Leonardo gaped at him, and then burst into delighted laughter. “Hell, buddy! I can’t wait to meet her.”
“Please go home with me Friday. I am going to need some moral support!” He smiled at his best friend then sobered his eyes warm and burning with deep emotion.
“I love her, Leo. I only just realized how much. I have to make her believe me!”
“Don’t worry, Gabe. We’ll find a way. Even if I have to seduce the damn Heiress to get her to back off.”
Chapter Eighteen
By Friday morning Sienna’s nerves were shot to pieces. Gabriel kept phoning her every day and every day she ignored the call and refused to talk to him when Benito brought the portable phone.
It was early afternoon and she was on the porch assisting Aunt Viola with Gramps bouquet. It consisted of lovely white orchids encapsulated by large green leaves. Sophia and Gramps were doing the table decorations Sophia insisted there must be. William and Andreas took to the hills to find some solace away from all the frilly things, as Andreas called it.
She chuckled when Sophia made a remark about men always pretending to be so rough and strong when in fact they were nothing but little kittens playing at being lions.
Sienna looked up and her eyes clashed with Gabriel’s lion like eyes that burned into hers. Her lips tightened and she felt the fury rolling over her from afresh. Sophia jumped up and rushed to her brother and he caught her in his arms, his eyes remaining fast on Sienna.
“Leo, it is wonderful to see you and I am so glad Gabe brought you with! Come, let me introduce you.”
She grabbed his hand and pulled him closer. “This is Gramps, Sienna’s grandmother and our bride to be. Gramps, this is Leonardo De Celle, lifelong friend of the family. ”
“How do you do, Gramps.” He took her hand and kissed it lightly with a smile on his lips.
“Elaine, please.”
Sophia dragged him over to Sienna, but he leaned over and kissed Aunt Viola on her cheek first. His eyes moved to Sienna and noticed with a smile that her eyes were still held hostage by Gabriel who stood rooted to the spot.
“This is Sienna Thorne. She is doing our lineage research. Sienna, this is Leo.”
Their eyes met and he was startled at the glittering violet of her eyes. He kissed her hand as well and held her hand, gazing down at her. Now he understood why his friend was so totally besotted. The next moment he was nearly pulled off his feet, when Gabriel grabbed him by the shoulder. He was forced to drop her hand and step back to regain his balance.
“You don’t have to drool over her hand, Leo.”
“Goodness, but you are grumpy, Gabe. Did the summit not go well?” Aunt Viola berated him.
“It went well enough, but I would rather have been here this week. It seems there are some rumors and photos that have been misconstrued by a certain judgmental person.”
Sienna snorted but ignored him and continued to carefully string the stems of the flowers together. Gabriel greeted his aunt and Gramps and stood looking down at Sienna.
“Come, Red. We need to talk.”
“I have absolutely nothing I need to talk to you about.”
“Tough, I have a hell of a lot to say.”
“Then go and talk to yourself in front of the mirror. I am sure you at least will believe the nonsense you are about to spurt out!”
Gabriel stiffened and Aunt Viola gasped. Sophia and Leonardo chuckled. Gramps was more vocal of course.
“Sienna!”
“Or better yet. Find Benito! He decrees every word his jackass King utters!”
Gabriel had enough and ripped the flowers out of her hands, totally destroying her efforts when he threw them on the table. She gasped and glared at him. He stood in front of her with his hands on his hips, his lips flattened in a straight line.
“You are a real caveman, do you know that!”
“Well then … let me not disappoint you!”
He bent over and pulled her from the chair and threw her over his shoulder in one movement. He turned and strode towards his room with long strides. Sienna took a moment to catch her breath and then she screeched and hit him on his back with her fists.
“You … jerk! Put me down! I am not going anywhere with you! Gabriel Costa … put me do … ouch!”
She ended with a scream when his large hand came down hard on her buttocks.
“Stop struggling, Red. I will let you down when I am ready.”
Leonardo laughed so hard he had to sit down on a chair.
“Well, well … how the mighty King has fallen! So ladies … are you ready to plan the biggest wedding of the decade?”
Aunt Viola’s eyes widened, and then smiled widely. Sophia nearly jumped on him.
“What! Did he say anything? Do tell, Leo!”
He just shrugged. “Come now, Sophia … have you ever seen your brother react so possessively and demandingly towards a woman?”
She growled. “Leonardo, I know you well enough to know better! Out with it. What did he say?”
He chuckled and pretended to lock his lips with a key. She screeched and stomped back to the table and her decorating.
Gabriel went directly to his bedroom and locked the door. He pulled the key out and stuffed it in his pocket before he literally dumped Sienna on his bed, her legs flying everywhere and her loose sundress nearly suffocated her as it flew over her head.
Gabriel growled as she was exposed up to her waist with only a very tiny white lace G-string covering her. His shaft sprang to instant full arousal and before she could lower the dress and pull her legs together, Gabriel grabbed the G-string and snapped it in two. She screeched, but he pushed her legs further apart and lowered himself between her legs, pushing his pants down and releasing his aching shaft.
