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He entered me all at once and I cried out, grateful to be filled by him and frustrated by the fact that I couldn’t lose myself in his embrace. My mind wandered elsewhere, on the sadness and fear I couldn’t forget. Still, I moved against him hungrily, desperate for the release that only Gabe could give me.
Unfortunately, it never came.
“Babe?” he said a few minutes later. “I’m close…” The strain was clear in his voice.
“So am I.”
He pulled back and looked at me. “You think I can’t tell you’re lying?”
I wrapped my arms around him, kissing him desperately. I wanted to feel him come inside me, to be comforted by his body’s pleasure, even if I couldn’t join him. “Please,” I whispered, “please.”
Gabe gently rolled off me. “I can’t.” He let out a flat laugh. “You’ve ruined me. I can only come when you come. You’ll never get rid of me now.”
I laughed, and then I realized I was crying.
He pulled me onto his chest and stroked my hair, letting me get it out. “I’m sorry—this was a bad idea.” He sounded miserable. “I was being selfish…I wanted you all to myself.”
“N-no. It’s me. I’m sorry I’m ruining our time together.”
He tightened his embrace and kissed the top of my head. “Shh. You don’t have anything to apologize for.”
I forced myself to calm down. Everything Gabe did, he did for me—a fact I was well aware of. No other man could handle me, or would’ve had the patience to wait to lure me out of my ivory laboratory, divest me of my virginity, and handle every other crazy thing that’d come our way since.
“I love you,” I said.
“I know.” He kissed my nose. “And I love you too.”
“Even though you have…blue balls?” I laughed, trying to lighten the mood, although my face reddened at the topic.
Gabe looked at me, startled. “Lauren Taylor, where on earth did you hear such an expression?”
“High school AP chemistry,” I admitted, and laughed again. “We were doing a section on cryogenics. The boys in my class passed me a note about it—they used to call me ‘The Ice Queen.’ They said I was the freezer of all balls. They wouldn’t stop laughing.”
Gabe grimaced. “Do you remember who they were? They might need a visit from your big, bad, vendetta-loving boyfriend.”
“Oh, I already took care of them. I got an A-plus in that class, beat them all out for the last remaining spot in the National Honor Society, and I also compromised the integrity of their test tubes so they shattered during our next experiment.” I smiled at the memory. “After I started Paragon, one of them had the nerve to try to add me to his LinkedIn. I blocked him, of course.”
“Nice.” Gabe sounded impressed.
“It seemed appropriate. The Ice Queen doesn’t let shit like that go.”
Gabe pulled me against him. “That’s why she’s the boss.”
I clung to him. I never thought I’d meet a man who understood me, let alone embrace me for who I was. “Thank you for…loving me. Me, the giver of blue balls.”
He patted my hand. “Me and my balls love you—a lot. We’re good, babe. But we should try to get some rest while we can—are you okay?”
I relaxed against his chest. “I’m okay.” And for that brief moment in his arms, I actually meant it.
After a quick nap, we left our suite for the lounge. The bartender put menus in front of us, and I struggled to concentrate on the words. I kept thinking about Hannah, about how time was moving—too fast and not fast enough. I wanted my sister back, but I didn’t know what was going to happen…to me.
I clung to Gabe. Four days. What if I have to say good-bye to him?
I shuddered, and Gabe gave me a questioning look, his hand roaming dangerously up my thigh. “We should order, huh?” He threw the menu open one-handed and looked at it as he squeezed my leg again, making me ache for him
.
Hannah and Gabe. Gabe and Hannah. The two people I loved the most—one I might get back, the other I might have to leave…
