Gabriel doesn't blink.
The tension is a razor's edge, sharp enough to bleed.
My heart is a war drum hammering against my ribs.
"I don't want a problem with you," Gabriel says evenly."But Naomi is my wife now."His hand tightens around mine."And my responsibility.Any consequences she faces for some perceived slight to you are now mine to bear."
Another pause.Then?—
"Tell me something, Gabriel."My father steps closer, his voice lowering."Did you fuck around and fall in love with my daughter?"
Gabriel doesn't hesitate."Guilty as charged."
My breath catches.
Something flickers in my father's eyes, gone before I can name it.
Then, finally, he nods."Then you'll protect her.No matter what."
Gabriel's jaw tightens."With my life."
Silence falls.
My father studies him for another agonizing second before, finally, he steps back.The men around him relax ever so slightly, though their watchful gazes remain.
"You remind me a lot of your grandmother.She was a tough old bird.Always trying to put a gris-gris on somebody."A curse.
My father adjusts his cufflinks, then sighs."Well, then, it seems a long-standing debt has been paid, and I have a new son-in-law."
The words are as much a warning as they are an acceptance.
Gabriel inclines his head, respectful but unyielding."Looks that way."
My father's lips curve, something dark and knowing flashing across his face.
"Bienvenue dans la famille."Welcome to the family.
And just like that, we've walked through the fire.
But I know this is only the beginning.
Chapter7
The Afterglow
Naomi
My head rests against the cool, polished granite of the bathroom counter in our honeymoon suite as Gabriel's acrobatic tongue works its magic on me, bringing me to a shattering climax that leaves my entire body trembling with aftershocks.
The bathroom is a study in luxury—marble floors, a clawfoot tub that could fit three people, and fixtures that probably cost more than I used to make in six months.But right now, all I can focus on is the way Gabriel's mouth feels against me, the way he seems to know exactly what I need before I even know it myself.
I gasp, my voice raw and uneven, "Shit, you're good at that," my words tumble out like a confession of pleasure that I can't hold back.
He slowly lifts his head from beneath the layers of my wedding dress, his lips glistening with the trace of my release as if they hold a secret message only he can read.His dark eyes are heavy with satisfaction and barely restrained desire as he watches my face, cataloguing every expression of pleasure.
"I'm good at a lot of things," he murmurs, his tone low and teasing, that familiar arrogance laced with something deeper, more intimate.
"You want to show me some of those other things?"I tease back, my voice trembling with equal parts mischief and desire, still breathless from what he just did to me.
