GABRIEL #10
When Blue moves into cow pose, beautifully arched, his hips pushed back, the strap of his tank top slips slightly, and the fabric beneath his armpit shifts just enough for me to catch a glimpse of his pink, stiff nipple.
I quickly look away, cursing under my breath, but the images that shouldn’t be there keep forcing their way into my head even harder.
Flashes of my mouth trailing along his satin skin, leaving damp paths behind…
swirling around his hard nubs, and then…
sliding even lower between his white mounds, now pushed back so provocatively… would he like that?
Dammit, probably not, and if he knew how I’m abusing this innocent yoga session, turning it into a self-serving erotic scene, he would send me right back to prison.
Why is my head constantly focused on Blue? Am I really a creep? But I never was before! Why this madness?
The guy told me clearly he doesn’t want anything more, and I’m still obsessing over him.
I already learned my lesson in the past, getting fixated on the wrong person, and still I keep doing it to myself.
Consciously, I know I should stop, get up, and leave. But can I really? The faint hope that our interactions might somehow warm up keeps peeking through.
By the time the yoga session ends, I’m completely worked up from all those internal conflicts and the constant struggle with myself, to the point where I feel mentally drained.
I even catch myself having completely ridiculous thoughts, like…
what if we have a high level of compatibility, like fated mates?
That would explain my exhaustion, this strange Pull between us, the almost physical ache of not being able to touch him, everything would make sense.
But… that’s just stupid. It’s simply impossible.
In any case, it looks like I need to arm myself with the patience Veyron talked about.
I can’t talk to Blue about the things I want, but that doesn’t mean I won’t talk to him at all and build our connection in a less obvious way so that, naturally, we’ll end up growing closer.
I make a firm decision to at least engage him in small, brief chats, to subtly but steadily strengthen our friendship, even if it takes a very long time…
◆◆◆
Monday morning, I’m informed that there’s going to be a charity gala on Wednesday evening to raise money for a children’s hospital in the west district.
My first reaction is a little uneasy, because I immediately assume the threat level around Blue is probably going to be high, but Simon reassures me that the gala is a closed event meant strictly for sponsors and VIP guests, with no public admission whatsoever.
Nobody gets in unless they’ve been thoroughly vetted beforehand.
Even so, I’m expected to attend with Blue as part of his personal security detail.
From what I hear, they’re putting extra security measures around the entire building, and the guest list isn’t being made public.
Simon asks whether I own an appropriate tuxedo, but I tell him I only have a few average suits my parents bought me, the kind that maybe work for security jobs but definitely not for some elegant elite gala.
He quickly assures me a tailor will come by, take my measurements, and have something made for me. I’m a little surprised someone could do that in a few days, but apparently that’s normal around here.
Two hours later, while Blue is busy replying to emails, Simon knocks on the office door and says the tailor has arrived. I get up right away, about to head out, but Blue glances at Simon and says,
"Take the measurements here."
I raise my eyebrows a little. Simon does too, but alright.
The man who walks in is an omega around thirty, and I should probably mention he’s very attractive.
I notice the slightest twitch on Blue’s face, like he was expecting somebody else, and the omega immediately explains that he’s filling in for Mr. Fredrick because his boss got food poisoning on Sunday and had to send a replacement.
Blue’s expression doesn’t openly give anything away, but somehow I can tell he’s not exactly thrilled about the switch.
The omega walks over to me with a warm smile, and I feel it immediately.
His Allure scent reaches me.
Wow!
This guy is quite compatible with me!
He’s what people call a Half Mate, and his scent, something sweet and cool with hints of anise and mint, drifts toward me and hits my senses all at once.
Meeting your Half Mate obviously isn’t some impossibly rare event. Most people run into around twenty of them over the course of their lives, so it’s not exactly everyday stuff either, and the chemistry is usually pretty strong, which I can personally confirm since Marcel was my Half Mate too.
The omega’s whole face brightens as his nostrils flare. He opens his small case and pulls out his tailoring tools.
"You can undress if you’d like. I want to get accurate measurements," he says in a soft, pleasant voice.
He has dark hair cut into a bob that curls slightly at the ends, and warm brown eyes the color of hazelnut chocolate.
His gentle aura is basically the complete opposite of Blue’s porcupine energy.
