Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
Susanna
Itry to fight against Luca but he’s too strong for me.
“Luca, let her go,” Nina demands but Luca is ignoring her.
“I need to kill Gabriel and I can’t have Susanna getting in the way,” he explains as he tugs me along down the hallway. Luca nudges me into a guest bedroom and shuts the door on me, locking it from the outside.
I pound on the door but it’s pointless. I’m not getting out of here.
I press my ear to the door and listen.
“Luca,” Nina says. “Don’t do this. Susanna explained everything to me. She chose to marry Gabriel. You can use this as a chance to make peace with him. They’re already married. Please make the most out of this instead of going to war. I could lose you. Please.”
I can’t see Luca’s expression but he’s silent for a moment. “Gabriel stole your sister away and now you want me to spare him?”
“It’s not about Gabriel. It’s about not wanting to lose you. If you go to war with him, you could die. And I can’t stand that. Please, make peace with him. Use Susanna’s marriage as a chance to do that. Since they’re married, that will keep him in line.”
“He doesn’t care about the rules. He married Susanna without anyone’s permission.”
“Not true. He got my sister’s permission. She agreed to marry him. She told me.”
“Then Susanna is crazy. She always has been.”
I flinch and pull away from the door. I will never be fully accepted by Luca no matter what I do. Gabriel is the only person in this entire world who hasn’t judged me for my past actions. Who is willing to let me grow.
I need to get back to him. I need to warn him about Luca.
Fortunately, Luca put me in a bedroom on the first floor. The window opens up. He forgot to lock it. I guess his rage isn’t making him see clearly.
I hop out of the window and run away from Luca’s house as fast as I can. I still have my subway ticket I can use to get back to Gabriel’s. It’s risky but I have to warn him. That’s my main priority.
I missed Nina but coming back here has only reminded me of why I was so unhappy and when I was unhappy I acted out and was a person I hated. I don’t want to be that anymore.
I want to be a person who’s happy. Who has love in her life. Who feels free for the first time.
And it only took a man taking me prisoner for me to realize that.
I make it back to Gabriel’s house within the hour but when I try the front door, I find that it’s locked. Gabriel never gave me a key.
I pound on the front door until it’s ripped open and Gabriel is staring at me with anger and something else in his eyes…
Hurt. He’s hurt that I ran away from him.
“I had to see my sister,” I explain, stepping inside. “But I wasn’t running away. I just had to talk to her. Let her know I was ok. She was worried for me but now she knows I want to be with you.”
“Susanna, how could you be so na?ve?”
I flinch. “What do you mean?”
“You went to see your sister? I’m assuming at Luca’s house?”
“…yes.”
“Did Luca follow you here?”
“No. He… I came to warn you. He wants to kill you. I tried explaining things. I told Nina that you and Luca could make peace now that we’re married.
It’s the perfect time. I chose you and I want to be with you despite everything.
I came to warn you that he’s coming for you and you have to be careful. ”
“I’m always careful. But you weren’t.” He grabs my arms tightly. “I thought you had left me.”
“Would you be surprised if I did?”
“No. I expected you to try and run eventually.”
“But I’m your wife now. Not your prisoner. I have the right to go where I want, when I want. But you have to trust me to return. Which I did.”
He opens his mouth to argue before he shuts it, realizing that I’m right. There’s nothing to argue about.
“Still,” he eventually says. “I… I was worried you could have been hurt.”
“Says the man who kidnapped me.”
“I know I did and I know I’m not a gentle man. But you’re my wife now and I will protect you. I don’t want you to leave me.”
I settle my hands on his chest. “And I don’t want to leave you either. Trust me. I just wanted to explain to my sister that I’m ok. That’s all.”
“My plan was to torture Luca. If Nina knows you’re ok, then that really doesn’t work, does it?”
“No. But this is your chance to make peace with him. This way you no longer have to hide in the shadows. You can have all the power you want if you make an alliance with Luca. Our marriage can help make that a reality. You just have to try.”
He hesitates before sighing. “It’s not a bad idea. But the problem is: I like messing with Luca and he wants my head. Nothing will change that.”
“Maybe not. But I want to be with you. I know that for a fact. You’re the only one who makes me feel this alive. This accepted.”
“You came back to me.”
“I never left. But if our marriage is going to work, you have to give me more freedom. I demand it. I will not be a prisoner. I am your wife now. Let me stand at your side.”
“At my side. I like the sound of that.” And in one motion, he presses his lips to mine.
