14. Chapter Fourteen
~Jennifer~
I could feel Gabe pulling away from me.
As Eda and Monica quickly found common ground despite the initial lie that brought them together, Gabe began to withdraw. Even though his position on the couch next to his sister stayed the same, I recognized the look of confused disappointment in his eyes, the same look as when he realized his marriage was over.
Not quite to the same extent, perhaps, but similar all the same, and the idea of him lumping me and Celine together in his mind as being cut from the same backstabbing cloth sent a sharp pang of regret and pain straight to my heart.
“Can we talk in private?” I asked him quietly, glancing towards Eda’s balcony. The words were barely audible above our sisters’ chatter, but his gaze followed mine, lingering there for a second as if he were picturing the two of us standing out there, the whole scene playing out in his mind.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” he replied, the distance between us growing greater with each passing second. “I think I should go.”
Eda picked up on the word despite being in mid-sentence herself and stopped abruptly. “Go? Go where?”
Both of our sisters turned curious eyes towards Gabe and his face tightened beneath the scrutiny .
“Coming here was a mistake.” He nodded to himself, and I couldn’t tell if he wanted to convince himself or the rest of us of that fact. “I’ll find a hotel and you can let me know when you’re ready to go back.”
He directed the last part at Monica, and her eyebrows drew together in a way that I’d seen Gabe’s do several times before. “Don’t you want to…”
She didn’t get a chance to finish before Gabe got to his feet, grabbed the bag he’d dropped on the floor earlier, and headed out the door without another word. He didn’t slam it behind him but he might as well have, considering the dramatic stillness that descended over Eda’s living room after he’d gone.
For a long moment, none of us spoke. After our flirting the night before, I’d convinced myself on the drive to LA that morning that things would be okay. Awkward, yes, but ultimately, we’d move past it, just like we did in San Francisco a few days earlier.
Now, I felt a lot less certain.
Eda broke the silence first. “Is he always that much of a drama queen?”
Her gaze moved between me and Monica, and though Monica tensed, her chest rising to say something, I blurted out an answer before she could.
“He’s not being dramatic. He’s trying to trust me after his wife broke his trust in the worst way possible, and I’m not making it easy on him.”
Monica blew out the breath she’d inhaled. “Yeah. That.”
Eda’s mouth opened beside me, ready to jump to my defense, but I placed my hand on her arm, holding her back. I could accept when I made a mistake, and besides, it seemed Monica had more to say.
“It’s not just you,” she added a moment later, a grimace pulling at the corners of her lips. “He thinks I can’t keep a secret, and apparently, I just proved him right. He’ll forgive me eventually because he knows I love him, but I get why he’s feeling alone in the world right now.”
“Jen cares for him too,” Eda stated firmly. “I haven’t seen her this interested in a man for years. ”
Monica’s eyebrows raised as she looked over at me, and I let out a half-frustrated, half-affectionate sigh. “You two really do have a lot in common. You see, Monica? My sister can’t keep her mouth shut either.”
Eda gave me a playful shove away from her before wrapping her arm around me and pulling me into a sideways hug. “It sucks seeing someone you love get shit on by life,” she said softly, her tone softening her coarse words. “I think we both know what that feels like. Matt dying sucked. A nice guy like Gabe marrying a bitch like Celine sucked. The two of you together? That doesn’t suck, and we won’t rest until Gabe sees that.”
Monica didn’t disagree with that, but she did tilt her head at me curiously. “Who’s Matt?”
Leaving Eda to tell that story, I excused myself and went out onto the balcony alone, staring out over the sprawling city below us. Gabe could be anywhere in the mass of people and buildings, and if he chose not to get in touch with me that weekend, I didn’t know when I’d have a chance to see him again in person, not with Celine watching his every step.
Moments we’d spent together flashed across my mind as I stared out at the city, seeing Gabe’s face in front of me rather than the view. In just a matter of weeks, he’d gotten past the wall I put up around myself after Matt’s death, a wall I hadn’t even fully realized existed until he breached it. I told myself that dating didn’t fit into my life, that it felt too much like work after spending all day flirting with strangers online, but with the right person, it shouldn’t.
With Gabe, it didn’t feel like work at all.
Despite all the external complications, it felt right, and I kept screwing it up.
When my phone buzzed, I almost ignored it, thinking it would probably be one of my current jobs and I definitely wasn’t in a flirting mood. Something made me slip my hand into my pocket anyway, though, and when I pulled it out, Gabe’s name immediately caught my eye.
Why is it that I can’t stay mad at you ?
Hope flared inside me, sparking into an immediate flame.
