Page 55 of A Duke's Lustful Riddle
They laid together in each other's arms bathing in the aftermath of ecstasy.
Gemma felt on top of the world. There was nothing that could ruin this moment. She loved Gabriel and it was obvious he felt the same. He showed her pleasure in a way that she was clueless about mere hours ago, but now she wanted more. She wanted to be with Gabriel forever.
Gemma turned into Gabriel’s chest, laying her head down.
“That was everything,” Gemma said, kissing his chest.
Gabriel kissed the top her head. “Indeed it was, love.”
Gemma smiled and leaned up to kiss him again. This time, the passion was softer, more like sunlight than an inferno, but no less pleasurable.
Gabriel ran his hands down her back and hair. “You are truly beautiful, Gemma. No other is like you.”
“And no man is like you,” replied Gemma. She looked deeply in his eyes. “You are the only one for me, Gabriel. My heart is yours.” She kissed him and he returned it fiercely.
She laid her had back down on his chest, smiling. “I wish every day could be like this.”
Gabriel stiffened and suddenly pulled away from Gemma.
“What is wrong?” Gemma asked as Gabriel stood up and started to dress. It was almost manic how he dressed, as though something or someone else possessed him.
They made eye contact and Gemma could see regret coursing through Gabriel’s eyes.No, please, not again. Her heart lurched in her chest.
“I need time to think,” Gabriel said before he turned and fled the house.
Gemma sat there. Alone. Surrounded by her clothing. She was becoming numb.
She had never spent much time naked before and never imagined that when she would, tears would be flowing freely down her flushed cheeks.
Gemma was left with the harsh realization that Gabriel may have regretted their intimate encounter.
Was it due to her inexperience? Was she not good?
Gemma felt awful. She felt used. Most of all she was heartbroken.
The most heart wrenching part was that she not only offered Gabriel her body but also her heart. She had fallen head over heels in love with him and he had left her alone after she had given him everything.
It broke Gemma’s heart. She felt unwanted and used by a person that she truly loved and admired.
As she dressed, she could not even enjoy the memory of her first intimate encounter. It was tainted by Gabriel’s swift departure. Dressing alone in the dower house was surreal and sad. Tears flowed freely down Gemma’s cheeks. She could not understand what she did wrong.
Why had Gabriel left so quickly? Why did this keep happening?
Those thoughts were flowing endlessly through her mind as she made her way back to Ashbourne Estate. Alone and tired from her excursion, she made it to her bed chamber. Gemma spent the rest of her night alone and in shock, trying to figure out what she wanted to do next.
***
Gabriel sat in his study reminiscing about his intimate moment with Gemma two days prior. The memory of his passionate encounter with Gemma was still vivid in his mind. Her soft supple skin made his heart race but then he would be enmeshed in a mire of guilt and internal conflict at the way he abandoned her.
He not only made love to Gemma, but he took her innocence, and then left her alone. He was overcome with guilt at this thought. He also realized that he did not take any precautions with Gemma. What if she ended up pregnant? What would he do?
Marry her? Would she want to marry him? Probably not after this last event. He didn’t even return her declaration though it made his heart sing. What would she think of him? A cad who used her and ran then trapped her in marriage.
The reality that she could have conceived weighed heavily on his mind as did other things.
They had been so caught up in each other that neither of them had looked for clues at the dower house. Overcome with this realization, Gabriel headed back to the dower house.
As he trudged outside, memories of Gemma and his encounter plagued his mind. He could not help but think about how beautiful she was and what she did to his heart. She made him feel like no other woman had made him feel before, like he was whole in a way he never thought he could be. So why then could he not stop disappointing her? Why could he not stop running?
