Twenty
Gabriel
It had been three days since Xin and I had our first date. Since then, we'd been together practically the whole time until now.
Kevin had been posthumously exonerated, and since the lead cop on the original case had retired, Aisha was the one who'd delivered the news to me.
It didn't change much of anything. I wouldn't get Kevin back.
Ever. But I'd done what I'd set out to do.
I'd gotten my revenge, and the right person was now paying for his crimes.
Xin and I would've spent today together too—at least, I hoped so—but I'd been called into the office by Mr. Jefferson himself, so Xin and I had to separate. They'd decided to use the time to go patrolling, which was something they did regularly.
The thought of them stumbling upon those dark souls and demon made me feel a little sick, but I reminded myself that Xin wasn't human. They were a demon, and they weren't so easy to hurt. They could take care of themself.
Jefferson's assistant smiled when she spotted me, then waved me in after a short conversation with him through the intercom.
"Gabriel, thank you for coming in," Jefferson said, standing up as I walked in.
Xin and I had looked into him thoroughly, and I was glad to discover he'd had nothing to do with Patrick's actions.
He was a good person, for the most part.
The fact that he was cheating on his wife was the only blemish we could find.
I took the chair across from him, and he told me about Patrick's confession, about the fact that he was no longer a part of AmazeAI.
"I feel bad for the guy he framed. I heard he died," I said, wanting to know if he'd given Kevin any thought.
I didn't know if he had ever even met Kevin, but a part of me wanted to hear every single person who worked here apologize for not seeing the truth, for not believing Kevin when he claimed his innocence.
Jefferson frowned. "Yes, so do I. Kevin had always seemed like a good man. I was surprised when he was arrested. I wish I'd trusted my gut and looked into it further, but everyone seemed so sure he was the culprit."
You're the boss. You could've ignored them if you really thought so, I wanted to say, but kept my mouth shut.
"Anyway, the reason I called you here is because you need to be reassigned, and I wanted to know if you had any preferences."
I'd expected as much, since it wasn't like I could continue being Patrick's assistant, and while I'd planned to stick it out for a few more months before quietly resigning to avoid suspicion, I found myself blurting out something completely different.
"Actually, sir, I'd like to quit."
Jefferson was surprised, and so was I. Why had I said that?
"Are you sure?"
I hesitated, then nodded, and he sighed.
"You've been an exemplary employee, Gabriel. Is there nothing I can do to change your mind? Maybe a raise?"
Huh. I hadn't realized Jefferson knew enough about me to make that judgement.
The raise definitely made me want to rethink things, but this job had never been my long-term plan.
I'd always intended to quit after I got what I wanted, and now that I'd said the words, now that the idea of never returning to this building was firmly lodged in my mind, I couldn't turn back.
"Sorry, sir. I just... I'm ready for a change." I'd be happy to never look at an expense sheet again.
Jefferson sighed, then gave me a genial smile. "All right, if that's what you want. You have some vacation days saved up, so there's no point in reassigning you for the next two weeks, is there? The cops have cleared your offices, so you can empty your desk when you leave."
After hashing out a few more details, Jefferson dismissed me, and I practically floated to the elevators and down to my floor.
A few of my coworkers watched curiously as I packed up my meager belongings. Since I couldn't keep a picture of Kevin on my desk, I'd kept the baseball he'd taught me to play with, and I palmed it now, smiling at the memory of sunny afternoons spent in the backyard of our family home.
With a shake of my head, I quickly boxed everything up, then waved at the colleagues who were watching, and made my way to the elevator.
The moment I stepped out of the building, I raised my face up toward the sky and breathed deeply, letting the sun wash over me. A weight had fallen off me when I said I wanted to quit, and now, for the first time in years, I felt like my past was truly behind me.
Kevin would always be a part of me. That was never going to change. He was the most important person in my life, but he wasn't here anymore, and I felt like I could finally accept that.
I hoped that wherever he was—I didn't think he would've settled in Afterworld, which meant he was probably running around collecting souls for Otherworld, according to Xin—he was happy. Safe. Content. And missing me a little, because I always missed him.
He would've liked Xin, I was sure of it. Maybe someday I could introduce them, way in the future when I crossed over to the other side. Wouldn't that be just wonderful?
Xin
After an uneventful patrol, I returned to Gabriel's apartment without a thought, and Gray greeted me with a lolling tongue and wagging tail. Gabriel still wasn't back, so I settled on the couch to give Gray some love.
The last few days had been wonderful. We'd spent every moment with each other, our one single date continuing indefinitely as neither of us felt the need for a break.
We'd talked more than I'd ever talked with anyone, from heartfelt conversations revealing our deepest fears and wants, to discussions over the most creative ways to use my magic and favorite pizza flavors.
We hadn't ventured out once since we returned from our date, though, and I was thinking of changing that tonight. I wanted to take Gabriel somewhere special, somewhere only I could take him.
