12 Days of Gabriel–A series of vignettes told from Gabriel’s POV:
Mad for You #2
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“Emma, how much longer are you going to make me wait? You’re taking forever and everyone’s already gone. Emma. Emma?”
She was ignoring me. That wasn’t going to do. Not when I just got Emma to look at me again after so many years. Considering my past and the sexual games I learned to play, the years had given me experience to understand the currents running through Emma’s mind. She was trying to stay in control of things, to distance herself from me.
Unacceptable.
I gave her one last chance before I turned the screws. “Emma?” No reply. Of course not. She was a stubborn one. That much hadn’t changed for sure.
I kicked her chair again just to hear my Emma sigh. Beautiful. I played the Brat King well, just as she surely remembered.
Instantly I thought back to our time, back when she was innocent and I was anything but. I remembered the weight of her serious stare on me. It was unnerving at first to be the recipient of such grave contemplation, but eventually it became a game to see how many times I could do the same to Emma without her knowledge.
I excelled.
Watching her in secret had started me on this road. Where it ended? I didn’t know, but I was determined to bend it to a destination I wanted to go.
“What is it, Gabriel?”
Emma appeared calm, back straight and shoulders squared. Her soft voice didn’t betray anything other than mild curiosity, but I knew. Ooh, a temper was brewing for sure! Did it make me bad that I liked to stoke her anger? Perhaps.
“How much longer? It’s already six,” I whined, really embracing my role as a spoiled, yet benevolent, aristocrat.
Emma huffed and spun in her chair. Cheeks flushed with emotion and irritation obviously vying with secret delight, Emma stated, “I shouldn’t have let you walk me to my desk. In fact, I shouldn’t have let you walk me inside period.”
My philosophy had always been poke the bear and if you get bit—you get bit. Nothing gained, nothing lost. Although my Emma was not a bear. She was one of the small furry creatures of the wild. I wasn’t sure which one. I had to give it more thought. “Why not?”
“Then you wouldn’t be here right now and I’d be able to work in peace.”
Ouch. She was definitely something cute with sharp teeth. “That’s not a nice thing to say.” I frowned, seeing the guilt and remorse flash in her eyes. Good. She should have felt bad for not being over the moon for being with me—like I was for her. I hated floating out in space alone.
The devil in me came out. Emma needed to hear things clearly, to know how things would unfold between us. I would go where I pleased and Med-Tech would say nothing about it. I’d already spoken to the CEO. He’d be giving us both wide berth.
Enlightenment hit. She was a bunny. A bunny with very sharp teeth.
“Besides, you didn’t ‘let’ me do anything. I was coming in here regardless. I own the building, remember? I can go wherever I please.”
I eagerly awaited Emma’s bite.