Chapter 37
The world was spinning. Or maybe the room was spinning. Or maybe I was spinning.
Gabriel's lips were on mine. Heavy. Hot. Demanding.
It was like a collision of planets! BOOM!
But... wait.
I pushed against his chest—hard. My hands slipped a little because his shirt was smooth cotton, but I managed to shove him back just an inch.
I stared at him. His eyes were dark, dilated, and looking at me like I was the last slice of pizza on earth. His chest was heaving.
Is this a dream?
It has to be a dream! Just like the other morning! Any second now, an alarm is going to ring, or a cow is going to fly through the window, or the wall will disappear!
I raised my hand and pinched my own cheek.
Pinch.
"Ouch!" I squeaked.
Okay. That hurt. That was real pain.
I looked at Gabriel. He was still staring at me, his breathing ragged. I reached out and pinched his arm.
Pinch.
Hard. Solid muscle. Not marshmallow dream-muscle.
I poked his chest. Poke.
Real. Warm. Thumping heart.
"You are real," I whispered, my eyes wide.
Gabriel growled—a low, rumbly sound that vibrated in his throat like a tiger purring. He didn't give me time to process the physics of reality.
He pulled me back.
His hand clamped onto the back of my neck, his fingers tangling in my hair, and he crashed his mouth down on mine again.
WAAAAAAHHH!
It was mind-blowing!
It wasn't like the movies where the music swells and birds chirp. This was... electricity! It was fire! It was chaotic!
He tilted my head to the side. I felt his tongue—hot and wet—press against the seam of my lips. I gasped in surprise, and he took the chance! He slid his tongue into my mouth!
Oh my gosh! French kissing! We are French kissing!
I didn't know what to do! My tongue felt shy! Do I wrestle his tongue? Do I stay still? I decided to just... participate! I moved my lips against his. I mimicked what he was doing.
He groaned. The sound went straight to my tummy and made butterflies explode everywhere.
Then, he bit my lower lip.
Nibble. Then a pull.
"Ah!" I whimpered.
It hurt a tiny bit, but in a good way? Like a spicy pepper! It made my mouth open wider, and he sucked on my tongue.
Suck.
My brain short-circuited. System Error! 404 Logic Not Found!
I felt like I was melting. I was a puddle of pink goo on the floor. I gripped his shirt tightly, my knuckles turning white. I needed to hold on or I would float away!
Then... RRRRIP.
Buttons flew. Literally flew! One hit the wall with a ping!
Gabriel tore his shirt open. He didn't unbutton it like a civilized person. He ripped it like the Hulk!
His chest was bare. And there, right over his heart, was my terrible, crooked, beautiful masterpiece.
J-Ali 3 :)
Seeing it made my heart hammer even faster.
He grabbed my waist. His hands were big and hot on my skin. He lifted me up—effortlessly! Like I weighed the same as a bag of cotton candy!
I wrapped my legs around his waist instinctively. I was straddling him while he stood!
WAAAAAAAAHHH! IS THIS IT?!
The thought flashed through my hazy, love-struck brain.
The Heir! The Baby! The Deed!
Are we doing it? Right now? Against the door?
I felt a mix of terror and... excitement? My tummy was doing somersaults.
He didn't stop kissing me. He walked us backwards until the back of my knees hit the mattress. He lowered me onto the bed, following me down, his heavy body hovering over mine.
He broke the kiss. I gasped for air, my chest heaving.
But he didn't stop.
He buried his face in my neck.
His lips were hot and wet against my sensitive skin. He kissed my jawline. Smack. He kissed under my ear. Smooch. He kissed the pulse point on my throat.
Then he sucked.
Suuuck.
"Gabby!" I squeaked, arching my back off the mattress.
My fingers gripped his hair, pulling slightly. It felt... intense! It felt like he was drinking me!
He was leaving a mark! A hickey! A love bite!
Oh my gosh, Mommy is going to see this! Stephie is going to scream!
I didn't care. I wanted him closer. I wanted to be fused to him.
I reached up and cupped his face, pulling him back to my lips. We devoured each other. It was messy and desperate and passionate.
BZZZT. BZZZT. RIIIIIING.
A sound cut through the heavy breathing.
Gabriel's phone. It was somewhere on the bed, vibrating against my leg.
Gabriel ignored it. He was busy kissing the corner of my mouth.
