The Replay (Boys of Richland #3)

8. Gabriel

gabriel

. . .

It takes everything in me to walk away from her. My muscles scream to stay, to pull her closer, but I know if I don’t step back now, I’ll push her for something she’s not ready to give. So I force myself to stand. My chest feels tight, every inch of me resisting the distance, but I manage to mutter, “I’ll be right back,” and walk away.

Grabbing a pair of sweats from my dresser, I head into the bathroom and get changed for the night, leaving my chest bare. The mirror above the sink catches my reflection, and I pause, bracing my hands against the counter as I take in the strain lining my face. My jaw clenches. My eyes are rimmed with exhaustion, shadows dark beneath them. Fuck. It feels like I’ve aged a decade in the span of a few hours.

I run a hand through my hair, trying to calm the storm brewing inside me, but it doesn’t help.

Flicking off the light, I return to my room.

She’s still on the bed where I left her, knees drawn up, her body small against the backdrop of my space.

I grab a shirt from my closet, setting it beside her before crouching down in front of her, close enough to feel the heat radiating off her body.

“Do you want to get ready for bed?” I ask softly, my voice thick with emotion I’m barely holding back.

She exhales, and the soft brush of her breath against my skin sends shivers through me. Her eyes travel down my bare chest, and I swallow hard, trying to tamp down the desire that’s rising fast and relentless inside me.

Her gaze is appreciative—hell, it’s more than that. It’s hungry. The kind of look that makes my body respond before my mind can stop it.

She reaches out, her fingers grazing my skin, barely touching, but enough to ignite the need that’s been simmering just beneath the surface. It’s almost too much. The smell of her, the softness of her touch—it’s intoxicating, and I’m quickly losing control.

But I can’t. I kissed her once tonight, and she pulled away. I’m not about to fuck this up by moving too fast. I have to hold back. For her.

Then she leans forward, her lips brushing against my chest, so soft it feels like fire licking up my spine. I shudder. She pulls back just enough for our eyes to meet, and the air thickens between us, heavy and electric. Then she says the last thing I expect to hear right now.

“I know it’s not fair, and it’s really fucked up of me to even suggest this, but … I … could we …” Her voice trails off, uncertainty lacing her words, but her dark brown eyes lock on mine, pleading, searching.

I know what she’s asking. At least, I hope I do. And fuck, if she wants this—needs this—I’m powerless to say no.

She presses her lips to my collarbone, and I suck in a breath, my control slipping further away as her hands explore the planes of my chest. My muscles tense beneath her touch, my hands gripping her thighs, pulling her closer, almost without thinking. This is dangerous. She’s been through something tonight, something big, and I don’t know the details yet. But I can’t deny her. I never could.

My hands slide lower, gripping beneath her thighs as I spread them wider, positioning myself between her legs. Her warmth draws me in, my need for her wrapping tighter around my chest.

“You’re sure?” I ask, my lips hovering just inches from hers, giving her one last chance to pull away.

“Yes.” Her voice is a breathy whisper, her need echoing mine.

I’m going to hell for this.

I inch closer, watching for any sign of hesitation, but she meets me halfway, her lips crashing into mine. The kiss starts slow, soft, but quickly turns into something more—something desperate and hungry. Her hands are in my hair, pulling me closer, and I lose myself in her.

“Cecilia,” I groan against her mouth, my hands wandering over her body, feeling the soft curves, the heat radiating off her skin. I grip the backs of her thighs, lifting her higher onto the bed.

She gasps, arching beneath me as I settle my weight between her legs, her body molding to mine like she was made for me.

Her fingers tangle in my hair, tugging me closer. She deepens the kiss, and I can’t think straight. All I know is that I need more of her. I slide my hand beneath the hem of her dress, fingers grazing the smooth skin just beneath her panties.

“Tell me what you need,” I demand, my voice rough, almost desperate.

“More,” she breathes, her body arching into mine, begging for the release I know she craves.

