Yeah, Vivian thought. And I bet you loved doing it. "What do you want?" she asked.
Gabriel raised his eyebrows. "I thought you knew."
"Well, you can't have it," Vivian snapped. "So go." Inside she was trembling. She marched out of the room and to the kitchen, where she banged the toaster oven open, then grabbed a bagel and began to saw at it with a serrated knife.
Gabriel came up behind her and placed his hands over hers, stilling her motions. The heat of him scorched her from the backs of her knees to the nape of her neck. "You're gonna cut yourself that way," he murmured, his breath in her hair.
"Who cares?" She thought briefly of slicing his hand but dismissed the idea. He was much bigger than her and didn't mind hitting females.
He took the bagel and knife from her, and she ducked under his arm and left the heat of him behind. He cut the bread carefully. "Toasted?" He was so damn calm, so irritating.
"No."
He placed the bagel in the open toaster oven and pressed the lever. "Sure."
She folded her arms across her chest and glared at him. "So. Are you going?"
"We can take it slow," he said. "You can learn to be with me. Find out what I'm all about. You never know, you might like what you find."
"Don't hold your breath," she said.
He stepped toward her casually, amusement flickering around his lips. She tensed, her eyes checking for a way to run.
"Or ..." His hand lashed out, grabbed her, and whipped her into his arms, where he held her tight. "We can take it fast and rough." His mouth came down on hers and his hot tongue parted her lips. She pulled back, but he caught her hair in his fist and pressed her close. She pushed on his chest and struggled in his arms, but he wouldn't let go. Damn him, she thought, tears forming. I don't want fierce, I want gentle.
When she tried to knee his groin, he pulled away of his own accord, laughter in his eyes.
"You think you're such a stud, don't you?" she said.
"Don't you?" he asked.
She stormed out of the kitchen to the dining room.
He followed her. "I see I'm required to court you in every room of the house."
"Not likely," she replied.
"I'm looking forward to the bedrooms," he said.
"Go to hell!"
His grin faded. "I will court you," he said. "And I won't give up. I will wait for you like I waited for you outside that cave, and I'll follow you like I followed you home that night, keeping you safe. I will wait for you because you are meant to be mine" - his voice grew husky with desire - "and because you'll be worth the wait. Goodbye, Princess Wolf. Let me know what deeds must be done to win you."
When he'd left she could still smell him in the room as if he'd claimed her whole life.
"I'll choose my own mate," she swore, and walked to the phone.
Chapter 18
18
"What if I were a magical creature?" Vivian asked Aiden. She could hear him breathing on the other end of the line. She wished her heartbeat were as slow and steady.
"What kind of magical creature?" he asked.
"What if I could change into something else?"
Aiden laughed. "Like a selkie in a Scottish fairytale?"