Chapter 40
The bacon cheeseburger sat on the ceramic plate like a greasy, delicious mountain. The cheese was melting down the sides, oozing over the crispy edges of the beef patty. The fries were golden, salted to perfection, and piled high like a treasure hoard.
Usually, this sight would make me vibrate with joy. I would attack it like a hungry raccoon!
But today... I just stared at it.
My stomach felt like it was tied in a double knot. A Boy Scout knot. The kind you can't untie.
All I could see was her.
The tall, beautiful woman in the bookstore. The one with the red coat and the glossy hair and the legs that went on for miles. Gabriel's ex-girlfriend.
Huhu. She was so... magnificent.
She looked like she drank espresso and read poetry and knew how to walk in heels without looking like a baby giraffe. She looked sophisticated. Elegant. Sexy.
She looked like everything Gabriel Muratori fits with.
And me?
I looked down at my pink jumper with the strawberry embroidery. I looked at my short legs dangling from the booth seat. I looked at the ketchup stain on my napkin.
What if... what if he wants her back?
The thought spiraled in my brain like a dark tornado.
They have history! She said he likes "soft things," but she said it like a joke! Maybe she was his true love? His greatest love? Maybe she broke his heart and now she wants to glue it back together with her perfect, manicured hands?
What if, while I'm at school struggling with SQL databases, Gabriel and Natalia meet secretly? What if they drink wine and talk about... adult things? Logistics? Stocks? How not to trip over air?
NO!
I shook my head violently. Erase! Delete! Format C:!
Aleesha, stop it! Gabby loves you! Okay? He is obsessed with your lips! He cooks fries for you! He gives you money! He lets you hug him like a koala! He fixes leaks in the rain!
He has a smiley face tattoo on his chest! You don't get a smiley face for a girl you plan to dump!
But... Natalia is back. And she is scary beautiful.
"Eat, Aleesha."
Gabriel's voice cut through my spiral. It was low, commanding, and a little impatient.
I looked up.
He was sitting across from me, his arms crossed over his chest. He wasn't eating. He was just watching me. His dark eyes were tracking the fry I was holding in mid-air.
"I... I'm eating!" I squeaked.
I forced a smile. It felt wobbly.
I shoved the fry into my mouth. I chewed. It tasted like cardboard. Huhu. Sad fries are the worst fries.
I picked up the burger. I took a bite.
Chew. Chew. Swallow.
I wondered... does Natalia eat burgers? Or does she eat, like, single lettuce leaves with lemon water?
Is she a better kisser? Does she use tongue better? WAAAHHH! I don't want to think about Gabriel's tongue in her mouth!
Was she good in... bed?
My face heated up.
Did they do the deed? Did she look perfect while doing it?
Is she smarter? Did she have a 5.0 GPA? Is that even mathematically possible? Maybe she invented extra credit!
Was she a better crocheter? Maybe her bunnies didn't look like mutants!
I gulped down the burger. I ate the fries mechanically. Chomp. Chomp.
I finished the meal. I wiped my mouth.
I looked up at Gabriel again.
He was still watching me. His gaze had dropped from my eyes to my lips. He was staring at them with that intense, hungry look he gets sometimes.
He wants me, I told myself. He married me.
But... why?
To give him an heir.
The Heir.
That's the contract. That's the deal. He needs a baby. And I... I have been stalling! I have been scared! I have been claiming I'm not ready!
But what if my stalling gives Natalia a chance? What if he decides he can't wait anymore and goes to the Ready-to-Ship Vessel (Natalia)?!
I bit my lip.
I need to secure my husband! I need to lock him down! I need to give him what he wants so he won't look at the Red Coat Lady ever again!
"I want to go home," I whispered.
Gabriel nodded once. "Done."
He stood up, threw some cash on the table (way too much, as usual), and extended his hand.
I took it. His hand was warm and large. It engulfed mine.
Mine, This hand is mine.
