Page 48 of Sacred Blood

I was lost in La La Land, reliving our last session in the pool before coming upstairs to get cleaned up and begin preparing for the trip back to the city.

“I thought you were taking me to the safe house. Why would I need to dress for that?”

Tano straightened, his hands planted on his hips. “You haven’t been listening, have you? I said, we are going to the estate in the city and will stay there until after the wedding. Tonight, the immediate family is gathering for dinner to welcome you.”

Shit! That sounded like some serious pressure. I didn’t come from a small family, but with my mother’s being MIA, and most of my father’s back in Italy, big family dinners were just the five of us and a few of the cousins who had migrated to Toronto to work for my father. “How many are immediate?” I asked cautiously.

“It depends on if my mother’s sisters and their husbands are coming. She didn’t say, but if it is just the siblings, my mother and Nonna, and us, then twelve. But if the rest come, then add an additional twelve.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat. This was the reality coming faster than I’d anticipated. I glanced down at the glittering stone on my finger. “I wasn’t planning on anything formal. I’m not sure anything I packed is appropriate.”

His eyes narrowed. “Did I tell you to pack a cocktail dress?”

Crap! He had, but I totally forgot. “Uh. Yes, but…”

“But what, Gaby?”

“I forgot. I’m so sorry, Tano.”

His eyes could have burned two holes right through me with the way his gaze was sizzling.

“If we had more time, I would plug and spank your bottom and put you in the corner. But that can wait until after dinner. When I tell you something, it’s for a reason.” His wintry expression suddenly shifted, his smile sunshine and rainbows, giving me whiplash again.

“Come, I will help you choose something.”

“Fine,” I grumbled.

We emptied my suitcase and found a cute little dress meant more for a day on a patio than a family dinner, but once paired with heels and my hair was up, I looked ready for anything.

I exited the bathroom. “How’s this?”

Tano spun his finger in the air for me to turn. I huffed before obeying him and turning a slow circle so he could see me from all angles.

“Something’s not right.” He frowned, his eyes narrowing. “Lift your skirt,” he demanded.

I was about to tell him to shove it where the sun doesn’t shine, but remembered I was already in trouble. Even if I couldn’t get out of my due punishment after dinner, I didn’t want to make it any worse. Or did I?

That excited me and I squeezed my thighs together as I slid the mid-thigh skirt of my dress up and over my hips.

“Ah, that’s the problem.” Tano reached out and pulled my panties up, making sure the fabric was taut against my clit, then ripped them along both sides and pulled them off. As before, he took a deep, savoring sniff and then tucked them into his pocket, ignoring my gasp of surprise.

“New rule. No underpants unless I say so,” he said with a smirk.

Son of a—what happened to Mr. Romantic from yesterday? He almost had me, but the newly found twinkle in his eye told me he was playing a game. Did all the Vitale men keep their women off balance?

“That sounds perfect. Hopefully, you’ll make me so hot that a wet spot will appear on my dress and then your entire family will know I’m not wearing panties. Maybe even wonder what that looks like.” Two people could play that game.

The darkening of his eyes and the compression of his lips told me this was no longer a game. At least not one he was enjoying.

Tano reached out and tugged me to him so fast, I tripped over my own feet and would have fallen if not for his grip. Held tight to his chest, the beating of his heart didn’t show the excitement that mine did. Tipping his head down, he claimed my lips so completely I became putty in his arms.

It wasn’t a saving grace, however. His hand gripped my hair as he tore his lips away. His dark gaze bore into me with an intensity that belied the calm beat of his heart. “You are mine, Gabriella. No one sees what is mine. And no one—I mean, no one—touches what belongs to me.” His hand came down on my naked backside. The sound ricocheted around the room. “Understand that you are off limits to anyone. Your suggestive games are for me alone. Do you really want to be responsible for my family losing their eyes?”

His hand came down again with a loud crack. The pressure had me pressed so tightly to his body, he had to lean back to chuck my chin and gaze into my eyes once more. “You think me mean, but you grew up with too much leniency and you don’t realize that obeying an order from me could save your life. I need you to tap into your submissive soul and allow that to lead you when I give you orders, Gabriella, especially when we are around my family.”

The memory of the war room from my first visit to the Vitale estate flashed through my mind. There was no way I wanted a repeat of that.

“In our short time, you have wormed your way into my heart and I’m adamant about keeping you safe. Do you understand?”