Rush: Part One & Two (The Pitstop Series Book 3)

“Valentina! Could you bring me the yellow dress with the floral print in a medium?” Evangelin asks, and I get it for her.

I cash out the people waiting in line and sit down on the chair behind me when everyone is gone. It’s surprising how much I enjoy working in this small boutique. I would have never thought fashion would interest me this much, but it does, especially when Evangelin sits down with me before we choose the items she will order and stock.

As always, Evangelin connects naturally with her customers to find clothes she can suggest to them. I watch her run around the store for items to present to the tall lady that walked in a couple of minutes ago, and I hurry over to her to make sure she doesn’t need any help. Evangelin tells me I can start closing the shop, and I do as I’m told. By the time I’m done, the customer ends up not buying anything and leaving. Evangelin rolls her eyes and saunters over to where I’m standing.

“Some people,” she complains with annoyance in her voice. She runs her fingers over her forehead. “Who is that?” she asks me after a while and points outside. There is a shocked expression on her face, which makes me worry. I turn around, my eyes following her finger. The man holds a bouquet of sunflowers, and I can’t keep the smile off my face. I haven’t seen him in days, but I’ve missed him incredibly. After that day on the plane, I told him to give me a few days to get my life in order. But I never expected him to show up at Rush.

“Gabriel Biancheri,” I reply and turn to look at Evangelin. She’s smiling too, but there is also surprise on her face. “What is it?” I ask, bringing her attention back to me.

“Nothing, dear, he just reminds me of someone, that’s all. Now, go, have a good evening,” she tells me, and I grab my purse from the chair. I give her a kiss on the cheek and walk out of the store toward Gabriel. When he spots me, the corners of his mouth lift, and he lowers the bouquet so I can wrap my arms around his neck. His mahogany scent hits my nose, and before I can stop myself, I let out a small sigh.

“I’ve missed you,” I admit, and he wraps his arms tighter around my body.

“I’ve missed you more, chérie, which is why I couldn’t stay away anymore. I hope that five days were enough,” he mumbles, and I step out of the hug. Gabriel puts the flowers into my hand before he leans down and presses a kiss on my lips. It’s brief and leaves me wanting more, but it’s also sweet and makes my body tingle.

“Well, I could have used a couple more days break from you, but seeing you’re already here, we might as well hang out,” I joke, and he chuckles. He takes my hand and leads me home.

Gabriel and I are walking home, talking about the simulators we’re training with. I look at him, proud he’s working hard to improve, but when I notice the redness in his eyes and the dark circles underneath them, I get worried. Ever since I met him, and probably for most of his life, Gabriel has had this tendency to get completely caught up in doing something to a point where he forgets to eat, sleep, or drink. Right now, he’s hellbent on improving his results. His priority is to get faster times and win more races. My hand tightens its grip on his, and he gives me a confused grin before continuing to talk about all the different things he has to prepare for next week.

I tell Gabriel about work, and he listens attentively, asking me lots of questions about it. The way he’s genuinely interested in my life makes my heart flutter. He leads me to my house but then pulls me past it and down the road to where I know his home is located.

“Aunt Domi and Aunt Nicolette aren’t home this week. They are on vacation, but Jean is home, and I finally want to show you my room. If you would like that.” Gabriel smiles at me.

“I would love that,” I assure him, and we continue to make our way down the street to his house.

Gabriel’s home is small, a two-story house with a simple beige façade and a few columns at the entrance. The front garden is fenced and well-kept. Flowers are growing on the left side, and I remember Nicolette likes gardening, which is why Gabriel gifted her lots of supplies last Christmas. He brings me inside his house, and a delicious scent hits my nose. It smells like tomato sauce. Of course, Gabriel made food for me.This content © Nôv/elDr(a)m/a.Org.

“Are you cold? Hot? Thirsty?” I turn to look at Gabriel, a small smile spreading over my face.

“Just horny,” I reply plainly, and his eyes go wide.

“What?” he asks, and I look at him casually.

