Gabe hesitated. As much as he’d enjoyed Dani’s positive responses to this point, from now on it could get dicey. Once again instinct kicked in and he figured it was time to turn over the controls.
“So all this time, while the man is fantasizing about the woman, it turns out she’s been fantasizing about him too. For example, she wants to know what his body’s like under his shirt, so she…” Gabe stopped and looked at Dani expectantly. She frowned, not understanding what he was up to, so he opened his arms wide and repeated, “She wants to know what his body looks and feels like under his shirt.” He watched as comprehension dawned in her gorgeous eyes. It was a beautiful thing.
Dani took up the narrative. “So in her own fantasy she takes off his shirt and…and touches him.” Gabe sucked in a gasp as Dani slid her small hands under his polo shirt and felt his lightly furred chest. Then she found his nipples.
“Ah,” he said involuntarily, slightly jerking his body.
His reaction emboldened her. She nibbled on her lower lip as she pulled the shirt over his head and looked her fill. Then she touched him again, this time rubbing her palms across his pecs and down the sides of his chest.
Gabe couldn’t help it. He stopped her hands with his own and looked into her eyes again.
“This is where the story gets really good,” he said. “Ready to hear more?”
Dani returned his gaze, wide-eyed, and nodded.
“So after months of dreaming about each other, fate steps in and brings them together in the…in the…in a place with a comfortable bed.”
Dani giggled. “That’s real imaginative.”
“Oh, but it was. Not the place, but the two lovers in the place. The man tells her what he wants to do to her. He doesn’t sugar coat it. He doesn’t use fancy words. He simply says, ‘I want to kiss you and touch you and lick you everywhere. I want to stick my cock deep inside you and ride you until you scream with pleasure. I want to take your body and claim you as mine.’”
Dani blushed at the sex talk and the rosiness extended down her chest. Gabe realized how close he was to making good on that claim, so he had to physically move backward a few inches to remind himself what he wanted to have happen next.
He forged on. “But the woman says, ‘That’s all well and good, and yes, I’ll let you take me, but first I am going to take you. I am going to look at your entire body and do what I want with it and then I am going to be the rider.’” With that, Gabe stood up and reached for Dani’s hand. “Now we go to the bedroom,” he said.
Dani looked up at him and hesitated. Then she took the glass of wine he had poured for her and finished it in one long swallow. She took his hand and let him lead her to the bedroom, where they both stopped in front of the bed. “So…take off your clothes and…and get on the bed,” she commanded in a small voice.
“Yes, ma’am.” Gabe tore off his shoes and socks, putting them next to a pair of sandals that Dani had left on the floor. The image warmed him—not that he needed warming at that point. As he took off his belt, pants, and underwear, he tried to focus on something other than the fact that he had a raging hard on that was going to go to waste if he got off too soon. But damn if she wasn’t the sexiest thing he had ever laid eyes on. Her breasts were absolutely perfect, and she was so focused on him and his anatomy that she’d left modesty back in the living room. He loved it.
“You seem…big,” she said, and he could hear the trepidation in her voice.
“It’s a good thing you’re in control, then.” He climbed on the bed and lay flat, his arms splayed out to the side.
“I am, aren’t I?” Dani’s voice grew stronger. “And I can do whatever I want.”
Gabe swallowed. “Within reason. I’m only human, you know.”
With a smile, Dani quickly took off her skirt and stood at the foot of the bed watching him, clad only in her bikini panties. His erection saluted her scrutiny. She climbed on top of him and straddled his legs. “I like this,” she said.
“I figured you might.” He concentrated on things like cabbage soup and departmental paperwork—anything to combat the rising need in him to plant his seed in her. The image brought him up short. “Wait, I need something out of my pocket.”
Dani hopped down, grabbed his pants and handed them to him. He retrieved the packets and set them on the nightstand. Seeing them must have given her pause, because she wasn’t as eager to jump back on the bed.
“You have all the control,” he reminded her in a gentle voice. “All of it.”
She nodded finally and climbed back on, straddling him once again.
“That’s my girl,” he murmured.