RIIIIIING.
It was loud. Persistent.
My "Good Wife" instincts kicked in. What if it was important? What if a shipment of logistics boxes fell over? What if the warehouse was on fire?
I pushed gently against his bare chest.
"Gabby," I panted against his lips. "The phone."
He groaned, nuzzling my nose. "Ignore it."
"It might be... logistics," I whispered. "Answer it."
Gabriel let out a frustrated growl. He pulled back just an inch, his eyes dark and hazy. He reached down blindly and grabbed the phone.
He didn't look at the screen. He swiped to answer.
He brought the phone to his ear, but he didn't move away. He stayed right there, hovering over me, his hips pressed against mine. He leaned down and pecked my lips softly while listening to the call.
Smooch.
"Speak," he rasped into the phone. His voice was rough. Sexy rough.
I smiled up at him, reaching up to trace the smiley face tattoo on his chest.
And then I heard it.
The room was quiet. The phone volume was high.
A voice.
A woman's voice.
Clear. Smooth. Seductive.
"Hello, love."
My finger froze on the smiley face.
My heart stopped beating.
Love?
The word hung in the air like a poisonous gas.
It wasn't "Sir." It wasn't "Boss." It wasn't "Gabriel."
It was Love.
Gabriel froze.
His lips, which were about to kiss me again, stopped millimeters from mine.
I saw his eyes widen. I saw the haze of passion vanish instantly, replaced by something cold. Something sharp.
Shock.
"I know you're there," the woman's voice purred from the phone. "Did you miss me?"
I felt cold. Ice cold.
The heat that was consuming my body a second ago turned into a shivering chill.
A woman. Calling him Love.
Gabriel scrambled. He sat up abruptly, pulling away from me as if I was on fire. He looked at the phone in his hand like it was a snake.
I sat up too. I pushed him away gently. My hands were shaking.
Gabriel tapped the screen furiously. End Call. Power Off.
The room went silent.
The only sound was my own jagged breathing.
I looked at him.
He was sitting on the edge of the bed, his back to me. His shirtless back. The back that used to have her name.
Natalia.
It had to be her. Who else calls him love? Who else makes him freeze like that?
I couldn't formulate a word. My throat felt like it was stuffed with cotton balls.
I thought... I thought he was kissing me because he wanted me. Because he liked my potato flowers. Because he finally saw me.
But... was he thinking of her?
When he kissed me so hard... was he pretending I was her?
The thought was a knife twisting in my stomach.
"Aleesha," Gabriel's voice broke the silence. It was low. Strained.
He turned toward me. He reached out a hand.
"I can expl—"
He leaned in closer, trying to touch my face.
SLAP!
The sound cracked through the room like a whip.
My hand stung. My palm was burning.
Gabriel's head whipped to the side.
I stared at my hand.
I slapped him.
I, Aleesha Garcia, who cries when I step on a bug, just slapped my husband.
It's awful! It's bad! It's a sin to hurt people! Jesus says turn the other cheek! Mommy says violence is never the answer!
But... but...
My heart was bleeding.
He kissed me. He made me feel like the only girl in the world. And then he let another woman call him Love while he was hovering over my body.
Tears welled up in my eyes, hot and stinging.
Gabriel slowly turned his face back to me. His cheek was already turning red. His eyes were wide with shock. He looked at me like he had never seen me before.
"Aleesha," he whispered, reaching for me again.
He gripped my wrist. His fingers were strong, encircling my small wrist to stop me from moving.
But the pain in my chest was stronger than his grip.
I looked him in the eye.
"Who calls you Love?" I whispered, my voice breaking.
He didn't answer. He couldn't answer.
The silence was the answer.
I yanked my hand. He held tight.
I used my other hand.
SLAP!
Second time. Harder.
This time, I put all my hurt, all my confusion, all my jealousy into it.
Gabriel released my wrist. He looked stunned.
I didn't wait.
I scrambled off the bed. I grabbed my oversized t-shirt, pulling it down to cover my legs.
"I hate you!" I sobbed. "I hate you, Gabriel!"
I turned and ran.
I stormed out of the room. I slammed the door so hard the walls shook.
I ran down the hallway, my bare feet slapping against the cold floor. I didn't know where I was going. I just knew I had to get away from the red flower yarn, from the pink rug, from the smell of him.
From the man who let another woman call him Love.