Page 26 of The Bodyguard's Vow

GABRIELLA

Ihated the idea of keeping my budding relationship with Domenico a secret, but I understood where he was coming from. As Rafa’s sister, I was supposed to be completely off-limits to anyone in The Family. Even more so for Domenico because he was my brother’s best friend.

But I didn’t feel an ounce of guilt for going after what I wanted. If our roles had been reversed and Vivienne had been my BFF, Rafa wouldn’t have allowed that to stand in his way. Turnabout seemed like fair play to me, even if I lived in a world run by ruthless men who lived by some rather antiquated rules.

Tugging a pillow against my chest, I took comfort in the fact that I had at least broken through the walls Domenico had built around himself. Ones that no one else had been able to penetrate. That was the most important part.

With him no longer fighting our magnetic chemistry, I could afford to be patient. Especially if he kept giving me mind-blowing orgasms while we were a secret. There was a lot that I could put up with for a daily dose of vitamin D. Or maybe it should be DD, for Domenico’s dick.

My train of thought made me giggle, and I lifted the pillow to press it against my face. Domenico wasn’t exactly known for his sense of humor. Despite the unicorn moment last night when I made him laugh, he was more likely to scowl at me if I shared that particular joke with him, and he’d definitely ask what was so funny if he heard me over the stream of water in the shower.

When my giggles subsided, I sat up and dropped the pillow onto the mattress beside me. Then a faint noise hit my ears, and I tilted my head to the side.

The cabin was just big enough for me not to be sure where the sound was coming from. Scrambling to my knees, I shuffled to the edge of the bed and strained to listen more closely. It didn’t take long for me to realize what I was hearing…someone was wiggling the knob of the front door.

I leaped from the mattress and raced into the bathroom, skidding to an abrupt halt in front of the shower stall. Domenico was too darn sexy for me not to take the briefest of moments to appreciate his muscular body before I slid the glass door to the side and hissed, “Someone’s breaking into the cabin.”

“Nobody but Rafa, Leo, Alec, and Dante know where we are,” he assured me, radiating confidence as he twisted the faucet to the off position and stepped out of the stall. “I’d trust each one of them with my life…and more importantly, yours.”

“Aw.” I pouted. “I’m not used to you saying sweet stuff like that, so it really sucks that I can’t properly appreciate it right now since someone is trying to get into the cabin, Mico.”

“It’s probably Rafa wanting to check on you in person instead of just calling. Nobody else would dare come here while I’m using the place as a safe house for you. And if it were someone else, the alarm system would be triggered. But I’ll go check things out, just in case.”

I gawked at his hard-on while he wrapped a towel around his waist, tucking the edge right below his happy trail. Licking mylips, I made a mental note to trace that line with my tongue the next chance I got.

“Stay put,” he commanded, stalking into the bedroom to grab his Beretta before he went to investigate the noise I’d heard.

I probably shouldn’t have been surprised that he didn’t hesitate to head into danger with nothing more than a towel on. Domenico didn’t have a timid bone in his body and wasn’t the kind of guy who hesitated when something needed to be done…except when it came to claiming me. Until last night.

My gaze dropped to my naked body, and my eyes widened. Domenico’s beard—and teeth—had left faint red marks on my skin in places that couldn’t be explained away with an innocent story if Rafa was at the door. And if it wasn’t him, an intruder who most likely had bad intentions was going to get an eyeful.

I wasn’t sure which scenario was worse, but either way, I needed to put something on. Immediately.

Hurrying back into the bedroom, I grabbed the first piece of clothing my gaze landed on—Domenico’s shirt. It was big enough to cover every inch of me from mid-thigh to neck, so I slid my arms into the holes and quickly fastened the buttons. Then I snagged my panties from the floor and tugged them up my legs.

Once they were in place, I tiptoed toward the bedroom door and pressed my ear against the flat surface since Domenico had shut it behind him. I really had to strain to hear anything at first, but eventually, the deep murmur of male voices hit my ears. A little bit of my tension eased since I doubted he’d take the time to chat with an intruder before shooting him.

The remaining strain disappeared when the masculine tones got just loud enough for me to recognize Rafa’s voice. Heaving a deep sigh of relief, I flung the door open to march into the living room.

“Be careful that you don’t traumatize my little sister, walking around half naked like that.”

The list of people Rafa joked around with was quite short, and I loved that Domenico was one of them. It gave me hope that my brother would come around more quickly than we thought since he loved us both. All we had to do was show him that we made each other happy…once Domenico was ready for that conversation.

The decision had to be his since he had the most to lose. It wasn’t as though Rafa would renounce me as his sister, but Domenico’s position as his head of security and bodyguard—also as his best friend—could be impacted by his choice to be with me.

I had to pin my hopes on the fact that my brother understood how important love was now that he had Vivienne and their baby on the way. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t need to be softened up before he saw reason, so as I walked into the front room, I forced my gaze away from the sexy temptation Domenico presented in just his towel.

I beamed a smile at Rafa as I made a beeline for him. “Are you here with good news?”

“What the fuck?” he growled, his eyes narrowing.

My brows drew together. “What?”

He jabbed his finger toward my chest. “What the fuck are you doing wearing Domenico’s shirt and nothing else?”

Crap.I’d completely messed up, somehow forgetting that I’d thrown this on instead of hunting for my own clothes. But at least growing up with three older brothers had taught me to be quick with comebacks. “In the rush to come up here, I forgot to bring any pajamas, so I borrowed one of Domenico’s shirts.”

Rafa’s voice was steely as he countered, “That’s a good story, Gabbi. But you forgot one thing…I saw my best friend wearing that shirt yesterday.”

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