Gabriel parted Savannah’s lips with his so he could roll his tongue against hers. He pulled her even closer so her body crushed against his. Gabriel could feel the rapid, heavy pounding of Savannah’s heart. Somewhere in the back of his head, Gabriel heard a little voice telling him to stop. He shouldn’t be doing this with her. God, he shouldn’t like it so damn much.
Gabriel pulled his lips from hers so he could kiss her neck. Savannah’s head tilted back as she let out a soft moan. His hands roamed lower until they grasped her firm rear. He used his hold to push her hips against his as his mouth traveled farther down. Savannah let out another soft moan and if there’d been any resolve left in him, Gabriel would have lost it then.
With a strength that surprised even him, Gabriel lifted Savannah and pushed her back. He pressed his weight against her small frame as she stretched out on the unfinished attic floor. His mouth went back to hers, kissing frantically even as his hand gripped her hip tightly. Gabriel shifted his weight so he could run his hand up over her bare stomach, to the thin fabric of the sports bra. His hands felt what his eyes had seen earlier, and Savannah cried out as Gabriel found her nipple through the fabric. Her cry of pleasure was muffled by his lips.
Gabriel pulled his lips away again and pressed them above her collarbone. Savannah’s hands tangled in his long black hair as he moved his way down, kissing the bare tops of her breasts. He passed over the fabric and moved his body down as his kisses reached her soft stomach. Savannah was panting, and her stomach heaved.
He was all over the place, and Gabriel knew that. The strange wanton desire he now felt for his best friend’s little sister frightened him, but he couldn’t stop. In the back of his mind, he prayed Savannah stopped them before it went too far. The way she moaned and writhed under his touch told him that prayer would likely go unanswered.
Moving back up, Gabriel leaned in to whisper in Savannah’s ear. His voice was throaty and quiet. “Is this what you wanted, kitten? You want me to take you right here and now? Is this the kind of love you want?”
Gabriel could hear Savanah swallow loudly. When she didn’t answer at first, Gabriel pulled back so he could look at her face. So many emotions were playing in her eyes. Desire, fright, uncertainty. Savannah’s face was flushed as she answered in a low voice. “Yes, Gabriel. This is exactly what I want.”
That strange feeling rose up in his chest again as the familiar feelings of lust overwhelmed him. Gabriel pulled Savannah’s leg up to his side and rocked his hips hard against hers as he brought his mouth back to cover hers. Gabriel teased her with his thrusts for a moment while his tongue danced against hers.
Savannah gasped and pushed him back. “Wait!”
Gabriel jumped back, startled. “What? What’s wrong?” Did he do something? Did he hurt her?
“Do you have one?” Savannah’s voice was breathy.
Gabriel was confused. “Have one what?”
“You know… a condom?” Savannah blushed. For a moment, Gabriel grinned at the beauty and innocence of her blush amidst their moment of passion.
“Oh… uh, no…” Gabriel shook his head, thinking about how idiotic it was he’d been ready to take her without one. “I don’t have one.”
“You don’t?” Savannah’s voice was shocked.
Gabriel removed himself from Savannah and sat back. She pulled herself up near him. “I don’t carry them around with me. You know?”
“You don’t?” Savannah asked with a shocked expression painted on her face.
Gabriel shook his head. “No. Why would I?”
“I don’t know. The guys I were with before did.” Savannah bit her lip.
Gabriel laughed. “That’s in college. Those guys are literally looking to get laid at every opportunity. I’m not in college. I don’t carry condoms around with me all the time.”
“Oh…” Savannah sighed. “Well, I don’t have any.”
Gabriel sighed again and looped an arm around Savannah’s dainty shoulders. “Maybe it’s for the best, kitten.”
“You didn’t want to do it?” Savannah sounded hurt now.
Gabriel shook his head. “No, I did. It's just... I think we shouldn’t.” Savannah said nothing. Gabriel felt bad. He leaned in and kissed Savannah’s cheek and pulled her a little closer towards him. She rested her head on his shoulder. “I’m so sorry, kitten. I… I don’t know.”
“You don’t know what, Gabe?” Savannah’s voice was soft and small next to his ear. It reminded him of the many times he’d held her when she was a child and her parents had made her cry. Was he hurting her feelings the way they always had?
Gabriel decided to be honest with Savannah. They’d known each other for more than twenty years, and if he couldn’t speak the truth to her, who could he speak it to? “I’m confused. Part of me is thinking about you like I always have… as this delicate little kitten, soaking wet and crying. Afraid to go inside because she’d rather catch pneumonia than face her parent’s disapproval.”
Savannah tilted her head so she looked up at him. “You remember?”
Gabriel nodded. “How could I forget? It’s why I call you kitten.”
Savannah nodded. “I remember that day well. My parents had been especially displeased with me.”
Gabriel sighed and pulled Savannah closer. “Yeah, they were always so hard on you… and you’ve never been able to shrug it off like Jay. I worried about you, and I've always thought about you like you were my little sister, too. It's like I always thought of Jay as a brother – and still do.”
Gabriel heaved a loud sigh. “But now there’s this other part of me that thinks about you in a different way.” Gabriel paused, wanting to make sure he got his words outright. He didn’t want to hurt Savannah, who sat quietly beside him as she’d done a thousand times before. “I guess four years does a lot, and you’ve grown from a delicate little kitten into a confident, beautiful woman.” He grinned. “I always knew you would. But I guess seeing it for myself, well, it stirred some feelings I didn’t know I had for you.”
“What feelings?” Savannah asked although Gabriel was certain she already knew what he meant. But Savannah liked clarification. She liked to be certain.
“I care about you, kitten.” He gave a half-laugh. “You’re sexy. You turn me on.” The words sounded strange to Gabriel, but he kept going. “I want to make you mine, but that’s only half of me, you understand. With half of me wanting you like a man does a woman, and the other half thinking of you as a little sister, well, it’s confusing. It’s weird. I don’t know what to make of it, and…”
Gabriel paused again. He loosened his grip on Savannah’s shoulders so he could turn to face her. Wanting to be closer to her again, Gabriel leaned forward to rest his forehead against Savannah’s. He saw her smile as he did that, and Gabriel felt better having her intimately close again. He felt braver.
“Listen, Sav, please let me figure this out. Whatever way it goes, I want it to go right. My desire for you could be nothing more than shock at seeing you grown or the distance of four years.” Savannah’s mouth twisted a little, and Gabriel rushed on before her temper had a chance to flare. “Or, it could be that my feelings for you have grown and matured into something new. I want to figure out which one it is without pressure. You know how I am, and I hope you get it.”