Gabriel's Redemption (Gabriel's Inferno Trilogy) (34 page)

Chapter Fifty-one

October 2011

Cambridge, Massachusetts

S
cheisse
,” said Julia.

“Quite,” said Gabriel.

“I can’t believe you hired my uncle Jack.”

“He’s good at what he does. He’s gotten me out of scrapes before.”

A sudden realization came upon her. “Is that what you were arguing with him about back at my dad’s house?”

“He was angry I’d never told you.”

“He never mentioned anything.”

“He’s a man of few words.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” She looked at him reproachfully.

“My actions were justified, but not legal. I didn’t want you knowing anything about it if there was a chance Simon or Natalie decided to go to the police. Or the feds. Before we were married I told you I’d looked into them and was satisfied that they wouldn’t bother you again.”

“I didn’t think you threatened them.”

“Is it really so bad?” he whispered.

Julia met his gaze and saw thinly disguised disappointment in his eyes.

“I told you I hadn’t confessed everything from my past, Julianne. We agreed that was fine.”

“But my father was so angry with you. Didn’t you want him to know that you protected me?”

“The fewer people who knew about it, the better. I doubt he would have changed his opinion.”

“So while we were separated, you were working hard to make sure I was safe?” She blinked back tears. “Thank you.”

He hugged her tightly. “You’re welcome. You should know that when I recovered the photos and videos of you I destroyed them without looking at them.”

Julia’s shoulders sagged in relief. “But Uncle Jack saw them.”

“I think he took pains not to look. And they’re gone now.”

“Simon and Natalie probably kept copies.”

“Jack said he got everything that included you. And he has a few other things in case he needs to motivate Natalie or Simon in the future.”

“How did he get everything?”

“That’s not important. The important thing is that you don’t need to worry about them. They won’t bother you again.”

Julia hugged him, crying relieved tears on his shoulder.

Chapter Fifty-two

October 2011

Durham, North Carolina

W
hat are you doing?” April padded into her kitchen on bare feet, clad only in her boyfriend’s dress shirt.

He was standing at the stove cooking bacon and eggs in a single pan.

“Making us breakfast.” He smiled at her and reached over to peck her lips. “How did you sleep?”

“Good.” She stretched her arms over her head, then giggled. “I sleep better with you than without you.”

“Me, too,” he admitted, more to himself than to her.

She grabbed a container of orange juice from the refrigerator and poured them each a glass.

“I sleep better with you, but I feel guilty.”

“Guilty?” Simon turned, holding the spatula in his hand. “Why?”

April ducked her head, focusing on her orange juice. “Because we’re sleeping together and we aren’t married.”

Simon froze.

Chastity was as foreign to him as Eastern Europe. He’d encountered it before, in Julia, but it had always been something annoying and stupid, something he’d wanted to destroy through either seduction or manipulation.

With April, he found himself feeling something entirely different. Something that might have been the twinges of remorse.

It was a new experience for him.

“Sex isn’t bad.”

“That’s a funny thing to say.” She tapped her finger against her juice glass. “You’ve taught me sex is very, very good. I love it and I love being with you.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

“I was taught to wait. And I didn’t.”

Simon turned back to the stove, at a loss as to what to say. For a moment, he continued cooking breakfast, then turned off the burner and put the pan aside.

He wiped his hands on the seat of his boxer shorts and walked over to her.

“You were taught to wait because your parents didn’t want some asshole taking advantage of you.”

“Simon.” Her tone was scolding. “Don’t cuss.”

“Sorry. Your parents were trying to protect you.”

“It isn’t just my parents. It’s my church.”

“Well, they were trying to protect you, too. And that’s a good thing. But our situation is different.”

She lifted her head. “Is it?”

“Yes.” He put his arms around her.

“How is it different?” She sounded cautious. “Tell me.”

“I’m not just having fun here. I like having sex with you, but I also enjoy your company. I can let my guard down when I’m with you. I don’t have to be Senator Talbot’s son. I can just be myself.” He smiled somewhat hesitantly.

“That’s how I feel, too.” She snuggled into his chest. “But every time you leave, I feel bad.”

“That’s because we care about each other.”

“I wish we could stay like this forever,” she whispered, her arms tightening around his waist.

“Me, too,” he admitted. He was stunned to discover that his words were true. That even in the short time he’d known her, he’d come to care for her, deeply. Their relationship was easy and good and he couldn’t imagine ending it.

