Page 55 of A Lot Like Adiós
As aftershocks soared through her, her fingers traced one of the skinny trees silhouetted on her wallpaper. She’d never look at this forest the same way again. Gabe was imprinting himself on every part of her life.
And, unfortunately, on her heart.
He was still fucking her, and her pussy was wetter and more sensitive now, the waves of bliss carrying her along and scattering her thoughts. She let out high-pitched little moans with each of his thrusts, her body moving perfectly with his.
“Fuck,” he growled into her hair, one arm braced against the wall and the other holding her tight around her middle. “Michelle. God. I need—”
He stiffened. Her eyes rolled back at the feel of that hard body flexing behind her, around her, inside her. Surrounding her. His hips jerked and he let out a low groan as he came.
Michelle shut her eyes and pressed her face to the wall. She couldn’t move. Couldn’t think. Could only breathe—and feel.
She’d felt everything. Taken everything he’d had to give andheld back nothing. And it had brought her to greater heights than she’d ever imagined.
Two more days.How was she ever supposed to let him go?
They stayed like that, their bodies linked, their breath like bellows, until Michelle’s thighs trembled. Gabe slipped out of her and helped her onto the mattress when she would have just melted into a messy puddle. Once she was horizontal, he crashed down next to her and they lay with their heads on the same pillow, gazing at each other.
“Why is everything ten times better with you?” he said softly, lifting a hand to brush her hair back from her temple. There was a note of wonder in his voice, in the light in his eyes. “Not just sex. Everything.”
“I’m just that awesome, I guess.” But it didn’t come out flippant. It came out... sad.
He stroked her chin with his thumb. “You don’t sound like you believe it.”
She rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling. He knew her too well. Still. And after what they’d just done, she was having a hard time keeping her usual walls up.
This was why she didn’t get close. If anyone looked too deeply, they’d see she was nowhere near as confident as she claimed to be.
“What made you want to work freelance?”
She shot him a startled look. “What?”
He shook his head, his eyes blinking drowsily. “I was just thinking about your office setup. You did the whole Victory campaign with that firm, but now you’re working from home.”
She sat up, heart pounding for a different reason. “But you asked me after sex. Why?”
Lounging on the bed next to her, he looked like a god at rest. “I just can’t figure out why you quit. You’re clearly great at your job. And just now, you sounded like... I don’t know, like you don’t think you’re amazing. So I wondered if these things were connected and—never mind. I’m sorry for asking.”
“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised you connected the dots.”
“You don’t have to tell me.”
“No, it’s okay. I should.” She let out a long sigh and lay back down, folding her hands over her stomach. “I had a fling with one of my coworkers. We worked on the Victory campaign together. It was my project, all of the original concepts were mine, but he helped execute it. And then, when there was a promotion at the California office, he got in there first. Talked up his work on the campaign, played down my desire to go further in the company. He used this apartment and my family against me.”
“How did he do that?”
“He claimed I never wanted to move away. Told the higher-ups that all my family was here in New York, that I’d bought an apartment. They never even fucking talked to me about it, those shitheads. Never even gave me the option. He got promoted, and I got a severe case of burnout. So I quit.”
And then, since she was clearly in a sharing mood, she turned to him and added, “That’s partly why I took this job, you know. I was worried that if I turned you down, you’d hirehim.”
Gabe’s jaw tightened, but his fingers were gentle when he trailed them over her hip. “I’m really fucking glad Fabian was able to track you down.”
Something in her chest twisted, and she turned her attention back to the ceiling. “Me too.”
Fifteen years ago
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Celestial Destiny: Episode 4 Planning Session
