Page 45 of Blood Lust

She pressed a kiss to my forearm that held her tight, and I closed my eyes. I wasn’t prepared for the onslaught of emotion that came over me as I processed what we’d just shared.

As I pulled her closer, I realized there was no denying it anymore. I fucking loved her, and with that came an entire new set of complications.

She was a liability. She had become my weakness.

But I couldn’t give her up.

“Timeless”—Rob Thomas

The heavy weight around my waist was unfamiliar, and I frowned as I stretched.

“Mmm,” a decidedly masculine hum sounded behind me, and I realized the delicious heat that I’d been snuggled up to was Gabriel. He pushed his hips forward until his thick length slid through the valley of my ass cheeks. His hand wrapped around my boob, and I glanced down to appreciate the contrast of his large hand squeezing my soft olive flesh.

“Mmm, indeed,” I murmured in a voice rough with sleep.

There was knock on the door, and Gabriel lifted this head. “What?” he grumbled.

“Gabriel, I’m sorry, but it’s important,” Pietro called through the wooden door.

Gabe was immediately up and out of the bed, leaving me huffing at the loss of his comforting body tucked behind mine.

“I know, babe. Trust me, I know,” he softly replied as I heard the rustle of him putting on clothing. What a shame too.

When he rounded the bed and approached the door, I admired the carved muscles on his back and how they slid smoothly beneath his golden skin. The ink on his arms was sexy as fuck and almost like my own little secret, since only a tiny hint was usually visible between his watch and the ends of his shirt sleeves. His dark hair was in a naughty disarray, and anyone with half a brain would know I’d been tugging at it off and on all night.

He opened the door a crack, and they had a low exchange that I couldn’t make out. Then again, I didn’t try because I was too busy trying to keep my heavy lids from closing.

The door closed with a snap, and I lifted my head, but he wasn’t coming back to bed. He was gone. Now that I was awake, I figured I might as well get up and shower.

My body ached in all the best ways as I climbed out of bed. Softly, I padded over the expensive rug to the bathroom. I closed the door and sighed at the deep and expansive tub. It would take forever to fill, though, and I was hungry, so I opted for a shower.

Smoothing Gabriel’s bodywash over my skin, I noted light bruises from where he’d held me as he fucked me with punishing and unbridled passion. I didn’t regret a single one. Instead, I reveled in the fact that I’d smell like him all day. Once I was clean and my hair was washed, I turned off the water, grabbed a fluffy towel, and dried off.

When I exited the posh bathroom, Gabriel still wasn’t back. My mouth twisted in consternation because I wanted to go get something to eat, but I didn’t have clean clothes in here. With a sigh, I gripped the towel tightly closed and grabbed my dirty clothes from the floor.

I stuck my head out the door and listened. When I didn’t hear anything, I cautiously tiptoed to the end of the hallway. They weren’t in the living room either, so I rushed through the huge room and into my hall. I practically dove into my room and closed the door.

Leaning against it, I panted and laughed.

With a smile on my face, I went to my dresser to gather fresh panties and socks. That grin stayed in place as I brushed my teeth and pulled clean clothes from the hangers in the closet. Except before I could change, there was a knock on my door.

When I opened it, my smile fell. The expression on Gabriel’s face instantly had my guard up—because I knew it was bad. Pietro stood behind him and immediately dropped his gaze respectfully when he saw my state of dress. Gabriel shot him a glare, I assumed to ensure he wasn’t looking at me.

“You need to get dressed, baby. Your father is in the hospital. It’s not good.”

The world fell out from under my feet and my knees buckled. Thankfully, he caught me and hefted me into his arms. “Are you okay? Do you want to go see him or do you need to lay down?”

“Please. I need to see him,” I begged.

He shot a glance at Pietro, and they seemed to have an unspoken conversation. Pietro nodded and walked off, lifting his phone to his ear. Gabriel sat me on my bed. He helped me put my clothes on and grabbed my purse and shoes. Shock was starting to set in, and I was going numb.

His phone rang, and he cursed. “What, Vittorio?” he snapped.

I could hear his brother talking for a few moments, and then Gabriel cursed again. “Fuck!”

Pietro came back and stopped at the door. His frown was dark and fierce as he waited for Gabriel to get off the phone.

“I can’t go,” Gabriel practically snarled.

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