Archive of Our Own

“Beer?” Gabriel asked as the two of you entered his quarters.

“Water’s fine,” you replied, slipping your shoes off. You didn’t really like the taste of beer, and you wanted to be sober for this encounter, regardless of where it led.

“Grab a seat,” he said as he reached into the fridge. You took the chilled bottle he offered as he sat beside you, cracking his own open.

A tense silence settled between you that neither of you seemed willing to break.

Finally, you blew out a breath. “How did we get here?”

“We walked.”

You snorted. “Alright, smartass,” you leveled him with a look, then turned back to your water. More silence. You rubbed the back of your neck.

“About what happened on the mats—”

“Been waiting,” he mumbled, scratching his cheek. Your brain stumbled on the memory of that kiss, and you swallowed.

“Yeah, okay…” A beat. “Me, too.” You rubbed your forehead as you squeezed your eyes shut. “I have no idea what I’m doing, Commander. I don’t know about any of this shit.”

He chuckled as he ran a hand through his curls. “I’m curious what exactly you think ‘this shit’ is, if you don’t have a handle on it.”

“Maybe I’ve misread everything, but there’s something here, right? Tell me I’m not crazy.”

His expression softened. “You’re not crazy.”

That was enough to embolden you. “Then it’s not just sex,” you stated bluntly. “If that’s all you want from me, I’ll show myself out—”

“That’s not all I want from you.” His mouth turned down. “If that’s all I wanted from you, we wouldn’t be here. I play for keeps.” There was a bite to his words, and you belatedly realised that he was offended.

You blew out a slow breath. “Okay. So help me, Commander—”

“Gabriel,” he cut in.

You sucked in a breath as you considered him for a long minute, heat pooling in your gut. “Okay. So help me, Gabriel. What is this? What are we?”

Gabriel regarded you for a moment, then leaned back, patting his thigh. You shifted into his lap, and leaned against his shoulder. You supposed you should have been a bit embarrassed by how easily and eagerly you were willing to acquiesce to his commands, but you were too busy enjoying the heat that radiated off him.

Silence lingered as he put his arms around you, a long kiss pressed against the crown of your hair.

“It’s not just sex,” Gabriel affirmed, one hand slowly drifting along your back. “And it’s exclusive. That enough to get you started?”

You nodded slowly, taking his free hand to kiss his palm. You didn’t miss the way his breath caught, however slightly, and couldn’t help your smile.

“I guess it should go without saying that we can’t exactly be open about this,” you added, lacing your fingers up with his.

“Unfortunately,” he sighed, kissing your hair again. “It’s separate from work.” You didn’t miss the rueful tone in his voice, but didn’t focus on it, nuzzling against his chest.

He was hard—you could feel him pressed against your side. His fingers drifted up into your hair, gently massaging your scalp.

“So…” You stared at your hands, heat prickling your cheeks. “Do you want to do anything else? I mean, I’d like to, I just don’t know—”

“I can think of a few things,” he rumbled in your ear, making heat flare in your gut. “But I’ll let you call the shots.”

You swallowed thickly, looking up into those soulful eyes. His gaze was piercing, and his hands caressed your thighs as he peppered your cheek with kisses.

“Do you want to go to the bedroom?”

You looked thoughtful for a moment, then nodded as you murmured a soft yeah, standing from the sofa. You let him lead you, watching as he tossed his shirt aside while you crossed the threshold to his room. You stood awkwardly near the bed, wringing your hands as you looked around the space, trying to pretend not to admire the hard planes of his torso. He wore an unbearably smug expression, hands resting on his hips.

“It’s okay, you can look—I won’t tell.”

You couldn’t help your laugh, and it eased some of the tension in you.

“Thanks,” you answered, only a little irreverent. His expression softened as he crossed the space, hands resting on your shoulders while he rubbed gentle circles to help ease the remaining tension.

“Nervous?” He asked, like he didn’t already know. You nodded, and he leaned down to press a soft kiss against your forehead. It made you fluster.

“There's no need for that; you’re the one holding all the cards.”

You lifted his hand to kiss his palm, letting him brush his thumb over your lips.

