Chapter 30 Squirming

Chapter 30 Squirming
The hall erupted in cheers again but it all sounded muffled. My fingers went numb and I forgot I was breathing. My eyes fixed on the two of them and I could not pull my gaze away.

They didn't break apart quickly either. Cici clung tightly to him like she had been waiting for this moment.

"It's just Gabriel," I reminded myself, but that did nothing for me. I couldn't understand why Cici would betray me, or why Gabriel would entertain her.

When I kissed him, he looked dazed, but here he was, holding this girl as if she were the world to him.

I no longer wanted to watch, so I turned around, wanting to hurry away, but two figures approached, and I paused. Andrea and the pretty blonde from Min Lucia walked towards me, their gazes fixed on the scene I was trying to run away from.

I searched Andrea's gaze but there was no emotion in them.

"Hello, Mrs Freeman," Andrea greeted and I drew in a deep breath.

I didn't feel like entertaining this interaction, so I took a step back to turn away from them, but my heels buckled, and the room turned. Just as I braced for impact with the floor, I felt a firm arm grab me from behind and I quickly reached to hold on to anything.

My arms around his neck, Gabriel stared down at me. I saw the puzzlement in his eyes as he looked at me and I became self-conscious of how rattled I looked. I was still too low to the ground and tried to stand and make him let go of me but I didn't have the arm strength for it.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his deep soothing voice relaxed my anxiety and I found myself nodding.

Before I could ask him to help me up, I felt his second arm go under my legs and pull me up in a princess carry.

Immediately I forgot everything about his dance and Cici, and that face became my world. I hate that he could do this to me.

This was the first time a man made me swoon so hard, Adam was never a romantic. Being extremely practical he would never hold me like this, or look at me like this.

Unfortunately, the moment did not last; he lowered me onto a chair and squatted by my feet to untie my heels. My eyes remained on his as he gently unlaced the straps.

Something attracted my gaze and I lifted my head to catch Cici staring at us. I recognized that expression, the fire in her eyes and the crease on her brows, that was me a moment ago.

I felt my shoes come off, and I looked down, feeling a firm, gentle grip holding my feet and ankle, and I felt sweet inside. Tracing those strong arms to his face, I felt my world blur, and his beautiful blonde hair greeted me.

"Adam," I whispered.

Lost in my fantasy of Adam caring for me, time seemed to stretch. Just as I was about to lose to the urge to feel his hair, someone approached and handed him a pair of dancing shoes.

"We haven't had our chance on the floor," Gabriel smiled and looked up at me as he put my foot in the shoe.

I felt my cheeks heat up and redden as I recalled the scene of him and Cici dancing. His controlling grip and movements, and how he toyed with her like a master puppeteer. Was I about to experience that feeling of being handled like a tool?

My chest turned warm, and my heartbeat seemed to slow down. I could count each beat as it pulsed forcefully against my stomach. His hands now on my second foot made my lower belly feel warm and I couldn't resist squirming.

He suddenly looked up at me, and my breath hitched. I could see in his eyes that he knew what had just happened; he knew why I had squirmed.

That arrogant grin again! I couldn't tell if I hated it or if it pulled me deeper into this swirl.

Fortunately, he said nothing. Slipping my foot into the second shoe, he stood over me and looked down at me with that signature smirk I could not erase from my head.

"Dance with me," he ordered.

I felt a twinge of nervousness at the realization that he had figured out what affected me. Before now, he was never so assertive. Despite realizing the potential danger of this, I could not get out of my thoughts the scene of him handling Cici so I took his hand and allowed him to lead and control my body.


Third Person POV.

Andrea watched Gabriel massage Zina's ankle and change her shoes. She glanced at Lucia who walked back to join her after offering Gabriel the shoes.

"I think Mrs Freeman is lost." Lucia giggled beside her, and Andrea couldn't hold back a smile.

"Unfortunately, she still can't see him," Lucia sighed.

Andrea's smile disappeared and she remembered what Gabriel had said.
"Memory is malleable" she muttered in a low voice.

She felt bad for Zina and, at the same time, worried for Gabriel.

Zina was a chess piece to Adam, still in the clutches of the man even after he was long gone. And Gabriel was his opponent. This was a dangerous chess piece.

"Her proximity with Gabriel is dangerous," she said to Lucia as it dawned on her.

Every expression of affection, every swoon, every jealousy, every curiosity Zina showed was aimed at Gabriel to trigger his memories and change his nature.

Her gaze shifted to Cici and her expression turned thoughtful.

Another figure joined them and Andrea glanced down to see Fiona.
Standing next to Andrea, Fiona was about a head shorter than her. The three ladies together turned a lot a heads.

"That one wants to gobble up our man whole" Fiona gestured at Cici.

"What happened?" Lucia asked, her eyes wide.

Fiona did her best to describe the earlier scene. She had been shadowing Gabriel since the others were preoccupied with the lab attack so she was at the banquet as well.

"Wow, Gabriel did that?" Lucia gaped and subconsciously licked her lips.

"Don't get any crazy ideas," Andrea threw her a cold glance and she rolled her eyes.

Andrea seemed to recognize someone and walked away from the group while the two women stared at Gabriel and Zina dancing.

"He's doing it again," Fiona commented, but Lucia had already noticed and could not peel her eyes away.

"But this isn't as sensual as you described," she soon frowned.

"It is more intimate and caring, though," Fiona chuckled.

"Ohhh" Lucia's eyes widened. Suddenly she started to laugh.
"It's like the respected wife and wild mistress," she commented mid-laughter.

Startled by the comment Fiona turned to her and let out a small laugh.

"No but that girl is smart. It's her perfume tingling Gabriel"

Knowing Lucia was an expert on this, Lucia turned to her wearing a curious frown.

Fiona glanced at Lucia then turned her gaze to Cici again.
"She's wearing some kind of amber-sweet perfume" she explained.

Lucia blanked for a second, then her eyes widened suddenly, and she gaped. "You mean..."

The women turned to Andrea, their expression complicated.