Taming The Lockwood

Eighteen

With his hand trained on the small of my back, Noah had led us around the room, greeting all his acquaintances and maintaining small talk which had drained the life out of me. I'd never been a fan of such conventions and would rather skip to the 'taking-the-piss-out-of-each-other' point in a relationship, but of course society ruled otherwise.

My feet were already aching by the time we had exhausted out a long string of his co-workers and my arm was tucked into his to such a point that I felt my weight physically dragging him down.

"So where are your co-workers hiding?" He jested, though his question left me feeling a little bothered. My job role hadn't really given me the capacity to make many friends other than the likes of George and Lilian and so I made a mental note to ask Gabriel once I got the chance, for an opportunity to widen out my skill set.

"Erm," I murmur in an almost whisper, "I don't think he's here yet."

"He?" Noah prods, his grip on me tightening with the utterance.

"Yes, well I share an office with-," I begin until I'm interrupted rather coincidentally by a husky, baritone voice.

"Me." I whip around a bit too fast and Noah follows suit, his arm slinging around my waist to pull me against his side.

First, I'm met with the sight of an angelic-like woman who's just as tall as the beast stood next to her. Her features stand out to me the most: a small, button shaped nose, lips that jut out into a kissable bow, big bambino eyes and sharp cheekbones which hollow out her cheeks and bring emphasis to her heart shaped face. Chestnut hair cascades from her roots and she's adorned in a red gown that highlights her ample assets.

God, she's beautiful. I wouldn't doubt desiring her if I were from the opposite gender, Gabriel has every right to want her. Yet the thought doesn't stop the green monster lurking in the pits of my belly to erupt. I take a note of how she's subconsciously leaning into his large frame and the thin arm she has snuck through his, pairing them together.

They look like the perfect couple.

My eyes swivel over to Gabriel's and I instantly feel like a deer caught in headlights under the intensity of his gaze. His devastatingly handsome face is void of any emotion neither a slither of joy nor anger. On the other hand, his eyes are lit with a fiery colour I have become all too exposed to. The goldenrod flecks flicker within the olive green glow of his hooded eyes and it's an impossible task for me to decipher the pure emotion concealed beneath.

A dapper suit with a red tie - matching with his partner- covers his robust figure and rather than the outfit enhancing his glory, he enhances the perfection behind the tailored piece.

"Gabe." I gasp out in complete shock by the timing of his arrival and the handsomeness he epitomises. The nickname drops from my mouth before I can take it back and the term leaves my cheeks a stained ruby shade.

"Nora." He nods briefly, eyes refusing to budge from mine, while the sound of my name rolling off his lips does something to my insides. I clench my thighs together in a weak attempt at suppressing my growing desire for him.

His head cocks arrogantly to the side as an order for me to introduce Noah to him and I decide to pull his strings instead. "Mr Lockwood, this is Noah, my uhh," Gabriel's left brow raises at the sound of the possessive pronoun leaving my lips and I falter, struggling to find a response.