He grunts again.
We go back to awkwardly standing here in the hall while we awkwardly glance at each other. Though we had sex once, it happened so fast that I have trouble remembering exactly what we did. No, that's a lie. I remember every second of it. But even while I can't stop thinking about that, I also feel like that experience was a blur too. It makes no sense, but I don't care. And I have a weird feeling that Aldith knows what might happen if Gabriel and I get naked again. Will sex make us stronger somehow? More in tune with the Echo?
"Aldith said we should take our time," Gabriel says. "So let's do that."
"Do what?"
"Take our time."
I tip my head back and glare at the ceiling. "You're being just as vague as Aldith."
"Sorry." He scratches the back of his head. "Let's find a place to sit down and then talk about…stuff."
"Fine."
I let Gabriel lead the way, and we wind up peeking inside every room on this floor. We didn't realize the stronghold had more than one floor until we reached the end of the hall and a wooden door magically appeared. It slid open to reveal the elevator car. Gabriel walked right inside, so I did the same. If the elevator wants to kill us, I don't have the mental capacity to think about that. I don't feel physically tired. My brain needs a rest, though.
Crazy revelations will do that to a girl.
On the lower floor, we explore the rooms we find there. Gabriel finally chooses one, and we drop our backpacks on the floor beside the bed. Luckily, this room has four chairs and a comfy sofa, so we don't need to lie on the bed together. I'd be fine with that, though I doubt Gabriel would. He flipped out after accidentally spooning with me.
He sits in a chair.
I drop onto the sofa at the end nearest to him. "What should we talk about?"
"Whether we want to become the Brain."
"Aldith made it sound like that's not optional. I assume the Echo will start to have problems again if we don't do that."
"She told us to think about it. Why bother considering the issue if we have no choice?"
I tuck my feet under me cross-legged and tap my fingers on my knees. "It was my understanding that Aldith meant we need to come to terms with our destiny."
"Our what?" He makes a rude noise and shakes his head. "You're jumping to conclusions."
"No, I'm extrapolating from what Aldith told us."
"We have no choice. Fine." He gets up and starts unzipping his pants. "Let's fuck right now and get it over with."
"Are you insane? I can't get turned on when you're acting like a jackass."
"Of course you can." He stalks up to the sofa, pulls my legs out from under me, and flips me onto my back. Then he kneels on all fours above me. "I bet you're already wet. Back in the woods, I didn't need to do any prep work to get you ready. I've never been with a woman who gets as wet as you do and does it so fast. You're easy, Sarah."
"What? No, I am not." But I get dismayingly turned on when I'm around him, even when we're having a discussion with Grant, Erin, and the others. Nobody could've noticed that. Right?
He lunges his head down to take my nipple into his mouth, through my shirt and bra. The strong sucking motion makes my clit pulsate. I bite back a gasp, because I do not want him to know he's right.
Gabriel ducks his head to shove his nose between my thighs and pull in a big breath through his nostrils. "Damn, I can smell how hot you are for me. Your clothes can't mask it because you want me so badly."
The rough tone of his voice makes my sex throb. I'm trying so hard not to start panting, though my racing heart doesn't help me resist him. How can I want a jerk like him? I wish I could forget that one time we screwed, but I dreamed about it last night in the woods. I woke up with my panties drenched, but I won't admit that to him. He'd just love knowing I'm desperately hot for him.
But I think he kind of figured that out already.Damn.
I should order him to stop. Better yet, I should kick him in the head. But I can't convince myself to do either of those things.
He rises to his knees, finishes unzipping his pants, and pulls out his cock. While he stares at my chest, he begins stroking his length with one hand. "Do you want it right here, on the sofa? Oron the bed? Your choice, but it'll be a filthy fuck either way, and I guarantee you'll beg me to do it again once we're done."
No sex, period. That's what I should say. It's not what my mouth decides to tell him, though. "On the bed. Please, hurry."