There just aren’t enough what the fucks for today. Seriously. Blushing bride? Sneaking off? Holing up until she’s pregnant?
Do his men have a habit of doing this?
I slide a glance toward Gabriel. Our gazes collide, crashing into each other. I quickly look away in surprise and hope I haven’t given away my interest.
Surely, he wasn’t planning on doing that…
“What important matters?” Gabriel grits out as if he’s irritated.
There’s a pause and then Lucifer says carefully, “We’re meeting at the compound. Attendance is mandatory.”
I hear Gabriel suck in a slow breath through his teeth and then release it. “I’ll be there.”
“Good, good,” Lucifer says, sounding pleased. “I’m looking forward to giving my congratulations to you and your beautiful bride, in person.”
Gabriel grunts in acknowledgement and the call disconnects.
Catching movement out of the corner of my eye, I glance over to see Gabriel holding his hand out to me.
Reluctantly, I place the device in his big palm, carefully avoiding touching any of his skin.
After lifting up and shoving the phone back in his pocket, Gabriel hits the blinker and the car suddenly slows.
A couple of cars pass us before he makes a u-turn, pointing us in the opposite direction.
I look at him in alarm. Why is he suddenly turning around? He wasn’t… he couldn’t possibly have been planning on doing what Lucifer said…
Our situation is obviously different.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Gabriel asks, making me realize I’ve been staring at him.
“Where are we going?” I ask.
“You heard, to the compound,” he answers.
“In Garden City?”
“Yeah.”
I bite my lip, contemplating my next question and the best way to phrase it without offending him.
He glances over and his gaze drops down to my mouth. His eyes seem to burn into me, darkening with heat.
A flush works its way up my neck.
Suddenly self-conscious, I release my lip.
He jerks his attention away.
What the hell was that?
Taking a little breath to help calm my racing heart, I ask, “Do your… associates have a habit of sneaking off with women and getting them pregnant?”
Gabriel rolls his massive shoulders in shrug. “I wouldn’t know, I’ve been in prison.”
Damn. Yeah. I guess that makes sense.
Focusing my attention outside again, I replay Lucifer and Gabriel’s words in my head. So far, Gabriel has given me no reason not to trust him since he offered me his protection. You know, besides being a convicted murderer and spending ten years in prison.
Perhaps I’m being just a little paranoid.
Then he suddenly adds out of the blue, “I wouldn’t put it past Simon, though. Fucker probably kept his wife tied up and locked in the house until he got her pregnant.”
“Seriously?” I ask, unsure if he’s joking or not.
Gabriel looks at me, not a hint of amusement on his face. “After listening to him on the phone, do you think any woman would willingly put up with his shit?”
“No,” I have to admit with a sinking feeling of dread.
Perhaps Lucifer was stating the truth. That doesn’t necessarily mean though that Gabriel would do such a thing. After all, in his own words, he’s been locked up in prison.
Just to be sure though, I try to joke, “You wouldn’t do that, right? Obviously, you’re not as annoying as him…”
Gabriel just looks at me as he deadpans, “I don’t know. Depends on how much you fight me.”
I laugh. “You’re joking.”
He has to be.
Gabriel’s lips begin to curve with amusement and he arches a brow. “Am I?”
My laughter trails off and I feel the need to firmly remind him, “Remember, you agreed not to touch me without my permission.”
“I did,” he agrees with a nod, and then his lips stretch into a full grin. “But I didn’t say anything about not getting you pregnant…”
6
Gabriel
The moment Lucifer called to inform me of the mandatory meeting, I felt the tension in my shoulders increase tenfold. Fuck, the tension in my shoulders isn’t nearly as thick as the tension in the car.
Meghan posed the question of whether I’ll be touching her without her permission… and a lot of things could cause that to happen…
But what I think she means is will I be taking her against her will…
“I won’t rape you, Meghan. That’s not my bag,” I say with a grunt as I pull to a stop at a red light.
I won’t have to take her or force her. When it comes time, she’ll be coming to me and begging me for it.
Watching her body, I notice she doesn’t edge toward the door for escape, but the way she’s riding that side of the car, I can feel she wants to get away from me as much as she wants to kiss the fuck out of me. We’ve got that fucking animal magnetism.
“I… I know that. I just don’t understand exactly what the fuck is going on,” she snaps at me.