Page 96 of Angel Eyes

“Wait, what? You think I said no because of my writing?”

“Well, yeah …” His brows furrowed. “That’s what you told me, isn’t it?”

“Gabriel, I only said that because you told me you didn’t want a relationship. I’m not the kind of girl who can be with you for the summer and then just return to normal life like nothing happened. And if I had any sense at all, I would have just talked to you about it instead of hiding the truth.” Like Cristian told me to all along. “But I’m talking to you now, and whatever your reasons for not wanting a commitment, they’re yours to have. You don’t owe me any explanation. But I can’t say yes to more with you when I know a relationship isn’t what you want.”

“I want you.” He pushed to his feet, his hands cupping my face. “Don’t you get that? If you need a label, Juliet, you’ve got it. I was an asshole for telling you that in the first place, for letting you believe it all this time. But I won’t make the same mistake twice.” He tilted my chin up, his eyes settling on mine. “I want a relationship, Juliet. With you.”

I shook my head. “I’m forcing you into this. I’m making you break your rules—”

“Angel, there is no rule this side of heaven I would not break to make you mine.”

“It’s not that simple,” I said, my throat tight with the pressure of unshed tears. “If I say yes, I’ll fall in love with you. So hard. And the thought of falling for you only to lose you terrifies me.”

“You think I’m not terrified? Juliet, I’ve been terrified since the day you crashed into my life and upended my entire world. With just one look, I was a goner. And I tried—I fucking tried not to want you. But I might as well have tried to hold back an avalanche because there was no stopping this. You and I are inevitable.”

Liquid heat slid down the sides of my face. “But what about after I leave Paris?”

“Then we’ll figure it out.” He brushed one thumb over my cheek. “If I have to give up the gallery and start over in New York, I’ll do it. I will do whatever it takes to keep you.”

“But why? Why would you give up everything you’ve worked so hard for?”

“Because I love you. And there is no prize on earth worth more to me than you. So go ahead and fall in love with me, beautiful. I’ll be right here, ready to catch you.”

A sob escaped my throat just as our lips collided, our mouths claiming, tongues delving, and I wreathed my arms around his neck as his teeth grazed my bottom lip. There was nothing gentle about this kiss. It was wild and desperate, buoyed by desire, laden with need. He tilted my head, his mouth leaving mine to burn a path up my jaw before brushing over the skin of my earlobe.

“Gabriel.” I pushed my hands into his robe, needing to feel his skin beneath my palms. “I need you. Please.” He groaned against my ear, his hand finding the small of my back and pulling me flush with his hard body.

“Think carefully, Juliet. Once we cross this line, we can’t uncross it. Just say the word, and I’m yours. But you better be damn sure because I want all of you in return—every single piece. Not just your body, but your heart, your mind. I want your trust, your hopes, your fears. I want all that you are, and not just for now, but for good. You will belong to me, and I will belong to you. Do you understand?”

You will belong to me, and I will belong to you.

This wasn’t just lovemaking—it was joining. Maybe I should have been afraid of the gravity of it, but I wasn’t. In so many ways, I belonged to him already. This was just the final step.

“Yes.”

Something sparked in his eyes, a flame stoking behind those blue depths. “Yes, what?”

“Yes, I understand. Yes, I’ll be yours.” My breath sawed in and out as he leaned forward until our noses brushed, his mouth hovering so close, I could feel his next words.

“Thank God.”

Thirty-Three

Juliet

Yes. One syllable. Three letters. Just a drop in a sea of infinite expressions. And yet, it shook something loose inside me, something powerful that untethered me from all my fears and inhibitions. With one word, the atmosphere became charged, and the moment Gabriel’s lips slammed down on mine, heat exploded beneath my skin, scorching my insides with raw desire.

“Open,” he growled, and I obeyed, parting my lips to give him the access he demanded. His tongue swept in, hot and slick, his strokes hungry as his mouth moved hard and strong over mine, making my nipples harden. His erection was heavy against my hip bone, and my head rocked back, desire coiling low in my belly as he hitched my thigh up over his hip.

“Please,” I begged as his lips dipped to my throat, the scent of his skin surrounding me.

“I’ve got you. I’ve always got you.” Lifting me, he wrapped my legs around his waist, and the mattress dipped under our weight as he lowered me onto the bed, covering my body with his.

“I’ve thought of this moment so many times,” he said, tugging on the belt of my robe. “Imagining a hundred different ways to please you, to serve you, to leave your body fully satiated.”

Oh.

I swallowed hard, my chest rising and falling as I drank in his dark curls framing the contours of his face, the once ocean-blue irises now dark as night. I traced the line of his jaw, and my stomach somersaulted when he groaned into my touch, scraping his stubble against the flat of my palm.

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