Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
“ I love you as well, Liam.”
Sabrina stumbled away from the door and down the hallway the moment she heard the words, covering her mouth with both hands. So that was the reason Gavin couldn’t make love with a woman?
He preferred men.
Sabrina ran into her room and closed the door, blindly stumbling toward the bed. Gavin and Liam?
“I love you as well Liam.”
He’d admitted to loving the man.
The door opened and she didn’t need to look to know who’d entered. The mattress sank down when he sat next to her, and she allowed him to wrap an arm around her.
“You overheard part of our conversation, did you not?”
She nodded. “Yes, I did.” She faced him, hating the tears in her eyes. “You don’t have to explain anything. If you want to be with Liam, we’ll find a way to free him.”
“I do not love Liam that way.”
“I heard you Gavin. You told him you loved him. It’s fine. I totally get it. You can’t help who you love.”
With his right hand cupped under her chin, Gavin lifted her face. “Aye, you heard me tell Liam I loved him, but you must have left before hearing the rest of what I said.”
Sabrina waited to hear the rest.
“I told him that I love him as a brother, just as I love Niall, Tristan and Padriag.”
“Are you sure? Because if you are gay...prefer men, then it would be fine. It’s fully accepted nowadays for people of the same sex to be together.”
Gavin shook his head. “I prefer women. I do not find men attractive, not in a sexual manner.”
Although somewhat relieved, she still sensed the wall he’d erected between them. “Then why do I feel as if you’re pulling away from me, Gavin?”
He pressed a soft kiss on her lips. “Because I have to keep away from you.” He pressed a finger over her lips, stopping her from saying anything. “I remembered my time away, kept in a harem. I do not trust that I can be with you and not hurt you.”
Keeping her emotions in check, she could only nod. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“Not now.” He didn’t seem upset, just quiet. Sabrina didn’t know him well enough to figure out where his thoughts were.
“I’m going to stay until the gathering,” Sabrina said. “Then I have to return to America. I have work commitments.” She noticed Gavin tensing, but no other reaction. “I will be back in a couple of months. I have some work here in Scotland. I will come and see you then.”
Gavin only nodded and stood. “I see.” He looked down at her, his lips in a firm straight line. “I am not sure what I can offer you right now Sabrina. I can’t be intimate with you. Not right now. My priority has to be the freedom of the three who remain. I cannot ask you to remain. It would not be fair to you.”
“I understand. Believe me when I say, I do not feel any anger or resentment for anything. They are the priority. They are what keeps me here for now.”
It was true, she wanted more from him but would never demand it. The poor guy still had so much to deal with. Like Tristan, his focus would be on helping the other three gain their freedom. Their relationship could not be more important than that.
The fact that her heart broke was her issue and a problem she would not burden him with.
“I’m glad you’re free Gavin. You deserve a bountiful life. I am confident the others will be free soon. With Tristan and Gwen’s support, not to mention the rest of the McRainey’s, you have a great future in store.” She smiled bravely at him.
“I will see you in the morning.” Gavin kissed her, his mouth covering hers, the touch filling her with need for him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back allowing the feel of him to fill her.
When he pulled away, his eyes had darkened. A smile curved his lips. “Until morning.”
Sabrina went straight to the bed and fell back on it.
The thought of not being with Gavin hurt, and she prayed that they would be able to work through things.