22. Gabriel
22
Gabriel
L exi doesn’t seem satisfied with what I told her about Iris. I can tell by the way she purses her lips and the disapproval in her eyes as she looks at my fingers, busted up from yesterday’s fight. They’ve scarred a bit, but blood keeps coming out of the wounds, no matter how much I try to clean and bandage them. I should cover up my hand and hold it still instead of flexing it.
“Does it hurt?” she asks after we leave Iris’s school. I glance at the two extra security guards Mike sent to watch over Iris. Vargas is dangerous. With his connections, he can find out all sorts of secrets, especially since Eda, Iris’s mother, recently hooked up with a known corrupt cop. That’s why she showed up at my office, asking for money to leave with him and start fresh in another city where he got moved for disciplinary reasons. She threatened to take Iris away from me if I didn’t pay up. This goes against our agreement—that she can do what she wants, but the girl stays with her grandmother and remains close to me so I can keep an eye on her.
“It doesn’t hurt; it’s just uncomfortable.” I helped Eda get clean twice in the past, but unfortunately, she relapsed both times. This time, she seemed to be doing well, but since she moved in with the cop, she got mixed up with some shady people. This puts Iris at risk, and frankly, Eda might get herself hurt, too. It’s why her leaving would be best for everyone. But far away from me, Eda might risk losing her life. I can’t just leave Iris without her mom and dad if I have any say in it.
So Damien, Dominic, and I paid her new guy a visit. It was hard to get him to understand that leaving the city without Eda was his best option. We had to physically hold him back from hitting her right in front of us. It came down to a broken window, a smashed cabinet, and an ultimatum to leave the city in twenty-four hours; otherwise, Damien would send his file where it needed to go to get him to lose his job for good. Stella, Iris’s grandma, texted me to say that Eda moved back in with them that same night. Mission accomplished.
“I’m more worried about you,” I tell Lexi. “You’re going to have some nasty bruises. Let me check your shoulder, too, where that bastard pressed hard. When you were all pumped up with adrenaline, you didn’t feel a thing. How is it now?”
She turns to me, squeezes my arm, and asks in a low, serious tone, “What exactly happened to Iris’s father?”
She’s relentless in her pursuit of the truth, as usual. “It’s a sad story. It won’t do much good for you to hear it now, given everything you’ve been through. You need to recover and focus on your safety. Lexi, you can’t leave my side anymore. You get that, right? Vargas is more dangerous than you think. No more fooling around.”
Lexi squints at me, trying to make a funny face, but she looks exhausted. Her eyes are sunken, with dark circles around them. The weight of everything she’s been through shows on her face despite her brave smile.
“It may be a sad story, but it’s part of your life. And if you want to be part of mine, I need to know you—all of you. So, I think it’s time for you to trust me and tell me.”
Lexi’s gaze holds mine, determined. A knot forms in my stomach, but I know it’s time. Lexi deserves to know. I take a deep breath and start telling the story. It’s been forever, but the hurt is still there, as if the wounds of being abandoned never really healed.
“Once I turned sixteen, no foster family would take me. I was tall, cocky, and hard to handle. I joined a gang that did drag races, you know, at night or in the sketchy areas of town. We drove jacked-up cars and made good money off it. Poverty was all around us at the orphanage, but Jake and I always had money for food and cigarettes. We even bought food for the smaller kids, too.”
My voice is steady but heavy with the weight of those memories. I pause, my jaw tightening slightly from the strain of recalling the past.
“One night, in a police raid, a few of us got caught. I couldn’t run away since I had Jake with me. He was a scrawny kid with a lung disease. The judge said I was almost an adult and that he’d put me in jail, or I could just sign up instead. From jail, I went straight to a recruiting base. There was no time to take care of things before I left. I’d taken money in advance for the races. When the cops picked me up, they took everything they found on me. I enlisted and left Jake behind to pay off my debts.”
It hurts to think about what happened back then, but I keep going so she can hear the entire story.
“I didn’t know they’d go after him. They beat him up and forced him to drive. He took all the blows for me. I was in a safe place, but I left the only person who mattered to me vulnerable. Do you understand? Jake was just a kid, thinking he was doing something important for me. He was easy pickings. He couldn’t drive as well as I could, but he went along with it. After a few months, he went all in on a dangerous race. He ended up in a river and drowned, trapped in his car.”
