She almost missed Belle limping onto the stage, smiling sweetly as the opening strains of Jewel’s
“Hands” started up, startling them. Belle looked like an angel sitting in the light of the stage, her hair a golden halo around her head. She lifted the mic and Sarah sat back, prepared to watch the others get impressed.
Gasps sounded around the table as Belle’s strong, gentle voice floated over them. “Holy shit. She’s good.” Gabe shook his head. “Why didn’t we know that?”
Sarah tilted her head back, the top of her head brushing Gabe’s cheek. “Bimbo persona, remember?
Besides, Livia would have had a fit if she’d known Belle was good at something she wasn’t, so Belle hid it.” Stupid, but there it was. Belle had given Livia a loyalty the rogue hadn’t been worthy of and had wound up paying a price she hadn’t deserved.
“Well she’s certainly not hiding it now.” She would have bristled over the admiration in Gabe’s voice if it wasn’t for the fact that she could
feel
it. It had nothing to do with lust and everything to do with friendship.
The pride he’d felt when Sarah had sung had been mixed with a healthy dose of lust and…love? Sarah shook her head, not certain she’d felt what she thought she had. How could it be love? She just couldn’t trust her senses where Gabe was concerned. It was entirely possible she was reading something into his emotions that just weren’t there. Wishful thinking could wind up with her heart breaking all over again, and it had barely begun to mend.
Belle’s face tilted up, her eyes closing as she sang. Rick stood at the edge of the stage, a strange look on his face, utter disbelief mingled with astonished pride,
his
love singing across her senses. “Apparently Rick didn’t know either.”
“I guess.” Gabe picked up a drink and handed it to her. “Strawberry margarita.”
“When did you get this?”
“Just before your song started up. I thought you might be thirsty afterwards.”
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“Thank you.” She took a sip just as Belle’s song ended to thunderous applause. When Belle went to get off the stage Rick stopped her, settling her back down on the stool. “Oh, this should be good.”
“Have you heard him sing?” Gabe began peppering kisses around the hickey he’d given her.
“Hmm?” The feel of Gabe’s mouth on her skin nearly turned off her brain.
Rick, right.
“Nope, but I bet he’s better than we expect.”
“Why?”
“He seems like the type of guy who wouldn’t put himself out there like that unless he was pretty sure he could rock it.”
“True.”
They turned to watch the big redhead take the mike. He nodded to the DJ, holding Belle’s hand in his.
Eric Clapton’s “Change the World” started to play. Belle smiled up at her mate as he crooned to her.
Sarah could feel the mood of the room as Rick sang, the women swaying into their dates as the big bad Wolf showed the world exactly how he felt about his Belle. The feelings swept over her, mellow and sweet, and Sarah swayed with them, lapping them up like a chocoholic in a Hershey’s factory.
Gabe’s hand began stroking her stomach in tender circles. He began to croon into her ear along with the song, distracting her from the emotions floating around her. Sarah licked her lips. Gabe’s voice was nowhere near as smooth as Rick’s, but it affected her much more deeply. She lowered her eyes and leaned back against Gabe, feeling his jolt of surprised joy when she did so, soaking in the sense of safety only being in his arms gave her. It was like the dreams, but so much better, knowing he was actually there behind her. She let her worries and fears drift away on the song in her ears and her heart.
Gabe tilted up her face with a firm hand, placing a soft kiss on her lips before cuddling her close. That first real taste of her mate left her senses reeling, but the sight of Chloe across from them brought her sharply to her senses. She straightened, pulling away from him, much to his annoyance. She could feel it, sharp and tingly. She couldn’t give in, not yet. Not until the question of Chloe was answered to her satisfaction.
Rick’s song ended to thunderous applause. Bowing, he led Belle off the stage and right out the door of the club, the blonde’s happy laughter trailing behind them, the two five-dollar bills still sitting on the table, forgotten by them both.
