Page 15 of Vengeful Devotion
Declan
Two weeks.It’s been two goddamn weeks since I threatened Gemma. I thought for sure I had scared her off. Yet, the first thing I see as I walk into the dining room is her. She’s everywhere I go. What’s even worse is the way I feel when I see her. There’s a piece of me that wants to hate her, but there’s a bigger piece that just wants her. It’s pissing me off. I run the wealthiest family in Vegas. We’re in everything. The police department. The mayor’s office. The fucking grocery store. My family controls it.Icontrol it. But I can’t manage to get rid of one woman? How does that make any sense?
“Good morning,” I mutter coldly.
Gemma’s eyes widen when she looks up at me. There’s no fear there. No, it’s something else in those blue depths that I can’t read. But fuck if I’m not wishing I could. She hums a greeting to me. Her pretty pink lips are wrapped around a strawberry. The sight breeds an image in my mind. One that never should be born. Gemma down on her knees with my cock replacing that piece of fruit between her lips. Just the thought sends tingles down my spine, awakening my dick.Shit. I have to stop this.
Going to the kitchen, I grab a cup of coffee. I sip the scalding liquid, letting the burn act as a punishment for my unruly imagination. The pain does little to ease the desire tenting my pants. I need to get myself under control.
A laugh floats from the dining room and I freeze. It’s such a beautiful sound. One I’ve never heard before. Without thinking, I peek out of the kitchen to see my driver Danny settling in the seat next to Gemma. The smile she’s giving him makes me see red.Why has she never looked at me like that?
“Morning, sunshine,” Danny says, taking a grape from Gemma’s plate and tossing it in his mouth.
“Get your own,” Gemma huffs, but I can tell she’s not really annoyed.
But I am. I am really fucking annoyed right now. Is something going on with these two? They look so cozy together. Rage heats my skin. Danny speaks, but I don’t hear what he says over the rush of blood flooding my ears. Gemma laughs again, her eyes sparkling. I want to blow his head clean off. Then she couldn’t smile at him like that anymore.
“Aren’t they cute together?”
I look down to see my mother standing next to me. When did she get here? I was so focused on Danny and Gemma that I didn’t even notice her coming into the room.
“I was thinking about asking Danny to accompany Gemma to the charity dinner. It’s her first one, and I’d hate for her to be alone. What do you think?”
My jaw ticks. I want to tell her no. If she insists on Gemma having a date, it should be me. But I can’t have her. I shouldn’t have her. The business needs to be my focus right now. Gemma will only be a distraction. With the way she’s been able to get under my skin, she would be a weakness.
“Declan?”
I clear my throat. “Whatever you think is best, mother.”
The words taste like acid on my tongue. I shouldn’t let this happen, but I also don’t have a choice. My mother looks disappointed as she walks towards Gemma and Danny.
I follow her out, only I don’t stop in the dining room. I can’t. I’m angry enough. Listening to my mother pitch her idea would only make it worse. I don’t think I could handle watching Gemma be enthusiastic about a date with another man. I’m hoping like hell that she says no. Because if she doesn’t, I don’t know if I’ll be able to hold myself back from killing Danny or myself for agreeing to this shit.
The walk to my office is not enough to douse the fury building in my gut. Every piece of me wants to go back to the dining room, throw Gemma over my shoulder, and murder the idea of her ever being anyone else’s but mine. I don’t understand it. How can I want someone that I don’t even know? Someone I’m pretty sure I shouldn’t trust. The background check Balor ran turned up nothing. Gemma is so clean, it’s like she doesn’t even exist. There are not even school records for her. But she’s young. Only twenty. The same age as my baby sister, Juliette. It’s entirely possible that she just hasn’t done anything record-worthy yet.
What the hell am I saying? This is not who I am. I don’t make excuses for people. If I get a hint of someone lying to me, I shoot. I’ve never stopped to find a logic behind the lie. But that’s all I can do when it comes to Gemma.
I shake my head clear. I’ve spent too much time thinking about this already. I have work to do. The club is getting ready to open. There are dozens of things I could be doing. But I can’t concentrate on any of them. Something tells me I won’t be able to until I know the outcome of the Gemma and Danny situation. Clearly, this will be one of those days where I should’ve reached for the bottle instead of the coffee pot.
A knock pulls my focus away from my thoughts.
“Enter,” I bark, annoyed at the interruption.
My spine straightens when the door opens and Gemma peeks in. Thorns full of nervousness prickle my skin. Our eyes lock, like two magnets separated by a force field coming back together again.
“What can I do for you?”
My voice comes out rougher than I intend. Gemma flinches slightly.
“Um, your mom needs you to sign some papers for the charity dinner.”
I raise an eyebrow. Since when does my mother need my signature for anything?
“What papers?”
“Um, I’m not sure. I didn’t look.”
“You didn’t look?”
