“Please.”
“Then say you belong to me,” he growls, never slowing down. I’m so close. I can feel it building. I begin to push my hips back into his, in perfect time with each thrust of his rock hard cock.
“I do! Fuck, Gabriel. I belong to you!”
“Fucking right!” he bites out. “You’re mine, always. No one else will ever touch you. Understand?”
“I don’t want anyone else,” I cry.
He removes his hands from mine, but I hold firm to the headboard. One hand grabs my chin and jerks my face toward his as the other trails down my stomach and between my legs.
“Tell me you love me,” he says against my lips, both of us breathing out of control.
“I love you, Gabriel. So much, baby.” With that, he slams his lips down on mine as his pinches my clit between his thumb and forefinger. He swallows down every scream as my body shatters against his with the weight of my climax.
He wrenches his mouth from mine as I continue to come. “Fuck, baby! That’s right, let me hear you.”
He pounds into me three more times before burying himself to the hilt and releasing with a loud shout of my name. His fingers in my hair tighten, sending bolts of pleasure between my legs, making my walls clench around his cock. I can feel the heat of his release as he fills me, and I absolutely love everything about it.
“You’re going to fucking kill me, my bella,” he rasps between deep breaths once he’s emptied himself completely.
“I think I’m already dead,” I reply as he collapses onto the bed, dragging my body down with him so we’re still connected in the most intimate way. As he tucks my back against his chest, I stare out the window into the dark night, feeling something I’ve never felt in my life. Complete and utter contentment.
“What are you thinking, baby?” Gabriel asks softly as he runs his fingers through my hair.
“I’m thinking about how much I love you,” I tell him honestly. After that night when I thought I’d lost him, my walls didn’t just crack, they were completely obliterated. Gabriel owns my heart, and as I lay here with his strong body wrapped around me protectively, I find I’m not terrified of that. He owns it, and I don’t want it back.
“You have no idea how much I love you, my bella. Life doesn’t exist for me without you.
“I know the feeling,” I whisper, feeling my eyes grow heavy. I must have dozed, because I wake minutes later to cool air rushing over me. Gabriel lifts one of my legs, pressing a damp cloth between them to clean me. We both remain silent as he gently wipes everything away. When he’s done, he walks back to the bathroom and throws the cloth in the laundry basket before returning to the bed.
Chest to back, he wraps his arms around me, telling me, “Sleep, baby.”
Releasing a peaceful sigh, I close my eyes and do as he orders.
Without being difficult.
***
Gabriel leaves for work the next morning, waking me with a kiss and a grope before rushing out the door. I drag my tired, sated body into the bathroom and stand under the showerhead until my skin starts to prune, letting the warm water soothe my tired muscles. After a quick blow-dry and a light application of makeup, I toss on a pair of jeans and a comfy t-shirt and make my way to the kitchen. I can already smell Jane’s cooking. That, combined with the heavenly aroma of coffee is all I need to perk up my still groggy senses.
“Jane, I’m officially in love with you,” I say when I see the big stack of Belgian waffles on a plate next to a waffle maker that looks way too intimidating for me to ever consider using. But God bless Jane.
She smiles warmly and fills a mug with coffee before sitting it on the island in front of me.
“Morning,” a deep voice rumbles from behind us.
We both pivot to see Carlo making his way slowly toward the barstool next to me.
“What are you doing up?” I jump from my seat and rush to him. “You were just shot. You need to be resting!”
“It’s been three days, sweetheart. I’m good. Fast healer.”
“Not fast enough to magically make three bullet holes disappear,” I scold.
“I’m fine, honey,” he says with a wink before slowly easing himself down onto the stool. “Besides, if I have to lie in the goddamned bed one more day, I’m gonna shoot somebody.”
“Stir crazy?” I ask with a laugh.
“Doesn’t even begin to cover it. Thanks,” he says to Jane as she sits a fresh cup of coffee down in front of him. He turns his attention back to me after taking a sip. “It’ll be good to get back home. No offense to the boss man, but his tastes are a little too fancy for me.”
