Chapter 25

It's noon, and I am a little exhausted from having stayed up late for three days. But I won't relax until I see her again and know that she's okay. But of course she's not okay, she's staying at a bloody motel! They feature in almost all the horror movies. With the cobwebs on the ceiling and the flickering lights in the hallways. Not to mention the dirty washrooms, most of which likely have a dead body in the bathtub. 

I have to get her out of there as soon as possible. So I tell my driver to pick up the damn pace. And soon after, we arrive. 

I get out of the car and leave him to go park. Then I walk in and head for the receptionist's desk. It's a middle aged lady with large glasses. Her hair up in two pigtails as she chews on some gum before blowing out a bubble.

How depressing! 

I pocket my hands as a way to ensure that I don't touch the dusty surface of her desk. Then she looks up at me and smiles. Biting the end of her pen in what I think was supposed to be a seductive way. 

It was not. 

" Well hello there handsome, " she said as she flattered her lashes. Propping her elbows on the desk and placing her chin on top. 

" Would you be so kind as to point me towards the direction of room 23? " I asked and she gestured towards the left with her head.

" Down the hallway and to the right, you'll see the number boldly on the door. " she says and I give her a curt nod before stepping away. 

" And in case you don't find what you're looking for I'd be more than happy to help, " she shouts behind me and I give her a thumbs up as I walk around the corner and out of her sight. 

Walking down the hall, I finally get to the room and stop. My theory on motels was point on. The only thing I forgot to mention was the eery quiet that chilled your bones. Reaching for the knob, I try and turn it but it literally falls off. I shake my head, throwing it down before I push the door open and walk in. And the first thing I'm met with is the sound of Layla's scream as she jumps off the bed and moves back. 

" Surprise sweetheart, "

With a hand on her chest, she stares at me in utter horror. Dressed in a pair of short pink shorts and a blue tank top. I've never seen a sight so beautiful. And if my vision is right, then she's not wearing a bra underneath the top. 

And I didn't know just how much I actually missed her until I saw her again. I want to walk over to where she is and pull her to me. Then I want to kiss the living life out of her. 

" What are you doing here... and how did you even know where I was? " she asked in that quivering voice that was like melodious music to my ears. 

" I have my sources, " 

" What do you want? "

" Well, since you asked, I'd like a kiss, an answer, and for you to come with me. "

" What? " she frowned. Moving back and into the shadows of the dimly lit room. Making it hard for me to see her. So I walk around the bed and towards her. Stopping once we're inches apart. She has her hands wrapped around herself and her hair in a ponytail. Which means that I can clearly assess each and every flicker of expression that might appear on her lovely face. 

" A kiss, an answer and you. " I repeat much more clearly. And I do tend to get all three of those things. 

I hold her arms and pull her towards me just like I've been wanting to do. Then I turn her around and make her step back into the light. She seems a little frightened, but otherwise okay. 

" You have to stop hiding, it's an injustice to humanity. "

She flickers her gaze across my face. Hands still wrapped securely around herself. And I know just what she doesn't want me too see. My sweet little shy girl is exceedingly modest. A fact that I appreciate. It means that apart from me, she won't ever let anyone actually SEE her. So I grab both her wrists and pull her arms apart. She struggles and tries to fight me off but I refuse to budge. 

" Your resistance is highly alluring. "

" Let me go! " she groans, but I already have her arms unwrapped and I take my time to look at her. Just the simple sight of her nipples under her top manages to make me as hard as I could be. And she finally calmed down a bit. Though she was still breathing hard. And when I looked up it was to find her looking at me with that curious innocence.

" Let's start with the answer, shall we? " 

I pull her even closer, needing very desperately to feel her body against mine. And it seems like my cock was waiting for the same thing since it basically jumped when I held her close. She felt it no doubt, looking down with a shocked look. 

" Don't mind that, it has a mind of its own whenever I have an unearthly beauty close to me. Though I have to say, you affect it more than anyone else ever has. "

She parts her lips and a little sound escapes. And I chuckle when she tries to pull away. Though inside I'm starting to slowly lose it. 

" Careful sweetheart, keep moving around like that and.... " I let the statement trail off. But she clearly got the hint because she immediately went still. 

" What are you doing here? " she repeated. Her head bowed and her hands on my chest. I could feel their heat seeping through my shirt. 

" Getting you of course, but that's the third thing. First you have to answer my question. "

" What is it? "

I tilt up her head to look at me. Then I smirk ,lightly tracing the tip of my finger along her bottom lip. She shivers, her eyes closing for a second. I can tell that she's affected by me. And it's a very fulfilling realisation. 

" Did you miss me? " I ask, studying her face to try and ascertain her response. 

" Of course not, "

The blush she wore told me otherwise. And so did the avoidance of eye contact. 

" Are you sure? Not even once did your lovely mind trail off as it wondered where I was?.... and what I was doing? .....and when you'd get to see me again? "

" No, " 

" Tell me the truth and I might just not force you to fulfill my second wish. "

She bit on her lush lip. And all the action did was remind me of our kiss. Which meant that there was no way I was letting her go without my kiss. 

" Well, tell me sweetheart, did you miss me? " 

It took her a while, but finally she nodded. And I couldn't express just how great I felt when she did. It meant that she probably liked me just as much as I liked her. 

" Say it then. Say, ' Gabriel, I missed you. A lot. ' " I insisted. I know that now I'm just rubbing it in but I've been dreaming of hearing her say that for the past three days. And why not just make my dream a very sweet and memorable reality. 

" I can't say that, " she refused but I insisted .

" Then you'll have to give me a kiss. "

I leaned in to prove that I was not kidding about it. And she seemed to rethink her idea. With a shy smile coated in a shade of crimson, she turned her face to the side. 

" Gabriel, I... I missed you. " she said then slowly turned to face me again and I raised my brows to remind her that she had left out a part of the statement.

" A lot, " she added. And I felt some strange emotion as it made its way inside me and started messing around with my conscience. 

" Now my kiss, " I said and she turned pale. 

" But you said that - "

I cut her off by leaning in and taking it myself. And I felt her as she basically melted against me. Her body relaxed and she dug her hands into my shirt. Though nothing made me happier than realising that she actually wanted me to kiss her.

And that's precisely what I did. I kissed her slow, gently and oh so deeply. And she kissed me back with equal enthusiasm, making those silent whimpers that had the blood in my veins cruising south. 

I've never felt my control slip away as fast as it was, and I never found it so hard to pull away from someone like I did at that moment. 

" You really did miss me huh? " I asked afterwards and she took a step back into the shadows. This time I let her and chose to busy myself with walking over to the wall and grabbing her suitcase from against it. Then I placed it on the bed and opened it up. 

" Hey stop that! What are you doing? "

" Put these on, "

I handed her a pair of jeans and a jacket. And I noted just how much her clothes smelt like her. She refused to do so, claiming that she wanted to stay there. And I didn't have it in me to argue, not with her dressed like that. So I just took the suitcase and told her to hurry up since I'd be waiting outside. 

And I hoped that she wouldn't put up a fight because I honestly didn't want to have to buy the damn motel as well.