Chapter 8

Eight

Gabriel

W e made love three more times last night and welcomed the sun with a glorious climax that left us both so drained there was no way my ice princess wasn't carrying my baby. The idea of seeing her round with our child caused a possessive need to lock her beauty away for only me to enjoy.

Then again letting the world see her claimed and on my arm gave me a sense of pride too. Hell, I don't know. From the time I hauled her sweet ass over my shoulder and kidnapped her away from those assholes she has had me on fire. There's something special about this girl I didn't see until I got her away from all those brats leeching off their parents. I've lit something inside her and she's done the same for me.

When she uttered the words...give us both something to remember…last night, my heart wanted to explode. How could she even think I would simply walk away after giving her my seed? Her father, a friend or not, did a number on her and that's something I'll have to correct. I plan on showing her every single day of my life on this rock how much she means to me. I didn't buy into all that love at first sight crap, but I'm not a fool either nor arrogant enough to think I understand everything there is about this world.

Who the fuck am I to say insta-love isn't real?

Magic of Christmas, right?

Whatever it was that had my cock rock hard at the simple touch of her hand and me hoping like hell she already carried our child I'll take. It meant I finally found someone who made my world complete. And if the way she made love to me was anything to go on, she might feel the same way too.

Our clothes were on the floor in a crumpled mess, and I dreaded having to put them back on to retrieve the rest of our luggage from the SUV. But I can't have my baby doing any sort of walk of shame.

Sun filtered through the window and played in her dark hair. I shifted, sliding my hand down to cup the plump, delicious curve of her ass. "Already?" she asked, shaking her ass and making me rock hard.

"Keep doing that and we'll make it another marathon the Christmas day edition."

"Can we get pie first?" She turned her head and bit her lip, coiling her legs over mine.

"We can get anything you want, baby. We have all day, all night, all week…year."

Huh. The longer I talked the more her expression closed off.

"Gabriel, you know this can't happen."

I pushed up to an elbow, looking down at her. "What do you mean? You didn't think I was going to fuck you with no protection and then just walk away, did you?"

She's sitting up now, the sheet pulled around her and seeing fear flit across her expression killed me inside. "Honestly, yes."

Did she actually say what I thought she just said?

I slid from our shared bed and dressed without looking at Evie, working damn hard to calm my heart from beating a hole through my chest. Clearly she failed to understand my intentions.

I buttoned my pants before I turned to face her. She was standing by the bed in all her beauty wearing my tee-shirt, and her crumpled sweatpants, her lips swollen from my kisses and her hair mussed from being in my bed. And she thought this was what? A one-night stand?

My heart ached to pull her into my arms and cover her with kisses, tear away the uncertainty I saw warring inside her.

"Maybe you need another spanking. One to help you rid yourself of any notion this was nothing more than a quickie between us."

Her cheeks flushed.

"There are a few things you need to know."

"Gabriel, really I don't. This won't really work."

"You can listen to what I have to say or I'm more than happy to pull out the handcuffs."

"Fine." She crossed her arms over her chest pushing the ample mounds up like tasty offerings.

I kept my thoughts to myself because I knew this was something we needed out of the way before we approached her father, my friend with the news of us getting married. Small detail… I still needed to propose.

"By all means please continue."

Little hellcat.

I stalked toward her. "Perhaps I didn't make myself clear before I took your virgin pussy, Ice Princess."

Evie blushed and opened her mouth to speak.

I shook my head at her. "For once, just listen. I told you before I came inside you that you were mine."

Evie waved my words away. "Something all guys say when they are trying to get in your pants. I didn't believe you."

I could tell she didn't believe her own words. She tended to bite her lip and look out over my shoulder when she was being less than honest.

"I'm not ‘all guys' and that's not something I've ever said before."

She shrugged, looking unimpressed, and I could sense her retreating. She had to be confused by all the emotions of our time together added to the fact her father had yet to return my call. The bastard needed a good kick in the ass to see what he was doing to his daughter.

"I've taken you multiple times. Without any protection."

"I know, I was there, remember?"

I raised a brow and a deep blush bloomed across her cheeks. "There is no fucking way you are walking away when you could be pregnant with my child."

"Is that the only reason you're fighting so hard to convince me you want more?"

I knew what she wanted and I had no problem saying the words.

"I want to see you plump with my baby multiple times over. Every day of my life I want to see you smile like you did when we pulled into Christmas. I want to see you wearing my ring and I want to wear yours, Evie."

Her eyes were big and wide and through the tee-shirt, I could see her nipples hard, excited.

"What are you saying, Gabriel?"

Part of me worried she was too afraid to act on the emotions clashing behind those thick black lashes so I did the only thing I knew how to break through any doubts she had about how I felt.

"Marry me, Evie."

Surprise washed away the fear and she took my hands, the smile from last night lighting her face once again.

Three knocks came at the door.