Without really thinking about it, I follow his instructions, shrugging off my jacket and shirt until I’m left in nothing but a thin cotton undershirt stretched over my muscles.
"I might need a longer measuring tape for muscles like these," the omega jokes. "By the way, I’m Benny."
"Hey, Benny. I’m Gabe."
I shake his hand, and the touch feels nice, enough to send a tiny shiver through me that only confirms our compatibility is strong, maybe even a little stronger than a normal Half Mate connection.
Of course, none of that actually moves me, because no matter what, I still wouldn’t be interested in him. Somehow, weirdly enough, I think my subconscious already picked a different direction, whether I want it to or not, even though it doesn't make sense at all.
Unfortunately for Benny, he just doesn’t compare to Blue, but I can admit he’s definitely a pleasant distraction from my otherwise boring schedule.
Smiling brightly, Benny starts taking measurements, and naturally I notice Blue’s attention shifting toward us almost immediately. He’s definitely not focused on his emails anymore, and starts to stare the whole time Benny works, with this weirdly tense look in his eyes.
But why would he be tense?
Benny’s soft fingers slide across my shoulder while he carefully measures me and types notes into his phone.
"You have really good proportions. A tux is going to look incredible on you," he declares.
His other hand lightly steadies me by the elbow before slowly moving up to my bicep, and well… it feels nice.
Touch is not something I often experience, and I love it so much.
So even something this small feels weirdly sweet to me, like an unexpected candy treat.
"You must work out a lot to look like this," he says quietly, though I’m pretty sure Blue can hear every word.
"Before I became a bodyguard, I fought in underground clubs," I mutter before I even think about it.
"Wow… so you can fight?"
"Yeah."
"Maybe you should just exchange numbers already," Blue suddenly interjects. "There’s obviously chemistry between you two."
His voice sounds calm only on the surface.
Benny laughs softly, clearly taking Blue’s words at face value and completely missing the dry edge underneath them.
"I really shouldn’t flirt while I’m working, but it’s hard to resist when you run into a body this unfairly perfect," the omega adds with a bright smile.
Blue’s lips twitch slightly, like he wants to say something, but then his jaw clenches and he stays silent. He’s not interested in me, so it’s not his business after all. Right?
"Now I need your leg measurements," Benny informs me as he kneels directly in front of me.
I lower my eyes to his soft chocolate-colored gaze and immediately feel heat rushing into my cheeks.
I pull off my pants, and a second later my crotch, trapped inside tight boxer briefs, is directly in front of Benny’s face.
His eyes widen, his mouth parts too, instinctively, like he almost said wow out loud.
Then he just freezes there, staring.
Blue suddenly asks, "Is there a problem?"
His tone is sharp as hell.
"Everything’s perfectly fine. Hugely fine, actually…" Benny assures him quickly. "Completely, enormously fine. More than perfect, really. Beyond perfect…"
I’m probably red as a tomato at this point, but unfortunately my body reacts way too enthusiastically to the thinly disguised compliment, and suddenly there’s a lot more blood rushing down there than there should be.
"Sorry," I mutter, feeling stupid as hell.
"But what are you apologizing for? Everything is very, very, very much alright," the omega says, his cheeks just as red as mine.
That’s when I finally risk looking at Blue.
His eyes are narrowed, his mouth pulled tight, and there’s something else too.
Something incredibly strange.
Something I’ve never felt from him before, which is why it almost shocks me.
Hurt.
And the feeling hits me so sharply that I actually blink from surprise.
"We should probably finish these measurements," I blurt out, not even sure why. "Mr. Lowen has a meeting soon, and I don’t want us running late."
"Oh, right, of course," the omega says quickly, blinking before getting back to work.
His fingers move dangerously close to my crotch while he finishes taking measurements.
When he’s done, he stands up, still flushed red, then hands me a business card, sliding it into my fingers.
"That’s everything. Thank you. We’ll do our best to have it ready by tomorrow."
He gives me one last sincere smile.
I sigh.
In literally any other situation, I probably would’ve used that card and invited him out for drinks that same evening, but I already know that isn’t what I want.
The omega politely bows to Mr. Lowen, apparently oblivious to the way Blue felt through that entire interaction, then leaves with Simon escorting him out and holding the door open for him.
Silence settles over the office.