I press my erection against her center, rocking into her heat. My control is hanging by a thread. “This?” I ask, teasing, pushing her to the edge with nothing but words.

She shakes her head, breath coming in short, shallow pants. “Please,” she whispers, her hips rising to meet mine, her body trembling beneath me. “I need?—”

“Tell me,” I growl, lips brushing along her neck before I bite down, hard enough to leave a mark. Her sharp gasp sends a thrill through me, her nails digging into my back.

“Gabriel!” she cries, and fuck, the way she says my name … it wrecks me.

“Words, baby. I need to hear the words.” I can’t—won’t—go further without them. She’s not thinking clearly tonight. Her emotions are running too high. But I need to know she wants this as much as I do.

“I need you,” she finally says, her voice thick with desire, shattering any doubt.

“I’m right here,” I murmur, my lips brushing hers again. “Yours for the taking.”

Her eyes burn with lust as she pushes herself up on her elbows, gaze trailing down my body. She licks her lips, and I nearly lose it. My control is slipping, but I want her to make a move.

Cecilia’s fingers trail down my chest, lingering over the hard ridges of my abdomen. I suck in a sharp breath, waiting, anticipation tightening every muscle in my body. Her hand dips lower, grazing the waistband of my sweats, and I hold my breath.

“Touch me,” I whisper, my voice raw. “There’s nothing in this world I want more.”

Emboldened, she slips her hand beneath the fabric, her fingers wrapping around my length. A groan escapes my lips, hips thrusting into her fist. “Fuck,” I mutter, my voice strangled. “Take me out.”

With trembling hands, Cecilia pulls my cock free, her thumb brushing over the tip. I grit my teeth, my hips moving instinctively in her hand. “Jesus.” I could come just like this. Just from the warmth of her hand.

Her touch is tentative at first, but she quickly finds her rhythm, her hand moving in slow, torturous strokes. “Yes,” I groan, my voice hoarse with need. “Tighter, baby. Just like that.”

Her gaze locks with mine, dark and filled with desire. “I want you inside me,” she breathes, her voice a sultry whisper that sends a shiver down my spine.

Without another word, I kick off my sweats and tear her clothes from her body, leaving her completely bare. She’s breathtaking, every inch of her flushed and ready for me. I lower my mouth to her breast, sucking and nipping at the sensitive peaks of her nipples until she’s writhing beneath me. Her moans are a symphony of pleasure I can’t get enough of.

“Are you wet for me?” I ask, sliding my fingers down to her core, feeling the slickness between her thighs.

“Yes,” she gasps, her hips lifting off the bed, chasing my fingers as they retreat. “Please, Gabriel.”

The need to bury myself inside her is overwhelming, but I hold back. Not yet. I press two fingers into her, feeling her stretch around me, her body quivering beneath my touch.

“Fuck, you’re soaked,” I murmur, pumping my fingers inside her. I watch her face as she races toward release, her breaths coming faster, her body trembling.

She gasps, her fingers digging into the sheets. “Right there,” she cries, her voice strained. “Don’t stop.”

“Never,” I whisper, pressing my thumb to her clit. I circle it slowly, driving her higher and higher. Her body arches off the bed, and I know she’s close. A fine sheen of sweat sticking to her skin.

When she finally falls apart, it’s like watching something divine. She shatters beneath me, her body clenching around my fingers as I watch her, every muscle tightening, her lips parted in a breathless cry. “Gabriel!”

Fuck, hearing my name on her lips as she comes is enough to make me lose it.

I barely give her a moment to recover before I line myself up with her entrance. “Are you ready for me?” I ask, my voice thick with need.

She whines, a desperate sound that has me ready to give her anything she wants. My body is on fire, every inch of me straining with the need to be inside her, to lose myself in her heat. But I won’t rush this. Not tonight. Not with her like this.

“Words, baby,” I remind her. My fingers brush her sweat dampened hair away from her face as I keep my voice low and controlled, though I’m anything but.

“Yes,” she breathes. “Please, Gabriel. Make me forget.”

