Unbound

Chapter 38

I wanted to keep my conversation with Jack to myself for just a little while longer. I was still processing. I managed to get back before the sun rose and left the car for Aubrey to find, figuring she could drop my things off another time. If Gabriel had noticed my absence, he didn't let on. Instead, he continued to make himself scarce. Though at first I didn't mind, by the fourth day I was frustrated. I missed him.

Ephraim could tell I was unsettled. Along with giving me extra work to keep me busy, he did his best to keep me apprised of everything going on behind the scenes. Gabriel was busy—busier than ever—with a new wave of attacks. The soldiers he'd sent to assist Alpha Barrett and the Blackfoot Pack were moving west, now scouring Wenatchee Pack territory for the rogues that continued to evade capture. I felt guilty then for being annoyed with him then; I should have been grateful that he hadn't gone himself.

When he finally showed back up, I wanted to tell him I needed space. I'd be the one to push him away this time, to give him a taste of his own medicine. But one long, hungry look from him and I knew I didn't stand a damn chance. There was a fire in his eyes tonight as he stood in my doorway, an aggression that made me shiver with anticipation. Physically, he looked healthier than he had in a while, but I could sense the stress that underlined his desire.

"What happened?" I pulled him into the guesthouse. With my hands on his biceps, I kept him at arms' length. Though we both very clearly wanted the same thing, he at least owed me a few minutes of conversation.

He ignored my question. "Where did you go?"

"I took a vacation," I snapped sarcastically. "What's going on with you, Gabriel?"

His jaw tightened. Relaxed. "One of the Blackfoot soldiers was injured. Badly. Barrett wants me to send more of ours."

"Are you going to go?" My grip on his arms tightened involuntarily.

"Not this time," he sighed. "I need to be here in case..."

"In case they come here next," I finished his sentence. Imagining Gabriel fighting made my stomach turn. I'd seen him wounded once; I wasn't interested in repeating the experience.

He shook his head as though clearing away the thought. "I don't want to talk about this anymore."

"What do you want to talk about?" My words were little more than a whisper as Gabriel drew closer to me. He pulled me into his presence as easily as gravity.

"I don't want to talk." Now, he'd show me exactly what he wanted. His lips were on mine then in an instant, skin feverish with need. Connected, we fumbled our way deeper into the guesthouse until the edge of the kitchen island dug into my spine. He tilted his head to the left, deepening the kiss. A pregnant groan slipped from his throat as my tongue slid between his lips, as his own had moments before, now taking over control. It about did him in.

Gabriel lifted me to perch on the edge and pulled my legs around his waist. He ground his hips against mine, slowly at first, then rougher and with greater pressure. The friction against my clit sent shockwaves up my body and left me panting in his arms.

I was positive he could smell it: my want for him, my desire to feel him close to me. Inside of me. Gabriel wrapped one hand around my neck possessively, just under my chin, tipping my head back to expose the column of my throat. His eyes were pitch-dark now and the growl of his wolf sounded like an engine revving in his chest. Despite my weak protests, he sucked on the soft skin he'd just exposed harshly with every intention of leaving a mark.

"Do you want to move upstairs?" I gasped the question as he slid his hand under the waistband of my pants. He didn't hesitate, didn't tease. Instead, in one quick movement, he ran two fingers down my core, coating them in my wetness before plunging both into me at once. I gripped his wrist, trapping him there and pressing his hand tighter to me.

With a devilish grin, Gabriel shook his head. "I'll take you right here."

Every inch of me was on fire, every raw nerve ending screaming for release as he continued grinding himself against me, driving his fingers deeper while stroking my clit deftly. Just as I reached the edge of what my body could take, Gabriel withdrew his hand and stepped back. My whole body quaked at the sudden loss of pleasure. I couldn't stop the whimper that escaped from my lips, a pathetic mewling sound.

"What do you want, Kiera?" Gabriel whispered. He pushed me gently backward so I was laying on the counter, legs still dangling over the edge. The marble was freezing against my back where my shirt had ridden up. "Use your words."

"Words?" I breathed. Shit. I couldn't remember any.

Faster than I could register, he'd ripped my pants and underwear off. His own were on the floor around his ankles, his length exposed and dripping. Gabriel's fingers dug into my hips as he slid me closer to him, slotting himself between my legs.

"Tell me what you want," he growled. I knew it would hardly make a difference; he was just as desperate as I was.

"I need you inside of me," I choked. I'd barely finished the sentence before he drove himself into me all the way to the hilt. Our bodies slammed together forcefully. I hitched one of my legs around him so that I could pull my hips up tighter against his.

Gabriel's breaths became labored and his moans more urgent, more insistent as he thrust into me over and over again. Each time, he withdrew almost entirely so that he could again give me his full length. Stars clouded my vision and my eyes nearly rolled back into my head. This was so much rougher, so much more aggressive than he'd ever been with me. I couldn't get enough.

I knew he was close to finishing when the bites he was trailing across my collarbone sunk deeper into my skin. I arched my back in response to the frenzied bucking of his hips, my walls tightening around him, squeezing impossibly tight. The pressure inside of me was so intense I could hardly keep from screaming as I climaxed, hard and fast. Gabriel continued to thrust in and out, our hips crashing against each other loudly for several more ecstatic seconds before he pulled out and finished. He had to grip the edge of the counter to support himself as his knees buckled under him.

For a few minutes, he stayed bent over me. His head rested on my bare stomach, rising and falling fast as I panted. Once he'd regained his balance, Gabriel pulled his pants back on then picked me up off the counter and carried me to lay with him on the couch. He took his shirt off before I settled in against him so that he could feel our skin pressed together.

"You're very vocal," I mused, making patterns with my fingers across his sweaty chest as his breathing evened and his heartrate slowed.

"Is that a good thing?" The way his voice sounded after sex was wonderful: low and husky and heavy with exhaustion.

Nodding, I smiled. "I like the feedback."

I was dozing off in his arms when Gabriel shifted under me then sat up, gently maneuvering me onto the couch beside him so he could stand. He stretched then pulled on his shirt. I frowned.

"Going somewhere?" I could hardly believe it; I didn't fancy being treated like a one-night stand. Especially not by the man who I thought could be my—don't say it.

He pulled on the hem uncomfortably. "I have early meetings."

"I want more than this, you know." I crossed my arms tightly across my chest and pulled the blanket from the back of the couch across my lap, feeling suddenly exposed.

"That wasn't satisfactory?" He tried to smile but it didn't reach his eyes.

I rolled my eyes. "You know what I mean. Always this back-and-forth, I can't keep up. I don't want to feel like I'm always trailing behind you."

"I have responsibilities, Kiera. Wolves are being killed. What if it's us they attack next?" He saw my face and softened. "Just let me get through this. It will get better."

I turned away to look out the window into the dark night. It was the first night above freezing in a while; winter was finally drawing to a close. The transition into spring would take longer here, hidden away in the tall pines, but I looked forward to the warmth beginning to creep in.

Gabriel sighed and kissed the top of my head before leaving, closing my door quietly behind him. I curled my knees up to my chest and rested my chin atop them. I'd been planning on telling him about Jack tonight, but it would have to wait.