Bloodbond

Chapter 22

Waking up in Gabriel's arms made me feel safe; like nothing and no one could ever hurt me. I stayed perfectly still, unwilling to leave the warmth of his body. From the even rise and fall of Gabriel's chest, I knew he was still sleeping and it made me smile. I ran my hand lightly across his chest and down his stomach, trying to memorize the feel of him so that I could hold onto it when I was forced to get up and leave him.

We'd spent most of the previous day in bed since Madame Lavoie essentially demanded that I get rest so that I could regain my strength. Since I had to stay, I'd made Gabriel do the same. He put up a mild fight, but I could tell he didn't really mind, expecially because we weren't exactly resting the entire time. Just saying.

"Unless you plan on taking things further, I'd recommend that you cease your exploration." The sound of Gabriel's husky voice startled me and I let out a small yelp before wacking him on the shoulder.

"You scared me! Don't do that!"

He chuckled and I could feel his body shake with the laughter. "I'm sorry, love, but you started it by running your hands down my body." I felt my face heat up and I moved to get off the bed. Gabriel's arm whipped out and wrapped around my waist to pull me back. He moved his body over mine and simply stared at me.

When Gabriel slowly lowered his face down to mine, my pulse quickened and the embarrassment of the moment before evaporated. In such a short time, Gabriel had become so important to me and I couldn't imagine him not being a part of my life. As he finally pulled away, I got a glimpse of his arrogant smile and I decided that he was a total butthead. I know, right? How quickly feelings can change.

I placed my hands and shoved him off me with as much strength as I could muster. In no way did I assume that my success was the result of my overpowering strength. I knew that I had simply taken him by surprise, causing him to lose his balance and fall back onto the pillows. Taking advantage, I quickly hopped off the bed and made a dash for the bathroom. Just as I was reaching my hand out to grab the door handle, an arm snaked around my waist and I was lifted over Gabriel's shoulder.

"Gabriel, put me down!" I shouted, as my hands pelted his back in a useless attempt to get free. He just laughed and continued walking back to the bed. A moment later, I felt myself being tossed unceremoniously onto the mattress. I bounced briefly but crawled to the head of the bed as Gabriel climbed on and made his way over to me.

"What are you doing, Gabriel?" His mouth curved up in a smile before he answered.

"I don't think shoving me was a very nice thing to do, Cassia. I believe a little revenege is in order." Oh, crap! My nerves tensed up with anticipation. I knew he wouldn't hurt me, but I really hadn't considered what he'd do to me after I'd pushed him aside.

The second he got to me, Gabriel positioned his face mere inches from mine. As he leaned in to kiss my neck, his breath tickled my skin and I shivered. Even though I knew we had to get ready to face the pack soon, I couldn't help but get caught up in his touch.

As Gabriel's hands ran lightly over my shoulders and down to my stomach, I closed my eyes, soaking in his gentle caress.

Without warning, his caress shifted and I found myself thrashing around on the bed in an attempt to escape the hands that now persisted in tickling my sides. I was super sensitive and it wasn't hard to find a part of my body that was ticklish and it drove me nuts knowing that Gabriel was apparently aware of this.

My laughter became so intense, that tears began streaming down my face and I breathlessly pleaded with him to stop the torture. After one last attempt on my hip, he finally let up. Gabriel brushed his lips against my hairline and I could feel him grinning.