“I love you, Simon.”

Simon felt his heart jump into his throat.

He was not a stupid man. He knew what he had in his arms—a beautiful, gentle, amazing young woman. She didn’t have the baggage that he carried. She wasn’t jaded and intent on social climbing, like Natalie. And she wasn’t fearful and self-righteous, like Julia. Julia had always made him feel as if he were an animal, something unworthy to touch her.

April probably woke up that morning, decided she loved him, and simply told him. No deliberation, no head games, no social climbing through sexual means.

Without warning, Simon found his lips moving.

“I love you, too.”

April hugged him as tightly as she could, almost bouncing on the balls of her feet.

“This is great!” she shrieked. “I’m so happy.”

“So am I.” He smiled down at her youthful, uninhibited exuberance and kissed her.

Chapter Fifty-three

Cambridge, Massachusetts

A
s October came to an end, the date Gabriel was waiting for drew near. He’d been fantasizing about what he was going to do to Julianne once their required celibacy ended, planning their activities meticulously.

The afternoon before the date, Julia stood in the kitchen of their home and called him. The phone rang only twice before he answered.

“Hello, gorgeous.”

She flushed. It never ceased to amaze her how, with a word or two, he could increase her heart rate and cause her skin to heat.

“Hello, handsome. Where are you?”

“Just picking up a few things. Where are you?”

“At home.”

Gabriel paused, and Julia could hear the sound of a car door slam. “You’re home early. I wasn’t expecting you until six.”

“Professor Marinelli canceled her seminar because she has laryngitis. I think I’m going to go upstairs and have a shower. Then I might take a nap until you get home. I was up really early this morning.”

The sound of the Range Rover roaring to life filled Julia’s ears.

“You do that. I’ll be home soon. See you then.”

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

Julia heard what sounded like a chuckle before Gabriel disconnected. She wondered what he found so funny.

She poked around in the kitchen for a few minutes, noticing that Rebecca hadn’t prepared anything for dinner. She wondered why.

Perplexed, she climbed the stairs to the second floor. She didn’t bother to hang up her clothes but simply dropped them in the bedroom before entering the shower.

A hot shower would revitalize her after an exhausting day.

She’d almost finished her shower when she heard the shower door open.

“Why, hello there.”

Gabriel stood in front of her, naked and smiling. He leaned forward to kiss her.

“Did you need a shower too?” she asked, trying not to ogle him and failing miserably.

“No. I just wanted to be where you are.”

She kissed him again. “Thanks.”

She ran an appreciative hand down the center of his chest to the deep V that bracketed his hips. Then she switched off the shower, squeezing the water out of her hair.

Gabriel retrieved a towel and handed it to her.

That was when she noticed the way his eyes were alit in anticipation, his smile growing wider.

“What?”

“Did you forget what day it is?” He trailed a finger down her arm.

“No. Our special day is tomorrow.”

“We’re starting early.”

“Do you think that’s wise?”

“I don’t give a damn. I’ve waited long enough. A man can only stand so much.”

“Oh, really?” She cocked her head to one side.

“So prepare to be pleasured, my dear.”

She quickly ran the towel over her body, drying herself, then wound it over her hair.

Gabriel picked up a glass jar and held it out to her.

“
Chocolate Body Paint
,” she read. She glanced up at him. “Now?”

“Now.” He wiggled a small paintbrush under her nose. “You said that you enjoyed our foray into body painting while we were in Selinsgrove. I decided we should try it again.”

“But I thought you’d want to do other things. You’ve been doing things for me for three weeks. I’ve been able to do very little for you.”

“Foreplay is for me as well as you,” he whispered, his eyes darkening. “And I have plans for both of us.”

“Wow.” She breathed.

“I thought about trying it in the bedroom, but things could get messy.”

He crouched in front of her, his face level with her navel, and opened the jar. He dipped the paintbrush in the chocolate, spreading the confection liberally over the delicate strands of the brush, before winking up at her.

“Shall we begin?”

She nodded, her eyes half closed.

Slowly, he began to draw a heart around her navel.

The feel of the chocolate and the brush gliding across her warm skin caused her to fidget. And of course, despite the fact that it almost tickled, Gabriel would not be rushed.

“There.” He put the jar and brush aside and licked his lips. “Now comes the fun part. Ready?”