“Okay.” You weren’t sure you really believed that, but then Gabriel had never lied to you before. You blew out a slow breath.

“What do you want me to do?”

Gabriel laughed. “I think I’m supposed to be asking you that,” he replied. You laughed as you leaned against his chest. He put his arms around you, and you deflated against him, though you were sure he could still feel the lingering tension.

“We don’t have to do anything if you don’t want to, you know,” he murmured. “We can just cuddle, if you’d rather.” He pressed a gentle kiss against your hair.

“I want to do more than just cuddle,” you insisted meekly. “I’m just… not that experienced. But I can’t even begin to tell you all the stuff I want to do—or at least try. I just don’t know how ready I am for some of it.”

He smiled indulgently, thumbing over your cheek. “What can I do to help?”

“Tell me what to do.”

Gabriel smirked, and he leaned down to kiss you, sending a ripple of heat down your spine.

“First, I think you need to decide what you want. You can change your mind later, of course, but you need to be specific to get started. Communication, right?”

You sighed as you rubbed your face, groaning softly as you tried to release the anxiousness that kept flaring in your gut.

“Bed. Maybe… something easy to get started?”

His fingers drifted along your torso through your clothes, and you felt his lips against your ear.

“Do you want me to use my mouth on you?”

Your breath caught and you nodded, too eager to be embarrassed. You didn’t miss the way his nostrils flared, or the way his expression shifted ever so slightly—like he’d been waiting for your permission.

“Why don’t you get comfortable, then, and I’ll come join you?”

You nodded, and hopped onto the bed, belatedly realising you probably should have stripped, first. Fluffing the pillows, you settled into them, looking to Gabriel as he sat alongside you. His expression softened as his fingers drifted along the slope of your collarbones, and down the swell of your breast.

“Can I take this off?” He asked, plucking at the soft fabric of your shirt. You nodded, and he pulled it up and over your head, taking the time to fold it before tossing it aside. Your bra wasn’t the sexiest thing you’d ever worn, but that didn’t seem to bother Gabriel, whose calloused fingers brushed along your ribs.

“This, too?”

You nodded again. It felt a little silly that he kept asking for permission, and you almost told him he didn’t need to, until you realised why he was doing it. Warmth bloomed out in your chest, and he must have seen something in your expression, because he looked flustered suddenly when he met your eyes.

“Doing okay?” He queried, voice surprisingly gentle. You beckoned him down, craning up to close the distance as you pulled him into a kiss. You couldn’t help the sigh of pleasure that left you, heat pooling deeper in your centre as you felt his hands caressing your sides. When he released you and you lay back against the pillows, he did away with your bra, not bothering to fold it.

“Still good?”

You nodded.

“Can I touch you here?” His fingers carefully traced the shape of your chest, and you took his hands up over the mounds of your breasts.

“Touch me, Gabriel.” Your voice came out breathier than you meant it to, but you held your confidence as tightly as you could. He fondled gently, giving you a squeeze before he leaned down to kiss you again. You murmured softly against his lips and welcomed him in against your body as he prowled over you. Heat and excitement spiked in your blood as his fingers danced across your lower belly, curling into the waist of your pants.

“Can I take these off?”

“Yeah.”

Heat flooded your cheeks. He popped the button, and you lifted your hips to help him slide the garment off. His fingers drifted along your inner thighs from your knees, pushing your legs apart. As his touch came close to your groin, brushing along the juncture, you moved to chase it. You were almost embarrassed at how wet you had become, wondering how visible the spot would be. He sucked in a breath as he caressed your skin, carefully skirting around your mound as he held your gaze. Okay, apparently very visible.

“Already all wet and I’ve barely touched you,” he teased, a wicked smile curling his lips. You bit your lip but didn’t look away, gaze flicking between his face and your mound. He leaned in to press gentle pecks along the fold of your knee as he glanced at you again.

“Is this okay?”

You nodded, and he hummed as he trailed warm, open-mouthed kisses along your skin, growing ever closer to your centre. You giggled, a sound laced at the edges with nervousness as you carded your fingers through his hair.

“You look so eager,” you murmured, biting your lip. “Tell me what you want to do to me?”