Rather than answering his question directly, I tried teasing him, wanting to gauge his openness.
Did Monica steal your phone? Are you being held hostage? Send me two winky faces if yes.
I wouldn’t put it past her, but no. It’s me. Isn’t she there with you? I waited downstairs to see if she would storm out too, but I guess she has more self-control than I do. Either that, or she’s killed you and stolen your phone.
A warm wave of affection filled my chest at his gentle self-deprecation.
Your self-control is fine. I owe you yet another apology. You must be so tired of me saying I’m sorry.
Probably about as tired as you are of me shutting down. I don’t want to keep pushing you away, so tell me: is there anything else I need to know? This is the time to get it off your chest, Jen.
He didn’t say it, but I heard the warning anyway: this would be my last chance.
Luckily, I’d run out of things to confess.
That’s it. There’s nothing else, and I was going to tell you about this too. I know that means nothing after the fact, but I planned to tell you today.
When he didn’t immediately reply, I sent another message.
Now that you’ve met Eda, you only need to ask her and she’ll spill any secrets anyway.
Wonder what that’s like.
My smile almost split my cheeks, and tentatively, I asked the question I wanted answered most at that moment.
Where are you?
On the street outside Eda’s building. I didn’t get far.
Grabbing the rail, I peered over the side of the balcony, and sure enough, I could see him on the sidewalk ten floors below me, staring down at his phone.
Look up.
His head raised and I waved. Even with that distance between us, I could see the smile on his face and feel the connection between us, the one that neither of us seemed to be able to resist.
Want to get out of here and go back to my place?
Fuck yes.
We shared another smile before I pulled back from the edge and sent one last text.
I’ll be right there.
~Gabriel~
Maybe I needed to have my head examined, but as I sat next to Jen in her car, chatting about our sisters while we made our way to Pasadena, I couldn’t bring myself to regret my choice to trust her.
Things made a lot more sense knowing that Jen already had some background information about my grandparents’ will before she suggested sending an investigator after Celine. Rather than telling me what she suspected, she helped me put the pieces together for myself. It might not have been the most straightforward way to approach things, but I couldn’t see any proof that she’d ever had anything other than my best interests at heart.
Those thoughts had already been in the back of my head, and the text from Monica gave me the final push I needed.
I should have kept my mouth shut and I’m sorry. For what it’s worth, I like Jen so far. And I was right about Celine, so maybe I’m right about this too.
Monica had always been picky about the women I dated, so for her to say she liked Jen already seemed significant. Maybe my instincts weren’t entirely broken after all.
I let out a low whistle as Jen pulled into the driveway of her house. The craftsman-style house had a large porch, a landscaped, well-kept lawn, and more windows than walls, it seemed. “This is really nice. Are there that many cheating men out there to pay for it all?”
She laughed good-naturedly. “Unfortunately, there are, but the down payment actually came from my portion of Matt’s life insurance policy. We’d been looking at this neighbourhood to buy a house after we got married, so when this one came on the market right after I got the payout, it felt like a sign.”
With all the drama in my life, I’d almost forgotten the story she told me about her fiancé leaving her money when he died and the schism it caused between her and his family. “I’m sure he’d be happy to know you were taken care of.”
“I think he would.” She smiled her agreement before opening her car door, making it clear she wanted to move on. Just like I didn’t want to dwell on my marriage this weekend, she didn’t seem to want to linger too long over her past either. We only had about twenty-four hours together before I would need to return to San Francisco, and that time should be about us .
Inside, the interior had been immaculately decorated. Wood paneling provided plenty of warmth while the windows gave the illusion of being part of the outdoors. Although elegant and undoubtedly expensive, it also felt natural rather than pretentious.
In other words, it felt like her.
“Would you like a tour?” she asked, taking my bag from my hand and placing it on a bench by the door.
“Absolutely.”
Each room impressed me more. The fireplace in the family room, the large island in the middle of the well-equipped kitchen, and the tranquil pool in the backyard, each place seemed design to provide peace and comfort, and yet, I couldn’t stop my mind from wandering to all the places I might have her body pressed against mine. Despite all the windows, the space surrounding the house gave the illusion of privacy. My fingers itched to reach out and wrap around Jen’s waist as she led me towards the bedrooms.
“This is my room,” she announced, looking almost nervous as she gestured for me to go in.
Just like the rest of the house, it had a comfortable, lived-in feel. We stepped inside, stopping a few feet from the door as I took a look around at the king-sized bed and the large windows overlooking the backyard and pool. I could easily picture her lounging on the bed in soft, silky pajamas, or slipping out of those pajamas as she stepped into the large ensuite bathroom. My body began to react to the mental images, and her next words didn’t help.
