Chapter 35 - Feeling It

Valerie watched as Gabriel tried on his suit. It was a navy suit with a crisp white shirt underneath it. The suit fitting him perfectly. She could already imagine the dress she'd be wearing to match him. Ethan who sat beside her on the comfy sofa was taking Gabriel's appearance in as if he was analyzing a spreadsheet. It was comical, but she had to bite back her laughter because the guys were taking this seriously. The twinkle in Gabriel's eyes told her it would be the suit he was going to wear in two weeks for their very private wedding. Her cheeks heated while her heart raced just at the mere thought of marrying the man who stood across her. She felt Ethan shift beside her and trailed her eyes to him, confused as to why he was grinning so devilishly at her.

"What's wrong?" She asked carefully, not quite sure if she wanted to hear what he had to say.

"You guys are as tight as ever yet you still blush whenever you look at him." Ethan leaned closer to her, "How can I make Rachel look at me like that? I want to feel that loved as well."

She pressed a hand against his chest and slightly pushed him away from her, "Rachel loves you, unlike my sister I'm just a bit more-"

"Innocent?" Ethan guessed.

"Much more a prude." Gabriel told Ethan which caused his friend to snicker while she glared at her dear fiancé, the warm fussy feeling she had felt for him disappearing.

She leaned back in the comfy sofa and crossed her legs, "I'm sorry I don't express my sexuality as freely as you people. But since I got what I want from the start by being this prude I'd say my ways are much more effective than a woman throwing herself at you, willing to do anything." She smirked realizing her words got to them, "Anything." She whispered.

"That's true." Gabriel agreed casually while he played around with his cufflinks, "You got everything you wanted from the start and you didn't even have to shove your boobs in my face or sweet talk Ethan. You were being yourself and still managed to wrap us around your finger."

"So true." Ethan mumbled in agreement.

She pushed away from the couch and got to her feet, closing the distance between her and Gabriel. Placing her hands on the lapels of his jacket she straightened it and gently patted the fabric down. She looked up meeting his amused gaze.

"If you're quite done admiring yourself in the mirror I'd like to go and have lunch. As you might know I didn't have much for breakfast."

"Just coffee." Gabriel smiled, "Because you couldn't keep your hands off me. I think it went down exactly the same as right now."

Valerie pushed Gabriel away from her and collected her bag and jacket, "The suit fits you perfectly, now if you excuse me, I'll be waiting outside so you two kids can handle your business alone."

She walked out of the exclusive boutique and inhaled deeply when she was outside, letting the fresh air fill her lungs and calm her down. She reached for her phone when it vibrated, a smile spreading across her face when she glanced at Rachel's picture. She answered it immediately, glancing inside the boutique to see the guys laughing and having a great time, talking to the owner. Both Ethan and Gabriel were regulars so she figured it would take some time before they'd join her.

"Hey Rachel."

"Oh hey." Rachel sounded unsure, "Something good happen?"

"Things are going well between Ethan and you, right?"

It took a while before Rachel answered, she was probably unsure as to why this subject suddenly came up. Her sister had been calling her more often since the wedding date was set. The family was only invited to have dinner at a restaurant with them, but Rachel was still making a big deal out of it. Always mentioning that marriage was something to celebrate and even if they did it small it should be a memory which would forever be burned in their minds. She didn't agree with that, but she'd let Rachel be. She needed to accept that everyone had different views on what was really important in life and it wasn't wrong. Accepting the difference in that way of thinking is what made you grow closer together.

"Yeah, we're good." Rachel quietly confirmed, "We're trying to see each other as much as possible even though we live so far apart. Ethan isn't happy with the distance, he asked me to move in with him."

Valerie's eyes shifted to Ethan who patted Gabriel against the back, "What do you want?" She asked her sister, "Do you want to move in with him?"

"I don't want to become the new Tiffany." Rachel lowered her voice even more, she could hear the hesitation and anxiety in her sister's voice, it made her heart tighten, "What if I'm only the substitute?"

"Rachel, you're not the new Tiffany. If anything I'd say I resemble her more, I mean I did plot a lot behind their backs to chase my own happiness."

"You didn't do anything wrong, you didn't influence their life in a bad way." Rachel suddenly sounded more determined, clearly she completely disagreed with Valerie's way of thinking, "Tiffany wanted Ethan's money while screwing Gabriel, the love of her life. It didn't do anyone any good."

"Some people would disagree with that, but yeah, I get what you mean."

Rachel sighed, "I'm not referring to myself as the new Tiffany because of the manipulation and selfishness, but like in the relationship department. She was always there for Ethan, whenever he needed her she made herself available. He is used to that kind of relationship and I gave into that."

"You're not happy?" Valerie asked, turning her back to the window while she completely focused on her sister, forgetting about everyone and everything around her, "Do we need to have a serious talk, if you want you can come over and stay with me. Gabriel has his own apartment, he can you know stay at his own place while we have some quality time."

"You two haven't moved in together yet?" Rachel asked, "Even though you're getting married in two weeks?"

Valerie smiled, "I feel like keeping my own place, I'm really attached to it because of it being the first good place I was able to afford by myself by working at Hunter and Starr."

