Yep, one of the rating jumps I told you about.This one wasn't expected,
though. There will be another one to look out for. Not a lot of people
seemed to like the last chapter.. Hope you like this one more! Thanks for
the reviews :-)
Gabriel had a small carrying case when he let himself back into the apartment. A quiet but blatantly proprietary rush of male satisfaction made it's way through his system as he completed the ritual and locked the door behind him. "Honey, I'm home!" he called out, congratulating himself on not releasing the snicker of amusement that wanted escape. Sara's answer was a distant murmur that he didn't try to decipher. He grabbed a cup of coffee from the pot that was resting on the counter and looked over towards the bathroom door. The open bathroom door.
Taking that to be an invitation of sorts, he bypassed the living area that he normally camped out in when in Sara's loft and made his way to the semi made bed. The sheets were spread out on the mattress, but still a bit crumpled. As if someone not quite awake had smoothed them out on their way out the door. Or to her third cup of coffee. He put the black leather case on the mattress and stretched out, starting guiltily when Sara's voice drifted through the open door.
"I hope you're making yourself at home."
Gabe looked at where he was, her bed, and considered the fact that he'd decided to stretch out without express permission and chuckled. "Yeah, you can say that."
"You were pretty fast. What, you expected me to bar the door so you couldn't come back in?"
"The thought had crossed my mind," he admitted with a chuckle as he pulled his laptop out of the case. He got up and looked around the bed for a plug to plug in the computer, finding one that had both a lamp and the alarm clock attached to it. "Mind if I unplug your lamp?"
"Go ahead, just remember to plug it back in when you're done, okay?"
"Sure, no problem." He unplugged the white cord and put in a black one before stretching out on the bed again and turning the computer on. As it went through it's loading process, he snagged one of the pillows that rested against the concrete wall and put it under his stomach. Settling down, he began to concentrate on one of the disks he'd brought from the shop that contained some of the ancient Phoenician history he had automatically downloaded to disk to go through at another time.
Or he tried to. His concentration was broken by the sounds of Sara in the bathroom. Taking a bubble bath. One that was his idea in the first place. Smell was one of the sharpest senses for memory and he automatically brought up the smell of wildflowers and honey. It was enhanced by the faintest traces that wafted out of the open bathroom door on wisps of steam. If he stopped clicking and clacking on the keys of the keyboard, he could even hear gentle splashes as Sara moved in the water.
It was amazing that she could break his concentration. Normally he was able to work through blasting background music, conversations, ringing phones, and screaming relatives. Now simply Sara being in the other room broke his concentration. Was this what the future was going to be like?
It didn't help that Sara was in the other room nude. At least, he assumed she was nude. For all he knew, because Sara had known he'd be returning, she'd decided to wear a bathing suit. Like people did for hot tubs or saunas when they were expecting mixed company. Yeah, that's what she did. She expected him to be out here thinking of her completely nude when she was really wearing a bathing suit.
"Gabriel?"
He shook his head as the question broke into his thoughts of just what type of bathing suit she'd be wearing. "Yeah?"
"You okay out there?" A thread of concern was woven into her voice.
"Yeah, why?"
"Well, I don't hear any typing and you're pretty quiet."
"I'm fine. Just trying to figure out where to begin," he explained.
"You don't have to stay out there, you know."
"I don't?"
"Well, it'd be more comfortable than sitting on the bathroom floor, but it'd be easier to talk if you were in here with me." She paused before continuing in a wicked voice. "You did say you'd join me," she reminded him.
"So I did," he murmured to himself. Leaving the laptop running, he grabbed a book out of the bag the laptop had been in, just in case she didn't want to talk the entire time. "Want me to bring you anything?"
"Some tea would be wonderful," she answered.
"Tea. The coffee queen wants tea," he muttered. One part of him liked this glimpse into the softer side of Sara. The other part wished she'd said coffee because it was already made and he could join her faster.
A throaty laugh floated out to him. "A bath is supposed to be relaxing, you know. Tea is too."
