––––––––
I woke up to the sound of the shower running.
I’d been dreaming that I was lost in a hotel. There had been an earthquake, and I was running through an endless maze of hallways. I’d been looking for Gabriel.
I turned over in bed to look at the clock. It was only a few hours past midnight, but I was wide awake. I felt like I’d been asleep for years, dead as a rock. My anxiety, the jittery feeling that made me too afraid to turn off the lights, was completely gone. I was relieved. I could relax. But there was still an ache deep inside of my chest, evidence of some unfinished business I still had to take care of.
I got out of bed and stretched. The shower’s refrain seemed to call to me, like a spell. I walked past the chair with Gabriel’s jeans slung over the arm and went to stand in the bathroom doorway. Clouds of steam were wafting around inside, and I could see Gabriel’s blurry silhouette through the fogged-up shower door. He had his hands against the wall and his head tilted forward, letting the hot spray wash over his back.
Something awakened inside of me. I took off my tee shirt and my shorts. Gabriel’s head jerked up when he heard my clothes landing on the tile. He didn’t say anything as I finished getting undressed. Then, I went up to the shower door, blurry from the steam. When I opened it to step inside, I could finally see him clearly.
His short hair was slicked flat against his head. Without a word, he stepped over to make room for me in the cramped space. It was a lot like being in a closet. The moment I slipped in, he collected me in his arms.
“I’m sorry, Lisbeth,” he murmured into my hair.
I pulled away. “For what?”
Gabriel cast his eyes downward, but averted them from my body. Water dripped off of his lips as he spoke. “I kept telling you I was going to leave, but the truth is...I don’t know if I really meant it. For some reason, something inside was telling me to stay. And I just let you think that I was going to take off.”
I smoothed my hands over his shoulders. My fingers ran over the tattoo on his chest. “Well,” I began, having no idea what to say, “it doesn’t matter anymore, does it?”
Gabriel’s hands were on my hips. “You must’ve thought I just ditched you when I didn’t show up. I had no choice. We only had two minutes to get out.” He skimmed his fingertips along my spine, making me shiver. “I just need you to know that I didn’t just leave you there. I was never going to.”
“I know. It’s okay.” I rubbed his shoulders.
His eyes remained fixed downward. I wanted him to look at me.
“It’s okay,” I repeated, softer this time. I put my fingers to his chin, tilting his face up. “It’s okay...”
He inhaled sharply before I kissed him. His mouth was stiff against mine, closed off like a cinderblock wall. Then, I felt all the tension in his body melt away. He leaned into me, closing what little distance remained between us. My body molded easily against his, skin on skin, as his arms wrapped themselves around me. I curled my fingers through his hair as our tongues danced together.
I thought I could never get enough of him.
He whispered something, but the sound of the water drowned out his words. I arched my back as our hips touched. I could already feel him getting hard. He slid his hand down between our bodies to where our pelvises met.
I gasped as he began kneading my clit with his fingertips. I was in heaven. My eyes rolled back, darkening my vision and heightening my senses. Gabriel’s mouth was on my neck, sucking gently. He kisses and licked at my slick skin, wandering down to my breasts. His tongue swirled around my nipples, mimicking the patterns he drew against my clit. I breathed in the soothing, warm steam.
Somewhere in the back of my mind, I held the knowledge that it wasn’t all over. There would be witness statements, testimonies, and all that. But all that mattered at the moment was Gabriel holding me, touching me.
I put my hand on his hardness. He gasped, his mouth right near my ear. I had to choke back a moan when I heard the surprise and ache in his voice.
“I’m ready,” I said.
“Are you sure?”
I gave his shaft a squeeze. He groaned, the sound of it vibrating in my bones, and he pinned me against the cold shower wall. Moving roughly, he picked up one of my knees and slung my leg around his hip. I was completely open to him, vulnerable, and full of want and need. I knew he felt the same way.
He planted his elbows on the wall. His hands cradled my head, and I wrapped my hands around his wrists. He rocked his hips forward, touching his tip against my wet heat. His eyes searched mine.
And then, he was inside me.
I tossed my wet hair back as I rode him, pinned between the wall and his fever-hot body. I held tight to him, digging my fingers into his slippery skin, afraid I’d fall away before we got to finish. There was a desperation in his movements as he fucked me, as he murmured my name. This was so unlike last time, with his cock throbbing and alive as a beating heart, sheathing and unsheathing from the tight walls of my sex. I opened my thighs wider, inviting him deeper into me.
“Lisbeth,” he gasped through the warm spray. He clutched at my left breast, squeezing me. I felt my nipple hardening against his rough palm. His head dipped low and he whispered a few more words before choking me with a kiss. “I need you.”
Our heads pressed together, breathing the same breath, I couldn’t find the strength to respond. My head swam with the same feelings I’d had since I met him. Confusion, fear, wild excitement. But they were closer to the surface, now, evident in my face and my voice as I reacted to what Gabriel was doing to me. I was afraid to look in his eyes when he made me moan or cry out.
He pressed his forehead to mine, forcing his stare. His hips thrust forward, knocking me back against the wall. My ass slid against the wet tiles, and Gabriel kept thrusting. His pelvis ground itself against my clit, working it in a quick, steady rhythm that had me convulsing in no time.
My head fell against his shoulder. He turned his face into my neck.
“Come on baby,” he whispered, his breath tickling my ear.
I put my hand to the base of his skull, curling my fingers around his neck. My entire body tensed up, preparing for the release that was coming. Gabriel kept up his rhythm, pushing forward so hard he could’ve hammered me into the wall. My toes skidded against the floor while my other leg was still wrapped around his tight, narrow waist.
“I’m close!” I hissed. Then, I was already coming. Water droplets pelted against my skin, intensifying the rush I felt as I climaxed. I bit into Gabriel’s shoulder, stifling my scream, but it still echoed off of the walls.
Gabriel made a sound with his throat. His back stiffened under my hands. After I finished, he jerked himself out of me and came, his fluids barely glancing on my thigh before the shower rinsed it away.
I finally lowered my leg, stiff from being wrapped around Gabriel’s body. He met my eyes and grinned sheepishly, his cheeks still a little flushed.
“What?” I asked, unnerved by his stare.
Gabriel brushed his thumb across my bottom lip. “I’ve just always had this fantasy...”
My breath hitched in my chest. Again? I thought incredulously.
Then, surprisingly, “Will you wash my hair for me?” he asked.
I choked on my laughter. “Really?”
The color in Gabriel’s face deepened. “I mean, it’s just a comfort thing. My mom used to—”
“Say no more,” I said, bending over to retrieve the shampoo.
I rolled my eyes, feigning annoyance as I began lathering him up. My fingers moved easily through his short, smooth hair. “Tilt your head back.”
Gabriel closed his eyes, angling his head so the suds wouldn’t wash down his face.
I let myself smile privately to myself as I massaged his scalp, indulging in a little fantasy. Maybe, things could always be like this. Two people taking care of each other.
It wasn’t so bad.