Page 75 of This Kind of Forever

As soon as the thought hits, I curse myself. Like the butterflies, I shove Clara firmly out of my mind. Now is definitelynotthe time for me to be picturing her face.

With the bedroom door shut, Gabe tugs his jacket off. I follow suit, tossing mine onto the chair in the corner. When I face Gabe again, he slips his fingers through my belt loops and guides me closer. Against my stomach, through the denim of his pants, I can feel that he’s turned on. A dull throb settles between my legs.

His hands slide over my hips, then to my ass, cupping me there. “These jeans.Fuck, Hallie, these jeans,” he groans.“They’ve been testing me since the minute you walked into my house for the first time.”

“Sorry,” I say with a sheepish smile.

He shakes his head. “Don’t be sorry, baby. I’ve loved every minute. But now you need to take them off.”

“Off?” I squeak.

Logically, I knew this would require me to take off my clothes. But standing here in front of him, having him tell me to do it, makes it seem soreal.

Gabriel Bowman wants me to take my pants off. Oh my God.

“Strip, Hallie,” he commands.

And I am powerless to resist.

I unbutton my pants and slowly peel them off my legs. Removing skinny jeans seems like the least sexy thing one could do, especially when they get caught on my ankles and turn inside out, but Gabe’s eyes flash as he watches me. The next thing to go is my top. And then I’m standing there in nothing but my bra and underwear.

I can feel my face heating—my entire body, really. I’m not used to being observed like this. It’s been a while since I last had sex, and we left the lights off. But in the warm lamplight, Gabe’s eyes are roving over me like I’m painted in vivid colour.

The urge to cover myself up is hard to resist, but something tells me Gabe would take issue with that. Still, I wring my hands together in front of my stomach.

“You are a fucking masterpiece, Hallie Foster,” he says. “A masterpiece made just for me.”

His words twist around my heart, giving it a painful squeeze.

“Can you—? Would you—?” I inhale a deep breath. “Take your shirt off?” I finish quietly.

He obliges, then draws me back into his arms. “I can tell you’re nervous, but you have the control here. We won’tdo anything you’re not comfortable with. And if you want something, you can ask for it. Chances are, I’ll want it, too.”

I peer shyly up at him. “I don’t really…want control.” For once, I’d love nothing more than to shut my brainoff.

His eyes sweep over my face. “Trust me?”

“I trust you, Gabe.”

He starts with kissing me on the mouth. Then he nips at my jaw, trails his lips over my neck. Soon, he’s sucking on the swell of one breast, and I wonder briefly if it’ll leave a mark. I hope it does.

Slowly, I melt against him. My bra comes off, then my underwear. The air should feel cool against my naked skin, but all I feel is heat. Mind blissfully empty, I let Gabe guide me onto my back, let my head sink into the mattress.

The weight of him above me feels amazing, but when he rocks his hips against mine, I feel like I’m in heaven. His lower half is still clothed, and that won’t do. I reach out, fumbling with the button on his jeans.

He grabs my hands, holding them above my head. “We don’t have to rush, baby. We’ve got forever, and I intend to use every second.”

A kind of content sigh escapes me, followed quickly by a moan when he rocks his hips again. My back arches, pressing my breasts against his bare chest. My nipples tighten as they brush the hard planes.

Can’t he just put it inside me already?

He doesn’t. Instead, he releases my hands, then works his way steadily down my body. When he settles himself between my thighs, face extremely close to my aching core, I let out a gasp.

“Gabe,” I whine. My voice doesn’t even sound like my own. “Please.”

“I have been waiting for this day since I was eighteen fucking years old, Hallie. Let me admire the art before I devour it.”

“Oh. You don’t have to—” I try to sit up, close my legs, but Gabe pins me with a look that makes me freeze. “I’ve never… No one has ever…done that to me before.”