Page 102 of Gabriel's Salvation

Coming out of my momentary paralysis, I walk over, remove my boxers, and then carefully slide the glass door open. Riley doesn't open her eyes to look at me but instead, she lets out a soft hum as she moves her head side to side, causing sprays of water to drip down her neck and between her breasts. I take a step forward and gently lick the droplets of water from her nipple. An action that causes Riley to jump. “Gabe,” she moans. “I’m trying to…” she begins before I cut her off by placing my finger on her lips.

“Don't let me stop you; I just wanna watch.” Watch? Since when do I watch people wash their goddamn hair? Yet somehow, that's all I wanna do.

She gives me a strange, crooked smile before she loads up her hands with liquid from the shampoo pump on the wall. I watch as she massages it into her hair, and all I want to do now is kiss her. I place my hands on either side of her jaw and kiss her. Soft at first before it turns more desperate. My hands find their way into the hair at the base of her neck as I continue kissing her and let my hands twist into her hair. Riley's hands find their way to mine as she begins massaging her soapy hand through my hair. Her nails dig into my scalp slightly as she tugs at the roots. I copy her actions, scrubbing and running my fingers through her hair as she lets out little hums of satisfaction. How is something as boring and mundane as washing hair suddenly so tantalizing?

I release her hair, pull her closer to me with one hand while I reach for the shower head with the other. Wasting no time, I use the shower to wash away the suds before spinning her around so the back of her head rests against my chest. Taking more soap in my hand, I carefully wash every inch of her body, down her perfect chest, the curves of her tummy and hips, and towards my favorite part. But rather than letting my fingers slip inside her like I know she wants me to, I let my fingers tease her opening for just a brief moment before they find their way back to the inside of her thighs. She parts her legs further for me, giving me better access but for once I don't take it. Instead, I place my free arm around her waist, hugging her tightly while peppering soft kisses behind her ear, down her neck and onto her shoulder, enjoying the feeling of peace and warmth as the hot water pounds down on us. I could stay like this forever.

Riley spins herself around so that she can rest her head against my chest and I hold her tightly against me, taking in the unfamiliar vanilla scent wafting from her head. We stay silently locked in our embrace until the water begins to run cold.

“I think it's time to get out.” I laugh as the cold water begins to beat down on top of us.

“But I don't wanna let go,” Riley whines, even as I feel the goosebumps appear on her skin.

Reluctantly, she releases her hold on me and reaches for the rolled up towels just outside of the shower, handing one to me first.

I use the large towel to wrap her in first before reaching for another one to wrap around my waist.

We make our way to the bedroom and climb straight into bed, not caring whether or not we're fully dry, just desperate for some heat, comfort, and rest after our hectic day.

“Thank you for today,” Riley says as she looks up with the most beautiful, sleepy eyes.

“I'm glad you enjoyed it. I wasn't sure if...” I begin, but she cuts me off.

“It was perfect.”

I run my hand along her jawline and into her hair, pulling her closer to me so that I can kiss her.

It starts off soft at first but her lips open. As my tongue darts in, a very small, soft moan leaves her lips. I reach my hand down, grabbing the back of her leg and pulling her leg on top of mine.

As our kisses grow in intensity, I find myself rolling on top of her to deepen it and to feel closer to her. It's kind of nice to just kiss,without rushing straight for more. Who the fuck has my girl turned me into?

“Mmm, I love… kissing you,” Riley moans as she breaks away and hides her face in my chest.

“I like kissing you too,” I laugh. What a weird thing to say.

Chapter Thirty-Four

Riley

Ilove kissing you? I mentally facepalm at my own awkwardness. I can't believe I almost blurted out those three words.

I love you! But do I? I know I care for him and that I don’t want this, whatever it is, to end. But is it love? Real love? And more to the point, could he ever love me back?

“Riley? Did you hear me?” Gabe asks gently, tapping a finger on my shoulder.

“Sorry, what?” I ask as I shake my head and try to bring myself back to reality.

“I was asking if you wanted to watch TV or something?”

“Yeah, okay,” I say as I shuffle out of the bed and reach for the remote that's placed on the bedside table.

I flick from channel to channel looking for something interesting to watch but nothing really sounds good. I continue looking until I hear a Taylor Swift song belting out.

“Oh my god! I used to love this song,” I laugh as I begin singing along. “Don't tell me you don’t know this one,” I say when I see Gabe eyeing me up with a small grin.

“Not a clue what this is, but don’t let me stop ya,” he laughs.

“Taylor Swift! You don't know who Taylor Swift is?” I gasp.

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