CHAPTER XXXVIII
“ W ell, look who decided to grace us with her presence?” Mya teased when I walked into the kitchen. Lo was standing beside her.
I rolled my eyes at her in response.
“Gigi! You made it!” Tristan and Aurelio shouted in unison, hopping off the chairs like they were on springs and racing toward me.
“Hey, buddies. How are my two favorite guys?” I leaned down and kissed them on their cheeks.
“We’re making cookies!” Tristan exclaimed, his bright smile infectious.
“And Mom said we can paint them!” Aurelio added, bouncing on his toes.
“You mean frost the cookies, baby,” Mya said with a laugh, mixing ingredients in a bowl.
The boys each grabbed one of my hands, pulling me to the table. I slid into a seat, taking in the scene around me.
“Are you finally done pouting?” Tabi said, the corners of her mouth curled up in a mischievous smile.
I stuck my tongue out at her, prompting a laugh.
“No!” Tabi playfully smacked Lo’s hands with the wooden spoon just as he lunged for the raw cookie dough.
“Gross.” I scrunched my face.
“Don’t knock it till you try it.” Lo winked at me, flicking a blob of cookie dough in my direction.
“Food fight!” the boys shouted.
“No! No food fight!” Mya chastised the boys with a flurry of hands, but I couldn’t suppress my laughter.
Lo’s phone buzzed, and he left the room to take the call.
Mya glanced over at me. “So, what’s going on with you?” she asked, leaning forward.
I sighed dramatically. “I’m bored out of my mind.”
Tabi let out a laugh, shaking her head. “Yeah, same here.”
“I just want to get out—see a movie, grab some fast food, maybe even walk around the mall.”
Tabi smirked. “And even if you managed to do that, Nico would track you down in no time. Thanks to those damn trackers that they put in us.”
“What trackers?” I asked, keeping my voice steady though my heart raced.
Her eyes widened.
The silence hung thick in the air as my friends exchanged nervous glances. Tabi busied herself at the sink, turning on the faucet as if the sound could drown out my question.
“Tell me what you meant by that, Tabi,” I demanded, my voice rising slightly.
Mya’s shoulders slumped. “Nico put a tracker in you while you were in the hospital.”
“When?” I stammered.
“When you were unconscious.”
“Unbelievable.” I shot up from my chair and stormed out of the room.
“Wait, Gigi,” Mya called out, following me out of the room. She gently grabbed my arm, pulling me back toward her. “He was just trying to protect you. He thought he was doing the right thing. He’s terrified of losing you again.”
“That doesn’t justify it, Mya!” I snapped. “Even if his intentions were in the right place. Don’t be so easily confused.”
“I understand,” she replied firmly, meeting my eyes with an unwavering gaze. “I have one too. And so does my son.”
I stood there speechless, my mind racing. How could this be happening?
I needed to get out of here.
“Let me through,” I spat as I attempted to barge past the burly security guards blocking my path at the parking garage’s back entrance.
“Gigi, you know the rules. You are not allowed on the premises without the boss,” one of the guards said. “No exceptions.”
I narrowed my eyes, my face inches away from his. “I’m not leaving until I see him.”
He pressed his finger to his earpiece and spoke into it.
A moment later, he looked back at me, his tone apologetic. “I’m sorry, Gigi, but the boss?—”
“I don’t freaking care what the boss says!” I shouted. “Move out of my way, or my foot is going to find its way to your franks and beans.”
One of the guards stifled a snort while the other remained as stoic as a statue, clearly not amused.
“What the hell is going on?” Miguel’s voice emerged from the shadows as he rounded the corner.
“Miguel, please take me to your boss. Or I’ll make a fucking scene that will force him shut this club down,” I threatened.
Miguel sighed deeply, glancing at the two guards before giving a slow nod. “Let her through.”
The guards stepped aside, and I trailed behind Miguel down the dimly lit corridor leading into the club. Memories of that night I was attacked flooded back, but I shoved them aside, channeling my anger instead, ready to unleash my wrath on the devil himself.
Miguel remained silent as we reached Nico’s office, and just before he turned the knob, I couldn’t contain myself any longer. I burst through the door without waiting for him to open it.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Nico barked at me as I stormed into the room.
I didn’t bother answering because all I could think about was snatching that drink from his hand and dousing him with it.
“I asked you a question, Gigi. What the hell are you doing here?” Nico repeated as he rose to his feet.“I told you to stay put!”
God, even when he was pissed off, he looked sexy as hell.
“Gigi, answer me, damnit!”
“A fucking tracker?” I shot back. “Really? You put a tracker in me?”