I look at her for just a second, gauging her reaction as she absorbs every word I say. I shift my gaze back to the road, focusing on driving and trying to ignore the knot of grief tightening in my chest. It’s not easy to express how it feels to stand in front of a gravestone during a visit to your best friend.
“Eda, a teenager Jake had been seeing for a few months, was pregnant with Iris. The girl was born without ever knowing her father. I was in my first year of Navy training, miles away, and didn’t get leave. I couldn’t go to his funeral either. That’s pretty much what happened.”
“I’m so sorry,” Lexi whispers, her touch on my shoulder sending a tremor through me. I let out a shaky breath, the words catching in my throat. All I manage is a nod, leaning ever so slightly into her touch. Maybe, just maybe, a little bit of this heavy guilt would ease if I talked about it.
“So, this is what Eda’s asking you now? To pay for what happened? How long are you going to keep doing this to yourself? It’s not fair.”
“Until this guilt stops suffocating me every damn day, and I stop feeling like I failed him. However long that takes.”
***
I pull up into the driveway, the weight of the past still sitting heavy on my chest. It’s time to go inside. This will be a welcome distraction from whatever questions Lexi still has for me. She’s right; I need to talk about this, but I feel like it’s too much for one day. My wounds are deep, but hers are fresher, more raw with grief. She’s the one who needs me now. She doesn’t have my strength and endurance, which makes me want to protect her even more.
“Let’s just go take a shower, get something to eat, and we’ll talk later,” I tell Lexi as I help her out of the car. Mike suggested extra security detail to guard the house, and I agreed, even though I already have cameras scanning the whole area and Glitch installed protection software, too. Vargas wouldn’t dare come here, so we’re safe inside. I’m not sure he’s the mastermind, anyway. He’s nothing more than a trained brute. There must be someone more evil and cunning pulling the strings. I’ve got a few guesses, but they need to be confirmed. Mike’s already got his men on it, so I’ll be getting reports soon.
I follow Lexi inside, staying close as she moves slowly, cradling her injured hand to her chest, her face etched with worry. Going back through my past has been a brutal journey, stirring up a storm of confusing emotions inside me. It felt like a giant hole opened up, and I desperately need to fill it with action, just like diving headfirst into those crazy missions back in the Navy.
As we reach the living room, she pauses, turns around, and pulls me into a tight hug. Her injured hand rests lightly on my chest as her other hand slips into mine, warm and small. She presses her forehead against mine as I hug her back, stroking her hair—a silent thank you for being the anchor I needed in this storm.
“So, what do we do now?” she asks, pulling away after a few minutes, her chin held high despite the worry in her eyes. “We just sit around, wait, and do nothing?”
Whether it’s her intuition or the fact that she’s gotten to know me by now, I welcome the change of subject. That’s exactly what I needed right now—a problem to solve.
“We’ll look for the car and keep you safe—that’s what we’ll do.”
“We, meaning you, and who else? And where do I fit into this plan?”
“We, as in me and my partners—Dominic and Damien. And Mike. You’ll be in the loop on everything, every step of the way. Honestly, I wish you would’ve told me about the car from the beginning. It would’ve been helpful to know. ”
“I was afraid one of your clients might be involved and that you’d cover for them.”
“Wow, did I really make that bad of an impression? Like someone who doesn’t know the difference between right and wrong? That’s not how we do things.”
“You’re driving me nuts with your cryptic answers. Who’s we ? And why are Damien and Dominic involved? They’re not part of your company, are they? What brought you three together? It’s like you guys have a secret code or a silent pact or something, always answering each other’s calls so fast. I know there’s more to this than you’re letting on. Who are you really, Gabriel?”
She has a point. Lexi’s seen us work and sensed the bond we have. The guys and I understand each other without saying much. That’s how we do things. We’re used to working together as a team. But above all, we’re family, and we’d die for one another.
“We’re a tight group of friends who help people. We each have our skills and resources, and we decided to use them for good. In the beginning, we reached out to veterans to help them get back on their feet after retirement. Then, we started getting more unusual requests, like people started asking us to find folks who went missing. That’s when we realized we could do a lot more than we initially thought. We love what we do, but we prefer to keep things under the radar.”
