Page 42 of This Thing of Ours

“Everything all right?”

She nodded. “Dad has a broken femur and is going in for surgery.”

“Let me jump in the shower then we’ll go.”

Gabby looked down at her shirt then back at Marco with a small smirk. “Guess I’d better change.”

Marco called over his shoulder before closing the bathroom door, “Only if you don’t want to start World War III.”

Chapter Sixteen

By the timethey’d gotten back to Marco’s place, Gabby could barely keep her eyes open. To say it had been a long day and night would be an understatement. Her run-in with Derek at school felt like days ago rather than just that morning. Add to that the mental and physical highs and lows from the explosion and her dad’s surgery, and it was a wonder she hadn’t crashed hours ago.

She’d tried to sleep at the hospital—especially when Marco had practically made it an order, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and bringing her head to his chest—but sleep hadn’t come, worry for her dad keeping her awake.

Nico and Olivia had already been at the hospital by the time Marco and Gabby had arrived. Angelica had been passed around but ended up spending most of her time on her grandma’s lap, and from the look on her mom’s face, she’d taken comfort from her sleeping grandchild being there.

Between comforting Olivia, Nico had either talked with his men who had popped in and out throughout the night or had been on the phone while pacing outside of the room.

Marco hadn’t left Gabby’s side the whole night. She’d even asked whether he had something he needed to do, and he’d told her he was doing it. She hadn’t said anything, just snuggled as close as their chairs would allow, but she’d smiled on the inside.

When the news had come that her dad was out of surgery but wouldn’t be allowed visitors until the following day, everyone, except her mom, had packed up and left. Nico had tried to convince Dona into going with Olivia and him to the hotel, but she wouldn’t leave her husband’s side.

Stumbling into the condo like a drunken sailor, Gabby couldn’t even find the energy to bend over and pet an excited Fred who yapped at her feet.

Marco’s hands landed on her hips as he came up behind her and steered her toward the stairs. “Time for you to go to bed.” His lips nuzzled her ear as he spoke sending shivers down her spine.

Gabby yawned and leaned back, giving Marco most of her weight as they climbed the stairs.

He grabbed a pillow from the bed and a blanket from the closet.

“You know, you can share the bed.”

“Told you I wasn’t fucking you yet.”

“We don’t have to… you know,” she did a little wave of her hand between them, “we can just sleep. The bed is plenty big enough.”

“I sleep next to you, I’ll want to fuck you.”

“Oh. Well, um, just out of curiosity, when do you think we’ll be doing that?”

“We’ll be doingthat,” a small smirk played on his lips, “after I take you out on a few dates.”

Gabby laughed. “I didn’t take you for a three-date rule kind of guy.”

Marco shook his head, frowning. “I didn’t know there was such a thing, but if it’s anything like it sounds,” he shrugged, “I guess with you I am.”

“With me?”

“Listen. I’m new to this shit, but if there’s some kind of rule, we’re following it. I’ve never been in a relationship, never taken anyone out on a date, and I’ll probably fuck it up, but I want to start out right with you. You’re special. You deserve to be treated that way.”

She opened her mouth to tell him he was special too, but he stopped her words with a thumb on her lips.

“Let’s be real. You gotta know you’re getting the short end of the stick.” He tossed the blanket and pillow on the bed and held his hands, palms up, out in front of him. “These hands that you want touching you, they are not clean. They’re covered in the blood of the many men I’ve killed. I want you to take these next few days to think about that.”

She again opened her mouth to speak, but, yet again, he got there first. “I know I’ve said this once before, but I need you to be perfectly clear on what I’m saying. Once I have you, you’re mine. No turning back. No stopping. I won’t ever let you go so make damn sure I’m who and what you really want.” He grabbed the pillow and blanket off the bed.

“Marco—”

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