“I know I have no right to expect you to trust me yet, Lily, but I want you to. Nothing I say to you will ever be a lie. I know we’ve only just met, but we have something here; something I don’t want to mess up. It’s a shame that men have never told you how beautiful and lovely you are. Ryan was a fool, and I think deep down you knew that for a long time. I know you didn’t want to be alone and I can’t fault you for trying to save your marriage. But it’s over now and that asshole is long gone. I’ll never treat you the way he did, do you understand? NEVER. I may have my secrets, but I’m not an asshole and I know how precious you are.”
I stared at him, dumbfounded. This is the most he had let on about himself since we’d met. I nodded and squeezed his hand.
“Take me to dinner, Gabriel, I want to get to know you better.”
“As you wish.”
He ended up taking me to a steakhouse downtown that I had been dying to try. We both had a love of ribeyes and pinot noir that rivaled the love of classic love stories. We ate and talked about his ventures into music and restaurants and fixing up old cars. It turned out that he owned the steakhouse, along with another club nearby, and a garage that restored classic cars.
Over the salad course he talked about his love of trying new things and his adventures around the world. He was well traveled and knew several languages including French, Italian and Spanish. He said a few phrases to me in French as I sipped my wine and I nearly melted into my seat.
He smirked at me and said, “A sucker for a foreign language, huh?” I merely nodded and took another sip of my wine, hoping I could attribute the blush to the second glass I was currently enjoying instead of my embarrassment.
As we worked our way through the main course, I learned little things about Gabriel. His favorite color was green, he loved French toast, he had an eclectic taste in music, and he hated spiders. I asked about his favorite artists, what trashy TV he liked to watch, and what video game he liked to play the most as a kid. He answered all of my questions but the last one. At the mention of his childhood, his eyes grew dark and the wrinkles in his forehead creased.
“I’d rather not talk about my childhood,” he said coldly. I was taken aback by the sudden change in atmosphere and shivered at his tone.
“I’m sorry, Gabriel, I didn’t know.”
“It’s fine,” he replied. I tried to take his hand in mine, but he pulled away. I had touched a nerve that I didn’t know was there and I was seeing another side of Gabriel. He was distant and cold, a far cry from his warmth and sweetness. I put my hands in my lap and willed myself not to cry.
“Maybe you should take me home, Gabriel,” I said quietly as I lifted my head to look at him. This seemed to shake him from his reverie and his eyes cleared. He looked at me and shook his head.
“Jesus, Lily, I’m sorry.”
“No, it’s ok, I touched a nerve. I have them too Gabriel, so I understand. You can just take me home and maybe we can try this again at a later date. It seems you have some things you need to work through and I simply don’t have the strength to deal with them right now. I have a lot on my plate and as much as I want to be there for you, I have to take care of myself.”
He stood up suddenly, came over to me, and pulled me out of my chair. He crushed me against him, wrapping his arms tightly around me as if he were afraid I might disappear. I wrapped my arms around him slowly and leaned my head onto his chest.
“No, Lily, we don’t need to try this at a later date. I’m so sorry. My past…well it should be left alone.”
“You left, Gabriel, just now you were somewhere else. Your eyes were different and it was like I didn’t even recognize the man sitting in front of me.”
“I know, kitten, and I’m sorry. Please forgive me. I promise to never leave you like that again. I can’t talk about my past. Please just let it go.”
“It’s OK, Gabriel. I understand. I have a past too. Maybe someday we can share our pasts with each other. I had a rough time growing up too,” I admitted. Very few knew about my childhood, but seeing how Gabriel had reacted to the mention of his own childhood made me think he would understand. I knew he wouldn’t judge me or look at me with pity in his eyes. His scars had shone through when I asked the question about the video games. He knew what it was like to have battle wounds just like I did. My heart opened a bit wider to him and I squeezed him tightly.
He pulled back slightly and crushed his lips to mine. My arms went up around his neck and I stood on my tiptoes while kissing him back with matched fervor. Hearing a few catcalls, I was brought back to reality. I pulled back and grinned like an idiot at Gabriel. Grinning back at me he shook his head slowly.
“Oops, forgot we were in public,” he said while laughing.
Chapter 9
The rest of dinner was light hearted and full of laughter. We ended up enjoying a slice of rich chocolate cake and sipping on espresso while I talked endlessly about the antics of my cats, and he told me about some of the guys who worked at the garage and how he’d been best friends with Rosy for a long time. We held hands and laughed and fed each other. The heat in his eyes grew hotter as the night wore on. Every time I caught him staring at me like he wanted to devour me, my breath caught and I stuttered in the middle of whatever story I was telling. My panties were soaked through as thoughts of him naked and sweaty between my thighs kept coming to mind.
He paid the check and turned to me, “My club nearby is closed for renovations, but I’d love to show you what I’m doing to the place. Do you mind if we take a little walk over there?”
“That would be lovely, Gabriel. That’s so exciting that you own another club! Is it like The Secret Word?”
“Actually that’s why I’m renovating. The Secret Word has been such a success that I’m modeling the new club after it.”
