What's in a Name? Ch. 07

He walked to her side.

"Ravenna, I've never seen a woman more beautiful than you are tonight."

Carefully he stroked her cheek, looking deep into her eyes. Her cheeks colored red, butterflies tickling her insides. The warmth of his hand radiated through her entire body, much more potent than she had expected from a simple gesture like that. Smiling, she looked at him, no hesitancy to be found in her eyes.

He took her arm in his. "Shall we?"

He walked her to the car, and they drove to the restaurant where he had made reservations. It was one of the most exclusive restaurants in the state ,and he had asked Alexander to pull some strings to get him a table.

They got from the car and walked to the restaurant. It was a small establishment with no more than twenty tables, a dance floor at the back of the diner. The tables were placed around a fountain in the middle of the restaurant, tropical fish swimming in its waters. It gave the restaurant a peaceful, exclusive atmosphere, and drowned out the quiet voices of the other guests.

They were directed to a seat in the back of the restaurant, in the vicinity of sliding doors. The doors opened to a balcony looking out over a large pond in a park, the moon bathing it in its silver light. The waiter helped Ravenna into her seat, and Gabriel took the chair across from her. The small tables allowed them to converse intimately; a fact Ravenna made use of gratefully.

"So," she began hesitatingly, butterflies making a loop through her stomach, "is this a regular dinner, or is it like a date?"

Gabriel smiled, surprised by her forwardness. "That depends, would you mind if it is a date?"

"No," she said in a small voice, looking away embarrassed. Maybe this was not the best question to ask at the beginning of their outing.

Gabriel quickly relieved her of her anxiety. "I'm glad, because it was intended as such."

She felt the butterflies in her insides make another surge, this time she did not mind at all. "How does a date usually work?" She'd never done that, was she supposed to do something special?

"You've never been on one?"

She shook her head, embarrassed again. Gabriel shook his head at his own naivety. Of course he should have known this all was new to her. He still wondered how it was possible no one ever had taken her out before. Had she ignored men? It seemed unlikely they would not have seen her stunning appearance before.

"Just do what we've been doing the last couple of weeks, chat and have fun."

She smiled. That had been easy, and very nice. "Okay."

Gabriel decided to take the lead. "How was your work today?"

"Great, you actually pulled me from my vibe," she said in a mock accusing tone. "I was really on my way to solving the mystery of that strange code I told you about."

"Forgive me," he teased back, "I'll never take you out to dinner again."

A waiter with an Mediterranean appearance came to their side, introducing himself enthusiastically. "Signorina, signor! Good evening, and welcome to our restaurant!" He fluttered to the other side, filling their glasses with wine in a smooth gesture as he moved around the table. "My name is Alessandro, I will be your waiter tonight."

The man sounded Italian, a thick accent covering his otherwise fluent English. He gave them the menu, and they spent some time deciding what they would order.

Ravenna asked something that had bothered her for some time now. "Do you already know when you will be going back to Europe?"

"Never, unless you are coming with me," Gabriel thought, keeping his expression smooth. That probably was not the most sensible thing to say right now. "I'm not sure yet. There are still some things I have to work on here. I'll see after that."

The answer did not satisfy her curiosity, or her anxiety for that matter. It felt as Gabriel had not said everything he had wanted to say. She nudged at his mind, trying to get a clue of what he'd kept from her, but he shielded firmly, as he had done continuously since she had read his thoughts.

Gabriel smiled at her, he'd felt her attempts. "Curious about something?" He was glad he always shielded himself carefully around her, the girl sure was bold.

She turned scarlet, feeling caught. Oh bother. "You're not telling me everything."

He smiled. "No, I am not. But I am not lying either."

That still was a horribly unsatisfying. She realized she wanted him to say that he did not want to leave. Better even, that he wanted to stay with her. It did not seem likely anything like that was going to happen. Suddenly, she felt sad. The beautiful, funny, kind man across her would one day leave again; go back to his own company, his own home.

Ravenna could no longer deny it. The way she longed for his presence when he was not around, the way his smile made her heart leap, the way his touch warmed her insides; she had fallen in love with him.

Love.

She turned the word around in her head, trying to grasp its meaning. A strange emotion, and unfamiliar to her until recently, she mused. She eyed the objects of her affections across the table. It had been induced by this man across her. How would she invoke the same emotions in him?

Alessandro reappeared at their table and took their orders. Broodingly, Ravenna sat across Gabriel, smiling at his stories and jokes, nodding and shaking her head at the appropriate moments. She'd have to find a way to make him fall in love with her as well, to convince him to stay at her side.

Bemused, she wondered how she'd do that. Maybe she should talk to Alexander about it. Three millennia of experience should be enough to give her some tips, would they not? For now, she decided she would just have fun with this perfect man across from her, enjoy their lovely dinner in their elegant attires. It was a fairytale evening.

