Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
Gabriel
Erin turns to open her door, but I don’t move. I stay right where I am, watching her fingers shake slightly as she fumbles with the key. She felt that. Felt me.
I should walk away.
I should turn and leave before I do something reckless, before I give in to the way my entire body is tuned to hers, craving the warmth of her skin under my hands.
But I don’t.
I step forward instead, pressing one palm against the doorframe above her head, caging her in. Not touching. Not yet. Just close enough that I can hear her breath catch, close enough that I can feel the heat radiating off her in waves.
She turns, her back against the door now, eyes locked on mine.
“Gabriel…”
My name is a whisper, a warning, a plea.
I lift a hand, slow, deliberate, and trace my fingers up the column of her throat, skimming her jaw before wrapping my palm around the delicate curve of her neck.
She stills.
I feel the flutter of her pulse beneath my thumb, wild and unsteady.
“You feel that?” I murmur, my voice rough with restraint.
She nods.
I tighten my grip just enough to make her breath hitch, just enough to remind her who’s touching her. Who she’s letting touch her.
And then I lower my head, my lips barely grazing hers, teasing, taunting. I let my mouth hover there, feeling the warmth of her breath, waiting for her to close the distance.
She does.
Her fingers grip my jacket, pulling me in, and I let go, crushing my mouth to hers, drinking in the soft, desperate sound she makes against my lips.
I deepen the kiss, angling her head back with my grip, taking my time to taste her, to explore her. She melts against me, her body pliant, yielding, but when I slide my hand down, splaying my fingers over her hip, she tenses—just for a second, just enough for me to know I need to slow down.
I pull back, breathing hard. Her lips are swollen, and her eyes are hazy. She looks wrecked, and fuck, I want to be the one to wreck her completely.
“Come inside,” she whispers, her voice shaky.
I run my thumb along her jaw, my fingers still cradling her neck.
“I want to,” I admit, because there’s no point in pretending otherwise. “But not like this.”
She blinks up at me, confused.
“You’ve had a long night,” I say, forcing myself to step back, letting the cool night air slip between us. “You need sleep. And tomorrow…” I slide my fingers down her throat, over her collarbone, stopping just above her heart. “Tomorrow, I’m coming back.”
She swallows hard.
“For the deliveries?” she asks.
“For you.”
She exhales slowly, her shoulders dropping, and for a second, I swear she’s about to pull me inside anyway.
Instead, she nods.
“Seven?” she murmurs.
I smirk, running my thumb over the place where I want to press my lips next time. “Seven.”
And then, because I have just enough self-control left, I force myself to walk away.
For now.