“There are a couple of guest rooms down the hall. You’re welcome to sleep anywhere you like.”
I turned back to her, one eyebrow raised in a teasing challenge. “Anywhere?”
She’d been the one who wanted to take things slow while we were at the hotel, and even though she’d invited me to come and spend the weekend, she hadn’t said whether or not she wanted to move forward with our physical relationship .
For my part, I wanted to be close to her in every way possible. Sure, it was fast, especially coming out of a very long-term relationship, but when Jen and I were together, it felt completely right and natural that we should take the next step.
Nothing had ever felt so right.
Although she tried, Jen couldn’t hold back her smile. “Why do I get the feeling you’re not thinking about sleeping right now?”
“Because you’re incredibly good at reading people. That’s what makes you so good at your job.”
“False flattery won’t get you anywhere,” she laughed.
“It’s not false, it’s absolutely true.” I took a step closer to her, the room seeming to narrow around us as our bodies came into closer proximity. “I bet you can read my mind right now.”
Jen’s smile faded, her eyes staying locked on mine as her hand came up to rest against my chest.
“I think you’re still very much on the rebound and don’t know what you want,” she told me gently. “An hour ago, you walked out of my sister’s apartment rather than talk to me. I’m not blaming you for that, but I think it shows that your emotions are heightened.”
“I walked out, but I came back. I came back because something keeps pulling me to you. I think you feel it too.”
I stepped even closer, so only her hand on my chest separated us. My hips were close enough to hers that she had to notice how hard I’d been ever since we walked into her room and I started imagining her there in her most private, intimate moments.
“I feel… something.”
Her eyes dropped, letting me know exactly what she meant, and we both laughed before I reached out to brush her hair behind her ear, resting my fingers on the side of her face so she couldn’t look away. “I won’t rush you if you’re not ready, but I am. I trust you. In spite of everything, I do. I really like you, and I want you. That much is painfully obvious. ”
My hips pushed against her again, just enough that she felt it, and she looked up at me from beneath her lashes. Desire filled her hazel eyes, the same desire I saw in them that night at the hotel when I made her come.
She seemed to be thinking about that night too, if her next words were any indication. “We never talked about the fact that you went to go buy condoms after leaving my hotel.”
I choked out a laugh, remembering the photo among the others Celine’s investigator took. “No, we didn’t. I didn’t plan on telling you, but I wanted to be prepared.”
“Well, I don’t think we need one right now,” she said. A sharp stab of disappointment hit me, I couldn’t deny that, but I nodded anyway.
“Of course. It’s up to you. Maybe we could just sit in the living room and talk for a while, or we could…”
Jen raised her hand to press a finger to my lips. “Hold on. I didn’t say we have to leave this room, only that a condom won't be required.”
Blood raced to my cock as I tried to decipher her meaning. “You want me to touch you? I would love to, Jen. I’d love to touch all of you, to taste you…”
Her whole hand replaced her finger, covering my mouth entirely. “That’s not what I meant. You’re the one with the painful problem, and you’ve already seen me come. I haven’t seen how you look when you do yet. Maybe it’s time we change that.”
~Jennifer~
Part of me still wanted to take things slow with Gabe, especially after the awkwardness between us that morning when he found out about Eda and Monica’s involvement in the whole situation. However, when he looked at me with the kind of desire and determination I could see shining in his eyes in my bedroom, it made it hard to remember why we should wait.
He wanted me. I wanted him. We were both consenting adults, he’d left his wife and had no intention of going back to her. Seen from that viewpoint, nothing stood in our way.
So, what did?
The more I thought about it, the more I realized that I did.
As I told him in San Francisco, I didn’t want to be a rebound for him. I didn’t want him to rush when his whole life had been turned around.
I thought I had his best interests at heart, but maybe fear played a part as well. With my rather unusual job, I’d gotten very good at erecting a wall between sexual advances and real emotion. Letting someone past those walls didn’t come naturally anymore. Being vulnerable and opening myself up to the possibility of being hurt by someone I actually cared about felt completely foreign.
Not since Matt had I truly cared about being rejected, and for that reason, I held back from diving all the way in the way that Gabe seemed ready to.
Gabe took a chance on me by giving me the benefit of the doubt when I lied to him, by coming back and giving me another shot.
He’d been brave.
I could try to be too.
When I slid my hand down the front of his pants, pressing my palm over the erection starting to grow against me, he let out a stifled groan beneath my other hand that covered his mouth.
“I want to make you feel good,” he pleaded, the words muffled against my fingers.
