I jolted awake, momentarily disoriented in the darkness. Then I remembered. Club Desire. The blackout. Gabriel. The memory of his lips on mine flashed, and heat pooled low in my belly.
I looked over at his sleeping form, sprawled out on my sofa like he owned it, all hard muscle and tattoos. My fingers itched to trace the lines of ink on his skin, explore the planes of his chest and abs.
Protecting people, he’d said. Protecting me. That was why he’d pulled away when we were both drowning in desire. The bulge straining against his jeans had told me all I needed to know – he wanted me as badly as I wanted him.
My mind was made up. I’d chosen my path, and this was it.
I crept to the bathroom and splashed cold water on my face, banishing any remaining doubts. I shook out my locs and let them tumble over my shoulders. I stripped off my shirt and jeans, glancing in the mirror at my reflection. Still the same woman, but ready to shed my past and claim my future. And more importantly, my present.
When I went back out, Gabriel was still asleep. I climbed onto the sofa and into his lap, lifting one of his arms to wrap around my waist.
Then I kissed him.
His eyes flew open, hands clenching around me. “Naya, what are you doing?” His voice was gravelly with sleep and desire.
“What we both want,” I said softly. “What we both need.”
“This isn’t smart.” But his hands were already roaming my body, relearning my curves.
“I don’t want to be smart right now.” I shifted against him, feeling the hard length of him pressed against me. “I want to be happy.”
He gazed at me for a long moment, eyes dark with longing. Then he surged up to capture my mouth again, kissing me fiercely.
When we came up for air, I whispered, “Make me happy, Gabriel.”
“I’m going to make you happier than you’ve ever been, Naya.” His lips trailed down my neck, leaving a path of fire in their wake.
I smiled, running my hands over his broad shoulders. “Don’t stop. I’m all in.”
And as his mouth closed over my breast, I gave myself over to bliss. His mouth was hot and demanding, tugging at my nipple until I whimpered. Then his hand slid between my legs, parting me, testing my wetness. “So ready for me,” he rasped. “So perfect.”
I clutched at his shoulders. Beyond words. When one long finger entered me, I cried out, bucking against his hand.
“That’s it, sweet girl,” he murmured, sliding in and out in a rhythm that made me dizzy. “Let go.”
The coil of heat in my belly wound tighter and tighter. I was so close—
Then his fingers curled inside me, finding a spot that sent starbursts across my vision. The coil snapped, and I shattered, coming apart around his hand.
“Gabriel!” His name was a sob, a plea for more. For everything. Through the haze of my climax, I felt him moving away.
Gabriel’s groan sent shivers down my spine as he lifted me up and placed me gently on my back, spreading my legs apart. He slid his pants off, revealing the massive length of his cock in his hand. I couldn’t help but smile and bite my lower lip, desperate to have him inside me. His gaze never left my eyes as he slid a condom down his length.
My fingers traced down my body, opening myself for him. At that moment, I felt like a new woman; brazen, and ready for any and everything life had to offer. I played with myself, relishing in the agonized look of ecstasy that crossed Gabriel’s face.
“God, Naya,” he breathed, his voice raw with desire. “I want to taste you. To make you come a hundred times with my lips and fingers… but right now, I’m going to die if I don’t bury my cock inside you.”
“What are you waiting for, then?” I challenged, the words tumbling from my lips like a dare.
Gabriel climbed on top of me, lifting one of my legs up as he pushed his sheathed length inside me. He whispered, “You’re tight and wet and perfect.” The sensation of him sliding deeper inside me was intoxicating. He leaned over and kissed me, our passion mingling in hot, feverish lust.
I wrapped my arms around Gabriel’s shoulders and used my leg to prod him deeper inside me. When his cock was fully buried within me, I moaned. He was so big and so hard, filling me in a way I’d never experienced before. Gabriel began to move, fucking me slowly, pulling back and pressing forward again, allowing me to feel every thick inch of him over and over again.
“Please… faster,” I gasped, my body craving more of him.
Our gazes locked, and in his eyes I saw tenderness, passion—and something more. Something that made my heart skip with joy and terror all at once.
I pulled him down for a searing kiss, losing myself in the rhythm of our bodies. I clung to Gabriel as he moved within me, each thrust winding the coil tighter. The world narrowed to the two of us. Nothing else existing but his hands on my skin, his lips claiming mine again and again, his cock filling me so completely I thought I might die from the pleasure.
“Your sweet little pussy was made to hold me,” Gabriel said.
His words echoed my own thoughts. Being with Gabriel like this, our bodies and hearts entwined, was perfection. As if we were made for each other, two halves of a whole.
The coil of heat inside me threatened to snap once more, and I tilted my hips up, taking him deeper. Gabriel growled in response, his rhythm faltering.
“Come for me again,” he said roughly. “I want to feel you come on my cock.”
His words sent a fresh wave of heat through me. I was close, so close. Just a little more—
Gabriel slid a hand between us, finding the aching nub of my clit. He rubbed in tight circles, in time with his thrusts, and the coil burst apart, pleasure flooding my senses.
“Gabriel!” I cried out his name as I came, my inner walls clenching around him.
With a shout, he followed after, his cock pulsing inside me as he found his own release. Gabriel collapsed on top of me, his heart pounding against my chest.
We lay there for long moments, still joined, simply breathing each other in. I felt limp and languid, thoroughly satisfied.
After some time, Gabriel lifted his head to look down at me. I gazed up at him, wondering what he saw in my eyes. What I saw in his.
Gabriel withdrew from me slowly and disposed of the condom. I missed the fullness of him inside me immediately.
He gathered me into his arms again, pulling a blanket over us. I nestled against his chest, listening to the strong, steady beat of his heart.
“You’re incredible,” he whispered, dropping a kiss on the top of my head.
I tilted my face up for a proper kiss. “So are you.”
Gabriel obliged, his lips soft and unhurried against mine. We traded lazy kisses for long minutes, basking in the afterglow of our lovemaking.
“I don’t want this night to end,” I admitted.
“Then it won’t.” Gabriel tightened his arms around me. “We have all the time in the world, Naya. However long you want.” He kissed me again, slow and deep.
When we parted, I let my eyes drift closed. Held tight in Gabriel’s embrace, I had never felt so safe or content.