“Just hungry,” I say as if I had before, and Gabriel shakes his head, an embarrassed expression on his face.

“I thought you said something else,” he tells me in a quiet voice, and I grin at him. He walks toward his kitchen before I can assure him he didn’t misunderstand.

Strong arms wrap around my body, and when I smell Jean’s familiar cologne, I jump up from my chair to turn around and hug him. We catch up for a couple of minutes before he tells Gabriel and me he’s meeting up with Lia, some girl he met a couple of weeks ago. Jean walks out of the room, leaving Gabriel and me alone again. I sit down at the wooden table in the kitchen and put my chin on one of my hands, watching Gabriel closely.

“What’s with the swooning expression?” he asks when he catches me staring. He puts down the kitchen towel he was holding and walks over to me slowly. “You look happy,” he states and squats down in front of me. I place my hand on his cheek, feeling his usual stubble underneath my fingertips and tracing his features.

“I am happy,” I admit, and Gabriel smiles. His eyes sparkle with joy, and the dimples imprinted in his cheek are breathtaking.

“Let’s go. I want to show you my room.” Gabriel leads me up the stairs, and before we enter his room, he covers my eyes with his hands. I’m about to complain, but he says, “Don’t ruin it, just go along with it.” I grin because he knows me so well. When he finally reveals his room to me, I gasp. There are ten bouquets of sunflowers spread all over his room, his bed is made, and the blinds are letting in the fading light of the setting sun.

“I can’t believe you did this for me,” I whisper, and Gabriel’s arms wrap around me from behind.

“Can’t you? You know how I feel about you. So, this can’t be a surprise,” he replies before he presses a kiss on my shoulder.

I turn around in his arms and kiss him, moving away from him soon after. My feet bring me to the bookcase on the very left side of his room, and I read the covers. He has classic novels, science fiction novels, romance novels, and more. I take one book out and open it, spotting notes written on the pages. The book is worn out, and I wonder how old it is. I also wonder who wrote inside of it because the handwriting is not Gabriel’s.

“What are these?” I ask and turn to face him. Gabriel is sitting on the bed, watching me closely.

“All of them are second-hand. I like buying books that have notes written in them. In fact, I make sure the previous owner did take notes. Reading a book and then reading it from another perspective helps me see things I may have never considered,” he explains, and somehow, my feelings for him run even deeper. I would have never expected Gabriel to collect something so pure. I put the book back on the shelf and walk over to where he is.

“Why haven’t you ever told me about this?” I join him on the bed and look around his room some more. He has two large windows next to his bed, and two more that lead to what I assume is a balcony. His curtains are a light beige color, almost the same as his walls. Gabriel’s room seems empty, with only a bed, a nightstand, and the bookshelf. There is nothing else, but I understand. Gabriel is hardly ever home, and when he is, he doesn’t want too much to tie him to one place. I do the same thing.

“I’ve never shown anyone my books,” he admits and lets out a nervous laugh. He’s embarrassed about them, which doesn’t make any sense.

“I think it’s beautiful, Gabriel,” I tell him, and he lifts his head so he can look into my eyes again. I don’t know if he’s trying to figure out if I mean it or not, but he can search my face as much as he wants. He shakes his head ever so slightly before he reaches up to take my face between his hands.

“This is why I showed you. I knew you would never make me feel bad about it, that you’d think this is something special. You understand me in a way no one else does, Valentina, and I never want to lose that sense of security I feel with you.” Before I can respond, he presses his lips to mine sweetly, sending shivers down my spine. My hands rest on his thighs for a while until he pulls back. “Tell me when to stop,” he says, and I nod with a smile.