I laugh and take a drink from my coffee cup. “I know what you mean. I’d hate to see the bill for the carpet replacement. Something tells me you bled all over a priceless Persian,” I say with a cheeky grin getting a deep laugh from Carlo. “Do you have someone to take care of you if you need anything?”
Jane puts a plate down in front of each of us and we immediately dig in. Never in my life have I tasted cooking as good as Jane’s.
“Yeah,” Carlo replies between bites. “My wife’ll be there to make sure I don’t do anything stupid.”
His response takes me aback. “You’re married?” I ask incredulously.
“Yep. It’ll be ten years this spring.”
“Wow.”
“Don’t look so surprised,” he tells me with a chuckle. “Got two little girls, too. Six and four.”
After a while, I somehow manage to pick my jaw up off the floor at his revelation. “Sorry. I’m just…surprised. I guess I didn’t expect that, you know. I guess I just assumed you didn’t have a family. Isn’t it hard? I mean, taking the risks you do when you know you’ve got people at home waiting for you?” It’s intrusive, but I can’t help but ask. The man was just laid up for three days with as many bullet holes in his body.
He turns and looks at me, the humor in his eyes earlier now replaced with seriousness. “The world isn’t all black and white, sweetheart. People do what they have to in order to survive. Sometimes that means taking risks. Some people get lucky and the risk pays off, some don’t. My wife isn’t blind to the world we live in. She knows some of what I do. I try to shelter her and my girls from it as much as possible, but there are times like now, where it bleeds into our personal lives.”
“If you’ve got a family at home, why stay here? Why aren’t you with them?”
“I needed be back on my feet before I let my girls see me. I’ve talked to my family every day on the phone. My girls think I’ve been away for work. It’s better this way. They’re too young to understand.”
“And your wife’s okay with it? With you being shot and nearly killed?”
“It hasn’t always been like this, Marley, working for Gabriel. This kind of shit isn’t an everyday occurrence. She’s not okay with me being shot up, but she knows there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. And she loves me enough to try to stick it out at my side until we get to the other end of it.”
“What do you mean?”
He takes another bite, his face growing contemplative, like he’s trying to figure out how to answer. “It’s like I said, people do what they have to do. Gabriel’s one of those people. But he’s not a bad guy, and this isn’t the life he wants for himself. Or his men, for that matter. We have followed him into this war of our own free will because we know the kind of man he is, and we respect the hell out of him. I haven’t regretted my decision for a second. He’s a good man.”
I stay silent for a long while, letting everything Carlo’s said sink in before finally looking at him and nodding. “I know.”
I have no doubt. For once, my head and heart are on the same page. Carlo’s right, the world isn’t black and white; it’s filled with different shades of gray. I know that better than most. Gabriel’s life lies within that gray, and despite being terrified of what that could mean for our future, I love him too much to walk away. He is a good man. He’s my good man. And I�
�ll do whatever is necessary to support him. I’ll be right there by his side when we reach the other end of this tunnel.
“Make it quick,” I tell Carlo as he joins Aldo and me at the entrance to the warehouse. “I’d love to give you time to drag this shit out, but I’ve got plans, and you’ve got a family to get back to.”
“No problem, boss. Still healing up, so I’m not really in the mood to fuck around tonight, anyway.” He reaches out and takes the gun from my outstretched hand.
“This is yours, Carlo. You’re the one who took three bullets because of this fucker. You’re the one who gets to end it.”
He gives me a chin lift and makes his way into the warehouse, Aldo and I follow behind.
“Oh, God! No. No no no no no,” the junky cries from the chair he’s tied to in the center of the large, open area. “Dude, I’m sorry. So fucking sorry! I had to tell him. He was gonna kill me!”
I narrow my eyes on the sobbing piece of shit in front of me. “Because you’re a goddamn rat, my man here got shot. You picked the wrong team to back, my man. Now you’re gonna die anyway.”
The junky hangs his head and begins to sob uncontrollably. “Please. Please, I’ll do anything you want. Anything!”
