Chapter Five
There hadn’t been a big explosion.
Gabriel hadn’t yelled at her.
The pain had been intense, but much to Nora’s pleasure, had only lasted for a short time. A very short time. The pleasure had soon begun, and Gabriel had been so gentle. The first thrust, not so much. There had been nothing gentle about the way he’d taken her. It had been intense, and she’d struggled.
She figured he had already known, but he hadn’t. She screamed, and then Gabriel had told her he felt her virginity tear. That had been something. Quite a big something.
Afterward had been a little awkward. The bed had blood and semen, and they had no choice but to take a bath. He’d been sweet there as well.
It was strange that this man who for all intents and purposes had a multilayered image, was in fact so incredibly sweet. Yes, he was considered an amazing boss, but a man with standards and expectations. If you didn’t meet with his requirements, he was ruthless. She heard the tales of his many women, and again, he was multilayered. He hadn’t slept with her and dumped her.
He’d taken her for a bath, washed her hair, even cared for her. Yes, all the touching had led to them having sex in his large bathtub, but they were only human.
After making love in the tub, they changed the sheets, and she would offer to have them dry-cleaned, but they were silk sheets. There was no way she would be able to afford them. Besides, Gabriel had assured her he intended to take care of it, and she was not going to argue with him. If he knew what he was doing, then she wasn’t going to interfere.
They made love a second time, and afterward, she had fallen asleep in his arms. Waking up next to him, still in his arms, Nora had to wonder if this would have broken any of his rules.
She didn’t know if he was a man who liked to snuggle. Much to her surprise, she’d been able to wriggle out from his arms and make her way back into his bathroom. She found a spare toothbrush. After using the toilet, she washed her hands, brushed her teeth, and washed her face. Also, she ran a brush through her hair, which had seen much better days.
Feeling more like herself, she’d gone back into the bedroom to find him still asleep. She’d gone to his closet, grabbed one of his shirts, and snuck out of his bedroom. She needed to make coffee and find a nice, quiet space where she could think about what happened last night.
She couldn’t believe she had sex with her boss. That was insane. And scary.
She found his kitchen. Gabriel hadn’t exactly given her the grand tour. She spotted his coffeepot, and with a few guesses she figured out how to use it and got some coffee going. The scent was amazing, and she had no doubt Gabriel knew good quality coffee. Nora was pretty sure she’d seen the same pot at the office.
With the coffee brewing, she glanced around his kitchen, and then located the fridge. It was hidden within the same units as the cupboards, so it all matched up and looked equal. Finding the fridge, she opened it and saw the bare essentials. Some eggs, bacon, and it looked like there was some sausage. There were no vegetables, and just about enough food to make a breakfast. She struggled to find some bread, and when she did, it felt like a miracle.
Nora rummaged to find some frying pans and got to work on cooking the sausage. She hoped he didn’t think her rude for cooking breakfast. It was only a little after seven. She’d always been an early riser, and that coffee was making her mouth water. She wanted it to finish percolating so she could enjoy a nice large mug herself.
This was insane. She was at her boss’s apartment, after having a wild night with him, wearing one of his shirts and cooking breakfast like it was a normal thing to do.
The moment the coffee machine finished, she grabbed some milk from the fridge. She loved her coffee dark, with a splash of milk and absolutely zero sugar. Giving a final stir to her coffee, she blew across the top and moaned. She just couldn’t help it, and took another sip.
“Good coffee?”
Gabriel asked.
This nearly caused her to spill the coffee. She’d been lost in her world of coffee and pleasure and had completely forgotten that she stood in his apartment. Crazy, because the only coffee she allowed herself was instant. She had some good instant, but nothing like this.
“It’s amazing. Want a mug?”
she asked.
“Yep, for me, I have a dash of cream and a sugar, as it’s a Sunday.”
She noticed he’d pulled on a pair of sweatpants, but no shirt. Still, he looked good. Even getting out of bed, he looked good. She didn’t know how long he’d been awake. Maybe he’d woken the moment she left.
“I didn’t wake you, did I?”
He shook his head and took the coffee from her.
“Every other time I have it black,” he said.
“Sunday is your treat day?”
“It’s rare I’m needed at the office, as I allow all my places to close on Sunday.”
