6. Gabriella
Iknow I need to do something drastic to change my situation. I need to find a way to let my brothers know where I am.
At night, I open the door and sneak into the living room. Dante is asleep on the couch. I take a moment to look at him in all his handsome glory. He somehow looks even better when he sleeps, which makes me hate him more. (Yet I also like him more). God, it’s confusing.
I look around the living room for a phone. I’m not sure exactly where I am, but I can describe the surrounding area, and maybe my brothers can find me.
My wedding dress is getting itchy from sleeping in it and being in it all day. Dante rudely did not give me a change of clothes. I can’t wait to return to my normal bed with my normal clothes. Hopefully, I can convince Rocco not to marry me to Antonio because of the trauma I just went through.
I can stop thinking about my kiss with Dante. I’m not sure what prompted me to do it. I think I wanted to see him shocked after he freaking spanked me. I’ve also just kind of wanted to kiss him ever since I met him.
I’m a mess, I’ll admit.
It’s hard to see in the dark, and I stub my toe on an end table. I gasp and hold my breath, hoping Dante doesn’t wake up. I look over to see him sleeping peacefully.
I tiptoe into the kitchen but can’t find any phone. If Dante has a phone on him, it’s on him. Holding my breath, I walk over to the couch and look down at him, and that’s when I spot it.
It’s sticking out of his front jeans pocket. Who the hell falls asleep in jeans in the first place? I shake the thought away. That doesn’t matter right now. What matters is getting my hands on that phone.
Keeping my hand as steady as possible, I reach out for it. My fingers touch it, and Dante moves. I snap my hand back. But he’s not waking up; he’s just shifting in his sleep.
Good. I carefully reach for the phone again, and this time, I’m able to grab it from his pocket. Quickly, I rush back to the bedroom and call Rocco.
“Dante,” he growls on the other line.
“Rocco, it’s me,” I whisper.
“Gabriella? Where are you?”
“I don’t know. In a cabin in the middle of the woods. Trees surround it. There are no other houses or people in sight. Come find me.”
The door rips open, and Dante is there, glaring at me. He rips the phone out of my hands. “Rocco? Hi. Gabriella will have to call you back.” He hangs up and then smashes the phone onto the ground, breaking it into multiple pieces.
“That was stupid,” he says.
“You can’t blame me.”
“Oh, but I can.”
“You’re not going to spank me again,” I say, backing away from him.
“I’m not?”
“No.”
“What’s going to stop me?”
I need to think fast, and then an idea hits me. “This.” I unzip the back of my dress and let it fall down at my feet. Dante stops, staring at my body. My bra and underwear are white and lacy.
“What are you doing?” he asks.
“I’m distracting you. Is it working?”
“I think you know very well it’s working.”
“Oh, good. I wasn’t sure. Maybe you’re a eunuch. Can’t get it up, you know.”
Dante rakes his eyes over me. It’s clear he likes what he sees, which leaves me feeling breathless and flushed. For a moment, I’m not sure what he’s going to do. Walk over to me and kiss me. Or turn away and reject me.
I can see the war in Dante’s eyes. He wants to do both.
“Put your dress back on,” he says finally, disappointing me a little.
“Don’t you want to touch me?”
“You’re playing with fire right now, Gabriella. Because I do want you, and you’re not ready for that. So put your dress back on, and I’ll let your brothers know you got naked for me of your own free will. Let’s see how they feel about that.”
“Don’t tell them,” I say way too quickly.
“Oh, I’m going to. And there’s nothing you can do about it.” He rakes his eye over me one more time before leaving the room and shutting the door behind him. This time, he locks it.
In defiance, I keep my dress off. Dante doesn’t get to tell me what to do.