Chapter 6
6
DOMENICO
I thought my soul was black enough to send me to hell, but after moving in with Gabriella, I realized I was already there.
Every day, I told myself to send her to her brother’s house and end this torture, yet every damn day, I couldn’t bring myself to let her go.
“Good morning, Domenico.”
Gabriella’s soft, sleepy voice floated to my ears, and her honeysuckle and jasmine scent filled my lungs. Who needed morning coffee when they could soak up all of Gabriella’s sweetness?
Steeling myself against the lust I knew was about to slam into me, I slowly turned away from the living room window. I’d been scanning the street for anything out of place, and once again, lecturing my dick to stand the fuck down.
I nearly sighed in relief when she padded across the room toward the kitchen in a T-shirt and shorts, although they showed off far too much of her long, sexy legs. Motherfucker! Stop picturing them wrapped around your head, De Angelis!
“ Buongiorno , Gabriella.”
Her brown eyes melted whenever I spoke to her in Italian, and it was a guilty pleasure that I couldn’t seem to quit.
“Aston has me building the newest exhibit at the gallery, so I’ll be meeting with several collectors and museum curators over the next week.”
Aston managed The Family’s largest art gallery and museum in Atlanta. He was also one of the world’s most talented forgers and handled all of the smuggling operations in and out of France—where he was from. His brother, Charles, still lived there and ran things from the Paris end of the operation.
“He mentioned it when we spoke yesterday.” I took a drink from my mug. “I have the list of places you need to visit.”
Gabriella’s lips twisted with annoyance, which shouldn't have looked adorable, but she managed it somehow. “I am perfectly capable of managing my life, Domenico. You’re my bodyguard, not my babysitter.”
“ Fidati di me, sole, I see the woman you’ve grown into. That’s the problem.”
Gabriella’s jaw went slack as she gaped at me, and it hit me that I’d said the last part out loud. Shit .
“Go get ready, Gabriella,” I ordered gruffly.
Her mouth opened and closed a few times, and I knew she was trying to formulate a response. I couldn’t go there. Talking about my desire for her would make it real. At least this way, I could lie to myself that it was all in my head.
“Domenico—”
“We aren’t discussing this, Gabriella. Go.”
Her lips compressed into a straight line, and her eyes clouded with resentment. “You can’t avoid a discussion about us forever, Domenico.”
“There is no us, sole .”
Gabriella glared at me before spinning around and marching back to her bedroom.
I heard the shower turn on and shook my head to clear away the fantasies of her wet, naked body. Water sliding down every curve, her silky skin pressed against mine— fuck ! I barely avoided throwing my mug at the nearest wall as I struggled to reclaim my self-discipline.
Clenching the cup in my hand, I stalked to the kitchen and poured the remaining contents down the sink. Then I gripped the edge of the counter and took several deep, slow breaths.
Even as a child, I’d been a master of my emotions. They were there. I wasn’t dead inside. I simply had a tight rein on them, allowing me to pick and choose the times when they were appropriate. When Gabriella returned from New York, it was the first time I felt a fissure in the walls I’d built around myself. Being so close to her every day, every minute, I felt those fractures growing into cracks. With enough pressure, I was afraid she would breach them completely.
When I felt more stable, I went into the guest room and gathered up my clothes and toiletries. I waited until I heard her bedroom door close, then I made my way into the bathroom. Honeysuckle and jasmine lingered in the air, and I wondered again how she smelled so incredible. When I moved in, I’d looked for body wash, shampoo, or some kind of fragrance but hadn’t found anything. The scent was simply Gabriella. And I suspected that her pussy would taste just as sweet.
Porca puttana .
I hurried through my shower, dressed, then used some gel to tame my curly hair, which had been the bane of my existence since I was a kid. When I emerged from the bathroom, Gabriella was in the kitchen drinking from a mug that said, I get away with everything. It’s adorable, really.
Her mug collection made me chuckle a few times over the past few weeks. Especially when I saw the ones that said Mess with me, and you’ll be sleeping with the fishes and Keep talking—I know a guy.
