With All My Heart (A Devons Series)

Chapter 7

Chapter 7:

"Because of you, I laugh a little harder, cry a little less, and smile a lot more."

Gabriel POV

Emma moans against my mouth and my heart stops. I need to hear that sweet sound again. She clearly doesn't know how she unravels me. I feel starved, as if I haven't eaten in such a long time and she's my food.

In a way, I hadn't eaten for a long time. I hadn't had a steady girlfriend since my senior year in high school, before my time at the army. Besides, the longest I've ever kept my girlfriends was for a few months. I usually ended the relationships by pushing them away.

Thea and my brothers always thought something was wrong with me and my commitment skills. They always wondered what the hell was wrong with me for not wanting to date. They began thinking that I was gay, no matter how much convincing I had to go through in order to persuade my brothers not to get me a boyfriend. They even thought I had a crush on Roy McFee until I nearly gagged from the thought.

Emma and I finally pull away from each other and I see what I did to her. Her lips are all swollen and red from our hungry kisses. I bet my lips are a mirror image of hers. Her arms slowly unsnap from my neck and out of my hair but I catch her left arm before it leaves me completely.

I swallow and say hoarsely, "Don't, Emma. Don't pretend that was nothing."

She flushes but remains silent. She looks away.

I tilt her face toward me but her eyes don't meet mine. "Emma," I say more firmly. She finally meets my eyes.

"Are you sorry for what just happened between us?" I ask. I need to know. Because if she regrets our kiss, than I better crush my hopes now before they start to bloom.

She swallows but she shakes her head and her gaze drops to the floor. "I'm not sorry," she whispers.

I nod and keep my victorious smile to myself. "Good, 'cause neither am I."

She looks up at me. "Gabriel," she begins tentatively. "This can't happen. We're supposed to hate each other, not be attracted each other. This is not supposed to happen."

I swallow the burning hurt that spreads throughout my body. I feel like I've just been shot by a gun. Why is she denying our obvious connection? "Emma, why?" I ask.

She turns away. "I'm sorry, Gabriel. We're not going to work."

I leave it at that. I know that she's just as stubborn as my sister and this argument isn't going anywhere. Besides, she obviously doesn't want a relationship with an asshole of a guy that made her so upset. I turn and brush past her, climbing the stairs to my room, ignoring Emma's sweet voice calling after me. Let her know how rejection feels. That's how I feel now. I know I sound so immature right now, but I don't care. Let her wish she hadn't pushed me away. I enter my room, upset and bothered. I don't bother to look back.

Thea POV

It's painful to watch Emma chat with my brothers- minus Gabriel (I wonder what's going on between them)- as if she's known them forever and ignoring me. Even though I know I deserve it after that asshole move I pulled on her two weeks ago. I know I was unnecessarily mean to her and I don't know what came over me to do that. I know she has a right to date anyone she felt like dating, even if it meant losing one of my brothers, but honestly, Gabriel was right. Emma was like a sister to me and it wouldn't be considered as losing my brother.

But I couldn't help it; my selfish side took over my brain and it all turned to sh*t.

Even though I tried separating Landon and Emma, they were still best buddies, not really bothered by the fact that I said "NO" to their dating thing. As if Landon would listen to his younger sister.