Gemma’s POV

I woke up entangled with the Capo who had destroyed my heart completely. His powerful frame pressed against mine, that intoxicating blend of expensive cologne and danger still clinging to my skin, and despite everything, desire pulsed through my veins like liquid fire.

When he whispered that he belonged to me, something fractured inside my chest. For one foolish moment, I believed the beautiful lie this Thorne family enforcer painted with his words.

I needed to feel him once more before walking away forever. Without hesitation, I stripped away every barrier between us, positioning myself above him, seizing control of our connection. What consumed me in that moment terrified me with its raw intensity. I craved his touch, needed him to ignite every nerve ending in my body, wanted him to claim me with that devastating hunger that made him the most feared man in Port Serenity.

But Dominic had entirely different plans. Instead of the brutal, desperate encounter I expected from a man who ruled through violence, he worshipped me slowly, tenderly, transforming our passion into something sacred. He lifted me beyond the physical realm, beyond anything I had ever experienced with anyone from his world. That gentle devastation destroyed me more thoroughly than any harsh interrogation ever could.

As he moved within me, every caress became a declaration of ownership. His hands, his mouth, his emerald eyes branded me as his exclusive territory. When pleasure crashed over him, words escaped his lips that changed the entire power dynamic between us forever.

He loved me. And that revelation terrified him more than facing down rival families.

In that transcendent moment, he reached past every defense I had constructed against his dangerous world, merging our souls in ways that felt permanent and terrifying. What happened between those silk sheets rewrote the very fabric of who I was. Every wall I had built crumbled to dust, leaving me exposed and vulnerable in ways I never thought possible around someone who commanded fear throughout the underground.

My emotions raged like a hurricane inside my chest, chaos and destruction spinning out of control. I desperately needed the calm waters of certainty, the peaceful flow of normal life. Instead, I found myself drowning in a tempest of conflicting feelings about loving a man whose hands were stained with blood.

After the most earth-shattering intimacy of my existence, I lay completely defenseless, my armor scattered like broken glass around us. I collapsed against his chest and wept, releasing years of buried pain through my tears, letting them cleanse the wounds I had hidden so carefully from his predatory world.

Dominic shifted our positions, pulling me on top of him, his strong arms creating a fortress around my trembling form. His fingers traced gentle patterns through my hair while his other hand drew soothing circles across my back, a stark contrast to the brutal efficiency those same hands showed in family business.

"My beautiful goddess, we can fix this together. You will find it in your heart to forgive me. I will earn back your trust, no matter how long it takes. I will spend every day making you happy, proving that I will never hurt you again."

We remained entwined for what felt like hours, surrendering to the raw emotion flowing between us. He continued making promises while I cried, neither of us breaking the sacred silence with unnecessary words about territory wars or family obligations.

By the time we finally emerged from our sanctuary, the sun had climbed high in the sky. Xavier immediately spotted us, his knowing grin spreading across his weathered face like wildfire.

"Well, well, look what the cat dragged in. Hope you two enjoyed testing out our hospitality." His eyebrows waggled suggestively, completely ignoring the fact that he was talking to a Capo.

"Xavier, shut your mouth," Dominic warned, though his own smile betrayed his amusement at his consigliere’s irreverence.

"Gemma, you look absolutely glowing this morning," Zoe added with a mischievous wink that made heat flood my cheeks.

"Enough commentary from the peanut gallery," Dominic declared, his arm tightening possessively around my waist. "My private moments with my goddess are off-limits to your entertainment."

Xavier insisted we stay for lunch, and throughout the entire meal, Dominic remained glued to my side, his protective instincts on full display. When we finally managed to escape, I knew I had no choice but to leave with him before the interrogation about family business began in earnest.

The drive to my apartment passed in heavy silence. Dominic seemed to be walking on eggshells, carefully measuring each breath like he was defusing a bomb. When he pulled up to my building, his hand captured mine before I could flee.

"Gemma, when can we sit down and really talk?" The anxiety in his voice was unmistakable, unusual for someone who commanded respect through fear.

"During the week sometime. Call me and we will figure it out," I replied, exhaustion weighing down every word.

