“How so?” Those sad green eyes look at me from beneath long lashes, her posture so defeated. “Please, help me understand. Help me not fall apart.”
“I’d catch you as you fall, Gabriella. Each and every time.” A lone tear falls from her eye and my chest aches, something that I’d feel for no other. No woman or man has ever affected me as she does with a single look, and it’s been this way since I first set my eyes on her. “But this is part of life, sweetheart. You live and learn and become a bit harder after each lesson. No one is inherently good. No one deserves your blind trust until they’ve proven themselves.”
“And how does someone prove themselves? How can I—”
“By paying attention.” Her lips purse, and had this been any other time, I would’ve kissed her. Would’ve taken the very breath from her lungs and fed my soul with her taste, but I don’t. Instead, I tuck her head under my chin and give her the comfort she needs. And when I feel the tension leave her body, I kiss the crown of her head, speaking into it. “Your heart has always been beautiful, even toward those who have never deserved your empathy. But the time has come, Gabriella, to not give until you receive. To open those gorgeous green eyes and see the world for what it is, and while you learn, I’ll hold your hand. When you stumble, I’ll teach you to hold your ground. But what I won’t do, not today or in the future, is let you carry a cross that isn’t your burden.”
“But doesn’t that defeat the purpose of not trusting easily if I give in to you?”
“It does.” Won’t deny it. “And trust me, I’m the worst of all.”
Her head shifts, and our eyes meet once again. “What does that even mean?”
“It means I’m the worst beast of all because it’s your heart that I’m after. Because I want all of you, not leaving a single molecule of your DNA untouched. But know this: just like I’ll devour you, I’ll never leave your side. You’ll own me as irrecoverably as I’ll own you.”
“Anything you want to watch?” Gabriella asks an hour later after changing into a pair of sleep shorts and a tank top. We’re in her family room and on the couch, sitting side by side while sharing a blanket. Her choice. She hasn’t talked much after my confession; not in an uncomfortable way, but more contemplative—dissecting what she learned and my admission, because I want her.
All of her. Every soft inch.
Every sigh. Every moan. Every tear.
“I doubt you’ll enjoy what I decompress to.”
“Try me.” The streaming app is open and her avatar is quite cute in a purple-ish shade and superhero costume. “You’ll be surprised at what I enjoy.”
I’m more surprised with her need to have me close. The sweet way she asked me to stay.
Walking her to the door, I step to the side and wait for her to unlock it. “Will you be okay?”
Gabriella doesn’t answer at first, turning and pushing the doorknob instead before turning to face me from the other side of the threshold. “Are you leaving?”
“I’m not going to assume you want me here, beautiful. You’ve had a rough day, and I’ll give you space.”
Her brows furrow. “But I don’t want you to leave.”
“Are you sure? I’m only a phone call away.”
“This is my way of asking you.”
“I need to hear you say the words, Gabriella. I’m not going to assume.”
“Theodore, come inside and lock the door behind you...” she’s walking away, calling from over her shoulder while her hips sway from side to side “...I’m not in the mood for more surprise visits.”
“Don’t complain later.”
“Just pick something. I’ll be right back.” Gabriella stands from her place beside me and heads toward her kitchen, the opening of her fridge following soon after. “Do you want anything? It’s all sugary and bad for you.”
“No, thank you,” I call back and then scroll through her Watch Again selection, quite impressed with her choices. She is a little morbid, and that makes me smile as it’s nothing but dangerous animals and serial killers with the occasional cultural documentary. No romance or comedy or even a cooking show. “Fuck, she’s perfect.”
Something plastic is being opened and then another door opens; my guess is the microwave, and my suspicion is confirmed a few seconds later when the smell of popcorn permeates the air. “Did you pick yet? If not, it’s my choice when I get back.”
“I have.”
“What?” Her head sticks out of the entrance, nose scrunched up in the cutest way.
“This.” A few clicks and the opening to a docu-series I’ve watched a few times comes onto the screen.
“Wait! I’m not ready yet.”
“You have sixty seconds before I hit start.”
“You’re in my home. You wait for the hostess.”
“Fifty,” I chuckle.
“Not funny.”
“Forty-three.”
“You suck,” she huffs, rushing back with a large bowl of popcorn and a Dr. Pepper in her hands. The innuendo sits on the tip of my tongue. I want her to know I’d gladly lick, bite, and suck every inch of her body, but instead hit play. The intro starts, and she raises her brow. “What’s this about?”
“It’s the story of a man who rises to power by using religion as his shield for the crimes committed,” I say as the beautiful woman next to me scoots a little closer, her arm brushing mine. My hands clench, nails digging into my palms while she tests me. My self-control. The need to possess her every kiss is maddening, but she’s had a rough day and I’d be just as disgusting as those around her who take without care. So instead, I look at her and smile. “He lies and steals and eventually fucks every adult member of his church before slaughtering the poor souls that followed him out onto that island.”
“I’ve heard of this one, but never watched it. A false prophet?”
“You can call him that.”