Her words gut me, the plea in her voice slicing through my chest. I know what she’s asking—what she needs—and it kills me that I don’t have all the answers, that I can’t fix whatever it is that’s haunting her right now. We’ll come back to that tomorrow. But right now, I can give her this.

Slowly, I push inside her, inch by torturous inch. Her slick heat wraps around me like a vice. My control is hanging by a thread, my jaw clenched so tight it hurts. “Jesus,” I hiss, fighting to keep it together as her body takes me in.

She curses softly, her spine curving off the bed, her legs wrapping tighter around my waist as I bury myself to the hilt. I pause, giving her a moment to adjust, to feel every inch of me inside her, but fuck—it takes everything I have not to move, not to come right here and now after only one thrust.

“Gabriel,” she whispers, her voice soft, breathless, her hands gripping my shoulders like I’m the only thing anchoring her to the earth. “Please.”

I press my forehead to hers, my breaths coming in ragged pants as I start to move, slowly at first, rocking into her with long, deep strokes. Her breath hitches every time I thrust inside her, her body trembling beneath me as she rises to meet every push of my hips. The way she fits around me, so tight, so perfect—it’s heaven and hell all at once.

“Fuck, you feel so good,” I groan, my hands gripping her hips, guiding her against me, driving deeper with every thrust. The tension between us builds, thick and suffocating, but I can’t stop. Won’t stop. Not when she feels like this, like she was made for me.

Her nails rake down my back, her breaths coming faster, each one catching in her throat as I pick up the pace, thrusting harder, faster. I can feel her unraveling beneath me, her body quaking, her moans growing louder, more desperate.

“Faster,” she pleads, her voice breaking. “Please, Gabriel, faster.”

I lose the last of my control, driving into her with a force that has the bed shaking beneath us, her cries echoing off the walls. Every thrust sends her higher, closer to the edge, and fuck, I want to see her fall apart again. I want to feel her come undone around me.

“Gabriel!” she cries, her body tensing, her muscles clenching tight around my cock as she shatters. Her orgasm hits hard, her back arching off the bed as her lips part in a silent scream. She’s trembling, her entire body shaking with the force of it, and it’s enough to send me over the edge.

I bury myself deep, my fingers digging into her hips as my own release slams into me, my vision going white as I spill inside her. Her name falls from my lips in a ragged groan, my body collapsing against hers as the aftershocks roll through me.

For a long moment, neither of us moves, our breaths coming in heavy, uneven gasps. I press my forehead to her shoulder, my body still trembling from the intensity of it all. She’s warm beneath me, soft, her skin slick with sweat and sex, and I don’t ever want to move. Don’t ever want to let her go.

Finally, I shift, careful not to crush her as I roll to my side, pulling her with me. She curls into my chest, her breathing slowly evening out, her fingers tracing lazy patterns over my skin. I kiss the top of her head, pressing my lips to her hair as I hold her close.

“Thank you,” she whispers, her voice so soft I almost don’t hear it.

I close my eyes, my chest tightening at the sound of her words. I don’t know what she’s thanking me for. For not pushing her? For giving her what she needed tonight?

“We’ll talk in the morning,” I murmur, my lips brushing her forehead.

She mumbles something incoherent, already half-asleep, and snuggles deeper into my arms. I hold her tighter, my heart racing with too many emotions to name. I know we have things to work out, things to say, but for now, this—her in my arms, safe and warm—is enough.

The steady rhythm of her breathing is the only sound in the room, and I try to let it calm the storm still raging inside me. But sleep doesn’t come. Not for me. My mind is too full—of her, of the panic I felt tonight, of everything I don’t know but need to. I stare up at the ceiling, my arms wrapped tight around her, my thoughts spinning.

Austin Holt is out there, and I don’t know what went down tonight, but I know one thing—I won’t let anything, or anyone, hurt her again.

I press another kiss to her hair, holding her close as I finally close my eyes, letting the warmth of her body pull me under. Having her here like this feels right.

It feels like home.