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One thing was for sure: no one had ever gazed at me with that kind of intensity before. My stomach flip-flopped, not hating the idea of showing him a little bit more.
Where the heck did that idea come from?
Gabe cleared his throat. "Ella, do you trust me?"
His question caught me off guard. "Of course, I do. Without you, I'd be stuck in the worst mating bond of all time."
He hesitated, and I could tell he was debating whether to continue or not. "No, I mean... and maybe 'trust' isn't theright word here, but I know something is preventing you from wanting to be with me, Ella. I'm in this 100 percent, but Neil said something to me that has me wondering about you. About your needs, more specifically.”
I stilled. “Neil talked to you? When? At my house?”
Gabe shook his head. “No, we had dinner together the night I stayed at the hotel. If you could call it dinner,” he scoffed. “Neil was going on about your needs and how he could fulfill them in ways I couldn’t, probably because I’m an omega. Is that how you feel, too?”
I averted my gaze to the tile floor, not sure how to answer. “Real talk, Gabe? I’ve been guilty of trying to plan my whole life around a fictional mate showing up and being a stereotypical tough guy. I can’t deny that a part of Neil fit that picture, but no way is that option anymore."
“I didn’t think so,” he said. “But this isn’t a competition between him and me, Ella. It’s about whether you think I can give you what you need. I think I can. In fact, you probably are making incorrect judgments about me based on your beliefs about omegas. Like, that we don’t discipline our mates or that we are submissive, too. Is that what’s happening?”
“I… well, I mean, I don’t know about all omegas, but you’re pretty laid back, Gabe. I honestly can’t imagine submitting to you,” I answered. “I can see why Mariam says you’re her best friend and that you’re so nurturing. You are probably the nicest person I’ve ever met.”
Gabe moved closer to the tub, his hand brushing against my arm. "I'm not Neil, Ella. And I'm not your dad or Trace. I’ll never want to be an alpha or beta or even just a typical pack member. I like helping out the pack, and being anomega comes naturally to me, but that doesn’t have anything to do with us.”
“I’m not sure I understand,” I admitted with a frown.
"Don't worry," he said. He leaned down so close that I thought he was going to kiss me. Instead, he stopped short, his words tickling my cheek. "Before the next full moon, I intend to show you."
__________
The best part of the bath was when it was over, and I got to shower and rinse all the random grossness out of my hair. I had to submerge completely three times before clawing my way out of the basin. Gabe had graciously left the room when I asked, and now I was alone, trying to determine which bottle of his shampoo would be least likely to give me dandruff.
It was getting late, and I felt myself growing tired. As I was lathering up my hair, I heard a knock on the bathroom door.
"Ella, can I come back in?" Gabe asked tentatively.
I quickly rinsed out the shampoo and turned off the water. "Sure," I called out, wrapping a towel around myself as I stepped out of the shower.
Gabe opened the door and handed me some sweats and a tank top. They weren't mine, but I was surprised to find they were the correct size. He turned, giving me more privacy to shimmy into them.
"I picked up a few things after meeting you that first night at the alpha house,” he explained. I felt myself blush at the thoughtfulness of the gesture. Though I suppose it could also be viewed as being presumptive that I would bemoving in with him or something.
"You can stay here tonight," he said, gesturing down the hall to the bedroom. "I'll take the couch."
I shook my head. "Gabe, you don't have to do that. My car's here so I can just go to Mariam's. I'll call you in the morning."
Before I could move past him, Gabe placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. His voice was low and soft, but there was a steely determination beneath the surface. "No, Ella. You're staying here tonight."
I looked up at him, meeting his gaze head-on. There was an intensity in his eyes that took me aback. At that moment, I realized maybe there was more to Gabe than I had given him credit for.
“That sounds like an order, not a request.”
He nodded slowly as his smile grew. “It was supposed to. I regretted leaving you alone last night. You belong in my bed, no exceptions.”
My heart thudded hard at the confidence behind his words. Was it just me, or had something shifted between us?
I couldn't put my finger on it exactly, but there was something in the way his hand found the small of my back and firmly led me to the bedroom that made me weak at the knees. It had me conjuring up all kinds of sexy scenarios where he would be guiding me down this same hallway and into his bed.
As we entered the bedroom, Gabe dimmed the lights and lit a few candles. The smell of vanilla filled the air, enveloping me in a sense of comfort that I hadn't felt in a long time. It complemented his own sweet scent reallywell. The room was simple but cozy, with a queen-sized bed against the wall and a wooden dresser opposite it.
Just looking at the plush bedding made my eyes heavy.
