Page 69 of Touched By Destiny

Gabriel pressed his mouth to Eric’s, and they breathed each other in until Eric feared they’d stick together permanently. With a great deal of reluctance, he rolled, and Gabriel slipped out of him. Eric wasn’t even on his back when Gabriel bounded out of bed and went to the bathroom.

After Gabriel returned, Eric half-heartedly assisted with mopping himself off as exhaustion settled in. He snuggled into the pillow as Gabriel sauntered off with the washcloth. To his surprise, Gabriel scooped Eric’s clothes off the floor and handed them over.

“Are you really going to insist I wear clothes to bed?” Eric asked.

“I think you’ll want to be clothed in case you run into anyone in the hall.”

“The hall?” Eric asked, confused, as he took the shirt and pajamas from Gabriel.

Gabriel slipped on his own pants. “Your crystal is still at my house. It’s not like you can teleport to your bedroom.”

“Teleport to my bedroom?” Eric echoed as his brain slowly chugged to life.

What the hell was Gabriel talking about?

“Did you figure out how to use more than one crystal?” Gabriel asked, tugging on his T-shirt. “You’re not getting dressed.”

Mechanically, Eric shoved a leg into his pajamas. “No, I didn’t figure out how to use more than one crystal. Why are we talking about teleportation right now?”

“Because unless you’ve mastered that, you’re going to have to walk down the hall. Someone might be up, and they probably aren’t as fond of your dick as I am.”

“Are you seriously kicking me out of your room right now?” Eric asked, annoyed. He yanked his pants on the rest of the way and dragged himself off the bed.

“You know you can’t stay.”

“I do?” Eric asked, pulling on his shirt. “Do you honestly think someone is going to come barging in here and find me in your bed?”

“No, but someone might see you come out of my bedroom and wonder what you’re doing in here in the middle of the night.”

“They’re adults—they know what sex is,” Eric retorted.

Gabriel’s mouth tightened, and he put on his guard face, effectively blocking Eric from many of his thoughts. “I’d rather them not know who I’m fucking.”

“No, you don’t want them to know you’re fucking me. Why does it matter? My mother barely reacted to finding out we fucked.”

The room went still as Gabriel’s mouth dropped open. He blinked heavily as Eric stood there, pissed off that he couldn’t even sleep with Gabriel for one night.

“What do you mean?” Gabriel asked. “How does Rosalind know we fucked?”

Eric shrugged. “I told her.”

“And you’re just now mentioning this.”

“It was forever ago,” Eric said, throwing his arms up. “I told her after the first time and said that I was going to be with you again if I could. It was before we were in a relationship. She doesn’t know about the soulmates thing.”

“I can’t believe this,” Gabriel said, massaging his temples with his fingertips. “I wish you’d mentioned that before. We’re not ready to have a public relationship. We agreed on that.”

“Fine,” Eric said, wondering why he was feeling weepy. “I’m sorry, I should’ve told you. I don’t get why it’s a big deal. We’re fucking. We’re soulmates. But you don’t want anyone to know.”

“Not yet. We aren’t ready.”

“Wrong.Youaren’t ready.”

“Fine,” Gabriel retorted, his jaw flexing. “I’m not ready, and we agreed to keep it private.”

“Which is why I have to leave,” Eric said, stalking toward the door. “I get it.”

He hesitated before walking out and turned back to Gabriel, whose gaze was harsh as they stared at each other.

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