About twenty minutes after I returned, the front door unlocked, and Gabriel walked in, his face lighting up when he spotted me curled up on the couch with Gray. He had a box in his hands, and he placed it on the coffee table, revealing odd knickknacks and stationery.
"What's this?" I asked as I sat up, ignoring Gray's growled complaint.
"Well, I kind of quit," Gabriel said as he squeezed himself between me and the couch arm. I turned to look at him, my eyes flicking down to his lips for a quick peek. The heat in his eyes told me I hadn't been quick enough.
"You did? I thought you wanted to wait a while," I said, and he shrugged.
"I planned to, but when Jefferson started talking about reassigning me, I realized I didn't want to spend another day in that building. Was it careless? Would it look suspicious?"
"I don't think so, but I can make sure it doesn't," I assured him, and he gave me a curious look.
"Really? How will you do that?"
"I'll make everyone, including Jefferson, think he let you go," I said simply, and Gabriel chuckled.
"That will work. How was your patrol?"
"Uneventful," I said with a smile, and his shoulders noticeably relaxed. Had he been worried about me? "I really want to kiss you."
Gabriel's eyes widened at my words, his gaze dropping straight to my lips, and I leaned forward, closing the distance between us.
His lips were soft and warm, and I felt like I was kissing him for the very first time all over again. He made a soft, needy sound, his lips parting to invite me in.
Shuffling closer, I wrapped an arm around his waist, tugging him forward as I deepened the kiss.
I swallowed his moan, my fingers sliding into his hair so I could tilt his head for a better angle.
He let me control him, giving himself to me in a way I knew he would never with another person.
I treasured the trust he'd bestowed upon me, and I swore I would never break it.
Needing to erase the space between us, I used my arm around his waist to move him to my lap, and he groaned as his bulge pressed against my abdomen. Fuck, he was so hard for me.
Gabriel pulled back with a gasp, his cheeks flushed and pupils blown wide as he struggled to catch his breath while I moved to his neck, breathing in his warm, sweet and spicy scent. He'd put on some cologne when he left, but I made it disappear with a thought, wanting his real scent in my lungs.
I scraped my teeth over his collarbone, and he groaned as he arched against me, pressing his erection harder against my stomach. He was so turned on. I had a feeling he wouldn't last long once I started touching him.
"Xin, please," he begged, and I smiled against his skin before pulling back.
I unbuttoned his jeans and slid my hand inside, wrapping it around his hard length. He bucked into my hold, soft pants escaping his lips as they hovered so very close to mine.
I pulled him into a kiss as I jerked him off, and he grunted and moaned into my mouth with every thrust. The little sounds he made pushed me closer to my own climax, but I kept myself in check, focusing on his pleasure.
Gabriel was a delight to watch when he came, and I pulled back when I felt him start to shake, knowing his climax was close.
His eyes scrunched up tight as he mumbled my name, then shouted it out loud as he threw his head back and painted my shirt and hand with his cum.
I kept my other arm around his waist, keeping him anchored to me so he wouldn't fall, and he hung against it limply as little shocks traveled through him, his cock giving a last spurt of release.
Releasing my hold on him, I brought my hand to my mouth as his eyes flickered open, and he groaned as he watched me lick it clean, humming at the salty taste of his cum. It wasn't the first time I'd tasted him, but I could never get enough of it. Enough of him.
Gabriel moved, pulling himself together as he straightened up, and I released my hold on him when he shifted backward.
His gaze met mine, and he dropped to his knees in front of the couch, pushing my legs apart and pulling me to the edge of the seat.
"Get rid of your pants," he murmured, and I did as he'd asked. Without missing a beat, he leaned forward and wrapped his mouth around me, making me groan.
Watching him cum had pushed me close to the edge, and it took only a few moments of his tongue teasing me before my release crashed into me, leaving me a shaky, sated mess with my legs splayed out and Gabriel's mouth still on me.
I gently pushed him away with a strained groan, and he glanced up at me with twinkling eyes, his lips wet with my release.
Pulling him back into my lap, I kissed him again, a growl escaping my lips when I tasted myself on him. Fuck, I couldn't get enough of this man. I didn't think I ever would.
"If this is how you intend to welcome me home every time, I'm going to go out more often," Gabriel said, and I laughed into his hair.
"Just say the word, and I'll have you on your back whenever, wherever," I murmured into his hair, and he let out a soft whimper, his grip tightening on my hip.
We sat there for a moment, drifting lazily, before Gabriel suddenly stiffened.
"Shit! Gray. Did we just fuck in front of my dog?" he demanded as he moved back and glanced around the empty room before relaxing slightly.
"I lured him into your room and closed the door before any clothes came off," I assured him, floating one of Gray's toys in the air to demonstrate, and he chuckled.
"You think of everything, don't you?"
Standing up, Gabriel held his hand out to me. "Come on, let's shower. I need to wash that place off me for the last time."
I took his hand and stood up, not about to refuse more time together without pesky clothes in between.