I drag my bored gaze to Carlo and see he’s staring at the kid with thinly veiled rage. “It’s time,” I tell him, wanting to speed things along. It’s been ten hours since I was last buried in Marley’s tight pussy. That’s nine and a half hours too fucking long. I want to get home to my bella.
Raising his arm, he aims the gun at the junky and fires. One clean shot. Right through the head and it’s all over. As far as I’m concerned, the kid got off easy. “Feel better?” I ask Carlo as he hands the gun back to me.
He inhales deeply and looks at me with a grin. “Yep. Night, boss.” Then he turns and heads out of the warehouse.
In a matter of minutes, the job’s done. Aldo calls in men to take care of the mess and we both call it a night.
All in a day’s work.
***
When I push through the front door of my apartment, I feel like I’ve stepped inside someone else’s home. The apartment smells like cinnamon and nutmeg. Christmas music plays from the speakers throughout the space. There’s a fire going in the living room fireplace, the mantel adorned with a deep green garland and white twinkle lights. The tree, which has been sitting bare since Cassandra dropped it off, is now covered in every shape, size, and style of ornament you could ever imagine. And I mean covered. There isn’t an empty spot on it. There’s no theme, absolutely nothing matches, but somehow it all works. Marley’s managed to pull off exactly what she wanted. The space feels warm and inviting, and I can’t help but smile as I take it all in.
Loud laughter draws my attention to the kitchen. I can hear my girl’s voice over all the others and my feet carry me in that direction of their own accord.
“What’s going on here?” I ask after pushing through the door.
Four pairs of eyes shoot in my direction. “Gabe!” my mother leaps from her place at the kitchen table and rushes to me, wrapping me in a tight embrace.
“Mom, good to see you.” I place a kiss on her cheek and look at the other women in my kitchen. Carmen, Jane, and Marley are all bent over the table with brightly colored piping bags in their hands. Once my mom releases me, I make my way over to Marley, wrapping my arms around her waist and pulling her body flush to mine.
“Hey, my bella,” I murmur against her lips.
“Hey, honey.” I pull back and look into those stunning, green eyes smiling brightly back at me. She’s occasionally called me ‘Baby’ while in the throes of her orgasm, but honey is an endearment I absolutely love. And I’ll never get tired of hearing it. “We’re decorating Christmas cookies!”
Her enthusiasm is addictive. I’ve never seen her so excited before. She’s like a kid in a candy store.
“I see that.” Scanning the sheets of brightly decorated cookies piled on the table. “Are you having fun?”
“Yes!” she squeals, jumping up and down. For the first time since I’ve known her, Marley has an innocence about her. Her exuberance brings out a whole new side of her, making her look younger, more carefree. My gut clenches at the thought this is probably the first time she’s ever looked like this. “I was talking with Jane this morning about the decorations and what I wanted. She said she knew of a shop that sold cute little vintage baubles. I found some of the cutest stuff, Gabriel! So I called Carmen and we started making them into ornaments. Then I got this idea it would be nice to have something from your childhood, so I called your mom and she brought over all these adorable ornaments from when you were growing up! So we decorated the living room, and then Annabel said we should make Christmas cookies—Oh! Did you see the decorations? Don’t you love them?”
She’s talking so fast I’m not sure how she hasn’t passed out yet from lack of oxygen. “Yeah, baby,” I laugh, “I saw. It looks great.”
“I know! Anyway, like I said, Annabel told me it was kind of a big deal to make and decorate cookies for the holidays; and I’ve never gotten to do that before, so I told her I wanted to, and here we are!” she finally finishes, then sucks in a deep breath.
Unable to resist any longer, I grab her neck and drag her to me, giving her a long, deep kiss. She’s so fucking cute when she’s excited like this. I don’t give a shit if we have an audience, or if one of those people just so happens to be my mother.