“Are you ready to go, sole ?” I asked as I tucked my keys and wallet into my pocket before slipping my gun into my holster.
“Yes,” she answered flatly as she rinsed her cup and added it to the dishwasher.
Once we were out of her apartment and in the car headed to her first appointment, I finally lost some of the sexual tension that had been eating away at me in such a confined space with way too many flat surfaces to fuck on.
“Why are you calling me sole all of a sudden?” she blurted after we’d ridden in silence for ten minutes. “You already call me Gabriella instead of Gabbi.”
The tension returned as I scrambled to come up with any reason except the truth. I couldn’t tell her that she was the light in my darkness, the only thing that helped me see what humanity remained in the midst of the killer carved from ice inside me.
“Because you’re too damn bright in the morning,” I grumbled.
She was quiet for a minute, so I glanced over and found her dark eyes studying me as if she wasn’t quite sure she believed my explanation. Then she turned in her seat so she was facing forward again and declared, “It seems only fair that I get to use a nickname for you, too. Rompicoglioni seems appropriate. But I think I’ll just go with Mico instead.”
Worried that the nickname would seem too intimate and send up red flags, I almost contradicted her. But Rafa had called me Mico from time to time since we became friends. It was rare, but not completely improbable that Gabriella could have picked up on it once.
“I suppose that’s better than ‘pain in the ass,’” I remarked.
She giggled, and the sound pierced my chest, spreading warmth through my body. Another reason I called her sole . She lit up when she was happy, and if I couldn’t make her mine, then that was all I wanted for her. Although, I wasn’t sure how to make that happen when I couldn’t stand by and let another man have her.
I’d come to accept that after I put the fear of the devil into George. He might not have balked at the name De Luca, but he was still a pussy who had crumpled under my threats of death and dismemberment if he so much as touched Gabriella. However, I’d also told him not to break up with her. I didn’t want to see her hurt in case she cared about him at all. But my bigger concern was that if he went running right away, she might suspect Rafa or I had something to do with it.
My train of thought was interrupted when we arrived at our destination. I was pleased when Gabriella stayed in the car, allowing me to come around and open her door.
“ Brava ragazze, sole ,” I murmured as I reached in to help her out of the vehicle.
Her cheeks turned pink, then her whole face flushed when our hands clasped and sparks erupted where we touched. When she was standing beside me, I told myself to let go but reflexively squeezed a little tighter. Then I gritted my teeth and forced reality to take over, reluctantly releasing her.
Gabriella cleared her throat and shifted awkwardly. “I know better than that. Rafa would lock me in a tower if I didn’t take my safety seriously.”
“Sounds like a smart move to me,” I said evenly, my expression mostly unreadable.
“Of course you’d think that,” she scoffed, tossing me a disgruntled frown. Obviously taking my comment at face value—practical and protective and siding with Rafa as usual.
She clearly didn’t catch the slight edge in my voice or the flicker in my eyes that would have told her I wouldn’t mind being the one to keep her safely out of reach.
When she turned away without another word, my gaze lingered on her a second too long—imagining that tower and her in it, all mine.
Over the time I’d spent with Gabriella, she had constantly impressed me with her knowledge, her business sense, and her ability to connect with her clients. She’d talked more than one reluctant collector to loan a piece to the Belladonna Gallery or Vellum & Vine art museum.
She had a keen eye, which Aston had obviously discovered early on because he often asked her opinion when making choices. He also took any suggestions she brought to him seriously.
I was proud as fuck of my girl and wished that I could convey that to her in more than a friendly way. But since I didn’t think I could draw that line, I stayed silent, something she was used to anyway.
The toughest part of my day was returning to Gabriella’s apartment at night.
It would have been all too easy to slip into a comfortable routine of making and eating dinner together, then cuddling—a word I never thought I would use—on the couch in front of the movie. I had to have my guard up in the literal and metaphorical sense, and it was fucking exhausting.
Gabriella didn’t make it easy, either. She had an innate sweetness, mixed with moments of sassy attitude, and a natural seductiveness to the way she moved. It was driving me out of my mind with wanting her. And then there were the times when she deliberately pushed my buttons, teasing and tempting me in subtle ways. It was a battle with my restraint, and with each moment we were together, I worried I would lose.
