Chapter 20
Chapter Twenty
Eris
Eris knew there was something different between them the next day.
Sex was amazing between them, and when she woke up in the middle of the night with Gabriel’s face buried between her legs, she knew it was going to be a good day, too.
She managed to squirm away from him just long enough for him to chase her into the kitchen and fuck her over the back of the couch.
But now, midmorning on her fourth day there, Gabriel seemed to be collecting things around the cabin like he intended on taking them somewhere.
The Ranch had a lot of different places to explore, and she hadn’t been back to the main lodge much, so she eagerly waited for him to fill her in on what the hell was going on.
She texted with Vivian and Tara, trying to quell the nerves burning in her stomach. Her desire to stay in this fun little bubble was strong, and her bestie all but encouraged her to never come home again. A life with Gabriel might be fun, but wasn’t that moving faster than the speed of light?
Between her last visit and this one, they had spent all of nine days together. Less than two weeks, and a fuckton of yearning in between, didn’t amount for enough time to really know how she felt about him, right?
But all that time spent imagining what it would be like to encounter Gabriel again, she’d never pictured it would be this good. He even started talking to her about work, adjusting his hours because she was there…
Eris gulped. She was getting ahead of herself.
“I thought we could do something different today,” Gabriel said, smoothing back his hair. He looked nervous, and it was kind of cute. “You’re going to be heading home to Virginia soon, but I live out here in Montana.”
She perked up immediately. They hadn’t ever directly talked about his home, just that he lived nearby. “Close by?”
“I come here regularly,” he explained, a smile tugging at his lips. “It’s about an hour out.”
“An hour is nothing,” she replied, peering around. She loved the little cabin, loved Rawhide Ranch, but she could do with something new. Last time she visited, she’d had no desire to leave the Ranch, but now, if Gabriel was willing to show layers of himself, how did she deny that?
Besides, if they were off the Ranch for a bit, that meant she could possibly get in some primal play in a different terrain.
She still didn’t know the maze very well, and she hoped her masked man decided to hunt her in the dark one more time.
It was early enough in the day still that even if they had to drive for a while, they could be back with plenty of time to still play.
She shoved away thoughts of how little time she had left here. That would only sour her mood, and Gabriel was going through the effort of trying to give her peeks of his life.
“Could we go now?” she asked excitedly.
He smiled, setting aside the bag he had grabbed collecting a few things. It wasn’t his luggage, and she hadn’t quite figured out what it was. “Yes, of course.”
“We’re almost there,” he said, resting a hand on her knee.
They were a little delayed leaving; she’d kissed him passionately, and one thing led to another, and she was bouncing off his dick while he stretched her ass with his fingers.
It was hot and heavy and quick, leaving an ache for more all throughout her.
Between the haze of sex and the thrill of seeing more of Gabriel’s life, she was overly eager for this adventure.
She kept squirming excitedly in the passenger seat, eager to see the place he called home. From what she had gleaned during their drive, he lived here most of the year and had a flat in New York when he needed to be in the city.
For now, Eris chose to not dwell on how much money that really was.
Gabriel had more than he could ever need and keeping a place in New York while living out here was no small thing.
She knew he worked with money, but now she was getting an idea of how much his percentage from his clients really offered him.
She hummed as they drove, shutting her eyes and letting the gentle glide of his fingers over her skin soothe her.
The juxtaposition between the primal and the softer moments made Eris believe this could be more than temporary.
That thready connection between them felt solid and unbreakable in the quiet moments when they were together.
She liked how kind he could be when they weren’t locked together physically, like she really mattered to him.
“Do you have many visitors?” she asked curiously. It didn’t sound like he lived close to the people who were his clients, and she wasn’t too sure about his friends. “Like… Felix?”
“I’m surprised you remembered his name,” Gabriel replied with a chuckle. “But, no, Felix travels for work and doesn’t have a house in the state. Damiano has been checking in on a few things for me while I’m absent, bringing me a new bike–”
“A bike?” Eris echoed, interrupting him. “Like… a bicycle?”
Gabriel roared with laughter, the car slowing down as he pressed a hand to his chest and chuckles rolled through him. “No, no. Not a bicycle. A motorcycle.”
Now he had her full attention. “You don’t look like a biker.”
“You don’t have to be a biker to know how to ride,” he replied mischievously. “Be a good girl today and I might take you for a ride before we head back.”
Eris grinned, peering out the windows again. Did he park this motorcycle of his outside? Would she meet Damiano and get to see Gabriel with a biker of all people? He hadn’t mentioned Damiano being a biker, but it was her vague assumption.
Subconsciously, she reached up around the seatbelt and cupped her breasts, pressing her thumbs to her overly sore nipples.
That pleasant ache between her legs was one she hoped would never go away, even if she should be focusing on everything Gabriel was saying during the field trip.
Going off Ranch felt foreign, like she was exploring Montana for the first time instead of staying nestled in her safe place at the Ranch.
She loved Rawhide Ranch, but without Gabriel, she doubted she would care.
“Stop rubbing them, little vixen,” he chuckled, and she quit massaging her breasts through the thin bra. Her ass wasn’t faring much better, and part of her thirsted for the burn of him stretching her again. “You’ll make them ache before we get back to the Ranch.”
“No primal at your house then?” she joked, wiggling around.
Before they left this morning, early compared to the few days of sleeping in, he’d used a generous bit of lube and filled her ass with a plug.
She knew how the sizing worked, and after he fit the head of his cock inside her, she knew the first one wasn’t necessary.
