Gabriel
Chapter Fourteen


The Rocky Mountains
September 23, 2001
6:18 p.m.


It was all he could do to remain unmoved by her
kiss.  Despite the free and easy forward
movement of the last few minutes, the touch of
her lips to his had re-awakened the tense worry
that laid just beneath his skin.  What if this
didn't work?  What if just beyond that first
kiss was a disastrous breach of her mind?

The round tips of her nails skimmed his back and
she pulled away, though not far.  "Gabriel, I'm
fine."  The words tickled his lips and she ran
her tongue over the underside of his mouth,
tasting his chin.  The scrape of it against the
stubble reverberated through him and he moaned. 
She picked up on his failing resistance
instantly and said with a smiling breath, "We're
just pretending, remember?"

Yeah, right.  Just pretending.  All is fine.

The thought pushed him over the edge with her
and he curled his fingers around her cheek to
bring her lips up to his, his worry taking a
back seat to his desire.  It didn't take much
effort to open her mouth with his tongue and he
drank deeply of her sweetness, her head falling
back against his left arm as he moved in.

Jesus, she tasted just as he remembered - the
soft, smoky flavor of warmth and the tart bite
of reason.  Pretense?  This wasn't pretense.  It
was remembrance... and his tongue took full
advantage, sliding over hers to rediscover all
the small, tight places between her teeth and
cheek.  Ravenous with renewed hunger, he took
from her mouth the taste of her smiles and the
husky timber of her voice.

Until he felt her stiffen.  He pulled away, his
breath stolen by the anxiety that pierced him. 
Searching her flushed face, he rasped, "Are you
okay?"

Chest heaving, she laid in the crook of his arm,
her eyes closed.  The weight of her limp body
dragged on his arm, but he was too frightened by
her stillness to register the pain.  A second
before he lost all control to panic, her tongue
darted out to lick her lips and her eyes cracked
open.  "Wow.  Way to pretend, Slick."  Her
eyebrows did the Groucho Marx kick as she
grinned.

"Shit."  Furious at her flippancy, he let her go
and stalked to the fireplace, rubbing his arm
with his good hand.  His heart jackhammered in
his chest; it was hard to breathe.

"Gabriel, I'm sorry."

The muscles of his stomach clenched with
residual anger at her apology, but still he
didn't turn around, unsure if he could stay his
urge to run from her, screaming with the onset
of madness at the almost stumble.

"Gabriel, please say something."

Say something.  A thousand rebukes came to mind,
but he dismissed them, knowing his anger would
likely make this turn into a debacle.  And he
was so tired of anger and hurtful words.  It
came out as a mere whisper, the only thing he
could think of to say.  "I thought I'd hurt
you."

"But you didn't.  I was happy.  I was joking
around... pretending." She was right behind him,
her voice dripping with guilt.  "Gabriel,
please... please forgive me."

At the broken, watery plea, he turned, steeling
himself at the sight of her crumpled face. 
Keeping his distance, he left his right arm
where it was, more for protection of his shot-
to-hell nerves than for the good it was doing
with its massage of his left.  "Just where the
hell are we going with this, Julia?"

She answered without hesitation, sniffing away
the last of her tears.  "Wherever you want to
go."

Time for one truth.  "You know where I want to
go, don't you?"

A deep breath, then, "Yes."

"You have to be sure."

"I am sure."

He held out his hand.  "Then come here."

She took the offered hand and he folded her into
an embrace, still slightly shivering.  "You can
pretend all you want, but don't do that to me
again."

Her breath was just as ragged as his, her words
puffed against his skin.  "I won't.  I promise."

His desire quickly overtaking him again, his
voice lost all traces of anger as his mouth
opened over her ear.  "And don't call me Slick."

Julia's chuckle was cut short by her sharp
intake of breath as he bit on her ear lobe.  "I
have to call you something.  We're pretending,
remember?"

God, the name was on the tip of his tongue, the
same tongue that meandered down to draw rhythmic
patterns on the rapid pulse beneath her ear. 
"Mmm..."  No, he couldn't say it.

"Morris?" she offered, arching her neck to give
him better access.

"God, no," he muttered, picturing the chain
smoker who'd thrown them out of Nevada years
ago.  What a memory... he quickly erased the
image of that man as he ran his hand up her
back.

"Melvin?"

That made him snicker.  If Frohike only knew...

"Max, then."

Was she picking these names at random?  Couldn't
be - most likely, they floated to the surface of
her murky mind like driftwood, each trying to
break the dam.  What mattered was that she was
getting dangerously close to remembering a name
that would certainly set her off.

