Stepbrother Thief(103)
“I feel like now, I have two real choices, two good ones. I've said what I need to say, made my peace with what happened between us.” I tuck my hands in the pockets of my coat and wiggle my fingers against the smooth silk lining. “I could walk away from you right now, take the money from the heist and be content with the fact that I really do forgive you, Gilleon. I'm not mad anymore; I'm not upset. I think that I could actually be happy by myself or, in the future, with another man.”
Gill sucks in a harsh breath and turns back to look at me.
“But I don't want another man, Gilleon,” I say, my voice strong and clear and loud enough that the shattering break of rain doesn't matter, the cars driving by don't matter, the distant murmur of voices don't matter. Gill can hear me, loud and clear, I know he can. “Gill, the only man I want is you.”
Shock passes over Gill's face for a split second before he's stepping forward and sliding his arms under my coat, wrapping them around my waist. His fingers manage to find the bare skin of my back, fingertips warm but wet, his prints searing my flesh with whorls and ridges.
A laugh bubbles up and out of his throat, a murmur of surprise that he quickly suppresses as he pulls me against him.
“Are you …” he begins and then shakes his head, splattering me with water again. I blink away the droplets on my eyelashes and let the smile I'm feeling in my heart show on my face. “I want to ask if you're serious because it's hard to see someone offer the one thing you've always wanted and not question if it's real, but … I feel like it'd be insulting if I did.” Gill takes a deep breath as he presses our bodies close, the firm planes of his chest and stomach the perfect partner to the softer, rounder curves of mine.
“Not what you were expecting?” I ask, unconsciously pitching my voice to a whisper. It just sort of feels like the right moment for quiet reflection, gentle passion, the perfect look from a pair of bright blue eyes. It was a look I was afraid I'd never see again, and the sight of it is nothing short of miraculous to me.
“Not what I was expecting, but everything I was hoping for,” he says and then pauses, pulling his gaze away. “Although I'm worried that you'll change your mind when you finally hear what I have to say.” I shake my head, wet hair plastered against my forehead, my cheeks, the back of my neck. My legs are cold and I'm uncomfortable as hell; it's the happiest I've ever been.
“I know that what you're going to tell me could change my world, break my heart, tear me into pieces, but what it won't do is affect how I feel about you, Gilleon.” I lean into Gill, resting cheek to cheek with him, his breath warm on the side of my neck. “The only reason I agreed to the heist was because I could tell you needed me. My friends, my apartment, my life in Paris, I was willing to give it all up to help you, even if you didn't love me anymore. I realize that now, that I'd do anything for you Gill. If that includes forgiveness for something horrible, for something you did to my mother, then so be it. But I know you. I know you think that it was all your fault, that you somehow caused her death, but I know you're better than that. You'd never hurt my mom, not on purpose. If something happened, it was out of your control.” I try to take a step back, but he won't let me go, holding me closer, tighter, harder.
“Are you sure you're real?” he whispers against my cheek, his lips as soft as his body is hard. “Because for years I tried to convince myself that you were some sort of dream, that nothing in this life could really be as good as I remembered you.” I smile, pulling back just enough that I can look into Gill's beautiful eyes.
When he kisses me, I open my mouth, letting the hot heat of his tongue warm me up from head to toe. The sensation of his wet lips on mine is thrilling, a distant reminder of our first kiss back together outside of the restaurant. But this time, I'm not going to pull away, run away. This time, I'm here to stay.
Gill's hands roam down, over the teal lace of my dress, until he reaches my ass, cupping my flesh in tight fingers, kneading until I moan into his mouth and raise my own hands to his chest. I pull buttons apart until I can feel skin, teasing that smooth, hard flesh with my fingertips. Since my fabulous little slingbacks put Gill and me at just about the same height, I can feel his erection pressing in all the right places, wiggling my body against him until I get a reaction.
“Fuck,” he murmurs as I bite his lip, giving him a short second to breathe. “We should probably take this back to the SUV.”
“Probably,” I whisper as he turns us around, my heels splashing in a puddle. I don't even care at this point. Right now, I don't feel at all like I'm thirty-one, but like I'm sixteen again, kissing Gill for the very first time. His scent, mixed with the smell of rain and wet leaves, is intoxicating. And the taste of him … oh God, the taste. Gilleon's got all five of my senses enveloped, wrapped up in that dichotomous perfection of his, that strange mix between light and dark.