Quirking a brow, I asked, “What was that about? What is your mischievous little mind planning?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he answered as he stuck his nose up in the air and picked up his menu. Continuing to stare at him, I gave him an I-know-you-better-than-that look. Meeting my eyes, he grinned. Yes, he was definitely plotting something.
“Good evening, gents. Nice to see you two again,” Jackson greeted us as he arrived at our table. Glancing up at him, I noticed that he had gotten considerably more muscled since the last time I’d seen him. His shirt fit tighter across his chest and emphasized his large biceps. The training with Zach at the gym must be really paying off for him.
“Hi.” Gabriel put down his menu and smiled a devilish smile at Jackson. “It’s nice to see you again, too.”
I narrowed my eyes at him, curious as to what masterminded plan he had concocted in that gorgeous head of his.
Jackson smiled at us and put his hands behind his back in a professional manner. “What can I get you two to drink? The usual?”
“That’d be fantastic,” Gabriel answered before I could open my mouth.
“Great. I’ll be right back with your drinks,” Jackson responded and walked off.
“What are you doing?” I asked, curious.
“Nothing.” He smiled impishly and turned his head to look out the window.
“You don’t fool me, Princess.” I reached across the table to grab his hand. “Spill it.”
With a dramatic roll of his eyes, Gabriel looked at me. “Well, Zach still hasn’t made a move, so I thought I could do some motivating.”
Before I could reply, Jackson returned with our drinks. “Here you go. Are you ready to order?” He set our drinks on the table and waited for us to decide.
“Thanks.” Gabriel smiled and took a sip of his wine. “I don’t know if you know this or not, but I’m Gabriel, Zach’s brother.”
Did he really just bat his eyes?
Realization lit Jackson’s brown eyes. “Dang, I should’ve known that. I kinda suspected you were, but I didn’t want to assume. He talks about you quite a bit, you know.”
“Oh, does he?” Gabriel grinned at me smugly and looked back to Jackson. “He’s mentioned you as well. He says you’re a great guy and he enjoys training you.” Twirling his acrylic nail on the table-top, Gabriel gave an innocent expression and asked, “So, what do you think of him?”
I almost spit out the drink of wine I just took, causing them both to look at me. Jackson looked concerned and Gabriel looked amused.
“Excuse me. Swallowed wrong,” I lied, causing Gabriel to give me a wide grin before he turned his attention back to Jackson.
“Well, Zach’s a great guy, too,” Jackson answered with a small smile. Was that a faint blush I saw creep into his cheeks? He continued, “He’s really helped me these past few months and has become a good friend.”
“Aww, that’s sweet,” Gabriel said. “I’m sure he’d love to hear that.”
Jackson tapped his pen on the small, black notepad he held in his hands, obviously feeling a sense of awkwardness.
Breaking the silence, I said. “I think I know what I’m going to eat. What about you, Angel?” I looked across to Gabriel and he nodded. We ordered our food and Jackson walked away.
“Well that wasn’t awkward at all,” I said, sarcasm rich in my voice.
“Oh, shut it, you,” Gabriel responded with a roll of his eyes and reached to grab my hand. I smirked at him and brought his hand up to place a light kiss on it.
He didn’t talk to Jackson anymore that night about Zach, saying that he wasn’t going to interfere with their relationship and that he was going to let them work it out on their own. Deep down, I knew that it was eating at him to play matchmaker, but he held enough respect for his brother to let Zach figure it out himself.
The way Jackson’s face lit up when Zach was mentioned made it clear that he obviously had a crush on the guy, but where the pieces of the puzzle would fall was still a mystery. Only time would tell.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Gabriel
Christmas Eve
“I think it needs to be straighter,” Michael said from behind me. I was currently on a freaking ladder in his living room, trying to adjust the star on top of the Christmas tree.
“How about now?” I asked.
“Nope. Keep moving it.”
Huffing, I looked at the star, noticing that it was perfectly straight. Turning my head to look down at Michael, I saw where his eyes were focused and burst out laughing. “You jerk! You just wanted to keep looking at my fabulous ass.”
