38. Riley
THIRTY-EIGHT
I lookat Gabriel through my lashes and smile. Perhaps I”m reading too much into his words about Catherine, but the fact remains: she was once reported missing, and the case was serious enough that it made it into the newspaper.
”I”m going to make us dinner tonight,” Gabriel says. ”Keep me company in the kitchen while I cook.”
He stands and extends a hand, and he helps me up. While we walk inside, I wonder if he ever cooked for Catherine. I wonder what she looked like, whether she made him laugh, if they had incredible chemistry.
In the kitchen, I settle onto a stool at the island counter. Gabriel opens a bottle of red wine — he tells me what vintage and kind, but it”s like another language to me — and I sip cautiously. Normally I don”t like red wines, but this is surprising. I take another sip.
”You like?” Gabriel”s taking a box of pasta out of a cabinet.
”It”s kind of like vanilla and cherries, with a little smoky flavor. I do.”
He points a wooden spoon at me. ”You”ve got a great palate. That”s exactly what the sommelier told me when I bought it. Vanilla, cherries, and smoke.”
I watch as he explains what he”s making. It”s a simple Italian dish with cheese and pepper.
”Sounds simple,” I observe.
”The key is in the ingredients. You have to get the best cheese, and I do, imported from Italy. See?” He breaks off a small chunk of cheese and approaches. ”Open your mouth.”
I do, and he places the cheese on my tongue while studying me. ”Jesus, you”re beautiful.”
”Mmm, that is tasty.” At least it”s easy to be honest about the food.
That”s what gets me through the next couple of hours: the incredible food. Gabriel apparently has a hidden talent as a chef, because the dish he makes is like an Italian version of mac and cheese, only with spaghetti and something called Grana Padano. It”s rich and buttery and I literally can”t do anything but moan when I take a mouthful. For such simple ingredients, this is like an orgasm in my mouth with the sharp, tangy cheese and the bite of the pepper.
We eat casually at the island counter in the kitchen, and Reese skitters in, looking for a taste.
Gabriel gives him a bit of cheese and he races away. We both laugh, and I try to distract my overactive mind with the food.
”I think I want to bathe in this sauce,” I say.
Gabriel chuckles. ”It”s a famous dish from Rome. Created by sheep herders, who could only carry a few ingredients with them. That”s why it”s so simple.”
I twirl the last bit of spaghetti on my fork, wondering if I should let the Catherine issue fade. His past is none of my business. He”s not a virgin, and neither am I.
I can only judge him on how he treats me, which is like a queen, right?
”I am so full,” I tell him when he asks if I want dessert. ”Maybe later? Let me do the dishes.”
”What? No. The housekeeper will do them.”
I blink, still not comprehending how he lives with help that assists with everyday tasks. How much more could I get done in a week if I didn”t have to clean the house, do laundry, or pick up after myself?
He kisses my temple. ”Want to go upstairs and watch a movie? I feel like I need to recline. I feel like I”ve been through a war after today.”
I glance at him and nod. He does look exhausted, and the fact is, he went to a funeral today. I need to cut him some slack on that alone.
”Let”s go.” I take his hand, and this time, I lead him upstairs.
The minute we get into his bedroom, he strips off his shirt and hands me the remote. ”Feel free to get comfortable and find something for us to watch. I”m going to shower.”
I”m not entirely sure what that means, so I arrange myself on the bed, still in my work clothes. Should I strip out of my black blouse and my gray skirt? I have on a nice, matching pair of lingerie — for once.
That seems weird, though, considering how keyed up I am. So I arrange myself on the bed and press a few buttons on the remote. I scroll and scroll, and end up on a period drama, something that I”d heard was romantic and even sexy.
Gabriel emerges from the bathroom naked, toweling his hair.
”Oh. Hi.” I”m startled at the sight of his muscular body. Part of me still can”t believe that a man who looks like a sculpture of an ancient Roman gladiator had sex with me — not that I”m hideous, but I”m pretty ordinary compared to him. At least I think so.
”Are you sleeping in that?” He crawls onto the bed, toward me, and kisses my nose. ”Feel free to shower or whatever. Your robe is hanging on the back of the door.”
”My robe?”
”Yeah, the silky black one you were wearing the other day. I had it dry cleaned for you.”
I stammer an okay and slide off the bed. Probably a hot shower will set my mind straight. For some reason, I can”t get the idea of Catherine out of my head.
The shower, as usual, is like a spa experience, and I emerge feeling far cleaner, and smelling like Gabriel”s soap. I fully expect that he”s changed the channel, but when I emerge, wearing the robe, I discover that he”s watching the period drama.
”This is pretty hot. For a minute I thought it was a porn.”
