I'm speechless as he slides it into place. Looking down, I am stunned at the beauty of it. White gold wraps around the band with a citrine diamond in the center, haloed with smaller white diamonds. The gem resembles the yellow, orange glow of a fire and I can't help but smile at the symbolism. He watches me silently as I find my words. "So, I am going to marry you now?"
"You always were."
He leans down taking my lips with his as he pulls me towards him. I ignore the aching on my lip and cheek as I kiss him back, pouring all my emotions into him. The relief that washes over me at no longer being burdened with marrying Enzo. The excitement over my new found engagement to this man who stirs up all kinds of feelings. My gratitude that he did this for me, for us.
I deepen the kiss further, wrapping my arms around his neck pushing into him. He runs his tongue over my lips as I part them, opening up for him. A low rumble vibrates from his chest as he plunges into my mouth. Kissing me harder I feel his erection, hard against me. He cups my breast over my shirt, and I release a moan into his mouth. “I need you.” I breathed into him.
Those three words are all it takes, and in an instant he places his hands over my butt and lifts me off the counter. As he carries me back to the room, he grabs hold of my shirt. I lift my arms allowing him to pull over my head dropping it on the floor. He lays me back onto the bed, quickly undressing as he climbs over top of me. I raise my head to claim his mouth for a kiss as he stares into my eyes. They are filled with longing and desire and it's everything I need right now.
I shift my hips up to meet his and try to bite back a moan as I feel his hard length graze over me. Holding my eyes with his, he slowly pushes into me. I let out a soft hiss at the pleasurable sensation of him as he fills me. When he is deep inside, he moves slowly, rhythmically against me. His eyes never leave mine as he claims every inch of my body, inside and out. Including my heart. “Gianna, I think I might be in love with you.” My breathing hitches at his vulnerable words. Though he didn’t straightforward say it, his admission is a lot, and it knocks down a part of the wall I hide behind.
He leans down kissing my lips as he continues to tantalize me until pleasure rolls through me. “Daveon.” My toes curl as I grab onto his shoulders, panting out his name.
At hearing his name fall from my lips in a breathy moan he picks up his pace. Giving me the slight push I need to shatter around him. He continues to push into me until he grunts and his body tenses over mine as he cums inside of me.
He slowly pulls out and falls onto the bed in a heap beside me, breathing rapidly. I think of the words he said to me and while they fill me with joy I feel as if he is expecting me to say something in that regard back. I lay silently in panic until his rich voice pulls me from it. “Gianna, I don’t expect you to say it back. You will when you are ready, I just wanted you to know what I feel for you.” My body relaxes at his words as he pulls me into him. With his even breathing fanning over my bare shoulder and his arms wrapped around me tight, I feel safe and excitement over my new future.
18
GIANNA
I wake the next morning to find myself alone in bed. Glancing around the room I wonder where Daveon had gone. Rolling over I catch sight of the ring on my finger once more as I try to suppress the girly grin that lifts my lips. Pushing off the bed, I get dressed before going out to look for him. Disappointment settles over me when I don't find Daveon anywhere in the apartment.
I don't get a lot of time to mope before the door is being opened and he walks in. His eyes find mine as a soft smile pulls the corner of his lips up slightly. “Morning, darlin.”
I can’t hide the pull of a smile on my own lips. "Where did you go?"
"I needed to work some things out with your father so we could leave."
"Oh alright.” I nod in acknowledgment of what he said before stopping. “Wait leave?"
He chuckles softly as he walks over to me. "Yes, Nico needs me back in New York." He is given a confused look in return. "You didn't think I would honestly leave you here alone while I went back, did you?" He asks flabbergasted.
"But we aren't married yet."
"That is what I was discussing with your father. You are allowed to come with me for a couple of weeks until the wedding is arranged. Any longer and you must come back."
"A couple of weeks?"
He nods at my surprise. "He doesn't want you over there for too long without being married. He said it looks bad for a proper girl of your standing." A cunning smirk pulls the corner of his lips up as he reaches out brushing the pad of his thumb over my lip. "As if any part of you is proper."
I can't help from rolling my eyes at him. "Oh shut up, Hercules."
His laughter rings out as he steps away from me. "Go pack we leave this afternoon."
***
By the time we arrive in New York we head directly to Daveon's place. We pull up to a nice apartment building on a busy street. I follow Daveon, heading inside as the doorman opens the door for us. “Mr. Saunders.” The older man tilts his head in acknowledgment of Daveon. “Do you need help with anything?”
“Yes, there are a few bags in the car please have them brought up.” He nods again before heading out to enlist some help. Unlike Nico’s place, the lobby is full of life. There are a handful of people milling about the foyer as they go about their evening.
Stepping into the elevator, Daveon catches me watching them all. “There are others who reside in the building, unlike Nico’s place, he owns the entire thing.”
My head whips to him in astonishment. “He owns the whole building? What does he do with it all?”
“It is mostly empty; aside from his penthouse, a security room, and a gym there really isn't anything there right now.”
“Why would he need an entire building? That seems a bit excessive.”