"You're getting married while you two are not moving in together. Yet Ethan wants me around twenty-four-seven. We're just got serious and he already wants to make such a huge step."

"You're scared." Valerie concluded, "That's unlike you Rachel."

Her sister inhaled sharply, "I don't want to mess this up, Valerie, but it's so easy to fall from grace since Tiffany messed things up, big time. He doesn't trust me even though he says he does, and I feel like him wanting me closer to him now is because Declan showed up the other day. I just-"

"Rachel, you should actually talk about this with Ethan. It's a conversation you two should have. Gabriel and I might not be the perfect couple, but he trusts me and I trust him. It's what makes our relationship so tight these days. We feel secure enough to be apart."

"I want to come over." Rachel admitted to her, "I really need you."

"Yeah, you should come over. You can stay for the wedding."

She could hear the smile in Rachel's voice as her sister immediately answered, "Yeah, I'd love that."

"Okay, then we set things up." Ethan and Gabriel joined her outside, both of them looking curious as to who she was talking to, "I've to go Ethan and Gabriel are done buttering up the owner. Text me your time of arrival. I'll come pick you up."

"It's Rache?" Ethan asked, "She coming over?"

Valerie ended the call and pocketed her phone. She walked ahead of the boys, going straight to the awaiting car so they could move along to their next destination. Ethan was right behind her, his focus completely on her because of Rachel. He was indeed obsessed with her sister, it was endearing, but if it stemmed from his insecurities she couldn't approve.

"She is coming over for some sister bonding before I get married."

Gabriel held the door open for her so she could climb in first. Flashing him a smile she climbed in and scooted up. Gabriel sat beside her and placed his hand upon her knee.

"You okay?" He whispered to her.

She reached for his hand and gave it a tight squeeze, "I'm good." She assured him.

Ethan wasn't letting go of the subject concerning her sister. He was like a kid excited about what toys they'd get for Christmas.

"When is she coming over?" Ethan asked.

Valerie leaned forward and glanced at the curious looking man, "I'm not sure yet, she is getting her things set up and will text me when she knows her time of arrival. But again, she isn't coming over for you." She said being as clear as possible about that, "She is coming over for me, we just need some time alone." She then trailed her eyes to Gabriel, "Hope you don't mind?"

"No, I don't mind. I'll give you two some space."

She leaned into her fiancé, falling for him all over again. Gabriel was not suffocating even though he was possessive, he trusted her even though he knew she could also manipulate the situation to work in her favor. It took all her strength not to throw herself at him just to prove to him how much she wanted him, loved him and never wanted to be apart from him.

The big grin spread across her face wouldn't fade away, "Thanks."

"I'll make sure Ethan also understands what that means."

Gabriel wouldn't break his word to her, so she knew he'd take care of it all for her.

"I'll show you how much I appreciate it when we're alone."

Ethan made a gag noise, "Seriously, guys, I'm right here."

Valerie grinned cheekily at him, "Oh, I know. But you're okay with this all, right?" She trailed her hand over Gabriel's arm in a rather seductive way as she leaned in and brushed her lips teasingly over his neck, "You wouldn't mind, right?"

Ethan wasn't falling for her little game, he leaned closer to Gabriel as well and threw her a challenging look. He placed a hand upon Gabriel's thigh and dared her with his eyes to continue.

"I wouldn't mind at all if could join in on the fun."

Gabriel pushed them both off him and sighed tiredly, "You two are like little kids, competing for daddy's attention. Well, sorry, daddy is not impressed. If you two could just sit tight without making a sound that'd be great."

They both settled down just like Gabriel asked of them. When he cleared his throat and shifted in his seat she couldn't help but to smile. He was turned on even though he pushed them both away. Obviously he wasn't into sharing no matter how much he wanted to be pleasured and she liked it, a lot. He'd feel exactly how much she liked him being himself tonight.

***

Valerie opened up her silk white robe and made a pose which intrigued Gabriel. She could tell he was getting excited just by looking at her wearing daring lingerie. Smiling she walked over to him and grabbed onto his belt, pulling him closer to her. He leaned in ready to kiss her, meeting his lips for a gentle kiss she quickly pulled away and pushed him down. She watched him bounce on the bed and crawled on top of him, dragging her nails over his sides while she moved up to press a kiss to the corner of his mouth.

"Told you I'd show you how much I appreciate you being a good fiancé."

She could tell he wasn't taking her seriously, he was playing along because he thought it was all a game. She meant it though, she wanted to let him feel how much he meant to her. She started to unbutton his shirt and slowly moved down, unbuckling his belt and zipping his pants down. She pushed his shirt up and placed a kiss upon his stomach, slowly going down and reaching into his pants.

"Valerie!"

She loved the low grumble which left his lips, a sound coming from deep within. Wanting him to make more sounds like that she wasted no time and wrapped her lips around him, enjoying the way he came undone. The playfulness left him then, instead he focused on his own pleasure, taking it from her since she offered to give it without anything in return. He'd feel it all tonight, he would feel how much she cared about him, how much she wanted him and how she'd never let him think about what ifs.