Gabriel (Guardian Defenders Book 1)

by Kris Michaels

  Anna blushed as her entire trauma team stood staring at them. Nobody moved. Nobody spoke. They just... stared. “Everybody, this is my — ahh... Gabriel. Gabriel, this is everybody.” He'd pulled her close, snuggling her tightly against him.

  Kathy was the first to speak, “Well, babe, when you said you had yourself a man, you were not joking.”

  Gabriel gave Kathy one of his sexy smiles. “It’s nice to meet you too, Kathy.”

  Astonished, Anna's head whipped around. He smiled at her and lifted an eyebrow.

  “How?” How did he know Kathy’s name?

  Conversation continued around her as if Gabriel wasn't a mind reader. Perhaps the alcohol was to blame? Anna listened to the conversation and realized Gabriel addressed everyone by name.

  Don and Kathy sat out a few dances to visit, which Gabriel should consider an honor. She needed to remember to tell him that. They stopped dancing when the music stopped—at the end of the night. Kathy was slightly tipsy, and Gabriel’s charm drew her in like a bee to nectar. Anna watched it happen in high resolution. It was almost comical the way her friend completely ignored Don and focused all her well-developed… ummm... charms… on Gabriel. So much so, that Gabriel pulled Anna toward him and placed her between himself and Kathy. She laughed at this tough, gun-toting man using her as a human shield.

  “So Gabe, buddy, pal... what is it that you do that keeps you away from this lady for months on end? I’m telling you, it’s not really a wise move. She is USDA prime, and someone could snatch her from you.” Don lifted another shot of tequila as he spoke.

  She felt her lover tense behind her. He straightened to his full six-foot-six-inches and pulled her back to him possessively. His tone held none of the politeness of a moment ago. “The name is Gabriel, not Gabe, or buddy, or pal. Make no mistake about it, Anna is mine. If anyone were trying to snatch her away from me, they would most assuredly find out what I do for a living.” Gabriel grabbed her hand. “It’s time to go.”

  Kathy punched Don on the shoulder. “Yeah, great move Dr. Macho. Just go ahead and piss off the very big boyfriend.”

  Don smiled. “Yeah, pissed off or not, my competition is leaving.” The man laughed as he grabbed Kathy around the waist. “See yah, Gabriel. Anna.” The man smiled broadly as he twirled Kathy onto the dance floor.

  Anna waved at Rachel and Amy as they headed toward the exit. They both lifted thumbs and smiled like loons. Anna knew her smile was bigger. Gabriel’s hand clasped hers gently as he led her through the crowded bar and outside to the parking lot. He guided her to a huge, black, four-wheel-drive Bronco.

  He leaned her into the side of the vehicle and met her lips with a forceful kiss. His mouth possessed hers and roughly demanded access. She immediately opened to him. Her hands traveled up and down his body, hungry for contact, for reassurance he was real. He put his hands under her thighs and effortlessly lifted her. She circled his waist with her legs as he held her pressed against the side of the vehicle. He kissed her neck and followed the exposed skin to the swell of her breasts. Tactile sensation, affirmation, and acknowledgment was necessary to both of them, it would seem. After so many months apart, they both needed this sensual grounding. Anna pushed her hips into him rhythmically as their pent-up desire unleashed.

  Gabriel suddenly pushed his arm straight out against the side of the vehicle, separating them. His breathing was as ragged and labored as hers. Her legs were still wrapped around him, and his hips still pinned her to the vehicle.

  He lowered and kissed her neck as he growled, “Anna, if we don’t get going, I’m going to make love to you right here.”

  She leaned forward and whispered very softly in his ear, “Then take me. Make me yours. I need you… Now.”

  His words emerged in a hoarse rumble, “Fuck, I can't. I won't let anyone see you that way. You're mine.”

  He opened the passenger side door and lifted her to the seat, even as her legs still wrapped around him. She'd hooked her heel over her boot, and he laughed when he unwound her legs and buckled her into the seat.