“It’s just that you’re so…ready. More than ready. Maybe too ready.”
The pretense of the story was gone; they were in the here and now. Although Dani seemed apprehensive, Gabe didn’t think it was because of old memories; she seemed more wary of the mechanics involved. “I guarantee you that I will fit nicely, if you will let me play with you a little first.”
“Play with me?”
Gabe didn’t answer with words; he simply reached up and began to fondle Dani’s breasts, which as she leaned toward him dangled so enticingly that he couldn’t help but take one into his mouth again. The sounds coming from her told him he was on the right track. He took his erection and began to rub it back and forth along the scrap of bikini that kept him from her. Then he took a finger, slipped it past the barrier and explored her channel. It was warm and wet and ready, so he slipped in two. But whether or not this was really Dani’s first time, it was still her first in a long time, which meant she needed to have it be the best it could possibly be. With his other hand he brought her face down to his and captured her lips again, his tongue mimicking the action of his fingers. He began to rub her gently and rhythmically, and could tell by the way she pressed herself on him that she was heading in the direction he’d hoped for.
She was concentrating now, finding her own pace. The fact that Gabe was taking such liberties appeared to be just fine with her. He felt her tension build, and he thought about the courage it took for her to be so vulnerable, and in a flash he felt honored and thrilled and proud to be the one to help her become who she was meant to be. For once in his life his own needs disappeared completely as he worked with her to make it happen, to show her it could happen. And then he felt her melt all around his fingers and a voice inside of him said Yes.
“Oh. My. God,” Dani panted. “Oh, Gabriele…Oh!”
Dani’s climax rolled like a giant wave across the surf, building higher and higher until it broke with such sweet chaos over her body that she imagined she was drowning in the pleasure of it. She found herself draped over Gabe, breathing heavily, waiting for her pulse to return to some version of normal. In a matter of seconds she realized two things: one was that she had yet to experience the actual act of sex, and the other was that Gabe was ready, willing and—by the feel of his rock-hard erection—very much able to help complete that experience with her.
She sat up and looked into his eyes. His gaze was steady and his lips were pressed in a firm line. She knew in that instant that he was paying a high price for waiting. And he was waiting for her. She knew that if she said she wanted to stop, he would calmly say “Okay” and still care for her, still be there for her. Tears welled up as she absorbed the meaning of that, and her love for this aggravating man intensified exponentially—maybe, she thought on a note of panic, to the point of infinity.
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “The lady had said she wanted to ride him first, but then she changed her mind,” she said softly. She then moved to lie down beside him. She said, “I want you on top of me and inside of me, because I know you won’t hurt me.” The lady had vanished; it was only Dani talking to Gabe.
Gabe turned to her, leaning on his elbow. His expression, which had briefly betrayed disappointment, now rapidly turned inquisitive. He frowned, murmured, “Are you sure?”
Dani nodded and Gabe said “All right, then.” He placed himself on top of her, keeping his upper body weight on his elbows. He nudged her legs apart and motioned for her to bend her knees. There’s no turning back now. She barely had a moment to register that thought before he began kissing her again, passionately, single-mindedly, his mouth claiming hers without reserve. He moved from her lips to her neck, whispering endearments in Italian, words like bella mia and sono pazzo di te. I’m crazy about you. He pressed his body against hers, his hard, muscled planes moving rhythmically against her softness, preparing her for what was to come. He leaned over to get a foil packet from the nightstand, tore it open with his teeth and expertly donned it. Then he reached down between their legs to fit himself to her and entered her slowly. She was grateful for that, because part of her remained skeptical that he would in fact “fit nicely” as he had promised.
“Tesoro mio,” he said, groaning slightly as he pushed inexorably into her body. “Ti adoro.”