Gabriel flashed you a devilish smile, his fingers stroking the damp crotch of your panties. “If you just gave me carte blanche? All kinds of things, but the most simple and obvious one would be eating you out until you’re begging for mercy.”

You drew in a sharp breath, thighs twitching around him as he left a wet kiss at the crease of your groin. He sucked a mark into your skin and his eyes flicked back up to yours.

“How does that sound?” His tongue traced along the edges of your panties, and you shuddered.

“Please,” you whispered.

“Please…?”

“I want you to eat me out until I’m begging you for mercy, please,” you huffed, breaths already coming in shallow pants. Gabriel hummed and pressed a lingering kiss against your slit through the fabric.

“Good girl.”

You propped yourself up on your elbows, trembling bodily as you watched him. He curled his fingers into the hem of your panties.

“Can I move these?” He whispered. You made a sound of assent as you nodded, and Gabriel eased the fabric down, letting you lift your hips to help its passage.

“You’re so cute,” he mumbled, hands sliding up your belly to squeeze at your breasts. He tweaked the pert buds of your nipples, and you arched against his touch. He didn’t linger too long, quickly leaving a trail of warm, open-mouthed kisses back down your belly.

His fingers drifted over the shape of your mons as he chuckled. “Very pretty,” he murmured, pushing your thighs a little wider, teasing soft kisses along your outer labia and the crease of your groin.

“You still doing okay?” He added, gaze flicking up to yours as he hovered.

You nodded with a soft hum of agreement, fingers curling into the sheets. “Please keep going…” Your voice trembled, and he smiled as he closed the distance between you.

He was slow and delicate with how he touched you, like he wanted to savour the moment before he devoured you. Pushing your thighs open, his warm tongue traveled the distance from clit to perineum and back, long strokes caressing the hard bud. You shivered as your thighs twitched around him, head tipping back as your legs parted wider. A gentle, suckling kiss passed over your clit, and the low, salacious sound of your moan surprised you as it reverberated in your chest. Gasping, you chased your breaths, fingers curling tightly into the sheets.

“Oh, my God,” you whispered, voice shaking. His gaze flicked up to yours, a curious look on his face as his fingers circled your clit.

“You alright?” He whispered, more kisses passing over your clit. You hiccuped as you canted against his mouth, nodding eagerly as you bit your lip.

“Please don’t stop,” you whimpered, too aroused now to be embarrassed by the desperation in your tone.

Gabriel groaned happily against your skin, pressing back into the crest of your thighs. He pushed on your legs, tilting your hips back as your knees lifted towards your shoulders.

“You taste so fucking good,” he hissed, parting your labia to give himself better access. “Can’t tell you how long I’ve been wanting to do this.”

As he lifted your hood and swiped his tongue over the tender bundle of nerves, you shrieked, fingers digging into your thighs as you parted wider around him.

“Right there,” you begged, voice pitched and too reedy. “Oh, fuck, Gabriel, right there—” Your breaths came in desperate gasps, chest heaving as you panted. With your legs trembling around him, he slurped and suckled on tender flesh, tongue swirling around the throbbing bud of your clit while a single digit circled your twitching entrance. One hand gripped at the sheets with white-knuckled ferocity as the other cradled the back of his head, clutching him firmly against your apex.

“I’m close,” you whimpered, going cross-eyed as your head tipped back into the pillows. “Please, I’m close, I’m so close—”

You swore as your body convulsed, pleasure rushing out over your body in waves with each stroke over the fat swell of your clit. He carried on until you had lost your voice, pitched gasps the only sound you could make. As he tapered off, gentle kisses passed over your labia and groin as he eased you down from the high. Your fingers carded delicately through his hair and he glanced up at you.

“Can we keep going?” You whispered, even as your expression crumbled and embarrassment shot through you at having asked. His expression shifted, and he looked… excited?

“We can keep going as long as you want,” he murmured, pecking a trail of kisses up your belly. He claimed your lips in a sumptuous kiss that sent a frisson rushing over your scalp and down your spine. His hand between your legs stroked slowly, quickly building your pleasure back up. You moaned into his mouth as his fingers circled your entrance, bleary gaze searching for his. Chasing his tongue, you arched against him, nails tracking across his broad shoulders.

