Chapter 1
1
DOMENICO
18 months later
F amily dinners were part of the fabric of life when you were Italian. Especially when you belonged to a family as big as mine. But when you tossed in the members of The Family—bound by oath, not blood—it was hard to get a word in edgewise. Not that I had much interest in talking. I’d never been the chatty sort, more of an observer, which was one trait that made me an excellent bodyguard.
I wasn’t exactly a loner, though the group of people I preferred to be around was small. And even though I was used to these loud and crazy get-togethers, there were times when I needed to step away and take a deep breath.
Of course, that was largely due to the smell of honeysuckle and jasmine that filled my lungs every time I inhaled. The scent had haunted me for years, and when it attempted to permeate the tiny cracks around my walled-off heart, the only solution was to run like a fucking coward and find some fresh air.
“I’m going to step outside,” I murmured to my best friend, Raffaele DeLuca. He was also my boss. To most everyone here, he was the boss since he was the underboss of the DeLuca Crime Family in charge of all the southern branches. But bodyguard duty wasn’t truly necessary when he was surrounded by so many people who would lay down their lives for him. “I need some air.”
He turned his head, and his dark eyes held laughter when he quipped, “Liar. You’re trying to get away before the mammas start in on the lectures about babies and marriage.”
I shrugged, letting him assume he was right. Because the real answer would likely result in a bullet in my skull. He’d killed men for less.
As I turned around, my gaze briefly scanned the room, but I wasn’t looking for danger—at least, not to Rafa. My heart…that was another matter.
A frown curled my lips down when I didn’t see her, but I knew she was near because her scent was lingering, driving me to distraction.
We’d gathered at Rafa’s house since it was a giant mansion on a massive estate. As his bodyguard and the head of his security, I insisted on living under the same roof, so he’d turned a space at the back of the house into an apartment—although it was nearly as big as a house. It would have been the servant’s quarters when his great-uncle Guiseppe DeLuca had built the Magnolia Crest estate in 1931.
However, I didn’t meander toward my apartment. Instead, I wandered down a hallway that ended at the door to a perfectly landscaped garden. May in Georgia was warmer than the states up north, but it was perfect in the evening. I stepped outside and inhaled slowly, trying to flush out the lingering traces of honeysuckle and jasmine.
My body slowly uncoiled, releasing the tension that had me constantly on edge. The horse stables were only a short walk away, and I lifted my chin in greeting when one of the stable hands waved. Unfortunately, she took that as an invitation and began crossing the space between us.
Tynzlee—I’d been positive the name was fake until I ran a background check on her—was a talented exercise rider, but she was also a giant pain in my ass. Her wide smile made me cringe inside, and I didn’t have the patience for her flirting and bullshit tonight. So I nodded and pivoted around to escape inside. I didn’t count that as being a coward since I was saving her from my shitty mood.
Apparently, my good deed didn’t earn me any favors with the saints because the scent that I loathed and coveted at the same time hit me square in the face.
My gaze locked with deep brown eyes that had flecks of gold in them…and tempted me to break all of my rules and betray the trust of my closest friend. My brother in every way except blood.
“Domenico,” she greeted me in a soft, breathy voice.
“Gabriella,” I grunted, trying not to wonder if that was what she would sound like when she was sated from a mind-blowing orgasm. Fuck!
The hallway suddenly felt very small, and the electricity that sparked between us sizzled all over my skin.
The oldest of Rafa’s younger sisters was a walking wet dream. Long, dark hair that begged to be wrapped around my fist while I pumped in and out of her tight pussy. A rounded face that made her eyes pop, a cute nose, and lips that would look perfect wrapped around my cock.
She was a little more than half a foot shorter than my six-foot four-inch height and had curves that made my mouth water. Next to my muscular build, she looked delicate, but I knew she wasn’t fragile. Gabriella was strong and feisty, full of fire, with a sharp tongue that made me laugh or want to strangle her.