"Gabriel is fine, Julia."  Ah, yes, there it
was.  He'd found what he hoped was a nice
diversionary tactic.

"I like that, anyway," she said, her hands doing
a dance of their own over his heated skin. 
"Oh!"  She tensed suddenly, pulling her lips
from his chest.

He paused, the zipper of her dress halfway down
her back.  "What is it?"

"Nothing.  It tickles."  Her chin lifted and she
gave him a smug look laced with a grin.  "That
good enough for you?  Or do I have to tell you
every time I feel something nice that it *is*
just something nice?"

He could have leapt on her cocky attitude, but
at that moment, he couldn't summon the enough
ire to rise past his growing arousal.  Instead,
he drew the zipper down fully and watched with
satisfaction as her eyes became dark and heavy-
lidded.

"Tell me anything you want, Julia," he purred,
his hand coming up to part the edges of her
dress.  Jesus, she had on some kind of silky
thing underneath.  But it wasn't nearly as soft
as the skin above its lacy edge.  "Tell me what
you like... what you want me to do."

She stepped away from him, her gaze never
leaving his as she let the dress drop to the
floor.  With small, precise movements, she
picked up the wrinkled cotton and laid it over
the back of the rocker.

He swallowed hard at the sight of the slip that
clung to her curves.  It wasn't long, barely
reaching mid-thigh.  And it wasn't an overdone
piece of lingerie, either; just a breadth of
off-white silk trimmed with the barest hint of
lace that circled the top edge, merging into
thin, decorative straps.  Her breasts were
fuller than he'd ever seen them, the nipples
dark through the thin white silk.  The fire at
his back warmed him, but he knew that wasn't the
reason for the sudden sweat that seemed to break
out under his shirt.

Julia moved closer and reached for his shirt,
sliding it off first one arm, then the other. 
He sighed at the removal of the scratchy denim,
then shook at the way she ran her hands down his
naked chest and arms, pausing to bend the elbow
of his left arm with a concerned, "Don't move
that arm anymore, okay?  I can tell it's an
effort for you."  Laying it against his stomach,
she reached for his right hand with her left. 
"Touch me."

"Where?" he managed to ask, over the furious
beating of his heart.

"Here."  Those bold, sure eyes fluttered as she
placed his hand on her breast.

His hand shook under hers as he felt the hard
little point of her nipple under his thumb. His
breath shot from him in a surprised chuff as he
labored to make his mind believe what was
happening.  Fingers that hadn't touched such
beauty in months flexed, almost grabbing in
their greed.

A small hiss made him jerk, but she kept him
from pulling away.  "Not too hard, okay?  It's
tender."  Her fingers pressed down on the back
of his hand, applying the kind of pressure she
expected.

"Sorry," he said, feeling the goofy smile on his
face.  "It's been a while... and I'm nervous."

God, was he nervous. He hadn't been this nervous
with a woman since... the first time he'd made
love to the woman standing before him.  Except
she wasn't pregnant then.  And he wasn't a gimp
with only one good arm.  And there wasn't a
chance that armed guards could walk in on them
at any moment.

Well, maybe the only thing true about that first
time was the pregnancy.  Flashes of her sitting
astride him the first time they'd made love, the
tower's opulence surrounding them, the hidden
ears listening in... the way she'd made him come
in an explosion of lust and urgency.

Just thinking of it made his mouth dry. 
Tonight, they'd take it slow and easy.  He
wanted to memorize every touch and every sigh of
this second chance at a first time.

"I'm nervous, too," she said, breaking into the
thoughts of his that were rapidly escalating out
of control.  Letting go of his hand, she stepped
so close the hem of her short slip brushed his
knees.  "Gabriel... that feels so good."

He was fascinated by the sight of his dark hand
against the pale silk.  Soft, breathy moans came
from her throat and her hands left his to grab
at his waist, clenching with every circle of his
thumb.  She was so sensitive to his touch, more
than she'd ever been, and he knew it was because
of the pregnancy.  Eyes half-shut, face pink and
mouth open, she swayed into his touch, already
halfway to the finish line.  But he wanted this
to last, to prolong her pleasure and his, and he
lightened his touch, bending a bit to press a
kiss to the damp hair at her temple.

"Julia."

It took her a few seconds to answer, and when
she did, it was paper thin.  "Yes?"

"Help me with my pants, sweetheart."

"Huh?"

"My pants, baby.  Take them off.  Unless you
want me to do it myself."  Which would mean
removing his hand temporarily, a fact that
finally soaked into her brain.