"Can I at least call you tonight?"

"Dominic, please give me some space to process what happened today. I need time to think."

"All right." His heavy sigh filled the expensive car. "But remember that I love you."

"Dominic, please..."

Something shifted in his expression, like he was wrestling with invisible demons from his violent past. Suddenly, he pulled me toward him, crushing our mouths together in a kiss that claimed ownership of my very soul. His tongue invaded and conquered, leaving no doubt about his intentions or his territorial nature. Only when our lungs burned for oxygen did he release me.

"I am already missing you, my goddess," he whispered as I stumbled out of the car.

My mother was waiting when I walked through the door. Desperate to hide the emotional wreckage written across my face, I mumbled something about needing a shower and escaped to my bedroom. After pulling myself together, I rejoined her in the living room and shared stories about Caleb and Ivy’s obvious happiness, carefully omitting any details about their true roles in the Thorne organization.

Mom had her bags packed and ready for her new adventure, though nervous energy radiated from her small frame. We talked until Ryder arrived to collect her. When the moment came to say goodbye, I summoned my brightest smile and wished her nothing but joy in this new Chapter, far from the dangerous world I had become part of.

Alone in the suddenly quiet apartment, I welcomed the solitude I needed to sort through the chaos in my head. When my phone rang, the unknown number made me hesitate. Something could be wrong, so I answered.

"Gemma, gorgeous Gemma." The voice made my skin crawl with immediate recognition.

"Oh for crying out loud, is it not enough that you exist? Do you have to be completely revolting too?" My patience had officially reached its limit.

"Come on, sweetheart, stop playing games. I know you are curious. You have had a taste of the son, now let daddy show you what a real man can do."

"Exactly how delusional are you?"

"Do not pretend with me, darling. You want this and I can give you..."

"Here is what you can do. Crawl back into whatever sewer you came from and pretend I do not exist. Oh, and I will be sure to mention this conversation to Jude."

I slammed the phone down and screamed at the ceiling. This exiled family member was draining what little sanity I had left. Pizza and ice cream seemed like the only logical solution. I settled in with "Pretty Woman" and cried like my teenage self, wishing life could be as simple as Hollywood made it seem.

I woke up on the couch surrounded by empty containers, my phone screaming for attention.

"Good God, I was about to file a missing person report," Zoe announced without preamble.

"Hello to you too, Zo. What a lovely way to start the morning."

"Morning, sunshine. Now explain why you are not wrapped around Dominic right now. I called him and he said you wanted to go home alone last night."

My brain was too foggy for this level of interrogation from the family’s intelligence coordinator.

"Mom moved in with her boyfriend, Zo. I wanted to be here for her big goodbye."

"Why did Dominic not stay with you then?"

"Because I needed some mother-daughter time without distractions."

"That makes sense." Finally, she dropped the inquisition. "Dominic is coming to get you, obviously, but I wanted to call first with the big news."

"What news?" I asked, starting to clean up my disaster zone.

"Ivy and Caleb are officially moving in together, and we have been drafted as the moving crew for today."

"That is incredible news!" Genuine happiness bloomed in my chest for my friend, even knowing the complications their relationship brought to the organization.

"So get yourself ready, and save the romance for later. We need all hands on deck."

After hanging up with Zoe, I was about to call Dominic when he beat me to it.

"Gemma, good morning. How are you feeling?" His voice carried careful neutrality, the tone of a man accustomed to navigating dangerous conversations.

"Fine. You?"

"Missing you terribly." He sighed before continuing quickly. "Did Zoe fill you in?"

"Just hung up with her."

"I am downstairs right now."

"You did not need to come all this way."

"But I wanted to."

"Dominic, I literally just woke up. I need to shower, get dressed, drink some coffee..."

"I will wait as long as you need."

"Dominic, seriously..." I took a steadying breath. "Fine, since you are already here, come up."

Minutes later, the doorbell echoed through the apartment. I opened the door to find him staring at me with raw hunger blazing in those emerald eyes that had intimidated countless rivals. Only then did I remember my current state of undress.