Page 28 of Fragile

Vacantly nodding along to his story and making brief eye contact with my friend, I thanked Asher for refilling my cup of beer. When I glanced back towards the trio, the stranger had gone. Gabriel’s attention was now solely on his date. I watched from beneath my lashes as he shifted her into a straddling position, his strong hand flipping her leg around. The fluid movement of her body blocked Gabriel’s face from sight and all I could see was the back of her head. His hands then slid slowly up her back into her hair, suggesting they were kissing. The way her back arched against his body was X-rated. I felt sick but couldn’t look away. No one around them paid any attention to the fact that they were clearly playing tongue tennis in front of them. My mouth dropped open as Gabriel suddenly gripped her hair in a fist and tilted her head to the side, his other hand dropped to palm her bum. A strange sensation danced through my body as I watched the way he kissed her, it was borderline aggressive. Their eyes were closed, thoroughly enjoying themselves and as I watched Gabriel’s tongue spear into her mouth I turned away. He ravished her lips, tugging her hair to deepen the kiss and I felt a forbidden heat between my legs. OMG, I was a voyeur. When did I become such a pervert?

“Introduce us, Ash,” a voice boomed from beside me. My cheeks heated, I so hoped I hadn’t been caught ogling the lovers. Putting on my game face, I twisted my head, as the large tattooed convict-type appeared beside us. He was extremely tall and intimidating but not in the same way as Gabriel. I found it interesting how he didn’t ask, he just commanded to be introduced. It appeared Gabriel associated himself with like-minded people.

Taking a shy sip from my cup, I glanced up as Asher made the introductions. “Leonie, this mountain is Max. Max, this is Leonie. My new roomie.”

Shuffling back against the kitchen counter, I smiled my reply and then before I had any time to comprehend what was happening, Max leaned down and brushed his mouth over mine. In shock, my lips parted and some of the beer sloshed out of my cup.

He lifted his head slowly, those dark eyes assessing. “I won’t apologise. That’s how I greet the pretty ones,” Max said, grinning down at me. His smile was infectious and I couldn’t help but laugh. I was so uptight, I needed to loosen up. Nobody else in the room was phased by people making out, so why should I be? Of course, it wasn’t what they were doing, it was who was doing it that had me rattled.

“And I must say, you taste as sweet as you look,” he added, his tongue darting to his lips.

“I see. You’re a fast mover?” I pointed out, looking up into his warm eyes. They were kind eyes irrespective of his thug-like appearance and I instantly liked him.

“Abso-fucking-lutely. When a girl looks like you, the only way to get in there—is fast. Either that or get in line, and I’m not a patient man.”

“I can see that.”

“The guys were all banging on about you the other night and I didn’t know whether to believe them. But now I can see what they were talking about and why he’s so unnerved.”

“Why who’s unnerved?” I questioned, flicking a glance at Ash who was now texting on his phone.

“Our prince,” Max stated with a curl to his lip.

“Your prince being?”

“The cocky motherfucker you’re living with.” My eyes shifted back to Ash who lowered his phone, rolled his eyes, and shook his head. “Don’t look at me.”

“Not that drippy fucker.”

“You know I’m standing right here and I can hear you,” Ash objected, his feathers well and truly ruffled.

“I know.”

“Great.” You could tell he wasn’t really offended, distracted I would say and with a tut of disgust he turned back to his phone. Mark maybe?

Max nudged Ash with his elbow but kept his eyes on me. “I’m only playing. He can take it.”

“So, this prince?” I prompted.

Max leaned in, lowering his head. “Put it this way, if you look behind me, I imagine his eyes are drilling holes into my back, just for talking to you. He clearly didn’t see the kiss, otherwise, he’d be over here and Lisa would now be sitting on the floor.”

I did as he suggested, knowing that he meant Gabriel. He was still in the same position with the girl draped over him. As I flicked a glance up his body, I could see his eyes shooting me daggers over her shoulder. My frown deepened as Gabriel’s hands now rested on the girl's back, he was watching us and kissing her at the same time. His mouth continued to drink from her lips whilst his eyes remained open, his stormy gaze on me. Almost like he was rubbing my nose in it.

The girl's back arched again as she ground herself against him and his tongue slid back into her mouth. I felt a sting of something unfamiliar and drew away, using Max’s body to shield me from that view. One I found oddly disturbing.

“Told you,” Max said, his arm brushing my shoulder as he placed his empty beer bottle on the counter at my back. I wanted to state that Gabriel looked like he was enjoying himself very much, but I refrained. I knew the kiss had been for my benefit; like he was making some type of statement.

“So, you think us talking would upset Gabriel?” I felt a twinge of remorse as I knew I shouldn’t be speaking about him to his friends but Max was the one who had dropped the bombshell.

“Something like that.” For goodness’s sake, were all these boys cryptic? How hard was it to get a straight answer out of one of them? Probably up there with winning the lottery.

Asher suddenly lifted his phone to his ear and excused himself, leaving me alone with the giant. Well, apart from that room full of people who were all wrapped up in their own stuff.

“So, I take it you and Ash aren’t bumping uglies then,” Max said with a raised eyebrow.

Shaking my head, I deposited my cup next to Max’s beer and wondered what to do with my hands.

When I twisted back, Max had moved to my side and I turned to face him, we both had one hip against the counter and were standing way too close to each other. In my opinion anyway, from the way he held his body, Max had no problem with the lack of space.

---