“Guilty as charged.” He smirked and grabbed me to help me off the ladder. “It’s not my fault, though. Those damn tight pants emphasize that delicious ass of yours and I can’t help myself.”
Finally on flat ground once again, I looked up at Michael and arched an eyebrow. “You do know it’s Christmas Eve, right? If you keep being naughty, you aren’t getting anything except for coal, mister.”
Laughing, he pulled me against him. “Thank you for this.”
“For what?” I peered up at him curiously.
“For being here with me. For helping me pick out a Christmas tree and, more importantly, helping me put the damn thing up.” He chuckled and nuzzled his nose against mine.
“Well, you’ve never had a tree before.” Sadness filled my chest. “Or anyone to spend Christmas with. I wanted it to be special for you.”
“Damn, I love you, Princess.” Love beamed in his green eyes as he stared down at me. Even after months of being with him, my stomach still fluttered with butterflies when he looked at me in that way.
“I know you do.” I grinned. “I love you more, though.”
“But, I love you most.” He pulled me in for a tender kiss. I shook my head and felt him smile against my lips. “Don’t argue with me, Angel. I’m a lawyer and a master of arguing. You can’t win this one.”
“Whatevs.” I rolled my eyes and kissed him swiftly. “Let’s light this baby up!” I exclaimed with a clap of my hands, looking at the Christmas tree.
The sun had set about an hour ago and I was anxious to see how the tree looked lit up and fabulous against the large open window behind it. Something I loved about being out here in Michael’s country-styled home was the privacy. We could open the blinds and not have to worry about people spying in on us.
Michael shook his head with a chuckle. “You’re like a little kid with how excited you are.”
“I love Christmas. Shut your face.” I stuck my tongue out at him, making him arch an eyebrow.
“Now look who’s being the naughty one. Looks like you’re getting coal too, Princess.” Placing another kiss to my lips, he walked over to plug in the tree. I gasped as the tree lit up. It was so beautiful. The red, green, and blue lights twinkled and danced, illuminating the glossy ornaments that were nestled in the tree’s branches.
“Wow,” Michael acknowledged as his eyes lit up. He walked toward me, pulling me against his side, as we both stood in front of the tree and admired it. “Now I see why you like it so much.”
Averting my gaze from the tree, I focused my eyes on Michael. The lights from the tree danced in the reflection of his eyes and my heart squeezed in my chest as I stared at him. He always told me that I was the beauty and he was the beast, but he was the most beautiful man I had ever seen.
Noticing that I was staring at him, his eyes flickered to mine. “What?” He asked with an adorable smile.
Giggling, I left the embrace of his arms and ran for the bedroom.
“Where are you going,” he called after me, sounding amused.
I didn’t answer him. Instead, I entered the bedroom and got my overnight bag. Digging through it, I found the gifts I had bought for him and laid them out on the bed. They were already wrapped in shiny, red paper, but the green bows on top were wrinkled from being in my bag. I fluffed and adjusted them before picking them up and carrying
them into the living room.
Michael watched me with a curious expression on his handsome face as I sauntered into the room and walked over to the Christmas tree. Placing the presents underneath, I fluffed the bows one last time and then stood up.
“You didn’t have to waste your money on me.” Michael frowned as he looked down at the wrapped presents and then back up at me.
Cocking my hip, I rolled my eyes at him. “It wasn’t wasting my money on you, baby.” I saw an odd look cross his face and I walked over to him. Plopping down on the couch, I curled up next to him and laid my head on his chest– my favorite place to be in the world. “I bought you presents because I wanted to. You mean the world to me.”
He took a deep breath, his chest rising under my head, and then wrapped his arm snugly around me. Resting his cheek against the top of my head, he started caressing his hand along my arm. I closed my eyes and cuddled in closer to him.
“You mean everything to me, Gabriel.”
I always knew he was in a serious mindset whenever he used my first name, instead of one of the nicknames he always used for me.