  “Wait. You're serious? You're going to drive us all the way back to my place?” Anna blinked. He was serious. “I can show you two or three dark alleys. Nobody will see us there.” She'd never been into public exhibition, but damn it, he'd worked her into a tizzy just by being in the same state. How in the hell was she supposed to last a half an hour?

  “Home.” He flipped her a dark, sexy look. “You won't regret it.”

  “Well then, drive!” Anna motioned crazily at the steering wheel.

  His 'yes dear' drawled out over the sound of tires crunching over gravel.

  The drive was the longest twenty minutes she’d ever endured. She knew Gabriel was speeding, and she couldn't bring herself to care. Unless a cop pulled him over. Then she'd be upset because nobody was getting in the way of them being together tonight. Nobody.

  She reached over and held his hand in hers. With an impish thought, she used her fingers to trace patterns on his palm. Then, she stroked her fingers against his middle and index finger, circling them suggestively and pumping up and down.

  “Don’t promise more than you can deliver.” Gabriel’s low dangerous growl sounded through the truck.

  “Oh, don’t worry about me… My man told me when he came back, he would take care of me and make me happy. I wouldn't want those acts of kindness to go unreciprocated.” She flashed him a sexy smile as she unbuckled her seatbelt.

  “What are you doing?” He glanced from the road to her.

  She hummed and moved across the center console of the vehicle. He struggled to keep driving and spun her with one arm as he drove with the other. She turned and dropped onto his lap with her back leaning against the driver-side door and her feet still in the passenger-side of the vehicle. He grabbed the steering wheel with his right hand, and with his left, he tucked her closer. “Shit, how do you expect me to drive? This is more dangerous than a minefield.”

  She leaned forward to kiss his neck. “Hmmm? Did you say something?”

  “I said I'm going to end up running off the road and killing us.”

  “No, you won't. I trust you.” She glanced up at him. The dashboard lights cast his features in blues and greens.

  His eyes smoldered as he glanced down at her quickly. “Do you?”

  “I do.” He maneuvered the vehicle into the driveway of her ranch-style house. They necked in the car like two horny teenagers until he pushed open the door. The porch lights dimly lit her front door as they awkwardly poured themselves out of the driver's side door of his truck and made their way to the front door.

  As soon as they were in the house, he had her in his arms again, and Anna loved the sensation of his tight grip. The intensity and passion of his kisses were matched by her own desire. Locked in a lust-filled embrace, they somehow managed to navigate the short hall to her bedroom.

  After their make out session in the driveway, her clothes hung off her, some buttons still hinged in their anchors. She quickly unbuttoned the fasteners that remained anchored and slipped out of her clothes, tossing them in the corner by her boots. She pulled back the comforter and slid onto the bed, watching him as he took off his jacket.

  With the jacket gone, he slipped out of his shoulder holster, and placed his weapon and cell phone on the bedside table. Anna watched as he unbuttoned and shrugged out of his shirt. She sat up and reached for him.

  “What happened?” There was a new scar. It was a straight, clean line that transversed four inches across his ribs. Her fingers skittered across the new pink skin.

  “That was just another bad day at the office. Nothing for you to worry about.” Gabriel finished undressing and slid into bed with her. The intensity from before had mellowed. Anna traced the scars from New Orleans and lifted her hand to the light silver scar on his cheek. The one that Delacroix had caused when he'd pistol-whipped Gabriel.

  “I was so afraid for you while you were gone.”

  He rolled over her, a
nd his lips sealed against hers. The pressure was intense and demanding. He lifted his head, “I don't want to talk about that now.”

  “But what...”

  His lips again forced her words to still. His hand went to her breast and teased her nipple. The radiating pleasure from the deftly inflicted distraction caused her to writhe under him. Touch was essential. Anna smoothed her hands across his skin as he did the same. The need from moments ago resurged with a vengeance.

  “I have to have you now. I can't wait.” His words came between his kisses.

  “Who asked you to wait?” Her desire was as great as his. She arched into him, silently begging.