“Can I put my fingers inside you?”

You nodded quickly, choking on a gasp as tears formed in the corners of your eyes.

“One?”

“Two,” you whispered, mouth falling open on a loud moan as he pressed two digits into your wet heat.

“You’re so warm and silky inside,” he cooed in your ear, pleasure tearing down your spine. “That feel good?”

You nodded helplessly as your hips chased the measured thrusts of his hand. He curled the digits inside you, crooking into the ridge of your sweet spot. Stars burst behind your eyes and your back arched as you gripped the sheets. His tempo was steady, and he peppered more soft kisses down your front as he settled between your legs again.

“Love how wet you are for me right now,” he crooned, tongue laving over your throbbing clit. You swallowed a gasp as you gripped at his hair, crying as spots formed at the edge of your vision.

“I’m going to come,” you wheezed, almost frantic as you tugged at his roots. “I’m going to come, I’m going to come—”

You let out a keening wail as your body seized, pleasure flowing out in waves as your orgasm gushed out. He opened his mouth to taste you, blithely continuing to pleasure you as you shook and trembled. Gabriel carried on until you were sobbing, desperately pushing at his head and begging for mercy—as he’d promised.

You lay boneless beneath him, still convulsing as aftershocks rippled through you and you stared blearily at the ceiling. A hazy cloud of desire hung over you, but you slowly regained yourself, searching for his warm gaze. Heat flared in your cheeks and prickled down to your chest. His fingers drifted along your collarbones, and he leaned down to kiss you.

You opened up to him, chasing his tongue and the last vestiges of yourself in his mouth. The bulge of his cock pressed against your thigh, and you wrapped your legs around his waist. He leaned his forehead against yours as he nuzzled your cheek, hands fondling and caressing the shape of your breasts. Gabriel kissed you with the hunger of a man who was nearly starved. You whimpered into his mouth, arms wrapping around his shoulders as he pulled you closer.

You reached between you, but paused before you made contact with him, remembering the respect and reverence he had shown you earlier.

“Can I touch you?” You whispered, heat flaring in your cheeks. He nodded, and you covered the shape of him through his trousers. He groaned softly, grinding against your hand. Gabriel didn’t wait to tug open the fastenings of his pants and push his bottoms down enough to spring free.

You gasped at the weight of him resting against your skin, thick and heavy as your fingers curled around his girth. Stroking slowly, you slicked his cock along your folds, and bit your lip as you watched his nostrils flare.

“Take your pants off,” you said, surprised by the sound of your own voice. He chuckled as he leaned back, working his trousers and underwear off. You sat up for a moment, and he remained still once he was finished, gladly letting you admire the hard lines of his body. Your eyes traveled over his broad torso, passing over the myriad of scars and well-defined muscles. You paused between his legs, already having an idea of the dimensions from your round on the mats with him earlier, but to see it brought to bear was impressive.

You swallowed thickly as you shifted closer, and he caught your chin to lift you into a kiss.

“Do you want to keep going?” He asked, free hand drifting over the column of your throat. You nodded eagerly as you bit your lip again.

“Yeah,” you stammered, heat flaring out across your skin. “I want… I want you inside me. Please.”

“Do you want to use a condom?” He asked, suddenly very serious. You swallowed again, mouth suddenly dry—you hadn’t expected him to give you the choice, since it had never really crossed your mind.

“Do you?”

“That’s not what I asked,” he ground out. Your gaze flicked between his eyes and his groin, and you shook your head.

“I trust you,” you said softly. You didn’t miss the way his nostrils flared, or the virile hunger in the kiss he pressed against your mouth a moment later. He eased you back down into the mattress, and you reached between you to circle his shaft again. Gabriel covered your hand with his own, slowly guiding your touch as he nudged his crown against your clit. You sucked in a breath. Keen eyes found yours as he licked his lips.

“Have you been here before?”

You realised after a moment of confusion what he was really asking you. Swallowing, you shook your head as you glanced down. He hummed softly, nudging against your entrance, making heat spike in your blood.