Opening my eyes, I tilted my head to look at him. “What’s on your mind? Why do you look sad?” The only light in the room was from the glow of the Christmas tree, but even in the dim light, I could see a strong emotion reflected in his eyes.
A small smile formed on his lips. “I’m not sad, Angel. Far from it. I just can’t believe how lucky I am to have you.” He kissed my forehead and gazed down at me with intense green eyes. “I never thought I’d find you.”
Whenever he said things like that to me, I always had the biggest urge to burst out into sobs. I was overly dramatic, I know, but I couldn’t help it. Blinking back tears, I lifted my head and crushed his lips to mine. He tasted like warm honey and wine all bottled up into one delicious dish.
Breathlessly, I said. “Make love to me, Michael.”
His dark eyes flashed to mine, lust and love both swirling in their haunting green depths. Gently cupping my face in his hand, he leaned down and kissed me. Our kiss was unhurried as our tongues danced and swirled together. Tightening the arm that was already wrapped around me, he used it to slowly lay me back on the couch, our lips never breaking contact.
He hovered over me, his mouth still moving against mine, he began undressing me. I ran my nails down his bare back, knowing how much he loved it, and grinned as a low growl rumbled through his chest. Discarding our clothing didn’t take much time at all. Once we were both naked, Michael moved against me, causing our dicks to rub together. Sparks shot through my body at the incredible skin-to-skin contact, and I moved my hips upward to meet him thrust for thrust.
“Ah, yes,” I groaned as Michael leaned down and found my favorite spot on my neck, still continuing to drive our cocks together. As he sucked and licked at the sensitive flesh beneath my ear, I quivered at the amazing sensation.
“I want to take my time with you, Angel,” he said as he lifted his face from my neck and looked down at me. “I want to cherish every part of you.”
And he did.
Michael thoroughly explored every inch of my body before making love to me right there by the Christmas tree. It was the most romantic and perfect sexual experience I ever had.
As we lay in the afterglow of our lovemaking, he had an arm wrapped around me as we cuddled on the couch. He was against the back of the couch and I was placed in front of him, with one of his arms under my head and the other wrapped around my stomach. Lightly, his fingers trailed up and down my side as he placed kisses against the back of my neck.
We were in our own little paradise.
“Are you tired?” Michael asked, pulling his arm tighter around me.
“Not really.” And it was the truth. I was wide awake as I lay there snuggled up with him against my back. Which was odd for me. Usually, I was out like a light right after sex. Smiling, I turned my head to the side and peered at him. Locking gazes with me, he returned my smile.
“I want you to open your gifts,” I said as I turned around the rest of the way to face him.
“It’s not Christmas yet.” He smirked and nipped at my nose.
“It’s close enough,” I whined, pouting my bottom lip, knowing how much he couldn’t resist it. “We don’t have to open them all tonight. Just one.” I stared at him anxiously and when he sighed, I knew I had won. With a huge grin on my face, I sat up and walked over to the tree, still completely naked. Bending over, I grabbed one of the gifts and stood back up.
“Mmm. Bend over again,” Michael said from behind me in a low, seductive purr.
Looking over my shoulder, I smiled when I saw that he had propped himself up on the couch and had an arm behind his head with a shit-eating grin on his handsome face. Wiggling my naked ass at him, I sauntered back over to the couch and sat down.
I held out the glossy, red wrapped present to him and he looked down at it, but didn’t take it.
“Stay here.” He gave me a soft kiss on the cheek and started getting up from the couch.
“Where are you going?”
Smirking, he answered, “It wouldn’t be fair for me to open a gift if you don’t have one as well, right?” Winking, he left the room. I bit my lip as I watched him walk away, unable to peel my eyes from his naked, toned ass as he moved.
When he returned, he had on a pair of red pajama pants and handed a matching pair to me. “Put these on. It’s cold.”
I smiled up at him and slipped them on with a shake of my head. He was so protective, I loved it.
Sitting down beside me, he gave me an anxious look as he tapped his fingers on the box he held in his hands. Looking down at it, I saw that it was wrapped in shiny golden paper, topped with a lopsided red bow.