“You already did that at the hotel,” I reminded him. “It’s my turn.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
Longing and hesitation warred in his eyes, and I softened my voice and lowered my hand from his lips before asking the next question .
“Didn’t Celine take care of you sometimes, just for fun?”
I didn’t want to bring her up, didn’t want her there in that room with us, but I needed to understand the reason for the concern darkening his gorgeous blue eyes.
Embarrassment twisted his lips but he answered honestly, holding my gaze. “Usually only when she wanted something.”
From his reaction, I figured as much. Despite our brief acquaintance, I expected that Gabe would prove to be a giving, unselfish lover, the same as in every other aspect of his life, and the idea of anyone, especially Celine, taking advantage of that made my blood boil.
Rather than letting my anger simmer, though, I redirected that heat into something much more productive. “Well, what I want is for you to enjoy yourself. You’re here as my guest, and I take good care of my guests.”
Giving him a wink, I let my other hand slide down his body to join the one still lightly stroking the front of his pants. Together, they undid his belt buckle in no time, popped the button of his jeans open, and pulled down the zipper almost before he had time to breathe.
“Jen.” My name came out of his mouth as a groan, and I tilted my head up to press my lips to his at the same time my hand slid into his pants, feeling his stiff cock with only his underwear between it and my fingers.
Gabe’s sharp inhale satisfied me almost as much as feeling his hands on me did. This act might be focused on him, but I would definitely be getting my own enjoyment out of it too.
My fingers hooked into the waist of his jeans and underwear, pulling them both down over his ass while I kissed him deeper. His hands cupped the back of my head, holding onto me for dear life as I reached back between us to free his cock fully and ran my palm down the bare length of him.
“Fuck.”
Gabe mumbled the word into my mouth as my hand wrapped around him and squeezed. His cock already had a decent girth to it, growing thicker almost by the second within my grip. Anticipation began to pool deep in my centre as I broke our kiss and slid down his body, sinking to my knees on the bedroom floor.
“Oh, fuck.”
He seemed to have forgotten any other words. Glassy blue eyes stared down at me, and I held his gaze as I lifted his cock to my lips. Watching his lips part and his body shudder as my tongue darted out to lick his head, I couldn’t remember the last time I felt so powerfully sexy.
Men told me every day they found me sexy. They flirted, seduced, even cheated on their significant others, at least over text, because they couldn’t resist me. But none of it mattered, none of it felt important, because those men meant nothing to me. Their words of admiration meant nothing because they came from men with no character to back them up. A compliment from Gabe equalled a thousand from those other men put together, and the way he looked down at me when I took him into my mouth, the awe and desperation in his gaze, was the very best compliment I could ask for.
Dropping my eyes, I focused entirely on the task at hand… or in my mouth, as it were. Veins lined the stiff length of him, and my tongue slipped over them as I took him in deeper and deeper with each bob of my head. For a full minute, I sucked on him, one hand wrapped around the base of his shaft and the other cupping his balls. The thick head of his cock pressed against the back of my throat as I swallowed around him, drawing out another groan from above my head.
“I’m… shit.” He mumbled the words as his hands gently brushed the hair back from my face. “This is embarrassing. I’m close, Jen.”
I pulled back, releasing his cock with a satisfied slurp. “I take it as a compliment. Means I’m doing a good job.”
“You are,” he confirmed, tilting my chin up so my eyes met his. “It feels so fucking good, but I want you to feel good too. Let me…”
“No.”
I cut him off decisively before turning back to the cock in front of me, licking my lips at the sight of it. A perfect length for me, not too long but long enough I would definitely feel it when I had it inside me later, and I’d already decided I would have him later.
First, though, I planned to finish what I’d started. “Let me .”
Before he could protest any further, I took him in again, all the way in so that my nose pressed against his abdomen, and any other words Gabe might have had disappeared in a strangled moan.
My hand began to stroke his base, pumping in harmony with my mouth, savouring every inch of him and the symphony of guttural sounds coming from deep in his throat. With my other hand still on his balls, I felt the moment they began to tighten. His breathing shortened, coming in quick gasps, and his warm release soon followed, his hands tightening in my hair and his cock pumping hard in my mouth while I swallowed every drop.
Slowly, I pulled back, letting his cock fall from my lips before placing a soft kiss against his hip. He groaned once more, his hand caressing the back of my head before I stood back up and placed one more kiss at the side of his mouth.
“I’m glad you’re here,” I whispered.
A warm puff of air curled over my skin with his breathy laugh. “I am too. That was incredible.”
“Good. Let’s go have some lunch.”
With that, I turned and walked out of the room, my grin spreading wider at the thought of the almost limitless possibilities the rest of the day held.