Slaves to the Moon | DRAFT

XXIV ■ With You

My forehead slumped against Gabriel's sweat slicked shoulder while he kept me tightly crushed between his body and the tree. As I nuzzled and caressed the sensitive flesh right above his collar bone, I could feel him shudder. Without a shadow of a doubt Gabriel was ready to slam home again, and if I was forced to make an executive decision between the two, I would of said that the tree bark was softer.

"I love you, Alexis," Gabriel groaned. "Please, let me mark you."

With out so much as a word, I hesitantly pulled back.

"You know, when somebody says they love you," the King paused before adjusting me slightly in his arms, "-the proper response is to generally say it back."  

"I know," I nodded sincerely.

"But you're still not ready."

"I-- I dont know," I answered honestly. "But I know I'd feel a lot better about all of this, if we just called it like it is."

"And what's that?" he inquired.

"Great-- casual-- sex."

With a sudden glare, the King's grip around me loosened.

"I don't think so," he frowned.

"And why's that?" I shot back. "Why do you always have to complicate things?"

"Because, Alexis, I'm in love with you," he sighed.

Letting my feet fall softly back down to the ground, Gabriel turned his back to me as he ran his hands roughly through his hair.

"You can't be," I shook my head. "You just think you are." I was trying to sound convincing, but the truth was, I wasn't sure who I was trying to convince. "I can't mark you, we can't link, and I can't bare you any pups. I'm no good to you as a mate and I'm certainly not a Luna--"

"Goddess damn it, Alexis! Did you even hear what I said? I said I'm in love with you!" Gabriel shouted as he spun back around. "I'm in love-- with YOU!" He yelled again. "Why's that so hard for you to understand?"

When I didn't respond, Gabriel gave a slight shake of his head. "I'll be the first to admit that in the beginning, it was all just lust and mate bonds with you. But when you agreed to come home with me from Denver-- when you stayed with me, even knowing that I was cursed-- I knew then that something had changed. I had changed."

I tried to take a step back as Gabriel reached out for my hand.

"But I'm human now," I muttered.

"I don't care."

"But what if I don't fit in?" I asked before clarifying. "Fit in to your world."

"Then I'll concede the throne," he simply shrugged. 

As one of his large hands engulfed both of mine, I found myself once again pinned between the King and the damn tree.

"I love you, Alexis," Gabriel purred. "And I'd do anything to prove that. When all of this over, I'll even kill my own wolf--"

"Absolutely not!" There wasn't a moments hesitation before I practically shouted the words. "I just mean, I would never want you to do that for me," I said.

"Oh? And why's that?" An amused smirk ghosted his lips as the mountain of a man moved closer, obstructing my entire view of anything else.

As he lifted my hand to his lips, I knew he could smell my arousal.

"And all this time, Ms. Donovan, I thought it was your wolf that found me irresistible."

Damn him, I cursed under my breath-- my body shuddering as he lifted me into those massive arms once again. As I held on to the broad expanse of his shoulders, he let a hand trail down between us.