Page 7 of Claimed by my Stepbrother

He swats at my hand but my grip is firm and his lips turn blue as he gasps for air. His friend at the bar gets an earful from the bartender and rushes over to us.

“Don Gallucci, I’m so sorry. He didn’t mean anything. I swear. He has a wife and kids at home. Just let him go so he can apologize and we’ll be on our way,” he begs me and I watch as the man I’m choking absorbs the news of my identity.

“Giovanni, it’s alright. You can let him go,” Gabby says, placing her hand on top of mine.

I release my grip on him, and he falls back against the wall behind him. He holds his throat with both hands and gasps for air.

“You’ve got thirty seconds to get him out of here. I’d start moving now,” I tell his friend.

“Yes. Yes, sir,” he nods and helps his friend back to his feet.

Arturo rushes over to escort them outside, “Are they free to go, boss?” he asks me.

I nod, adjust my tie, and turn my attention back to Gabby. “Shall we continue our evening?”

She just stands there in a wild-eyed state of shock.

“Come on, Princess,” I take her by the arm and bring her back to her seat.

When the dust settles, I look over at her and say, “Eat. Your food is getting cold.”

“I don’t know what just happened. I mean, why would you attack that man?” she mutters.

“Excuse me? Do you not approve of my behavior?”

“I just…I don’t know. I’ve never seen anyone get violent like that before.”

“I think you’ve just answered my question from earlier, then.”

“What? What do you mean?”

“The reason you aren’t interested in any of the boys back home is because they don’t know how to care for and protect you. I won’t apologize for getting between a drunk and my girl. If you think that I should, you should change your way of thinking. Protecting the women in my life is non-negotiable. I’m not above dishing out violence when someone touches what’s mine. That guy’s lucky he didn’t leave here with broken bones.”

“Y-your girl?” she asks.

“Inevitably,” I tell her and resume eating.

4

WHO IS GIOVANNI GALLUCCI

GABBY

Giovanni is on his phone for most of the ride home from the bistro, giving me time to reflect upon everything that’s happened so far.

While his enraged response to that man putting his hands on me has me a bit puzzled, the real question taxing my brain is, why were those men so frightened when they found out who he is? There’s really only one conclusion I can reach from all of this.

He’s a mob boss and, just like in the movies, he’s feared and respected by everyone he encounters. My rational mind tells me I should be terrified and outraged to discover that my stepbrother is a dangerous criminal…but I’m not. In fact, I’m becoming more excited the more I think about it. I could never imagine myself in the arms of someone with that much power and influence. I’ve always thought of myself as kind of ordinary and boring, so this is kind of intoxicating.

The next burning question is, what did he mean when he called me his girl? I almost didn’t point it out, but when I did, he said, “Inevitably.” Does this mean he plans to seduce me? What about our parents? I can’t see them approving something like that.

My mother is very protective and wouldn’t have even let me come on this trip if her new husband hadn’t insisted that I would be safe with his son. Maybe he doesn’t plan to tell them. Could it be that he just wants to have a fling with me and then send me packing? No, I don’t think he’s that type of guy. He’s stated more than once that he has traditional values and honors his family.

We pull into his compound and my legs begin to shake from a muddied soup of excitement and panic. I don’t know how he’s expecting this night to end. I don’t know if I’m ready for anything physical, but I also know that I don’t want to turn him down. No way. Just feeling his hands on me has my apex clenching.

I’m treading into unfamiliar territory on all counts here, so it’s possible I’ve completely misread his intentions. All I can do is wait to see what he does next. I’ll let him lead, let him take control.

“I have to go now. I’ve just arrived home, and I have a guest to attend to. We’ll talk more tomorrow,” he says and ends his call.

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