The Replay (Boys of Richland #3)

20. Gabriel

gabriel

. . .

The moment I pull out from between Cecilia’s thighs, a flood of satisfaction and exhaustion rolls over me. My breath is ragged, her skin warm beneath my hands. I should go to the bathroom, grab a warm wash rag and help her clean up.

But something in me twists at the idea, this primal urge tightening in my chest. Before I can think it through, I shove two fingers into her dripping entrance, pushing my cum back inside her.

Cecilia gasps, her body jerking under my touch. “What ... what are you doing?”

I glance down at her, the words slipping from my lips before I even realize what I’m saying. “I’m plugging you up.”

Her breath hitches, dark brown eyes widening as she stares at me. “Why?”

My brows furrow. Why? Hell, I don’t know. It’s something I needed to do. My fingers stay buried inside her, her core tight around them. I meet her gaze, my voice gravelly. “I don’t know. Just ... felt right.”

She swallows hard, her chest rising and falling with each shallow breath, and I can see the questions spinning in her head, her body tensing beneath me. So, I ask her something I’ve never really considered before, until now. “Have you ever thought about kids?”

Her eyes flicker in surprise, but she nods after a beat. “Yeah, I mean ... I think I’ll have some eventually. Not right now. I’m still in school, and ... we’re still figuring things out.” Her cheeks pink. Good. She’s not only thought about having kids, but has specifically thought about having them with me.

Her words make sense. I’ve got college and soccer to think about too. But there’s this part of me that doesn’t care about the timeline. The thought of her growing round with my child, carrying something we made together ... it does something to me.

I lean down, brushing my lips against her forehead, then her cheeks, and finally her mouth, kissing away the worry that lingers in her expression. “I’m not suggesting you get pregnant right now,” I murmur, my breath mingling with hers. “But I like the idea of you ... growing round with my baby.”

She laughs softly, though it’s a little shaky. “I’m on the pill, Gabriel.”

I shrug, a slow smile spreading across my face as I pull back just enough to look into her eyes. “That’s fine. I still like the idea of my cum staying inside you.”

Her lips part, a small breath escaping, her body shifting beneath me as my words settle in. I see it, the way her body responds even though we’ve just come down from the high.

“I want you to keep it,” I tell her. “Don’t wash me away.”

She bites her lip, and a pretty blush creeps up her neck. “Okay ... I won’t wash you off. Not right now, at least.”

Satisfaction blooms deep inside me at her words. My chest tightens with possessiveness, my lips pressing to her temple as we settle into the bed. I keep her close, her body tucked against mine like she’s meant to be there. Her fingers trace slow, lazy circles on my chest, grounding me, easing the tension that still hums beneath my skin.

The silence between us stretches on, but it’s not uncomfortable. Heavy with everything unsaid, but I can feel her thinking . I can feel her wanting to ask, but she waits.

Eventually, she shifts slightly, her voice soft, careful. “Do you want to talk about earlier? You don’t have to, but … you’ve been off since you picked me up.”

I let out a long breath, my fingers running through her hair as I stare up at the ceiling. “I ran into Asher,” I say, voice gruff. “He wants me to be nice to Adam. Maybe even grab a beer with them after the game next weekend.”

She stills for a moment, her fingers pausing mid-circle on my chest before she lifts her head to look at me. “How do you feel about that?”

I shrug, the frustration simmering just below the surface starting to bubble over. “I don’t know, Cecilia. I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel. Part of me wants to tell him to fuck off. The other part can’t stop thinking about Carlos.” My brother’s ghost is everywhere these days. No matter how much I try to shove it down, I can’t shake the guilt, the ache. I thought I was getting good at burying his ghost but lately, I guess not.

Her hand slides up to cup my jaw, guiding my face toward hers. “They’re not replacing Carlos, Gabriel. They couldn’t, even if they tried. But you’ve lost a lot of family, and if they’re reaching out ... maybe it’s not the worst thing to have more people in your corner.”

I let her words sink in, the tension in my chest loosening just a bit. She’s right. She usually is. But it’s hard, letting down my guard after losing so much. I exhale slowly, nodding against her palm. “Yeah ... maybe.”

“Just … don’t push them away. You don’t have to let them in,” she tells me. “Not yet. But that doesn’t mean you should push them away either.”

I swallow hard, seeing the vulnerable look in her eyes. It’s a quiet reminder that we’ve both pushed each other away before and neither instance went well for us. So, with a sigh, I tell her, “I’ll think about it.”

A smile tugs at her lips, and she presses a kiss to my jaw. “Good.”

A few more minutes go by before I reluctantly climb out of bed, tugging Cecilia with me as we both get dressed. She squirms as she pulls on her underwear and jeans, and I quirk a brow, smirking as I watch her.

“So what should we—” The shrill of a phone pierces through the room. My eyes scan the room while Cecilia checks her pockets before we locate her phone on the floor a few feet away from the bed.

“Hello,” she answers. “This is her.” I watch her, half-naked and flushed, hair wild from me claiming her. She’s a mess of contradictions—fragile yet strong, soft yet resilient. And she’s all mine.

I head to my dresser for a pair of sweats, entirely naked and unashamed.

“Oh—” Something in her tone changes with that single word. I look over my shoulder as I shove my feet into my pants. Her skin pales, and her breath catches as she listens to whoever’s on the other end of the line. The way her eyes lose focus, glassing over, tells me something’s wrong.

Shit. And here I thought she might be checking me out the way I had been eyeing her.

I close the distance between us in three long strides, my hand on her hip as I tilt her chin up to meet my eyes. “What’s going on?” I ask, voice low, but she shakes her head, stepping out of my grip, her body tense.

Fuck, I don’t like this.

My fingers itch to take the phone from her and find out for myself what the hell is going on, but I know she won’t like it. So, I wait.

She paces away from me, and I don’t like that either.

My eyes track her as she walks around the room, stiff and agitated as she listens to the call. Every second feels like an eternity, and my patience is wearing thin. I want to know what’s happening. I need to know.

Finally, she hangs up, turning to face me, her eyes wide and her lips trembling. “That was Mr. Ayala,” she says, her voice shaking. “All three guys accepted their plea agreements. Sentencing is set for the week after next.”

It takes a second for her words to sink in, for me to process what she’s just said. Fuck. That’s good, right? I mean, I think it’s good. But judging by the freaked out expression on her face, I’m not so sure. I thought this was what she wanted.

“Are you okay with that?” I ask, my voice quieter than I expected.

She nods, her lips pressing into a thin line, and I can see some of the tension in her shoulders start to ease. “It’s going to be over,” she says. Cecilia’s dark brown eyes shine with unshed tears and a hesitant smile curls the corners of her lips. “It’s finally going to be over.”

I pull her into my arms, my grip tight as I bury my face in her hair, breathing her in. "Yeah, baby. It's over."