Chapter 581: Helping The Luna_Part 2

"You seem to keep forgetting my words, Serrano," he whispered against her hair, his lips brushing the strands as he drew her a little closer. "I told you I wanted to court and date you, not Annie."

Gilbert turned her around in his arms so she was facing him, and his hands slowly trailed away from her waist, carefully up her arms and then her neck, before he cupped her cheeks, looking into her emerald eyes.

His breath fanned her face and his eyes burned into her so intensely that Laila felt exposed, and when he whispered, "I am going to kiss you," against her lips, he gave her no time to reject him and covered her mouth with his, just as she had once assaulted his lips without permission in the hallway outside Sebastian’s office.

She had once stolen a kiss from him, when he had been unable to do anything but stand there, but this time he would take the lead, and so Gilbert did.

Gilbert’s mouth claimed hers without hesitation, firm and hungry, the way a man finally stops pretending he can wait. His lips were warm and slightly chafed from the long hours, and the first press of them against Laila’s sent a sharp, electric jolt straight through her chest.

She froze for half a heartbeat, startled by the sheer intensity of it, before her body answered on its own.

Her hands rose, her fingers curling into the fabric of his coat at his sides, gripping hard enough to wrinkle it.

Gilbert tilted his head, deepening the kiss, and the soft, wet sound of their mouths meeting filled the quiet office. He tasted faintly of coffee and something warmer, something that reminded her of the mint leaves she loved. Laila’s own breath stuttered against his lips as he parted them, his tongue sweeping in with slow, seductive confidence.

She had never been kissed like this.

Every previous kiss in her life had been rushed, sometimes careless, or demanding in a way that left her feeling used. This was different.

Gilbert kissed as if he had studied the shape of her mouth for months and was finally allowed to map it. His tongue stroked against hers, coaxing rather than forcing, and a low, rough sound vibrated in his throat when she answered him almost instinctively, for he called to her in a way no one ever had.

Laila’s knees weakened. She rose onto the balls of her feet in her high heels, which still didn’t bring her to his height, pressing closer, her breasts brushing the hard plane of his chest through the layers of clothing between them.

His hands left her face and slid down. One settled at the nape of her neck, his fingers threading into the flame-colored silk of her hair and holding her exactly where he wanted her. The other spanned the small of her back, then lower, his palm firm against the curve of her waist, pulling her flush against him until there was no space left.

She felt the hard line of his body, the restrained heat of him, and a helpless little whimper escaped her throat.

Gilbert swallowed the sound, kissing her deeper, slower, more thoroughly. The wet, intimate slide of their mouths grew louder in the stillness of the room and left her slick and aching, her panties damp.

Laila’s fingers moved of their own accord, climbing his chest, one hand finding the back of his neck so she could keep him close. She kissed him back with everything she had been denying for weeks: hunger, frustration, the sharp edge of longing she had tried to bury.

Her tongue met his, tasted him, chased the heat of him. She felt him smile against her mouth for a fleeting second, as if the way she responded pleased him more than he would admit.

Her mind scattered. All the reasons she had listed for staying away dissolved under the press of his lips and the slow, deliberate way he sucked on her lower lip before returning to claim her fully again.

She had never been kissed with this much intent, this much restrained possession. It felt like being wanted in a way that settled deep in her bones and made her ache for more.

Gilbert was the one who ended it.

He eased back slowly, his lips lingering for one last soft, almost tender brush against hers before he pulled away just enough to look at her.

Laila’s eyes fluttered open, dazed, her lips swollen and parted. Without thinking, she leaned forward again, chasing his mouth, shameless in the sudden emptiness he left behind and wanting more.

A low, amused sound left him. His thumb stroked once along the corner of her mouth, wiping away the faint shine of their kiss.

"Easy, Serrano," he murmured, his voice rough and quiet.

The smile that curved his lips was soft, almost fond, and it made something twist low in her stomach and brought a blush to her cheeks, which was so unlike her that she wanted to dig a hole in the ground and bury herself for blushing. But Gilbert didn’t make fun of her, and instead he returned to the topic he had called her here for.

"There’ll be more of that. But right now I need your help with something important."

He still hadn’t fully released her. One hand remained at her waist, steadying her as if he knew her legs weren’t entirely reliable yet. His blue-green eyes searched her face, the earlier playfulness tempered by something more serious.

"The Luna is fine," he said quietly. "You don’t have to worry about her. But there are things about the babies that need to stay quiet for a while. The Alpha asked me to keep it contained. I need someone I trust to help with that, and with a few other things that can’t wait."

Laila’s head cleared of the fog of his kiss and she came back to reality, clearing her throat. "What is it?" She asked.

His thumb brushed her hip once more, almost absently, before he finally stepped back enough to give her space, though the heat of him still lingered on her skin.

"Are you willing to keep the secrets?" he asked her.

Laila didn’t hesitate to nod. "Sure. Tell me."

"The Luna didn’t give birth to twin boys, she gave birth to triplets, two girls and a premature baby boy who we are not certain will survive, and I need your help getting the babies’ clothes at the mall without letting the news out to anyone." He told her, and saw her eyes grow bigger.