“When I got you here.” Gabriel's voice was a quiet echo.
“How did you get me here?”
“Your apartment flooded, and you came.” Gabriel was concise with his wording and Joel immediately recognized there was more of a confession behind it.
“Did you have something to do with my apartment flooding?” Joel's voice finally started to take on an edge, his anger simmering, as he thought about his destroyed Bible, drying out on his nightstand. Gabriel nodded and it was almost imperceptible, but enough of a confession to send Joel flying to his feet.
“You flooded my apartment? You ruined my favorite Bible, Gabriel! The thing that mattered most to me out of everything is fucking ruined, because of you!” Joel stood, tall and angry, glowering at the back of Gabriel's lowered head.
“The thing that mattered most to me is ruined because of me, too.”
Joel didn’t think he heard him right, couldn’t have heard him correctly. This confession was quickly taking a downhill slide and Joel wanted to wrap it up before it hurt him anymore.
“Oh? Is that so, Gabriel? And what of yours was ruined? Fucking tell me! What belongs to you that is ruined?” Joel was shouting now, pointing a shaking finger in Gabriel's face.
Gabriel stood as well, unfolding himself from the couch. “You.”
The single word rang around the house like a bullet ricocheting off every surface. It echoed in Joel’s head and bounced around, taking shape into something that scared the shit out of him.
This was weird, right? And super fucked up. Gabriel had been stalking him, for fuck’s sake, and Joel fought an almost uncontrollable urge to wrap this man in his arms and let him know that, no, Joel wasn’t ruined–he was, in fact, more whole than he had ever been.
“Joel, you have to believe me, if nothing else, please believe me. I never meant to hurt you this way. I wasn’t honest with you, and I’m sorry. I didn’t think.” Gabriel looked up toward the ceiling, eyes searching the plaster for the rest of his answer.
Joel stepped back from Gabriel, not realizing how heavy his breathing had become, or how close they stood. Even in light of this betrayal, this omission, and confession, Joel was caught in Gabriel’s gravitational pull. The truth of his realization settled around Joel comfortably, like a winter cloak, and his decision was made.
Joel had spent his entire life disappointing people, and being less than what was expected. And here was Gabriel, who only wanted Joel to be as he was. He wanted to see Joel with his walls down, his mask off, literally and figuratively bared to him. The only thing Joel could do to disappoint Gabriel would be to walk out the door, and more than anything, Joel did not want to disappoint the man in front of him. Joel wanted to be loved by him. Gabriel's unrequited commitment to Joel was so staggering, Joel couldn’t even fully grasp the depth of the feelings it stirred in him. Gabriel loved him. He hadn’t said it, but Joel could feel it, radiating from every pore in Gabriel's body like a goddamn solar flare.
“Gabriel, look at me.” Joel took a step forward, toward Gabriel, toward this predator who loved him, and when Gabriel looked up, Joel found the affirmation he was looking for in the depths of Gabriel's brown eyes. Joel nodded his head, and launched himself forward onto Gabriel, connecting chests, and torsos, and more importantly, mouths.
Gabriel staggered backward, shocked at the contact, but he quickly recovered, wrapping his arms tight around Joel's body and opening his mouth to return the kiss. It was urgent and hungry, and Joel jumped, wrapping his legs around Gabriel's waist, pressing in as close as he could.
Joel pulled his mouth away and pressed his forehead against Gabriel's, breathing heavily. Gabriel’s body tensed while he fought to breathe normally, but he was fighting a losing battle. Joel could see the pent-up affection and lust bubbling to the surface, unable to remain dormant for even one more second.
“I need you. I fucking need you,” Gabriel whispered, and Joel nodded, grabbing his face and pressing soft kisses against his mouth, his cheeks, and his chin.
“Then I’ll be yours.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Gabriel Takes What is His
Gabriel needed no further affirmation. Somehow, he’d gotten lucky. Fate, for once, smiled on him, and everything looked like it might work out. Gabriel hadn’t been entirely honest with Joel, but he pushed that thought to the back of his mind. He hadn't told Joel any lies, sans the one of omission he would deal with another day. Gabriel’s mind was pulled back to the present when Joel whimpered into his ear.
He snatched Joel's mouth in another kiss as he walked them blindly down the hallway to his bedroom. He pressed Joel into the wall by the door, grinding his cock up against Joel’s as he fumbled the door open. Once inside the bedroom, Joel obediently released his legs, and slid down Gabriel's torso to stand at the foot of the bed. Gabriel wrapped his fingers around Joel's shoulders, dragging them down Joel's arms, to his hands.
Joel pressed a kiss to Gabriel's shoulder.
Then I’ll be yours.
Four fucking words out of Joel's mouth that made Gabriel feel as though his heart would explode. The pressure mounting behind his breastbone was becoming harder to ignore every day.
“Do you mean it?” Gabriel whispered, tremors of arousal and fear racking his body. Joel only offered a slight nod of his head before Gabriel pushed Joel backward onto the bed. Joel slithered up toward the headboard, and Gabriel approached on his hands and knees, easily settling himself between Joel's slender thighs.
Gabriel pressed a kiss to the delicate line of hair beneath Joel's navel as he flicked the button of his red jeans open, releasing the zipper and tugging them down, along with his briefs. As Joel kicked his pants free, Gabriel nuzzled his face into the patch of hair at the base of Joel's shaft, noting it was a light brown with a slight hint of red. He wrapped his mouth around the base of Joel's cock, sucking hard and feeling it harden further under his tongue. Joel arched his back off the bed, moaning something sounding like it might have been Gabriel's name, and Gabriel loved the sound so he repeated the action, sucking harder.
Dragging his hands down Joel's legs, he pushed his thighs apart, spreading him open. Gabriel fucked his own hard cock into the mattress, desperate to stave off his need so he could enjoy Joel in the way he wanted. He released Joel's cock from his mouth, hearing it bounce, wet and hard, against Joel's belly, then lowered himself farther, licking a long and slow strip from Joel's tender hole to the tip of his cock.
“Gabriel, fuck.” Joel let out a shaky breath.
