Is this destiny?

Gabriel's hand slid under Becca's dress and he squeezed her thigh, making her gasp.

Gabriel felt like someone turned on the switch in his mind and he heard all the voices that told him that he is crossing the line of no return. He abruptly broke the kiss and scrambled into a seated position.

Becca panted while trying to stop the room from spinning, unsure why Gabriel moved away. It was just getting to the good part, damnit!

Gabriel leaned on the sofa and closed his eyes while taking deep breaths in an attempt to compose himself. Why is he acting like a horny teenager? He should know better. He was supposed to stop at kisses and not allow himself to be aroused to this point. He will need a long cold shower or to relieve himself, but not here… he does not want to risk Becca seeing him like that.

"I should go…"

Becca snapped out of her daze. "What? No. Why?"

Gabriel exhaled. "Uhm… Sorry, but…"

"What are you sorry about?", Becca asked while moving into a seated position. "You didn't do anything wrong."

Gabriel looked at her with a complex expression that showed his internal struggle between devouring her and doing the right thing. "We should take it slow, Becca. There is no rush."

Becca frowned and decided to go to the point. "You would not say that if I am older or if I had sex before."

Gabriel was surprised by Becca's straightforwardness and this little break allowed for his mind to clear up. He looked at her stubborn expression and decided to tell the truth. "That is correct. If you are older or more experienced, I would not mind going faster, but this… I don't want you to have regrets in the morning."

"I will not regret.", Becca declared.

He touched her cheek, and she leaned her head into his palm.

"You don't know that."

Becca's eyes flashed defiantly. "And you do?"

"I know that you were not touched by a man before…"

"That does not mean I am ignorant.", Becca cut him off.

Gabriel was amused by her stubbornness. "Were you with a woman?"

"No. But even you had your first time. Right?"

"Right."

"Did you regret it?"

"Becca, we started dating only a week ago. Trust me when I say that I don't mind going slow."

"I liked you last week, and that didn't change. Do you think that a month from now or three months from now will be different?"

"I hope that you will like me more."

Gabriel smiled, but Becca didn't find it funny.

"I won't if you keep pushing me away."

Gabriel pressed his lips into a line while thinking how to deal with this girl who seems to be challenged because he is considering her inexperience. Why can't she see that he is doing this for her sake?

He understood that if he refuses her, she will be upset, but at this point, he is not even sure what he is denying her. Is she expecting him to pounce on her? It does not look like it, and there is no way he will do that… probably.

Gabriel felt that he is stuck between a rock and a hard place. How can he get out of this sticky situation? The only thing he could think of was to throw the ball in her side of the court.

"OK. You said that you are not ignorant. Show me."

Becca paused. "What?"

"I expressed my willingness to go slow, yet you are offended because you think I am giving you an unfair treatment so… show me how far you want to go."

Gabriel smirked when he saw that she is shocked. His plan worked. Her shyness will kick in and he can leave her place scot-free… in a need of a cold shower, but he will choose that over the doubt if he went too fast with Becca.

He was surprised when Becca's expression hardened. 'Did I say something wrong?'

"You are right.", Becca said.

"About?"

"You should go."

Gabriel felt as if she poured a bucket of cold water on his head. He realized that he will not need that cold shower he was thinking about a minute ago.

"What?"

"I heard you saying that you want to leave. Well, I agree. You should." Becca stood up and gestured toward the door. "Goodnight, Gabriel."

Gabriel could not wrap his head around this. "What did I do?"

"Maybe you can think about it on your way home."

"No. Tell me. I don't want to leave like this."

"And how DO you want to leave, Gabriel? You are playing some game of push and pull, and I don't like it. Do I need to make a complete idiot of myself before you are satisfied? Is that what you like about me? That you can toy with me? Well… I refuse to play this game with you so… leave." Becca looked at Gabriel's bewildered expression and she felt that her chin is trembling. The last thing she wants is to cry in front of him. "You can let yourself out."

Gabriel watched Becca as she turned and went to her bedroom. He jolted when the door slammed behind her.

Gabriel rubbed his face forcibly. Now what? One minute she is all over him, and the next one she is telling him to leave. Gabriel blamed himself. He shouldn't ask her to sit on his lap or allow the tension between them to build up so much. It is obvious that Becca never opened up to anyone like that and instead of easing her into it, he pulled away, making her feel unwanted.

In the bedroom…

Becca plopped on the bed and hugged a pillow, curling up around it. She thought that she will cry, but there are no tears and instead of crying, she was angry.

Becca felt stupid. Why is Gabriel treating like she is a kid? She wants him to see her as a woman, and for a moment she thought that was the case, but then he said that he should leave because they need to take it slow. She knows that maybe she rushed, but it felt right at that time, and she would not regret it if they went further because she likes Gabriel very much, and she wants with him to do things that couples do because she is not a child.

Becca groaned in frustration and buried her face in the pillow. Now what? Well, if Gabriel is not willing to treat her like a grownup, maybe it's for the best that they don't see each other anymore. She already has one man in her life who is treating her like a princess without touching her; his name is Benjamin Casano, and she does not need one more.

Becca does not want to break up with Gabriel. She enjoys his company immensely, and he makes her feel things she never felt before… but maybe it was too good to be true. At this thought, a lone tear slid down her cheek. And then another one, and another… and she buried her face in the pillow deeper, refusing to acknowledge that this is impacting her to the point of crying.

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