“Gabriel! Get off meeee …” Her command ended in a low moan. Her furious eyes met his and she panted as he slowly, very slowly pushed inside her. Filling her inch by delicious inch. Her traitorous body opened and accepted him joyously and she knew once again she could not deny him.
He settled deep inside her core and pressed desperately against her to push even deeper. He waited until Sienna accepted him and returned his searching look.
“Red, I missed you! God only knows how much!”
He felt her stiffen and he cursed, pulling her eyes back to his with his fingers around her chin.
“Don’t think about it now, Baby. Now it is only you and I. It is only ever you and I!”
“No! I can’t do thi …”
He dropped his forehead against hers and she felt his body trembling against hers. His breathing shallow and haggard.
“Please don’t tell me no, Red. I can’t leave you now. I need you! Please amore!”
His lips moved over hers as soft as a butterfly’s wings, then harder, more demanding until she sighed against his lips and opened hers to the demand of his searching tongue. He kissed her so tenderly and with so much passion she felt tears burn behind her lids.
Her arms curled around his back and caressed his muscled cords from his neck down his spine to hold him close. He lifted his head and looked at her, his eyes searching, his voice hoarse.
“Red … yes?”
She wrapped her legs around his waist in answer and he growled low in his throat as he started thrusting. A slow, deep and steady rhythm that drove her mad and she mewled against his shoulder, thrashing against him. He did not relent and he kept the same rhythm watching the passion flash over her face, captured each gasp of her breath and treasured every shiver of her inner muscles around his pulsing shaft. He built their passions and heat up slowly, ever so slowly and Sienna felt as if she would explode with need. When she felt her orgasm ripple low in her core she keened and called his name over and over. He increased the pace until they both shattered in each other’s arms.
He rasped for breath and leaned on his elbows, his head resting in her neck. Sienna released her legs from around his waist and her arms from his back to settle them against his che
st between them. She did not move, savoring his continued heat inside her and his hardness covering her. Yet the picture of Gabriel kissing the beautiful heiress flashed through her mind and she tried to push away from him.
He refused to budge and kissed her warmly in the curve of her neck, stroking her arms. Desperate to keep her with him and not think of the confrontation that was inevitable. A confrontation that was going to end in a massive argument and loss of temper. Most probably his. She should know by how he made love with her that there was none other for him!
“Gabriel, release me, please.”
He sighed at the cold and husky voice in his ear. He pulled out of her and dropped down beside her. She pushed her dress down immediately and sat up, glaring at him.
“This has to stop! You can’t just take charge of me whenever it suits you! What will everyone downstairs think?”
Gabriel stood up and pulled his pants up and zipped them closed. He ran his hands through his hair in frustration and glared at her.
“Why do you put so much stock in what others think all the time, Sienna? For once, why don’t you think of us? Of what we have, of what we feel.”
“Oh, I know exactly what I feel, Gabriel. It’s what you feel that is the problem. And because of that we don’t and will never have anything!”
“I see. So tell me, Sienna, what is it that I feel?”
His eyes burned into hers and were two globes of fire scorching her. She rolled off the bed on the other side and walked around it to glare back at him.
“Why do I need to, Gabriel? I saw it with my own eyes. It is all over the television news, in all the newspapers. Whatever it is you feel, Gabriel, it is nothing I want or need. Your heiress and you make a pretty picture. I am sure your baby is going to be very beautiful!”
Her voice thickened and she stalked to the door and slapped her hand against it when she realized he still had the key. Her forehead hit the door with a thump.
“What I am not anymore, Gabriel is your sex slave. Go to Jessica Chastain. She can spread her legs for you. I am done! I refuse to be a Kings chattel or … dirty little secret! Now please open the door.”
“You have really no clue do you, Sienna? You stare yourself so blind against that Goddamned Royal title you don’t see anything else! Well forget it, my darling dear Red. I am not done with you! If you see yourself as my dirty little secret … so be it! You will move into this room with me and spread those lovely thighs when I tell you to. You will come for me when I tell you to, and most of all, you will never deny me anything!”
She swung around and he slammed his hands on either side of her head and held her captive with his body around hers. He lowered his head and he glared at her.
“You, Red, owe me … and I will not let you go … ever! Do you hear me? I will never release you!”
“You can’t force me to stay here! I refuse!”
“Hmm … who between us do you think holds the most power, Sienna? Do you really think your refusal is going to carry any weight with anyone?”
“Gabriel, this is ridiculous! You made it clear that you want Jessica Chastain. Why do you want to keep me here?”
“I made it clear? Exactly how and when did I do that?”
“I saw you in Rome, holding her and ki … kissing her! I saw all the pictures of her in your arms everywhere you went the past few weeks! You claimed you only saw her for the first time when you came back from Washington, but you seemed to be inseparable since then. I will not be the … the other woman in any man’s life … not even yours!”
He slammed his mouth against hers, kissing her wildly. His hands held her face still while he ravaged her mouth and she moaned. He lifted his head and his eyes glittered with anger.
“That Sienna, is what it looks like when I kiss the woman I want, need and desire. Is that what it looked like in Rome? Have you even stopped to think just once, from everything you have learned about me over the past weeks, that I am the type of man to say one thing and then do another? That I have no integrity and morals?”
