Immediately, all my skin seems to tighten, that tone in his voice causing my core to clench with arousal.
Holy shit, just a moment ago he and James were all buddy-buddy, and now Gabriel looks like he’s ready to dismember him.
“Woah, man,” James says throwing his hands up in the air and taking a step back. “Getting a little possessive already, aren’t we?”
Gabriel just shoots him a look that’s full of violence.
James mutters, “Damn. I thought you were cool. Now you’re turning into the rest of those crazy fuckers.”
He tosses the little black plastic thing to Gabriel with a look of disgust.
Ignoring the look, Gabriel snatches the thing out of the air and returns his attention to me. He hands the plastic thing to me before he begins to rip all the straps on my vest off.
As soon as the last strap comes undone, my ribs expand and I feel like I can take a full breath again.
Damn, if he’s really going to be this protective of me, shielding me even from his friends, then I guess he really does deserve a chance.
“We’ll keep this one as an emergency backup,” Gabriel says, dropping the vest to the ground.
I nod my head, good with that logic. A too-tight vest is better than no vest at all.
I hand him the plastic thing back, expecting him to start taking my measurements, but his eyes drop to my chest and stay there.
At first, I think it’s just because he’s sizing me up, but when his eyes burn hotter and hotter, I find myself glancing down.
Dammit, my nipples are hard and poking right through my shirt despite my bra.
James clears his throat loudly and Gabriel shakes his head as if he’s coming out of a daze.
“I need her underbust and overbust measurements in inches to get a good fit,” James says with a laugh, looking between us.
“Turn the fuck around,” Gabriel snaps back, his voice dropping to a full a growl.
I can’t resist the urge to throw James’s smirk back at him. Maybe being Gabriel’s possession isn’t so bad after all. Given all the grief James has given me today, he deserves a little grief in return.
“Fucking hell,” James grumbles as he turns around.
Once he’s satisfied James isn’t looking at me, Gabriel returns his attention to me. Grabbing the end of the black plastic thing, he yanks out a strip of measuring tape.
Moving closer, he starts to bring the tape up to my chest only to hesitate.
It takes me a second for me to realize he probably has no clue how to measure a bust.
“It’s just like measuring for a bra,” I offer and lift my arms up.
Gabriel nods his head but he’s still looking confused and cute as fuck.
Of course he doesn’t know how to measure for a bra, unless there’s a side of him I don’t know about…
I feel myself smiling as I explain, “You wrap it around me, under my breasts first.”
As if he’s afraid of hurting me, Gabriel wraps the measuring tape around me, just over my ribs.
“A little higher,” I encourage him and swallow back a chuckle.
Given what he did to me last night, you’d think he’d have no reservations about measuring me.
But he’s so unsure, so hesitant, I have to tell him, “Higher,” a couple of times before he finally has the length of thin tape where it needs to be.
Eyes quickly noting the number on the measuring tape, he calls out, “Thirty,” to James.
“In inches?” James calls back.
Gabriel checks the number again. “Yes.”
“Got it. Now measure over her boobs.”
Gabriel growls deep in his throat, so deep it reminds me of thunder rumbling. “Stop thinking about her boobs.”
James laughs. “I wasn’t, man, until now…”
Gabriel starts to pull away, probably to throttle James, but I reach down and grab his hand to stop him.
“Come on, we’re almost done. Let’s get this over with.”
Gabriel looks down at my hand on his hand and the strangest emotion passes over his face. I yank my hand back, something about that emotion making me feel uneasy.
His eyes lift, meeting mine again, and burn right through me.
Damn. I forgot he has a weird reaction to my touch. Sometimes it almost looks like it hurts him when I touch him.
“Sorry,” I mumble and drop my hand before I remember I need to keep my arms up.
“Don’t be sorry,” he rasps and then clears his throat.
He keeps staring at me until my arms start to become sore.
My one arm is really starting to bother me, so I have to remind him, “You need to measure my over bust now.”
His eyes cut away, but not before I see the flash of heat inside them.
And now my damn body is burning all over.
Just what I need when he’s going to be touching my breasts.
“Yeah, hurry it up. I’ve got chicks to do and people to kill.” James snickers.