Page 25 of Branded in Love
Hesitation looms in his eyes only for an instant. And I read the struggle between bear and man. One of them wins, and his taut body lands over mine. Gavriil’s panting breaths shoot lightning through my core, an unstoppable thrill that makes me crave him with insane hunger. His fist closes in my hair and pulls slightly while his mouth devours me with sultry kisses. And I want more of him. I want to be full of him, to have him completely.
Again, the doorbell rings.
This time, we ignore it. Gavriil sinks his knees between mine, forcing apart my legs. “Yes...” I moan. My heart throbs in my ears. My fingers are numb and I can barely breathe, wrapped in a whirlwind of desire.
“Luciana!” a voice calls from the street. “Open up! I know she’s in there!”
Gavriil reluctantly parts from me. He stares at the hallway, brow furrowed in undiluted fury.
“Crap,” I say under my panting breath. Shock washes over me as every part of my body still tingles.
“Luciana!” the man outside insists.
Gavriil locks eyes with me, perplexed.
I gasp. “It’s my friend, Marco…” I facepalm myself.
His maroon eyes show the wounded dullness of disbelief.
“I should…” I mumble, pointing at the hallway. “I should get the door.” Slowly, I glide underneath him. This is so embarrassing. But I know if I don’t get that, Marco will probably do something crazy, like break inside.
I look back and see Gavriil sitting on the couch, breathless and impossibly gorgeous. Marco could not have appeared at a worse time... And how the hell did he find me?
The hall’s marble floor is cold under my bare feet. “Jesus!” I tiptoe to the door and press the buzzer. “Marco…” I manage, then open the gates.
When he stands on the front porch, I open the door. My friend’s face slackens. “Luciana, are you hurt?” He steps inside and wanders to the middle of the hall, sweeping it with a glance. “What are you doing here?” Marco turns to me. “You never answered my calls. I was so worried!” Now he’s angry.
I purse my lips. “I’ve… been… busy.”
He looks over my shoulder. “Yes, I can see that...” he mumbles.
I turn. Gavriil is standing at the living room doorway, hands in his pants pockets, shoulders squared. He’s perfectly strong and impassive as he leans against the door’s jamb. One look at his chiseled abs through the disheveled shirt is enough to make me blush again. Gavriil doesn’t have a six-pack, but eight muscles that lead to an expanse of taut flesh… He stares at us from a distance, alert yet granting me the space to deal with this myself.
When I face Marco again, he glares at me harshly, disapproving. His green eyes are about to pop out of their sockets.
I return his stare with a glower of my own, silently saying,Mind your own business!My face is burning. “How did you find me?” I tell him in the calmest voice possible.
“I have you on that app, remember?” Marco snaps. “The Friends one?”
“Oh… yeah.” I frown.
Marco takes a hand to his waist. “At first, I was like,This thing isn’t working, she lives across the street…” His gaze drifts to Gavriil again. “I totally get it now.”
My eyes widen in shock. “God, Marco!” I all but hiss through clenched teeth. “Thanks for checking on me. I’m fine... Is there anything else?”
He flinches. “You mean other than waiting for you to explain to me how all this happened?” He shoots a groomed eyebrow skyward. “No. Other than that, everything’s peachy.”
Marco is adorable and obnoxious as an older brother would be.
“We can talk about this later,” I say, grabbing his arm, all but dragging him towards the door. “I promise.”
His tigerish eyes narrow, still looking towards the living room, even though I’m sure he can’t see Gavriil anymore. “Trent was handsome and all,” Marco mumbles. “But this one… He’s definitely an upgrade, Luce.” He bites his lower lip. “Does he have a friend? A brother, maybe?” Now he’s just teasing me.
If I peel my eyes any wider, I’m sure they’ll fall off. “I’ll talk to you soon,” I assure him, opening the door. “Thank you for coming, Marco. I mean it.”
He snickers. “All right, woman. I get it,” he blurts, crossing the threshold. “Just, please. Check your phone, okay?”
“I will, Marco.” I give him a slight smile.
