Chapter 13 Taylor
TAYLOR
Gabriel was going to kill me.
He was tongue-fucking me to within an inch of my life, and I was sure I was giving him the worst blow job I’d given since I’d been a clueless college student. The filthy sounds Gabriel was making spurred me on as I took his cock into my mouth, bobbing up and down.
When his tongue and hands left me, I lifted my head and glanced down at him. He sucked two fingers into his mouth, and the heat in his eyes as he stared at me had me whimpering. His chest was streaked with my precum, his hazel eyes dilated, and his hair absolutely wild across the pillow.
He looked like a dream.
He adjusted the angle of my hips again. My cock was back in his mouth, and he was encouraging me to thrust against his tongue. His wet finger slid up my crack and gently pressed into my hole.
“Fuck. Gabriel, please,” I gasped.
He worked a second finger inside me as he continued to take my length into his mouth, swirling his tongue across my tip each time I pulled out.
“More.”
At this point, I could barely focus on my task, just holding his dick in my mouth and groaning around him. When he crooked his fingers and grazed my prostate, I was done for. He pulled off me at the last second, and I covered his face and chest with rope after rope of cum.
As I rode out my orgasm, I took him to the back of my throat, burying my nose against his balls, and swallowed around him. He shouted my name as he thrust up once, twice, and came in my mouth. I gagged as cum hit the back of my throat, and his release dripped down my chin.
Once I could tell he was too sensitive to continue, I rolled over so we were face-to-face.
I reached for my shirt, handing it to him so he could clean off, and I collapsed against him.
When I dove into his mouth, he tasted like me.
I’d never kissed anyone who’d made me want to forget the rest of the world before, but every thought, every feeling, was wrapped in Gabriel.
I didn’t know what I was doing, trying to lock him down, but I couldn’t help wanting him to myself. I could keep this casual if that was what he needed. I didn’t have more than casual in me, anyway.
“I like having a boyfriend.” Gabriel sighed. His eyes were glazed with afterglow, and his cheeks were flushed as I tangled my fingers in his chest hair. This was what I’d asked for, but it didn’t make the panic go away. If anything, it raised the stakes.
My heart pounded in my chest, and I wasn’t sure if it was from the incredible orgasm, the mystery illness that was plaguing me, or plain old store-brand anxiety.
I decided to kiss him instead of worrying about it, at least for tonight.
From our cocoon in my bed, I heard the front door open and Kai’s footsteps echoing through the apartment.
“Shall we share our ice cream with the little shit who told you where I live?” I asked.
“Don’t hold it against him. I can be very persuasive.”
I nibbled on his ear. “Well, I hope you use different methods of persuasion on him than you do on me.”
He rolled us over and straddled me as he grinned widely. “You know I reserve all kinds of things just for you. That’s how boyfriends work, right?”
Gabriel fluttered his eyelashes at me, and I couldn’t help but tickle his ribs, even though my heart skipped a beat.
He yelped and jumped off me. “Ok, ok. Let’s get up, or I’m not going to leave. I need to get back to Santa Ana tonight.”
I tried to hide my disappointment. “You can’t stay?”
“Sorry, baby. I want to, but I kind of walked out on my parents, and I know they’ll be worried if I don’t go back.”
I opened my mouth to ask what had happened when he cut me off. “I promise I’ll tell you about it, but not right now. Let’s go eat that ice cream.”
I hummed but didn’t press him further, and we threw on our sweats before heading out to the kitchen. As we emerged, Kai was sprawled out on the couch, scrolling on his phone.
“Oh, good,” he said, glancing up. “You’re clothed.”
Sometimes, it was annoying to have a friend who’d known you so long they had a catalog of your every facial expression. It became impossible to hide anything from them.
Kai had guessed something was up as soon as I’d walked out of my room this morning and wouldn’t let it go until I’d told him the whole story.
He’d chastised me for running off before Gabriel could get a word in, even though ultimately, I thought he was on my side.
I wouldn’t forget how easily he’d turned on me.
I narrowed my eyes at him in accusation.
After tilting his head in assessment for a moment longer, he slapped his thighs and gave me a slight nod before he stood from the couch.
“I have ice cream,” Gabriel said from the kitchen, where he was bent over the freezer drawer. “Join us?”
“Nah, I’m gonna head to bed. Besides, if you know Taylor at all—which I hope you do—you brought mint chocolate chip, and I can’t stand that flavor.”
Gabriel was holding the tub of ice cream in his hand, and we both looked at it in surprise.
Kai nodded in approval as he passed the kitchen doorway. “Oh, yeah, well done. Cookies and cream or bust for me.”
He continued down the hall and into his room, and we were alone again.
“I don’t even remember telling you my favorite ice cream flavor,” I said.
Gabriel shrugged. “You told that story about your sister. I made a lucky guess.”
He turned toward the cabinets to look for bowls and spoons.
I stepped up behind him and wrapped my arms around him, tucking my face into his hair.
I knew the ice cream was not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but I was not used to people paying that much attention to my preferences.
And wow, did it make me feel things that he’d listened to and remembered a small detail like that.