It had been a long day for Gabriella when I finally parked the car in front of her apartment building. She hadn’t brought up our relationship again, but I was on alert for the moment she thought she could spring the subject on me.
We took the elevator up to her floor in comfortable silence, then she waited just inside her door while I did a sweep of the apartment. After a thorough search, I gave her the all clear, and she walked inside, locking up behind her.
“Why don’t you go take a bath, and I’ll make dinner tonight?” I suggested.
It had been funny as hell the first time Gabriella realized I could cook. She’d been shocked and didn’t believe me until I made her chicken marsala with herb mashed potatoes and butter steamed vegetables. My mother had been adamant that her boys be able to take care of themselves when we moved out. She’d lamented about us starving and pestered us until we let her teach us how to use a kitchen.
Gabriella’s brow puckered, and she sighed tiredly as she ran a hand through her long, silky locks. “You don’t have to do that.”
“Go, sole ,” I ordered, my tone leaving no room for argument.
“Fine,” she snapped. “But only because I want to, not because you told me to do it.”
I waited until she’d spun around and marched into her bedroom before smiling. Damn, she was cute.
Cut it the fuck out, De Angelis. OFF-LIMITS.
Halfway through my meal preparations, the bathroom door opened, and Gabriella padded out into the living room.
My jaw nearly hit the floor when I got a good look at her outfit. It wasn’t something anyone would immediately see as alluring and sexy as hell. But to me…fucking hell.
Her smooth legs looked miles long with only a pair of loose sleep shorts that came to mid-thigh. But it was what she was wearing on top that had me practically drooling and my cock standing at full attention.
“I hope you don’t mind,” she murmured as she made her way over to the couch. “I haven’t had time to do laundry, and you left this in the bathroom.”
I blinked several times, at a loss for what to say.
Gabriella was wearing one of my T-shirts with the logo of my alma mater on it—the one I’d slept in last night. I usually wore nothing but boxers to bed. However, I’d taken to wearing shirts as well when I moved in with her. The T-shirt was practically a tent on her, but she’d twisted the bottom into a knot at her hip.
Seeing her in my clothes was like throwing gasoline on the fire. And knowing that the used shirt made her smell like me, leaving my mark on her in multiple ways, built an inferno of need inside me.
“ Cazzo, ” I muttered, tearing my eyes away from the sexiest sight I couldn’t have even imagined in my wildest dreams. Speaking loud enough for her to hear, I grunted, “Not a problem.”
I was lying. It was a huge fucking problem.
Through sheer force of will, I finished making dinner and set it out on the table in the little alcove that she’d turned into a makeshift dining room.
“Dinner is ready,” I announced as I returned to the kitchen and retrieved a bottle of her favorite wine. She was just taking a seat when I walked awkwardly to the table and put the bottle and a glass in front of her. Every step pressed my big dick against my zipper, eating into the skin.
“I need to make a call, then I’m going to get ready to turn in,” I muttered as I quickly turned around so she wouldn’t see the giant bulge in my pants.
“You made dinner, but you're not going to eat with me?” She sounded annoyed but couldn’t completely disguise the hurt in her voice.
I felt like a fucking asshole, but I knew my limits, and at that moment, I needed a frigid shower before I did something very, very stupid.
“Not hungry,” I rumbled as I stalked toward my room.
The icy spray of my shower only minorly helped my dick calm down because I couldn’t stop seeing Gabriella in my shirt, knowing her breasts were naked underneath. Or thinking about how easy it would be to pull those tiny shorts aside and feast on her pussy.
I was shivering from the cold when I finally shut off the water and stepped onto the mat. Looking around, I frowned when I didn’t see my towel. Gabriella’s was hanging next to the shower, but the hook beside it was empty. Had she used my towel after her bath? I opened the cupboard under the sink where she kept the extras, but I didn’t find anything there, leaving me only one choice. To use hers. The little minx.
Clearly, she was determined to kill me.
