Mated to the Alpha Don

Chapter 9

Gabriel's POV

My business with the new capo took longer than I’d anticipated. I couldn’t help how wound up I was. f**k what was Evelina doing to me? Usually, I wouldn’t have batted an eye and let Vin have his fun. But the very real possibility of Evelina getting a look at another man’s di.c.k made me see red. She was a nuisance. A pesky fly that kept trying to run away. I could see it in the way her eyes flitted about the club, trying to assess possible escape routes.

The possibility that this woman might yet escape set me on edge. By the goddess, I would show her her place.

My hands itched to punish her. To take a hand to her throat and watch how she’d react to being held so possessively. I wanted her to know I could harm her, but I wouldn’t. I would never hurt my mate.

I was many things. A murderer, a criminal, a dangerous don, a money launderer,a drug lord….a blood thirsty alpha. But I was not a woman beater. Nor would I ever violate her. The fact that she looked at me as if she expected me to physically harm her did something to me. Normally, I wouldn’t have cared. But with Evelina…

It was different. She was different. The way her eyes sparked defiance and fear at the same time only fueled my desire to possess her completely.

I could feel the eyes of my men on me as I made my way back up to my office where Evelina was safely ensconced. Their unspoken questions hung heavy in the air. They knew something had shifted, something had changed. There was an unknown woman sitting in my office who I wasn’t f*****g. I also wasn’t taking any of my usual women up on their offers tonight. These two facts, mixed in with the knowledge that I had also tightened security around the club, made everyone curious. They did not need to know she was my mate. Until Evelina was mated and marked, the less everyone knew, the better. I did not need her crazy family tracking her down. I also did not need anyone trying to use her against me. She was a human, completely unable to defend herself. Once I marked her, no one would dare touch her. She’d be safe because I’d be able to track her through our bond. I would also be able to mind-link with her.

Briefly, I recalled how her eyes had gone to the couch earlier. Evelina was like an open book. She wondered if I’d force her to give me head while my men watched on. The mere thought of any man looking at Evelina incensed me beyond belief. What made me angrier was the fact that she thought I’d make her do something like she’d seen one of the workers do to Vin. I'd sooner gauge a man's eyes out for staring at her than ever put her on display like that.

Normally, I wouldn’t care what Evelina thought. But in that instance, it had grated on my nerves. I wanted her to know that there were some lines even I would never cross. What was this woman doing to me?

Passing a tired hand over my face, I pushed the door to my office open to come upon an entirely unexpected sight. Evelina’s eyes were lit up, beautiful laughter passing through her lips. She was sitting exactly where I’d left her and Vin sat across from her in my damn chair.

“Did you really hide in the closet?“ she asked, looping a strand of hair behind her ear and propping her elbows on the desk between Vin and her.

I frowned. The pendejo was telling her about the time he hid in a supply closet to avoid the police when we were teenagers. Vin’s eyes went to me, his smile faltering slightly. Good. he shouldn’t be so friendly with my mate. Him making Evelina laugh made me realize that this was the first time ever that I was hearing her laughter. I hated all these sentimental feelings rising up inside of me. What did it matter if her smile was beautiful? Or that her laughter seemed to dance around me like a symphony of beauty akin to the first drops of my enemy’s blood staining my pristine white shirt. It was a satisfaction as chilling as it was intoxicating. I shook my head to rid myself of these foolish thoughts. My mamma had told me that falling for a woman would be my ruin one day. I berated myself internally for admiring the way her face lit up. And her laughter wasn’t all that appealing! I shook my head in exasperation.

“Gabe, how’d the meeting go?” Vincent’s tone was cautious.

Good motherfucker, be afraid of me. And don’t get too close to my mate.

“Well enough. Let’s go Evelina. We’re leaving,” I said more harshly than I’d intended.

There was a delay in her reaction. I took in the spark of rebellion in her eye. She did not want to listen to me. That made me want to punish her, and not in the way she probably thought I would.

The ticking clock seemed to be mocking me, every second a reminder that this woman remained firmly seated, blatantly disregarding my order.

“Don’t make me repeat myself,” I warned ominously, hands going to the cuffs of my shirt. I rolled them up nonchalantly. By the goddess, I was going to enjoy this.

“Or what…you’ll kill me?” Evelina mocked, her fiery spirit finally showing.

I rather liked it if I were honest with myself. She had a tempestuous spirit that I did not want to crush. But I did need her to obey me right now.

“No Evelina,” I clipped out, walking purposefully towards her.

My gaze sliced briefly to Vincent who took the hint.

“I…uh…I’ll see you later Evelina! We’ll be going to Spain together so….” Vincent was already at the door.

Alarm colored Evelina’s face. Not so brave now was she? I wanted to throttle Vin. He was the pervert getting blow jobs in my office but it seemed Evelina liked even him more than me.

“Wait…you’re…don’t leave me alone in here with him!” Evelina exclaimed, turning to look at Vincent as if he could provide her some sort of refuge.

I shook my head. In this world..I was judge, jury, and executioner. I was her salvation. Vincent couldn’t do anything. He was gone, not even deigning to respond to Evelina’s pleas.

“Wait!” she called out helplessly.

The desperation in her voice only brought out an animalistic chuckle from me, sending shivers down her spine. I slowly circled around her, leaving an ever-waning distance between us as I moved in to face her where she sat.

Evelina’s eyes darted around the room warily. Her pink tongue came out to lick her lips. I held back a groan. I wanted to suck on that tongue. My mate was attractive. I had known that. But I hadn’t expected such a visceral roaring of lust for her.