“You’re going to have to un-octopus yourself from me if we’re going to eat this,” he said.
I nipped at the back of his neck and let him go to grab the ice cream scoop. Once we’d portioned out some ice cream, Gabriel jumped up onto the counter and grabbed his bowl.
“Challenge accepted,” I said, grabbing my bowl and stepping between his legs.
He tucked his ankle around the back of my thigh and smiled. All I wanted was to be close to him.
I wasn’t sure how I was going to balance that with helping Margo once I was back to my regular hours, but I’d been pulling more than my weight since I was fifteen, so I’d find a way to make it work.
By the time we finished our ice cream and did the dishes, it was late.
“I know you don’t want to talk about your parents right now, and I respect that,” I said, “but is there anything I can do to support you?”
Gabriel looked up from where he was bent over by the front door, putting on his shoes. The soft, smitten look on his face had my heart pounding. I didn’t want to let him leave. When he stood and slipped on his hoodie, he pulled me into a hug.
“Nothing right now, baby. They’re having a hard time accepting my choices since they’re not the ones they’d make for me, but I’m an adult, and they’ll get there.” He tilted his head to the side. “Or not. Anyway, seeing your face tonight has made life a lot better.”
“I’m glad you came.” I kissed him, trying to keep things light. I knew he was about to walk out the door.
He dragged himself reluctantly out of my embrace. “Me too.”
I knew Gabriel had agreed to be exclusive, but a part of my heart still needed to hold back. It didn’t feel safe to let feelings get involved—we were having fun. Together. Exclusively.
Yup, everything was fine.
Kai wasted absolutely no time outing me to my sister as soon as we walked into their townhome. “Taylor has a boyfriend.”
Margo gasped, and I glared at him.
“I’m not one hundred percent sure I do.” We’d said a lot of things last night, but had Gabriel said it was what he wanted? Or was he giving me what he thought I wanted?
“Semantics,” Kai said with an eye roll as he fist-bumped Benji and made his way farther into the house.
“I promise I wasn’t keeping him a secret, Margo. It’s new. Kai just wanted to steal my thunder, the drama queen that he is.”
Margo squeezed me tight. She gave the best hugs, although Gabriel might give her a run for her money now.
“Well,” she said, “hurry up and get in here so you can tell me all about it.”
Benji smiled at his fiancée indulgently. “Maybe pour the mimosas first, love.”
Margo clapped with glee. “You’re right. This calls for champagne. A boyfriend!”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.” I accepted the mimosa from Margo, and we made our way out to their small back patio.
Benji had assembled a row of narrow planter boxes filled with tall snake plants, creating a private oasis on the patio, even though their townhome was sandwiched between several others.
It was just big enough for four chairs around a round table and the grill.
Café lights hung above us, a reminder of all the evenings we’d spent out here with cocktails and card games.
They rented the place, like Kai and I, but I was proud of the home Margo and Benji had created here. Sometimes, it still felt impossible that Margo was a full-grown adult, even though I’d watched it happen.
“Ok, I’ve waited long enough,” Margo whined. “Spill.”
“You’ve waited three minutes,” Benji said.
We all laughed. Margo had always been impatient.
“His name is Gabriel. He’s the guy I met the day we found your dress.” I looked at my sister.
“I knew it!” She shrieked. “You’re inviting him to the wedding, right?”
I rolled my eyes at her theatrics, but my cheeks flushed. “We’ve only been on a few dates, and it’s casual. But yeah, I’ll probably invite him to the wedding.”
I pulled up a selfie we took at the cosmic mini golf place to show them. “He works at the botanical gardens and plays volleyball. I think you’ll like him.”
“They are nauseatingly sweet together,” Kai said, making a gagging noise. “I am going to have to get noise-cancelling headphones.”
“You act like you never bring people over.” I scrunched up my nose at him.
Margo laughed. “Maybe it’s time for the two of you to get your own places. I know you both could afford it.”
Kai and I scoffed. He was the only person who knew the real reason we’d kept living together. And he covered for me like he always did.
“You know we’re codependent as hell,” Kai said. “I couldn’t live without your brother around to mother-hen me. If I have to listen to his sex noises, it’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make.”
“What a martyr.” I huffed, finishing off my mimosa.
“Well, that’s settled then,” Margo said with a determined nod. “We’ll visit the botanical gardens for lunch so I can meet him.”
Benji laughed. “Now you’ve done it. Margo’s cupid alter ego has been activated.”
I groaned. He was right. It came from a good place, wanting me to be as happy as she was with Benji. Honestly, I wasn’t worried about Margo and Gabriel not getting along. I was worried about them getting along too well.
“Any chance we could finish planning your wedding before you start planning mine?” I asked, reaching over to top off Margo’s glass. “I promise we’ll make plans for you to meet him soon.”
The buzzy, bubbly feeling in my gut wasn’t from the champagne, and it didn’t settle even as our brunch conversation carried on to other topics—mainly Margo and Benji’s impending nuptials. When my phone lit up with a text from Gabriel, that feeling intensified.