“Complete with the 50’s looking barstools?” I asked hopefully
He laughed and took my hand, guiding me outside, “Complete with 50’s barstools.”
“Awesome!” I exclaimed, “I love those barstools, they are so cute!” Little did he know I had fantasized about him doing very dirty things to me while I was sitting on one of those stools; so yea, I loved those things.
I shivered in the cool night air and hoped we didn’t have to walk too far; these heels were taking their toll on me. Gabriel let go of my hand and took off his jacket, placing it gently over my shoulders. He kissed my forehead softly and pulled me into his arms. I loved that this guy was a hugger. Most guys only hugged out of obligation or if they felt they needed to comfort you. Gabriel seemed to truly want me in his arms for no reason other than to feel me there.
“A girl could get used to this, Gabriel,” I said leaning my head on his chest.
“Get used to what, kitten? Hugging?”
I sighed in contentment, “Oh yea, definitely the hugging.”
“I want you in my arms as much as possible, Lily. Having you in them just feels right. Almost like I’m home,” he whispered as he tightened his arms around me. “I never really had one growing up, but this feels like what home should have been.”
I stayed silent, surprised that he had shared something with me. Maybe he just needed time. We had only just met, really. I couldn’t push him to tell me his life story a week into our time together. I tightened my arms around him and whispered back, “I feel the same way, Gabriel. I never want you to let me go.”
“Then I never will, beautiful,” he responded quietly. We stood there for several minutes, holding onto each other and being oblivious to the busy city around us. I felt like I was in one of those chick flicks I loved so much, where everything but the man in my arms fades into the background. I was falling in love and that damn heart of mine had worked its way back to my sleeve again, just waiting for Gabriel to grab ahold of it.
He pulled away and took my hand once more, leading me down the sidewalk. We reached the club that was roped off due to the construction, and he unlocked the door and let me in ahead of him. He had
started softly singing Wherever You Will Go by The Calling as he went around turning on a few lights.
I smiled to myself, knowing he knew this was one of my favorite songs as well. He came over to me, led me to the bar, and helped me onto one of the stools. He clicked a remote and music started playing softly in the background. Wicked Game by Chris Isaak came on and he turned to look at me, his eyes full of heat yet again. He removed his jacket from my shoulders and placed it on the bar. Kneeling down in front of me, he took off my shoes. He began to slowly rub my feet, one after the other, and I moaned softly. His hands moved up to my calves, rubbing the tight muscles sensuously. I looked down at him and the want in his eyes mirrored my own. Was my barstool fantasy about to come true? Then his hands moved to my knees and I giggled, breaking the spell.
“Oh, ticklish are we, Miss Lily?” he smirked.
I batted his hands and replied with another giggle, “Yes, you wicked man! Hands off my knees.”
“Can I put my hands here?” he said softly as his hands moved to outside of my upper thighs. He had pushed my dress up slowly and could now see that I was wearing stockings and a garter belt.
“Jesus Christ, Lily, you are full of fucking surprises. Do you have any idea how sexy you are, or what I want to do to you right now?” His voice was low and full of want and I had absolutely no idea how to respond. No one had ever spoken to me like this. I stared at him kneeling between my knees and listened to Chris Isaak in the background.
“Can I touch you here?” he asked softly as his hands moved to my inner thighs. I nodded, my eyes never leaving his. I wasn’t about to try to speak right now and embarrass myself by stuttering.
“How about here?” he asked as one of his hands moved right to my core. My eyes closed and my head tilted back.
“Yes, sir,” I replied breathlessly. He rubbed me through my panties with one hand and stood up, towering over me. His other hand gripped the back of my neck and pulled me closer to him.
“Keep your eyes open, Lily. Look at me while I pleasure you,” he commanded softly. His demeanor had changed again, and his alpha male side was back. If it was possible, I got wetter at the site of him leaning over me and staring at me as if he were about to devour me.
“Good girl, now keep them on mine or I will stop what I’m doing.”
“Yes, sir.” I replied. It would take all my strength and courage to keep my eyes open. I had never had someone watch me while they were pleasuring me, as they usually looked away or closed their eyes. Gabriel’s command was new territory for me, but I never wanted him to stop touching me like this. I gathered up my courage and continued to stare into his eyes. He brought out a darker side of me that I never knew existed and I desperately wanted to explore it further.
His fingers pushed my panties aside and stroked my lips softly. His breath caught when he felt the moisture he had caused.
“Jesus Lily, you’re so ready for me.”
“You did that, Gabriel, just by looking at me like that.” He pulled me into him and kissed me hard. As his tongue entered my mouth, two of his fingers entered me. I gasped into his mouth and he pulled away. My eyes stared into his as his thumb found my clit and started stroking it softly. I moaned and licked my lips slowly, knowing it would drive him crazy. He crushed his lips down onto mine once more and pushed his fingers in deeper.
“You’re mine, Lily,” he said against my mouth.
“Yes, Gabriel,” I gasped against his lips as his thumb sped up, making my clit throb. I was so close to coming already.
“Say it, Lily, say you’re mine, or I won’t let you come.”