Nora knew that, and it was why he also allowed them to take two weeks at Christmas. This was also very rare for a company to do. She was pretty sure she saw an interview with him, and when asked about this, if he found it reckless. Gabriel’s response had been simple. “Grateful, well-rested employees are the best kind to have. I take care of them, they take care of me.”
It made sense to her.
She’d been there long enough to see how people reacted coming back after the Christmas vacation. Everyone was well rested, and yes, grateful to be able to spend it with their loved ones.
For her, Christmas was a hard time of the year. It was where she missed her parents the most. They always went all out at Christmas. They would have a special party, which most people on the street where she used to live would attend. That was how much they enjoyed it, that for months afterward, they would still be talking about it. Their house would be aglow, and she was sure it could be seen from space. Probably not, but her dad loved to decorate for Christmas. He loved to do it all.
Her mother would bake cookies and cakes. Never a festive moment went by for her mother. Nora had loved it.
Now, in her apartment, she would decorate as best she could, but that loneliness was there. Christmas was the hardest.
“How are you feeling?”
Gabriel asked.
She felt her cheeks heat as she knew exactly what he was referring to. She was a little sore, but she didn’t want him to worry.
“I’m fine. Would you like some breakfast?”
she asked, attempting to change the subject quickly.
He stared at her, and she offered him a smile, hoping he would take it.
“It smells good. So, you cook as well?” he asked.
“Don’t you?”
“I manage a breakfast if I’m starving, otherwise I have all my favorite places on speed dial.”
She frowned. How could he be a takeout king and look that good?
“Isn’t that unhealthy?”
she asked.
“All the restaurants cook my meals. Nothing is fast food. It is all healthy, I just don’t cook. Unless I absolutely must.”
She chuckled. “Not all of us are that lucky to have a chef at our fingertips.”
He winked at her.
“Besides, my mom was an amazing cook.”
There was a brief pause of silence.
“You miss her?” he asked.
She nodded and pressed her lips together. She was not going to cry. “Yeah, I miss her. I miss them both.”
She let out a breath. “Wow, I promised myself I was not going to cry.”
She felt the tears starting to well up in her eyes.
Within seconds Gabriel’s arms were around her. “I’ve got you.”
He did have her, the only problem was, for how long?
****
Gabriel hadn’t been asleep when Nora left the bedroom.
He had security cameras placed throughout his apartment, and after Nora snuck out, he watched her.
He knew he shouldn’t doubt her.
She’d told him how she had been able to get off the streets, and he’d already paid Milly’s father a visit and given him back the money, plus interest.
The father hadn’t wanted any money, as Nora had helped his daughter when she didn’t have to.
There were a lot of people in the world who chose to look the other way, while Nora hadn’t.
Gabriel wouldn’t take it back.
He felt it was necessary to pay him back for Nora.
But, he wanted to see what Nora would be like if she thought he was fast asleep.
He’d been the one watching her sleep, marveling at how beautiful she looked in his arms.
She’d not gone snooping around his apartment.
Well, not to find anything damaging about him.
His office was near the kitchen.
Nora had gone straight to the kitchen, figured out his coffee machine, and got started on breakfast, and for that, he was so damn happy.
It was rare for him to be a bad judge of character.
His Nora was a good woman.
After watching her for several minutes, he figured he would join her.
Now, as he held her in his arms, he wished he hadn’t brought up her family.
Seeing her reaction, he knew he would have to do something.
Her aunt and uncle took everything from her.
“You miss them. That is only natural.”
He would not cry over his own parents. Gabriel accepted the world was divided between good and bad parents.
Nora had two great ones taken from her. Life could be cruel.
“And they took everything.”
Nora sniffled. “My aunt and uncle, I don’t know how they managed it. While I was in a coma, they stole their home, took their money, and sold their stuff. There were things I wanted, like my mom’s cookbooks. I’m not allowed access to them. Her wedding ring. My dad’s necklace. All items that are part of them.”
She shook her head.
“What did your father do?”
Gabriel asked. He already knew the answer, and Nora told him what he did know. Her father was an author.
His name wasn’t huge, but it was enough to make a good income and support his family, and to also start putting money aside for his daughter to go to college. Years of hard work and good decisions, with investing some of that money, had made it possible.
Gabriel hadn’t met this aunt or uncle, but he had a feeling he was going to hate them on sight.
Staring at his woman, seeing how distraught she was, he knew he was going to right this wrong.
“Leave it with me,” he said.
Nora sighed. “There’s nothing you can do.”