”Really?” I crawl in bed next to him. He”s on top of the duvet, sprawled out in all of his muscular glory. I”m wearing the freshly laundered silk robe, which is like a whisper against my skin. Everything about Gabriel and his world heightens my senses.
”Come here.” He pulls me into the crook of his arm and we watch the program in silence. Only a small bedside light is illuminated, and the entire vibe is cozy and sensual.
When the couple on the screen share a passionate kiss, I can”t help but notice that Gabriel”s cock gets a little hard. He turns his head and says into my ear, ”I think we can do better than that, don”t you?”
And then we”re kissing, with me on top of him. I”m already wet and it would be so easy just to slide down his cock, take him entirely inside me and feel him thrust deep inside. But even if he was wearing a condom, I wouldn”t, because I”m still feeling hesitant about him.
About us.
Unfortunately, my body isn”t conveying that hesitation. My skin is fever hot, my nipples are stiff peaks.
He lets out a low growl and grabs my ass, pulling me down on top of him, until my breasts are brushing his chest. I”m on my hands and knees, poised above him, and he”s moving my hair off my neck.
”I love it when your blonde hair is all loose and wild. Makes me want to do all sorts of things to you.”
”Like what?” I ask, bracing my hands on either side of his neck.
”Like this.” He pulls at the tie holding the robe closed and the silk flutters open, revealing my naked body underneath.
”I could look at you for hours.” He runs his hands over my breasts and my stomach, brushes his thumb against the seam of my pussy. I can”t make myself push him away.
I want to, sort of. Part of me wants to call the night quits, to remind myself that something probably quite terrible happened with Catherine, that he has a past and that he”s not good for me in the long run.
But his fingers are slipping into my slick folds and I”m so ready for him.
”I”m hot for you,” he whispers, fingering my clit in a slow, steady rhythm. Two fingers, then a third, driving inside me, hitting the sweet spot. I start to grind against his hand. ”I like when you”re wet for me.”
”Gabriel, but...” I”m almost panting, my breath coming in bursts, and I don”t know how much more of the sweet torture I can handle. A little, rational voice tells me to stop everything and ask questions, and I”ll be damned if I don”t wish I was a different woman.
One who could accept the unknown.
One who could accept a criminal as her lover.
One who could accept that I have an inner freak, who enjoys the thrill of danger.
But I”m not her.
I”m not a freak.
I”m the good girl, the one who wanted to forget about her family”s Irish mafia ties and live a righteous, noble life.
Or am I?
”That”s it, Riley baby, ride my hand. Ride it like you”re going to ride my cock in a little while. Now touch your clit while I fuck you with my fingers.”
I obey, sitting up. He reaches for my breast and twists my nipple, hard. I throw my head back and cry out, ready to explode.
But I can”t get there. I want to, I”m trying to, but something”s holding me back.
The questions. Those fucking questions that I can”t silence.
”Before we go any further...” I squirm out of his arms and sit on the edge of the bed, still breathing heavily. There”s no way I can accept Gabriel into my body without knowing more about Catherine. Without knowing more about his past. If we”re getting as serious as it seems — after less than a week, for God”s sake — he has to open up to me.
To trust me with his past. Then I can trust him with all of my issues, fears, and flaws.
He looks momentarily confused, then he grins.
”Ohh, I get it. You want to know my STD status so we can fuck without a condom? I actually was tested recently and I”m free and clear. How about you? Are you on the pill? Holy hell, I”d love to fuck you with nothing between us.”
The corner of my mouth turns up into a smile. For a criminal, he really is conscientious. ”No, that wasn”t where I was going.”
”Then what?”
He kneels behind me, gathering my hair in his hands and fluttering kisses on my neck. I can see us in the mirror across the room, both naked. It”s almost startling how good we look together.
While his kisses make me shiver with pleasure, he circles both my nipples with his fingers, then pinches lightly.
”Gabriel...” I straighten my spine.
”Talk to me, baby.” His hands cup my breasts from behind and squeezes. I”m getting so, so wet. My body wants his cock, but my mind wants the truth.
”I need to know something.”
”Ask me now, because I really want to fuck you, Riley. I”m desperate for you.”
That”s obvious from his massive hard-on brushing against my back. I turn and sit on my knees, facing him. I swallow hard and ignore the fact that my nipples are like little peaks. His eyes drift downward.
”I”m sorry, I get so distracted by your tits. It”s like my brain shuts off when I see them.”
I cover my chest with my arm so he can focus. His gaze snaps back to my face. I need to know about Catherine, have to find out if he was in love with her, or if he did something terrible to her, or what. I won”t be able to relax otherwise. It”s not a jealousy thing, not exactly. It”s an honesty thing, and I need to see if he passes this test.
”Gabriel, before we do anything else together, you need to tell me everything about Catherine.”