Total pages in book: 39
Estimated words: 36109 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 181(@200wpm)___ 144(@250wpm)___ 120(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 36109 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 181(@200wpm)___ 144(@250wpm)___ 120(@300wpm)
When I felt more stable, I went into the guest room and gathered up my clothes and toiletries. I waited until I heard her bedroom door close, then I made my way into the bathroom. Honeysuckle and jasmine lingered in the air, and I wondered again how she smelled so incredible. When I moved in, I’d looked for body wash, shampoo, or some kind of fragrance but hadn’t found anything. The scent was simply Gabriella. And I suspected that her pussy would taste just as sweet.
Porca puttana.
I hurried through my shower, dressed, then used some gel to tame my curly hair, which had been the bane of my existence since I was a kid. When I emerged from the bathroom, Gabriella was in the kitchen drinking from a mug that said, I get away with everything. It’s adorable, really.
Her mug collection made me chuckle a few times over the past few weeks. Especially when I saw the ones that said Mess with me, and you’ll be sleeping with the fishes and Keep talking—I know a guy.
“Are you ready to go, sole?” I asked as I tucked my keys and wallet into my pocket before slipping my gun into my holster.
“Yes,” she answered flatly as she rinsed her cup and added it to the dishwasher.
Once we were out of her apartment and in the car headed to her first appointment, I finally lost some of the sexual tension that had been eating away at me in such a confined space with way too many flat surfaces to fuck on.
“Why are you calling me sole all of a sudden?” she blurted after we’d ridden in silence for ten minutes. “You already call me Gabriella instead of Gabbi.”
The tension returned as I scrambled to come up with any reason except the truth. I couldn’t tell her that she was the light in my darkness, the only thing that helped me see what humanity remained in the midst of the killer carved from ice inside me.
“Because you’re too damn bright in the morning,” I grumbled.
She was quiet for a minute, so I glanced over and found her dark eyes studying me as if she wasn’t quite sure she believed my explanation. Then she turned in her seat so she was facing forward again and declared, “It seems only fair that I get to use a nickname for you, too. Rompicoglioni seems appropriate. But I think I’ll just go with Mico instead.”
Worried that the nickname would seem too intimate and send up red flags, I almost contradicted her. But Rafa had called me Mico from time to time since we became friends. It was rare, but not completely improbable that Gabriella could have picked up on it once.
“I suppose that’s better than ‘pain in the ass,’” I remarked.
She giggled, and the sound pierced my chest, spreading warmth through my body. Another reason I called her sole. She lit up when she was happy, and if I couldn’t make her mine, then that was all I wanted for her. Although, I wasn’t sure how to make that happen when I couldn’t stand by and let another man have her.
I’d come to accept that after I put the fear of the devil into George. He might not have balked at the name De Luca, but he was still a pussy who had crumpled under my threats of death and dismemberment if he so much as touched Gabriella. However, I’d also told him not to break up with her. I didn’t want to see her hurt in case she cared about him at all. But my bigger concern was that if he went running right away, she might suspect Rafa or I had something to do with it.
My train of thought was interrupted when we arrived at our destination. I was pleased when Gabriella stayed in the car, allowing me to come around and open her door.
“Brava ragazze, sole,” I murmured as I reached in to help her out of the vehicle.
Her cheeks turned pink, then her whole face flushed when our hands clasped and sparks erupted where we touched. When she was standing beside me, I told myself to let go but reflexively squeezed a little tighter. Then I gritted my teeth and forced reality to take over, reluctantly releasing her.
Gabriella cleared her throat and shifted awkwardly. “I know better than that. Rafa would lock me in a tower if I didn’t take my safety seriously.”
“Sounds like a smart move to me,” I said evenly, my expression mostly unreadable.
“Of course you’d think that,” she scoffed, tossing me a disgruntled frown. Obviously taking my comment at face value—practical and protective and siding with Rafa as usual.
She clearly didn’t catch the slight edge in my voice or the flicker in my eyes that would have told her I wouldn’t mind being the one to keep her safely out of reach.