★
The drive home was a blur. I spent the whole time hyperventilating quietly and reviewing "How To Seduce Your Husband" wikihow articles in my brain.
Step 1: Set the mood. Step 2: Be confident. Step 3: Touch the zones.
We stepped into the house.
I didn't let him go to his office. I didn't let him go to the kitchen.
I dragged him.
"Bedroom!" I announced. "Now!"
Gabriel raised an eyebrow, but he followed me. He probably thought I wanted to show him a new sticker or complain about a mosquito.
We entered the master bedroom. The pink duvet was inviting. The lighting was dim.
I closed the door. Click.
I turned to him.
Gabriel was standing in the middle of the room, looking at me with confusion.
"Aleesha, do you need—"
I didn't let him finish.
I walked up to him. I stood on my tiptoes. I grabbed his shirt and pulled him down.
And I kissed him.
Not a peck. Not a silly kiss.
A slow, passionate kiss. Just like in the K-Dramas, but with more tongue!
I pressed my lips against his, moving them softly. I tried to pour all my feelings into it. I love you! Don't leave me! Don't look at Natalia! Look at me!
Gabriel stood still for a second. He was stiff.
He kissed me back, but... hesitantly?
His lips moved against mine, but his hands stayed at his sides. He didn't grab me. He didn't growl.
Huhu! Why is he hesitating?
Is he imagining her? Is he wishing I was taller? Is he wishing I tasted like black orchids instead of bacon cheeseburger?!
No! I have to try harder!
I deepened the kiss. I made a little sound in my throat. Mmmph.
My heart was beating so fast it felt like a techno song. Boots-cats-boots-cats.
My hands were shaking. I reached down to the hem of his black shirt.
I yanked it up. Slowly. Revealing his belt buckle. Then his abs. Then the tattoo.
I broke the kiss to pull the shirt over his head.
"Aleesha?" Gabriel said. His voice sounded strangled. Confused.
He caught my wrists before I could fully undress him. He looked down at me. His eyes were dark, searching my face.
"What are you doing?"
I gulped.
Act cool, Aleesha. Be the seductress! Be the Siren!
I smiled at him. It was probably a little manic.
"I... I want you," I said. My voice cracked. Fail.
I cleared my throat. "I mean... I want to... you know. Make the heir. Do the wrestling. The horizontal tango."
Gabriel's brows furrowed. "Aleesha..."
"I'm ready!" I lied.
I pulled my hands free from his grip. I hugged his bare torso. I pressed my face against his neck.
I remembered Stephie's advice.
"The neck is a weak spot, Aleesha! And the earlobes! Go for the kill!"
I kissed the serpent tattoo on his neck.
Smooch.
Then I licked it.
Slurp.
Gabriel hissed. His whole body went rigid. His hands came up and gripped my wide hips. His fingers dug in, bruisingly tight.
"Stop," he groaned.
"No," I whispered against his skin.
I moved up. I found his earlobe. I nibbled it. Gently. Then harder.
"Aleesha," he warned, his voice turning into a growl. "You are playing with fire. You are not ready for this."
"I am!" I insisted. "I am totally ready! I am craving your body, Gabriel Muratori!"
That was a 50% lie.
I was craving him. I wanted to be close to him. I wanted him to mark me so everyone knew I was his.
But the act? WAAAAHHH! It's scary! It hurts (according to Google)! It's messy!
But I have to do it! For us! To beat Natalia!
"Take me!" I squeaked, closing my eyes and licking his neck again.
Something inside Gabriel snapped.
Maybe it was the ear nibble. Maybe it was the desperation in my voice.
He groaned—a deep, primal sound that came from his chest.
He didn't push me away this time.
He pushed me down.
Whump.
I landed on the soft mattress on my back.
Before I could blink, Gabriel was there. He was kneeling between my legs, spreading them apart with his knees.
He loomed over me. Shirtless. Powerful. His eyes were blazing with a hunger that made Natalia's look like a diet.
"You asked for this," he rasped.
My breath hitched. "Y-yes."