Their ordered dishes were placed in front of them, and they took a bite from their food. The restaurant had not obtained its stars for no reason; the food was simply magnificent. Sighing, Ravenna marveled at her surroundings, everything was perfect.

Gabriel was curious. "When you still lived in New York, how did you spend your time when you were not working?"

She had to think about that for a moment. She frowned as she realized she did not really have an answer. What did she use to do daily? "Well, apart from the usual, doing grocery shopping, you know," she said slowly, "I did not do much of anything exciting. I watched movies, listened to music, read books. That's about it." She shook her head, she'd lived very secluded.

Gabriel hesitated before asking his next question. "Weren't you lonely?" he asked kindly.

She frowned, annoyed that he always asked the wrong questions. Or exactly the right ones for that matter. The questions that gave away much about her, and so little about him. She sighed and nodded. "Yes, I was, but I did not realize it back then. I thought my life was normal, as any other life." Her friendship with Alexander and Dominic had taught her how wrong she had been.

He was surprised at her honesty, and he took his chance to draw out more information from her. "Would you want to go back to how it was?"

She shook her head. "No, but I'd rather have learned it another way." She grimaced. There were better ways to learn that than what those men had done; although she would not want to miss the vampire's friendship for the world or the feelings she had for the man across her.

Gabriel smiled at her warmly. "I sure am glad you've come here."

Her heart leaped in joy as she heard his words, hope surging in her. Maybe it would not be impossible for her to win him.

They sat silently for some time, enjoying their food. After finishing their dishes, Alessandro came to their table again, collecting their empty plates. "Ah, signorina, signor! The weather is very fine tonight!" Enthusiastically, he waved to the opened doors. "You should go outside, enjoy the fine breeze!" Gesturing animatedly, he beckoned Gabriel to get up from his seat. "Signor, take your beautiful woman and show her the stars!" Ravenna smiled at him and looked over to the balcony, the darkness of the night visible through the undulating curtains that flanked the doors.

Gabriel noticed her curious look. "Would you like to go outside? The view from the balcony is great."

She nodded. "I'd like that."

Smiling, Gabriel led her out to the balcony, and they stood at the end of the plateau for a moment, admiring the almost mystical view bathing in the blue moonlight. He looked down at the young woman besides him and felt his heart pacing in his chest, betraying the feelings he had for this little beauty. Carefully, he pulled Ravenna in his arms and guided her in a slow dance, quiet music drifting through the opened door. He pressed her tightly to him, the warmth of her body radiating through his clothing. He looked down at her and felt his stomach tighten at the dreamy look on her face.

Slowly, hesitatingly, he moved his mouth to her, joy surging through him as she accepted the careful brushing of his lips against hers. Tentatively he kissed her, warmth spreading through him as he felt the velvet of her lips caressing his own.

He took his lips from her, checking whether he had not overstepped his boundaries. Her shy smile reassured him, her eyes even begging him for more. He pressed his mouth firmly to her again, kissing her more forcibly this time. She sighed and started kissing him back, nibbling his lips in a delightful, torturous way.

He felt his cock rise, passion clouding his mind. Softly he licked her lips, asking entrance to her beautiful mouth. Slowly she parted them, allowing him to complete the joining of their mouths. Caressing her lips and tongue with his, they dueled hotly. A moan escaped his lips as he tasted her delicious warmth.

He marveled at the feelings she stirred in him; never had he kissed as intensely as now, as deliciously as the kiss they shared at that moment. He reigned in his passions, reminding himself to take it slow, but how difficult she made it for him! Reigning himself in from the temptation of her sweet body, he ended their sweet kiss and softly caressed her cheeks, her throat, her chin to finish at her lips again. A sweet, soft last brushing of his lips against hers ended their embrace, and he smiled at the almost disappointed look he could see in her eyes.

He held her for some moments longer, both regaining their breath before he released her. He smiled at her and she looked back at him a bit dazed, her eyes clouded. Squeezing her hand, he pulled her from her daydreaming, and she looked up at him marveling. She had never expected kissing could be this sweet, this intense. Delicious unknown hungers coursed through her, warming her insides.

He led her back to the restaurant before she could dwell on these feelings longer, softly stroking her shoulders. They still had dessert.

***

Gabriel got back to his apartment, smiling. He had brought Ravenna back to Alexander's, leaving her there after a last sweet kiss on the porch. He had had a great time that day, and he marveled at its end. The memory of her sweet lips pressed to his mouth, the warmth of her body radiating against his was still fresh in his mind, and he felt his heart swell at the thought of seeing her soon, of kissing those gorgeous lips again.

He could not deny it any longer. He was in love with the girl. Sighing longingly, he got to bed. That did cause a problem. He doubted her feelings would be as strong as his; could be as strong as his. She moved through the day with great care, continuously straining to keep her fears and anxiety from running away with her. She tried to participate in daily life but at the same time, failed miserably at it as her past caught up with her with every move she made. Could there be any room left inside her little body to contain anything more than friendship with him? Was that even possible?

