Page 103 of The Bonventi Hitman

"Anna," he says, his voice low. "I have a proposition for you."

I hold my breath, bracing myself for whatever comes next. Gabriel moves closer, his eyes never leaving mine.

"You're going to leave the FBI. Completely. No more contact, no more missions. You'll integrate fully into my life, into the family." He pauses and clears his throat. "You'll do all this to become my wife."

Wife?

I exhale as my eyes widen. Did he just say wife? A sudden mix of fear and longing swirls in my chest.

"We'll never revisit your past with the FBI again," Gabriel continues, his tone firm with no room for argument. "That part of your life is over, buried. You're Anna now. If anyone asks, tell them it's your middle name or a nickname you've always gone by."

I nod slowly, still processing his words.

"This is non-negotiable, Anna. It's the only way forward."

I see in his face that the anger I saw earlier is gone, replaced by determination and something else—a vulnerability I've never seen in him before.

"Gabriel, I—" I start, but he cuts me off.

"Think carefully before you answer," he says. "There’s no going back."

I close my eyes, running the decision through my mind. Everything about me, everything I've worked for, fought and scraped to earn—gone. But as I place my hand on my stomach, I realize that all those things brought me here, to this moment, and all that I could ever want is in this room.

"Okay," I say, opening my eyes to meet his. "Yes, I'll do it. I want to be your wife, Gabriel. I want to be with you. I want us to be a family. No matter how fucked up our situation may be, I want to live it with you."

Relief washes over his face, and it's quickly replaced by the fierce possessiveness that normally fills his eyes—the type that makes my heart flutter.

He rushes toward me and pulls me to my feet.

"You know I would have forced you if you said no," he says, looking down at me with a slight smile.

I nod as I stare into those damn green eyes. "You could ask me to do anything, and for you—I would."

"The same, Bella," he says as his lips come crashing against mine in a kiss that's both tender and demanding.

When we break apart, Gabriel cups my face in his hands. "Anna Falcone."

"I like the sound of that."

"Mine forever, Bella," he says, rubbing my cheek.

I smile. "I'm yours, Gabriel. And you're mine."

He smiles, and I feel his eyes fill with lust and desire.

"And now, I'm going to claim the last of you."

ANNA - 39

Ifall back onto the bed, and Gabriel crawls on top of me, his eyes stripping me bare before he even touches me.

He cradles my face, his thumb pressing into my lower lip, exerting just enough pressure to elicit a gasp from my parted lips.

"Are you ready for this?" he asks in a low growl that resonates in the depths of my core.

I manage a nod, my breath caught in the burning desire he's stirred within me and wrapped around us.

He leans in, claiming my mouth again in a searing kiss that stokes the fire within me. Our tongues meet, and the world begins to slip away.