I smiled at his flawless wrapping skills.
“Here.” I handed him the present with an excited smile. “You open your gift first.” Nerves fluttered through me. I hoped he liked what I got him. It was a men’s Bulova watch I ordered from Macy’s and it was gold-toned with stainless steel. The dial was black, with golden stick indices, and there were exposed mechanisms with luminous accents. It cost me more than a month’s rent, but Michael was worth it.
Quirking an eyebrow, Michael placed the gift he bought for me on my lap and gently grabbed the box I offered him. What I could only describe as a shy, childlike smile flitted across his face as he looked down at the gift and then back up at me. Carefully, he grabbed the corners and began unwrapping it, taking his time. I didn’t rush him, even though the suspense was killing me. This was the first Christmas present he had ever opened and I wanted him to enjoy it.
What seemed like a millennia later, he finally got the present unwrapped and opened the case to see the watch. “This is beautiful, Gabriel.” He shook his head in awe and looked up at me with excited green eyes. “I love it.” Smiling, he reached toward me and brought me to him for a loving kiss.
“It’s engraved,” I said after kissing him. Picking up the watch, I turned it over for him to see.
Seeing your darkness, I loved you even more. Forever yours, Gabriel
Michael stared at the engraving for several seconds before shifting his eyes to mine. “This… this is perfect. It’s difficult to make a lawyer speechless, and you have succeeded, Princess.” He smiled with a heartfelt gleam in his eyes.
Picking up the watch, I placed it on his wrist to buckle it. “There. It looks sexy on you.” Tilting his wrist from side to side, I examined the watch and smiled.
“Your turn,” Michael smirked and tapped the box in my lap. Bouncing anxiously, I lifted the present and tore off the wrapping paper, causing Michael to chuckle. “Excited, are we?”
I nodded and stared at the box before opening the lid. A loud gasp escaped me at seeing what was inside. It was a silver choker necklace that had a dangling amethyst stone encased in a small ring of diamonds. There were also smaller diamonds along the band of the necklace, throwing off major bedazzle and fabulousness. “Oh my gosh!”
“So, you like it?” Michael asked hesitantly. “I know how much you love wearing collars, so I thought I would get you one that reflected the Princess you are.” I threw my arms around him and started planting kisses all over his neck and jaw, causing him to chuckle. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
Ceasing my assault of kisses, I lightly smacked his arm. “It looks too expensive, though. I didn’t want you to spend a lot on me.”
“Really?” He cocked an eyebrow. “And this watch you bought me cost how much?”
“Okay. Point taken. Geez.” I kissed his cheek and set my necklace down on the small table in front of us before standing up from the couch.
“Where’re you going?” Michael reached out and gently grabbed my arm, halting me.
“Going to get some blankets and decent pillows. These couch pillows suck,” I answered, putting a hand on my hip.
He looked puzzled. “Why? We can just go to the bedroom if you’re tired.”
“But I want to sleep in here, by the Christmas tree.” I grinned at the look he gave me. “You know, just in case the fat man in the red suit shows up.”
“You’re such a little kid.” He laughed and dropped his hold on my arm.
“Whatevs. You totally love it.” I winked and walked off.
Returning with the blankets, I shooed Michael off the couch so I could tuck a sheet into the cushions and then set down the pillows. It was a good thing that he had a large couch that we both fit on comfortably.
“Come here, you.” Michael pulled me down next to him, tucking me under his arm and against his bare chest. I snuggled into him and placed a soft kiss to one of his scars, noticing how he didn’t wince or cringe like he used to do. “Goodnight, Angel,” he whispered and kissed my forehead. “I love you.”
Closing my eyes, I let his words drift through me. “I love you, too.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
They were fucking disgusting, that blond-haired fag and his lawyer boyfriend. The way the blond one pranced around with a face full of makeup and women’s clothing sickened me. Men were supposed to be masculine, not girly like the piece of blond scum behaved.
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