Page 65 of Inheritance
I walked over and did as she asked.
“Please don’t tell anyone about this.”
I narrowed my eyes at her. She was definitely planning something—but it didn’t matter. The guards would catch her before she got anywhere.
“Just try to process your feelings, and don’t shut people out. I won’t tell Gabriel.”
As soon as I closed the door behind me, I heard her moving around her room. Moments later came the soft pop of a cork from a new bottle of wine. I sighed and walked away.
Sophia
Istood in front of Gabriel's door, our door. I paused, composing myself before pushing it open.
He was there, standing by the fireplace.
The flames danced across his skin, highlighting every ridge and cut of his sculpted chest. Droplets of water clung to his shoulders, catching the light as they trailed down over muscle. His dark hair was damp, curling slightly where it brushed his neck. A towel hung low on his hips, the soft white fabric barely holding to his sharp, V-shaped waist. In that light, he looked carved from marble—powerful, untouchable.
His head tilted slightly, his jaw outlined in shadow as he stared into the flames. One hand rested on the mantel, fingers curling around the edge, the other loose at his side.
I stood there, frozen in place. The room smelled faintly of him, soap and cedar and smoke.
Then his head turned. His eyes met mine, piercing, blue, and quiet as a storm.
"I tried talking to Caroline, she?—"
A subtle wave of his hand silenced me.
My lashes fluttered. He moved toward me, stitches and bruises stretched across his chest and arms. I hadn’t realizedhow badly he’d been hurt. But he didn’t flinch. His pain, if it existed, didn’t show.
Now he was right in front of me.
His eyes burned into mine, and my spine straightened under their weight. His fingers traced along my hip, raising goosebumps in their wake.
"I missed you," he said, almost a whisper.
He pulled me in, one hand sliding down my back, the other threading through my hair and pulling firm, right at the roots. His mouth crashed into mine, urgent and hungry. I gripped his shoulders, feeling tight muscles beneath his damp skin, grounded by his strength.
Each one of my thoughts dissolved. His injuries. Caroline. Ivan.
He pulled back just enough to look at me, gaze dark and sure. Then he lifted me effortlessly, my legs wrapping around his waist.
His grip adjusted, one arm under my thighs, the other anchoring my back. My heart pounded with the strength of him, the ease with which he carried me. As he moved through the room, I traced the curve of his neck with my mouth, tasting smoke from the fire and his warmth. His shoulder flexed beneath my fingers. I could feel his heart beating faster, every inch of him alive and holding me like I was something fragile and weak.
He carried me to the bed and laid me down with a reverence that made the hunger in his eyes burn hotter.
Another kiss, rougher now, his mouth tracing a path down my neck, teeth grazing skin. He caught the hem of my shirt and lifted, the fabric whispering up my sides before he tossed it aside. He unhooked the clasp at my back, bra straps sliding down my arms in a soft fall.
My breasts settled into their natural shape, unbound, full, flushed from the chill in the air. My nipples tightened, exposed and waiting for his warm hands. His hands followed, slow and certain, leaving a trail of heat as they moved over skin newly exposed to him.
He paused to look. Not just glance. Look. His eyes mapped every curve like he needed to remember this, remember me, like he couldn't get enough.
One thumb brushed over my nipple, drawing a gasp from deep in my chest. Then again, slower, as his other hand cradled the weight of my breast, lifting it slightly before tracing the underside.
He leaned in, hot breath and then heat, his tongue circling, teeth grazing, then sucking just enough to make my fingers curl into the sheets.
I nudged at his towel with the edge of my foot. It loosened, slipping lower with each breath until it dropped.
His cock stood hard and heavy between us, throbbing with each heartbeat. His biceps flared as he pushed himself up, slow and certain. He pulled off the rest of my clothes, then spread my legs, staring down with a hunger he would satisfy.
