32. Noah #3
I turn back down the hall but stop in front of the library.
We never come into this room; I know Silas or Cecilia must have used it when they lived here, but I’m pretty sure it’s been vacant ever since Noah and Gabe moved in.
Except for the weekly sweeping and dusting I do in here, no one ever sets foot inside.
I turn the knob slowly, push the door open, and immediately, my gaze falls on the man I’ve been searching for.
His back is to the door, but with the way his muscles tense up and his demeanor goes rigid, I know he senses me.
And I love that about him, I love that the moment I enter a room, he instantly turns, instantly knows I’m here.
I walk up to the back of the couch where he sits, going around it to face him. But his head is down low, fingers entwined at his nape, elbows resting on his knees. “Gabriel, baby? Look at me.”
It’s so quiet in the room, all I hear is his deep, harsh breath. “I can’t…”
“Yes, you can.” I lower to my knees at his feet and cup his face with my palms. “Please, baby. I need you to look at me. I need you to see that I’m fine.” His hands drop their hold around his neck as I gently push his head up.
“But you’re not. I hurt you, Vixen…” His eyes are red, the skin around them slightly swollen, likely due to crying. There are also red scratches all along his jaw that I know came from me when I tried to fight him off. Oh, my poor Pretty Boy.
I smile at him, hoping to reassure him that I am, in fact, fine. “It was an accident. I know that, and you know that. I don’t blame you for this, baby. Not one bit, and I don’t want you blaming yourself either.”
“How can I not?” He delicately takes my wrists, removing my hands from his face, and I notice all the marks on his arms as well, causing the ache in my heart to grow.
“Why don’t you hate me right now? I can’t be trusted around you.
I hurt you when I swore to protect you. I can’t risk harming you again, Ronnie.
I could never live with myself if I ever hurt you again. ”
He releases my wrists and looks away as his eyes fill with tears. “You mean too much to me, Vixen… I would never forgive myself if I were the reason you left us,” he says on a shaky breath.
I push against his shoulders, forcing him back against the seat with my hands, then straddle his thighs before he can stop me and place my hands on his chest. “I could never hate you, Gabriel. And I’ll never leave you.
You’re my forever. I trust you with all my heart, and I know we’ll figure it out together. ”
His eyes bore into mine with so much pain in them. No matter what I say, his mind keeps telling him the contrary. “How?... I’m exactly like him… Victor… I’m exactly like them…”
I grab his face once more. “Listen to me, you are nothing like them. Nothing! I love you, Gabriel Ellis. I fucking love you. And I refuse to let this destroy us, because there’s no way I can live without you.”
His eyes widen once they register what I’ve just said, and it makes my heart bloom, doing a tiny somersault in my chest. I bring him closer, his lips a hair’s length away from mine. “I love you, Gabriel,” I whisper against his lips before closing my eyes and sealing them to his.
He doesn’t immediately kiss me back, still in shock with my declaration, but then he catches on. Bringing his hand up into my hair, he deepens the kiss, angling my head to the side and claiming me as his as my body melts against him.
“Please let me show you how much you mean to me,” I beg against his mouth.
He untangles his finger from my hair and grabs the hem of his hoodie on my body, lifting it over my head. When his eyes find the marks along my neck, he freezes, his hands losing their grip on the hoodie and letting it fall beside us.
“Oh, fuck… Oh fuck, fuck, fuck. God!” His voice cracks as those tears return, this time a few falling free. “I’m so sorry, baby… God, I’m so sorry…”
I bring my arms up around his neck and pull him in as his forehead falls to my shoulder.
“It’s okay, baby. I promise you, I’m fine.
I promise. But I need you to stop blaming yourself.
I need you to forgive yourself because none of this is your fault.
It was just an accident. One we’ll figure out how to avoid. ”
“How?” he cries against my shoulder, and it breaks my heart to see Gabe in this state because of this. “I’ve tried everything… nothing works. They won’t go away.”
“I could take some Krav Maga classes or something. Like that, next time you jump me, I’ll kick you in the nuts. That should wake you up pretty quickly.” I smile when he chuckles against my skin.
He lifts his head slowly, peering at me with hopeful eyes. “You’d really do that?” he asks softly.
I brush my lips against his, then pull back and remove one arm from his neck to wipe away his tears. “I’d do anything for you, Gabriel. Anything.” I peck his lips, then slant my head back, exposing my neck to him. “I want you to kiss it better for me. Will you do that?”
He swallows and nods. “Anything for you, Vixen. Anything,” he says, repeating the promise I just made him as he leans in hesitantly and grazes his soft swollen lips against my skin. He starts on one side, then moves to the other side as he sniffles.
“I’m sorry, baby… I love you so much. I’m so sorry,” he whispers, kissing the bruised flesh.
I fist his hair delicately and pull him back, capturing his mouth with mine. “Make love to me, Gabriel. Please make love to me.”
He reaches for my camisole, taking it off as I rip his shirt over his head. I lift my hips slightly as he wiggles out of his sweatpants before grabbing each side of my thong. Ready to slide them down my legs, but I place my hands over his. “I want you to rip them off.”
Gabe looks into my eyes with uncertainty, so I offer him a reassuring nod.
He twists the material around his fists and gives it one quick tug.
The cheap, thin fabric rips apart easily, leaving a sharp sting against my hips, but I couldn’t care less.
He slides my panties out from under me and throws them aside.
He swipes his fingers through my folds to see how wet I am, which is extremely, then grabs the base of his cock and holds it in place as I slowly lower myself down his shaft. He groans as I moan, circling my hips to adjust to his girth. Then our mouths reconnect as we grind against each other.
There’s nothing rough or feral about this moment.
No slapping skin, no screams, no heavy panting, or powerful thrusting.
It’s just him and me, connecting in a way we had yet to discover.
Lips and tongues exploring each other, hands roaming all over, heart pounding together as we consume each other to an earth-shattering orgasm.
Crying out into one another’s mouth as we fall apart in each other’s arms.
“I love you, Vixen.” His soft breath tickles my swollen lips, sweaty foreheads pressed against each other.
The smile that graces my face can be felt down to my toes. “I love you, Pretty Boy.”