AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Gabriel’s arms encircled me, slipping behind my back to provide a cushion between me and the hard wall.
I barely realized what was happening, and it was over. Gabriel raised his head then immediately lowered it again, not for another kiss but to groan harshly against the side of my mouth, not quite touching, but a hair’s breadth away from that second kiss I now wanted so badly.
I swallowed hard.
He groaned.
“Do you have any fucking clue how lucky you are right now?”
My chaotic mind scrambled to decipher the meaning behind his words. Was he being arrogant, and I was supposed to feel lucky for being in a dark hallway with a man as hot as he was?
Was I supposed to feel fortunate he’d lowered himself to kiss me?
“If anyone out there had been watching you dance like that...” His voice trailed off in a groan as he lowered his head to the side of my neck. I shivered at his closeness, but he went no further. He inhaled deeply as he tightened his arms.
I didn’t know what to say! “I... you asked.” I turned my head, my lips close to his ear. “I didn’t want to disappoint you,” I reminded him, my voice laced with a huskiness I’d never heard before.
Another groan escaped him as he turned his head until our lips were practically touching.
“You didn’t.” He sighed heavily and stroked my cheek with the pad of his thumb. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“That was a lousy first kiss. I can do better, but not here. Come on.” Gabriel grabbed my arm and pulled me toward the exit door at the end of the hall.
“Where are we going?”
“Someplace where I won’t make a complete ass of myself again.”
Gabriel pulled me down the hallway to the exit, walking so fast I had to run a bit to catch up to him enough that my shoulder didn’t hurt. When he got to the door, I pulled back, hard enough to get his attention.
I sucked in a deep breath and watched as he stopped and did the same.
“You’re right. I’m sorry. I’m getting...” He ran a hand over his face. “We don’t have to leave if you don’t want to.”
“No. I want to. I just... well, unless that’s my clutch you have shoved down the front of your pants, we need to go back to the booth and get my purse. And my coat.”
His eyes narrowed with frustration. “Do you really need it?”
His question was so absurd, I had to laugh again. “Well, yeah, I need it. It’s cold out and my purse has my driver’s license, some cash, my credit cards... Oh, God, I hope it’s still there. I mean, this is a club in New York City. People move fast here.”
He shook his head, realizing the real world still existed around us.
“I’ll go get them,” I said as I turned.
“No,” he said calmly. The spell had been broken. “I’ll go. Wait here.”
I leaned against the wall, not one bit ashamed as I admired him walking away. Gabriel wasn’t gone long, just long enough for my nerves to set in again. I wasn’t sure where we were going or what he’d expect from me when we got there.
But I absolutely wanted to redo that kiss. Not that the first one wasn’t good. Despite his disparaging remarks, Gabriel had nothing to apologize for. The kiss was aggressive, but it wasn’t unwanted. It just didn’t last long enough. If he wanted another, I wouldn’t stop him.
He turned the corner and handed me the black sequined clutch I’d brought with me.
“Thank you.” I took the clutch from him and smiled, but I could tell from his expression, the mood had changed. He helped me with my coat, but the magic of the night before was lost in his touch. I turned around, trying to determine if the night was over.
One corner of his mouth smiled at me while the other remained emotionless. Gabriel held the exit door open for me. Once outside, he put his hand on the small of my back as we walked to the parking garage down the street. The club was very new and didn’t have valet parking set up.
“So, the food was good,” I said, hoping to drown out the awkward silence.