  Gabriel pinned her arms above her head and entered her. “Damn. You were ready for me, weren't you? Fuck. So good.” His murmured words were a symphony that caressed her in ways his body couldn't. The base need that flamed between them triggered a sprint rather than a marathon of lovemaking. He found and fingered her clit. Her orgasm exploded, and her body clenched as she lost herself in the sensations ripping through her body.

  Gabriel continued to thrust. She could see the need in his stare. She watched as he chased his own release. The cords of muscles tightened. His face flushed as a single bead of sweat rolled down the side of his neck. He lifted his knee, changed his position, and thrust again. He hilted inside her and shattered with a deep, reverberating groan.

  He stilled above her, catching his breath. She pushed his sweat-soaked hair away from his forehead. He opened his eyes and smiled at her. “Hi.”

  “Hi.” He moved off her and landed on his side, staring at her. Exhaustion etched deep lines across his brow. He blinked heavily.

  “You said you traveled forty hours to come here?” She smoothed his brow with her fingers.

  His eyes closed and he nodded.

  “No wonder you're exhausted.” She leaned forward and kissed him softly. His lips moved with hers.

  He whispered, “Forty hours, four time zones and the whiskey at the bar. I think I need to grab a couple hours of sleep.”

  Anna continued to stroke his forehead as his breathing evened out. “I think you need more than a couple hours.” She pulled the blanket over them and snuggled close to his sleeping form. He was here. He was safe. She sent a thankful prayer heavenward.

  Chapter 30

  Gabriel woke slowly. He tried to focus on the pink flowers on the wallpaper. Wait. What? His mind snapped into gear, and he lunged into a sitting position to orient himself to his surroundings. He swiveled in bed. Anna's bed. He turned and squinted to focus his gaze outside at the window. Shit, the sun had begun to rise... or was it setting?

  Blinking owlishly, he relaxed. Now that he understood where he was, he raked his hands through his hair. He couldn't remember the last time he had slept more than four hours. Strike that, yes, he could. It was in New Orleans. Gabriel swung his legs out of bed and grabbed his jeans to go in search of Anna.

  The old wooden floors under his feet creaked as he moved through the small house. He heard faint tapping and followed the noise. She was on the back porch, perched at a woodblock table. He leaned against the doorjamb and took in the sight. The sun, which was definitely setting, cast a golden hue around her as she leaned over the table. His eyes flicked to the tools she had arranged and the small wooden mallet she held in her hand. Her attention was focused on the strip of leather in front of her. She dipped a small sponge into a shallow bowl of water and wiped the leather carefully.

  Prompted by curiosity to see what was so enthralling, he quietly stepped up behind her. The artistry and detailing of the designs she was imprinting on the leather were remarkable. Her bare legs dangled off the wooden bar stool as she concentrated on the belt. Gabriel drank her in. She soothed the parched areas of his life, watered his soul, and quenched his thirst for more. She was an essential element that filled the loneliness and need that had haunted him.

  He liked how she’d let her hair grow longer and liked the soft curls it created as it fell onto her neck.

  “You let me sleep too long.”

  She turned and flashed him a mischievous grin. “You obviously needed it. I don’t think you take very good care of yourself.” Anna put down her small hammer, slid the silver tool she'd been using into its slot, and turned the strip of leather over.

  He closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around her. “I could say the same about you. How much weight have you lost in four months? Twenty pounds?”

  “Something like that.”

  “You haven't been ill, have you?” The reports he received hadn't mentioned she'd been sick.

  “Ah… no, not at all. When I'm worried, I can't eat.”

  His eyes narrowed as he waited for further explanation.

  Anna put her head on his shoulder. “I worried about you. I watched the news. The bombings, the murders, and the assassination attempts. I saw you once on television. Your team was moving what the media called an 'unidentified person' through the rubble of a bomb blast. That was two and a half months ago. I was so scared for you, but I was so happy to see you and know you were alive.”

  He remembered that day. The damn news crew jeopardized his entire operation and prolonged its ending by two months. The camera televised some of his team members’ faces. Those who were compromised were immediately reassigned stateside. Everyone except him. He stayed and brought a new team up to speed, ensured the op was completed, and the assignment was successful. The knife wound that sliced the muscle over his ribs was a direct result of being identified in the media. “That is over now, and I have no immediate plans to take any more missions in that area.”