He pushes me down on his bed and smoothly moves between my legs. His lips move from mine to my jaw, and he traces kisses along there. My legs are angled on the bed, allowing him to be closer to me. Gabriel’s hands are on each side next to my head, and he is now tracing kisses down my neck. He starts sucking on my soft spot, and I moan into his ear, making him suck more aggressively. I’m about to tell him to be a little gentler when he stops and soothes the ache with his tongue. Feeling his wet tongue against my hot skin makes my most sensitive area throb rapidly. My hands move up to the loops on his jeans, and I press his body against mine. I want to feel more of him. Gabriel’s hand moves from the side of my face to my neck, left breast, and stomach, and then he rests his index finger right above my underwear. His lips continue to make their way further down my body until he stops on the top of my breasts.

“Can I remove your shirt?” he asks, but I don’t answer. I simply pull the thin fabric over my head and expose myself to him.

All I’m wearing underneath is a semi-see-through bralette, and Gabriel sits on his knees, looking at my body while pulling his bottom lip between his teeth. His eyes drop to my shorts, and I nod, telling him to take them off. Gabriel’s index fingers move to the waistband of my pants before I lift my butt off the bed, and he pulls them down smoothly, leaving me in only my underwear.

“So sexy,” he mumbles and pushes me back down on the bed. His lips find mine again, and I take his hand in mine, leading it back down near my aching area. Gabriel chuckles against my lips and moves his hand without my help. Finally, his fingers reach down, and he runs it along the outside of my panties, just above where my body needs his finger the most. “God, chérie, you’re dripping,” Gabriel says before placing his lips back on mine. My whole body seems to be on fire as he teases me with his finger that does not move. His tongue enters my mouth aggressively, but it leaves soon after, his teeth taking my bottom lip between them and biting gently. Everything he’s doing is quick, but the combination makes my head spin. When he still doesn’t move his finger after another minute, my hand covers his, and I remove it completely. “What are you doing?”

“Taking charge since you only want to tease me,” I reply, and he chuckles before pushing me back down on the bed.

“You’re so impatient.” He lifts his shirt over his head quickly, and I smile victoriously.

I don’t know if I’m smiling because he finally took his shirt off or because I know this man has feelings for me and no one else. My hands lift to touch his naked skin, and I smile. Slowly, my fingers drop to the buttons on his jeans, and I undo them carefully. Gabriel slides them down and then moves back between my legs. I spot black writing on his hip bone for the first time, which is mostly covered by his boxers. Confused, I reach forward and pull on the waistband, exposing seven different tattoos. They’re small and near each other, and when I look closer, I see they are dates. Seven different dates. “My mom, my dad, my grandparents, and my godfather, who I lost a couple of years ago. Those are the dates on which they died,” he tells me, and I can’t help the tear that rolls down my cheek. “I’ve never told anyone this either. No one ever cared enough to ask.” Gabriel wipes away the tear on my cheek and wraps his hand around mine, which is pulling down his underwear so I can look at his inked hip.

“Any other tattoos I don’t know about?” I ask him, trying to lighten the mood. An embarrassed blush spreads over his face, and I look at him, waiting impatiently.

“I have a tattoo of the moon on my left ass cheek,” he admits, and my mouth drops. “Yeah, I was drunk, and Cameron thought it would be funny to get a moon on… well, on my moon.” The laughter that leaves my throat is uncontrollable. It’s easy for me to imagine Cameron drunk and saying this to Gabriel, and I can also imagine Gabriel just going along with it. “Hey, now,” he complains, and I try to compose myself. “In a way, the tattoo is your fault. If I hadn’t gotten drunk, then I would have never done something so stupid.”

“What? How is that my fault?” I ask but also laugh. I look at him with a confused and amused expression, and luckily, he elaborates.

“I got drunk because I heard that Luke and you were getting… serious, I guess.” He means when he found out I had sex with Luke.

“Why did you get drunk? You were with Kira, which is why I got together with Luke in the first place.” Gabriel grins, which only confuses me more.

“How ironic, don’t you think? Us searching for other people because we thought that we didn’t like each other,” he states, and I frown at him. “At least now we know how we feel, and we can try and figure this thing out. Aaaand, I finally get to show you my moon,” he whispers, and I know he doesn’t mean his tattoo.