Chapter 69 Don't Damage the Dress—I Can't Afford It
Gabriel's fingers moved beyond his conscious control, as if they had a mind of their own, slowly pulling down the zipper.
The gown immediately slipped from Arabella's shoulders.
Arabella startled and instinctively crossed her arms over herself, then noticed Gabriel staring at her in fascination.
"You're... wearing just that underneath?" He asked with curious wonder, as if he'd never seen such a thing before.
Arabella flushed with embarrassment, hastily grabbing the dress to put it back on while stammering, "For evening gowns, you have to use adhesive cups—regular bras don't work underneath."
As she spoke, she found it incredible.
A man of Gabriel's status didn't know this basic fact?
Had nothing really happened between him and Emily?
Given Emily's social position, attending galas would be routine for her—he should have encountered this long ago.
Gabriel swallowed hard, reaching up as if to remove the adhesive cups, but Arabella quickly pulled the dress up to block him. "Don't... don't mess around, you need to leave..."
He couldn't possibly move his legs now—his body temperature was rising, blood rushing to certain areas.
Seeing her resistance, Gabriel's Adam's apple bobbed again as he drew closer, pulling Arabella into his embrace. "Arabella, this place is actually quite secure."
Gabriel admitted to himself that he didn't want to hold back anymore.
He was a man with normal physiological needs, but their relationship had been strained. Arabella was nursing at night, and every attempt at intimacy required careful maneuvering just to satisfy himself once.
While trying to persuade her, he kissed her lips again, his mind filled with nothing but possessing her, wanting to tear away every piece of fabric that stood in his way.
"Okay, okay... Gabriel, don't damage the dress. I can't afford to pay for it." Seeing him losing more control with each kiss, Arabella panicked and quickly refused.
Gabriel was reluctant to stop. Though he desperately wanted to continue, he knew she wouldn't agree and ultimately chose to respect her wishes.
Arabella could sense their relationship had shifted subtly, in a positive direction. He didn't want to upset her and start another argument.
He gradually stopped, lowering his head to gaze at Arabella's delicate, radiant features, her eyes still holding traces of desire mingled with returning reason.
"If it gets damaged, I'll pay for it. You just need to compensate me with one kiss."
Arabella suddenly looked up, her beautiful eyes staring at him with surprise and confusion.
What had gotten into him?
Suddenly, speaking sweet words, such cheesy sweet words, it was completely unlike him and left her feeling unsettled.
Under her gaze, Gabriel's expression immediately turned awkward.
He realized what he'd just said.
Had he really been groveling to Arabella, begging for just one kiss?
Feeling some internal resistance, probably thinking it was beneath his dignity and damaged his pride, he pulled back slightly and cleared his throat. "That was... just a joke."
Arabella noticed his emotional shift and realized she'd been overthinking.
Men, after all, were creatures who thought with the wrong head.
He must have been temporarily overwhelmed by hormones during their passionate moment, causing him to say the kind of cheesy romantic lines only men deeply in love could utter.
It didn't mean anything—just lust taking over.
"I know... please leave so I can change."
Neither dared meet the other's eyes as she sent him away with flushed cheeks.
Gabriel nodded, unconsciously adjusting his nose bridge out of habit, then turned and left the dressing room.
Once the door closed, Arabella found herself alone in the small space.
She finally relaxed and could breathe freely again.
Covering her face with both hands, she couldn't stop her mind from replaying what had just happened.
Though they'd been married for two years, their few intimate moments had always been proper—at home, in bed, at night.
This was the first time they'd done something like this outside, in daylight, in a dressing room.
Though shameful, she couldn't deny that deep down, she felt joy.
Because Gabriel couldn't control himself around her, because he was captivated by her—even if it was just physical, even if he was only addicted to her body, at least it meant he still needed her.
Yes, Arabella was wavering again.
She knew she shouldn't let him lead her around so easily, but she couldn't help herself.
During their earlier chaos, Gabriel had already pulled down her zipper.
She carefully removed the gown, hung it on the hanger, and put her own clothes back on.
After composing herself for several minutes, she finally opened the door and emerged with flushed cheeks and downcast eyes.
Gabriel stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows, ostensibly admiring the view while calming his emotions.
Hearing movement behind him, he turned around, his expression having returned to normal.
However, compared to his usual cold demeanor, he seemed considerably warmer.
"That dress won't work. Pick something more conservative—it's getting cold." He found a noble excuse for his possessiveness and jealousy.
Arabella roughly understood his thoughts, musing that men truly were possessive by nature.
Even without loving someone, as long as that person carried the title of his wife, no other man could covet her in the slightest.
If it were those opinionated young women with strong personalities, they'd defiantly wear whatever their husbands forbade, asserting bodily autonomy and dressing to outshine everyone regardless of their husbands' protests.
But she wasn't like that.
She'd never been to such events and wasn't accustomed to drawing attention through her figure, so when Gabriel made this request, she immediately nodded. "Why don't you choose? Whatever you say is fine—I'm okay with anything."
Gabriel smiled, delighted by her attitude. She seemed adorable today, making him want to pull her into his arms for another passionate kiss.
Downstairs, after entertaining her client, Wendy estimated that the situation upstairs should be resolved and finally came back up.
Worried about interrupting Gabriel's moment and facing his wrath, she deliberately called out loudly from the stairs, "Gabriel, Arabella, have you finished selecting clothes?"
Arabella was wearing a champagne-colored high-necked, sleeveless evening gown, standing before the mirror for Gabriel's approval.
Hearing the voice, Gabriel turned toward Wendy and pointed. "This one."
Wendy looked and was immediately speechless, complaining, "Gabriel, why don't you just have Arabella wear casual clothes to the gala?"
The dress was extremely long, covering from neck to ankles, exposing nothing but her arms.
Oh, wait, there were matching long gloves that went with the dress, like sun-protection sleeves, so even her arms wouldn't be exposed.
Absolutely ridiculous!
Arabella looked at Wendy and smiled graciously. "This one's perfect—it's warm."
Wendy was left speechless, sighing. "Birds of a feather truly flock together. With Gabriel's personality, he's lucky he married you."
Arabella said nothing, but her recently calmed emotions began stirring again, followed by a wave of warmth.
Gabriel was in excellent spirits today and unusually relaxed, dragging Arabella to try on five or six more gowns before deciding to buy them all.
To complement the gowns, Wendy recommended six or seven matching handbags.
Arabella was astounded, "I don't need so many—I'll never wear them all..."