by Marie Tuhart
When they reached the entrance, Sheri was there and she handed the bag to Logan. Then Sheri whispered in her ear, “You were fantastic.”
“Thank you.” Joy and pride swelled within her.
Logan escorted them to Gabriel’s car and waved them off. Lexi snuggled into the blanket as Gabriel drove them home. Yes, she was starting to think about his place as being home.
Once there, he carried her inside and placed her on the bed. “I’ll be right back. I need to take care of Zeus.”
She nodded and lay there, staring at the ceiling, trying to recall when she first started to fall for Gabriel. It was probably the first time after the disaster at the club, or all the lunches they had together, or the first time the make love. There were so many times he made her feel special. He was so kind, gentle, and determined.
Lexi’s eyes grew heavy. Their contract ended tomorrow. Her heart grew heavy, but she couldn’t focus anymore. She’d worry about the contract later. They could talk about it tomorrow, because she no longer needed it.
Gabriel watched Lexi sleep. She’d let go of her iron control tonight. But what did that mean for them in the future? While he was tending Zeus, he thought about tonight and everything that had happened over the past months. The contract expired tomorrow.
He’d fallen in love with her. Now what would happen? Would she leave him for another Dom since their contract was over? He didn’t like the idea, but it could happen. He closed his eyes. He’d figure this out.
Chapter Six
Monday evening, Lexi dragged her tired, aching body into her house. The day had been long, tedious, and she missed having lunch with Gabriel. She wanted nothing more than to take a shower and climb into bed. But she couldn’t do that. Gabriel was on his way over.
Gabriel. She let out a sigh. She’d woken up Sunday morning, in his arms and in his bed. But he wasn’t the Gabriel she wanted. Instead, there was a new caution to him. He treated her like a friend and not a lover. It was almost like since she submitted to him, that was it. Did he have any feelings for her at all? And then he’d mentioned the contract would expire at midnight.
She had no idea of what to say to that. So she allowed him to drive her home, where she spent the night on the sofa, eating ice cream. Today, she’d begged off from lunch, but he had told her he’d pick her up at seven for dinner, because they needed to talk.
Yeah, talk. Was he going to tell her goodbye? He completed his job as a Dom, and now the contract was over. With a sigh, Lexi made her way into the bathroom, took a quick shower, and then re-dressed.
Gabriel hadn’t said where they were going, and she was tired. Jeans and a nice shirt would have to do. When her door bell rang, apprehension sat her belly like a lead ball.
She marched over to the door. Better to get this over with so she could start healing a broken heart. She opened the door.
Gabriel stood there, looking deliciously handsome in a pair of black jeans and a black shirt. A bark caught her attention. Zeus sat at his side with a big red bow around his neck.
“Come in.” She stepped back. Why did he bring Zeus? They were supposed to be going out.
“These are for you.” Gabriel brought out a bouquet of carnations from behind his back after she closed the door. All different colored, baby carnations. Blue, green, pink, yellow, white.
Her breath caught in her throat. “They’re beautiful. I should put them in water.”
“Later.” Gabriel captured her hand, led her over to the sofa, and pushed her until she sat down. Zeus lay at her feet as Gabriel began pacing.
“Gabriel,” she started.
“No talking.” He paced back and forth. “Here’s the deal, Lexi. I don’t want to let you go. I know the contract has expired, and I know this probably wasn’t what you were expecting.”
She opened her mouth, but he gave her his Dom stare until she swallowed her words. He was in full Dom mode and nothing was going to stop him. She hid a smile as love for this man filled her heart.
“We are compatible both inside and outside the bedroom. I want to see where this goes. No contract. No time limit.”
Lexi’s mind played catch up with is words. He wasn’t telling her to take a hike. He wanted to continue with their relationship? This was what she wanted as well. To be with him, to be more than an obligation. She opened her mouth, but he kept talking.
“Yes, I know. It’s crazy.” He shook his head, marched over to her, and sat down on the sofa next to her. “I don’t know when it happened. I think it was the first time you topped from the bottom. I started falling for you.”
“Oh, Gabriel.”
“Quiet, Lexi.” He bit out. “You have to give us a chance, I think we have something pretty special together and I won’t let you just walk away. Think—”
Lexi covered his mouth with her hand. “If you’d stop talking for a minute, you’ll understand that I agree with you.”
His eyes grew wide, and for the first time, Lexi realized he was afraid she was going to say no and make him leave.
“You do?” His words were muffled against her hand, but she understood him.
“Yes, you see I started to fall for you, too. I didn’t want our contract to end.” She removed her hand and a grin broke out over his lips. “Do you really think I’d want to leave the man who was able to melt my heart?”
Gabriel let out a yell, gathered her into his arms and kissed her. Zeus started barking and running around their legs. And Lexi’s heart swelled. The two most important men were in her life to stay.
About the Author
Marie Tuhart can't remember a time when she didn't have a book in her hands. When she isn't reading or writing, Marie loves to spend time in bookstores and traveling. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her toy poodle, Penny.
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Visit Marie at:
www.marietuhart.com
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To chat with Marie Tuhart and other Wild Rose Press authors of erotic romance, join us at www.groups.yahoo.com/group/thewilderroses.
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