CHAPTER XXXVI
“ W hat the hell was that?!” My voice boomed.
What the fuck was she thinking? The moment I realized she wasn’t sitting at the table, panic gripped me, and I bolted outside. That’s when I heard Miguel’s frantic calls, shouting Gigi’s name.
Gigi’s chest rose and fell rapidly, her breath heavy and ragged, matching the intensity of my own. Her defiant stare challenged me, taunting me to do something about it.
And why was this turning me on?
“Gigi, for fuck’s sake.” I took a deep breath, my fingers gripping the bridge of my nose to keep myself in check before I strangled her to death.
“I need to leave.” She leaped to her feet and adjusted her dress.
“What happened when I left?” I asked calmly.
“Nothing,” she spat. “Don’t pretend like you care.”
Her accusation pissed me off. Where the hell was this coming from? When I left to go to the bathroom, she was fine.
I advanced toward her, my eyes narrowing to slits. “I don’t care about you?” I growled. I raised my hand to touch her face, but she stepped back.
My hands ached to reach out and pull her back to me. Instead, I let my hands fall helplessly to my sides.
My breath quickened. “You know I’d never purposely hurt you, Gigi. That’s the last thing I’d ever do.”
She stepped back, putting further distance between us. “I think we established how much you can hurt me.”
Her words cut deep. My hands balled into fists at my sides. “Does this mean you’re ready to talk about what happened to you?”
“Yes. I want to talk about what happened to me that night and the months following. But are you ready to hear all the details?”
I stood frozen, unable to form a coherent response. The only thing I could do was stare at her and admire the magnificent creature before me. She was more defiant than ever. A cold dread gripped me, knowing that her newfound strength stemmed from the recent traumatic events.
“Nico.” Her voice pulled me back from the edge of my thoughts.
I blinked. “Yes.” A blatant lie, but telling her the truth would make me look weak, and she had already weakened me.
No words were spoken. We stood in front of each other, breaths ragged and shallow, like we’d just sprinted a marathon.
“You know what? I changed my mind. I’m leaving,” she stated flatly.
“No, you’re not,” I countered, holding back the desperation from creeping into my tone.
She scoffed and strode toward her heels, but I reached out, gripping her arm, anchoring her in place.
“I said, no, you’re not. We need to talk about what just happened. Why did you try to leave? Did I do something wrong?”
She yanked her arm free and fixed me with a penetrating stare. The weight of her gaze dug into my soul. Her silence was deafening, so I took a step forward, trying to close the distance between us. It was killing me.
“I’m so fucking sorry for not believing you. I am so sorry for what happened to you. I understand that no amount of sorry’s will get you to forgive me. But I’m going to say it for the rest of my fucking life .”
Her eyes glistened with unshed tears, the warm gold of her irises clouded by pain, and my chest tightened at the sight.
“When you were taken from me, I felt my soul was ripped apart, Gigi. I became the monster everyone feared. I went months”—I gritted my teeth, the memory of those dark days flooded back— “months without you, and I only had myself to blame.”
“It doesn't matter, Nico,” she said quietly. “You can’t undo the past.”
“I know.” I nodded sadly. “Tell me what to do, Gigi,” I begged. “Tell me what I can do for you to give me a chance to make this right.”
She angrily brushed away her tears. “You can’t, Nico! That’s just it! I was kidnapped because of you!” She hurled one of her heels at me, and I managed to avoid it.
“Tortured... because of you!” The second shoe stung as it connected with my chest, but her words cut deeper.
“ Raped because of you!” Her fingers dug into my chest, her tears burning my skin.
“Lost the baby because?—”
“Enough!” I barked, unable to withstand her torment any longer.
“Fuck you, Nico!” She slapped me across the face, and I grabbed her wrist when she tried to do it again “Don’t.”
“What are you going to do?” she goaded. “Huh? Well, you can’t do anything that hasn’t already been done!”
“I said enough! I don’t want to hear that fucking word!” It felt like a dagger piercing my soul every time because of what she went through.
I knew it was my fault, fuck, I knew.
Gigi tore herself from my grasp. “Why? You don’t want to hear how he forced himself on me?”
“Stop,” I said in a calm tone.
“How about how beat me so bad that I lo—lost our baby,” she stammered.
“Stop,” I pleaded.
“No! He killed our baby! He?—”
I fucking lost it. I lunged, grasping her arms, my grip firm. Her eyes, usually so full of life, remained fixed on the floor, avoiding mine.
“How could he do this to us? I—our baby,” she stammered, her voice cracking.
