around having some unnecessary conversation. The door opened at last, but it wasn't Nuke that came out to join him.

  A couple of the guys from The Spirits walked out and he nodded to them before they went off their own way. Meredith, however, stayed behind. She pulled a pack of cigarettes out of her jacket pocket and offered one to Gabriel, but he shook his head.

  "That's right, I forgot," she said in that raspy voice, the one that used to send chills over his skin. "You quit, right?"

  "Yeah¸" he said, sniffling slightly at the cold. "Been a couple of years."

  "Good for you." She lit up and then trained those startling eyes back on him. "We didn't really get a chance to catch up, did we? How've you been, Gabe?"

  Gabriel cleared his throat softly. "I've been good. Busy."

  "That's good." Her smile seemed to mock him as it curled around her cigarette.

  "I never got a chance to ask you about, um... what's her name? The cute black chick you got on your arm now. Natalie, or…"

  "Nicole."

  "Right." She snapped her fingers. "Nicole... your new girlfriend. She's a hottie. How'd you—”

  "What do you want, Meredith?"

  "Nothing, man. Just wanted to catch up with an old friend. We are still friends, right? Practically besties."

  He sniffed and turned away.

  "Did you tell Nicole about me?" Meredith asked.

  "Yeah, she knows," he said simply.

  "Really? Everything, huh? Cause I would've thought if she knew about everything, she would be a little wary of being your girlfriend. You've got an interesting track record when it comes to relationships."

  There was a pregnant pause, and Gabriel wished to God in heaven that Nuke would hurry the fuck up already.

  "Maybe I could come over some night and give her a taste of some of the stuff I remember you liking. Nic seems like she might be a sexually liberated kinda girl—"

  Gabriel steeled himself and turned to face her. "So what's up Mere, you trying to get a rise out of me or something? Well it's not gonna work. She knows I slept with you. And more importantly she knows I don't want you anymore."

  "Hmm... That sounds about right, Gabe. It's kind of your M.O. actually. Turn on the charm, fuck a girl real good. But you always find something wrong with them, some way to fuck it up. And then you leave." She exhaled on a smile. "Don't you?"

  Gabriel's jaw twitched. Goddammit Nuke!!

  "It's a shame you toss them aside so easily. Nicole looks like a sweet girl. But then... Marta was a sweet girl, too."

  Gabe's eyes snapped to hers. He came up to his full height staring down at her. "I'm going to say this just once, Meredith. And I'm gonna speak really slow so you can hear me underneath all the fucking chemicals floating around in your head." He took as step forward. "You stay the fuck away from my girl. You start filling her head with your manipulative bullshit, and I'm gonna—"

  "What, Gabe? You're gonna what? Didn't peg you for the type that hits girls." She smiled slyly. "Unless they like it, of course. How about Nicole? She like it rough like me, lover?"

  Gabriel swallowed as images of Meredith came unbidden to the surface of his mind. Flashes of pale skin, widespread long legs, her tight pink slit and those nipples that were a rosy pink to match. He could see the glint of the barbells piercing them, and then he could see the deep rosy color they'd been when he slapped them, just the way she liked. That had been a long time ago. He’d been rough with Nicole, steadily but surely revealing that part of himself to her. But the difference was he cared about her, he was building something with her. Nicole made him embrace things about himself he’d only ever been ashamed of when he was with Meredith. Things he’d hidden from Marta. Somewhere in the middle was Nicole.

  "She's nothing like you."

  Meredith's eyes flashed like lightning. "No, she's not. She's doesn't see who you really are. But I do."

  Gabe, for just a second, was afraid of what Meredith could do w
ith that knowledge. He’d been harsh with her and he regretted it. A part of him knew she’d been within her rights to wish him ill. The other part knew Meredith wasn’t loyal to anything but drama, the chase, the thrill of doing something bad. She didn’t want him, she just wanted to see him squirm. And maybe seeing him do just that in this moment would end all of this.

  Then, just like that, her face turned calm as a spring day again. "Don't worry, Gabe. I'm not gonna tell her about the dirt you've done. I figure she won't last long anyway. So…" she blew out the smoke, "when you break her little heart, give me a call. I still remember how you like it."

  She tossed her cigarette and brushed past him. For a long while the only things he could hear were her retreating footsteps, her cryptic words, and his own dismal thoughts.