“And how do people find you?”
“Well, we hear about cases from Damien, the press, or our network of contacts. Dominic, being the most public and successful of us, also attracts requests for help.”
“Gabriel, how much more is there that I don’t know about you?”
“That’s it. I promise. You weren’t supposed to find out about the Protectors; it’s not just my secret. But… I felt you needed to know to be able to fully trust me. ”
“Was I like a case for you? Is that how it started?”
“No. You were a challenge, though. From day one.”
“You mean a woman who doesn’t do what you want?”
“No. I mean a stunning, brilliant, strong woman who never listens to me, disappears on me and keeps secrets from me—the same woman who melts in my arms.”
“Me, melt in your arms?” she laughs. “That’s not cocky at all, Mister.”
Lexi reaches over, her fingers playful in my hair, and ruffles it with a laugh. Standing on her tiptoes, she leans in, her eyes sparkling. Now that it’s just us two, I can’t resist any longer. Gently, I pull her arm and bring her into my embrace.
“Not cocky, just confident. I’m good at reading people. Being quiet gives me a chance to notice things others miss. I don’t stress about making myself likable, so I have more space and focus to take in all the details. And I know that in my arms, you’ve left all your fears and bad memories behind. I’ve seen it. So, stop fighting it.”
A flush races up Lexi’s neck, staining her cheeks a fiery red. Her tired eyes flare to life, catching the light and holding my gaze captive. A battle rages behind them, a mix of desire and something else unspoken. The air around her crackles with a tension that mirrors the storm brewing inside me. We both crave a release, a surge as electric as the adrenaline that coursed through us earlier. A rush of pleasure.
“We need to get rid of these dirty clothes. Let’s get in the shower, and I’ll help you wash,” I say.
She sits quietly, her breath shallow, as I stroke her hair. My gaze drifts from her lips, lingering on the curve of her neck before settling on the gentle rise of her breasts beneath her worn T-shirt. A faint stain marks the fabric, a reminder of the day’s chaos, which now seems to melt away under my touch .
I plant a sweet kiss on her lips and playfully nudge her towards the bedroom. She lingers for a moment, then, with a determined glint in her eye, grabs my good hand and leads me inside.
“I can’t believe you hesitated,” I tease, unable to hide a grin.
She stops by the bed and examines my hand. “I didn’t hesitate. I got used to you carrying me in your arms, but I remembered your hand hurts. No heroics tonight, okay?”
“No amount of pain would ever stop me from carrying you wherever I need to.”
Compared to me, Lexi is petite and delicate. I can easily wrap my arms around her waist or under her ass cheeks and pick her up like a flake. There’s something undeniably sexy about the way her curves fit perfectly against me and the way she responds to my touch. I know it sounds arrogant, but I feel like I’m the one who awakened her senses and the pleasure of making love to a man—to me. I’ve claimed her as mine, possessively and unequivocally. And I have to make sure I keep providing for my woman.
I grab a small towel from the bathroom, carefully wrapping it around my injured fingers. Heading back to her, I drop my jacket on the bed and turn her toward me so that my hands can explore her body.
My gaze lingers on the button of her jeans. A slow smile spreads across Lexi’s face, and she reaches out, her fingers brushing against mine. Together, we manage the first button, the small struggle turning into a playful dance of hands. Laughter bubbles up as a clumsy kiss lands on her cheek, quickly followed by another, a touch more purposeful. The room seems to heat up, and soon, our clothes become a tangled mess on the floor.
It’s amazing to hear her laugh. I just love the way she shakes her head slightly when she’s amused. The scar on her lip takes on a curved shape when she laughs hard. The warmth of the water washes away the day’s tension. As I hold her close, a wave of relief washes over me. This woman I adore, who fills my every thought, is safe in my arms.
I cover her whole body with foam as I watch the water cascade down her curves, highlighting her perfect form. Leaning in, I cup her breasts softly, feeling her heart quicken under my touch as my hands glide down her thighs until they reach the heat between her legs. Her eyes flutter closed, and she melts against me. I touch her gently, as if making a silent promise, until she shivers and twists toward me, climbs her heels onto my legs, and rests her head on my chest. I hunch over and let the shower water drench me, shielding her.