“I know, baby, I know,” I whispered. “I’m so fucking sorry I couldn’t save you or our baby.”
Her shoulders began to tremble violently as she collapsed against me, sobbing uncontrollably; her cries piercing through my heart were killing me.
Each wail sank deep into my soul, reminding me of the horror that had unfolded that night, an unforgettable mark she would bear forever.
I held her tight, rubbing her back gently, whispering how much I loved her as she mourned.
Once her sobs subsided to just a sniffle, I knew it was time to bring her back to the present. I needed her to reignite that fire within her, as it would provide the strength she needed to move forward.
“I want your eyes on me,” I demanded.
Defiant as ever, my angel refused to meet my gaze.
“I’ll make sure they pay, every last one of them. I will skin them alive until there’s nothing left.” She still wouldn’t look at me.
“Look at me,” I growled, my breath hot against her cheek as I leaned in closer.
Finally, she turned, her eyes meeting mine.
“You are safe now. No one will ever hurt you again. I will protect you with my life,” I vowed.
“I would take a bullet for you. I would walk through fire to get to you. I would drown for you so you could live. I would suck every drop of poison from your veins if it meant keeping you safe.”
Tears streamed down her face, each one a testament to her pain, but I pressed on, my words urgent and raw. “Do you understand? I would go to the depths of hell for you.”
“Why would you want me? I’m ruined,” she whispered, her voice cracking.
“The fuck you are,” I snarled, wrapping my hands around her neck, backing her up against the wall. “Your pain. Your scars. Your trauma. Your fears. The demons inside you that are screaming to be set free are the many reasons why I fucking love you. I want it all.”
I leaned in closer, my lips hovering just above hers. “Let me teach you to embrace the darkness, to transform it into power. Let me give you back the control that was ripped from you.”
I wanted to be the one to guide her through it, to give her back the power she thought she had lost. I wanted my Gigi back.
GIGI
His tender words chipped away at the barriers I’d erected to protect my fragile heart. I found myself believing them, each one carrying the weight of his conviction behind them. He was going to help me take back control. And God, did I need a release.
Nico represented the perfect spark, a beacon to liberate me from the constricting prison I had lived in for these last months. Now it was time to unleash the darkness that had lain dormant, to rise and reclaim my power.
He gazed into my eyes, and a grin gradually spread across his face. “Are you ready to fly, my angel?” he whispered.
I responded with a subtle nod, his hand still wrapped around my neck.
“Good. Take what you need from me. You’re running the show,” he murmured.
“Just because we’re about to fuck doesn’t mean I forgive you,” I said with conviction.
Even though deep down I’d already forgiven him but he didn’t need to know that.
His eyes flashed with a mixture of curiosity and passion. “Then what the fuck would it mean?”
I shrugged. “A girl needs to get off.”
His hand tightened around my neck, but not hard enough to constrict my breathing. “Don’t fucking test me, Gigi,” he snarled.
“Or what?” I taunted seductively.
He leaned in, his lips capturing mine, sucking my lower lip before biting it, drawing a tiny drop of blood. I didn’t even flinch. His satisfied smile revealed his pride in my response.
“Stop fucking around and show me who’s queen.” He trailed soft kisses down my neck to my chin. With a playful bite on my chin, he teased, “Are you ready to dance with the devil?”
A mischievous grin spread across my face, and something dark stirred inside me. It was like my soul was screaming to join him in purgatory. Nico had always been the one in control, but not tonight. Tonight, I was in charge.
“Release me,” I commanded.
Nico raised an eyebrow, his intense gaze on mine. He stepped back and grinned.
I squeezed my legs together. Nico’s gaze followed my movement, his eyes dark and captivating. His nostrils flared, lust swirling in his blue orbs, and he took a step toward me.
I held my hand up to stop him. “I didn’t tell you to move.”
His grin was still in place.
I savored the moment, letting the tension build. “Go to the bedroom and remove your clothes,” I instructed.
“Your wish is my command.” He winked, brushing against my arm as he walked past me.
I reached into my purse and pulled out the handcuffs that I had taken from Nico’s bedroom. I wasn’t sure what the night would bring, but it was never a bad idea to be prepared for anything.
Entering the bedroom, my eyes bugged out at seeing a very naked Nico in the middle of the bed without a care in the world.
His hands were clasped behind his head, and he had one leg crossed over his ankle.
It had to be illegal for him to look that sexy—the tattoos all over his body, his strong thighs, and how his muscles moved when he breathed.