CHAPTER 28: CHAPTER 28

Olivia’s POV

"BRO, DO YOU WANT TO FUCKING MARRY HER ON THE FIRST DATE!"

I stilled, as every single person in the restaurant turned to stare at us. Even the waitresses stopped mid track at the sound of Maxwell’s outburst.

I wanted to disappear into the floor. Actually disappear. Like, fall through the earth’s crust and emerge somewhere in China where no one would ever find me.

Gabriel’s face turned seventeen different shades of red. "I’m going to kill him," he muttered under his breath.

"Gabriel, get your ass over here right now!" Maxwell continued, apparently deciding that he hadn’t humiliated us enough. "Mitchell is probably wasting away as we speak!"

"I’m so sorry," Gabriel whispered to me, looking like he wanted to join me in my imaginary hole in the ground. "I promise you, he will never, ever be invited to anything involving us ever again."

*Us.* The word made my stomach flutter despite the situation.

"We should probably go before he starts a scene with the management," I said, standing up from the table.

Gabriel quickly signaled for the check, his features filled with embarrassment and frustration. "This is not how I wanted this evening to end."

"It’s not over yet," I said, surprising myself with my statement.

*Why did I say that?*

Gabriel looked at me with interest, "It’s not?"

"Well, you still have to drive me home. That’s at least twenty more minutes to talk without any interruptions about dying cats."

A slow smile spread across his face. "You’re absolutely right. And I intend to make the most of every single one of those minutes."

*******

The moment we settled into the car, Gabriel cranked up the music without even asking. The music was loud enough to drown out any possible speech from the backseat, and then he turned to me with the most devilish grin I’d ever seen.

"Finally," he said, his voice barely audible over the music but his lips close enough to my ear that I could feel his breath. "I’ve been wanting to do this all night."

"Do what?" I asked, my pulse quickening at his closeness.

Instead of answering, Gabriel reached over and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, his fingers lingering against my cheek. "Tell you exactly what I’ve been thinking about you."

I felt heat spread through my entire body. "And what have you been thinking?"

Gabriel’s eyes dropped to my lips for just a moment before meeting my gaze again. "That you’re absolutely stunning when you’re flustered. That you have the most incredible laugh I’ve ever heard. And that I’ve been fantasizing about kissing you since the moment you screamed in my car."

My breath caught. "Gabriel..."

"I know it’s crazy," he continued, his thumb now tracing my jawline, "but I can’t stop thinking about how soft your lips must be. How you’d taste. How you’d sound if I..."

An annoying loud throat-clearing from the backseat interrupted his words, but Gabriel didn’t even glance back. Instead, he leaned even closer to me.

"Ignore him," he whispered against my ear, sending shivers down my spine. "Pretend it’s just us."

"That might be difficult," I breathed, but I was already melting into his touch.

"Try." His voice was low and commanding in a way that made my stomach flip. "I want to know what you’re thinking about right now. What you want."

I looked into his eyes, seeing nothing but desire. No games, no pretense, just raw attraction.

"I’m thinking," I said, becoming bolder by the second, "that you’re nothing like what I expected."

"Good different or bad different?"

"Dangerously different," I admitted, watching his pupils dilate at my words.

He grinned in a devilish way. "I like dangerous."

The music surrounded us, creating our own private cave despite Maxwell’s presence just feet away. Gabriel’s hand was still cupping my face, and I found myself leaning into his touch.

"Can I confess something?" He asked, his voice husky.

"Please do."

"I’ve been hard since you got in this car."