"I know," he called, setting the water on to boil. While it heated, he went back over to the bed and grabbed the cup of coffee he'd poured himself to drink. Once it was gone, he refilled it to take into the bathroom with him. By that time, the water was boiling and he poured it into a mug over a tea bag. Putting her cup on a saucer, onto which the tea bag could be transferred once the brew had reached the desired strength, tucking his book under one arm, and grabbing his cup, he made his way back to the bathroom.
Only to stop dead in the door, almost losing his grip on the breakable ceramic he held in both hands.
Sara's hair was piled atop her head in a loose bun from which tendrils escaped and curled against her flushed skin. She was leaning her head against a folded towel; her legs propped up on the wall above the metal faucet. The water moved gently, the fragrant froth playing an erotic game of peek-a-boo with him. Her body was obviously sans bathing suit unless Sara had one of those skin colored ones.
"Gabriel, are you okay?"
"Um, yeah," he answered, shaking himself out of his daze. He stepped forward and handed her the tea she had requested. "Here you go."
"You're a prince among men," she smiled as she set the saucer on one of the sides of the tub.
Gabe swallowed and moved forward slowly. Sitting down with his back against the cool porcelain, he resolutely admonished both his body and mind to behave themselves. At least sitting this way, he wouldn't be watching her, right? Imagine if he was sitting against the cabinet. He knew that if he was, he'd be unable to keep from staring at her whether he had his book or not.
His book. Perfect. He pulled it out and opened it to the first page, trying not to concentrate on the fact that his girlfriend, the woman he loved, was unclothed less than a foot away from him. His attempt to ignore the fact was broken each time Sara shifted. He could hear the water sliding against her skin, imagine the continued game of peek-a-boo. She kept moving her legs, occasionally pulling them into the water before putting them back against the wall and he could see the white bubbles and hot water cascade it's way down her slick skin until there was only enough to meander.
The smell of wildflowers was stronger now that he was at the source and basically on level with it. He swore he could feet the heat of the water on his back and he jumped when he felt a wet finger lightly touch the skin of his neck.
"Are you sure you're okay, Gabriel? You seem a bit tense."
"I'm fine," he answered, absurdly pleased that his voice stayed steady. The lone finger was joined by it's companions and they idly traced patterns on his neck, searing his skin with their heat before climbing higher to twine themselves in his hair. "Sara, is this part of my punishment? Just a way for you to really mess with me head? Frustrate the hell outta me?"
She was silent as she considered it, one hand still playing with the dark strands of his hair. "Yes and no. I'll admit, it'd be a great punishment for waking me up so early and for the horses." She paused before venturing forward again. "But it wouldn't have to just be messing with your head or frustrating you."
Gabriel considered the invitation for a minute before turning around and meeting her eyes. Dark eyes filled with seriousness, he nodded more to himself than to her. Then he committed himself to something that most men of all ages would shake their heads in horror for. "I think it might have to be." He watched as she suddenly became interested in playing with the bubbles on the surface of the water.
Reaching out, he put two fingers under her chin and lifted her face so that they could see each other. When he saw her beautiful green eyes as wary as before with a suspicious brightness to them, he could have kicked himself. "Sara, it's not proof of anything wrong, okay? The invitation. It's mind- boggling. Delightful. You're delightful," he emphasized before leaning forward to give her a kiss. "I know that a woman has a lot more risks than men when it comes to making love. And it would be making love," he informed her sternly.
He reached out his other hand and let it hover over the water, scented steam and heat rising to meet it. After a moment, Sara's hand breached the depths and he captured it in his own. "Sara, I'm," he hesitated a moment before finally deciding what to say, "honored that you chose me. That you decided I was worthy of such a gift. I just don't want to rush into anything. I don't want you to feel that you have to invite me into your bed and your body for the simple reason that we're going out." His thumb idly traced a pattern on the slick skin of her hand as his other hand caresses her face. "When we make love, I want it to be when it feels right to both of us. For it to be special." He captured a lone tear that attempted to make its way down her face. "Sara?"
She shook her head and wiped her face with one wet hand. Laughing when he wiped away some of the refugee bubbles from her nose, she curled one hand around his neck. "Thank you," she whispered right before she kissed him.