He didn't kiss my lips.
He leaned down. He kissed my ankle.
Oh.
His lips were hot.
He kissed my shin. Moving up.
He kissed my knee.
Soft. Wet. Intense.
My hands gripped the sheets. My toes curled.
Oh my gosh. It's happening. It's really happening.
He was looking at me while he kissed and bit the side of my knee. His gaze was possessive. Dark.
This is it. Goodbye innocence! Hello motherhood!
I closed my eyes, bracing myself, my heart hammering like a jackhammer.
BZZZZZZZ-DOO-DOO-DOO-DOO!
BZZZZZZZ-DOO-DOO-DOO-DOO!
A sound exploded in the room.
It was loud. It was cheery. It was completely un-sexy.
My ringtone. Specifically, the "Baby Shark" remix I assigned to Stephie because we thought it was funny three months ago.
Gabriel froze.
His lips were on my thigh. His hands were gripping my waist.
But he stopped.
The mood didn't just die. It exploded into confetti.
He slowly lifted his head. He looked at the nightstand where my phone was vibrating and screaming DOO DOO DOO DOO.
He looked at the screen.
He stared at the name.
He closed his eyes. He let out a breath that shook his frame.
"Aleesha," he said. His voice was tight. "Answer the phone."
"B-but..."
"Answer it. Before I throw it through the window."
I scrambled up on my elbows. I reached for the phone.
Gabriel stayed where he was, kneeling between my legs, looking like a statue of a very frustrated Greek god.
I swiped answer.
"Stephie?" I whispered. "This is... a really bad time..."
"ALEESHA!"
Stephie's voice was a wail. A loud, wet, snotty wail.
"HE CHEATED! CHAD CHEATED ON ME!"
My eyes widened. "What?!"
"He was with... with a girl named Brittany! In the parking lot! I saw them!"
"Oh my gosh! Stephie! That pig!"
I sat up straighter, forgetting that I was half-seduced and my husband was currently staring at my thighs.
"I need you!" Stephie sobbed. "I'm at the plaza! I can't drive! I'm crying too hard! My mascara is blinding me! Come pick me up! We need to go to the spa! I need to rant! I need cucumber water!"
She sniffled loudly.
"I'll pay for everything! Spa day! Manicures! Just come get me! Please!"
I bit my lip.
I looked at Gabriel.
He was watching me. His hair was messy. His chest was heaving slightly. He looked... ready.
And I was... well, I was kind of relieved? Huhuhu! I was scared!
But also... Stephie is my best friend! Chad is a monster! She needs me!
"Ah... hehe," I laughed nervously into the phone. "Okay. Okay, Stephie. I'm coming. Don't cry. Don't ruin your eyeliner."
I hung up.
I looked at Gabriel.
I smiled. A guilty, sheepish smile.
"So..." I twiddled my thumbs. "That was Stephie. Her boyfriend... Her boyfriend is a cheater. A bad man. Not like you! You are a good man!"
Gabriel didn't move. He just stared at me.
"She needs me," I explained. "Emergency Best Friend Protocol. Spa day. Ranting."
I gulped.
"Can you... um... drive me?"
Silence.
Gabriel stared at me. He looked at his knees between my legs. He looked at the bed. He looked at the ceiling.
He rolled his eyes so hard I thought they might get stuck in his head. He let out a sigh that sounded like a tire deflating.
"Unbelievable," he muttered.
He stood up.
He walked to the chair and grabbed his discarded shirt. He pulled it back on, covering the tattoo, covering the abs, covering the heat.
He grabbed his car keys from the dresser.
He looked back at me. I was still sitting on the bed, looking like a disheveled mess.
"Get your shoes," he ordered, his voice flat but resigned. "I will drive you to the spa."
"Yay! Thank you, Gabby!" I cheered, hopping off the bed. "You are the best!"
I ran to the closet to get my sneakers.
Phew.
The Heir will have to wait for another day.
But at least I know he likes my knees!