Dani felt the pressure of him, but no pain. A thought flashed across her consciousness: If you are a virgin and have a hymen, isn’t it supposed to hurt more? But she didn’t think a second beyond that because once he was seated fully inside her, he began to move, and all sanity fled. Slowly at first, then building momentum, he thrust powerfully in and out of her until her own body took up a rhythm in sync with his, meeting him on his terms regardless of anything she might think about it. Another climax began to build and she started to whimper in tandem with his measured groans. Then, as if striking a match to a pile of kindling, he placed his hand between their legs to touch her exactly where she needed him to. She erupted again, crying out, lost in the blazing intensity of her orgasm, only dimly registering that Gabe had thrust once more and then held her fast as he too reached his peak. “Mio Dio,” she heard him say before he buried his face on the side of her neck. She heard his rapid breathing and felt his heart beating as fast as her own.
Slowly their bodies came down to earth. Gabe pulled out from Dani and disposed of the condom. He didn’t ask if he could stay in her bed; in fact, neither of them spoke. He simply lay back down, brought her close to him and pulled the covers over them. It was all too much for her to process at the moment, so she did the sensible thing and fell asleep in his arms.
It was nine o’clock the next morning before Dani stirred. The heavy curtains had been pulled aside, leaving the shears to filter the morning light. She was alone in the bed, but it didn’t bother her, because she could hear the shower running. She figured Gabe was back from the early morning run he’d taken shortly after their last bout at lovemaking—their third of the night.
After the second time, they’d slept nestled together like spoons. She’d awakened sometime later to feel his arm move from around her waist down to between her legs. After a few minutes of play she’d turned to her back and opened her legs in invitation. Their lovemaking had been sweet and slow, with a dreamlike quality to it. Afterward she had fallen back asleep as if it were the most natural thing in the world to have a man fondle her awake, climb on top of her and make her moan in ecstasy.
Fully alert now, she tried to make sense out of what had happened during the past several hours—or more importantly, what hadn’t happened. She hadn’t frozen at Gabe’s touch, or been repelled, or felt scared, or panicked. She hadn’t thought about being a victim or feeling helpless or being overpowered. Gabe could have made her feel all of those things; physically he was so powerful in every way that she was no match for him. He could easily have taken advantage of that disparity. Instead, he had given her the power over him. He had let her take every step forward when she was ready and not before.
Dani stretched, feeling the twinge of muscles not accustomed to being used the way she’d used them the night before. She wondered briefly if last night meant she had gotten over her “issues.” Maybe she could truly put the past behind her, whatever it was, and move forward. Maybe even move forward with Gabe. A happy thought. But even if that were to come true, it still didn’t solve the mystery of what had happened to her—if anything—when she was fifteen. More than ever, she wanted to know the truth.
Just then Gabe walked out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his waist while he bent forward and vigorously dried his hair with another. Dani worried briefly about spiders in his towel, but thrust the thought aside. Instead she gazed at him, enjoying the view as the morning light caught his sculpted arms and chest.
“Keep looking at me like that and I’m goin’ in,” he warned, looking over at Dani and smiling. “Fourth time’s a charm.”
“You had your head down!” She cried. “How did you know I was…”
“Lucky guess, bella. If you were standing where I am now and I was in the bed? You could bet your last nickel I’d be looking…and planning…and hoping that your towel would fall off…just like this.” And with that, Gabe dropped the towel and lunged under the covers, reaching for Dani and more than ready to take her wherever she wanted to go.
“Oh my gosh you have cold feet!’ she squealed, laughing as she tried to escape his embrace. They mock wrestled until he had her lying on her back with her hands over her head.
Suddenly he stopped.
“Does this bother you?” he asked gently. “The arms, I mean.”
Dani shook her head and her tone was serious. “Not with you. Never with you.”
A look of relief crossed Gabe’s face and he leaned in to kiss her. It didn’t take long for the kissing to lead to touching and then to suckling and then to loving—this time in daylight, as if to proclaim once and for all that it was right and good for them to be together.
Afterward Gabe lay with his head on Dani’s breasts while she ran her fingers idly through his still-damp hair. “I noticed when you lost control last night you reverted to speaking Italian,” she said.
“Hmm,” he said, pausing in his quest to root out her nipple. “I guess you can take the boy out of Italy…”
“…but not the Italy out of the boy?”
“Something like that.” He raised his head to catch her eyes. “But I beg to differ on one point: I never lost control.”
