Gabriel's Promise (Gabriel's Inferno #4)(76)

Chapter Fifty-Six


After they returned to their hotel, Julia fed and changed Clare and put her to bed.

Gabriel stood in the living room of their suite, gazing out at the ocean. He’d opened the sliding doors that led to the balcony. A soft, warm breeze brushed across the curtains, causing them to sway.

“Is she down?” he asked, hopefully.

“Yes.”

He extended his hand and Julia went to him.

He’d turned out all the lights, except for the ones that glowed blue inside their private pool. The sun had slipped below the horizon and the stars were sailing above them.

He escorted her to the balcony, where he’d covered the daybed with cushions and soft blankets. And he’d lit candles, as was his custom, placing them artfully around the bed, with a few scattered near the pool. Soft Latin guitar music wafted from the stereo in the living room.

He lifted her hand and spun her in a circle, causing the full skirt of her orange dress to billow about her. Then he caught her in his arms. “We haven’t danced in a while.”

“I know.” She made a contented sound and pressed her cheek against his chest, over his tattoo.

Gabriel was unhurried, moving lazily back and forth, his chin resting atop her head. “I’m sorry I ruined dinner.”

Julia squeezed his waist. “It wasn’t ruined. We just have a lot of things to worry about.”

“I wish you’d let me worry for you.”

She lifted her head. “Marriage doesn’t work like that.”

Gabriel sighed his agreement and pressed her close to his heart. His hands moved from her back to her waist and lower down. He cupped her backside firmly. “Incredible.”

She reached up and pulled his mouth to hers.

A brush of lips, a hint of contact. They’d been lovers for some time and yet, after even a short absence, they took their time becoming reacquainted.

Gabriel kissed the corners of her mouth. He pecked the center. He drew her lower lip into his mouth and groaned.

Julia wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her breasts against him.

He nudged at the seam of her lips with his tongue and she opened. She accepted him eagerly, her tongue twisting with his.

“I will never stop wanting you,” she whispered, kissing him deeply again.

“Bless you for that.” He spoke against her mouth before stroking inside.

A few minutes later, Julia pulled away. “Can anyone see us?”

“No. There’s no one above us and I doubt anyone could see us over the glass of the balcony.” His lips widened. “So long as we’re lying down.”

A gentle breath of wind whispered over them, causing her skin to pebble. “Did you have something else in mind?”

“Not tonight. Tonight, I am reminded of loving you on the balcony in Florence, when we were very new. I want to recapture that evening.”

He lifted her hand and kissed it, his blue eyes finding hers. He brought her hand to his chest and pressed it over his heart. “See how it beats faster, knowing you’re near.”

She drew their connection to her own heart and pressed. “It’s the same for me.”

She released his hand, but he kept it where it was, his thumb caressing the tops of her breasts.

“Your eyes are shining,” he observed. “Glittering like dark pools.”

“I know what’s in store for me.”

“Come, then.” He kissed her again, his fingers winding through the waves of her hair. They slid down her back and gripped her waist.

He eased her onto the daybed and stretched beside her, his kisses slowing to gentle pressure, lips against lips.

“What do you want?” he murmured, easing the straps of her dress down her shoulders.

“I want to see you.”

Gabriel’s eyes sparked. “Undress me.”

Julia unbuttoned his shirt and swiftly pushed it over his shoulders. His hands moved to her bra and unfastened it with one hand. Now they were both naked to the waist.

Gabriel’s skin was warm as he covered her, her nipples brushing against his chest hair.

He kissed the arch of her throat and descended the valley between her breasts, moving to cover one with his hand. The other he explored with lips and the merest edge of teeth. His tongue darted to taste her nipple.

He was careful to kiss and lick but not to draw on her. Still, she clasped his head urgently, pressing him closer to her breast.

When her grip lessened, he transferred his affections to the other breast. His hand dipped to the skirt of her dress and slid beneath it, ascending her thigh.

He lifted his head. “No underwear?”

Julia nodded, a subtle lift to her mouth.

“Surely you aren’t forgoing underwear after I gifted you with enough for days?” His long fingers drifted below her hip bone into the crease between her hip and her inner thigh.

“It made me feel sexy. When you said you were going to touch me, at the restaurant, I wondered if you’d discover my secret right there.”

Gabriel cursed. “If I’d known, I would have.”

“We’d have been arrested.”

“Not arrested.” Gabriel smiled against her lips. “Merely asked to leave.” He coaxed her legs apart, beneath her dress.

Her hand moved to his belt, which she unfastened. She touched him over his trousers before tugging the zipper down. Her fingers found the band of his underwear and slid beneath. She found him already hard and eager.