“I’ll be gentle,” he promised. “Keep the lines open, okay?”

You nodded. “Okay…”

He leaned down to rest his forehead against you. “Relax now—that’s it. Deep breaths…”

You let your focus drift to the sound of his gentle instructions, obeying each one, until finally came the first push. He eased the head inside, and you sucked in a sharp breath. It wasn’t painful—quite the opposite, actually—but it was new and different, so your mind took a moment to catch up with itself. He remained poised over you.

“Can I move?”

You nodded. “Slow, please…”

“Am I hurting you?” He grew tense beneath your touch, and you shook your head.

“No, Gabriel. I’m just adjusting. You’re…” Heat flooded your cheeks as you buried into the furrow of his shoulder. “You’re big.”

Gabriel snorted, but nuzzled the column of your throat. “Okay. Slow. If you need me to get the lube—”

“Not dry,” you told him, already feeling the slick dripping down the cleft of your ass. “You’ll feel it in a minute. I just need time to adjust to you…”

Gabriel nodded, moving slowly, as promised, his thrusts measured and shallow. Heat and pressure steadily built in your core, and you closed your eyes. Slowly, carefully, his thrusts became more powerful, easing deeper into your body, but that same slow pace was maintained. There was still a bit of a drag, but you willingly accepted him anyway.

“You weren’t kidding about feeling it,” he murmured, soft grunts peppered between gentle kisses. “I can feel you dripping down my balls…”

You whimpered as you bit your lip. “It feels good,” you wheezed, breaths growing shallow.

“That’s the whole idea,” Gabriel teased, though his smile was a little strained. “Can I—”

“Fuck me harder,” you whispered, your face flooding with heat. “I mean—”

You weren’t quite sure what else you wanted to say, so you didn’t. Instead, Gabriel abided your request, his thrusts increasing in tempo, and depth. Your hand dipped between your legs to circle the fat swell of your clit, heat coiling tighter in your centre. He crushed you into a spate of demanding kisses, muscles corded tightly as he held himself as steady as he could.

You could tell by the tension in his jaw and the vein that throbbed in his forehead that he was at the edge of coming unraveled, barely holding on by a thread. It was like he had been waiting for this. The sound of his groan in your ear made you whimper, heat flaring in your gut as you wrapped your arms around his shoulders.

“You feel good like this, Gabriel,” you whimpered, voice already shaking. He purred softly against your skin, and you yelped as his teeth dug into your shoulder.

“You feel so fucking good,” he murmured, gentle kisses easing the sting. “Been waiting for this. Been waiting for you…” He cursed in your ear, your name a desperate prayer on his lips that sent heat coiling tight in your centre. He stayed close as his tempo increased, thrusts growing frenetic as his breathing staggered.

“I’m going to come soon,” he mumbled finally, teeth and lips worrying the tender flesh of your throat.

Your legs tightened around his waist. “Don’t stop,” you whispered, fingers digging into his skin.

His breath hitched as he said your name. “I—”

“Don’t stop,” you repeated. “I want you to come inside me, Gabriel. Please.”

A beat passed, and it was as if you felt the thread holding him together snap. He pinned you into the mattress, the speed and force of his thrusts reaching a fever pitch as his words devolved into filth—how tight you were, how much he wanted to wreck you—

“You’ll be scraping me out for days,” he growled, voice rough. You whined as your inner muscles clenched, and heat coiled almost painfully tight in your core.

“You like the sound of that?”

You could hear the surprise in his voice, despite his attempt at confidence. You bit your lip as you met his eyes, nodding feebly as you gripped at the nape of his neck, pulling him closer.

“Please, Gabriel,” you wheezed, walls tightening around him. “I want to be yours. I—” You pressed your lips together with a whine—there was more to say, but you had already said too much.

He tilted your hips as he raised your thighs, sliding deeper and bottoming out on each thrust. It might have been painful under another circumstance, but your blood ran too hot, and you were too focused on the pleasure pooled so deep in your centre. Gabriel watched you crumple into the sheets beneath him with a desperate cry, and then he felt it—the clenching, the rush of wet heat.

