Chapter 17 - Gabriella
I took a long, hot shower. I stood underneath the water, letting it warm every inch of my freezing cold body.
I felt my mind drift back to the water and the way that Westley wrapped his arm around my waist. The way he spun me around and smiled at me.
My heart had skipped a beat because of how proud he looked.
I tilted my head back, letting the water flow over my head.
I was enjoying the time I had with him, but I still felt that ache deep in my chest. I wished I had known what went wrong before.
A part of me wondered if it would happen again.
Was Westley going to wake up one day and decide he didn’t want to help Hazel and me anymore?
I turned the water off and stepped out. I wrapped my hair up in a towel and wiped my hand over the fogged window.
I stared at myself. I put on a little weight since moving in with Westley, and more muscle since we started training.
My face had more shape, and my skin wasn’t as pale as it used to be.
It was strange seeing myself, remembering what I used to look like.
I looked at my hands, remembering that feeling. That tingle and that release that went with it. I wondered just what else I would be able to master over time.
I headed to my bedroom and searched for something to wear. I was warm, but I wanted to cling to this heat for longer. I threw on a pair of fuzzy pjs, wondering if Westley was expecting me to dress up nicely. Had he dressed up nicely after his shower?
I opened my door and leaned out, looking at what Westley was wearing. He was wearing a pair of plaid pajama pants and a white shirt. I decided not to change.
I dried my hair with a towel and headed out. I knew that Hazel would be home soon, so it wouldn’t just be him and me for long.
I stepped into the kitchen and found it smelled amazing. Westley had three steaks on the stove cooking with sauteed onions and mushrooms on the side. He had rice in another pot, with some green beans cooking in a third pan. The room smelled of spices, and my mouth watered.
“Do you want a bottle of wine?” he asked, pointing to the two wine bottles he had sitting next to the microwave.
“Sure, do you want a glass?”
He nodded. I poured two glasses of wine and set them on the dining table. I pulled my phone free and frowned. “Has Hazel let you know when she’s going to be home?”
“Oh, she said she was staying out late. So, I’m just going to leave her a plate in the microwave.”
“What?” I looked away from my phone at him. “Since when?”
“She called me while you were in the shower. She said that they needed an extra hand tonight, so she was going to stay and help.”
My shoulders dropped slightly. So, it was just going to be him and me. I swallowed, suddenly nervous.
“Is that a problem?” he asked, flipping the steak.
I quickly shook my head. “No, I’m just surprised, that’s all. I figured she would be home early since she left the house early this morning. She’s going to be tired when she gets home.”
I turned back to the dining room, chewing on my lip. It wasn’t like Westley, and I didn’t spend time alone, but recently I’ve had too many feelings and thoughts. I needed someone to be a buffer for us.
Westley and I sat down to eat ten minutes later. The food looked amazing, and I was stunned at the smell of everything. “This looks amazing. I didn’t know you could cook so well.”
“I took a couple of cooking classes when I was younger. Wanted to make sure I knew how to cook for myself rather than eating junk.”
“You took cooking classes?” I was shocked by this. Another thing about him that I never knew. Westley seemed full of surprises.
He nodded. “Yeah, did a basic one for cooking, a couple of advanced classes, and some cultural classes. I can make some pretty good Chinese orange chicken with some egg rolls.”
I couldn’t help but laugh, imagining him with other people in a large space cooking.
I suddenly found myself wishing that I knew more.
We had spent so much time sitting in silence, reading, that I didn’t know much about Westley.
I knew he was sweet and that he cared about people.
But I hadn’t known he was an orphan. I didn’t know that he lived such a solitary life.
I didn’t know his hobbies or what he liked to do in his spare time. I didn’t know him as a person.
I took a bite of my food, allowing the flavor to sink in. It was just as amazing as it looked. “Well, your classes did you good.”
He chuckled, taking a sip of his wine. “I’m glad that we can do this… and I’m glad your sister isn’t here.”
I paused. “Why is that?”
His smile tightened. “Because I wanted to apologize for everything.”
I swallowed slowly. His eyes softened. “I shouldn’t have avoided you or treated our friendship the way I did.
I shouldn’t have let things with the guys get so bad, or allowed it to continue after I saw it the first time.
I should have stepped in. I’m sorry about all of it.
I thought I was doing the right thing, but I was wrong. ”
I took a swig of the wine and sank a little back in my chair. I could see he meant it, and genuinely felt bad about everything.
“Thank you, that means a lot.”
“Well, I haven’t exactly been a good friend, and it was needed. I don’t want there to be anything left between us that could ruin what we fixed.”
“If you don’t mind me asking, why did you? Let it all happen?”
He remained quiet for a moment before speaking in a softer tone. “I was trying to protect you and myself. With everything going on, I figured it would be better for us.”
“I wish you had just talked to me,” I admitted, pushing a green bean on my plate. “Wouldn’t that have been easier?”
“Possible, but I was also trying to avoid you having that hurt look on your face. I figured maybe you would find someone else to hang out with at the library. That our friendship didn’t mean that much.”
I frowned. “You were wrong.”
“I know.” He gave me a hurt smile. “I know I was wrong, which is why I want to fix it now.” I could see he meant it, and he was trying, and that meant so much.
I took a couple of bites of dinner while trying to talk.
But the more we spoke, the more I remembered how much I’d like him.
The anger made it easy to forget that he was a great guy.
But now that he’d apologized, I found myself wishing.
But the thing was, if he wanted me, wouldn’t he be trying to get closer to me?
“I think I’m done,” I said, pulling myself up. His eyebrows went up. “Is something wrong?”
I shook my head. “I’m honestly just exhausted from the training. I’m going to put this away and head to bed.”