“Yes,” he replied as if it were the most casual thing in the world—and maybe it was in his twisted reality.
“While I was unconscious?”
“Gigi,” he said with a sigh. “How many times do I have to tell you that everything I do is to keep you safe. To keep you alive.”
“That’s not an answer!” I shouted, running my hands through my hair and gripping my skull as I exhaled. “After everything that’s happened to me, you thought I would be okay with you violating me that way?” He didn’t say a word, but his eyes, blazing with fury, said it all.
“You know what, maybe we’re not meant to be together. It will never work between us if you keep betraying me like this.”
The moment the words left my lips, I regretted them. It wasn’t what I wanted, but the thought of being locked away from the world made me feel like I was suffocating, and having something inside me without my permission was so fucking wrong.
His muscles tensed, and his jaw twitched. After a moment, he stomped toward me like a man on a mission, gripping my arms tightly.
“Leave and see what happens,” he said angrily. “I told you that you belong to me.” He glanced at Miguel who was standing in the doorway. “Take her back to my house,” he demanded.
“No!” I yelled, fighting against his hold.
“Yes, you will! You left without protection. Anything could’ve happened to you, Gigi!” He pulled me close to his chest, and I looked up to see him breathing hard and his nostrils flaring.
The door flew open, and I looked toward it to see a very pissed off Lo.
“Where the fuck have you been?” Nico barked. “And how the hell did she escape?”
Escape? I was not a freaking prisoner, for Pete’s sake.
“I’m sorry, boss. She must’ve snuck out while I was on the phone with you,” Lo explained, but then he narrowed his eyes at me.
“Take her to my house and lock her in my fucking room until I get there. Handcuff her to the bed if you have to.”
“Let me go!” I squirmed, trying to break free from his iron grip.
Nico leaned in until he was in my face and wrapped his hand around my neck. “No. You will go home and wait for your punishment,” he hissed.
“Make m—” He covered my mouth with his other hand, silencing me.
“Careful, Angel. You do not want to see what happens if you finish that sentence.”
Lo suddenly appeared beside me, and Nico turned me over to him. “Take her home.”
On the ride home, Lo didn’t say a word.
I was so confused about my feelings for Nico.
He was dominant, possessive, obsessive, and an asshole, and I hated how alive he made me feel even after he thought I betrayed him.
I didn’t know how to feel about that. I wiped the tears from my face and stared out the window when Lo pulled up to the gates of Nico’s mansion.
Jerimiah, the butler, opened my door. “Miss Gigi,” he greeted me with a warm smile, and I returned it.
“Thank you, Jerimiah,” I said as I brushed past him, taking the steps up to the entrance of the house.
“He cares about you,” Lo said. “I know it doesn’t seem like it because he can be an ass, but he truly does.”
“I’m sorry, Lo,” I said, ignoring his comment. “I didn’t mean to get you in trouble.”
He waved it off. “No need to apologize. I can handle my brother. Just get some sleep.”
I nodded, wondering how much sleep I would actually get.
NICO
That fucking woman!
I stormed inside my house, ready to tear her a new one, but then I heard the violin playing in the music room. I pushed open the double doors and took in the scene before me. There she was, my angel, sitting atop the piano, her eyes closed as she lost herself in “The Book of Love” by Peter Gabriel.
The fireplace flickered, casting dancing shadows around the room. She looked so fucking ethereal in the white, lace trimmed satin babydoll nightgown I bought her. She swayed along with the notes as she gently slid the bow over the strings.
I tossed my suit jacket on a nearby chair and strolled toward my angel. I pulled the piano stool away. Gigi didn’t open her eyes but must have sensed I was in the room because her chest fell at a faster pace and goosebumps trailed over her soft skin.
With my eyes on her, I jumped into the chorus and played the keys with her. I kissed her left knee while still playing the piano and keeping my eyes on her. I moved to her right knee and did the same thing. I stopped playing, but she continued. Slowly, I trailed my hands up her legs to her thighs.
Her breath hitched, and she failed to stay in tune when I leaned in and wrapped my arms around her waist.
She set the violin and bow to the side, and I closed the piano lid. I pulled her close to me until her ass was on the edge. My gaze stayed on her face as she lay flat on her back with her legs on either side of me. I stood and slowly raised her gown up to her waist and groaned.
“Fuck me, Angel. No underwear?” I rasped. I gripped her neck, pulling her to my face, and I grit my teeth against my anger and lust. “Don’t ever fucking walk around here like this. This is for my eyes only. Understand?”
“Yes,” she stammered breathlessly.