  A ragged sigh escaped her. “The thought of losing you scared me so badly. I knew you were in danger. Quite frankly, it was hell knowing you might never come back.”

  Gabriel held her tightly and rubbed her back. “It is all done now. I am here.” He turned the belt she had been working on over and saw his name displayed on the back. He'd missed that from the other angle. “You do beautiful work. How long have you been doing this?”

  “Since middle school. I took a class, and I was pretty good at it. I like making original designs. I make things for people I know. Some people say I should sell it, but...”

  “It is beautiful, thank you, Anna.” Gabriel lifted her chin and kissed her softly, an inherent invitation offered. “Come inside with me?”

  She followed him back in. The wooden floorboards sang their creaky song as they walked down the short hall and through the bedroom. He led her into the small bathroom and turned on the shower before he removed her clothes and then his. Once the water was warm, he pulled her into the shower and pinned her against the wall as if she would try to escape. He smiled as he lowered his lips to her shoulder. The plan today was to remind her how good they were together.

  His hands roamed and possessed her body. Anna carefully pushed at him. He didn't move, more interested in what they were doing to each other. Again, she gently pushed him, and he swayed away from her.

  Slowly, she kneeled in front of him and took his rigidly erect cock in her hands. She kissed the head of his shaft and used the water from the shower to help ease it into her mouth and down toward the back of her throat. She sucked him lightly and trailed her tongue over the sensitive veins under his shaft. His body shuddered when she took him deep. Anna had the power to undo him in so many ways.

  Gabriel lost himself in the sensation of her sweet mouth and gentle touch. He placed his hands on her head, not as direction, but rather to ground himself in the moment. She set the tempo, drawing him in and out slowly with a roll of her tongue around the cap of his cock before she took him deep again and started the process over. The slick heat and repeated suction drove him crazy. His legs started to shake, and the hold he had on her tightened out of instinct. She hummed against his cock, and he bucked. He slapped one hand against the tile of the shower and sucked in a sharp breath. “So close.”

  He warned her so she could pull off if she wanted. She
hummed again, and sucked him in hard, taking him deep down her throat. Gabriel lost it and exploded. The muscles of her throat milked his cock as she swallowed his seed. He leaned heavily against the tile and slowly pulled out of her mouth. She looked up at him. Those huge doe eyes blinked. Her lips were dark pink and swollen from his cock. A small smudge of his cum rested at the corner of her mouth.

  He pulled her up to him, one arm still bracing against the wall as his other held her. He dropped his head and took her mouth, tasting himself on her tongue. He pulled away, needing air. “That was amazing sex.”

  She smiled up at him. “Maybe, because for me, it wasn't sex. I was making love.”

  Before he could say anything, she put her hand over his mouth and in typical Anna fashion, dove headfirst. “It's all right, Gabriel, you don't need to love me. I've decided I'll take what you can give me. I have lived these last months with the knowledge that if I never saw you again, at least I would have known what it was like to truly love a man. I am not going to hide that from you, and I'm not going to run away from it. You process it however you need to, but I do love you.”

  He pulled her hand away, and playfully bit her finger. “My beautiful little firecracker. I care for you, too. Do I love you? Yes… I think I do.”

  She blinked up at him. Her shock at his admission made him question why she was so surprised, but he didn't want to examine that right now. As she opened her mouth to speak, he pressed his finger against her lips, just as she had done to him earlier. “But I don't think we need to examine our deep, scary feelings right now. Eventually, we'll get to that, but not tonight. Tonight, we are going to exhaust each other, time... and time again.”

  Gabriel rocketed straight to a sitting position. The bed was empty again. Damn it! How in the hell did he sleep so soundly? He wrapped the rose and daisy dotted top sheet around himself and walked out into the hall accompanied by a chorus of squeaking floorboards. He hadn't eaten in at least two days, and the cinnamon aroma wafting his way had reminded his stomach of that fact.