Chapter 25

Dinner ended rather awkwardly. Even though she knew she should stop, she still poured herself another glass of wine. Gabriel eyed her glass.

"Are you sure you want any more of that?"

Lori shrugged.

"It tastes okay."

"Yes. It does. But you don't seem like someone who drinks."

"I don't. I actually think I'm a lightweight."

She said and Gabriel nodded.

"Have you ever been drunk before?"

He asked and she nodded.

"Once. At prom. Some of my classmates snuck in bottles of beer and poured alcohol into the fruit punch. I think we all got drunk from it."

He chuckled.

"How did it feel?"

Oh she could remember the moment as clear as day and it felt horrible when she thought about it. Really horrible. Everyone was either drunk or slightly tipsy and the school had sent them all home early.

"It felt weird. Really… I wasn't that drunk but I kept tripping, even though I wore a short dress and my heels were low."

Gabriel chuckled.

"But you had fun right?"

She nodded.

"Yes. It was fun."

Lori finished the rest of her wine, she wanted to go to bed, but she also wanted to sit and talk with Gabriel for hours. She felt like she didn't know much about him.

"I feel like I don't know anything about you..."

She mused and Gabriel raised his eyebrow.

"Really?"

She nodded.

"Yea. I feel like I know you, but then I don't know a lot of things about you."

"True."

Gabriel confirmed.

"There's not much to know to be honest. Before Emilia came into my life, all I did was work. It was my whole life."

"Oh..."

"Was that disappointing?"

Gabriel asked and Lori nodded.

"You're a young rich man, I actually expected more."

She confessed and Gabriel nodded. There was only little he could tell her, at least without having to go into details about him being a werewolf or an alpha.

Much of his life revolved around being an alpha, there was a lot he wanted to tell her but couldn't. There was no way he could tell her about him being a werewolf. At least not presently .

"I... I inherited most of what I have from my parents, my parents inherited what they had from my grandfather. And all my life I've been taught how to manage what was given to me, how it came with great responsibility."

"There was to be no room for failure, or error and somehow along the line I lost myself in all that..."

"Oh.."

"My parents died years ago. I'm their only child. And being an only child was hard, because they had all these expectations from me... I know they meant well, but sometimes I wished they let me live my life how I wanted to."

Lori reached out and touched his hand, he flinched a little, her fingers cold to the touch.

"I'm sorry. I can't seem to stay warm."

She apologized. It was true. He had noticed it a while ago, she was always cold, Gabriel was a warm blooded creature, being a werewolf meant his temperature was always regulated. Always warm, even during the winter. Lori was the opposite, he wondered if it was her nature.

"That's okay. I have enough heat for both of us."

He said as he took her hand in his and enclosed them in his. His arms were deliciously warm. Slightly toasty. Lori sighed in pleasure.

"I think you still have the time to live your life the way you want... have fun and all.."

She said and Gabriel shook his head. When he was younger he used to crave that lifestyle, the late nights at the club, the constant partying and the traveling around the world that most of his acquaintances and agemates had, but now that he was older, he was actually more content with what he had.

He missed the fact that he didn't get to experience that sort of lifestyle, but he didn't crave for it as much as he did.

"I don't crave for it like I used to. But, I would like to experience it."

"But I'm a father now... I doubt I have time for late night parties when I have a baby."

He added and Lori shrugged.

"I think you definitely do. Besides being a parent doesn't mean you shouldn't have fun."

Gabriel raised his eyebrows.

"Yea right? What about you? You're twenty two, as far as I can tell you didn't do that much partying and clubbing either."

Oh he was right! That was true.

Lori sighed.

"You're right. I didn't..."

It was funny how they were both alike in certain ways but different too.

"If I'm going to live my life, you should too."

He added and Lori shrugged. Oh she didn't think so.

"But..."

She hesitated and Gabriel cut her off.

"No excuses. We should go to a club together when we're back from Canada."

He said and her eyes widened.

"No… no… I actually have no outfit that would be considered appropriate enough for the club."

Gabriel shook his head, he looked determined, like he wasn't going to take no for an answer.

"Then you'd buy one. As many as you need."

"Oh you can't be serious Gabriel!"

"I am! I'm actually very serious."

He said as his voice deepened.

"With Emilia..."

"I'm sure Emilia would be fine without you for one night. Jenny or Sylvia would be more than happy to fill in."

Lori sighed. A club. An actual club! Weird that she had not been in one before, she was excited as well as scared but she nodded her head.

"Good! Then it's settled. Clubbing, partying, we'll try everything."

"Together."

He added as he kissed her hand and gently let it go. Lori's cheeks blushed furiously, suddenly feeling bereft without the warmth of his hands.