He chuckles lights. “It’s more for security reasons than vainness if that’s what you're thinking. If there is no reason for anyone else to be inside the building it's a lot easier to maintain security. He has offered me a floor to use as housing, but I never took him up on the offer.”
“Why not? Why live here surrounded by people when you could live there?”
“It’s not bad here.” His shoulders lift as he shrugs brushing off his response. “I never felt the need to enclose myself in a low risk area, I had no reason to.” As we make it to his loft, the elevator opens up.
Stepping inside I look around, not bothering to hide my curiosity over where he lives. As I look around, I’m not sure what to think. My nose pinches in confusion. It’s bare, empty, and bleak. There are only a few items of furniture and nothing on the walls. I don’t know what I had expected, but this wasn’t it.
As I turn around, he watches me with an oddly placed grin on his lips.
“Go on, spit it out.” He leans back against the wall folding his arms.
“Um, it’s nice, I mean it has potential. Have you ever thought of decorating?” I say looking around again at it. I’m not lying, it is nice. With some decorating and a homely touch, it has the potential to look nice.
His boisterous laughter rings out behind me, turning me to him. “I’m sorry, is something funny?” I fold my arms, fixing him with a glare. And here I was trying to be polite about his place.
He shakes his head at me. “This isn’t where we will be living. I am in the process of having everything moved. Come tomorrow it should be finished.”
“It’s not?”
“No.”
“Why are you moving?”
“We are moving because I can’t have you here alone all day with how many people are constantly moving in and out of the building. Too much of a risk.”
“Okaayy. So where are we going?”
“You’ll see tomorrow. Like I said, it should be done tomorrow, probably around midafternoon.” I feel my lips pucker at his secrecy.
I don’t like surprises. As he pushes off the wall and goes to pass me he stops, bending down and places a soft kiss o
ver my creased nose.
“You should relax more, being uptight all the time is going to give you wrinkles.”
“Oh fuck off, Hercules.” I reach out shoving his body away from me as he steps back laughing. He makes his way to his small balcony as he lights a smoke, blowing it out into the night.
***
As I get dressed the next morning, Daveon informs me he has to take care of things with Nico and I will be going to spend the day with Liliana. Though I’m not opposed to spending the day with her, the fact he is doing it as a way to babysit me is annoying. “You know I’m capable of staying home by myself. I did it for over six months back in Los Angeles.” I grab some clothes out of my bag on the floor, not bothering to hide myself as I slip out of my shorts I was in last night. A satisfaction fills me as he watches me from the bed.
His lazy ass is still lying down when he made me get up, saying I would take too long to get ready. He shifts, propping himself up to his elbows.
“Yeah, and you also have a tendency to open the door without seeing who it is, and though you now know how to throw a punch, thanks to me. I can’t say I am too confident in your defense skills. Since I don’t have any guards assigned to watch you, you're going to spend the day with Liliana so I don’t have to worry. I can only imagine what kind of trouble you would get yourself into roaming free around the city.”
I groan at his overprotectiveness. “My defense skills are just fine.”
“Oh yeah? I beg to differ.” Jumping up and out of bed he stands. “How about this, if you can defend yourself against me. You can stay home here by yourself. Deal?”
I force my face to remain unfazed when I want to smirk instead. He may have shown me how to punch, but he doesn’t know I was teaching myself all sorts of moves and self-defense before he showed up. “Okay, deal.” As soon as the words leave my lips, his posture changes. He goes from relaxed and at ease to something dangerous and lethal in an instant. I see his muscles flex and coil as he rolls his shoulders, watching me with calculating eyes.
I’m startled by his sudden change. I take a deep breath to focus as I watch his torso, waiting for him to make a move. Without warning he leaps toward me, and I almost don’t move fast enough. I drop to the floor before rolling over and jumping back to my feet, narrowly dodging him. He doesn’t stall as he spins in my direction, advancing on me once again. I jerk to the side moving away from his grasp as I leap over the bed. He catches my foot before I make it over putting enough distance between us. He jerks me back in one swift movement and I kick my leg out, extending it into his shoulder, catching him off guard as he stumbles back. A low growl echoes from his chest as he barrels toward me. I run towards the door, flinging it open as I dart down the hallway. I barely hear his footsteps bounding after me and I make the mistake of turning to see how far back he is.
I let out a startled yelp to find he is right behind me. How can a guy as big as him be so freaking quiet? Turning my attention forward I round the couch as he pushes off leaping over it. As I turn to flee once more his large arm wraps around my waist jerking me to a halt. I bend my elbow, pulling my arm forward before jamming it back with all the force I can muster.
I hear him grunt at the impact to his ribs before he tightens his grip. He lifts me as he spins, slamming me into the wall, he pushes his body against mine hard. Forcing his leg between mine as he grasps my hands holding them up above me tight.
My heart beats erratically as my breathing comes out in sharp pants. I look into his eyes and see the heavy, predatory gaze that consumes them. His shoulders are tense and I feel as his hand grips my waist, tightening his fingers into my lower back as they wrap around. Though I rarely see this side of him, I can see it is the side he keeps hidden from the world. Like a lethal predator lying in wait, he baits in his prey before attacking them.
