Chapter 23 Homeward Bound

• He unclipped the chain around his neck, which dangled a pendant with his knighthood crest. It was from the days he fought in war way before he was part of Dracul's army. He approached her, clipping the chain necklace around her neck, "I want you to keep this close to your heart. I have never let anyone see this or wear this until now. I want you in my life, to be part of my life, and until you figure that out, only then can we get married and finally be together. Every time you feel this against your chest, know I don't want anyone else but you."
• She had managed to hold back tears and emotions for so long that she had to look away as a tear slid down the side of her cheek, spilling onto the ground. He pulled her chin up towards him, though she had to look up anyways at him. This time it wasn't to talk but to kiss her, letting her know everything he said was real, that this was real for him too. He held her in his arms, feeling the warmth radiating off her body and onto his. This time their kiss was much slower than before, where they were fervent and hunger for each other. This time, everything he did to her body was slow, taking his time even as they were intertwined. At one point, her thighs hugging his sides while she rocked back and forth against him, he could see his pendant glistening between her shapely breasts, which were much like sultry grapefruits that not only aroused him more but also beckoning him to kiss and suckle on both her nipples. One at a time, she could feel his teeth nibbling on her while his fingers made their way to clit, motioning at a rapid steady pace that made her cry out until he then took the reins back over.
• It was dawn before his eyes were opened; she was still lying on his chest, passed out from their erotic workout that never seemed to end. All those years to make up for all the lost time between them. He knew it would be time for them to get up, but this was her best sleep in ages. He didn't move, just holding her while looking around her apartment. On one of the walls, he could see the degrees she had acquired over the years, seeing that she had worked hard to keep up with the times. She moved a little but remained asleep, and her hair fanned over his shoulder and part of his chest. Her natural frosty hair, soft like silk, had so many years of taking care of her appearance to disguise herself, but not one of her false looks could compare to her true beauty. He heard his phone going off where his pants had been tossed, and he slowly pulled himself out from underneath her to see who was messaging him; it was Dracul asking if he had made contact with Natalya. He called then, speaking in a different language letting Dracul know that Natalya was coming for a week, maybe a little longer. A few more orders for him to take note of before Dracul hung up. Her family was excited about learning that she was coming and that Dracul had told him to be at the airport in two hours or less. Their jet would be ready to go as soon as they got there. He looked at his phone for a bit longer, then at the sleeping Natalya. Half of the light blanket covered her from her lower back down, exposing her back as her hands were hugging the pillows. He didn't want to wake her, but he had his orders, and he had to tell her they needed to leave today. He knew to some degree why they wanted her to come back home, though there was classified information, and that was the part he couldn't disclose. Not yet, anyway, for it was up to her parents to let her know precisely what was happening. He hoped and prayed she wouldn't blame him for the deception, but he also understood why it was for her parents to tell her everything. Not to mention that he had gotten both her parent's permission to marry her. Though he could marry her right now, he wanted the moment to be right, not convenient for either him or her. He had gotten her a ring from before, he had it made right before they had left for Africa, but he never had the opportunity to ask her when all hell had broken loose. He still had the ring and thought all these years about how he would ask her. The first time he was going to pop the question, he chickened out because he didn't want to know if she would reject him. Now though, as the years had passed by, all this time, he learned not to think twice. Last night and this morning, he realized that it wasn't just she who had been running away from fate, but he too had turned away too many times, but not now. No, he wasn't going to back away this time but see this through. While she continued sleeping, he made coffee for them both as she thought of her in a beautiful gown, and they were getting married at the castle outside. Even though they couldn't have children, he saw his life with her would be ups and downs, but regardless he wanted to see things through till the end. The aroma from the brewing coffee danced around her nose, and after inhaling the freshly brewed coffee, she began to awaken from her slumber. At first, she thought last night was only a dream until she tried to move and felt that what had happened did happen—then seeing Gabriel setting down a cup of coffee made this even more accurate than ever. Though he had seen every inch of her body, she still needed to cover her chest. He was very close to her that she could resist having another kiss from him as she relived their erotic night of passion. She tasted his lips; she could taste some blood, realizing she had accidentally bitten him, but he didn't care. His blood she felt trickling down her throat while it was another way of connection between them. She didn't want this to end until she saw for herself the time and had to break away from his embrace.