Page 12 of Salvation

There is no way in hell that the end game here is going to be good.

My breath catches and I squeeze my eyes shut in a desperate ploy to stop the thoughts racing through my head.

I hear something and crack my eyes open. Gabrial is walking back into the room carrying a large tray. He’s barefoot and bare-chested. His dark slacks are zipped, but unbuttoned, and his hair is messy from my hands. His olive skin is almost glistening in the moonlight. I can’t look away from him. He’s so beautiful. He looks like a mythical being.

His dark eyes and jet black hair along with the body that looks like it was carved from stone by one of the gods… it’s so perfect it almost hurts my eyes from the sheer perfection.

He uses his elbow to turn on the overhead light.

I blink in the sudden brightness, but it only further magnifies his dark, dangerous beauty. My breath catches in my chest.

Smiling at me, he crosses the room. After setting the tray on the bed, he climbs in and pulls the tray between us. Glancing at it, I see it’s covered with a few different pastas and an antipasto plate of fruit, cheese, and meats. A loaf of crusty bread is in a basket and a bottle of sweet red wine is accompanied by two delicate glasses. There’s also a single, blood red rose in a slim vase.

My brow arches and I exclaim, “Um, where did all this come from?”

He nods at the bottle and asks, “Would you like a glass, Hope?” I nod and he pulls out the already popped cork and pours before holding the glass out to me. My fingers brush his as I take it. Raising it to my lips, I take a sip. The rich red of the wine coats my tongue and as I swallow I get a hint of cherries and chocolate. Licking my lips, I sigh in appreciation. Gabrial laughs and pours himself a glass of the deep red liquid. He settles back against the pillows and looks at me. “Davey picked it up earlier and he just reheated it and uncorked the wine while we were occupied.”

My face flames as I realize what he’s saying. I cough and cover my mouth to prevent spitting red wine on the dark sheets. My eyes are huge saucers in my face as I exclaim, “He came in behind me?

“Oh my God, Gabrial… Did he hear us?”

He smirks and shrugs. “I honestly don’t know. He didn’t mention it, though that would be disrespectful, and he knows better.”

My face feels like it’s on fire. I set the glass down and glare at Gabrial. “Dear God, Gabrial! That is so not okay. We were having a private moment. Multiple private moments…”

His eyes sharpen as they center on me. “Hope, I can assure you that Davey is not getting his kicks from listening to our lovemaking. We are upstairs. He was in the kitchen and is now out back taking care of a couple of things before he heads home. I highly doubt that he overheard us, and even if he did, he would never make mention of that fact. He would never presume to disrespect you that way, and if he did, it would be swiftly dealt with.”

I swallow at the hardness that enters Gabrial’s voice and a shiver races down my spine. I don’t doubt that he would “deal with disrespect” and my blood runs cold at how that might occur. Smiling at him to try to relax his suddenly tense jaw, I lean over and cup his face. “I didn’t think he was intentionally listening. I’m just embarrassed at the fact that he could have possibly heard us.”

He nods and leans down to kiss me lightly. My lips cling to his without hesitation. He leans back and smiles. His face is lighter. Gesturing to the tray, he says, “Let’s eat. I fully intend to have you moaning and screaming again later.” He winks. “But at least we’re alone in the house now.”

Blushing again, I hurriedly reach around him for a fork and twirl it in one of the pasta dishes on the tray. The flavors burst on my tongue, and I moan in appreciation.

This is amazing.

Gabrial smiles as he sees me enjoying the food. He breaks some of the crusty bread and takes a bite before holding the remainder of the bite out to me. My lips wrap around his fingers and my eyes close as the warm bread dissolves in my mouth.

We eat the rest of the meal silently, taking turns feeding each other bites of the delicious array.

As the last of the fruit is consumed, I lean back and sigh. Gabrial chuckles. “That was to your liking, love?”

I sleepily nod at him. My stomach is full and my eyes are heavy after the delicious meal and the long day. He leans over and kisses my forehead while whispering, “Sleep now. I’ll wake you in a bit.”

Before I can tell him it’ll just be a cat nap, I’m asleep.

* * *

It’sdark when something rouses me from my deep slumber, and for a second, I’m uncertain of where I am. As my eyes adjust to the darkness and my sleepy brain clears, I remember I’m at Gabrial’s house. Glancing at the bedside table, I see the time… 1:17AM.

Damn, I must have been really tired. But what woke me? And where is Gabrial?

Quietly slipping out of the bed, I open his closet and slip a shirt off the hangers before pulling it on and fastening a few of the buttons. The bedroom door is closed, so taking care, I open it and listen to try to determine where Gabrial is. Maybe he went downstairs and fell asleep with the TV on or something.

I can hear muted voices coming from downstairs once I step onto the landing.

He has company! Who the hell is here at 1AM? And do I really want to know what the hell they’re doing here or why?

Ignoring the sane part of my brain, I head silently down the stairs. My feet are bare and make no noise on the wooden stairs as I descend. The voices are coming from the direction of the living room, so without stopping to think it through, I head that way, taking care to stay close to the wall.

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