13. Evie
Evie
Gabriel huffs a laugh. “Easy fix, darlin’.”
He stands, and the loss of his warmth makes me shiver despite the heat still pulsing through my veins. Moonlight filters through the half-drawn curtains, catching the strong lines of his shoulders as he turns to face me fully.
He ducks his chin for a moment, like he’s not quite sure what to do with being looked at. Then his eyes find mine—dark, hungry, and full of quiet, devastating tenderness.
“Eyes on me, darlin’,” he murmurs.
I couldn’t look away if I tried.
Gabriel reaches for the hem of his T-shirt first, pulling it up and over his head in one fluid motion.
The fabric whispers against his skin, revealing the muscles I traced with my fingers and lips that night at the motel.
Broad chest, the faint dusting of hair that arrows down toward his belt, the flex of his abs as he drops the shirt carelessly to the floor.
My gaze follows every inch, drinking him in like I’m starving.
Then his hands drop to his belt. The buckle clinks as he unfastens it, the leather sliding free with a deliberate rasp that sends a fresh pulse of heat straight to my core. He doesn’t rush. He knows I’m watching—knows exactly what it does to me.
The zipper comes down. He shoves his jeans and boxers down his hips in one go, kicking them aside.
And then he’s bare, gloriously so. Thick and hard, flushed dark with need, the sight of him making my mouth go dry even after the orgasm that just wrecked me.
Thighs like carved stone, that narrow waist, the way his cock twitches under my stare like it’s reaching for me already.
“Jesus, Gabe,” I breathe, the words slipping out before I can stop them.
In two strides, he’s at the edge of the bed, the mattress dipping under his weight as he climbs in and settles behind me.
One strong arm slides under my head, the other wraps around to cradle the gentle swell of my stomach, his big palm warm and protective over the life we’ve made.
No weight on me. Just him surrounding me, solid and safe, his chest pressed to my back and his knees tucked up behind mine.
“Like this,” he murmurs against my neck, voice husky. “Don’t want to put any pressure on you, darlin’.”
I melt back into him, my body already aching for more.
His cock, heavy and hot, nestles against the curve of my ass, sliding along my slick folds as he rocks once, slow and deliberate.
The position lets me feel every inch of him without him looming over me, and the way his hand splays possessively across my belly makes my insides clench with need.
“Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?”
The awe and reverence in his voice have me looking over my shoulder at him. It’s there in his eyes as he stares down at me.
Lifting my leg, he eases it back over his, opening me up to him so his fingers can find my heat.
“Gabe…” I whisper as he strokes me.
He parts them and dips one finger inside me.
“You’re hot and wet and so fucking tight,” he says in a near groan.
Another finger slips inside me, and I arch helplessly. I’m not going to last. My body is painfully aware of him. I want him with every breath.
I turn my head, and my cheek brushes his lips. He kisses me, sending a shiver through my whole body.
Sudden tears flood my eyes, and I blink rapidly. Must be the hormones.
“Make love to me,” I whisper. “Please, Gabriel. I need you.”
He pauses for just a moment, and a low shudder works its way through his body, vibrating through me. I can feel his contained energy and his reaction to my soft plea.
He withdraws his fingers, and I feel him grasp his cock behind me. Positioning himself at my entrance, his lips find my ear. One kiss. Two. Then he murmurs, low and sweet,
“Relax, darlin’. Let me take care of you.”
He nudges forward, his hips pressing into my ass as he pushes inside me. I suck in my breath, then close my eyes when his shallow thrust sends streaks of pleasure through my pussy.
Back and forth. He rocks against me, slow and measured, none of his thrusts going too deep. His hand moves possessively to my hip, his fingers curled into my skin, holding me as he moves faster, now but still as carefully as before.
He’s driving me crazy.
I flex and push back, eager to meet his movements, but he grips my hip and holds me in place.
“Let me,” he whispers again.
My leg lies over his, and I tuck my foot between his legs, relishing the rasp of hair on my bare skin. His legs are muscled and strong. They flex and twitch with each forward thrust.
Then his hand moves from my hip and eases beneath my leg, pushing it upward to give him room. He supports my thigh with his forearm and reaches up until his fingers find my clit.
His thumb teases my entrance while his fingers part the soft flesh above and tenderly stroke the stiff, sensitive bundle of nerves at the center.
No longer able to lie still, I tighten and buck back against him.
His thrusts become stronger, and he sinks deeper until my ass is pressed against his solid abs.
“Are you ready, darlin’?”
“Just… one more second,” I gasp.
I close my eyes and rock against him. His fingers grow more assertive, and he moves his thumb up to roll over my clit, demanding my response.
“Yes. Oh, my god, yes. Just like that, Gabe. Don’t stop. Please, don’t stop.”
I’m pleading, my voice hoarse and needy, each demand emerging on a short burst of air.
Gabriel draws back and pumps deep as his thumb rolls in a tight circle.
I cry out and tense. My hands curl into fists so tight that they shake with the strain. Pleasure explodes from my core and rolls outward, my clit throbbing, my nipples tightening almost painfully.
Gabriel is thrusting hard and fast now as he seeks his release. His soft groans mix with my broken gasps.
I reach down to still his hand when the sensation becomes too intense to bear. He eases his thumb away but continues a gentle rocking motion that sends aftershocks through me.
Finally, he stops, lodged deep inside me. I don’t move for fear of displacing him, lying there and simply enjoying the sensation of being intimately connected.
Gabriel kisses my neck, rubbing his thumb in circles over my shoulder, his erratic breaths sending goosebumps over my skin.
He moves slightly, and for a moment, I’m worried he’s pulling out of me, but he stays locked tight, our bodies joined as he shifts closer.
His hand slides over my waist, and he splays his fingers over my stomach. I float on a cloud between sleep and awake, my limbs too heavy to move as he strokes my belly, his touch light and soothing.
I must doze, coming awake when I feel him finally pull out in a warm rush of fluid.
“Be right back,” he murmurs.
He returns with a warm towel and gently cleans between my legs. Then he settles next to me on the bed again and pulls me close to him, his hand smoothing along my back.
“I need you.”
His voice is hushed, as though the words escaped before he could stop them.
“I need you, Evie. This isn’t just physical.”
I close my eyes.
All my life, need has sounded like weakness. Like something to hide before someone could use it against you.
But Gabriel says it like a promise instead of a burden.
I lift my head to look at him, brushing the damp hair back from his forehead. “I’ve spent years making sure I never needed anyone.”
His hand stills against my back. “And now?”
I swallow. “Now I don’t know how I’d do this without you.”
His forehead rests against mine. “Good. Because I don’t want to do it without you either.”
My heart feels full in a way it never has before—so full that I don’t think it could hold another thing.
Then, completely beyond my control, a huge yawn escapes me.
I clamp my lips shut a fraction too late.
Gabriel raises a dark eyebrow at me.
“What? I’m twenty-two weeks pregnant,” I mutter. “I’m growing a whole person here.”
A laugh rumbles out of him, low and warm, and I think it might be my favorite sound in the world.
“I pour my heart out,” he says, smiling now, “and you decide it’s bedtime.”
I bury my face against his chest, stifling another yawn. “Not my fault you wore me out.”
That earns me another huff of laughter, and he presses a kiss into my hair. “Go to sleep, darlin’.”
“What about you?” I mumble, my eyelids already drooping.
His arms tighten around me. “I’m exactly where I want to be.”