Sylvain Reynard - Gabriel's Rapture

Gabriel’s Rapture

“Oh, we have one.” Gabriel glanced at him sideways.

“We have two, actually.” Julia sighed in resignation.

When they sat down for dinner, Richard asked everyone to hold

hands while he said the blessing. He thanked God for his family, for Tammy, Quinn, and Julia, for his new son-in-law, and for the friendship of the Mitchells. He thanked God for his wife and her memory

and he pointed out that the seeds she had planted with her children, her husband, and her friends had come to fruition. And when he said

“Amen,” everyone wiped at their eyes and smiled, more thankful than they could say that the family was together and strong once again.

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Chapter 52

After dinner, Tammy and Scott cleaned up while Rachel and Aaron

practiced their parenting skills with Quinn. On the back porch,

Richard and Tom smoked cigars and drank Scotch, while watching

old Mr. Bancroft carry things from the garage into the woods. Richard gave Tom a knowing look, and the two men clinked glasses.

Inside the house, Gabriel took Julia’s hand and led her upstairs.

“Wear something warm,” he said as they walked into her room. “I

want to take you for a walk.”

“It isn’t that cold out,” she remarked, as she pulled on one of

Gabriel’s old cashmere cardigans.

He’d divested his wardrobe of cardigans after Julia informed him

that they made him look like a grandfather.

(Or a PBS host.)

Upon hearing that, Gabriel was only too glad to donate his

cardigans to the Salvation Army, with the exception of one or two

that Julia rescued.

“I don’t want you to catch cold,” he protested, tugging playfully

on her sweater.

“I have you to warm me,” she countered, winking at him.

After winding her Magdalen College scarf around her neck, Ga-

briel escorted her downstairs, through the kitchen and outside.

“Going for a walk, Emerson?” Tom’s voice surprised them.

“With your permission, Mr. Mitchell.”

Tom patted the Swiss Army knife in his coat pocket. “If you

make her cry, I’ll gut you like a fish.”

Gabriel’s Rapture

“I’ll take good care of her, I promise. And if I make her cry, I’ll dry her tears.”

Tom snorted and muttered something under his breath.

Julia gazed between Gabriel and Tom quizzically. “What’s going

on?”

“Gabriel is taking you for a walk, with my blessing.” Her father

spoke with only the slightest of scowls.

“And mine,” interjected Richard, his gray eyes alive with

amusement.

“You two need to lay off the Scotch.” Julia shook her head at the

men as Gabriel pulled her into the dense, thick trees.

“What was that all about?” she asked as they trudged hand in

hand toward the remains of the old orchard.

“You’ll see.” Gabriel kissed the top of her head before quickening their pace. He grinned as he inhaled her scent. “You smell like vanilla.”

“I got sick of lavender.”

“So did I.”

Within minutes they were at the edge of the orchard. Despite the

fact that the trees were very thick, Julia saw light streaming through the branches.

“What’s going on?”

“Come and find out.” He led her through the trees.

There were smal white lights decorating some of the branches of

the trees overhead and lanterns scattered on the ground containing flameless flickering candles. Amidst the gentle light, which cast a warm glow over the stark, bare trees and the old grass, there stood a white tent. Inside, a bench was spread with a familiar looking blanket and decorated with cushions.

“Oh, Gabriel,” she whispered.

He walked with her to the tent, encouraging her to sit down.

“You didn’t have to go to so much trouble. I would have been

happy with this old blanket and the ground. That’s what we used

before.”

“I like spoiling you.” His eyes caught hers, and she lost her breath as a simmering intensity shone from their blue depths. “Would you

like a drink?”

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Sylvain Reynard

He withdrew, walking over to a low table on which rested a cham-

pagne bucket and two champagne flutes. She nodded and watched

as he expertly opened the champagne bottle and poured two glasses.

He returned to her side. “Shall we toast?”

“Of course.” She glanced at the alcohol in his hand. “We could

drink something else.”

“Just a sip for me. To Julianne, my beloved.” He raised his glass.

“I think we should drink to us.”

“That too. To us.” He smiled, and they toasted one another before sipping their champagne.

“How did you do all of this? It must have taken hours.” Julia

gazed at the spectacle around them.

“Old Mr. Bancroft has been taking care of the house and grounds

while I’m away. I asked him to arrange everything while we were

eating dinner. May I?” He reached into a bowl of strawberries and

chose the largest, ripest one and held it out to her.

Gabriel brought the red fruit to Julia’s lips, smiling widely as she took half of it into her mouth before biting down. “You’ll find that it complements the taste of the champagne.”

Julia laughed as some of the juice from the berry escaped her

mouth. She moved to wipe it with her hand, but Gabriel’s fingers were faster. He traced her lips slowly, capturing the juice, and transferred his fingers to his own mouth before sucking on them.

“Delicious,” he murmured.

As he repeated this ritual, Julia began to feel strangely light-

headed. Gabriel’s sensuality, even bridled, was dizzying in the extreme.

She reached over to return the favor and was stunned when, after

swallowing, he drew one of her fingers into his mouth, swirling his tongue around it before sucking it.

“Sweet like candy,” he mused, his voice throaty and thick.

He sat next to her on the bench and placed his arm around her,

drawing a single finger across her trembling lower lip.

“Do you have any idea what you do to me? The flush of your

cheeks, the warmth of your skin, the speed of your heart…” He

shook his head. “It’s beyond words.”

Julia unbuttoned her sweater and placed his palm flush against

her chest. “Feel my heart beat. You do this to me, Gabriel.”

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Gabriel’s Rapture

He glanced down at where his palm was placed. “I intend to

elicit that reaction for the rest of my life.”

He captured her lips with his in a fiery kiss before withdrawing

his hand to hover at her cheek. “I brought you here because this is where it all began. You changed my life that night. I’ll never be able to thank you.”

“Your love is thanks enough.”

He kissed her sweetly.

“Where is the music coming from?” Julia looked around for a

stereo system but couldn’t find one.

“Mr. Bancroft provided the means to have music.”

“It’s lovely.”

“Not half as lovely as you. You brought beauty to my life the

instant I met you.” Gabriel tightened his grip around her. “I still can’t believe I have you in my arms after all these years, and that you love me.”

“I always loved you, Gabriel. Even when you didn’t recognize me.”

Julia pressed her head to his heart as he hummed along to the music.

When the song was replaced by a new one, Gabriel murmured

against her skin. “I have a gift for you.”

“Just kiss me.”

“I’ll rain kisses on you once you let me present my gift.” He

pulled something out of his jacket and handed it to her. It was an announcement written in Italian on very expensive card stock.