  When Nuke came out a few minutes later Gabe was still silently fuming, lost in guilt and anger and regret.

  "What's the matter with you? You were in a decent mood when you left." Nuke knew him well. He’d always been able to sense when something was up with him, even when he tried to hide it.

  Gabe shot him a glance and looked over his head to where Meredith had disappeared. “Nothing," he said flatly. "Let's go."

  Fuck her if she thought she was going to mess things up for him. Nicole wasn't Marta. And he wasn't the same guy anymore.

  He wasn't going to make the same mistakes this time around.

  ***

  "Hey, Ian," Nicole said when he opened the door.

  "Hey, Nikki!” She was greeted by his excited grin and a big hug before he let her into the apartment and shut the door. “Jackie's in the bathroom, she'll be right out. How've you been?"

  "Good, good." She took off her coat and put it and her gloves on the rack. She laid her bag of movies on the kitchen counter and turned back to watch Ian get ready for his night out. "You excited to be getting out of the house? You can tell me the truth, she can't hear you," Nicole whispered with a wicked grin to which Ian rolled his eyes and nodded emphatically before giving her a grin of his own.

  Of course, Nicole knew it was mostly for show. Ian was crazy about Jackie, and had been ever since the day they met. He'd been a friend of Gabriel's and the minute he introduced Ian to Jackie, the guy was lost. Looking up at him now she couldn't help but marvel at how some things changed and some things stayed the same. Ian may be almost thirty and just a few months away from being a father, but he would probably look eternally like a little boy trapped in a grown man's body. His eyes were a dark brown that always seemed to twinkle, the onyx orbs trapped by almond-shaped eyes. His hair was cropped close and always perfectly trimmed, as was his beard and mustache. And his ever-present smile and glowing umber skin made her want to ask him if he thought about doing commercials for toothpaste or moisturizer. Her little niece or nephew was going to have some killer genes.

  He looked like he was about to scale the walls, he was so excited for his night out with Gabe and the guys from the band. He barely got to hang out with Gabe these days, and even more rarely made it out of the apartment. He joked sometimes about how Jackie chained him to the bed at night and made him read baby books to her.

  "Look happier, why don't you," Jackie pouted when she came out of the bathroom. Still her eyes twinkled with mischief and love when he leaned down and placed a kiss on her lips. He rubbed her belly, touching his fingers to his lips and then to the crown of her stomach before he headed out the door.

  "How you feeling?" Nicole asked, shuffling through Jackie's cabinets for some Cracker Jacks.

  "Fat," Jackie quipped, shuffling onto the kitchen stool. "And tired. But other than that I'm peachy. And I made Ian move them to the top shelf. Just looking at Cracker Jacks makes me sick these days."

  "Well, then cover your eyes, 'cause work sucked hard today, and I'm fittin' to binge on some caramel-covered goodness."

  "Ugh... don't say caramel or I'm going to be forced to shank you. I can almost smell it from here," Jackie growled.

  Nicole turned and shot a glance over her shoulder, deciding to set the box back so she didn't make her sister ill or violent. She’d just pilfer them before she left instead. "Aren't you supposed to be over the morning sickness stuff?"

  "I am, but I think my nose was replaced with a bionic replica in my sleep. I can smell everything." Jackie sighed and ran her hands through her hair. For a moment she looked terribly tired.

  "You okay?"

  Jackie nodded and gave a little smile. "I'm just a little tired because of work and carrying around David Beckham. Kid keeps me up at night kicking. Ian may be right about it being a boy. He seems restless just like his daddy."

  Nicole leaned over and brushed a hand over her sister's hair. "You want to skip the movie and go get some rest?"

  Jackie shook her head. "Nah, I'm fine. Just get me some yogurt. That'll perk me up a little."

  Nicole nodded, grabbed a glass out of the cabinet so she could pour herself some juice, opened the fridge and paused. "Jesus, girl, you weren't kidding about that pregnancy craving thing," she said, taking in row after row of peach flavored yogurt that took up most of the first shelf of her fridge. She grabbed one for each of them and a couple of spoons.

  "Of all the things, it had to be fucking yogurt," Jackie said and then lifted her hands and shrugged her shoulders as if she didn't understand. Jackie loathed yogurt, so it was fitting gesture.

