Lust For My Husband’s Best Friend (Book 3)

Chapter 10

Gabriel

I was laying fast asleep in bed, but I was in a deep sleep that seemed too real.

Cecilia was laying next to me on the floor of my office. Her eyes were closed and she was covered with a heavy fur blanket the color of her chocolate brown hair. The fireplace was lit behind her and the flames cast shadows on her cream skin. Her full lips were parted as she let out soft deep breaths and her face was completely serene. She was completely naked for I could see her dress on the chair behind her and her pins, shoes, chemise and stockings were spread all over the room. I reached out to touch her cheek, wanting to feel her body warmth. When I did her eyes fluttered open and those green emeralds looked at me with so much love.

“Hello,” she said in a tired but soft voice. I didn’t say anything, I just continued to caress her face and she smiled at my touch. There was an intense fire in me, a fire of passion, need and adoration. I loved her so much, and she felt so real. The way she looked at me made me feel whole.

“I love you Cecilia,” I said, the words ringing loud and true. My chest was tight, scared she’d refuse me but she grinned and reached out for me. However, before she could touch me she was pulled back by a large figure. The large figure threw her across the room and let out a roar of pure rage. The figure went to her and stroke her across the face causing her to cry and I tackled it, punching it in the face continuously. However, the person under me laughed and laughed and then the face became clearer. It was Leon. He was bloody and bruised but laughing in my face. He looked horrifying.

“You’ll never have her. She’ll be dead before you even try,” he said in between laughs. Cecilia’s cries echoed in the room and with his manic cackles the air grew thick and suffocating. I couldn’t breath and i woke startled and sweating. I looked around frantically for Cecilia, as if she was really in the room with me. My heart was racing as I looked for her but then I calmed down and realized it was just a dream. It had all been a dream.

Cecilia had never been next to me, she had never looked at me with so much love in her eyes and smiled at me like I was the only person in the world. And Leon had never taken her from me and hurt her. It was all in my head.

But why did it feel so real?

***

“Your carriage is ready your Grace,” my butler William said. I finished putting on my jacket and fixing my cravet. The dark blue jacket I picked out was solely because I knew Cecilia liked it, she had complimented the color on me several times. She didn’t know though that those comments replayed in my head for days on end.

“Yes, thank you William. I will be right down. Is my Aunt ready?”

William smiled and nodded. “Miss Michelle has been ready for the past hour your Grace, and very openly complaining about your tardiness.”

I laughed. “Yes, I’d expect as much.”

As Aunt Michelle and I rode in the carriage she kicked me. “What event are you dragging me to Gabriel? I had a perfect night planned with my books and blueberry biscuits.”

I smiled but rubbed the part she had kicked. She was strong for a 50 year old woman. “Sir Thomas Rosario and his wife are celebrating 30 years of marriage. And I know you’re particularly fond of them since you met them before they married.”

She smiled and nodded. “Yes, I don’t mind Thomas and Carina. Aside from your parents they’re as best as society gets.”

The rest of the carriage ride was quiet but when we approached the grand home, music and laughter filled the air. There were dancers, jugglers and fire everywhere which lit up the grand entrance; they indeed knew how to throw a party. I noticed Aunt Michelle smiling, she of all people too enjoyed the beauty of it. We both exited the carriage and entered the house. Aunt Michelle immediately left my side and went to the pastry table and I was going to follow when my eyes caught a flash of chocolate brown hair falling in waves, a deep green dress and cream skin. The hair, dress and skin could have belonged to anyone, but I knew that it was Cecilia. There was a warm aura that followed her and she always stuck out to me in a crowd. She had her back to me but I could see her rapidly drinking a champagne flute, putting it down on a tray and picking another up which she drank quickly as well.

I knew Cecilia made it a habit to drink at events to make it through, but when I saw her reach for a third and fourth one in less than five minutes I grew concerned. I had never seen her drink so much and so fast. What was wrong? As if I was looking for him, I saw Leon standing to the far right of the room with his own champagne flute and angry eyes trailing Cecilia. But he wasn’t just angry, he was nervous, embarrassed even, and his eyes were red as if he hadn’t slept in days. My eyes went back to Cecilia and she turned around so she was facing my direction. The moment she did my stomach dropped. Her eyes were red and tired, her skin was sickly pale and she looked furious and sad. She drank her fifth champagne flute and reached for another.

Neither Leon or Cecilia were pretending to be the happy couple as they usually did at events. Tonight they were separated, upset, tired and drinking heavily. Leon glared at Cecilia and then at everyone else, and Cecilia was drowning herself in champagne and looked at the verge of tears.

What was happening?

My legs began to move and I was headed directly towards Cecilia. I didn’t care that I pushed through people or ignored them as they tried to talk to me. The defeated and lost look in Cecilia’s usual bright green eyes made me uneasy, and all I wanted to do was reach her and ask her what I had to do to make everything better.