"No, I'll do it."  Lowering her chin, she
concentrated on undoing the button and zipper
while he feathered her hair with light kisses. 
"And 'sweetheart' is fine, but don't call me
'baby' - *Gabey*."

He winced at the nickname; that was worse than
'Slick'.  Pulling away, he plastered a glare on
his face that quickly faded into slack-jawed
stare at the feel of her fingers winding into
the wiry hair beneath the loosened jeans.  The
sight of that slim hand sneaking in made his
hips surge forward and he abandoned his caress
of her breast, his hand grasping her waist to
steady himself.

"Easy, Gabriel," she murmured, wrapping her
fingers around his cock to give a gentle squeeze
before pulling her hand free.  He almost cried
at the loss of her touch, then her warm, husky
voice gave him direction.  "The bed.  Walk to
the bed, okay?"

She was just as breathless as he was as they
practically stumbled the few feet toward the
mound of mussed blankets and sheets.  Shifting
and turning him, Julia positioned him at the
bedside, placing his hand on her shoulder for
support as she stripped the pants down to his
ankles, lifting first one foot then the other to
free him completely of their restriction.

"Sit," she ordered and he complied, keeping his
greedy gaze on her face.

He watched as she slowly let her eyes roam over
his body, licking her lips with anticipation. 
As she looked, she spoke softly.  "Gabriel,
you're beautiful."

Embarrassment tinged his cheeks and he dropped
his gaze.  "No, I'm not.  Too many scars."

Her eyes swam with tears and she dropped to her
knees before him, insinuating herself between
his legs to hug him.  "They give you character. 
Only a man who stood by his beliefs would let
himself be hurt by others trying to sway him." 
Her fingers outlined the thin strips of raised
skin on his back, compounding her statement with
a sure touch.

The surge of emotion clogged his throat and he
let her hold him, her touch erasing the scars in
his mind.  Her willingness to trust him made him
happy, but the innate, staunch belief in him
that no implant could ever take away was the
icing on the cake.  She believed in him still,
saw the scars as remnants of a battle fought and
won.  One that had delivered him back to her
side, though she didn't realize it.

But he did.  And he had enough memories for them
both to last a lifetime.

For long moments, he held her close, watching
the firelight illuminate the cabin.  They sat on
the edge of that light, blending in with the
shadows.  They needed no other source of heat,
no bright glow to lighten their lives. 
Together, they created brilliance.

Gabriel lifted her face, capturing her lips over
and over as he sought to thank her for that
revelation.  He was a better person when he was
with her.  And he vowed to keep her with him
from now on, to keep her safe.

Small, urgent moans filled the air as the brief
respite gave way to passion.  Julia's hands drew
away from his back, only to settle again on his
aching erection.  Gulping, he rested his
forehead on hers, watching as she gave him a few
slow pumps, her other hand reaching down to cup
the sac of straining flesh that already was
drawing up in anticipation of release.

"Julia," he said, dragging his gaze away from
the awesome sight to look at her with feverish
eyes.  "Stop... stand up."

"Why?"  It was obvious she was enjoying her
play, but was oblivious to the precipice he was
standing on.

"Because this will be over way too fast if you
keep that up."  He pulled her hands away amidst
her sigh of regret.  "Now, stand up."

She did as he asked and he said, "Come close. 
Put your hands on my shoulders."

Moving in, she complied, her face clouded with
confusion.  "What - ohhh..."

Slipping under the silk, his hand cupped her
mons, rubbing the fine hair as he smiled.  The
fingers that a second ago caressed the square
bones of his shoulder gripped and pulled his
flesh.

"Gabriel?"  Despite her bold advances to this
point, she proved how unsure she was with the
shaky sigh of his name.

"It's okay," he soothed, watching the play of
emotion cross her face.  "Just testing the
waters."

One finger eased into her passage and he was
relieved at the amount of moisture their play
had generated.  Swallowing hard, he felt his
heart speed up at the feel of her hot, slippery
warmth.  Keeping his eyes on the face before
him, he chanced another finger, watching her
cheeks tense and her head droop.

"Easy sweetheart," he whispered, feeling her
tight walls expand a bit to accommodate the slow
intrusion.  She was so small, much more so than
he remembered.  Drawing in and out, he tried to
gauge her reaction in the dim light, wondering
if penetration would even be possible.

As if she sensed his thoughts, she forced her
eyes wider, fastening her gaze on his face. 
"It's the pregnancy," she said in a rush of
explanation.  "The increased blood flow to the
pelvic area.  We just have to be careful, maybe
not go too deep, okay?"

