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“We daenae have to do anythin’ tonight,” Gabriel said as his lush lips puckered and bent as he spoke. Elena couldn’t help but keep her eyes locked on his mouth, wondering what he could do with it if he was given a choice.
“I heard what yer uncle was sayin’ to ye earlier and we daenae even have to sleep in the same bed, if ye daenae want to.”
Elena scanned the room quickly, hunting for a second place to sleep. Near the window, she spied the divan as well as the blankets thrown carefully over the backside of it. The fire popped and crackled.
“Why daenae ye take the bed tonight,” he said, nudging his head to the headboard.
“And where will ye sleep?” Elena asked as the uneasiness of the situation grew into tension.
“Are ye askin’ because ye care?” Gabriel asked, with his playful smile. “Or because yer worried what I’ll do later tonight?”
“What are ye plannin’ for later?” Elena gasped as she grabbed a pillow and hugged it tightly.
Gabriel laughed and shook his head. “Nothin’. I’m nae goin’ to do anythin’. Ye get some sleep and I’ll see ye in the mornin’.”
Elena watched as Gabriel turned his back to her and moved to the divan. He pulled the blanket off and slipped down onto the furniture. For a moment, Elena wondered if she’d be sleeping in her dress and how she was going to get out of it with him there.
After a few moments of silence, Elena dared to pull the strings holding her bodice tightly against her body. Keeping her eyes locked on Gabriel’s back, she hastily undressed and slipped between the blanket and the sheet.
Her heart pounding frantically in her chest, she wasn’t certain what to do. A huge piece of her wished for nothing but to view the back of her eyelids. Yet, her nerves wouldn’t allow sleep to come. All she could think of was if he came to her in the middle of the night.
Look at him, he does look uncomfortable over there. And the bed is big enough for the two of us.
Chapter 5
Lord,please burn this night into my memory. Daenae let me forget a single thin’ about it.
Although the divan was chilling being by the window, Gabriel didn’t mind one bit. He was in the clouds, soaking up the moment as images of the wedding flashed into his mind. It was everything he had always hoped it to be, even down to Elena’s drunkenness.
The smile plastered on his lips seemed to never ease. He knew that if there was only one thing he would remember as the years drifted by him, it would be this night. Yes, he wanted her more than he ever wanted anything. But he knew he had to move slow.
I’ve waited years to have her. What are a few more hours, or days? Or even months? Elena has been like a dream I cannae shake and I’ve finally got her. Best to move slow, treat her as a doe. Daenae want to spook her.
Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew she was watching him, waiting to see if he made a move or not. But Gabriel wasn’t planning on doing anything just yet. The day had been tiring as it was and if he was being honest, sleep sounded like a great idea.
“Are ye sleepin’?”
Elena’s voice was a soft and delicate whisper. He shifted just a bit turning an ear to her. A long silent pause filled the room and he wondered if what he heard was her voice or merely him wishing for her to speak to him again.
“Nay,” he answered back in the same hushed tone. Elena let out a heavy sigh that piqued his desires. “Are ye?”
“Of course nae,” she answered as the bed shifted and moaned under her weight.
“Ye ken,” she finally said after a moment. The sound of the wood popping as the fire consumed it seemed like thunder to him. Although he could still hear the music from the wedding feast playing, Gabriel’s ears twitched to hear more of her voice.
“This is a big bed,” she said. The smile on his lips stretched. “And there is more than enough room for the two of us.”
Gabriel rolled over to face her. He stared at her, soaking in her beauty as she nuzzled into the pillow.
Oh, how I wish to be that pillow. Or even the blankets around ye.
“Aye,” he answered as the word scraped his throat and hung on the air around them. “What are ye sayin’ then? Ye want me to come sleep wit’ ye?”
“If ye want to, I’ll nae object,” Elena said. “I ken ye cannae be comfortable over there so close to the window. And besides, ye might catch a cold, and then where will we be?”
Gabriel sat up. Rubbing his fingertips to his temple he knew the bed would be far more comfortable. At least on the bed, he’d be able to stretch out his weary legs.
“Alright then,” he answered, rising to his feet. Keeping his eyes trained on her, he moved around the large bed and pulled off his shirt. There was no mistaking the gasp that escaped Elena’s lips.