The realization that I actually physically desired my mate more than I'd desired anyone else hit me like a tidal wave: I wanted her. Not just as a possession, but I wanted her because she ignited a physical desire within me that I couldn’t deny any longer.

Being drawn to women with a darker, edgier vibe was my usual type, but there was something about Evelina that sparked an unexpected fire within me. She was nothing like the women I’d bedded previously.

Her smooth, dark skin seemed to glow in contrast to her bold, sharp features that were softened by the gentle curve of her lips. Lips she was now worrying between her teeth as she looked at me like a mouse caught in a trap. I couldn’t help the tilt of my lips as I smirked in self-satisfaction. The first lesson Evelina would learn was to never disobey me. Leaning casually against my desk, I crossed my arms and let my backside rest against the edge of the desk, casting a commanding gaze downward upon her.

Purposefully, I remained quiet, letting the tension build between us. Letting her panic and fear swallow her for a bit. At times, allowing your victim to suffocate in the depths of their own terror proved the ultimate punishment.

“What do you want from me?” Evelina finally spoke in weary resignation, her chin tilted up to stare at me.

“I want you to obey,” I hissed out. “And if I have to teach you a lesson, so be it.”

Evelina gasped, shrinking in on herself.

“Are you going to-to- hit me?” Evelina gasped out.

I glared down at her darkly.

“Not in the way you expect me to. But yes, if you fail to obey me, I have no qualms bending you over my knee and…” I chuckled darkly, eyeing the way she looked up at me in incredulous disbelief.

“You’d…spank me?” Evelina queried, disgust and incredulity tinging her words.

“I can assure you…you’d like it. Eventually.”

It took a moment for surprise and bewilderment to flit across her features. Of course it was to be expected. She had no clue what I was talking about. But just as I opened my mouth to describe exactly what I’d do to her in an attempt to scare and intimidate her as a way to insure her future compliance, a rumbling sound reached my ears.

Flabbergasted, I froze. Evelina’s lips parted in shock, her cheeks flamed from embarrassment.

The deep gurgling grew louder and more desperate. She shifted in her seat, trying to hide the very audible sounds of her hunger.

My eyebrows furrowed together in consternation.

“You’re hungry,” I stated, my hands dropping to my sides.

Her face merely flushed further with embarrassment as she placed a hand over her stomach, as if she could will it into silence. It then struck me that Evelina had probably not eaten since this morning before she’d left for her yoga class. It was nearly midnight now, not to mention the time difference between New York and Texas. The fact that my mate had practically gone an entire day without eating had slipped my radar. It made me angry with myself. I was supposed to take care of her. I wasn't supposed to let her go hungry.

In one deft move, I turned to press down on the button to the intercom. At once, the sounds of the kitchen attached to the club came alive inside my office.

“Yes Boss?”

My eyes never left Evelina’s as I spoke.

“Tell them what you want,” I demanded of her.

“Ah…what I want to eat?” she asked blankly.

Of course! Did she think I wanted to starve her?

“I am not the monster you think me to be Evelina. Not entirely. Now tell them what you want to eat,” I snapped out impatiently.

“Um…anything?” she repeated blankly.

I suppressed a huff of annoyance and told the kitchen staff to send up an assortment of food. I was distinctly aware of the fact that I wanted to know what type of food she liked. But only because then it would be easier to pick out a personal chef to hire for her. She’d be living alone in the penthouse in Barcelona for a very long time if things went as planned. It was good to know these things abut her. Just so she’d feel more at home.

At least that’s what I told myself was the sole reason I even had a remote interest in things she might be partial to.

An incredulous laugh bubbled up inside of her after I’d shut the phone.

“Something funny?” I ticked out, still incensed over the fact that I’d been starving my mate.

“I thought you were going to beat me, instead you feed me.” She nearly fell out of the chair laughing like a maniac.

My eyebrows furrowed at her reaction. This woman was a complete conundrum. I looked at her, wondering if I would ever figure her out. She was a puzzle with no clear solution, utterly unpredictable in every sense. If there was one thing I didn’t like, it was an unpredictable woman.

She was supposed to be afraid of me. Not laughing at me.

****

By the time we made it to my penthouse, I was wound up more tightly than a strung bow. Briefly, I regretted not taking up the offers to bed a woman for tonight. It would help to blow off some steam. Help me get rid of this raging anger inside of me. Anger for which Evelina was the main cause. Anger that was only fueled by the ever mounting desire I felt for this woman. F.U.C.K S.H.IT. Was this my life from now? Teetering between anger and lust? All because of some female?

“You can take the guest bedroom,” Amaya offered amicably to Evelina. “I’ll take the couch tonight. It’s comfy enough—”

“No,” I clicked out succinctly, staring at Evelina who was looking around my penthouse.

I knew for a fact it wasn’t because she was in awe of the opulence surrounding her. These luxuries were not novel to her. No. My little muneca was looking for an escape route.

“No?” Amaya asked incredulously, her hand tightening on the duffel bag she had slung over her shoulder. “Gabe, at least let her have a bedroom. She shouldn’t have to sleep on the couch on her first night here.”

“She won’t be sleeping on the couch,” I countered, a gleam of triumph in my eyes as I watched Evelina’s face pale. “She’ll be sleeping in my room…with me.”

A/N: Those that have read my Crimson Phoenix series, I will be auctioning off A tomboy for a mate, paperback version for a fundraiser to help a wonderful author who we are trying to help with funeral arrangements. It will be in stephanie lights bookbeans. Now is your chance to get your hands on Tony. The version has been professionally proofread, formatted AND rewritten.