“Now I wonder where he’s taking her.” Gabe’s shoulders shook as he laughed.
Sarah shook her head. You didn’t need to be Omega to figure that one out.
Gabe held onto Sarah’s hand and his own hopes for the evening. He knew how he wanted the evening to end, but from the hot-and-cold way Sarah was blowing he had no clue whether or not he’d get his
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wish. He wanted to drag her into his room, tie her down and deliver each and every one of those spankings he’d promised her. He wanted to watch her beg for his cock while he tongued her luscious pussy. He wanted to come so deep inside her she’d be marked before he ever bit down on her sweet neck. He wanted to hear her purr as he rocked her to sleep.
If he had his way she’d never get a chance to say no.
When they reached the staircase, she paused. One way led to Gabe’s room; the other, to Sarah’s. From the hesitation on her face he had the feeling his dream of having her in his arms tonight wasn’t going to be a reality.
His dream…
That was the key, wasn’t it? He might not have known it at the time but they’d been controlling their mate dreams ever since they first started. Gabe smiled, knowing full well how predatory it looked. He had every intention of controlling their dream tonight.
Tonight he would show her he loved her.
He turned left, ignoring her small sigh of relief. He walked her to her room, the perfect gentleman, ready and willing to leave her at her door for just one small favor in return. “Sarah.” She turned and looked up at him, a question on her face. “Let me in tonight.”
She grimaced. “Gabe—”
He put his finger to her lips, gratified at her immediate silence. “I’m leaving you at your door, unmarked, giving you a little time to learn to trust me again.” He leaned in, nipping at her ear, smiling as her breath stuttered. “But in return, I want you to
let me in
.” He cupped her cheek and turned her face up to his. “I want sweet dreams for both of us tonight. Whatever you’ve been doing to turn off the mate dreams,
please
don’t do it tonight. Understood?”
She licked her lips, the uncertainty back on her face. “I’m not sure I can.”
He growled, displeased.
She was shaking her head. “How am I supposed to…do that with you when I don’t know if I can trust you?”
He took a deep breath, trying to bury the rage that threatened to overwhelm him. If she sensed it at all she’d be afraid that he was enraged with
her
. The fact was he couldn’t believe his own stupidity. She was right. A true relationship required trust on the part of both partners, a trust he’d lost by listening to the wrong person for the right reasons. “What will it take to make you believe you’re the only woman I want?”
“More than one night of playing my boyfriend!”
“Playing?” He backed her up against her door, ignoring the alarm on her face. “You think I’m
playing?
”
He took her by her shoulders, lifting her onto her toes. “Don’t lie to me! You know
exactly
how I feel.”
He dropped her abruptly as a sudden thought struck him. “But this isn’t really about trust, is it?” He took a step back. “It’s about punishing me because I left before I marked you.” Her mouth was hanging open in shock. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, all of his anger draining, suddenly weary beyond belief. “Dream with me tonight.” He swallowed, suddenly terrified that she wouldn’t be able to give him even that much. “Please.”
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She studied him, slowly relaxing. He was grateful for whatever it was she saw when she whispered, “All right.”
He closed his eyes in thanks before nodding. He wanted desperately to kiss her good night but didn’t know if it would be welcome. What he wouldn’t give to have Sarah’s ability to read emotions. “Good night, love.”
She started, frowning up at him, obviously confused. “Um. Good night, Gabe.”
He turned reluctantly away, not trusting himself to keep his hands off her.
“Gabe?”
He looked back.
She looked so alone, almost as alone as he felt. “Spend the day with me tomorrow?”
He smiled. “There is
nothing
I want more.” When she cocked her brows in disbelief he chuckled. “All right, there are one or two things I’d like more, but I’ll take what I can get.”
She nodded, opening her door. She stopped, hesitating before entering. “See you in a little bit.”
She rushed into the room, the door clanging shut behind her, missing the step he’d taken in her direction before he could stop himself.
