Falling For My Ex's Dad (Clarissa and Gabriel) novel Chapter 225

Gabriel’s POV

I was seated at the long dining table, surrounded by handpicked guests, including business partners, old allies, and a few close friends Randolph insisted on entertaining.

It was supposed to be an intimate dinner. A warm-up for the ridiculous birthday weekend he had planned.

But Randolph wouldn’t shut up.

He was in full host mode, telling jokes, sipping his wine, laughing loud enough to rattle the damn walls. His excitement over the coming celebration was written all over his face. I’d give him that, he loved the spotlight.

My eyes scanned the table.

Nicole sat directly across, wearing something too tight and too red, already pretending she was the main attraction.

Adrian sat beside her, jaw set, pretending to care about Randolph’s monologue.

Maybe he was finally ready to step up. Redeem himself in his father’s eyes. Good.

But none of them mattered.

Because the seat beside me—was still empty.

Clairessa wasn’t here.

I tightened my grip around my wine glass, jaw clenching as I glanced toward the door for what had to be the twentieth time.

She was never late. Not without reason. And tonight, I needed to see her. Needed to ne near her.

I couldn’t sit here and pretend I wasn’t waiting on the only person who made this entire evening worth a damn.

Then, just as Randolph raised his glass to begin another grand toast, the doors opened—and there she was.

My world paused.

Clairessa walked in like a fantasy I hadn’t realized I was desperate to relive.

Her brown curls flowed over her shoulders, softly framing her beautiful face.

She wore a silver satin gown that hugged her in all the right places—not too tight, just enough to leave the rest to imagination.

With every sway of her hips, the fabric shimmered, and the high slit along the side offered a teasing glimpse of caramel thighs that had me gripping the table hard.

All I could think about was how those legs had once wrapped around me, desperate, as she arched beneath me, gasping for more while I drove into her slick, tight heat, giving her more pleasure than her body could take.

And by God, it would happen again.

She reached the table gracefully, completely unbothered by the countless eyes that had turned to watch her entrance.

“Hello, everyone. Sorry I’m late.”

Randolph grinned like a jackass. “I was about to be pissed—mid-toast and all. But looking at you?” He raised his glass. “I’ll allow it. Damn, Gabriel, isn’t she beautiful?”

He had a wife. And yet, he was looking at my woman like he’d trade everything for five minutes alone with her.

I wanted to rip the grin off his face.

Instead, I stood.

Clairessa reached for the seat at the end of the table. Absolutely not.

She wasn’t sitting far from me. Not tonight.

I pulled out the chair beside me, loudly enough for everyone to notice.

Clairessa blinked, clearly surprised. So was everyone else. Hell, even Adrian raised a brow.

She looked at me for a long moment, unsure.

But with one serious look from me, she walked toward me.

Good girl.

I guided her into her seat, fingers grazing her lower back as I pushed her in, feeling the tension in her shoulders, and my mind instantly filled with ways to ease it.

“Are you okay?” I asked low, leaning into her.

She nodded, not quite meeting my eyes. “Yes.”

I took my seat beside her, trying to stay composed. Trying to pretend that being this close to her didn’t set my entire body on fire.

Unable to resist, I leaned closer to her ear. “You look…”

My gaze trailed slowly down her neckline, across the curve of her bare shoulder, to the glint of skin exposed by that maddening slit. “Stunning.”

She didn’t respond, but I saw the color rise in her cheeks as she lowered her lashes.

Fuck… That gesture alone—so soft, so unassuming—was maddening.

That subtle innocence she showed the world, when I knew the wildness she kept caged beneath it… that sexy, fiery side only I had seen. The side only I drew out of her.

“Now that the woman of the hour is here,” Randolph teased, lifting his wine with a smirk, “can we toast for real?”

He raised his glass, that smug tone back in full swing. “To the STORM team. Smart. Tenacious. Outspoken. Relentless. Magnificent. Three days of strategy, fun, and hopefully no drama, though with my wife and her best friend arriving tomorrow… who knows? If you see me running, it’s because they’re chasing me.”

Laughter echoed around the table. I didn’t laugh.

I took a sip of my wine and kept my eyes on Clairessa.

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