"Wait right here."

I swung the door open to find a surprised Calvin starring back at me.

"Yes?" I hated to sound curt.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Dyson. He insisted on coming up."

Evie's father stepped into my loft wearing a scowl that would scare a demon back onto the straight and narrow. And he pinned it on me.

"It's all right, Calvin. We're old friends."

The Colonel was one of those men who appeared taller than he was. He took in the bed's rumpled sheets and his daughter's kiss-swollen lips before his hard gaze settled on me.

My friend's face darkened with malice.

Good thing I had more grit than most.

"Gabriel," he said and I held my ground, but stood on a fine edge. I had no intentions of betraying my friendship with the man. What happened between me and his daughter wasn't planned. I didn't want this to come to a fight. He was a man of few words and one of the reasons we got along so well.

I gave a curt nod out of respect and old habits before crossing the apartment and coming to a stop in front of him. "Davidson, we tried calling. Where the fuck were you?"

Back when he was my commanding officer, speaking to him like that would have earned me a demotion and a few days in the brig. Today, it earned me a cold, hard stare from a friend and I was pretty sure that fist he made was intended for my jaw.

"I'll let you land one because I deserve it. After that, I don't want to spend Christmas explaining to your daughter why I had to knock her old man out."

Beside us, Evie shakes her head and she was chomping so hard on her lip I think she's going to cut through it.

A few seconds passed before he spoke.

"What the hell is going on here? I send you to retrieve my daughter and you bring her here? To do what? Violate her?" I've never heard the man raise his voice, but it seemed he was about to break.

He'd have a fucking heart attack if he saw the last place.

"Dad, I can explain," Evie began.

"I wasn't asking you," he quipped. "The limo is outside. Wait for me there."

"Like hell," we both said and I meant every word.

I pulled her to my side.

"She's not going anywhere," I hissed.

Evie turned her gaze up to mine. "Dad, how did you find us?"

Captain Davidson raised an eyebrow. "I drove all night to get here because I lost my cell phone. I knew there were only two places you would be. Mystique or here. Given how well I know you and your ability to be persuasive, I knew there was no way you would leave Mystique without her so I stopped here first. The SUV outside told me I was right. But I had no idea you would violate my daughter."

"Hold it. There was nothing that wasn't consensual. And with all due respect our friendship and past have earned you, you should know I've fallen in love with your daughter. If she'll have me, I'm going to marry her and never let her leave my side again. She deserves someone who will always be there for her."

"And you think that's you?"

"I know it is."

"Are you saying I never cared for my baby girl, asshole?"

"I'm saying you're never around long enough to know what's going on in her life. Did you even know Christmas is her favorite holiday? That she never celebrates because you're never home to celebrate with her?" I wanted to roar that last part but I kept my temper in check. I was seething and so pissed off I had the urge to bury my fist into the man for hurting Evie, knowingly or otherwise.

Davidson's face fell, and for the first time in all the years I've known the man, he looked contrite.

"Evie, is all this true?"

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to hurt you, Dad. Did you really drive all night to come find me?"

"I'm here, aren't I? I was worried as hell. Oh, sweetie, you could never hurt me." He paused, holding my gaze a minute before turning it to his daughter. "This really what you want?"

My ice princess steeled her shoulders and pushed out of my arms right when I thought she would cry. "This is what I want. I'm happy with Gabriel."

Instead of hugging his daughter, the man shoved his hands in his pockets and marched out of the open door, head hanging low. He paused, turning to look back at me first. "You hurt her, I'll have no problem disposing of your body."

My respect for him returned. "Merry Christmas to you too, Davidson."

He locked eyes for a moment and an understanding passed between us. He didn't like what happened between me and Evie, but he wouldn't stand between us either.

He turned to Evie and opened his arms. That one gesture seemed to heal years of hurt and misunderstanding between them. I stood back and watched as the man held his daughter close and whispered something to her that made the woman I loved smile.

"Merry Christmas, Daddy." One final squeeze and my friend walked off. I truly understood how the man never recovered from his wife's death and deep down I'm beginning to understand the heartache. I didn't need years to know I would only be half the man I was without Evie in my life.

And just like that, we were alone again.

"I think that was as close to an approval as we'll ever get."

Evie bit her lower lip, looking at me with tears in her eyes. "You really love me?"

"I do. I'll dedicate my life to making you happy." I sat down on the bed and pulled her to me. Tears clung to her cheeks. I knew Davidson. He might not be happy about the recent turn of events, but he knew that deep down his daughter was safe with me.

"Marry me, my Ice Princess." It was the only thing I could think of to say that felt right. "Or I can pull out those cuffs and give that sweet ass of yours a good spanking."

She slipped into my lap and wiggled her delicious ass, making me hard and ready. She blushed charmingly, noticing the effects she had over me.

"Are you planning to use sex to get whatever you want from me for our whole marriage?"