ACCIDENTALLY MARRIED TO THE BILLIONAIRE SINGLE DAD (Gabrielle and Damon) novel Chapter 7

DAMON’S POV

Fiorella held my gaze, a trace of uncertainty in her expression.

“We finished with the client,” she explained. “She handled everything and we left together.”

I did not interrupt her.

“We got to the parking lot,” she continued. “She put the bags in the car, and I remembered I left something upstairs. I told her I would be back in a minute.”

A brief pause followed.

“When I came back down, she was gone.”

My jaw tightened slightly. “Gone how?”

“The car was gone,” she replied. “I called her immediately, but she did not answer. I assumed she was with you or that she had to leave for something urgent.”

I stared at her for a moment, processing every word carefully.

“And you did not think to call again?” I asked, my tone harsher than intended. “Or inform me?”

I immediately regretted that.

“I did,” she answered, her voice breaking slightly. “Multiple times, but neither of you picked up. The last call was a few minutes ago.”

I took out my phone and immediately sent a text to my head of security.

I didn’t care if we had to go through all the CCTV footage in the country, Gabrielle needed to be found.

“Do you think someone took her,” Fiorella asked.

My mind immediately went to the reporter she told me about.

Aiden Marlow.

If he took her, I would kill him with my bare hands and—

The door pushed open behind me.

Gabrielle stepped in, her expression blank.

Relief collided in my chest.

❧

GABRIELLE’S POV

The moment I stepped inside the house, I felt Damon’s attention snap to me.

It settled on me immediately, heavy and questioning, but I forced myself not to react to it.

Fiorella’s arms wrapped around me before I could say anything, relief visible in her expression.

“Oh, thank goodness,” she said. “You had me worried, Gabby.”

I hugged her back, my eyes lifting to meet Damon’s. “I’m sorry. I had to handle something important.”

Fiorella pulled back but kept her hands on my arms, as if she needed to be certain I was actually standing there.

“Where did you go? You weren’t answering your phone.”

I did not look at her right away.

“Again, I'm sorry,” I said, finally turning to her. “I couldn’t use my phone at the moment. But I’m fine, I promise.”

It was enough to answer her, but not him.

The look on his face told me that much.

Damon moved closer. “What kind of ‘something’ had your attention?”

I met his eyes. “Work.”

He did not respond and kept staring at me like he didn’t believe me.

Fiorella let her hands fall slowly, confusion still written across her face. “You could have called, at least. I thought something happened.”

I took a deep breath. “I know.”

Damon’s phone buzzed, but he ignored it, his eyes still on me.

“You left your phone unanswered,” he said. “That’s not like you. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yes. I was busy.”

Silence settled around us, heavy in a way that made it fucking difficult to breathe.

If he had any idea what I’d been up to, there was no telling how pissed at me he'd get.

Fiorella looked between us, clearly picking up on the tension. “I need to... go take care of the girls.”

Neither of us stopped her.

I waited until she was gone before I let out the breath I had been holding.

“Look at me,” Damon said.

I hesitated for a second before lifting my eyes to his.

“Where did you go?” he asked.

“It was nowhere important,” I answered. “I just had to handle something urgently.”

He studied me quietly, then moved closer and held my wrist.

His grip tightened just enough to make my pulse jump. “What did you do, Gabrielle?”

I did not answer.

Instead, I stepped closer and rose onto my toes, pressing my lips to his. “I just want to go upstairs and sleep. We can talk later.”

He froze like he wasn’t expecting that a kiss.

I took advantage of his pause and kissed him again.

I deepened it before he could pull away, my hand lifting to his chest, holding onto him, and my little moans spilling into his mouth.

Slowly, I felt his attention starting to slip as he kissed me back, but it only lasted a few moments.

His hand moved from my wrist to my neck, holding me in place as he broke the kiss.

“Nice try, wife,” he said, his voice cold. “But you’re not going to dodge my question that easily. Where were you?”

I couldn’t tell him the truth, and I couldn’t lie to him either.

The only option I had was to tell him a half-truth and withhold the rest for now.

I swallowed, my chest rising and falling fast. “If I tell you, promise not to be mad?”

A frown formed on his face.

Damon pushed me back until my body hit the door. “Don’t make me repeat myself, Gabrielle.”

“I just want to feel safe,” I added, my voice low. “And right now, I don’t. I need you back, Damon. All sides of you.”

Something shifted in his expression at that.

His eyes searched mine, as if weighing every word, and every intention behind them.

“You are asking me to walk a line I have been trying to stay away from all my life,” he said. “I just want a regular life where I don’t have to kill.”

“I know,” I replied. “But we’re not regular people, Damon. And we do not have regular lives, no matter how much you want to believe that.”

The tension between us thickened again.

Damon’s free hand came up to remove my hair from my face, his hand lingering on my cheek.

His touch was gentle, but his eyes told me he didn’t want to be.

He was furious, but still being careful with me.

I leaned into his touch, my body already responding to him. “You take your anger out on me. I know you want to.”

He moved closer, reducing the space between us until there was none left.

“You think you understand what you are asking for,” he said. “The man I used to be cannot be a good father to our daughters, and he sure as hell can’t be a good husband to you.”

His scent and warmth were suffocating in the best way.

My body arched into his. “Yes, you can. You have me, and I’ll never let you go too far.”

He didn’t respond immediately.

His eyes darkened as his thumb pressed against my bottom lip, smearing my red lipstick across my face.

“I would love to take you up on your offer,” he finally responded.

Before I could ask what he meant, his thumb pushed past my lips and into my mouth.

Instinctively, I swirled my tongue around his finger, watching his face contort with desire.

His thumb pushed deeper until it brushed the back of my throat before he pulled it out slowly.

Then he stuck the thumb into his mouth, his gaze on mine.

Heat rushed through my body at the sight.

My nipples were already taut and pushing against my top, begging to be set free and played with.

When he pulled his thumb out of his mouth, he kissed me lightly on the lips.

Then he finally let go of my neck and reached for a huge bouquet on the console table.

“Here,” he said, handing it over. “Fresh red roses for you, Red Lips.”

Warmth flooded my heart.

I took the bouquet from him, my arms straining to hold it up.

It was heavy, and I was exhausted.

But Damon fixed that.

He lifted me in bridal style. “You asked for this. I’m going to see it through until you’re begging me to let you come.”

An involuntary gasp escaped me. “I can’t wait, husband.”

And with that, he carried me up the stairs to our bedroom.