Chapter 23
Gabriel’s expression turned cold, and his brows creased in annoyance as he instinctively tried to push Emma away.
She was forcibly shoved away, putting some distance between them. When she looked up, her eyes suddenly lit up.
“You’re so handsome,” she remarked.
His gaze darkened the moment he saw her face.
It was her?
The last time they had crossed paths was at a café, where he had silently listened in on her blind date. He had been waiting for the right moment to approach her, but he never expected her to stumble straight into his arms like this.
Emma took an unsteady step forward, but her legs were still weak. She had no choice but to lean against Gabriel for balance. As her body pressed into his, he tensed up.
Her dazed eyes held a rebellious, almost reckless determination. She reached up and grabbed his tie as her slender fingers trailed up his face inch by inch.
“Are you one of the male escorts at this place? You look like the top pick.”
An escort? The top pick?
Gabriel almost laughed in exasperation, but his patience was already running thin. He grabbed Emma by the waist, and his grip tightened with barely restrained force. “What did you just say?” His voice was so rough it barely sounded like his own.
She curled her lips into a teasing smile. “I want to keep you… and sleep with you. Name your price. I can afford it.”
Gabriel’s expression darkened in an instant. He remembered the last time she had been harassed at a cocktail party and he had stepped in to save her. It had taken all his restraint not to take things further with her.
And now, she had shown up in Steistan, drunk out of her mind, and was saying she wanted to sleep with him? Had she… stopped liking Frank?
Gabriel drew in a deep breath, but it was useless as his last shred of restraint snapped. “Are you sure about this?”
“If it’s you, then yes.” She hesitated for a beat before adding, “So? Are you in or not? Otherwise, I’ll just find someone else.”
The moment the words left her lips, Gabriel’s hand closed around her throat. “If you sleep with me, you’d better be ready to take responsibility.”
After all, this was his first time.
Emma was only half aware of what was happening, but she knew one thing–she had gotten what she wanted. She eagerly stood on her tiptoes and searched for Gabriel’s lips.
As their lips met, his entire body tensed, and a storm of emotion flickered in his eyes. But in the next instant, he took control and deepened the kiss.
The bar pulsed with restless energy, and the music was blaring.
Gabriel backed Emma against the corridor wall, and he kissed her with relentless passion. He didn’t stop until her legs gave out beneath her, and only then did he pull away- reluctantly. Without hesitation, he scooped her into his arms and stepped into the elevator.
The night outside was deep and endless.
Gabriel tossed Emma onto the bed, and the buttons on her shirt popped free. Leaning over her, he let his warm breath trail against her skin.
She bit her lip and took it all in. “Please… be gentle…”
But her plea only seemed to spur him on.
His warm breath brushed against her ear, making her blush even deeper.
By the time dawn broke, Emma was spent. When Gabriel’s grip loosened, her body slid limply onto the bed.
He pulled her back into his arms again. His lips curved into a satisfied smile, but the hunger in his eyes hadn’t faded, and he planted a kiss on her forehead.
Happiness had come so suddenly. He shut his eyes, looking like a fox that had eaten its fill yet still hungered for more.
Since Frank didn’t cherish Emma, Gabriel had no reason to hold back.