I held my breath as I quickly dried off, but after hanging the towel back up, I smelled like honeysuckle and jasmine. Shaking my head, I curved my lips up into a small smile. Gabriella had stepped up her game, and despite how pissed I was about her efforts to make me break my vow of loyalty to her brother, I couldn’t help being a little impressed.
When I finally emerged from the bathroom, I tossed my dirty clothes onto my bed before wandering out into the living room. Gabriella was curled up on the couch with her e-reader and completely ignored me. After the way I’d practically run away from her earlier, I couldn’t blame her.
Without a word, I went to the kitchen, intending to do the dishes, but found it spotless.
“You didn’t have to clean up my mess,” I murmured as I walked over to the couch and took a seat on the opposite end, turned slightly sideways so I was facing her.
She shrugged without looking up. “You cooked and didn’t eat, so I cleaned.”
“ Sole ,” I sighed. “Don’t pout.”
That got her attention, and her head whipped up, glaring at me with furious chocolate-brown orbs.
I’d have piqued her temper a little more often if it weren't such a detriment to my self-control. She was absolutely gorgeous when she was all riled up and filled with fire.
“Pout? I’m not a child, Mico. I’m a grown-ass woman.”
My hands clenched into fists, and I crossed my arms over my chest to hide the reaction. “I fucking know that, Gabriella,” I seethed, my composure cracking just a little. “It’s unfair how much you’ve grown. It makes things…complicated.”
Shut up, De Angelis. Don’t fucking go there.
“Complicated?” she repeated with incredulity as she jumped to her feet and tossed her e-reader on the cushion she’d vacated. She stalked over to stand in front of me, planting her fists on her hips. “It seems simple enough to me. Stop looking at me as Rafa’s little sister, or your protectee, or any other label you’re using to obscure your view. Open your eyes and see me .”
I pushed to my feet and grabbed hold of her shoulders to keep her from moving when I bent low enough that our faces were barely an inch apart.
“It’s not that I don’t see you, sole ,” I snarled angrily. “It’s that I’m not supposed to.” Dropping my head the rest of the way, I brushed my lips against hers when I growled, “But it doesn’t matter how wrong it is—I still want you.”
My mouth crushed over hers as I lifted Gabriella and pressed her body to mine. Her legs curled around my hips, and her hands fisted in my shirt on both sides. Releasing her shoulders, I palmed her face and tilted her head back so her lips naturally parted. I licked them gently before plunging my tongue into her hot, wet mouth.
My feet started moving while I explored her mouth and glided along her tongue. When her back hit the wall, I punched my hips forward to hold her in place and groaned as I slapped a hand on either side of her head.
Gabriella moaned and rubbed her tits restlessly against my chest as she tentatively returned the kiss. I shifted to make sure she was secure and made a guttural sound of pure want as I moved my hands to the bottom of her shirt. They slid up underneath until I filled each of them with a large, round globe. Her tits practically spilled out of my hands, and my mouth tingled at the thought of wrapping my lips around their stiff peaks.
Closing my eyes, I ripped my mouth from hers and pressed our foreheads together. “I’m not supposed to touch you, sole ,” I rasped, my voice desperate with hunger. “So why the hell does it feel like you already belong to me?”
Gabriella whimpered, and the sound went straight to my cock. I gently squeezed her tits and rocked my pelvis into her. The little voice telling me to stop was almost gone, replaced with her sexy sounds and the pounding of my heart.
Then my phone chimed with a text, and it was as though a bucket of cold water was dumped over my head.
“Fuck!” I shouted in frustration as I instantly set Gabriella on her feet and backed away.
Shock washed over her face, and she blinked her glazed eyes, clearing some of it away. “What…” She shook her head and licked her lips, nearly breaking the resolve I’d grasped onto. “What just happened?”
“That shouldn’t have happened,” I rumbled as I built my walls up around me again.
“Why?” Gabriella whispered brokenly. “I know you want me.”
I rubbed a hand over my face before threading them both through my hair. Then I met her confused gaze and shuttered my eyes, locking away my emotions. “You were never mine to want.”
“Then why?”
I shook my head and gave her one last shred of feeling before I locked myself up tight. “That doesn’t stop me from wanting to keep you.”