“Anything you want to watch?” Gabriella asks an hour later after changing into a pair of sleep shorts and a tank top. We’re in her family room and on the couch, sitting side by side while sharing a blanket. Her choice. She hasn’t talked much after my confession; not in an uncomfortable way, but more contemplative—dissecting what she learned and my admission, because I want her.
All of her. Every soft inch.
Every sigh. Every moan. Every tear.
“I doubt you’ll enjoy what I decompress to.”
“Try me.” The streaming app is open and her avatar is quite cute in a purple-ish shade and superhero costume. “You’ll be surprised at what I enjoy.”
I’m more surprised with her need to have me close. The sweet way she asked me to stay.
Walking her to the door, I step to the side and wait for her to unlock it. “Will you be okay?”
Gabriella doesn’t answer at first, turning and pushing the doorknob instead before turning to face me from the other side of the threshold. “Are you leaving?”
“I’m not going to assume you want me here, beautiful. You’ve had a rough day, and I’ll give you space.”
Her brows furrow. “But I don’t want you to leave.”
“Are you sure? I’m only a phone call away.”
“This is my way of asking you.”
“I need to hear you say the words, Gabriella. I’m not going to assume.”
“Theodore, come inside and lock the door behind you...” she’s walking away, calling from over her shoulder while her hips sway from side to side “...I’m not in the mood for more surprise visits.”
“Don’t complain later.”
“Just pick something. I’ll be right back.” Gabriella stands from her place beside me and heads toward her kitchen, the opening of her fridge following soon after. “Do you want anything? It’s all sugary and bad for you.”
“No, thank you,” I call back and then scroll through her Watch Again selection, quite impressed with her choices. She is a little morbid, and that makes me smile as it’s nothing but dangerous animals and serial killers with the occasional cultural documentary. No romance or comedy or even a cooking show. “Fuck, she’s perfect.”
Something plastic is being opened and then another door opens; my guess is the microwave, and my suspicion is confirmed a few seconds later when the smell of popcorn permeates the air. “Did you pick yet? If not, it’s my choice when I get back.”
“I have.”
“What?” Her head sticks out of the entrance, nose scrunched up in the cutest way.
“This.” A few clicks and the opening to a docu-series I’ve watched a few times comes onto the screen.
“Wait! I’m not ready yet.”
“You have sixty seconds before I hit start.”
“You’re in my home. You wait for the hostess.”
“Fifty,” I chuckle.
“Not funny.”
“Forty-three.”
“You suck,” she huffs, rushing back with a large bowl of popcorn and a Dr. Pepper in her hands. The innuendo sits on the tip of my tongue. I want her to know I’d gladly lick, bite, and suck every inch of her body, but instead hit play. The intro starts, and she raises her brow. “What’s this about?”
“It’s the story of a man who rises to power by using religion as his shield for the crimes committed,” I say as the beautiful woman next to me scoots a little closer, her arm brushing mine. My hands clench, nails digging into my palms while she tests me. My self-control. The need to possess her every kiss is maddening, but she’s had a rough day and I’d be just as disgusting as those around her who take without care. So instead, I look at her and smile. “He lies and steals and eventually fucks every adult member of his church before slaughtering the poor souls that followed him out onto that island.”
“I’ve heard of this one, but never watched it. A false prophet?”
“You can call him that.”
“How gruesome is it?” Gabriella munches on a few kernels before taking a sip from her drink. Her legs are tucked beneath her, body leaning another inch closer. Innocent tease. “Scale of one to ten?”
“Solid four. To me it’s more informative than scary.”
“Boring, then?”
“More like getting to know the mind of a killer.”
“Ahh, a good one, then.” Then she turns her attention to the screen while I watch her. Take notice of the way her eyes widen and each shake of her head as the start of his rise to power plays on the screen. There are a few snorts here and there, the are you fucking kidding me look that all women possess and have perfected after decades of testing, and finally she moves and rests her head on my shoulder.
The bowl is half gone and the soda placed on the table. Volume on low, we sit in silence and when her face nuzzles my arm, I turn a bit and pull her against my chest. She’s half lying on me—so warm and soft—her small body tucking perfectly against me.
It feels right.
Everything does.
And when her breathing evens out and I move us to a more laying down position, I’m rewarded by gorgeous green eyes opening just long enough to lay the smallest kiss on my lips. It’s brief, a tease, but I can’t help the low chuckle that leaves me as a few seconds later, when I seek them out for more, a low snore meets my ears.
24
Gabriella
Warm lips trail down my neck, leaving small stinging bites along my skin. I’m flushed, so sensitive, and I arch into the stranger’s touch. Silently I ask for more, nearly crying when the warmth of his mouth lifts and a tsking sound leaves the back of his throat.
The sound is admonishing with just the hint of teasing, and I whine pathetically like the needy girl he makes me. I still can’t see his face, his body above mine as I lay face down on an oversized, ornate bed with plush bedding in red this time. A change. A tease. It’s
