This installment is annoyingly short, but i feel like it doesn't fit with the one coming up, it needs to stand alone. I'll upload the next one in a few days.
Thanks again to panaflora for editing.
K
The following day at work they didn't speak. Jess avoided looking anywhere near Gabriel's office. Even when she could feel his stare. Especially when she could feel his stare. But when she left the building at the end of the day, he was leaning against the wall across the road, arms folded over his chest, watching her through hooded eyes. She didn't acknowledge him as she passed. She wasn't ready to speak to him yet; she was still furious with him.
She'd have thought that was fairly obvious, but apparently not, because he fell into step beside her all the same.
"I apologise," he said, in that arid way of his, which was in fact no apology at all.
She didn't acknowledge him. Instead, she pulled her jacket closer, and kept walking. He followed.
"I overreacted because he keeps touching you. You do nothing to stop him and yet I'm not allowed to touch you at work. I'm barely allowed to speak to you."
She huffed out a breath and walked faster. Of course he had no trouble keeping up.
"Jess?"
"What?"
"Haven't you got anything to say to me?"
"It's not the same and you know it isn't," she replied, through clenched teeth.
"How is it different?"
"Well, he didn't try to have sex with me against the boardroom wall on Wednesday morning for starters." She stopped walking and faced him. "And besides, he's more interested in getting his hands on you than me."
He frowned.
She waited for the penny to drop.
It didn't.
"'Gabriel, David is gay! How could you not know that?" He must have a completely malfunctioning gaydar.
His answering laughter was infused with relief, and the smile on his face was breathtaking. He pulled her into his arms and she almost melted into his embrace. Almost.
"Ah, okay." he said, as he laid a row of gentle kisses along her jaw.
"No it isn't okay."
His grip loosened and she managed to wriggle free.
"I don't owe you any explanations for how I behave with work colleagues," she said, as she staggered back. "And there is no justification for talking to me like that. Ever. You're not even my line manager. How dare you?"
"I'm sorry," he said again. Although it sounded more heartfelt this time, she could see by his puzzled expression that now that he'd realised David was no kind of threat to him, he didn't really understand why they were still arguing.
Suddenly he grabbed her again, catching her off guard. His body slammed into hers. She hit the shop window behind them. Their lips fused. An unexpected bolt of desire almost floored her.
"Come home with me," he said against her lips.
"I can't Gabriel," she whispered through the fog of her arousal.
"I need you."
"I need to go home."
"You don't have to stay the night."
"No!"
She disentangled herself from his embrace, pushed her hands into her pockets and pressed on to the station. It started to rain. He carried on walking beside her, tight lipped and angry at her rejection.
She ignored him.
*
She was catching up on emails when David rested a cup on her desk. She caught a whiff of ginger and smiled up at him gratefully.
"David, that's so thoughtful."
"Well, you look like shit."
She spluttered. "Thanks!"
"Are you okay?"
"I didn't sleep very well last night."
She'd tossed and turned in bed for hours. Sleeping with the boss was such an unprofessional thing to do, she felt like an idiot, she needed to end it. She'd had hardly any sleep, woken up late, and only just made it into work on time. She could barely concentrate, she kept zoning out.
She needed to end it with Gabriel, it was all getting out of hand.
*
That afternoon he caught her alone on the stairs. She was so tired she hadn't noticed him until it was too late. She almost ran into him. With lightning speed he grabbed her waist and slammed her against the wall. He shoved his hand down her pants and captured her mouth with his.
Jess' head was spinning, she couldn't think.
"Come back with me tonight." He mumbled against her lips
She gripped his lapels and shoved him back. They were both breathing hard, glaring at each other. His eyes were hard, like flint.
"Will you stop stalking me as if you're some kind of predator, I feel like a hunted animal."
