Page 12 of Stealing Her Heart
Disgust twists my stomach as I shuffle backwards. I hit the closed door of the elevator, almost sliding to the floor. Flushing with embarrassment, I turn to mash the call button, my breath trembling out of me. Behind me I hear them whispering and I whirl to tell them to stop it. To shut up. Not to talk about me or what a fool I have made of myself.
“Princess? What is wrong? What has happened, Gianna?”
Hearing his voice call my name is as if someone shoved blades through my chest. I turn to glare at him, hating how beautiful he is, how that need I have felt grow and grow for him since we met still burns inside of me. I am such a stupid, spoiled, silly little girl to have come here. To have run to him.
“Let me go. I should never have come here. I had no idea you...that they...I should have known. I am such a stupid girl.”
“Baby,” his voice is so soft, so gentle, tears slip down my cheeks. I try to hide it, but he sees it and rushes to me, dragging me back from the elevator. “Come talk to me. If someone has hurt you, I swear to God....”
“Youhurt me,” the words sound tiny, weak, defeated.
“Gabriel do not let her go. That sweet girl is so upset,” one of the women chastise in a tone that tells me she has done this before. Chastised him for some wrongdoing, not watched the trainwreck I am making.
“Please don’t,” I whisper, my words choked. “Let me go.”
“Never going to fucking happen, princess,” he growls, lips against my ear, his hands gripping my hips to yank me back against him.
Flushing in shame, I glance back at the women again. Surely, he is not going to put his hands on me in front of them? Is that how these people do things? I hope not. Iam nothere to put on a show. Glancing back at the two beautiful women, I am struck with the obvious.
They’reverybeautiful, no doubt. Just about as beautiful as he is. With the same strange colored eyes, the same nose, almost the same face entirely. Holy shit. What a mess I have made of things! What a stupid little girl I am.
Of coursethey’re just as beautiful—they're his sisters.
Chapter Seven
Gabriel
The light in her eyes mesmerizes me every single time.
Even now as it simmers with jealousy, it is beautiful. She is so damn beautiful. I hate that I have gone so long without her. That I could have had her all this time if I had taken my focus off the business. Off the money, the power, the prestige of being the guy everyone in town feared.
Now I barely recognize that guy. I was a brutal man before that damn party. Hell, I cut a man’s fingers off for stealing from me that same night. I might have literally had blood on my hands when I took her out on that patio. Just thinking about her being afraid of me, of her knowing that dark side of me makes me sick.
At the same time, I would end a life without thinking twice for her. If Marconi tries to take her from me, or even her damn father, they will be handled swiftly. With violence if necessary. I would put a bullet in their head without a moment of hesitation. They deserve the worst anyway, after what they have tried to do to her. Here she stands, doubting her importance to me, thinking that I could ever want something else or more than her.
“Princess,” I whisper gently, lips brushing her ear. “I am glad you came to me. Just as I asked. Do not misbehave with my sisters here. I won’t hesitate to punish you. We both know how much you like it, don’t we?”
Gianna lets out the tiniest, sweetest, hottest little sound. Then she nods. That’s my good little princess. I kiss her ear, giving her hips a little squeeze. Tugging her with me, I spin us both to face my sisters, who sit watching in rapt fascination. They have never seen me with a woman. Never seen this side of me because I had no idea this side even existed.
“Dita, Sabin, this is her. This is my princess, Gianna. Now I’ve gotten almost all the most important ladies in my life together. Mama needs to meet you next,” I lower my voice to whisper this to Gianna as she moves with me, her big, bright eyes focused on my two little sisters.
Taking a look at them myself, I understand her fit of jealousy. Both of my sisters are beautiful women, same as mama. In designer clothes, sparkling diamonds at their neck and ears, they come off as poised and classy. And they are. They also happen to be the goofiest, gutsiest, most generous people I know. There is nothing they wouldn’t do for me—so by extension, there is nothing they will not do for Gianna.
They were just teasing me as I poured my heart out about her. Everyone has noted the change in me lately. How often I am locked up in my office and how rarely I have been making it to our family dinners. As well as how I can talk of nothing else but my future—one with Gianna at my side.
“Gianna, I am so glad you came over,” Dita jumps up, circling the couch to rush over. My sister wraps Gianna up in a hug, making a playful show of tearing her away from my side.
Sabin comes next, bouncing Gianna side to side as she gushes about her pretty dress, her beautiful eyes, her cute updo. I stand back to let them fawn over her because I think she deserves it. Oh, shedefinitelydeserves the punishment I teased her about too, but that will wait for now.
Having shared her enough after twenty minutes of their excited chatter, I gently tell my sisters to go. I promise to bring Gianna to dinner the next time I come. As they go, they tell her they will bring her shopping with them soon to give her some freedom from me. Not that she will want that freedom.
“Goodnight,” I tell them a third time, ushering them to the elevator.
Once they’re on the elevator, I hit a little silver button nextto the elevator doors. It will prevent them from coming back. It will keep anyone out that I do not want up here. Turning, I face Gianna—the one person I do want up here. I do not say a word to her, I sail past her, grabbing her hand to lead her down a long hall to the master bedroom.
“You were jealous. It is a very pretty thing on you, baby. Just unnecessary. I do not appreciate the implication of you being jealous.”
Rounding her as she stands at the foot of the bed, I can feel her shaking. Not out of fear. No, this brave woman might fear others, but she is smart enough not to fear me. Once she is with me, she knows nothing could ever hurt her—I just would not allow it. Gianna shakes with anticipation.