Brow creased, he wondered if she remembered more
about her life as a physician than she was
letting on.  With a short, gasping laugh, she
provided, "I looked it up on the Internet
yesterday."  Her hips began to move in time with
the rhythm of his hand and she smiled.

So this was planned before she even got to the
cabin today.  The thought pleased him to no end
and he smiled in return, feeling like she'd
given him the toy prize.  "While you were
looking, did you happen to see any other useful
information?"

Between the soft pants of breath, she spoke,
unaware of his inward preening.  "You can be on
top, but you can't put your full weight on the
baby."

Scratch that.  His arm wouldn't support him,
anyway.  "What else?"

"I - oh, don't stop - I can be on top, but we
have to make sure you don't go too deep."

God, the way he felt right now, no way could he
concentrate enough to keep himself from bucking
up into her as far as he could go.  Cross that
from the list, too.  A frown began to take shape
on his face, but she bent down to grace his brow
with several small kisses.

"Side to side, either facing one another or
back-to-front," she said.  "That seems to be the
best way."

What a weird education, he thought.  Making love
with a pregnant woman who had done this with him
before, but didn't remember a moment of it. 
Speaking of sexual positions like they were
discussing the logistics of flying under Kersh's
radar.

Wait a minute... this was *them*.  Perfect in
its logic and passionate in feeling.  Smiling,
he gave her one last caress and pulled his hand
away amidst her whimper of protest.  "The best
way it is, then."  He gathered the silk in his
hand and slowly began to lift it from her body.

"No."  She stilled his hand with one of her own. 
"Can I keep it on?"

His smile faded just a bit.  "I want to see you,
Julia."

"I know, but not this time, okay?  I'm - I'm -"

He shushed her, letting the slip fall down
again, seeing just how vulnerable she was in the
way she bit her lip with indecision.  He could
push her - and God knew he wanted to see all of
her - but the fact they'd made it this far was
enough for him.  Take it slow, take your time,
give her what she needs, he told himself.

Using his good arm, he scooted up, swinging his
legs out from around her to lie in the middle of
the bed, his head resting on one of the pillows. 
"Julia," he beckoned, holding out his hand...
holding his breath now that the moment was at
hand.

Kneeling, she took his hand, happiness chasing
away all of the remaining clouds.  She settled
on her side facing him, taking his sore arm
gently in hers to tuck it under her pillow.  As
her legs entangled with his, she asked, "Is this
okay?"

Gabriel wound the fingers of his other hand
through her hair, tugging at the ribbon.  The
strands came loose, flowing over the pillow like
gold.  "Yeah," he whispered, showering her face
with small, tender kisses.  "Okay for you?"

"Mmm..." Her hum was lost as she tilted her chin
to fully open her mouth under his.

They kissed for long moments, Gabriel letting
her get used to the feel of his skin.  Her hands
roamed his damp chest, the ridge of his spine,
the muscles that flexed toward her warmth as she
dipped below his waist to grab his butt.  All
the while, he inched closer to her, his hand
traversing the same wayward path on her skin
until it sneaked under the silk to curl into her
upper thigh.  Bringing her leg over his, he
opened her to him, the scent of her arousal
making him light-headed.

She opened her eyes when he nudged her with the
head of his penis, breaking away from his kiss. 
He paused, stiffening with concern at her wide-
eyed stare.  But a second later, her face
relaxed and her leg closed the distance, draping
over his thigh.  "Yes," she breathed, urging him
on with a hand on his hips.

It was torture to move so slowly, but he did,
rotating his hips, pushing in a bit only to pull
out again as she panted into his neck, "It's
okay... keep going..."

He wasn't hurting her; at least, he didn't think
he was.  Keeping a careful eye on her, he kept
his movements languid, lubricating his cock with
her wetness.  She was so tight, it was difficult
at first to remain within her for more than a
second or two, despite the readiness that flowed
from her.  But he perservered, finally setting
up a pace that allowed him to almost sheathe
himself fully within her.  In the times before,
in those months of loving they'd enjoyed, he'd
bury himself so deep that he could feel her
cervix, taking pleasure in the attempt to crawl
inside her with pounding thrusts.

Now, he was satisfied with minimal penetration,
knowing she was going to have to get used to
this all over again.  They may not have the
freedom of uninhibited lovemaking, but they had
something better - time and privacy to explore
each other.  Until they had to leave, he was
going to spend every minute he could with her,
loving her until they both collapsed with
exhaustion.

