Falling For My Ex's Dad (Clarissa and Gabriel) novel Chapter 279

Clairessa’s POV

Gabriel’s grip tightened, pressing me deeper against his chest. His voice turned protective. “If anyone dares to say trash, to talk down to you, or so much as breathe something vile in my company, you tell me. I’ll take care of them.”

A chuckle slipped past my lips, easing the anxiety in my chest. I lifted my hand and brushed my fingers along the line of his beard, loving the roughness beneath my touch. “My very own knight,” I teased softly, “always ready to protect me.”

His eyes softened, but his voice stayed fierce. “With everything in me. Always.”

I smiled against him, and for a moment, the scandal, the noise, all of it blurred into nothing. “Maybe,” I whispered, letting my lips hover just at the edge of his jaw, “when we get back later... we could do other things. Finish what we started this morning.”

His knuckles grazed my jaw as he lowered his head, lips brushing mine with delicious slowness, like he had all the time in the world to devour me. The brush slid from his hand onto the dresser, forgotten, and his arm locked firmly around my waist, pinning me to him.

I melted into the kiss before I even realized I’d given in, my breath catching when his tongue pressed against mine. The hunger between us was impossible to disguise, like every scandal, every rumor, only poured gasoline on the fire that already burned too recklessly between us.

When his mouth finally tore from mine, I dragged in air like I’d been drowning. “Gabriel,” I whispered against his lips, trembling but desperate for more, “we’ll be late for work.”

He let out a low laugh, arrogant, full of dark pride, before dragging his thumb across my swollen bottom lip.

His eyes burned into mine through the mirror. “Late?” he repeated, mocking.

“Your boss’ boss works for me, Clairessa. I own the company.”

The way he said it, possessive, domineering, sent heat straight down my spine.

“Still...” I tried, palms against his chest, but my body betrayed me, leaning into him instead of pushing away. “We can’t walk in looking like...”

His hand slid down my back, cutting off my protest as he cupped me firmly, pressing me against the hard evidence of his arousal. A low groan rumbled against my ear.

“We can walk in however the fuck we want.”

—------

Walking into the company was just as uncomfortable as I imagined. Heads turned when I passed, a few people glancing at each other before whispering behind their hands. I kept my chin lifted and forced myself to keep moving.

By the time I reached my office, I was ready to bury myself in work, anything to block out the noise in my head. I sat down and was just about to flip my laptop open when my office door flung open so hard it slammed against the wall.

My heart jumped in fright, and I looked up.

It was Nicole. She walked in like she’d been waiting her whole life for this moment. I didn’t need to ask why she was here, I knew. She came to gloat, to feed off the scandal that was already trending.

She stopped at my desk, leaning casually against the edge, a smirk tugging at her mouth.

“Well, well... look who finally showed up. The whore of the hour.”

My head dropped forward against the table, an irritated sigh slipping out. Of all the people in the world, she was the last I wanted to deal with today.

“Nicole,” I said flatly, lifting my eyes to hers. “Not today.”

“Oh no, Clairessa. Today is perfect,” she echoed, laughing softly. “This is the day I’ve been waiting for, the day the entire world got to see you for exactly who you are.”

I dragged my gaze up to meet hers. “And who exactly is that?”

She didn’t move. Instead, her smile widened. “Oh no, I’m not going anywhere. Not until you understand. I can ruin you, Clairessa. This little scandal, it’s just the appetizer. I’ll keep feeding the fire until you have nothing left. Not your job, not Adrian, not Gabriel.”

She tapped the screen again. “This is just the beginning.”

Suddenly, it all made sense. At first, I’d wondered if Adrian might have leaked the story out of anger, which was why I’d kept quiet with Gabriel. But now, hearing her gloating, every piece slid into place.

I narrowed my eyes. “Did you do this?”

“What do you think?”

I stared at her, stunned by the depth of her hatred. It was sick and twisted.

“Resign, Clairessa. Get out of Adrian’s life. Get out of Gabriel’s life. Or this...” She tapped her screen. “...is only the beginning.”

I shot up from my chair, fury blazing through me as I closed the distance between us.

My hand clamped around her arm before she could turn away. She twisted, trying to shake me off, but my grip didn’t falter. “You’ll regret this, Nicole,” I vowed, my voice filled with rage. “That’s a promise.”

Her eyes darkened, and then, deliberately, she shoved me, her palm pressing against my stomach. I stumbled back, nearly crashing into my desk, while she turned and walked away without a glance, without even checking if I was alright.

The first thought that tore through me wasn’t anger. It was terror for my baby.

My hand flew to my belly, clutching protectively as a faint ache stirred low in my abdomen. Panic surged, my chest tightening. God... please protect my angel from all this toxicity.

I pressed a trembling hand against my stomach, willing the feeling to ease. “I have to see my doctor,” I whispered, breathless with fear.