I sink right into his touch, feeling more at home here than ever before. With a growl, Gabriel pushes me against the wall and shoves the end of my dress up. My moan is muffled against his lips as he presses his fingers between my legs. My nub is already swollen and ready for him. My entire body is.
That’s how much it feels right being with Gabriel.
I can’t worry what other’s think. I’ve never done that anyway.
And maybe I am being selfish by choosing Gabriel over the safety of my family but I have to do what’s right for me.
I have to become a woman I am proud of and my family will never let that happen.
Gabriel rubs his fingers against my nub faster and faster, warming me right up. But I need more than just this.
I push his hand away and unzip his pants, wrapping my hand around his cock. He hisses against my lips. I can’t help but smirk, knowing I have this sort of power over him.
“I need you,” I gasp out. “Now.”
“Fuck, baby.” He removes my hand from his cock and wraps his own hands around my waist, lifting me up. My legs wrap around his waist and he lines his cock up to my entrance.
We both moan together as he enters me. I’m still a little sore from my first time but my body quickly adapts to his.
Gabriel begins to thrust into me with a frantic energy that makes me breathless. I lean into him, allowing myself to get lost in the moment. Nothing else matters but us. This feeling. This happiness. That’s all I care about.
I clutch his back and let my eyes flutter closed. My head bumps against the wall but I don’t even care. This moment feels too good to care about anything else.
I tighten my legs around his waist, which makes him hiss and enter me harder.
“Gabriel,” I gasp out.
“I need this as much as you do, baby. Fuck, you feel so good around me,” he says into my ear.
I hold onto him tighter. Gabriel is the last person I thought I would develop feelings for but it turned out that he was the perfect person.
He can match my own darkness. He can understand me. He doesn’t judge me.
I know I’m falling in love with him if I’m not already there.
That thought makes a flare of arousal course through me.
“Yes,” I moan. “Yes.”
His thrusts become firmer. He enters me over and over and over again. I’m powerless to stop the pleasure growing inside of me until it finally overtakes me.
“Gabriel,” I moan as I come.
He growls into my neck and follows quickly after. Neither one of us moves. The strength in his arms to keep me upright on the wall is impressive. It reminds me of how much of a man he is. How powerful he is. How sexy and strong.
He lifts his head and looks into my eyes. “You are mine.”
“Yes. And you are mine.”
“I’ve never belonged to anyone before.”
“There’s a first time for everything. And you are mine too. This marriage will work both ways. Me at your side. Not me as your prisoner.”
“I don’t want you as my prisoner any longer,” he admits.
“You were never really my prisoner to begin with. All of my past prisoners have been people I discarded. Killed without a thought. But with you, I haven’t been able to get you off my mind.
Not when we first met and not now. Not even after I’ve had you. ”
“You’ve never loved a woman, have you?”
“I’ve been with women in the past but yes, I’ve never loved anyone.”
I don’t ask him if he loves me. I don’t want to ruin this moment just yet.
“It’s you and me now,” I whisper, clutching his face. “Don’t forget that.”
“How could I?” His eyes search mine. “God, what are you doing to me, Susanna? No one has ever made me feel this way before.”
“Why me?”
“Because I’ve always seen parts of me in you. Your darkness. How misunderstood you can be. But I see you for you. And I still want you.”
I blink back the tears that hit me. No one has ever said anything so nice to me in my entire life. Well… not since my dad died.
He sets me on my feet. We both fix our clothes but our eyes keep finding each other’s. We don’t want this moment to end.
But the second the doorbell rings, we both know it’s over.
“Who is it?” I ask.
“Probably Isaac. I asked him to come over.” He checks the peephole and then quickly backs away from the door. “It’s Luca. Fuck. He did follow you here. He’s never known where I lived before.”
“Let me talk to him,” I blurt out.
“No. He’s shown that he’ll hurt you to get to me. Go hide. I’ll deal with him.”
“No.” I grab Gabriel’s arm. “Don’t do this. Let me talk to him. Let me explain that I’m happy here. That he doesn’t have to do this. That you two can make peace.”
“He tried to kill you to get to me, Susanna. His own sister-in-law. He’ll never make peace.”
Before I can say anything else, the door bursts open and Luca storms into the house, his gun raised and pointed right at Gabriel.
I don’t even know what I’m doing as I put myself in front of Gabriel. But it’s too late. Luca is pulling the trigger without even thinking.
And the next thing I know is pain radiating up my stomach. I cry out as I fall to the ground. Luca’s eyes widen when he realizes what he has done.
Gabriel catches me in his arms and lowers me down.
I look at my stomach and all I can see is blood before a darkness starts to overtake my vision.