He would wait, give her the time to heel her wounds; hover over her, protect her from anything happening ever again to her until she was strong enough to let him in and then capture her love. Forever. With that thought in his mind, he drifted to sleep, his body comfortable in the warm bed.

***

Gabriel sighed contentedly as he felt Ravenna in his arms, the warm female body pressed against his breast, her curves fitting snuggly in his arms. Turning her in his arms, he felt her wiggle her back against his lower abdomen, stirring his manhood.

Admiring her beauty, he turned her on her back, settling his body over hers. He took in her magnificent form before bending over to kiss her. Softly moaning into his mouth, she kissed him back passionately, heat radiating from their bodies. Gabriel marveled at the delicious friction their kisses caused, electric pulses running from his mouth down to his abdomen, fuelling his desire.

When he abandoned her mouth, she protested feebly, but he turned her protests into moans as he started kissing her neck and trailed downwards to her glorious breasts. Lingering there, he kissed both orbs, sucking on each hard nipple to make the girl squirm under him until she begged him to stop and at the same time for more, much more.

Panting shallow breaths, she tried to push him lower, towards the pooling heat between her legs. Shooting her a warning glance he continued caressing her breasts, eliciting a moan every time he sucked the pink areola.

Unhurriedly he ventured lower down her body, covering every side of her body in scorching kisses. He felt the tension in her muscles, the rising of the energy that would soon need release. Smiling, he positioned himself between her legs, spreading her wide for him.

He sucked in a sharp breath as he saw the wetness that already coated her folds, her arousal obvious. His cock stirred at the sight, anticipating the sweet torture he would inflict on the beauty beneath him.

Slowly he trailed his tongue across her thighs, moving in smaller and smaller circles to the center of her arousal. The girl clutched the sheets with her hands, her eyes pressed firmly shut at the delicious assault.

She cried out as he reached her pleasure bud, slowly licking at the sensitive peak. Gabriel let his tongue move expertly along her folds, drinking her sweet aroma. He brought her to the brink of orgasm, but then teasingly started kissing her thighs, smiling at the frustrated moaning she produced. Again he caressed her, her finale within reach but denied to her still. He teased her like that until the intense pleasure produced tears leaking from her eyes.

Moving a finger inside of her, he craved her orgasm almost as much as she did, and he stimulated her clit more intensely. Crying out his name, she came under his mouth almost instantly, pressing her hips tightly to him. He lavished at her wetness, the delicious fluid that flowed freely from her womanhood. He let her ride her orgasm, teasing her sensitive bud with his tongue until, shuddering, she came back down from her high; opening her eyes to look at him sated.

He smiled at her wickedly. Round two was only just beginning. He moved up between her legs and kissed her passionately, dueling with their tongues. Spreading her legs with his knees, he positioned himself at her entrance. Carefully he slid inside her, staring in her eyes as he saw passion cloud them once more.

He moved himself fully inside her, moaning as her warmth and tightness caressed his cock. Slowly, he retracted from her, only to feed his length to her exquisite body again. He settled into a steady rhythm, letting them both enjoy the slow, but passionate, lovemaking.

He moved her legs around his waist, thus able to pleasure her more deeply. He started thrusting harder, fuelled by her increasing moans. No longer able to contain his lust, he felt the warmth in his abdomen spread across his body, his balls contacting to fill her with his seed.

Pistoning in and out of her, they both moaned as the delicious friction sent them off to heaven. Suddenly the girl stilled beneath him, contracting deliciously around his hard manhood. She exploded in pure bliss, screaming his name as she came again.

Gabriel felt how his cock became painfully hard, almost too much to take until his orgasm replaced the blissful agony. Closing his eyes, he shuddered as he came hard inside her, his senses drained in the waves of his orgasm. Riding his peak, he kept thrusting himself into the girl until the delicious wave abated, leaving him behind, exhausted. Tiredly, he slumped over the beauty beneath them, sighing contentedly. Still seated inside of her, they drifted off to sleep, breathing in and out evenly.

***

Sitting up with a start, Gabriel trembled at the memory of the passionate dream. His boxers were soaked he discovered, unsurprised. He felt the echo of the consuming passion still course through him. It left him feeling like a hormone ridden teenager.

Still somewhat shaken, he got out of his bed to get a shower and new briefs, letting the water cool off his heated skin. He stood there for a while, trying to push the images of the dream out of his mind. He felt like he had treated the girl disrespectfully; although his mind had taken off without his consent.

Sighing, he got back to bed again, trying to ignore the somewhat erratic thoughts that shot through his head. He'd sleep some more and meet his friends again tomorrow.

As he tried to fall asleep, images of the girl kept coming up and he knew he was over his heels in love with her. She'd need him to take it slow though. Holding on to that thought, sleep found him again, giving him peaceful rest this time.

***