AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Raise your right hand,” he told me.
While I’d never been one for what I’d once called ceremonial bullshit, there was a sense of pride that flushed my system for being chosen. Maybe I was more like Luciano than I’d wanted to believe.
“Will you honor this Brotherhood until the day you take your last breath?” he asked.
“Yes, I will.”
“And will you come to the aid of each member if necessary?”
“Yes.”
He smirked as he placed the edge of the blade against my palm. “Then you are now a full member by giving of your word and your blood. Do not betray the Brotherhood or you’ll know what living life in hell is like.”
After the blade sliced into my hand, I fisted my fingers, allowing blood to trickle into the bowl. An odd feeling contradicted everything I’d once believed in. I felt like a part of a powerful force.
The strength of family was often considered entirely about blood, but often it became a curse, a toxic weakness that could spiral out of control. However, the blood formed from a bond, an oath not to be broken was sacred.
One thing I’d learned from Luciano that I would never forget.
Love could make you a strong force, but only loyalty could make you invincible.
CHAPTER9
Sarah
“Jesus Christ. Who is this secret admirer?” Maggie asked as a gorgeous crystal vase was placed on the nurse’s station in front of me by the same delivery driver as the day before. “And why don’t you have them in your office?”
I glanced over my shoulder at the one from the day earlier, shaking my head.
“A special guy I know.” Special. I wasn’t certain that was the term I’d use. In all honesty, there were no adequate words for Gabriel other than dangerous and powerful. And dominating. I couldn’t forget about that. The weekend had flown by and not all of it spent in bed. The snow had fallen through the early morning hours, leaving several inches of the most beautiful snow I’d ever seen.
He’d kept the fire going the entire time. We’d enjoyed fabulous food and wine, talking about nothing. And the passion had been off the charts, my entire body aching from the rounds of rough play. It had been a remarkable weekend. I tingled all over, wishing it could be repeated.
“And you know how tiny my office is. I couldn’t get any paperwork done if I had them on my desk.”
“True. The glamorous life of a surgeon. Well, I don’t mind looking at them, pretending to be you.”
I rubbed my fingers across my lips, unable to get the thought of him or the vision of his insanely gorgeous body out of my mind. I’d believed him to be carved in all the right places, but he was rock hard, chiseled to the point I’d been forced to blink several times to fully believe what I’d been looking at.
And his kisses had been to die for.
As I moved closer to the roses, this time white in color, the fragrance was almost overpowering. The buds were perfect, not one of them flawed. As I grabbed the card, the scrubs shifted across my bottom, and I was instantly reminded of the spanking he’d given me.
I still had difficulty believing I’d enjoyed being punished like a bad little girl. It was crazy to me, my personality such I’d thought I hated controlling men. But Gabriel made submitting desirable and safe, a contradiction in my mind.
“Honey, that’s not from someone you call special. You need to call him a keeper. I’ve had so many duds lately that I’m beginning to think I’ll never find Mr. Right.”
“They don’t exist, Mags. You need to train a man.”
“Uh-huh. Is that what you did with the one you met in a coffee shop? Can you ask him if he has a brother?”
I laughed as I pulled the note from the envelope. There was one word placed directly in the middle in bold, black ink.
Soon…
It was the same as the card from the day before. No signature. No phone call later. Nothing. We hadn’t made any plans after he’d driven me back to my apartment. But I’d known he would contact me again. The entire situation was strange, our relationship on the down low. I wasn’t entirely certain I wanted that to change. I liked having a little secret tucked away.
Carrie had badgered me upon my return, but I’d said almost nothing. Even Maggie only knew that he was a stockbroker and was well off.