Her moans and sighs were louder now, and she
moved with him in perfect countermotion, her
tongue darting out to rasp against his neck. 
The roundness of her belly presented a definite
obstacle, and he slid lower in the bed, using
his knee to lift her backside.  It made him go
deeper and she hitched a breath, causing him to
hiss, "Am I hurting you?"

"No."  The word was soft and easy, as was the
trailing sigh of his name.  "Gabriel."

God, she was like a vise around him, the little
ripples of pleasure massaging his cock until he
knew he wouldn't last much longer.  Clamping his
teeth over his lower lip, he gripped the pillow
under her head, seeking leverage, driving for
her completion before he lost control.

Then he felt it come.  Her clit, emerging from
under the hood of skin to throb against his
dick.  His name curled from her throat and her
head flew back as her orgasm stole her breath. 
She stiffened in his embrace and he watched,
loving the sight of the red flush that painted
her face and neck.

The collapse of her walls around him almost
pushed him from her, but he used his legs to
hold himself inside her as he, too, succumbed to
pleasure.  His behind flexed a few agonizing,
tense times, the rush of semen leaving him in
hot, shaky spurts as he dipped his head to groan
into the dip of her collarbone.  Her hands came
up to cradle his head as he trembled, her name
bleeding from his lips to vibrate over her skin.

For a while, they laid entwined, caressing each
other with hands and words.  She was a goddess
to behold, with a happy, sated smile, her hair
clinging to the pillow with damp abandon.  The
straps of her slip fell down her arms, exposing
one pink-tipped breast; before she noticed it,
he dipped his mouth to that perfect mound,
taking it between his lips to suckle.  It tasted
as it always had - sweet with the essence of her
skin.

"Gabriel!"

Her surprised gasp made his lips curl over her
flesh. *Now* she was all maidenly and pure? 
Releasing her nipple with one last tug, he
lifted his gaze, smiling at the way she quickly
brought the strap up.  "Just getting a taste of
what's to come."

"Mighty sure of yourself all of a sudden, aren't
you?"

Sobering, he brushed the wayward strands of hair
from her cheek.  "With you, Julia, I'm never
sure of anything."

The real world crept in and he saw uncertainty
bloom in her eyes.  He so longed to tell her of
what was on the horizon for them; the fact that
she'd accepted him this way went a long way
toward attaining that goal.  But he knew his
steps had to be carefully planned from this
point on, even if it meant a little heartache
for her now.

Julia lowered her gaze and shifted.  His moan as
he slipped from her wasn't solely for the loss
of his flesh leaving hers; he mourned the end of
their tryst as if it were the last time he'd get
to hold her this way.  "Don't go," he pleaded,
closing his eyes against what he knew was her
retreat.

"I'm not," she said, her gentle reassurance
letting him breathe again.  She gave him a
little push, encouraging him to relax under her
touch.  "You're not getting rid of me that
easily, Gabriel."

Like a wet noodle, he moved under her hands as
she turned him to his back, feeling a loopy
smile crease his face.  She was staying.

"That was nice," she said softly, curling into
his side.  "Pretending is nice."

Nice?  His legs felt like jelly and his arm
ached like a sonofabitch, but he curled it
around her back to settle her at his side. 
Dropping a kiss upon her head, he answered,
"Nice?  Julia, I may never get up out of this
bed again."

Chuckling, she scratched her nails over his
belly in a light, playful caress.  His limp
member stirred as she tested her newborn power,
coming awfully close with her warm fingers to
the wet, satiated muscle.  "As long as I can
stay here with you."

He grabbed the wandering hand and brought it to
his lips, watching the firelight flicker on the
ceiling.  "Deal."

After several minutes of quiet, he felt his
eyelids droop low as sleep threatened to
overtake him.  The gentle flutter into his side
made him start, but she shushed him, saying,
"It's just the baby.  He gets a little active at
night."

Gabriel felt all energy drain from his body into
the soft mattress, but he managed to murmur,
"He?"  He thought the doctor at the Ranch didn't
have the latest equipment - how could she know
the sex of the baby?

She moved her leg to snuggle between his, her
lips pressing a kiss to his chest.  "He...
she... whatever.  As long as it's healthy."

He nodded, giving in to the pull of sleep.

"Gabriel?"

"Mmm... later, Julia."  His words were slurred
with fatigue.  "Haven't slept in two days."

"Okay.  But I can't stay all night, you know."

He didn't think she would.  If a few hours was
all he could get, he'd take it.  "Wake me before
you leave."

"I will."  He felt her sidle up to give him a
kiss.  "Go to sleep."

He did, resting easy for the first time in days. 
Simply because he could hear her breathe beside
him.  The sweetest sound in the world.



End Chapter Fourteen