Dani smirked. “Uh huh. Constable, when you were huffing and puffing over me, I don’t think there was any way you could have changed course.”
Gabe sat up against the headboard and tucked her beneath his arm. She was surprised at the solemnness with which he spoke. “Bella, in my line of work, I’ve seen countless situations where the perp says, ‘I just lost control.’ That doesn’t cut it. Ever. You need to know that with me, there will never be a time when we make love that you aren’t in complete control of the situation. I never want you to feel helpless again. Do you understand?”
Dani’s eyes immediately welled up. Gabe was telling her he believed she’d actually been violated. He didn’t think, like so many others, that it was just in her head. That realization brought with it a flurry of jumbled emotions: relief at having someone finally take her seriously, and fear that the person who had done such damage so long ago might still be out there, inflicting pain on other helpless girls for the past dozen years.
“Hey, that was meant to make you feel better, not make you cry,” Gabe admonished. He carefully wiped her tears away with his thumb. He was about to begin kissing her again when he heard the insistent buzz of his cell phone. He tried to ignore it, focusing instead on taking Dani’s mind elsewhere, but Dani wouldn’t let him.
“Could be Marco,” she said.
Gabe sighed, rolled over, and sat on the edge of the bed. He picked up the phone and nodded to Dani, letting her know it was indeed Marco’s number. He listened for a minute and stood up, his entire body on alert.
“You’re shittin’ me,” he muttered in response to what he was hearing.
Dani reached out to him. “What’s wrong?”
Gabe looked at Dani and held his finger up. “Yeah, I’ll meet you there,” he said to Marco, and hung up. He immediately headed for the bathroom.
Dani scooted off the bed, reaching for her robe. Gabe had left the door open and was pulling on his jeans and socks. She stood in the doorway, hands on hips. “Gabe, you’re scaring me. What is it? Did Marco find something? Tell me!”
As if he’d just remembered her presence, Gabe stopped dressing long enough to gently grasp her face between his hands. “I’m sorry. No…uh…nothing’s popped up yet related to your aunt’s death. Still waitin’ on the autopsy. Marco just got some new information he wants to share with me, that’s all.”
“What new information?”
“Something…something about a witness. He’s gonna fill me in. I told him I’d meet him downtown. But I need you to stay here until I get back, va bene? I won’t be long, and then we can head over to interview those employees.” He kissed her hard on the mouth before reaching for his shirt; a moment later he was gone.
Gabe’s departure left an icy void in the room that had nothing to do with temperature. Dani felt down to her bones that he wasn’t telling her the truth, and the pain of knowing that stopped her in her tracks. Gabe hadn’t been up front with her from the beginning, and he still wasn’t coming clean. She took a deep breath. Maybe it’s nothing, she chided herself. Maybe he just didn’t think it was that important. She tried that thought on for size, but it just didn’t fit.
Maybe, she thought at last, it’s me who’s not important enough.
“Jesus, the guy was executed,” Gabe said thirty minutes later at the Caffè Veneto. Marco had bought them cappuccinos and just filled Gabe in on the homicide of Augustino Abruzzo, the same thug they’d shaken down the day before.
“Bullet to the back of the head, nice and tidy,” Marco remarked. “The question is, did he take that bullet on account of us?”
Gabe felt like crap. “We’ve got to assume he did, which means they’re feeling some heat. That’s not good.”
“No, it’s not.” Marco paused and took a breath. “Listen, I could get in real hot water over what I’m about to tell you, but this is getting serious and you’ve gotta know what’s going on.”
Gabe looked sharply at his friend. “What are you talking about?”
“It’s no coincidence that I’ve been able to spend a lot of time on this case. I haven’t been sneaking around. I’ve got the blessing of the director of a special task force that I’ve been a member of for some time.”
“What, on human trafficking?”
“Yes. We’ve known something wasn’t quite right here in Verona, and we’ve had signs that it’s related to the hotel industry, but we haven’t been able to pinpoint what’s going on or who’s behind it, although a shadowy holding company called Consorzio Azurro has popped up more than once on our radar. Stella d’Italia is small and privately held, so it’s been impossible to penetrate their books. You coming to me with the evidence from Carla Rinaldi was the first break we’ve had in a while.”