  "So, the unborn commits its first evil act... against mama."

  "Keep calling my baby evil and I'm gonna make sure this kid is your babysitting nightmare."

  "Point taken," Nicole said in surrender. "Now which movie do you want to watch first?" She shuffled through the DVD's she'd brought with her for their night of bonding. “Or we can find something online.”

  "Nothing that makes you cry. Other than that I’m cool with whatever."

  Nicole grabbed the bag and they got comfortable on the couch with their respective yogurts, or at least tried to. Jackie had a small mountain of pillows under her back but was still shifting around, and Nicole had some things on her mind that wouldn't give her any rest. Like Gabriel. The last time she'd seen him had been about a week after New Years when they went out on the weekend. He was getting busier and busier as the deadline for the album approached, but she couldn't help wondering if things had shifted for them since that first little fight and the quickie that followed. He'd seemed increasingly distant since then, and she couldn't figure out if she was imagining things or if her instincts were right. Gabriel was usually upfront with her, but she also knew he tended to make himself scarce when he was uncomfortable or trying to protect her.

  Turning to Jackie, she blurted out, "You ever see Gabriel get mad before?"

  Jackie frowned. "Why? You two have a fight or something?"

  "No, no nothing like that... not really."

  Jackie's signature pursed lips joined her frown and Nicole sighed, figuring it was best to just come out with it. "There's this girl he used to hook up with. Meredith Rowe, the lead singer of The Spirits..."

  Jackie nodded and leaned back, a sympathetic if somewhat smug smile on her face. "You're afraid he's still got feelings for her."

  "No. He told me he didn't."

  "Then you're afraid she's still got feelings for him?"

  Nicole bit her lip and fiddled with a string on one of Jackie's couch cushions. "I dunno. Maybe she does, but I've only seen her a couple of times, and she seemed friendly enough. It's just that we had our first fight – well, first sort of fight – over her. And now he's just different. Super calm all the time… If he even has time to hang out with me at all, that is. Maybe I'm just reading too much into it, but he seems like he's not being as open with me and it's kind of making me nervous."

  "Maybe he just doesn't know how to react now," Jackie said with a shrug. "Gabriel doesn't like to get mad or lose his temper. Reminds him too much of when he was younger and pissed off all the time. You seeing him upset might have freaked him out. And I wouldn't be worried about another girl. Gabriel'
s not the cheating kind."

  Nicole smiled lightly, remembering what seeing a glimpse of his temper had done to her. "It wasn't bad, seeing him a little upset. It was actually kind of a turn on—"

  "Oh, must we... you know, talk about you and the sex with my friend? Bad enough I have to watch you two slobber all over each in public now."

  "Sorry," Nicole chuckled, giving her a sheepish grin. "I wasn't used to it, but I wasn't scared either. He can't be that bad, right? What was he like in college? Did he have a temper?"

  Jackie shook her head. "No, not really. He was pretty laid back, but I think he worked to be that way. From what he told me it was mostly in high school and before I met him that he got into trouble a lot. We've had maybe one big fight the whole time I've known him, and of course I won.” Nicole rolled her eyes.

  “But him and Marta..." Jackie shook her head and rolled her eyes heavenward. "When they blew up at each other, you'd have to grab a helmet. She was kind of temperamental, and he told me once that towards the end, when he was the angriest he'd ever been at her, he felt like he did when he was angry all the time growing up. It made him feel all out of control and trapped and he hated it."

  Nicole nodded. Up until that night weeks ago, the most negative emotion she'd seen on him was discomfort. But that fire in his eyes, the edge in his voice and the way his hands had been rougher on her skin. The stinging slaps, the bites, the peek into something almost sinister underneath his measured commands... She shivered, unable to stop her body from recalling how turned on she'd been.

  She wished he'd been around more to show her that side again, but he was always working late now, and when he got off he was too tired to come over. She couldn't help but wonder if it was her fault, something she did or said that made things tense between them. She thought it had been obvious she was turned on. But, maybe Jackie was right. Maybe he was just feeling uncomfortable with showing her a side he thought was less than gentlemanly. Or, maybe he really was just tired.

  "Oh my God! Feel that!" Jackie exclaimed suddenly, grabbing Nicole's hand and placing it on her belly.