“Hey, it’s not what you think, Dani. Jesus shit. They’re friends.”
“Does she know?” Dani hissed.
“Yes, Dani, and if she didn’t, you know the rules.”
“Knowing them and liking them are two different things,” Dani growled.
“God, you came back bitchier than when you left. Where’s Deuce?” Lefty said.
“Fuck Deuce,” she sneered. “I’m going to go say hi and grill this bitch. Someone has to look out for my girl, Ardy. Especially since she’s part of the family.” She then walked off like the tornado she was.
Demon let out a low whistle. “I’m guessing shit didn’t go well with Deuce.”
“They’re always off and on. What’s the difference?” Lefty observed.
The door opened and Demon’s young daughter stood there while holding her crotch. “Gotta
pee, Daddy,” she crooned while zooming through the kitchen.
Lefty looked at Demon and they both burst into laughter.
It felt good to laugh. The cold shoulder Gia kept giving him was starting to get under his skin. He didn’t have to try with women. Maybe this was his payback for his mistreatment of them. The one woman he actually wanted…couldn’t offer him anymore than sex. The joke
wasn’t lost on him. He turned and peered out the window.
Gia looked like a fucking angel. Her white sundress stood out against her brown skin. Her
golden-kissed curls cascaded down her back, framing her oval-shaped face. Her full lips were free of lipstick and curved upward in a genuine smile.
This is what I want with her.
There was a whole other woman lurking inside her, waiting to be set free. He wanted to tap into that and guide her into the sunlight. She didn’t belong in the dark where her memories held her prisoner. The nightmares she suffered from hadn’t ceased and he didn’t miss the weight being shaved off her frame. The demons never left you alone until you faced them. He knew that firsthand. There were cracks in her armor. Small tokens of esteem they never talked about. She cooked their meals, did their laundry, and showed him the softer side of Gia he’d only glimpsed before in small doses. It was torture seeing more of what he couldn’t lay claim to.
She turned her head and their gazes connected. There was an unspoken connection.
Gia gave him a tentative smile and his stomach flipped. He’d been taking a different
approach with her and hanging back. That ended tonight. She thrived under pressure and
remained in her comfort zone until she was challenged. Y ou need a catalyst, girl, and I have no problems stirring shit up. He broke their stare down, planning in his head. Tonight, everything would change.
* * * *
They walked into the house and she glanced back at him nervously. “You’ve been pretty
quiet, is everything okay?”
“Everything is fine, Gia. I gave you time to get settled in. It’s been a week. You’ve had time to get your head together and shit is progressing the way it needs to. Tomorrow, you’re going to tell Nan where you’ll be and we’ll wait to see if she takes the information back to Mylandra.
Tonight…you’re mine.”
She scoffed. “I keep telling you I belong to no one.”
“See.” He gripped her throat, rubbing the erratic pulse in her neck with his thumb. “That’s where you’re wrong, baby.” She licked her lips and he groaned. “If I put my hand under your dress and push aside those pretty panties you have on, I know you’ll be soaking wet. Because you know I’m going to make you feel good. Your mind might protest, but your body knows who you belong to.” Her chest heaved. “Look at you right now. Any other man who tried this would be on the floor.” He tightened his hold, adding pressure to her windpipe. “But you trust me, don’t you? Say it, Gia.”
Her eyes widened. “Say what?”
“Tell me who you belong to.”