She’d always been beautiful, but it wasn’t until she’d returned after being gone for a year that I noticed the incredible woman she’d grown into. My body had roared to life after being dormant for a very long time—before I’d even met her when I was in my early twenties. I’d soaked in the sight of all those luscious curves, and it had taken everything in me not to outwardly react.
I was known for my ruthless discipline, for keeping my emotions locked down. I was trusted by the head of the fucking Mafia, and people feared me because all they saw when they looked into my eyes was a cold-blooded killer.
My family saw another side of me, the person I was when I let my guard down and showed my affection for them. Even then, though, I was in control.
So I didn’t understand how the fuck this one woman could be my downfall. I wanted her—her laughter, her smiles, her screams of ecstasy. And I craved her. The feel of her body pressed to mine, the taste of honeysuckle and jasmine mixed with her sweet juices on my tongue, and the feel of her velvety walls squeezing my shaft as I slid inside her.
But Gabriella was off-fucking-limits.
Rafa would see it as a betrayal. We both knew I wasn’t good enough for her. Gabriella might have been raised in the midst of The Family, but she deserved a life that didn’t throw her right into the middle of it.
“You’ve been avoiding me all night,” she muttered, her pink lips pursed in annoyance.
I raised an eyebrow in silent question, afraid that if I spoke, the roughness of my voice would give away my struggle to keep my hands to myself.
Her eyes narrowed, and she took a step closer. “Every time I saw you, I would blink and you’d be gone.”
My brow furrowed, but I kept my expression neutral, giving nothing else away. “Why would you be looking for me? Aren’t you here with your… friend ?”
Gabriella pouted, which should have made her look like a petulant child, but instead, it was cute and drew my attention back to her X-rated lips.
“Boyfriend,” she corrected archly.
Boyfriend. What a joke . Although, he was definitely a boy, not a man.
“He’s talking with Felix about interest rates on something or other.”
That made sense, since George did something with banking and Felix was our money guy. Though, I doubted George had any experience with the more unique aspects of the “banking” Felix did for The Family.
“Sounds fascinating,” I drawled. “So why were you looking for me?”
Gabriella crossed her arms over her chest, and I was immensely proud of myself for taking no more than a peek at her generous breasts.
“I wasn’t. You just happen to be standing in front of the bathroom.” She pointed to my left where I was blocking the door to a small powder room. “But since you were here, I figured I might as well find out why you were dodging me. Like you have been since I got home six months ago. But if you’re still determined to pretend there’s nothing between us, then go right ahead. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”
She pointed at the door again, and I moved to the side, giving her just enough room to squeeze past me. Then I called myself ten kinds of idiot when our bodies brushed, and lust slammed into me. Son of a bitch . I knew better than to touch her, but I’d had a moment of weakness. I had to shut this shit down fast.
“Gabriella.”
She paused and twisted around, dropping her head back to look up at me.
“I wasn’t avoiding you.” I sent up a silent prayer for forgiveness to Santa Maria Goretti for my lie. And for the one I was about to say. “I hadn’t noticed you were here.”
Gabriella’s face fell for a second, and then she put on a smile that was so fake that it chafed my nerves. “I see. Well, thanks for clearing that up. I better hurry. George is waiting on me.”
Although I held back a derisive scoff, I couldn’t stop my mouth from running away. She had that effect on me. “What do you see in that spineless drip?”
“For one thing, he didn’t go running when he heard the last name DeLuca.”
”That’s not a reason to date someone, Gabriella,” I grunted. “You deserve better.”
“I don’t know why you would say that since you clearly don’t think I’m good enough for you.” With that parting comment—stabbing me in the chest with guilt—she stepped into the bathroom and slammed the door shut.
“Motherfucker,” I hissed. The lowest level of hell was probably reserving my spot at that moment.
Logically, I knew it was better for both of us this way. In another time and place, I might have risked everything to be with her. But I was the one who didn’t deserve her . I wasn’t going to drag her into my darkness. It would drive a wedge between Rafa and me, which would eventually ruin our friendship completely when we watched the world we lived in taint Gabriella little by little until her sunshine was completely snuffed out.