Touching her and feeling her so close ignites an intense desire within me, one that’s difficult to control. I want her in bed, feeling the weight of my body on top of hers as our hands explore each other’s desires until she moans my name, craving more until she finally surrenders.
With a playful glint in her eyes, Lexi grabs a towel as I turn off the water. She’s changed so much from the woman who came into my house a few nights ago, terrified of the darkness. I know she’s worried about what’s going on, but in my arms, her body relaxes completely. She’s open and eager, even hungry for my touches and my embrace. I asked her to stay with me for one more week and trust that I can fix this for her. But I can’t bear to think of her leaving.
We come out of the shower and put on bathrobes. Lexi insists on taking care of my fingers. She has me sit next to the vanity, pulls out some balm and wound dressing, and stands between my legs to apply it. Her eyes scan for a second the area where my bulge pushes against my robe, proof of my primal craving for her. Then she concentrates on my fingers, becoming so absorbed that she flinches a little when she feels my hand sneak under her robe and move toward the hot spot between her legs .
“Come on. Don’t start again. I have work to do.”
Her hair, still stubbornly holding on to its bun, has a few damp tendrils that refuse to be tamed and snake across her forehead. As she finishes bandaging my wound, I can’t resist teasing her. “Ouch! Careful there, doctor.”
“Aw, did that hurt? I’m sorry,” she says, shooting me a playful glare when she catches me grinning.
Once she’s done with the bandage, I lift her and place her on the vanity counter. Taken aback, she lets out a slight scream. I quickly loosen the drawstring on her robe and pull it down to admire her gorgeous body.
Our eyes meet, and a slow smile spreads across her lips as she leans in, her finger tracing a playful path down my chest through the opening of my robe. I watch her hand as I slide between her spread legs. I let her open my robe. She pushes it off my shoulders, letting it fall to my feet. I’m standing naked and aroused.
Lexi arches forward, and I respond by pulling her closer, my hands finding the gentle curve of her hips and pulling her to me until we’re perfectly wrapped around each other.
In a slow, deliberate movement, she reaches up, her fingers fumbling with the tie at the back of her hair. The ribbon gives way, and her hair tumbles down her shoulders, framing her face with damp tendrils.
Leaning back on her arms, she throws her head back and pushes her breasts toward me as a breathless moan escapes her lips. My hand trails down her spine, a delicious tremor taking hold of her. “You feel incredible,” I whisper, my voice husky with desire. “And your heart…” I brush my fingertips against the base of her neck, feeling the rapid pulse beneath my touch. “It’s racing a mile a minute. ”
I run my hand down between her breasts, feeling her soft skin. She flinches and presses harder against me. My eyes lock onto hers with an intense, primal hunger. I’ve had her before, but I crave her constantly. I feel her absence when she’s not around or when I remember her lying sexy and naked in my bed. The thought of her leaving my house and my bed when this madness finally ends makes me physically sick.
“You’re so incredibly beautiful. I wish you could stay with me forever.” I whisper the last words, unsure if she can hear me.
But she arches into me, offering herself completely. Her breath hitches as my lips brush against her neck. A soft moan escapes her lips as I take hold of her nipple, sucking it hard, the sensation sending a jolt through both of us. I cup her other breast softly and feel myself about to explode as I watch her leaning her head back against the mirror. My erection is hard as iron, pressing firmly against the warmth of her thighs.
Her hips grind against mine, and she lets out a long, throbbing moan. Her body teeters on the edge of climax as my fingers trace a teasing path along the inside of her thigh, the heat intensifying with every touch. A strangled gasp escapes her lips as I brush against the most sensitive part of her core. I gently stroke the tip of her clit and press my lips against hers, consumed by the hunger that torments me. With a low groan, I slide two fingers inside her, the wet heat welcoming my touch.
As I push harder, I can feel her grip tighten around my fingers. Her breath comes in quick gasps, her body trembling with a delicious intensity. She grips my shoulders as she moans softly, our lips and tongues locked in a kiss. The world fades away, replaced by the heat of her skin and the frantic rhythm of our hearts. As my fingers keep driving into her, her spams grow stronger, and I’m about to explode. “That’s it, baby, wrap yourself around my fingers,” I ask, unclenching my mouth from hers and looking deep into her eyes. I press harder and harder, tracing small circles on her clit.
