Bloodbond

Chapter 9

I'm ashamed to admit that I let out a small shriek of fear when I heard Gabriel's voice at the door. He sounded like our little chase had given him the chance to get a hold of his anger. Good for him, but I still hadn't gotten the chance to prepare myself for another confrontation with him. Everytime I saw him, it felt like he always had the advantage. It just wasn't fair.

"I need to speak with Cassia alone, Claire." Claire shot me an apologetic look before she got up, gave Gabriel a quick glare, and walked out. As soon as she was out the door, Gabriel kicked it shut and he slowly made his way over to my seat at the window. My heart rate was going crazy and I could feel my fear grow stronger. I was dangerously close to hyperventillating.

When Gabriel raeched me, he crouched down and placed his hands on either side of my legs, putting himself mere inches from my body. Now I had to deal with the fear AND the attraction I had for him. Talk about a war from within.

With his face so close to mine, I couldn't stop myself from glancing down at his lips. No! Stop that! I couldn't think that way about him!

When my gaze moved up to meet his again, he was smirking. Apparently, my quick peek hadn't been missed by him. Damn! See what I mean about always having the advantage?

We sat there, staring at each other. Something about this moment felt different. I knew he was still angry with me, but he wasn't shouting. He wasn't saying anything. I could feel the intense heat of his gaze and my stomach started doing little flips. Everything began happening in slow motion. I sat frozen in place, but Gabriel didn't. He started leaning in towards me, his eyes locked on my lips. With his gaze bringing attention to my mouth, I inadvertantly licked my lips. I saw his eyes darken when I did this and I felt my skin begin to heat up. What was going on here?

All at once, Gabriel's lips met mine and a shiver ran through my body. The kiss was slow at first, with Gabriel lightly slanting his mouth over mine. Soon, he deepened it and I felt his tongue begin to probe my lips for entrance. I opened my mouth in a gasp and he took full advantage and slipped his tongue inside to explore. Other than the occasional brushing of his stomach against my knees, our lips were the only contact we had. It didn't matter though.

I'd never felt anything like this before. He was an amazing kisser and he made sure that I was being satisfied while he did it. His kiss was meant for pleasure, but he didn't push further. He remained frustratingly still, with his hands at my sides, refusing to touch me anywhere else.

I wanted more. I wanted him to take me in his arms and close the distance between us. I wanted to feel his body on mine, but he was denying me that. He was stubbornly sticking to his side of the kiss and it felt like I was ready to bust from my pent up frustration.

Without warning, the door to my bedroom burst open, startling me and causing Gabriel to tear his lips away from mine. He shot to his feet as I blushed furiously. While I slightly resented the intruder for interrupting, I couldn't help but thank them at the same time. If they hadn't come in when they did, I was certain I would have done something I would have regretted later on. Gabriel was an insensitive, arrogant, stubborn jerk and it had been a mistake to kiss him back.

Stupid, stupid me! What had I been thinking?

As I was mentally kicking myself for allowing that to happen, I heard Taran clearing his throat. I looked up at him and saw that he was visibly uncomfortable. When I looked a little harder, I noticed another emotion that he was trying to quickly hide. I wasn't entirely sure what it was, but I could tell it wasn't a happy feeling.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but it was urgent." Taran's tone was awkward and it was clear that he would rather be anywhere but here.

"What is it?" demanded Gabriel.