Gabriel’s lips collided with mine, hot and relentless, a war all on its own — war I hadn’t consented to, war I should have pushed away in a heartbeat.
But for one moment, I didn’t.
For the briefest moment, the way my body melted into the heat of him, the primal claim of his fingers digging into my waist, the smell of him — smoke and pine and something that was his alone — engulfing me like a looped belt.
Then reality slammed into me.
I pulled back hard, pushing him so violently he took a step back.
"What the hell was that?" I spat, my voice like a razor, trembling with rage — and something else.
Gabriel’s golden eyes burned. "You know what it was."
I wiped my mouth, furious. "You don’t get to do that!"
His breath was slow and controlled, hands clenching into fists at his side. “I h
