Page 60 of The Alpha's Stolen Mate

But trying not to think about Gabriel and our connection was impossible. My love for him had grown tonight as I watched him save Grayson, but could I really give my heart to a man I didn’t fully trust with it? Would he hurt me again for the sake of “protecting” me?

“Would you like a drink?” Gabriel murmured. “There’s a bar cart in my office.”

I knew I should just go to my room and go to bed. But I wasn’t ready to say goodnight to him yet.

We held hands on the way to his office, his thumb tracing comforting circles on the back of my hand.

My legs trembled when I stepped into his dimly lit office. Memories from last night made my heart rate rise, and when my eyes landed on his wooden desk, I almost let out a moan. He only had two monitors still, and I bit my lip when I recalled how the other had smashed to the ground.

Gabriel strode over to the bar cart and began to rummage around.

When I closed the door with a small click, his back stiffened. Seeing his shoulder muscles in a tight black shirt made my thighs clench. I needed to relieve this ache inside of me.

I want this man.

But was it smart to have him?

Damn, I wished I could just turn my brain off for one night.

“Does a Moscow Mule sound good?” Gabriel asked.

“Uh, I’ve never had one before,” I admitted. “Whatever you’re having is fine.”

While he prepared our drinks, I looked at the spines of the many books he had displayed on the shelves.

“How many of these have you actually read?” I asked in a teasing tone.

His lips twitched as he cut up a lime.

“Probably two or three,” he admitted.

I smiled at his honesty.

Gabriel poured our drinks into fancy copper mugs. When he handed me mine, our fingers brushed, and I let out an embarrassing gasp, my cheeks heating.

His green eyes darkened with desire, and he glanced at his desk behind me.

“What’s in this?” I asked to try to distract myself from the intense need pulsing through me.

“Vodka, lime juice, and ginger beer,” he said, and took a sip of his.

Tentatively, I did the same.

“Oh, that’s delicious,” I said and grinned.

The drink was sweet, refreshing, but had a little bit of a kick from the ginger.

Gabriel took a long pull from his cup and then licked his lips.

My mouth went dry.

“This drink tastes like you,” he muttered, his deep voice even lower than usual.

My eyes went wide.

“W-what?”

He took a step closer to me.

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