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When I wake up in Gabriel’s arms the next morning, I expect my first instinct to be fear. I told him I love him, and there’s no taking it back now. Not with him. Not with myself. I did what I promised myself I’d never do again. I handed control to someone else, at least partial control.
Instead, all I feel is joy, safety, trust.
In a way, I can see that what happened with Justin was my fault. I was too dependent on him for my self-esteem. I didn’t stand up to him when he hurt me. I was a coward. I won’t make that mistake again.
Not that I’m afraid Gabriel will hurt me as Justin did. But with him, I never feel inferior. He always treats me like his equal—well, maybe except for the first time we met when he thought I was the teenage daughter of his archenemy.
Gabriel rolls over to face me. “Good morning, beautiful.” He smiles and smooths my hair away from my face.
I return his smile. “Hi. You’re up early.”
“Yeah, I have this annoying girlfriend who gets up at the crack of dawn every day to work out; her biorhythm has rubbed off on me.”
“Gosh, she sounds awful.”
“You wouldn’t believe the things I have to put up with.”
“I hope at least the sex is good.”
“The best. Only reason I keep her around.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes, that, and the fact that I love her with all my heart.”
He leans over and kisses me, a kiss that’s so good it’s worth risking my heart over.
“I love you, too.”
He smiles. “I like hearing you say it.”
“And I like saying it.”
“I’m glad.” We kiss again. And again.
Clothes come off, and soon we’re making love. Our bodies have been saying “I love you” for a long time, and now, finally our words are too.
* * *
“Hey, what time is it?” Gabriel startles awake sometime later. After the intensity of our morning lovemaking, we both passed out again right after. “You didn’t rush to work.”
“I took the weekend off.”
He raises an eyebrow. “You never take days off.”
“It’s because I’m going to be gone all of next week. The IPO is on the Monday after, and I need to concentrate 100 per cent of my energy on that. No distractions. But the good news is you have me all to yourself for the next forty-eight hours.”
“We’d better make the most of it, then.”
“I thought we already were,” I say, referring to all the wicked things he just did to me in his bed.
We cuddle, kiss, and make love again. When the need to eat overwhelms our craving for each other, Gabriel orders breakfast as if we were at a hotel asking for room service. Only I discovered the food comes from a separate wing of the penthouse where his housekeeping staff lives. I still find it a little outdated that he has actual servants secluded away in the figurative attic, but every time I bump into one of them, they all seem incredibly fond of him and grateful for their jobs and free central-Manhattan living quarters so…
Also, I’m not about to complain about being fed restaurant-quality pancakes, French toast, and croissants.
In the kitchen, Gabriel pours me a cup of coffee from the pot the staff brought over. I watch as he adds the right amount of sugar, vanilla syrup, and foamed milk and sprinkles the whole thing with cacao powder.
