Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
Susanna
Idon’t bother running as Gabriel leads me into his house. He would only catch me. But I do make a point of looking around the neighborhood. The closest house is not far away. I can see the tip of the roof over the large hedges that surround Gabriel’s house.
“Why didn’t you take me here first?” I ask as we step inside. The first thing I notice is how everything is covered in white cloth. The house itself is beautiful. Dark wood floors. Cream colored walls decorated with dark green drapes that give the space a sophisticated feel.
“Because I haven’t been back here since Luca drove me out of town. I had to make sure it was safe.”
My heart skips a beat. “Are you saying that Luca knows about this place? That he could come here?” And save me?
Gabriel smirks as he grips my chin. “You are mine now, Susanna. No one is coming for you. Yes, Luca knows about my house. But he won’t risk coming for you. Not when it could put you in danger.”
“Luca doesn’t care about me like that. He’ll put me in danger to get to you.” I know my brother-in-law. How ruthless he can be. How cold and calculating. He’ll do what’s best for him and Nina. Not me. Even if it means putting me in harm’s way to get to Gabriel, I believe he will.
“Besides, I want Luca to challenge me. Come to me if he wants,” Gabriel says, letting me go. “We’ll see what happens.”
I shiver. Will Gabriel be able to kill Luca?
Cut him into pieces? I don’t want to find out.
I may not be close with my brother-in-law but I know my sister loves him and I can’t stand the idea of her being in pain forever if she loses him.
Maybe in the past I would have reveled in my sister’s pain but no longer. Not when I know pain of my own now.
“Come on,” he says. “This way.”
He leads me down a dark hallway to a room at the back. The room is bare… except for the human sized cage right in the middle.
“What is that?” I gasp.
“Where you’ll be staying. I need to make sure that you don’t run.”
“You’re going to keep me in a cage?” Keeping me in the basement was bad enough but this just seems worse. More… humiliating.
“I can’t trust you to stay put if I let you stay in one of the rooms. So you’re going to be staying in here.” He opens the cage door like it’s a normal day at the office. “Get in.”
“You know, for someone who wants me to become yours, you have a funny way of seducing me. I’m never going to fall for you if you keep me in a cage.”
“Maybe not right now but your mind will break eventually and when it does, you’ll be mine. Until then, get in the cage. Keeping you here is more important right now than getting you to fall in love with me. Besides, I never said I need you to love me.”
“You just want me to be yours.”
“It will happen one day. I know it.”
“You’re so cocky,” I scoff.
“Confident. Now, get in. I’ll even give you a pillow and a blanket because I don’t want you getting sick like last time. It was really inconvenient.”
My body tenses and before I even know what I’m doing, I turn around and run. Gabriel immediately gives chase. Instead of heading for the front door, I go into the kitchen and grab a butcher knife. I point it at Gabriel as he comes to a stop.
“I will stab you,” I warn.
“You really think you can kill me? That you have the strength?”
“Try me.”
He runs at me but I swipe out the knife and he has no choice but to back up. Surprisingly, there’s a glee in his eyes that speaks to how much he’s enjoying this. “You have spunk.”
“It’s called survival.”
He comes at me again and this time, I manage to slice his arm, leaving behind a cut. Blood slowly drips down his arm.
Gabriel stops and stares down at his arm in amazement before touching his own blood. His fingers come back red. “You actually managed to cut me. I’m impressed. Not many people can say they have done that and survived.”
“I figured you’re going to kill me after this anyway but I might as well bring you down with me.”
“You’re cute.”
“And you’re an asshole.”
In one quick motion, Gabriel runs forward and grabs my wrist, forcing me to drop the knife. It clatters to the ground. His bloodstained fingers grip my chin, making me look at him.
“I think you were made for me, Susanna.”
I spit right into his face. He only laughs. “I was not made for you.”
“You’re spunky. Not afraid to fight. I like that in a woman. You’re brave.”
“Because I have to be. Because you kidnapped me.”
“Semantics.”
“No. You kidnapped me. That’s the truth.”
“Fine. I did. So then why did you give in to my kiss earlier?” His lips are right above mine.
I open my lips to speak but nothing comes out.
Gabriel’s smirk tells me he’s won. “You don’t hate me as much as you should, do you? You find this sort of exciting. I can tell.” And before I can react, he kisses me again.
And before I know what I’m doing, I give in to the kiss. Again. I can’t seem to stop myself.
Gabriel deepens the kiss as he presses me against the counter. His hands go to my hips and give them a squeeze. It makes a flare of arousal course through me. I can’t stop myself from moaning softly.
“That’s it, baby,” he murmurs against my lips. “That’s it.”
