Page 34 of Justified Lies

Gabe let the subject of her fight with Darren drop but kept looking at her through concerned eyes. She felt like a pressure cooker, and he was just waiting for her top to blow.

Shrugging out from under the blanket, she tried to keep her tone light. “I have no idea why I was shaking like that. Guess it’s the time of year to start wearing a coat.”

Gabe glanced up skeptically from the other end of the table, as he took another bite of his own pasta.

Lianna watched him, consumed by how incredibly alluring he was. Gabe was all male, distractingly so, and she could use the distraction. He wore a gray VPD t-shirt that was so worn, the writing was faded in certain places. Somehow itadded to the appeal. It was paired with dark blue sweatpants, an overgrown beard, and bare feet. Anyone else would look homeless, but Gabe looked like sex on a stick. His thick, dark hair was just long enough to look messy after a nap, his eyes were still slightly sleepy.

She realized she was staring.

“This is amazing,” she said, pointing her fork towards him. “In fact, I’m a little annoyed you never cooked for me before. Been holding out, huh?”

Gabe leaned back in his chair, the look in his eye challenging. “I’d be happy to cook any meal for you, but you’d have to text me back for that to happen.”

The fork slipped from her fingers, landing with a loud clank on the side of the bowl.Yikes.She was such a disaster. So much for playing it cool. Lianna had no witty comeback, so she picked up her fork and avoided making eye contact.

Leaning in to take another bite, she realized that she had scarfed it all down. Only bits of sauce and broken rigatoni noodles lay on her plate. She stood and carried her bowl to the sink. Turning on the water to rinse it, she heard his chair slide out.

“Just leave that, I’ll do it later,” his words getting louder as he approached.

“I don’t mind, plus you cooked,” she said, searching for anything to do besides having to look at him again.

“Lianna, leave it.”

“Nope, I’ve got it.” She hoped her tone sounded more irritated than nervous.

In her periphery, she could see he was now standing beside her. Turning towards him, she tried to take his bowl. Gabe twisted it out of her reach before putting it down beside the sink. She huffed and then attempted to grab it again. In a flash, he reached out and snatched her wrist.

“Hey!”

“I said, leave it." He lowered his face to eye level with hers, the scene playing out like a parent scolding an unruly child. Except there was no anger in his eyes—instead, they blazed with something else.

They stared at each other in silence for several breathtaking seconds. Then Gabe reeled her in, releasing her wrist to crush their bodies together. Lianna gripped his wide shoulders, pressing her lips to his with the need she felt rising all week. The thought of her breath smelling like garlic lasted approximately three seconds, before she forgot to think at all.

****

Mine. It was the only coherent thought Gabe had. She encompassed his senses completely. He smelled her sweet scent, felt her soft skin, tasted her appetizing mouth.

They stood propped against the sink, arms encircling each other. His heart beating wildly in his chest, it felt as full as his arms. The urge to squeeze was almost unbearable. In this moment, the force of his feelings didn’t scare him one bit. There was no denying that he wanted her. No, he was past wanting her, he needed her.

Breaking the kiss, he dared telling her so. Lianna barely acknowledged him, nodding in agreement then pulling him back down to her lips. Spinning her slowly, he started backing her towards the living area. Bumping into the dining table, Lianna let out a squeak. Instead of continuing on, Gabe propped her up on the table. The first time Gabe had kissed her, Lianna had been slow to respond, but tonight she was the aggressor. Opening her legs for him, she gripped his shirt and pulled him close. Looking down, he lifted her chin up and stared into her deep soulful eyes.

The same lust he always felt around her washed over him. Reminding himself she had a difficult night, he kept things slow. It was apparent quickly that Lianna needed more, to escape,a release. That’s exactly what he gave her. Using his hands, he made her forget her brother-in-law, the prank caller, their blurred relationship. He wanted to be all that existed in her world right now.

And when she came undone for him, it was the greatest gift he had ever received. The way that she looked at him, peaceful and satiated told him he had accomplished his mission. Kissing her softly, he helped her restore her disheveled clothing. “I’ll be right back,” he kissed her softly on the forehead before jogging off to the bathroom. The timing sucked, and given his current condition wasn’t even sure he could accomplish his task.

Returning to Lianna within a minute, Gabe stopped at the entrance to the kitchen. That’s all the time it took for the regret to wash over her beautiful face. Gabe was immediately pissed off.

“Second thoughts already?” The accusation came out of his lips before he could bite the words back.

“No. I don’t know?” she said, a panicked look in her eyes.

The stark truth sent a sick shockwave through his body. Lianna looked vulnerable, in need of reassurance, but Gabe was too raw. If he was being honest with himself, he felt vulnerable and exposed too. No woman had ever made him feel what Lianna did, and now she regretted what they shared. Not knowing how to handle his feelings, he used his most relied upon defense mechanisms, indifference and anger.

“You don’t know?”

“I just wasn’t expecting this. Maybe I should go.”

“Well, if you got what you came for…”

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