You shook and trembled wildly, eyes rolling back as his thumb stroked your overworked clit. You choked out his name as his thrusts continued, dragging your orgasm out longer than you could stand—but you didn’t protest.

Another cry and a gush of heat splashed against his belly, coating your thighs and dripping down his balls. He found your hands and squeezed them tightly, leaning down to kiss you.

“You feel so fucking good,” he groaned. You could hear it in his voice that he was teetering on the edge, but he was holding on.

Your breathing was shaky now, eyes filled with tears as you hiccuped. He cooed as he kissed your face, each thrust deep and meaningful.

“You’re almost there,” he murmured, the wet sound of your skin meeting loud and obscene. “Come again for me. I want you to milk my cock for all it’s worth.”

Your inner muscles clenched involuntarily. “Gabriel,” you wailed, stumbling on your words. “I can’t—“

“You can,” he whispered, thumb rubbing tight circles around your clit. “Once more, for me.”

You clutched his face in your hands as you nodded, expression pitiful as you held him.

“That’s it. Come on, now, almost there—”

You screamed with effort as your third climax punched its way out of your body, each thrust punctuated by a gush of hot fluid against his belly, soaking your thighs and the sheets below.

With an inelegant, final grunt, he slammed in deep and emptied himself inside of you. You moaned aloud, hips trembling in his grip as he held you in place.

Long minutes passed as he peppered your face with kisses, his cock flaccid, though he was still inside you. You gripped his face as your bleary gaze met his, and you kissed him.

The gesture ached with tenderness, and you couldn’t swallow your words any longer—

“I love you.”

Gabriel froze, finding your bleary gaze again. He whispered your name, the shock in his tone and expression all too apparent.

“I’m sorry,” you muttered, wiping feebly at your eyes as tears brimmed up in them again. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to ruin it. It just slipped out—”

Gabriel touched your lips gently, hushing you. “Don’t apologise,” he murmured, kissing you softly. You whimpered as you melted beneath him, a boneless mess atop the sheets.

“I’m sorry…” you said again, those tears slipping down your cheeks.

“Stop apologising,” he ground out. “I told you I play for keeps. What did you think I meant?”

You met his eyes. “I want to be yours, Gabriel…”

Gabriel sighed deeply as he rested his forehead against yours, and you swore you could hear the loud thud of his heartbeat. His cock twitched inside you, and you gasped. How was he hard again already?

“You are mine,” he murmured, warm eyes finding yours. “I told you that before I brought you here, didn’t I?”

And he had. Maybe he hadn’t said it in so many words, but you’d both known for a long time that you were his, and he was yours—insomuch as either one of you could be.

A meaningful pause hung between you as he shuddered, easing his hips back before thrusting forward again. You wailed as your eyes rolled back, nerves still sensitized from your last orgasm.

“I’ve been wanting you for a long time,” he mumbled, leaning down to touch his forehead against yours. “There’s a lot more I want to say, but I’ll settle with this for now—”

His thrusts grew faster, more impatient, and all you could do to keep up was squeak and whimper as you grasped his face, eyes bleary and out of focus.

He whispered your name against your mouth. “I love you—there’s no games here. You’re mine.”

His words had a staggering impact as you let out a low groan, walls clenching around him as his pace kicked up. He stroked your hair back from your face, the wet sound of his cock plowing into you punctuated by the creamy mess you could feel building between your legs. You panted against his lips, eyes dark and suddenly very, very lucid.

“Fuck me deeper, Gabriel. Keep your promise—I want to be scraping you out of me for days,” you whispered, both of you surprised by the boldness of the statement. He grinned wickedly, and your mouth hung agape, lewd noises escaping you on each thrust.

His hands covered your breasts, squeezing and tweaking your tender nipples. Your inner muscles clenched around him as your back arched. He did as you asked, going hard and deep on each thrust. And still, your body swallowed him up like you were made to take him.

His cock was a creamy mess of your own fluid and his come, smearing your lower halves and easing his passage. He surely felt it before you let out a noise, the tight clench and gush of fluid. He sighed in delight as he kissed you, forehead rested against yours again.

