She was shocked, and then she came to the wrong conclusion and panicked.
“So this is what this is really all about? All the conversations, the getting to know each of you, the sharing of secrets, was all about claiming guardianship of me like I’m some object?” She raised her voice. It cracked as she stepped farther away from them and closer to exiting the kitchen.
“No, Lucia, that is not what we’re doing here,” Maxwell told her.
“You’re not some object. We want to get to know you. We all feel the attraction,” Salvatore said next.
“It’s the way things work. We want to be your guardians and let everyone know that you’re our woman, and that we’ll protect you,” Lucifer said.
“It’s part of the process, baby, it’s not a means to make you feel like you’ve been bartered and sold,” Gabriele stated, and instantly the tears hit her eyes and Maxwell felt sick.
“Believe it or not, that’s exactly what you’ve done. It’s what my own family did to me. A possession, an object to be sold to the highest bidder to seal a family bloodline. What’s the difference between that and what you just said? Tell me?” She raised her voice as tears rolled down her cheeks. She wiped them away with her sleeve.
“Your family tried to sell you?” Salvatore asked.
“What?” Maxwell asked, and Lucia shook her head.
“Don’t talk to me. Don’t request to be my guardians or whatever. I don’t want anything to do with you. I won’t let you take my body and use me for your own agenda or to stake some barbaric claim.”
“Lucia, what in God’s name are you talking about?” Lucifer asked her.
She started to turn to leave, and Maxwell grabbed her hand to stop her. She swung at his chest, barely capable of hurting him.
“Lucia, stop. We’re not here to hurt you.”
“You want to claim possession of me just like he did. You want to force yourselves on me, rape me, and think that makes me yours? Well, it won’t work. He couldn’t take my soul, no one can. No one,” she yelled and cried.
Maxwell lifted her up and against him and hugged her tight as she tried to resist then finally gave in to the feel of his arms. He rocked her as she sobbed against his shoulder. He locked gazes with his brothers. Salvatore with fists by his side, Lucifer with his hand over his mouth in shock, and Gabriele, arms crossed and staring in concern.
“We’d never hurt you, Lucia. Never, baby. Please let us explain. Let us in, Lucia. We want you because you’re beautiful, you’re smart and sexy, and we feel a connection to you. This kind of relationship is so special, Lucia. We never thought we would find a woman who could complete us even more and bring us all the closest we could ever be. But you can. You’re the link, the most important part in making this family complete and happy. Let us show you, baby. Let us make you forget what that dick did to you,” Maxwell told her as he caressed her back and continued to hold her.
“He can never have you, baby. We’ll protect you, sweetheart. Just let us in. Please let us in,” Lucifer told her next.
She lifted up and looked at Maxwell. His heart ached for her and the abundance of sadness on her face.
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“I don’t know what to do,” she whispered as a stray tear escaped from her eyes.
“Follow your heart, Lucia. Go with what you feel inside,” Maxwell whispered as he held her gaze.
He lowered her to her feet, and she wiped her eyes again.
“Explain what being guardians means. I want to understand it, before anything else happens.”
Maxwell smiled and cupped her cheek, ran a thumb along her skin, wiping away remnants of her tears.
“Let’s make some coffee and sit and talk. You ask anything and everything you need to and we’ll talk about the future and what we hope is meant to come from this.”
She nodded her head, and Gabriele began to make a fresh pot of coffee as Lucifer grabbed the cups. Lucia went to go sit when Salvatore took her hand and brought it to his lips. “Trust us, Lucia, as I trusted you back in the barn.” She nodded and then took the seat Salvatore held out for her.
This was going to happen. They were going to work this all out and be completely open and honest with Lucia. When she finally trusted them enough and felt confident in their intentions and commitment to her, he would find out exactly who hurt her, and who the man was who raped her and brought her such pain. No one would ever get close enough to harm their woman. No one.
Chapter 7
“Maybe you should reconsider and find a better private investigator, Derek,” Margie Monte said as she sat on the fancy sofa in the living room of their mansion in South Carolina. Derek sat in the single-seater sipping a snifter of expensive brandy. Clarence Monte was smoking a cigar and looking pissed off.
“I can assure you, Margie, that my guy is the best money can buy. He’s quite surprised by your daughter’s capabilities of hiding and not slipping up anywhere. I, for one, am impressed.”