With All My Heart (A Devons Series)

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"No matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that."

Emma POV

My heart feels like it'll burst out of my chest and my mind screams, "No!"

She steps into the light and Gabriel's gaze whips from me, to his sister. Then back at me, then at Thea. "Wha--?"

Thea freezes. "Gabe."

"Why are there two of you?" he demands. "I didn't actually mean that I thought there were two. I thought you were just moping around or something."

I share a glance at Thea and she sighs.

"So which one is the real Thea?" he asks, looking thoroughly confused.

Thea swallows and raises her hand slightly. "I am."

Gabriel's gaze flies back to me. "Then who am I holding?" he asks, confusion clear in his masculine, deep voice. He gazes down at me and I stand immediately after he releases me. I dust myself off, trying to pretend that Gabriel's intense staring isn't causing delicious tingles to run all throughout my body. I try to pretend that he doesn't send my heart off into flutters every time he touches me, looks at me or smiles at me. But I can't. The attraction is there for sure. I watch as understanding slowly flashes into his deep, alluring, light grey eyes.

"That's Emma Stone. She's my friend," Thea says. Gabriel keeps staring at both of us, standing side by side. We could really pass as identical twins. Really.

He gazes at me with his piercing eyes. "Emma Stone," he says softly, weighing my name on his tongue. He seems to like the way my name sounds to him, because he repeats it another three times, rolling my name around in his mouth.

I shiver when I hear him say my name again. He says it in such a way, that makes my body tighten and my throat clog up.

Gabriel extends his hand out to me and I stare at it, afraid that if I take it, something's gonna shoot me with electricity. He wiggles his fingers and gives me a side-ways panty-dropping smile that has my heart tripping over itself. "Come on," he coaxes. "I don't bite. Hard. Swear."

I tentatively place my hand in his and nearly leap up 10 feet off the ground when something shocks me.

Gabriel obviously felt that spark too because he looks astounded... and confused. But he doesn't let go of my hand. He shakes it slowly. "Nice to meet you, Emma Stone. I'm Gabriel Devons- Haddix."

He's still latched onto my hand and he doesn't let go. "Nice to meet you, Gabriel. But do you mind giving me my hand back?"

He yanks his hand back, as if mine were on fire. His sexy smile drops. I feel like I can breath again.

This guy is just too hot for words. Everything about him is hot: his laugh, his smile, his body, the way he dresses, his voice. Everything. I'm taken by him in a freaky way.

Thea clears her throat. "Alright. Enough with the chemistry. Let's head in and we'll tell the rest of the crew."

I nod, swallowing hard. Before, when I was suggesting telling Thea's brothers, I was confident. But now that it was actually happening? I was freaking out.

I swallow again. I could do this, I tell myself. I got this. I won't chicken out. Especially not when Gabriel's standing right here.

"Don't worry," Thea says, when we're about to walk in. "They won't kill you. Look how well Gabriel took it."

The sort of friendly Gabriel had now turned into a glowering monster. His eyes are a stormy grey and a dark expression rests on his face.