“Just leave it. I’ll put it away, you go ahead.” He gave me a gentle smile, and I felt my heart skip a beat.
“Thank you. I’ll see you in the morning.” I slipped out of the dining room and headed to my room.
I slept like shit. I tossed and turned all night, finally giving up a little after five. I crawled my ass out of bed and dressed. I slipped into the hall, finding the house quiet. I stared out the living room windows, taking in the view. I paused when my eyes landed on the woods.
An idea sparked, and I turned, pulling on my jacket and shoes. I moved quietly, being sure not to make too much noise. I didn’t want to wake the others.
I drove to the training ground and made my way into the woods where the lake was. I stared at the stillness and took in the silence. A quiet house was different from a quiet woods.
I slipped my shoes off and tossed my jacket aside. I slowly made my way into the water, biting hard into my cheek. The water was freezing, and every nerve in my body was waking up.
I dove under, letting the feeling take hold of me. I was cold, utterly frozen to my core. And as the seconds ticked by, the cold started to seem a little less painful.
I popped back up to the surface, inhaling the air. I stared at the sky, taking in the dark clouds, the sun that was hardly even on the horizon.
I allowed myself to sink back under the water, letting my limbs relax and float where they felt. I closed my eyes, enjoying the peace and quiet that went with it.
I understood why Westley did this. Once you got over how cold it was, it was relaxing. My mind was so focused on being cold that nothing else seemed to matter.
I suddenly felt my body jerk up, and my eyes snapped open to find Westley pulling at me. His arms were wrapped around my middle, tugging me to his chest. We broke the surface of the water, and he started yelling. “What the fuck are you doing? Are you trying to get yourself killed?”
I looked at him, confused, pressing my hands on his chest as I blinked at him. I hadn’t even heard him enter the water or call my name. “What?”
“What are you doing? Trying to drown yourself?”
“No, I was doing a plunge. Like you do.”
I could see the worry on his face now, the concern seeping through him. I reached a hand up to his face. “I’m not drowning. Little insulted you think so little of me.”
I remembered him saying those words, and I watched his face relax a little. “Well, you were just floating an inch below the water. I didn’t take you for the type to creep out at the crack ass of dawn to do this.”
I moved my hand back to his chest, feeling his heart racing. “How did you even know I was out here?”
“I heard you leave. You aren’t as quiet as you think.”
I stared into his eyes, taking in the deep green. I took in the way his eyebrows wrinkled together, leaving lines. I leaned against him, feeling a little warmth in his arms. “Who knew you cared so much?”
“I care,” he said, his eyes looking down at my lips. “I care a lot.”
I swallowed, reaching my hands up and running my finger along his lips. I felt something stir in me, aching for him to touch me. “I miss these.” The words came out without me thinking. His eyebrows went up slightly, my finger moving to the corner of his mouth.
He moved his head closer, his eyes darkening. “I miss yours as well.”
“They should meet.” I stare, softly smirking. “After all, it’s cold, and they should be warmed up.”
He dipped his head down, his lips pressing against mine softly. It was a graze and not what I wanted. I hooked my arms around his neck, pulling him closer. His lips pressed hard, the kiss turning rougher as I felt heat course through my entire body.
I moaned softly, moving my legs and hooking them around his waist. I quickly found that Westley was rock hard against me. His jaw clenched together, and I watched him inhale as I moved my hips slowly, grinding against him. The friction was small but enough to feel that sensation building.
“Fuck,” Westley groaned, his teeth ground together as he tilted his head back. “That feels good.”
I felt my heart flutter, running a finger down his chest. I took in each of his muscles, trailing my nail lightly over his skin. My finger slid under the water, going over his abs. I got to the top of his jeans and undid the button.
Westley’s eyes slammed to me as I unzipped his pants, not breaking my eyes away from him. “Ella?” he said my name in a warning, his eyes looking at me with blazing fire. “If you do that… I will not be able to contain myself.”
I slid my hand underneath the band of his boxers, finding him thick and stone-like. I watched his jaw clench hard, his nostrils flared as I stroked my hand over his cock. I didn’t want to think about anything more. I just wondered, for once, what to do, what to feel.
“Jesus, you…” I felt his hand on my ass tighten. His fingers could easily leave prints. “Fuck me. Gabriella.”
“Do you want me, Westley?” The words spilled out, like I couldn’t deny this feeling. I’d been fighting it for so long, and I was tired.
“You have no idea,” he whispered. “You have no idea how badly I have wanted you lately. I have been trying so hard to behave.”
I tightened my fingers around him, sliding up and down his shaft roughly. His breath shifted, and his head leaned forward, pressing against my collarbone. “Fuck, Ella. Shit, if you don’t stop, I’m going to bust in your hand.”
I couldn’t help but smile, loving the way he said my nickname. “Does it feel that good?”
“You have no idea. Better than I could have imagined.”
I moved my hand to the tip of him, slowly riding on him, while I rolled my finger on his tip. I could feel his muscles tighten, his breath catching, and I knew he was close.
I felt Westley pull me up, my hands ripping from their hold. My eyes widened as he placed them on his shoulders. “I am not coming in your hands,” he growled.
My eyebrows went up. “Why not? You were enjoying it.”
He scoffed. “Why in the world would I do that, when I could be ramming my cock in you and find my release there?”
My stomach flipped at the thought. His hand reached up, his thumb rubbing over my bottom lip. “That is, if you want that as well.”
I felt every nerve was on fire, my mind only wanting one thing. Him.
I licked my lip, my tongue going over his thumb. His eyes narrowed on me, and I could see that animal lust.
I nodded. “More than you even know.” I wanted him deep in me, making me come so hard that I forget about all my problems.