“I know. And I care too.”
Our lips met in a heated kiss, and I lost myself in Gabriel’s sweetness.
***
Later that evening, we dragged ourselves from the bedroom to take a shower and order a ridiculously stupid amount of Chinese food. The afternoon of sex had left me sore and barely able to move, while Gabriel remained annoyingly hot and unbothered, jumping with ease to his feet from the couch when the doorman rang to let us know the food had arrived.
“I’ll come down to pick it up, Luis.”
“You’re pretty proud of yourself,” I grumbled, watching him slide his feet into his sneakers. I couldn’t hold that much of a grudge, considering how damn fine he looked in those gray sweat pants. I’d heard people say how sexy they were but I’d never paid attention or noticed until I saw them on Gabriel. The man better stock up on an unlimited supply, as I planned on ripping them off his ass on a daily basis.
“Am I hearing complaints?” He raised a brow but bent over to kiss me. I smiled against his lips.
“Are you kidding? My mother didn’t raise a fool. Pick up that food and get that ass back up here.” To make sure he knew what I would have waiting for him, I slid my hand to one cheek and gave it a squeeze. Gabriel nipped my lip, and laughing, pulled away.
“Listen. If you expect me to keep up this pace, you need to feed me. Besides, I’m not wasting all that food we ordered and letting it get cold.”
“So what you’re saying is you’d rather eat than have sex.”
Gabriel’s smile turned wicked. “We can do both. Spareribs for a main course and you for dessert.”
Well, then.
“Hurry back before your spot gets cold.” I patted the empty space next to me. “I’ll find something good to put on that we can ignore.”
While Gabriel was gone, I flipped on Netflix and waited, thinking about the events of the day. Were we a couple now? I didn’t know the etiquette of having a boyfriend, but I did know that no one else was going to touch Gabriel while he was with me. The thought of him kissing someone else burned my blood. He was mine—that full mouth was mine to kiss, those broad shoulders and strong arms were meant to hold me and no one else.
He was mine, and I was his.
At least I hoped so.
A loud buzzing noise sounded. Gabriel’s phone screen lit up, andMompopped up. It rang several times, then stopped, but a few seconds later rang again. That worried me. What if there was an emergency and someone was trying to reach him that his mother was hurt? Without thinking, I reached out to grab the phone and swiped at the screen.
“Hello?” I answered.
“Gabriel? Is that you?”
“No, this is Ronan. Gabriel works for me.”
On me. In me. Over me. Shut up, Ronan.
“This is Gabriel’s mother, Erica. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“Oh?” Was that good? It could’ve been from Gabriel, but more likely, she’d listened to the news and didn’t want her darling only child mixed up with a convicted felon. If I wanted Gabriel, I’d have to win his mother over, as I knew she was the most important person in his life.
“Nice to talk to you. Gabriel’s just getting our dinner. I only picked up because I saw you calling several times and wanted to make sure everything was okay.”
“That’s very sweet and considerate of you. I’m sure you think it’s silly I call him so frequently since he’s an almost forty-year-old man.”
“Not silly. My parents were like that, always worrying if I came home a little bit later than I was supposed to. We didn’t have cell phones like now, and as a teenager, I was always getting into trouble…” Great. Now she’d think I was one of those partiers. Sure, I’d done my share, but mostly after my parents died. I hastily corrected, “Nothing too bad. Just breaking curfew and hanging out at the pizza place.”
“Trust me, I know all about the trouble boys can get into. Gabriel was no angel.” Her laughter sounded merry in my ears.
“It’s funny you said that.” I liked Erica. She sounded sweet and warm, easy to talk to. Like Gabriel. “The first time I met him, I called him Angel Gabriel after he introduced himself to me. I’m sure you know my story.”
“Yes, I do.”
The front door opened, and Gabriel walked in, holding two bags of food. He set them on the island, and I held out a finger and mouthed,Your mother.The instant alarmed expression on his face was cute, and I had to bite my lip to keep from snickering.
