watch Gabriel’s loping strides across the room. He pulls a bottle of champagne from the fridge and pops the cap effortlessly, then fills two glasses. He walks back over and hands me both glasses but doesn’t sit himself. Instead he disappears through a door at the side of the room and returns a second later holding a small package wrapped in blue paper.
“What’s that?” I ask.
Gabriel sets it onto the sofa next to me and plucks both glasses from my grip. “A small token of my appreciation.”
I cock a brow, hesitantly drawing the package into my lap. Today has been full of surprises.
I unwrap the gift, shocked to find a copy of Dickens’ Our Mutual Friend. The book looks old, with a yellowed dust jacket still clinging to the red leather binding.
I lift my gaze to Gabriel’s. “You remembered.”
My mind drifts back to that first interview we had as a family, and the conversation beforehand about my university courses, my love of this book, and the life it almost inspired. It feels like that happened years ago, but it must have stuck in Gabriel’s mind. My belly warms. I’m touched.
Gabriel sits next to me. “It’s a first edition.”
“You’re kidding.” My eyebrows lift, and I hold the book away from me, as if I am going to damage it just by looking at it the wrong way.
“That’s not all.” He digs into his back pocket and pulls out an envelope, trading it for the book.
My fingers shake as I open the envelope. It feels like Gabriel is building up to something, and after two weeks of not knowing where we stand, this sudden deluge of affection is almost too much for me to take.
Inside is a letter, and I read it carefully. When I reach the end, I look up at Gabriel, who is watching me with an expression I wouldn’t classify as either warm or cold, more like measured neutrality.
“What does this mean?” I ask.
The letter is from Gabriel’s bank, confirming the transfer of ten million dollars into a trust fund for Harry.
“No matter what happens, I just want you both to be happy,” he says. His expression flickers, and for the first time, I realize that his odd behavior over the last couple of weeks might not have as much to do with me as I thought. He looks troubled.
I wish he would tell me why, and not because I want to use it for my article. I just want to help him.
“Thank you,” I say, pulling him in for a hug.
His sweater is soft, and I bury my face in it and inhale the rich scent of sandalwood and male musk. Gabriel’s arms wrap around me and he rests his cheek against the top of my head. I let my eyes fall closed, sighing.
“I honestly believe that we can get through anything together,” I say. “As long as we’re honest with each other.”
My gut clenches at the hypocrisy. I hate the way those words sound coming from my lips, so soft and sincere. How dare I?
Thankfully, Gabriel doesn’t respond. Not with words, at least. He pulls away from me and tips my head back with a thumb against my chin, looking deep into my eyes, as though searching for something. I tumble into his onyx depths, my heart giving a loud thump. The boat rocks gently beneath us and time seems to still. It is, perhaps, the most intimate moment we have ever shared.
And then Gabriel kisses me.
His lips are warm and soft, and he presses them against mine with such gentleness and restraint that it’s almost like kissing someone new. His hands come to my cheeks. He holds my face tenderly, as though I am the most precious thing in the world, as his lips and tongue begin a languid exploration of my mouth.
This kiss is everything. It’s all of our unspoken words, our misread signals, our unbidden desires. It’s a searchlight cutting through the fog above a distant, stormy sea.
I lean in and deepen the kiss, gripping the front of his sweater in desperation. Gabriel’s fingers glide down my neck, over my ribs, finally landing on my waist and tugging me into his lap. His mouth glides over my chin and down my neck, sending electric shivers snaking down my spine, to the depths of my core. I moan and lift up. My body begs for more. I wrap my legs around his waist and cling to him like I will die if I let go.