"You're welcome," he whispered back before shifting positions and grimacing. "It's good to know you appreciate me being such a sweet guy because, right now, my body sure isn't," he admitted before joining her in laughter.
TBC
Gabriel had a small carrying case when he let himself back into the apartment. A quiet but blatantly proprietary rush of male satisfaction made it's way through his system as he completed the ritual and locked the door behind him. "Honey, I'm home!" he called out, congratulating himself on not releasing the snicker of amusement that wanted escape. Sara's answer was a distant murmur that he didn't try to decipher. He grabbed a cup of coffee from the pot that was resting on the counter and looked over towards the bathroom door. The open bathroom door.
Taking that to be an invitation of sorts, he bypassed the living area that he normally camped out in when in Sara's loft and made his way to the semi made bed. The sheets were spread out on the mattress, but still a bit crumpled. As if someone not quite awake had smoothed them out on their way out the door. Or to her third cup of coffee. He put the black leather case on the mattress and stretched out, starting guiltily when Sara's voice drifted through the open door.
"I hope you're making yourself at home."
Gabe looked at where he was, her bed, and considered the fact that he'd decided to stretch out without express permission and chuckled. "Yeah, you can say that."
"You were pretty fast. What, you expected me to bar the door so you couldn't come back in?"
"The thought had crossed my mind," he admitted with a chuckle as he pulled his laptop out of the case. He got up and looked around the bed for a plug to plug in the computer, finding one that had both a lamp and the alarm clock attached to it. "Mind if I unplug your lamp?"
"Go ahead, just remember to plug it back in when you're done, okay?"
"Sure, no problem." He unplugged the white cord and put in a black one before stretching out on the bed again and turning the computer on. As it went through it's loading process, he snagged one of the pillows that rested against the concrete wall and put it under his stomach. Settling down, he began to concentrate on one of the disks he'd brought from the shop that contained some of the ancient Phoenician history he had automatically downloaded to disk to go through at another time.
Or he tried to. His concentration was broken by the sounds of Sara in the bathroom. Taking a bubble bath. One that was his idea in the first place. Smell was one of the sharpest senses for memory and he automatically brought up the smell of wildflowers and honey. It was enhanced by the faintest traces that wafted out of the open bathroom door on wisps of steam. If he stopped clicking and clacking on the keys of the keyboard, he could even hear gentle splashes as Sara moved in the water.
It was amazing that she could break his concentration. Normally he was able to work through blasting background music, conversations, ringing phones, and screaming relatives. Now simply Sara being in the other room broke his concentration. Was this what the future was going to be like?
It didn't help that Sara was in the other room nude. At least, he assumed she was nude. For all he knew, because Sara had known he'd be returning, she'd decided to wear a bathing suit. Like people did for hot tubs or saunas when they were expecting mixed company. Yeah, that's what she did. She expected him to be out here thinking of her completely nude when she was really wearing a bathing suit.
"Gabriel?"
He shook his head as the question broke into his thoughts of just what type of bathing suit she'd be wearing. "Yeah?"
"You okay out there?" A thread of concern was woven into her voice.
"Yeah, why?"
"Well, I don't hear any typing and you're pretty quiet."
"I'm fine. Just trying to figure out where to begin," he explained.
"You don't have to stay out there, you know."
"I don't?"
"Well, it'd be more comfortable than sitting on the bathroom floor, but it'd be easier to talk if you were in here with me." She paused before continuing in a wicked voice. "You did say you'd join me," she reminded him.
"So I did," he murmured to himself. Leaving the laptop running, he grabbed a book out of the bag the laptop had been in, just in case she didn't want to talk the entire time. "Want me to bring you anything?"
"Some tea would be wonderful," she answered.
"Tea. The coffee queen wants tea," he muttered. One part of him liked this glimpse into the softer side of Sara. The other part wished she'd said coffee because it was already made and he could join her faster.
A throaty laugh floated out to him. "A bath is supposed to be relaxing, you know. Tea is too."
"I know," he called, setting the water on to boil. While it heated, he went back over to the bed and grabbed the cup of coffee he'd poured himself to drink. Once it was gone, he refilled it to take into the bathroom with him. By that time, the water was boiling and he poured it into a mug over a tea bag. Putting her cup on a saucer, onto which the tea bag could be transferred once the brew had reached the desired strength, tucking his book under one arm, and grabbing his cup, he made his way back to the bathroom.
