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I blinked, unsure of what to say. This wasn't what I expected at all.
"There really isn't anything to apologize for, Gabe. You were with Samantha long before we met, and it would be wrong for me to try and take you from her."
Gabe's eyes flashed. “You don’t have anything to worry about with Samantha,” he grumbled. "I spoke with her, and she admitted to misleading you about our friendship. She's had a crush on me for a while, but I never thought she would do anything like that. Sometimes I just see the best in people and ignore everything else, I suppose."
I blinked, trying to process what he was saying. Samantha had lied to me? Gabe had been faithful to me all along? It was too much to take in all at once.
"Gabe, I don't know what to say," I admitted. "I thought you were with her. I thought you didn't want me. But even if you might be interested...well, I don't know."
He reached out, taking my hand in his. "I never stopped wanting you, Ella. I just thought this was what you wanted. I was trying to respect your wishes, even if it meant letting you go. But after feeling the loss of youleaving… it was worse than I thought it would be. I couldn’t stay away.”
His admission seemed to steal the last of his self-control, and the next thing I knew, he was pushing me up against the wall, his lips pressed firmly on mine. His hands roamed over my body, kneading the curves of my hips, waist, and breasts. I groaned and opened my mouth to deepen the kiss.
I sucked in a breath as I felt his canines elongate. The mixture of pleasure and pain they created against my lips caused a tugging sensation to grow in my tummy and travel to my core. I rubbed myself against him, trying to satisfy the growing pressure. He nipped along my jaw until his fangs found the sensitive spot on my neck, right above my clavicle.
My knees buckled when he ran a sharpened tooth there, sending tremors through me and causing more liquid heat to pool between my legs. My wolf was pushing to the front, eager to accept his bite.
I was close to begging him for a mating bite when another knock on the door shook me out of the stupor. Gabe jumped and blinked down at me, fighting to take control back from his wolf.
The knocking grew louder, angrier. It was clear that whoever was on my front porch wasn't going away. I pushed against Gabe's chest, creating space for me to go and answer it. He groaned before reluctantly letting me move away from him.
"Are you expecting someone?" he asked, following me to the front door. It was already getting dark outside, so the question might be strictly about safety, but there was aslight sharpness in his voice.
I scoffed at the idea that Gabe could be jealous. It's not like I had a male Samantha hanging around hoping to become my mate.
I spoke too soon. My eyes widened when I checked to see who was knocking. Standing on the front porch, looking impatient and slightly perturbed, was Neil. I backed away from the door and shot Gabe a panicked glance.
"Listen, I'm sorry, but I need you to get out of here," I hissed. Neil growled on the other side of the door, likely able to hear exactly what I was saying. Not for the first time, I silently cursed heightened werewolf hearing abilities.
Gabe quirked an eyebrow and shook his head. It was hard to tell if he was pissed off or amused. "I'm not leaving you here with another male, so you might as well just open the door, mate."
I rolled my eyes and opened the door, bracing myself for Neil to try and push his way into the room, but it didn't happen. His face was contorted with rage when his eyes flitted briefly to Gabe, but then the expression completely disappeared when his gaze landed on me. I didn’t get his anger, but I also didn’t receive any affection. He looked utterly emotionless.
"Ella," he said in a firm voice no louder than a whisper. "I wanted to update you about your car and take you to dinner. Go and get ready. I'll wait here for you to freshen up."
His nostrils flared and looking closely, I could see a tell. His jaw ticked, betraying how upset he was. My cheeksflamed when I realized what he was saying. He could smell Gabe's scent on me, and now he wanted me to go and wash it off. Either that or it was my arousal that upset him. In all likelihood, he could probably scent both mixed together.
I hesitated, unsure of what to do or say. I felt guilty being caught with Gabe in the house, which was ridiculous. Neil and I hadn't even been on a single date yet. But having a male alone in the house felt too risqué for me anyway.
Neil reached up to touch the flush on my cheeks again, but this time I didn't push him away. "Be a good girl and do as I asked."
My heart melted at the words. They were the same ones Dad used to use with Mom when he was being affectionate. "Give me a few minutes. I'll come out, and then we can talk about the car. Thanks for taking care of that, Neil."
I tried to close the door again, but he caught it with his hand. Neil's eyes were squarely on Gabe now.
"Give me a minute with your... friend. I'm sure we can find something to talk about while you get ready."
Gabe stood his ground, not backing away from Neil's intimidating presence. In fact, he seemed to be challenging him back, chest puffed out, and eyes narrowed in indignation. Gabe gave me a tight smile and nodded that he was fine waiting with Neil. “We’ve met before, actually,” he said.
"Fine," I said, opening the door wider. "I'll just be a minute."
I turned and went to my bedroom, feeling the tension between them like a heavy fog. My adrenaline waspumping, making me feel strangely alive. I could still hear their muffled voices as I went up the stairs, but I couldn't make out what they were saying.
When I got to my room, I shut the door behind me, then leaned against it with a sigh of relief. The air felt different here in my haven, lighter and calmer than what was going on downstairs.
Stripping off my clothes, I stepped inside the stall and let the warm water cascade down my body. The scent of lavender and rosemary from the body wash filled the steamy air, but I didn't allow myself to savor the feeling. I scrubbed Gabe's scent from my skin and hair. Especially my hair, where he had fisted the curls with his hand. The memory of his body pushed up against mine was enough to make me weak again, but I refused to get lost in the sensation. I quickly finished getting washed and dressed before returning downstairs, nervous about what I would find.
My pulse quickened as I came to the bottom of the stairs. Neil was standing in the living room with his hands in his pockets, and Gabe was sitting on the couch, flipping through the book I had left on the coffee table. I suppose I should be thankful that no one was fighting. Maybe I had misread the tension that I had felt.