“There is. I can get back what was taken.”
“But they have complete control over it.”
“Nora, honey, trust me, I have a feeling the reason they acted as fast as they did was because they knew there would not be any claim to them. You were in a coma. You couldn’t fight it, and I have a sneaky suspicion something wasn’t right. Let me figure it out.”
She sighed. “Fine, fine. It is not worth it.”
He kissed her head. He had a feeling, seeing her with her parents’ things would be totally worth it.
Nora pulled away. “Let me continue making you breakfast.”
He kissed her again, but this time on the lips. He gave her some space, but he didn’t leave her alone. He couldn’t help but watch her.
Nora had been a virgin. She had never known the pleasure of another man, until him. He liked that. There was something primal, something …
heady that came with knowing he was the only man she had ever been with, and he was going to be the only man she ever knew.
He felt that ache building in his cock.
Nora looked so good, standing at his stove, cooking breakfast, wearing his shirt.
It fell to mid-thigh so at least he got to enjoy the view of her thigh, knowing the temptation that lay beneath the shirt.
She didn’t take long finishing breakfast.
He topped off their coffees and carried them to the small dining table he rarely used.
Once again, the apartment was fully furnished, but he didn’t take time to appreciate it.
He was a very busy man.
Gabriel took another sip of his coffee, picked up his knife and fork, and took a bite.
Now, when he cooked breakfast, he didn’t have the patience, and any kind of sausage tasted the same to him.
Especially when it was burnt to a crisp.
He hated to cook.
Nora’s cooking, however, was different.
The sausages he’d spent months burning were delicious.
He went to a local butcher, who made their own sausages, and they were amazing.
As was the bacon and the eggs. It was a good breakfast. There was bread as well, which he slathered with butter and dug into his egg, enjoying the yolk that was slightly runny. He might have also cooked shell into his egg and even browned, if not burnt, the underside. He was not a good cook. It would seem Nora was. Now, he couldn’t help but wonder what else she could cook.
He finished his coffee, and Nora got to her feet.
He watched her ass as she took their dishes to the sink.
She was already starting on them.
“Leave them,”
he said. “I’ll do them in a second.”
Nora came out from behind the kitchen counter. “You’ll do the dishes?”
“Yeah, I will. You cooked. It is only fair I do something. Besides, come here.”
He needed her.
Nora frowned, but she moved toward him. The moment she was within reach, he grabbed her and pulled her in close. He pressed his face against her stomach and then moved her so she had no choice but to slide onto the table.
She’d already taken their cups away, and he took her feet, placing them on his knees as he ran his hands across her knees, then ran up her thighs, sliding inward, before going out. He did it again, and this time he spread her thighs wide, staring up at her.
She licked her bottom lip, and he couldn’t help but groan. One day soon, he was going to feel that mouth wrapped around his cock. Being his little virgin, there was so much he could show and teach her. The possibilities were endless, and he found himself even more excited by the prospect of showing her all she had missed out on.
“Tell me, Nora, who do you belong to?” he asked.
“You?”
“Yeah, me, and that means while you’re mine, no one else is going to taste you or touch you. No one.”
And with that, he kissed her knee and moved between her thighs to spread open her sex.
He saw her swollen clit and how wet she was. Also, the teasing temptation that was her cunt. Glistening up at him. Begging for his cock.
He slid his tongue between her slit, sliding back and forth over her nub, and then he moved down, going toward her pussy. He plunged his tongue inside her pussy, going deep, retracting, and going deeper again. He heard her soft whimpers, and then drew his tongue to her clit.
It had only been a few hours since he was last inside her, but that already felt too long. Focusing on her clit, he slid back and forth, going over her nub, driving her wild, making her scream, and that was exactly what he wanted to hear. The sounds she made were like a dream. Over and over, until she came apart within his arms.
And then, he stood, pushed down his sweatpants, and he was hard as rock. Coating the tip of his cock through her slit, he got himself nice and coated in her cream, and then slid hard and deep inside her. The moment there was more than half of his length inside her, he grabbed her hips and fucked her hard and deep. He loved the feel of her pussy pulsing around his length. For a second, he basked in that sensation. Closing his eyes, he moaned. Then his balls wanted in on the action, and there was no holding back, no stopping it, as he began to pound inside her.
His pussy. His woman. Nora belonged to him, and Gabriel had never been good at sharing. He owned her, at least for now.
Maybe even forever.