The look in his eyes tells me I should be frightened, but I’m not. I’m so far from it. I am slammed by an aching desire as my core tightens. Everything about him, his force, his strength, the wild untamed darkness in his eyes. "I need you." I get out breathlessly. His gaze burns a rich amber before he bends down crashing his lips into mine. Dropping my hands, he reaches down grabbing hold of my butt, lifting me up as my legs wrap around his waist. His tongue pushes against mine as he tastes me, deepening the kiss. His hand moves between us as he brushes his finger under my panties, grazing my already slick folds. As he runs his finger down me, he groans into my mouth. "Fuck, you’re so wet.”
He claims my lips as he slides a finger into me, drawing a moan from my lips at the pleasurable sensation. Withdrawing it, he reaches down freeing his cock. He slams into me in one swift motion, and I gasp, arching off the wall into him. My fingers dig into his shoulders as he thrusts hard, pushing me into the wall with each connection. There is nothing soft and gentle about his movements or hands. Each time he slams into me, hitting a spot deeper than before, I quickly begin to feel myself unravel. Waves of pleasure surge through me finding my release as he continues to pound into me until he tenses against me.
Dropping his head to me, he buries his face into my neck and hair. Kissing my racing pulse as he draws in a deep breath. “Fucking cinnamon.” He shakes his head against me as he pulls back, looking down at me. “You make me lose all sense of control, woman.” He brushes a kiss to my lips before pulling out and settling me back down onto the ground.
“Sooo, do I get to stay?”
He rolls his eyes at me before turning and walking back down the hall. “Go get your ass ready. We are late.”
19
GIANNA
As we pull up to the large building Nico occupies like an overprotective psychopath, we walk in. Placing his hand on my lower back, we step into the elevator as Daveon enters the code to take us to the penthouse. "So since we have to be married in two weeks, you'll need to start working out any details you want with Liliana today. She can reach out to whoever helped with her planning."
"Yeah, okay."
"Oh and another thing. I need you to get everything set up for an engagement party tomorrow night. It shouldn't be a large event, it will only be about twenty or so people at the most I would think." My mouth gapes at the bomb he just dropped in my lap.
"Tomorrow? Are you shitting me? And I'm just supposed to figure everything out? I don't know anyone here. How do you expect me to plan this when I don't know where to find anything in New York?"
He just shrugs, looking forward, unconcerned. "Where the hell are we even hosting it at?"
"Our new place of course."
I throw my hands up. "Of course, because you had to make it somewhere that isn't even finished on top of everything else."
"It will be finished today.” He reassures me, to which I give him an incredulous look. “Come on, don't all girls love planning parties and shit like that? Should be right up your alley."
The elevator comes to a stop and the door dings at our arrival. "Oh, shut the fuck up. Not all girls do."
"And you're gonna tell me you're one that doesn't?" He turns raising a brow at me as the door opens. When I don't respond, he grins wide. "Can't wait to see how it turns out." He walks out of the elevator into the penthouse.
Following behind him, I stop as my eyes land on Liliana up on the counter wrapped around Nico. His hands are up her shirt and his is unbuttoned. I don't bother trying to conceal the grin on my face at seeing them. "Well, hello there sex kitten." I call out to Lil. She flushes with a warm blush that lights up her skin.
Nico groans at our interruption. "If she is a sex kitten. What exactly does that make you Gianna?" Nico looks at me with a crude glint in his eyes.
Knowing exactly where he is going with it, I shrug. "I dunno, a nympho maybe. Why did you have another word in mind?"
Nico opens his mouth to say something when Daveon clears his throat beside me. "Nico, don't."
Nico glares at Daveon for stopping him before he groans as he reluctantly moves his hands off Liliana. Helping her down he steps back and begins
to button up his shirt. "I'm installing a call request button. So you can't just come up anymore." He turns his attention back to me. "Especially you. That’s the last fucking thing I want is for you to constantly be coming in unannounced."
"Be nice." Liliana chastises Nico.
"I am being nice." She rolls her eyes at him before walking over to me. Grabbing my hand she drags me away from them, heading upstairs.
Settling down onto the bed, she watches me. "So how are you doing?"
"I'm fine, a lot better now that I'm not marrying Enzo." The relief I still feel is warming.
"Me too." She glances down looking at my ring as a smug expression settles on her face. "You know, I thought there was something up with you. Especially how you hated him so much."
"No, that hate was real. He still drives me fucking nuts sometimes. Speaking of which. I guess I have to plan the engagement party? For tomorrow.” I give her my best attempt at a pleading look. “Please help me."
She looks at me with shock. "We better get started then. Let me get dressed and we can get going. I know some caterers we can go talk to."
***
When we get back, I have almost everything set for tomorrow besides telling all the caterers where it is. Since Daveon wouldn't even tell me an address to give them all, I'll have to call them later with it.
It's not too much later after we return that Daveon and Nico arrive back. We don't stay long before he is ushering me out to go show me our new home. Excitement bubbles up at finally getting to see where we will be living. As we get into the elevator he pushes a button before stepping back facing me.
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