When I finally pull away, she coils her arms around my neck and hugs me tight. My gaze drifts over to where my mother is standing with a smile on her face, her clasped palms resting at her chest. I mouth thank you to her, knowing she’ll understand the meaning behind it. She simply nods before wiping a lone tear from her happy eyes. She gave Marley something today she had never had. I can’t put into words what that means to me. Jane has the same smile on her face, while Carmen is staring at me, studying me intently with a guarded expression. I watch in surprise as those walls fall and her lips tip up into a bright smile. Suddenly, I can understand why Aldo’s got a hard-on for this girl. She’s not as stunning as Marley, but she’s damn attractive when she smiles.
Her face lets me know she approves of me for her best friend. I’m happy my girl has such a solid person in her life. Carmen’s a good friend to her, and for that, I’m thankful.
“Okay!” my mother announces with a clap. “I think it’s time for me to head home.”
Marley pulls from my arms and goes to give her a hug. “You sure? We still have more cookies to decorate.”
“Oh yes, dear. I’m not as young as I used to be. If I’m not tucked away in bed soon, I’ll be worthless tomorrow. Have to get my beauty rest.”
Marley laughs as Carmen and Jane follow my mother, standing from their chairs and grabbing their purses.
“Probably best we all call it a night,” Carmen tells Marley, planting a kiss on her cheek. “You and I both have work tomorrow, and I’m sure Jane here has some risqué plans for the night.” Carmen shoots a wink at my housekeeper and wags her brows suggestively.
“Young people today,” Jane mutters under her breath. “So crass.” She walks past me and out of the kitchen, but I can see the smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. The women file out the front door after more hugs and kisses, and I finally breathe a sigh of relief when I have Marley to myself.
Taking hold of her chin, I tip her face to mine. “I’m glad you had such a good day, my bella.”
“I really did,” she tells me sincerely.
My need for her grows into a tangible thing as I stare into those eyes I’ve become obsessed with. Her gaze turns intense as she notices the hunger in my own. Her eyes go half-mast and her tongue darts out to lick her perfect pink lips, dragging my attention to her mouth. I want to devour her. But first, there’s something else I need to do. She’s been opened up to what life should be like today. I want to open her up to more.
“Do you trust me, baby?” I run the tips of my fingers do
wn her neck, across her collarbone, feeling her tremble against me. I love how something as simple as my touch elicits such a strong reaction from her.
She inhales sharply as she nods.
“Good girl.”
Taking her hand, I lead her from the entryway into the bedroom. I stop when we get to the edge of the bed, and slowly, methodically begin to peel her clothes from her body. Her little gasps and moans each time my fingers brush over her bare skin are driving me out of my fucking mind, but I somehow manage to keep a lid on my desire. This is for her. It’s about giving her something she’s not aware she even needs.
I take in every single, perfect curve of her body, as she stands naked in front of me, my cock pressing painfully against the fly of my pants. “Undress me,” I tell her, my voice gruff with pent up hunger, just itching to be released.
Her fingers shake as she reaches over and starts unbuttoning my shirt. Once finished, her soft hands slide along the ridges of my abs, moving up slowly to push it off my shoulders. Her eyes are fixed on my bare torso; her rapid breaths making her chest rise and fall quickly. I watch her perfect tits as they move with every breath. Her nipples pebble into tight peaks, just begging me to suck them into my mouth.
As I take in every glorious inch of her, I have to tamp down the urge to throw her on the bed and shove my cock inside her. I’m so caught up in picturing her screaming my name, I don’t notice she’s already gotten my belt off until I feel her fingers releasing the button on pants. As soon as it pops open, she grabs hold of the zipper and yanks it down. My pants slide down my hips to pool at my feet. She glides her fingertips along the elastic waist of my boxer briefs, and I swear to Christ, I’m only a fucking second away from coming in my underwear like a goddamned teenager.
She grasps the waistband and slides them down so they join the rest of my clothes on the floor. I quickly kick off my shoes and remove my socks before stepping free of the pile. Once I stand straight, I notice her eyes trained on my dick, hard and pointing straight out toward her like a goddamned heat-seeking missile. She licks her lips, and just that little act makes my cock twitch.
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