His fingers shove my dress up around my hips, exposing my lower body.
No underwear in the way. He places his hands on my thighs, sending a heat through me.
It’s electric. Maybe it’s the adrenaline coursing through me or the fact that I’ve been kidnapped for days now, but I want to kiss Gabriel.
I want to feel his touch. I want to know what this is like.
I was expected to wait until marriage because that’s what Alek told me to do. Even though I pined to be my own woman, I still followed the rules. And besides, no man was good enough for me. Every man I had ever met gave me the ick.
So why doesn’t Gabriel? He should make me disgusted. He’s a kidnaper after all. He’s killed a man right before my very eyes. And yet… I don’t want him to stop touching me.
I crave his darkness. He’s the worst for me and for some reason, that doesn’t bother me at all.
Gabriel places his hand right between my legs. It’s the fingers that don’t have blood on them, I notice. Thank God. I don’t need to get any diseases because of him.
He runs his fingers over my nub, making me gasp. I clutch his arms. I’m not sure if it’s to push him away or hold him closer.
Gabriel deepens our kiss even more as he rubs my most intimate area with his palm. I can’t deny the wetness seeping out of me. My body’s instinct. My mind knows better and yet, I don’t find myself stopping him at all.
My hips begin to rise to meet his hand. Bucking against him. It’s embarrassing but I’m too caught up in the moment to care.
Gabriel’s kiss is all consuming. I could sink into it forever. His hand is like magic, knowing exactly how to touch me. I’ve used my hand on me before but it was never like this. Never this powerful. This sexy. This magnetic.
“You like this?” he growls against my lips. I glare back at him but I don’t tell him to stop. He only smirks once more and kisses me with all of his strength. We both know I like this and that I won’t ask him to end it. I need this more than I’m willing to admit.
He rubs me harder and harder. Every touch of his hand between my legs sends a flare of arousal through me. It’s electricity personified.
My hands grip the counter to steady myself as I buck my hips into his hand, needing more and more and more.
It’s animalistic. I never thought I would lose myself to a moment like this.
Never thought I would let a man treat me like I’m not even human.
But there’s something so sexy about Gabriel that I can’t deny it.
He’s my kidnapper but he’s also the man who has given me more excitement in my life than I’ve ever had before. He doesn’t treat me like I’m annoying like everyone else does in my life. No. He treats me like I’m exciting. Like I’m the most fascinating person on the planet for him.
He presses down onto my nub hard and it’s just what I need to find my release.
I moan into his lips as I tremble and shake. My legs can barely keep me upright. Gabriel keeps his hand between my legs for a lot longer than he needs to.
When he finally pulls back, he slips his fingers into his mouth. “Mmm. You taste delicious. I can’t wait to fuck you with my mouth.”
Another flare of heat hits me.
Quickly, I shove my dress down. “I never said you could do that to me.”
“You’ve never experienced it. You don’t know what you’re missing. Trust me.”
“I know enough to not let you do that to me.”
“What are you so afraid of, Susanna? That I’ll fuck you so good you’ll fall in love with me?”
Maybe a little. Gabriel’s powerful. Intense. I can’t escape it.
“Here.” He holds his other hand, the one with his bloody fingers on it. “Taste.” He grips my chin, forcing me to open my lips and puts his fingers on my tongue. Copper. Disgusting.
I pull away from him with a cough. “You could have a disease. Don’t put your bloody fingers in my mouth.”
“I don’t have anything. Trust me. I get tested.”
“See, the thing is, I don’t trust you at all.”
“Clearly.” He nods at the bloody knife on the ground. “I have to say, Susanna, that I am impressed. No one has ever been able to cut me before.” He picks the knife up and holds it to my throat.
I stay completely still but I know he won’t kill me. That’s not his plan.
“I could so easily stab you for cutting me,” he murmurs, tracing the knife along my throat and down to my clavicle. “I never did cut you before. Tit for tat, don’t you think?”
I swallow hard. This is the man I just let pleasure me. Give me an orgasm. What is wrong with me?
Gabriel smirks once more before setting the knife on the counter. “Come along. I can’t have you running.” He grabs my arm and forces me back down the hallway. To the cage.
“Why do you have this thing anyway?” I ask as he walks me towards it.
“I like to have fun with my prisoners.” He makes me get inside and shuts the door behind him. “I’ll be back with a pillow and blanket. For now, you just stay in there and be a good girl for me.”
“Fuck you,” I snarl.
“Have it your way, Susanna. But you came on my fingers. You didn’t have to.”
“It was purely physical.”
“Keep telling yourself that.” He leaves with a whistle, knowing full well that he’s won this round.