God,
it was hard to walk away from her. He headed straight to his room, mulling over what he would do once they were together in their dreams. This had to work. She had to trust him again, because if she didn’t he was going to mark her and deal with the consequences after.
Sarah leaned against the closed door of her room, her breath leaving her lungs in a rush. She’d just agreed to meet Gabe in their dreams, with no promise from him that it wouldn’t turn into yet another night of debauchery.
She pushed off the door, running her hands over her face, trying to decide whether or not she’d done the right thing by sending him on his way.
What is
wrong
with me? One minute I want to open up the door,
yank him back in and forget all about our problems. The next I want one of those pills and about
three thousand miles of distance!
Maybe if she allowed him to mark her some of that fear would evaporate. But months of rejection weren’t about to be erased in one evening.
She brushed her teeth and hair, draped the red dress over a chair and crawled into bed naked. It felt oddly wicked, since she usually slept in a nightgown, but tonight she wanted the feel of cool sheets on her skin. She could pretend that he was actually in the next room, waiting to crawl into bed with her after a long day’s work. Sarah yawned, curling up on her side, and waited for sleep (
and Gabe,
her inner kitty purred) to claim her.
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Sarah stared around the strange living room, her heart pounding as she realized where she must
be. Gabe’s scent was everywhere, deeply ingrained into the very wood of the house. If he didn’t
live here she’d be very surprised.
What she was completely surprised by was the look of his home. From the exterior it was a
typical cookie-cutter ranch-style home, with a small front porch, beige aluminum siding and forest
green doors and shutters. But on the inside it was a riot of rich colors mingled with deep earth
tones. The hardwood floors looked like rough oak but were smooth under her bare feet. A bold
geometric rug in yellow, green, red and dark brown was soft under her feet. The dark red was
picked up in the contemporary sofa. Pale green and yellow throw pillows were tossed haphazardly
at one end, a velvety blanket thrown over its back, the deep yellow color vibrant against the red
fabric of the sofa. Mission-style stained glass and iron lamps sat on oak end tables. The walls were
a soft shade of green, with thick oak baseboards and crown molding. A flat-screen TV sat on a
wooden stand, a Playstation and Wii both hooked up to it. She smiled at the sight of the bright
blue stoneware mug on the coffee table, the scent of its cooling contents letting her know that
Gabe liked his sugar and cream with a little bit of coffee.
For all its bright color the room seemed to her to be missing something elemental, something that
would make it truly a home. She picked her way across the room, wondering what that something
was. She headed to the small kitchen, again done in the same bold colors.
No Gabe. She left the kitchen, turning down a hallway. The first door she came to was a small
bedroom turned into a home office. She smirked at the sight of the papers scattered across its
surface. The next room held a bathroom, this one in muted blues and greens. The next room was a
small bedroom containing a single bed and a small dresser.
Last room. He’s got to be in there. Sarah opened the door…
…and stepped into a quiet summer evening. A breeze ruffled her hair, bringing with it the faint
tang of the ocean. Her bare feet slipped into cool sand, the grains tickling between her toes. She
smiled, burying her toes in and wiggling them just to feel that sensation. She’d always loved doing
that as a child.
“Hey.”
She turned to find Gabe standing there in nothing but dark shorts and a T-shirt. In his hands was
a huge picnic basket. “Hey.”
“You look beautiful.”
She blinked and looked down. She was wearing the same red sundress she’d worn for dinner that
night. “Thank you.”
He gestured with his hand towards the beach. “After you.”
She smiled and began to walk. “Since when is your house on the beach?”
He shrugged. “This is a dream.”
They walked until, somehow, the spot seemed just right. Sarah waited until Gabe had laid down
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the blanket, anchoring it with the basket and both of his sandals. “Sit, Sarah.”
She sat, folding her legs beneath her.
“Good girl.”
She looked up at him. “I thought we weren’t playing any games tonight.”