Considering she liked to play with all her holes at home, the second wasn’t either.
That’s how she ended up wearing the biggest plug for this home visit, her nipples sore from Gabriel fucking her against a tree and then sucking on them last night, and her whole body vibrating with need.
She had no idea how long he planned on edging her, but the anticipation was killing her.
Bringing her personal supplies from home had backfired when Gabriel spied the large, silicone plug among her collection, but Eris wasn’t complaining after the steamy workup as Gabriel filled her with the toy.
“I don’t have a maze,” Gabriel explained, shooting her a grin. “But I suppose we could run through the house. It’s big enough to be maze-like.”
That piqued her interest, and she sat a little straighter as the house came into view. It was massive; two stories of sprawling Victorian style, with a large driveway and a clean lawn.
Gabriel growled, and she finally took notice of the two people out front as they drew closer. There was definitely a guy who reminded her of a biker, and a woman with dark brown hair pulled into a ponytail.
He was out of the car quickly, barely putting it in park and turning it off before sliding out the door. Eris followed suit, surprised by the swift turn of events, and stepped out in time to see the woman throw something.
It seemed to be a set of keys, but they definitely weren’t hers. Tossing her dark brown ponytail, she got back into the car she was leaning against before Eris could see her face. Eris could still hear her yelling through the partially open window. “That’s for you, asshole!”
Gabriel threw his hands wide, glaring at the other man as she sped off.
The house had a wrap-around driveway that circled a fountain fixture in the center of the yard, and she sped off the opposite way they’d come in.
With wide eyes Eris looked around, trying to figure out how the peaceful field trip turned into this.
They had barely arrived and already, things were wild.
“Damiano,” Gabriel said carefully, and there was something controlled and dark in his voice.
It reminded her of the firm voice he used right before punishing her, but there was none of that usual thrill.
Even the plug in her ass that made Eris hypersensitive couldn’t make her hear any seduction in his tone. “What the hell?”
The man sighed, skating long fingers through his dark hair.
It was shoulder length and thick, the kind of hair Eris wished she had all the way down her back.
Hers was long but on the thin side, and she could tell without getting close that his hair was majestically thick.
He had scruff across his face, and tattoos on his biceps and the backs of his hands but not in between. “Oh, Aria’s a little mad.”
“A little?” Gabriel snapped, holding out his hand in Eris’ direction.
For a moment she had no idea what he was doing as the two of them glared at each other, but he wiggled his fingers and she moved closer to his side.
His touch was gentle even if annoyance dripped off his words as he wrapped an arm around her.
“Don’t bring your drama to my house, Dam. ”
Damiano grinned, completely unbothered by Gabriel’s tone. He jutted a finger back over his shoulder, a wicked gleam in his eye. “Bike’s in the garage, as per request. Want the button back?”
With his opposite hand he pulled out a garage remote control, and Gabriel snatched it out of his hand. “I’m regretting having you repair it.”
“No regrets here, friend,” Damiano said, glancing Eris’ way. He winked, then placed his hands behind his head and backed up toward his bike again. “Don’t worry; Aria’s pissed at me and no one else. She won’t cause you trouble.”
“Will you?” Gabriel asked seriously.
“Never,” Damiano said, his blue eyes crinkled at the corners as he smiled. “Just finishing off the favor for you, friend. You’ll put in a good word for me?”
Gabriel tensed. “We’ll see what happens next, Dam.”
Shrugging like the answer didn’t annoy him, Damiano threw his leg over the bike and turned on the engine. He revved it once before saluting them, kicking off to speed in the direction Aria had gone.
Blinking, Eris turned her attention to Gabriel again. “What on earth was that?”
“Relationship drama,” he groaned, turning to nod to the house.
Damiano and Aria had been so distracting, Eris had almost forgotten they were there to see his home, not two visitors.
“They aren’t problematic, just… eccentric.”
“What word are you putting in?” she asked curiously, watching as he slid the remote into his pocket before opening the door with a gold key.
“I’m not going to if he keeps up these antics like a child,” he scoffed, holding the door open for her. Once Eris stepped inside, all thoughts about the duo she’d seen briefly fell away.
The house was big and clean, just like Gabriel.
It had sleek lines and simple paint on the walls, the Victorian aesthetic from outside still showing in the architectural details within.
The whole place had archways between rooms, and a lot of the furniture she could see from the front door was made of rich wood, matching the design.
She let everything else fall away, stepping further into the place.
The ground floor had a large kitchen and a spacious living area, complete with a fireplace.
There was a large nook between the two spaces with a six-person dining room table, and it reminded her a lot of the design of the cabin at Rawhide.
But Gabriel’s house had two stories, and she could see a hallway jutting out in either direction from the main space. He was right; the house did seem to have a maze-like quality.
“Go explore,” he breathed, his hot breath on her ear making her jump. “I’m going to put my stuff down and check a few things since I’ve been gone, but feel free to look around. I have no secrets from you, Eris.”
A shiver shot down her spine, and even if they were just here for a couple hours, she couldn’t wait to see if anything new unraveled about Gabriel. Giving her free reign of his house felt like a true game of trust, and suddenly, the plug in her ass felt like a much bigger deal.
If this was like a maze… there could be a hunt. Her sore nipples throbbed at the idea, but, like a glutton, she couldn’t wait for more. Nodding, she turned and kissed his throat, right over his pulse point. “Yes, Master, if you trust me to snoop.”
Gabriel chuckled, his hands circling low on her hips. “You, Eris, I trust with my everything.”