“That’s it, let go.” She lets out a final shudder and screams, her body heavy and relaxed against me.
As the world slowly comes back into focus, she melts into me, her breath coming in soft pants. I cradle her head gently, my lips meeting hers, my fingers lingering against her now-pulsating core. A soft sigh escapes her lips as we catch our breath, our bodies intertwined. Without releasing my grip on her, I cover her face and eyes with soft kisses, feeling her cheeks and neck burning up. She fights to keep her eyes open, willing herself to slow down her breathing as her body recovers from the sweet whirlwind of sensations.
I brush aside a few stray strands of hair across her forehead and look into her eyes—her deep green eyes, now catching the light and sparkling like emeralds. She’s relaxed and content.
This woman is intoxicating. She consumes me, and she might even break my heart. But I want and need her so badly that it scares the hell out of me. As she rests her face on my shoulder, the scent of her hair and her skin carries me away.
Lexi lifts her head and hungrily presses her mouth against mine. As her tongue seeks my warmth and taste, she wraps her legs around me, and I scoop her up, taking her to the bedroom and placing her next to the bed. Her robe comes off, showing off her pale skin with hints of purple-pink where my touch has ignited her.
She lies down on the bed, her hand tugging mine, urging me to join her. I rest my elbows above her head and lean down to kiss her. Instead of rushing to her lips, I savor the journey, trailing down her neck, my lips brushing the sensitive skin behind her ear. I tease her with slow, deliberate strokes, drawing an invisible map with my tongue from her collarbone down to the swell of her breasts and the slit between her legs. Her nipples have hardened again and are pushing into the air. With my injured hand, I gently cup a breast, feeling her nipple getting even harder, the warmth searing into my palm. A soft moan escapes her lips, her voice laced with a desperate yearning. “Gabriel,” she says, breathing fire within me.
My lips first kiss, nibble, then gently squeeze the rosy flesh. She digs her fingers into my back and pulls me to her, attacking my mouth and clutching my shoulders, moving her hips to meet my perfectly hard cock.
She slips her hand between my legs and wraps it around my cock. Then she starts drawing circles on its head with her thumb until I feel like I’m about to explode again. “Don’t do that, baby. I can’t take the teasing. I want to be inside you now. Are you ready?”
Her answer is a tight squeeze on my shaft. “Fuck,” I growl and reach for a condom in the nightstand drawer. I quickly put it on and get on top of her, as Lexi bends her knees to meet me. I pull her in close, surprising her with my thumb on her throbbing clit as I gently bite her lip. She screams, arching back against my chest.
“Ready?” I ask again.
A nervous flutter plays on her lips as she nods. I pull my hand away from between her legs and lift her until we’re perfectly pressed together. In one move, I go inside her, our bodies becoming one. Her legs instinctively snake around me, pulling me closer as she slams her heels into my legs. I let her catch her breath, then go deeper until her body tells me I’ve reached the limit.
She kisses me on the lips, bites my shoulder, tugs my hair, and circles around my cock, squealing with each move. “I’m so ready for you,” she moans in my ear.
I pull out, then thrust back into her again. She’s so wet and hot, and she tightens her grip every time she takes me in. I’m dying to finish, but I want to savor her a little more.
She moves her hips to match my rhythm. “You are mine. Right now, you’re all mine.” I want to tell her I can’t think of her with another man. That I can’t be with another woman. I’m dying for her, for her lips, her tongue, her body pressed against mine. I’m dying to have her pussy and her mouth on me.
“I don’t think I could ever have enough of you,” I say.
She answers with a moan, moving in sync with me, and it’s incredible. I’ve never felt this way before with any other woman.
She melts into me, and I go all in, smooth and fast, filling her up. She grabs my shoulders and pulls me in, biting my lips over and over, our wet bodies crashing together.
“I’m coming,” she whispers in my ear.
“Wait for me,” I whisper back, and after a few more thrusts, I look her in the eye and place a kiss on her lips. “Now.”
We climax together. She leans back and puts a hand between us on her pussy, like she’s trying to hold back the explosion.
I pull her in as I feel myself splitting into a thousand pieces, my head exploding at the same time as I scream uncontrollably, “Fuck!” I press my mouth against her neck and stop moving. I feel her tight grip around my cock one last time before she finally lets me pull out.