Chapter 48

The next morning I woke up before him again. But this time I didn't leave, first I lied on my side and I watched him sleep.

He looked so vulnerable with his eyes closed as they were, I watched how uniformly his chest would rise and fall with his even breathing. 

Awake he looked divine and dangerous, but while he was sleeping,...he looked gentle. A word that I couldn't at all relate to the man. Because once he was awake he was the exact opposite of gentle. Actually, sometimes it seemed as if he went out of his way to be anything BUT gentle.

He hated seeming weak, I concluded.

According to the clock on the wall,it was about five forty. I turned on my back and stared at the ceiling, then I looked around at his room. That was the second time in there and yet I had never actually taken my time to look around. 

I noticed how everything had been neatly put away. There were two paintings on the wall and I want d to get s closer look. So without waking him, I got off the bed and made my way towards the first one. The sheet wrapped around me. 

The painting was actually a shadow of someone. A young boy I realized. And from the shadow I could tell that the boy was reaching his hand out to someone, but his head was bowed and there was no one holding his hand in return. 

It was kinda sad. 

And when I looked at the edge of the painting,I saw two interlocked letter Gs, and I realized that the paintings must have been his. The other was an abstract painting. Splashes of color on a canvas that I knew were supposed to tell a story. But I knew nothing about art. 

Sometimes I even forgot that Gabriel was an artist, which was odd considering that he was literally the best one in the state. And some slight internet stalking enabled me to know that he had worn awards for his work. 

But he never even talked about it. The same way he never talked about anything. It was clearly a passion of his, so why didn't he seem enthusiastic about it? And apart from the two paintings in his room, I hadn't seen any more of his work anywhere else in the house. 

And his room, despite being elegant and pristine, was also quite cold. Not literally cold, but it felt lacking. There were no pictures of him as a child or anything of that sort. 

It looked like a hotel room. Functional. 

" Intending to run off again?" I heard him ask and when I turned, he was staring at me with drowsy eyes. 

" I didn't run off last time, I just left, " I clarified. He crooked his finger towards me and beckoned me to go back to bed. I did so. 

" Those are really nice, " I gestured back at the paintings and he smiled. 

" They are, aren't they? Two of the first pieces I did while still an amateur, "

I glanced back at the and arched both my brows in shock. If that's how he was drawing as an amateur then what about now. I recalled the Art Galla where he had first propositioned me to marry Arden. But back then I had hardly even looked at the people let alone the art.

With a hand around my waist he pulled me towards him, then he placed his chin on my shoulder and sighed. My eyes were still on the art but my mind was somewhere else entirely. 

I was thinking about those words he had said to me last night. That I was a threat to him. And I tried to think of what they might mean. 

But then I realized that I wouldn't get any response and I stopped. I chuckled when he unexpectedly began placing soft kisses on my back. 

" That's ticklish!" I protested as I attempted to roll onto my back and protect myself from him. 

" Is it now?" He asked and I regretted having told him because he now saw it as an excuse to ' assault ' me further. 

" Gabriel! " I shouted past my laughter when he literally began to tickle me. I was so weak and he wouldn't stop when I asked him to. So I did the only thing I could think of to make him stop, I reached down and held him in my hand past his briefs. He immediately stopped tickling me and I saw something flash in his eyes. 

I let go just as fast and rolled away from him, but he caught me before I managed to make it off the bed.

" Where do you think you're running off to?" he asked and I playfully kicked at him to let me go. But he was strong and somehow I ended up caged beneath him. 

" That wasn't a very fair move, " he said in reference to me touching him. I shrugged, my playful smile still in place. 

" It worked, didn't it?" 

" Yes. And now you have no choice but to finish what you started."

I seriously shaked my head, then I told him to sort it out himself. It was a joke, but the guy took it literally. With swift moves he took of his briefs and moved to lie on his back next to me, I was momentarily in shock. Sitting up, I went to ask him what he was doing but then I figured it out. 

" Watch, " he casually said, but that wasn't necessary. I couldn't have stopped staring if I tried. 

There was something more passionate about watching him stroke himself, something more erotic about it. I could feel his eyes on me, but my own were glued to where his hand was wrapped around his shaft. And more than once I found myself instinctively reaching forward with an intention to touch, but I'd come back to my senses and withdraw immediately after. Until Gabriel reached for my hand and once again wrapped it around the length, then he placed his own on mine and together, we worked in tune until he rode out the waves of his pleasure and came. I reached forward and I kissed him. Mostly because I wanted to prevent him from seeing the wild thoughts I was having. His kisses were nice but I wanted to taste something else. I wanted to taste him. 

With his hand in my hair he made me look at him.

" Morning, " he teased and cuddled into him. 

" Tiffany won by the way. Just in case you were wondering, " he proceeded to add and I gasped at him. 

" You watched it all without me?" I looked a little hurt on purpose. He got all defensive and started talking about how he didn't want to but somehow he couldn't bring himself to stop. 

" And why are you even blaming me? Not like I made you fall asleep, " 

" And why did you tell me who won? You've spoilt it for me, now I can't even watch it, "

" Oh get over it, that was like season three. There are about five more to go. "

" Really?" My face beamed but I got it under control. 

" Really. " He assured me. And then he asked me whether I wanted to watch it and I nodded vigorously. 

" Okay, but first we need to get some food into you. " He asked me to wait and headed into the washroom. When he came back out he walked towards his closet ,a walk in, got in and then came out in a pair of sweats. 

" Up you get, "he motioned with his hand and I lazily sat up. 

" Oh don't tell me you want me to carry--" he stopped talking and grew alert. 

And so did I. I was sure I heard something but I couldn't be sure. I focused my hearing and both our fears were confirmed. 

" Guess who's back!" 

Arden's voice shouted from somewhere in the house. 

" Crap!" Gabriel muttered. My heart immediately began to pound. I stood up and looked around, wondering what to do.

" Relax sweetheart, "

How was he so calm at such a moment?If Arden found out about us then I don't even know what I'd do, I mean, what would he think of me? 

Perhaps he'd assume that all that time I had been using him to get to Gabriel or something like that. I just couldn't let that happen. And Gabriel constantly telling me to relax wasn't helping. 

" Gabe?"Arden called out. Louder than was required. 

" Don't tell me you're still sleeping? Don't you have work to do or something?" 

Goodness! I thought, it wasn't even six yet. The footsteps stopped and Arden grew quiet, then he burst out laughing.

" In the kitchen? Seriously? The least you could have done is take your clothes with you. Jesus, I'm never eating in here again. "

My eyes widened and I slowly turned to Gabriel. Those were mostly my clothes. And my room was on the other side of the freaking house. There was no way to get over to it without being noticed.