“I’ve fucked you open four times—how are you still so fucking tight?”

You whimpered as you threw your head back, body relaxing beneath him as you searched for his hands. He sighed as he picked up the pace again, chasing his own orgasm.

“You feel good like this, all soft and warm and pliant underneath me—like you were made to take my cock,” he murmured, teeth grazing along your pulse. “You’re mine. And this is where you belong.”

You whimpered as you squeezed your eyes shut. “Gabriel—”

He hushed you, and you gripped tightly at his nape, meeting his thrusts. His free hand slipped between your legs to rub tight circles over your clit.

“Once more, for me. Let me feel you milking my balls again. Come on—”

You wailed pitifully as you came, each potent thrust once again punctuated by a gush of hot fluid soaking both of you before he locked your hips together and spilled inside you again.

This time, he eased out of you after a moment, and sat back to watch the thick, milky come slowly trickle out. You lay in the sheets, boneless and trembling as your breaths came in short, sharp pants. He pushed your hair out of your face, watching you intently.

“How are you feeling?”

After a long minute of finding your voice, you leveled your sleepy gaze at him.

“What happened to ‘I’ll be gentle’?” You asked, rubbing your lower belly.

He winced. “You didn’t say anything—”

You giggled as you parted your legs, easing a finger inside to coat it with your mess. You licked the digit clean as you found his gaze again, a pleasant shudder rippling through your core at the blatant desire in his gaze.

“If I wanted you to be gentle with me, I would have said so,” you replied, stretching out your limbs before crumpling limply into the sheets. “No… I wanted you to fuck me open until there was nothing left. I’ve wanted this for a long time, Gabriel…”

He hummed as he leaned over to kiss you, slow and hungry as he fondled your breasts. “Me, too.”

“I wish I’d known before,” you sighed, nuzzling his forehead. “I would have made a move sooner.”

Gabriel snorted, pinning you into a gentle kiss. “You wouldn’t have, but it’s a nice sentiment.”

You wanted to argue for a moment, but blew out a slow breath. “Yeah, you’re probably right.”

“It’s alright,” he murmured, pecking kisses along your cheeks and jaw. “You’re skittish. I get that.”

“It’s not that I’m skittish,” you told him, only a little defensive. “I just don’t have a lot of experience with love and relationships, but especially sex. And there’s a lot of moving parts to this… and I don’t want to mess things up.”

You chewed your lips for a moment, and he waited patiently for you to continue.

“Things are good between us. You’re comfortable. There’s chain of command, and I respect that, but… I’m afraid of doing or saying the wrong thing, you know? I care about you a lot, in a lot of different ways, but—”

“But they all bleed into each other?” He finished your statement for you, and you had to nod.

“Yeah… you’re my Commander, but you’re also my friend, and I care about you, you know? Even if there wasn’t anything more than that, I’d still care about you, and I don’t want that to change—”

“It doesn’t have to,” he said, kissing your forehead. “Technically, it can’t—at least not in public. Behind closed doors, though, all bets are off. But it’ll work. We fit, the two of us—all that time alone together, working ops and doing paperwork, and we haven’t tried to kill each other?”

You couldn’t help your laugh, leaning into his chest as you wrapped your arms around him. “Yeah, okay,” you muttered, shaking your head.

He sat back, pulling you up into his lap. He watched you with those dark, soulful eyes for a long moment, and drew you into another kiss. It was tender, and you could feel the longing behind it as his calloused fingers drifted along your spine. When you paused for air, fingers drifting along his throat and down his chest, Gabriel smiled.

“Go get cleaned up,” he said, nodding his head towards the bathroom. “I’ll change the sheets and be there in a minute.”

You nodded meekly, pressing a lingering kiss against his throat before you hopped off the bed. Now that the adrenaline was fading, you could feel it—the pleasant soreness between your legs. You were definitely going to need an emitter, but didn’t feel the least bit sorry about it.

You watched Gabriel from the doorway for a moment as he stripped the bed with military efficiency, appreciating the ripple and shift of all that hard muscle. He glanced at you, and you gave him a cheeky wink.

“Don’t keep me waiting.”