Only to stop dead in the door, almost losing his grip on the breakable ceramic he held in both hands.
Sara's hair was piled atop her head in a loose bun from which tendrils escaped and curled against her flushed skin. She was leaning her head against a folded towel; her legs propped up on the wall above the metal faucet. The water moved gently, the fragrant froth playing an erotic game of peek-a-boo with him. Her body was obviously sans bathing suit unless Sara had one of those skin colored ones.
"Gabriel, are you okay?"
"Um, yeah," he answered, shaking himself out of his daze. He stepped forward and handed her the tea she had requested. "Here you go."
"You're a prince among men," she smiled as she set the saucer on one of the sides of the tub.
Gabe swallowed and moved forward slowly. Sitting down with his back against the cool porcelain, he resolutely admonished both his body and mind to behave themselves. At least sitting this way, he wouldn't be watching her, right? Imagine if he was sitting against the cabinet. He knew that if he was, he'd be unable to keep from staring at her whether he had his book or not.
His book. Perfect. He pulled it out and opened it to the first page, trying not to concentrate on the fact that his girlfriend, the woman he loved, was unclothed less than a foot away from him. His attempt to ignore the fact was broken each time Sara shifted. He could hear the water sliding against her skin, imagine the continued game of peek-a-boo. She kept moving her legs, occasionally pulling them into the water before putting them back against the wall and he could see the white bubbles and hot water cascade it's way down her slick skin until there was only enough to meander.
The smell of wildflowers was stronger now that he was at the source and basically on level with it. He swore he could feet the heat of the water on his back and he jumped when he felt a wet finger lightly touch the skin of his neck.
"Are you sure you're okay, Gabriel? You seem a bit tense."
"I'm fine," he answered, absurdly pleased that his voice stayed steady. The lone finger was joined by it's companions and they idly traced patterns on his neck, searing his skin with their heat before climbing higher to twine themselves in his hair. "Sara, is this part of my punishment? Just a way for you to really mess with me head? Frustrate the hell outta me?"
She was silent as she considered it, one hand still playing with the dark strands of his hair. "Yes and no. I'll admit, it'd be a great punishment for waking me up so early and for the horses." She paused before venturing forward again. "But it wouldn't have to just be messing with your head or frustrating you."
Gabriel considered the invitation for a minute before turning around and meeting her eyes. Dark eyes filled with seriousness, he nodded more to himself than to her. Then he committed himself to something that most men of all ages would shake their heads in horror for. "I think it might have to be." He watched as she suddenly became interested in playing with the bubbles on the surface of the water.
Reaching out, he put two fingers under her chin and lifted her face so that they could see each other. When he saw her beautiful green eyes as wary as before with a suspicious brightness to them, he could have kicked himself. "Sara, it's not proof of anything wrong, okay? The invitation. It's mind- boggling. Delightful. You're delightful," he emphasized before leaning forward to give her a kiss. "I know that a woman has a lot more risks than men when it comes to making love. And it would be making love," he informed her sternly.
He reached out his other hand and let it hover over the water, scented steam and heat rising to meet it. After a moment, Sara's hand breached the depths and he captured it in his own. "Sara, I'm," he hesitated a moment before finally deciding what to say, "honored that you chose me. That you decided I was worthy of such a gift. I just don't want to rush into anything. I don't want you to feel that you have to invite me into your bed and your body for the simple reason that we're going out." His thumb idly traced a pattern on the slick skin of her hand as his other hand caresses her face. "When we make love, I want it to be when it feels right to both of us. For it to be special." He captured a lone tear that attempted to make its way down her face. "Sara?"
She shook her head and wiped her face with one wet hand. Laughing when he wiped away some of the refugee bubbles from her nose, she curled one hand around his neck. "Thank you," she whispered right before she kissed him.
"You're welcome," he whispered back before shifting positions and grimacing. "It's good to know you appreciate me being such a sweet guy because, right now, my body sure isn't," he admitted before joining her in laughter.
TBC