“You been using me, Marco?”
His friend stiffened. “I wouldn’t put it that way. I wanted to bring you up to speed from the beginning, but was told not to. I’m just doing my job, and if it leaks out that I brought you into the loop, I’ll be fired. But it’s getting dangerous for you and Dani, and you deserve to know every angle of this thing. So do what you want with it.”
Gabe and Marco sat in silence for several minutes. It dawned on Gabe that fate, if it existed, had intervened here. And if he had no power over such a thing, why would he let it ruin his oldest friendship? “Well, I can’t say I’m thrilled you took this long to level with me, but better late than never.” He clapped his friend on the shoulder. “What you shared stays between us. I’m as committed as you are to nailing these dicks, whoever they are, to the wall.”
Marco looked relieved. “Okay. So,” he said, getting back to business, “assuming you’re right about them offing Santo’s wife—and from what Tino almost let slip, it sounds like you are—they kept the scene clean this time around, except for the damaged tooth. Maybe the autopsy will show something more definitive, but I’m not gonna hold my breath. Still no hits on the name ‘Tetka,’ either. We know there are Baltic criminal organizations involved in the trade, but the fact that ‘tetka’ means ‘aunt’ in Croatian doesn’t give us much to go on. We’ve got another lead, but nothing as solid as Tino.”
Gabe sat up in his chair. “What have you got?”
“You told me Carla Rinaldi said there were two guys, so we know Tino had a partner. Only Tino was linked to the fake company and to the prints at the marina, but a guy checked into the room next to Tino five minutes after Tino did, so I ran his name.” He pulled a file up on his phone. “Goran Novak. Thirty-two years old. Self-employed ‘security guard.’ Last permanent address was Zagreb.”
“Carla said they were speaking some Eastern European language. If he’s a Croat, that fits. You got a picture of him?”
“No, his record’s clean.”
“Well, the guy sitting next to Tino in the bar looked Slavic. Maybe it was Novak. Which means we might have set Tino up for his own murder. Shit. Any way you can bring Novak in for a chat?”
“No. There’s no link between the two at this point. We can’t hold him and we sure as hell don’t want him to end up like Tino.”
“You’re right. No sense alerting them any more than you have already. So…what’s next?”
Marco took out his wallet. “I’m going to run those license plates I took down at the Sexy Pig. If something turns up in his name I’ll have him tailed, see if he leads us anywhere. Maybe he’s a nervous type. Maybe he makes a mistake. Who knows? In the meantime, we’ll see what Dante finds out, see if anything pans out with those missing employees, keep putting the pieces together.”
Gabe nodded and reached for his own wallet but Marco waived him off.
“Least I can do, since you’re practically on the force,” Marco groused.
Gabe mustered a half smile. “Then by all means, let’s get to work.” They both got up to leave, but Gabe stopped Marco with his hand. “Hey, you mind checking one more thing for me?”
“Sure, what do you need?”
“I’m looking for the name of the doc who treated Ciro Forcelli the night he stroked out.”
Marco threw his hands up. “Damn, don’t tell me you think that was suspect! That was, what, ten years ago?”
“Twelve years ago, and no, that’s not it. I…I think it was the same guy who cared for my mom. I’d like to stop by and say thanks, that’s all.”
Marco shot Gabe a look of compassion. “No problem, I can look it up. But wouldn’t your Aunt Fausta know the guy? She took care of your mom after you left, didn’t she?”
“Yeah, well, Fausta’s, shall we say, prickly these days. I try not to get too close if I can help it.”
“Don’t I know it.” Marco’s lips twitched. “I’ll send you the name.”
“Thanks.”
“No problem. Later.”
As Gabe headed back to his car he started a mental checklist. One: Do not let Dani out of your sight. These thugs are getting nervous and they don’t mess around. Two: The doc who treated Ciro also checked on Dani that night. He might know something he’s not telling. Three: We need to see if we can flush anything out about these missing girls. Four: I need to get back to Dani…now.