“I never said you didn’t.”
“Yet that is what you mean with everything that comes out of your mouth. You know what, Sienna. I am done. I am not even going to try and justify myself to you anymore. You believe what you want to; nothing I say seems to make any difference anyway. One warning Sienna and you better heed me well. You. Will. Never. Leave. Me. You will sleep in my bed every night from this point forward, no matter where I go and you will never deny me the pleasures of your body.”
“No Gabriel!”
“Yes, Sienna. I think we established very well last week that your body belongs to me.”
“I am not going to stay with you! Not as long as your heiress is there … with your baby in her belly!”
He slammed his fists into the door beside her head and she flinched. His eyes literally bored holes through her head. His voice was savage and harsh.
“I am only going to say this once. I did not have sex with Jessica Chastain or any other woman but you, for the past year. The only woman that can lay claim to carry a child of mine in her belly, Sienna, is you. You can believe it or not. Frankly I don’t give a damn.”
He pulled the key out of his pocket and unlocked the door. He forced her eyes to his with his fingers locked around her chin.
“Maybe that is the solution. I should make you pregnant. Maybe then you will see and believe what is right in front of you all this damn time!”
He kissed her gasp from her lips with hard lips, released her, opened the door and walked away without another glance at her. Sienna leaned weakly back against the door. Her hands covering her belly. His baby! Oh God … why did it sound so right? Then she gasped and her eyes turned as round as saucers.
Pregnant … a baby! She ran through the door and tore down the passage to her room. She grabbed her laptop from the writing desk and sat down on the bed. She opened it and switched it on.
“Come on, come on!”
Her fingers clattered impatiently urging the computer to power up. The moment it did she opened her calendar and searched and found the entry she was looking for. She slowly counted the weeks from there with dread rising higher and higher in her throat.
“No, no, no, no, no! It can’t be! I am on the pill!”
She checked and recalculated and checked and calculated again, but every time the same result stared her in the face. She was pregnant. She was expecting Gabriel’s baby! She was close to six weeks pregnant!
“Oh God! After everything I just said to him, how am I going to tell him I am having his baby?”
Chapter Nineteen
Sienna fumed when she went to her room later the evening to go to bed and found that all her possessions have been moved out of the room. Obviously caveman Gabriel gave the order to move it into his room as he decreed earlier.
Refusing to be ordered around she took a long leisurely bath and wrapped a large bath sheet around her, locked the door and got defiantly into the bed.
If Gabriel thought for one moment I will be so easily ordered around, he had another thing coming! No matter what he said, he still locked lips with the heiress! That, he still has not bothered to explain to me or why she was in his arms where ever he went!
It was not too long after she got into bed that the door rattled and she winced when Gabriel cursed viciously on the other side of the door.
“Sienna open this damn door!”
“Go away, I am already in bed!”
“You are in the wrong bed! I am warning you, Red. Don’t aggravate me any further! Open the door!”
“No! I refuse to be ordered around!”
“Red, beware that I have no compunction breaking this door down. It is up to you if you want everyone in this house awake to hear your screams when I punish you for your defiance!”
“Punish! I am not a child, Gabriel! Go away!”
The next moment a loud crash sounded as he rammed his shoulder against the door. She jumped up and screeched.
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“Stop! You will wake everybody!”
“I warned you. Last chance, Baby. If I have to nurse an injured shoulder you will suffer even more! Open … this … door!”
“Oef! You are such a control freak! I told you I don’t want you anymore … go away!”
Obviously that was the worst thing she could have said at that point and he rammed and kicked against the door, cursing loudly. The door was more than sturdy. It was a castle after all and was made to keep unwanted people out. She winced with every crash and eventually jumped up and charged to the door.
“Gabriel, stop! You will hurt yourself!” She cried through the door.
“Then … open … the … door.” He ordered heaving with exertion.
“Please …”
“No, Sienna. I am not going to stop. It is your choice how I get through this door. One way or the other it is going to happen.”
She sighed and reluctantly turned the key and leaned heavily back against the wall beside the door. He opened the door immediately and saw her leaning against the wall. He did not even bother to enter the room; he just grabbed her arm and yanked her after him to his room.
He pushed her towards the bed, anger reverberating through him. He yanked the towel off her body and pointed to the bed.
“Get in bed. I am going to take a shower and I am warning you, Sienna, be here when I return!”
He waited until she climbed onto the bed before he stomped to the bathroom. She cowered under the sheet, sighing heavily. He has never been this angry and she worried her lip. She was so tired of fighting him all the time, but she refused to be used. Moreover to be the cause of him falling into disrepute with his people.
Gabriel did not dally in the shower and walked back into the room much too quickly for her peace of mind. He was naked and the look on his face was not any less vicious than when he yanked her to his room. But she did notice the grooves of tiredness around his mouth. He got under the sheet and flicked off the bedside lamps. He laid back and immediately pulled her against his side with his arm around her back. She had no choice but to scoot closer and find a spot for her head on his shoulder.
You Owe Me, Baby Page 16
