Chapter 27
27
CELIA
I felt his presence before I saw him. Maybe it was the weight of his gaze, or maybe I’d just grown attuned to the gravity of his presence.
Either way, I wasn’t surprised when I stepped onto the porch and found him waiting in the shadows.
“You’re early,” I said, pulling my sweater tighter around me against the evening chill.
Gabriel stepped forward, moonlight catching the sharp planes of his face. He looked tired, the kind of bone-deep exhaustion I’d never seen on his face before despite his inhuman sleep habits. But his eyes were alert as ever, studying me with that intensity that always made me feel like he was solving a puzzle.
“I need to talk to you first. Before my brothers.”
Of course he did. Gabriel always had to be ten steps ahead, had to control every conversation, every interaction. I leaned against the railing, deliberately casual. “I’m listening.”
He moved closer, close enough that I could smell his cologne, subtle and expensive, like everything else about him. “I want you to work with me. For Dante and Luca.”
“Work with you how?”
To my complete shock, he lowered himself to one knee.
“I want you to be my wife.”
A startled laugh escaped me before I could stop it. “I’m already your wife, Gabriel.”
“Yes, but now I’m asking.” His face was solemn. “We need to work together to take down your father. Right now, everyone sees our houses divided. They see weakness, vulnerability. But together…” He paused, his eyes never leaving mine. “Together we could own everything he has. You could have your freedom, your own money, your own business. You could be the head of your family. But for it to work, we need to be married. We need the power of your house and mine combined.”
The proposal was perfectly Gabriel: logical, strategic, a clear path to power wrapped in the appearance of giving me what I wanted. He’d probably spent hours planning this conversation, weighing every word.
“That’s a very logical proposition, Gabriel.” I kept my voice soft, watching the tension in his shoulders and in the tight planes of his face. “But you hurt me. And you always think I’m so illogical.” My lips curved in a smile that wasn’t entirely kind. “Surely you don’t think I’ll be so easily swayed.”
He didn’t flinch, but something flickered in his eyes. Frustration maybe, or something deeper. “This isn’t about?—”
“That’s what you never understood.” I pushed away from the railing, moving closer. “You’re still trying to control everything, aren’t you? Still trying to make all the pieces fit into your perfect plan.”
“Celia—”
“You watched us tonight. Through the windows.” His slight intake of breath confirmed it. “Did it bother you? Seeing them touch me?”
Now he did flinch, just slightly. But he was still on one knee, still looking up at me with those unreadable eyes. Still trying to solve the puzzle of me, when all he had to do was feel.
“Tell me, Gabriel. Or leave me the fuck alone. I don’t give a damn about the power, the money, any of it. Not even revenge. I’ll fight for the life I want, but that’s the only thing worth fighting for.”
“And what is the life you want?” His tone was crisp, cold. Commanding, even when he was on his knees.
“I want Luca and Dante and my freedom.” I hesitated, the next words catching in my chest. I’d asked him to be vulnerable to me for once, but now I found myself reaching out first. “And I want you. Not now, but…someday. I want you.”
He rose to his feet, frowning as if the puzzle just kept changing.
“Why?” he asked bluntly.
I tucked my hair back behind my ear. “I’m not going to give you a list of your endearing qualities, Gabriel. I’m not flirting with you. Give me an answer.”
He raised his brows. “For us, I thought this was flirting.”
I waited him out.
He let out a breath as he stood. I couldn’t read him. Was that resignation? And if so, was it to leave me behind or step into what we could be? It tore me apart, waiting.
“I hated watching them have their hands on my wife. Not because I can’t share. But because I should’ve been there too.” He stepped toward me, his blue eyes flaring hot. “You left me. You acted as if I were insane to put you in a cage?—”
“Because it is. Cages are not an acceptable way of managing marital disputes!”
“But you left me!”
“You pushed me away!”
“What do you want from me, Celia. Do you want me to sit with you and pet your back while we talk about the traumas of our childhood? I don’t give a fuck about our pasts. I care about what we can become together. I care about…” His jaw tightened.
He seemed to be struggling with himself. Then, more quietly, he said, “I care about my brothers and my wife. I’m just not sure I’ll ever be the man you want.”
“The caring, kind man who comforts me?”
His lips twisted. “Probably not going to happen, no. But you’ve got Dante.”
He sounded resigned.
“The playful man who pushes me and infuriates me but makes me feel unstoppable?”
He shrugged. “You’ve already got Luca.”
“What about a power-hungry psycho will stop at nothing to put our family on the top—and to put me on my knees from time to time?”
His gaze caught on mine, heat flaring, as he took a step toward me. There was a question there too, etched on his perfect mouth even if he couldn’t bring himself to ask it.
But I answered him anyway.
“I can admit I need you as much as I need them, Gabriel. But only if you can admit you need me.”
His hands slid around my waist, drawing me into his body, and his mouth crashed against mine. For a heartbeat, I stood still, shocked by the way he’d dove into me as if he had been waiting for his chance. Then I felt myself unfurl. My body softened against his, my lips parted. He drove his tongue into my mouth as if he needed to conquer me.
But when the two of us finally pulled back slightly, our panting breaths mingled as he rested his forehead against mine.
“I need you,” he murmured. “And I want you.”