"Together."

She repeated.

"I think I'll be going to bed now."

She said as she looked at the half full bottle of wine and decided that the wine might have started to take effect and she wanted to sleep the rest off.

"Me too."

Gabriel said. He stood up and cleared the bottle of wine and their wine glasses from the table.

"I'll see you upstairs."

He told her so she wouldn't have to clean up and Lori went upstairs. She stopped by the baby room, Emilia was still peacefully sleeping.

Then she stopped by her room, the door had been fixed and she just went in to pick a night shirt and pajama shorts. She was still sleeping in Gabriel's room. Gabriel wasn't complaining and she liked sleeping in his room.


Although, she could tell it was probably very weird. It would be weird to anyone else. They were very much living like a couple.

And now Gabriel told her he was attracted to her, her belly did flip flops just thinking about it. He was attracted to her and he actually said it to her face!

After everything she told him about herself and her past she didn't think he'd ever look at her that way, in fact, a part of her still didn't believe she deserved to be looked at that way.

Gabriel was not in his room when she walked in with a change of clothes, but he walked in shortly after, slowly taking off the muscle shirt he was wearing.

Lori shamelessly ogled him, unable to pull her eyes away.

"Sorry. It's a bit hot tonight."

He said as he settled into bed and Lori nodded.

"Really? I actually feel quite cold."

She said and he patted the bed.

"Come on. I'll keep you warm then."

Lori froze. Standing transfixed in the same spot with her eyes wide at Gabriel's statement.

Gabriel glanced at her and noticed she looked shocked.

"I didn't mean it that way.."

He corrected himself and Lori quickly shook her head.

"No! No. I actually didn't take any offense. I'm just surprised you offered."

She said as she climbed into the bed.

"Why are you surprised that I offered?"

Gabriel asked and Lori slowly turned. They were so close now. Close enough that she could see his face. The stubble that was growing in, strands of his hair in his face and his long long eyelashes. Longer than hers probably. She thought as she felt the insane urge to touch them.

Lori shrugged.

"I don't know. I just didn't expect it.."

She whispered.

"So would you like me to keep you warm?"

He asked again and Lori slightly nodded.

"Yes."

She said and he murmured that she should turn around, when she did he placed his arms around her, almost as if he was wrapping her in a big hug. He was spooning her. She didn't think she had ever had someone she was genuinely attracted to hug her that way before. It felt great.

It felt safe and warm. Oh Gabriel was very warm, she could feel the heat radiating from his hard smooth chest onto her back.

"Goodnight Lori." He whispered, his hot breath tickling her ears.

"Goodnight Gabriel."





"Jared's in town."

Alonso said as he handed Asher the package. The deal was done, Asher should be out of Colorado before the next morning.

It wasn't like he had much to do there anyways. The only reason why he was in Denver in the first place was because of Lori.

He felt bad. He felt genuinely bad that he had left her when he saw that she was pregnant. But he didn't know what to do. He had freaked out seeing how huge her belly was.

He couldn't even believe it was his. Jared had tried to reassure him that it might not be his baby, but Asher knew it was.

Lori could be many things but she wasn't a slut. She didn't sleep around. Jared was just being bitter.

But after seeing her at that restaurant with the tall wealthy dude, he honestly wasn't sure of what to think anymore. How did she even meet such a man? Was she now sleeping with men for money?

And where was his baby?!

He needed more information and he was certain Jared would know what was going on.

But after their fallout, Asher wasn't sure he ever wanted to speak to Jared ever again.

It had all started when Asher brought over Lori to his apartment, that was when their relationship became strained, he thought it was because Jared didn't like how he was treating his sister, but no, it was much more worse.

When Lori had escaped and Asher had lashed out angrily, Jared tried to kiss him.
He pushed Jared away and he apologized that it was a mistake.

Asher let it slide. But Jared's jealousy for Lori had only grown worse when he found out Lori was pregnant. He told Jared he was thinking of getting her back. He started envisioning a life with Lori. And his son. He couldn't help but think about all of it.

Jared didn't seem to agree, in fact, he got angry and Asher felt it was the weirdest thing that he was so angry.

But then he saw what had happened and what needed to be done.

Jared was in love with him, he had been in love with him ever since he took him in and invited him to his gang, that was why he rose quickly to the top of his ranks because he would do anything for Asher’s validation.

When Asher took a liking to Lori, it only made him hate her more and he directed his vitriol at her.

He was relieved when he cut him off, he sent him out of the gang and vowed to stop doing business with him.

Now, it had been months, but he needed Jared's help. There was no one else that could trace down Lori and find her and his son for him.

No one else but Jared.