I fought against my urge to back talk, my pussy clenching his fingers as they worked their way in and out of my tightness.
“I’m yours, Gabriel, only yours,” I whispered. He curled his fingers deeply inside me and increased the pressure on my clit. My body clenched and my breath caught in my throat as he pulled back to look into my eyes again.
“Come for me, kitten,” he commanded and that’s when my world exploded. I yelled out his name and the heat crept up my body as I came and came. I stared into his hungry gaze as he slowed his motions, clinging to his shoulders. My breath came in short bursts and I tried to compose myself. Just as my breathing started to return to normal, he pushed his fingers even deeper into me and pressed harshly on my clit. A second, almost as powerful, orgasm hit me and I cried out once more. He lightened the pressure and as the waves of pleasure subsided, my whole body went limp and I leaned against him. I whimpered as he pulled his fingers out of me, instantly feeling empty. He brought his fingers to his mouth and sucked them clean.
“God dammit, Lily, you taste fucking amazing,” he said incredulously.
I blushed at the compliment and tried to compose myself as my heartbeat returned to normal.
“Thank you,” I said sheepishly. After I smoothed down my hair and pulled my dress back down, Gabriel pulled me into his arms again. Have I mentioned he gives good hugs?
“Can I see you again soon, Lily?”
“Yes, are you free tomorrow?” I smiled into his shoulder. He pulled back and knelt down and put my shoes back on my feet.
“How about a movie and a late lunch?” he replied. I was too excited to speak so I nodded instead. He replaced his coat over my shoulders, turned off the music and lights, and led me back outside.
“Let’s get you home, beautiful, you’ll need sleep if you want to have strength for tomorrow,” he smirked.
Oh my.
Chapter 10
The next morning I awoke in a great mood. The night before had been so much fun, and I realized that Gabriel was the perfect mixture of sweet and salty that I couldn’t resist. I couldn’t wait to see him again, and I was still in shock that he wanted to see me again so soon. When Ryan and I had dated, he spread out the first dates over a few weeks. He made sure that I knew he needed space. Maybe this was how things were supposed to be. Breathing a sigh of contentment, I wandered into the kitchen.
I had some time before the movie, so I went through paperwork and called about a few more apartments. After setting some more appointments with landlords and one with my lawyer, I made some coffee and sat down with my journal. Suddenly I was inspired to write again. I knew it had to be because of Gabriel, but I was OK with that. He was so inspiring. His kindness and his caring poured out of him and he wasn’t ashamed to show his sweet side. I swear Ryan had some sort of complex that only made him want to be sweet in private. Lord forbid we hold hands or kiss in front of his friends.
Shaking my head to clear it, I put my pen to the paper and began to write furiously. I wrote about every moment I’d had with Gabriel so far, starting with that very first night I saw him staring at me in class. I got chills just thinking about that stare. It had been full of heat then, but now it was positively an inferno. I hadn’t recognized it as heat, since no man had ever been hot for me. Thinking about that made me really sad. Ryan said he loved me and wanted me, but that look never appeared in his eyes. I wiped a tear away, not even realizing I had started crying. I opened my playlists and chose I’m Movin’ On by Rascal Flatts and continued to write.
Just like the song said, I also felt trapped in my past. Even though I had just filed for divorce, it still felt like it had been a long time coming. I needed to find that peace that had been eluding me for so many years. I wrote about my feelings on the divorce and my feelings for Gabriel. As I sifted through my emotions, the last conversation I had with my mother came to mind. She’d called yet again asking for money for bills. She had run out of money and had called begging and pleading, saying that I was the only one she could turn to. I remembered the anger I had felt towards her and the sorrow I had felt for my little brother. He was always caught in the middle of her crappy life decisions. I hadn’t felt like fighting so I got her account numbers and called the utility companies and paid her bills.
I wrote about the hatred and regret I felt every time she or my brother called. I could only do so much and I
wanted so badly to be able to help her, but she wouldn’t help herself. This was the main reason my sister had moved so far away. My hand started to cramp and I looked at the clock. I had an hour before Gabriel was set to pick me up, so I closed my journal and wiped the tears off my face. I took a deep, calming breath and tried to relax. Writing was so cathartic and I felt so much better. It had been way too long since I had written and I knew I needed to make it into a daily habit. I stood up, stretched, and headed into the bathroom to get ready to see my stalker.
Chapter 11
We were standing in line at the movie theatre trying to figure out which one we wanted to see. “Fifty Shades of Grey” was playing, and I secretly wanted to pick that one. I knew Emma wouldn’t go see it with me and I didn’t want to go by myself. There were a few action flicks playing and a few kids’ movies. I pretended to contemplate while he read the movie posters.
“I already know what you want to see, kitten, you don’t have to be embarrassed,” he smirked as he grabbed my hand. He paid for our tickets and got us a popcorn and soda to share. I didn’t even have to ask him to get extra butter, he just knew! I was a little self-conscious, as Ryan had never wanted to get popcorn or treats, telling me it would go right to my hips. I had stopped going to movies with him shortly after that.
Deceiving (The Watcher Series Book 2) Page 4
