“As I’ll ever be.”
“Welcome to a night in the jungle of sin.”
“Jungle of sin,” she repeats as I pull the blindfold off. I watch as she takes everything in—the dark walls and the greenery being brought in to mimic the Amazon jungle and its foliage. We’ve put up vines and lighting only in areas meant to host her pieces. Even the flowers brought in to stage the area for her approval add a layer of beauty to the debauchery that will be the final result.
“What do you think?”
“It’s stunning.” Her eyes are lit up in a way I haven’t seen in a while. So much happiness. Excitement. “This is going to look amazing, Theodore.”
“Theo.”
“I’m sorry?” she asks, and the way her brows scrunch up is quite adorable.
“I’m always just Theo to you, unless you have a sexy nickname for me? Those are always acceptable.”
Her blush is instant. “Not yet.”
“So there might be in the future?” I hedge, stepping closer. Invading her personal space, I grip the back of her neck while bending low enough that I can press my forehead to hers. “You want there to be one?”
“That’s not what I said.” Her sweet breath fans across my lips, and it takes everything in me not to kiss her. To taste her. “You’re putting words in my mouth.”
“I agree, taking your mouth is a tempting offer.”
“Theodore Astor!”
“Yes?”
“You’re doing a fabulous job at cheering me up,” Gabriella whispers suddenly and then presses those beautiful lips to mine in the sweetest kiss. It’s short and soft and the literal definition of perfection, but I want more. To own her. To devour. “Now, what’s under the large covering?”
“Another surprise.”
“Show me.” The demanding tone she uses, how she enunciates each word, is sexy and makes my cock throb. The hard son of bitch presses against the zipper of my pants, digging into the teeth in search of a relief we can’t have yet. She’s not ready for me, for the demonic need only she can incite.
“Not yet.” My expression is neutral, while inside I’m a ball of aching fire. Needing. Hungry.
“Why not?” she pouts, and I want to bite her bottom lip.
“One, she’s my surprise for another time. And two, because it’s feeding time, and someone will be here shortly to do so.” I can see the questions brewing at my words, but I shake my head. “Trust me, sweetheart. You’ll be meeting her soon enough.”
“She?”
“Yes, she.” Turning us around, I catch the moment Tero comes in with a box with the animal’s meal inside. We pass by each other, him smiling at Gabriella and my little painter curious as ever is trying to look around me, but I don’t pause until we’re inside the elevator shaft and the door is closed. “I know you have questions and I promise to answer them soon, but that back there is very important. It’s more than an opening night surprise. She’s my special gift to you.”
“That sounds insane.”
“Sometimes a little insanity is a blessing, Gabriella. Just like I never expected you, but you’ve knocked me down and have overtaken my world. Something I will never regret.”
29
Gabriella
I
can’t get his words out of my head.
Their meaning and the heavy conviction that leads to one word: love.
It’s been brewing, growing—consuming my world since we met outside of the cafe a few weeks ago, and while it makes no sense, I’m unable to deny it. To myself. To him. Because there’s this undeniable pull that both throws me off my feet while helping me find an inner balance I’ve been missing.
And all because of him. Theodore Astor.
Being with him—just standing in his presence makes me feel at home, a warmth I’ve never felt before. Not once. Not with anyone. There’s just something about Theo that pulls me in, and I don’t fight it—him—the tight binds that both tethers and scares me.
It’s also why I’m currently arguing with the man, holding my ground. Arms crossed over my chest; I’m meeting his hard stare with one of my own while his jaw ticks. “Yes.”
“No.”
“Not up for debate, Mr. Astor.”
You’re right.” He steps into my personal space, crowding me against the front door of my home. He thinks I’m here to pick up clothes, while I’m here to stay. To get back to work, because I have a show to prepare for and a life that needs to carry on.
I’m not going to hide. I’ve done nothing wrong.
The police themselves have been patrolling the nearby area the last few nights, and nothing. No snakes. No threats. No bodies. And with the extra officers surrounding the neighborhood, I doubt there will be.
I can’t allow myself to think otherwise.