“Yes.” The word came out as more of a squeak than a statement.

She reached out a shaking hand to grasp a railing when Gabriel’s tongue made contact with her skin, swirling through the chocolate and dipping into her navel.

He steadied her by splaying one of his hands across her backside.

“It tastes better than I expected.” He nibbled at her. “Then again, that’s probably because I like how you taste.”

His tongue blazed a trail to her hip bone, where he began placing openmouthed kisses.

“I think we need more chocolate. What do you think?”

“Yes, please.” Julia nodded furiously. “Definitely, more.”

Gabriel picked up the chocolate and the brush.

“Then you’d better hold on tight, darling, because I’m planning to be thorough.”

She leaned forward, cupping his chin.

“As am I.”

Chapter Fifty-four

A
s November progressed, Diane and Tom continued to receive positive reports about their baby’s health. Surgery would still be necessary, but the baby was developing and Diane was also healthy.

Julia received the reports about her brother with a combination of relief and cautious optimism.

She hadn’t told her family about her fibroids or about Gabriel’s vasectomy reversal. His family didn’t know that he’d had the procedure in the first place. And she didn’t want to worry anyone about her own health issues, especially since Dr. Rubio assured her that fibroids were common and, at least at this point, not serious.

The Emersons bore one another’s health burdens, sharing only some of the information with Rebecca. But Julia seemed to bear the burden of her graduate career alone.

(Or so she thought.)

Late one November evening, Gabriel awoke with a start. He was instantly alert, straining his ears for the slightest sound. In the distance, he heard a woman crying.

He reached for Julia in the darkness, but she was gone.

Without even bothering to switch on the light or to grab his bathrobe, he sprang to his feet, naked, and exited the bedroom.

A shaft of light shone from underneath the study door.

He quickly walked toward it, the sound of crying growing louder.

Behind the door, he found Julia, her head on her desk. Her shoulders were shaking, her glasses discarded on her open laptop. A large pile of books was scattered across the desk and down on the floor.

“Darling.” He placed his hand on her head. “What’s the matter?”

“I can’t do it.”

“You can’t do what?” He crouched beside her.

“I can’t catch up. I’m behind in my reading for all my classes. I should be working on my seminar papers, but I’ve been trying to read. I should have started the revisions on my lecture, but I haven’t had time. And I’m just so tired.” Her voice cracked.

Gabriel eyed her sympathetically. “Come to bed.”

“I can’t!” she wailed, throwing her hands up. “I need to stay up all night and finish my reading. Then tomorrow, I need to spend the day in the library working on my papers. I don’t know when I’m going to revise my lecture for publication.”

“You can’t do anything more tonight. Even if you stayed up, you’re too tired to focus. Come to bed now and you can get up early. You can tell me about your readings over breakfast and I’ll see if I can give you the CliffsNotes version of them.” He gestured to her with his hand.

She shook her head. “CliffsNotes won’t cut it.”

“Julianne, it’s two o’clock in the morning. Come to bed.” His tone grew commanding.

“I have to stay up.”

“Sleep now and I’ll help you. I can go with you to the library and help you with your research. That should save you some time.”

“You’d do that?” She wiped her nose with a tissue.

He frowned. “Of course. I’ve been volunteering to help you all semester. You wouldn’t let me.”

“You’re busy with your own stuff. And then you had surgery.” She wiped her eyes hastily.

“You’re going to get sick if you don’t take care of yourself. Come on.” He placed a hand on her elbow and helped her to her feet before closing her laptop firmly.

He followed her down the hall to their bedroom.

“I’m so tired,” she sniffled, resting her head on the pillow. She was even too tired to spoon.

“All you have to do is ask. I’d do anything for you. You know that.”

“I’m supposed to do this by myself.”

“Bullshit.” He placed an arm around her waist. “The program is designed to be grueling. Everyone else is probably getting help from someone.”

“You didn’t need help when you did it.”

“Think about what you’re saying. I was doing coke when I was in grad school. And I had P—someone to look after me.”

He sighed, lowering his voice. “You looked after me when I came home from the hospital. That’s probably when you fell behind. Let me help you catch up. But the first thing you need is a good night’s sleep. We’ll talk tomorrow.”

She was too weary to argue. Within minutes, her breathing deepened and Gabriel knew that she’d fallen asleep.