by Cala Riley
I walk closer and lean in the doorway as I watch him root through one of the drawers. My eyes immediately find what they are looking for.
“What are you doing, Gio? You’re going to get in trouble!”
I’m sitting in the computer chair in Giovanni’s room while he kneels next to his dresser.
Just like every other time he laughs, I get caught up in the melodic sound.
“It will be worth every ounce of trouble.”
I slap his shoulder, mindful of the knife in his hand.
“Stop. Your mother is going to hate me when she sees this.”
“Don’t you worry about her. She rarely comes in here anyway.”
“Why are you defacing your dresser?”
He stops what he’s doing and sets the knife down before turning to me. He places his hands on my knees as he leans in close.
“Because I want to. Because I want to look at it every day. Because it’s just a small token of the feelings I harbor in my heart for you. Because every time I want to feel close to you, I can run my fingers over it and maybe, just maybe I will feel our love seep into my bones. Because I love you with all my heart and soul, Isabella Emilia Dellaco.”
Gio turns and holds out a shirt, but he pauses as he takes in the unshed tears in my eyes. He follows my stare to the dresser where “Giovanni loves Isabella” is carved into the wood. The declaration of his love for me so proudly displayed right here for my eyes to feast on.
He reaches his hand down and rubs his fingers over it like he has done a million times before.
“You still have it?” I whisper.
His eyes meet mine with confusion. “You thought I wouldn’t?”
“It’s an old dresser, Gio. Why would you keep it? Buy a new one.”
“Do you remember what I told you that day?”
“Every word,” I say without hesitation.
A small smirk plays on his lips. “That hasn’t changed. I still look at this every single day. I still touch it and feel the love we shared. How could I get rid of it?”
The emotions inside me are threatening to cause turmoil throughout my mind, body, and soul.
“I need to use the bathroom.” I quickly turn and rush into the connecting master bathroom. Once the door is shut and locked, I sink down to the floor.
He kept it. Something he obviously feels sentimental over. Something he feels connects him to me.
My heart soars at the realization. Maybe I was wrong about him. Maybe I can forgive him.
I stand and stare at myself in the mirror. After a couple of deep breaths, I turn and open the bathroom door. I step into the room, expecting to find Gio. Instead, I find the shirt he pulled out sitting on the bed. I walk to the closet but find it empty. I walk over to the dresser and run my fingers over the symbol of our love. The tingles on my skin could be completely mental, but I choose to believe it’s our love filling my body.
Just like that, my decision is made.
Giovanni
“What were you thinking?” I groan to myself.
I wasn’t. That was my problem. I don’t even know why I brought her back here. If she didn’t short-circuit my brain, I would have loaded her up into the car with Dante and had him take her home. Instead I selfishly brought her here. She gave me an inch, and I took the whole fucking Atlantic Ocean. I should have followed my own advice and been happy with the inch.
No wonder why she ran before. I’m an idiot when it comes to relationships. It doesn’t help that the only woman I ever dated was Izzy. We were just kids then.
It’s not like I haven’t had opportunities. Women throw themselves at me left and right. During the dark days, also known as the period of time Isabella pretended I didn’t exist, I would attempt to take them up on a quick fuck. I could never do it though. Don’t get me wrong, I made sure I gave them pleasure, but I could never receive any myself. Iz was the only woman I wanted, the only one who could turn me on. I only gave in when things in my head got really bad.
I always hoped that one day Izzy would give me a chance to explain, a chance to make it up to her—that she would forgive me.
Sofia will never know how much I love her. Her chance meeting with Bash changed my life dramatically. Before then, I was lost, just taking every chance I could to steal a glimpse of the girl who haunts my dreams.
Then Bash fell in love with Sofia, and suddenly I had a reason to interact with her. I knew what was going on in her life. I wasn’t an outsider looking in anymore. Even when she was screaming at me, I savored the sound of her voice. It was better than nothing. I didn’t have to hear her voice speaking to someone else. The words were being directed at me.
I would take every nasty word she threw at me as long as she continued to speak to me. Accept every hurtful thing she could think of only to take in her sweet voice and know that she was speaking to me.
Now I might have ruined any progress we were making. She had finally talked to me without murder in her eyes. She had been civil with me. Hell, she danced with me at Bash and Sofia’s wedding. She let me kiss her not one hour ago. Ten minutes ago, she let me kiss her neck and hold her for a few fleeting moments.
Then I had to take her to my room. It wasn’t a conscious plan of mine. I only wanted her to rest. My feet naturally carried us to my room. There was nowhere else I wanted her to be.
Going into my closet was an even bigger mistake. I didn’t even think about the dresser. I didn’t think about how she would feel when she saw it. Thinking about it from her perspective, she probably thinks I set her up. If I had thought about it before going in there, I would have known seeing that little piece of her that I couldn’t bear to part with would cause her to cry.
All I can hope now is that she will take the hint and rest.
I walk over to the fridge and pull out a bottle of water. I gulp down half of it before setting it on the counter. I lay my head next to it while the stress of the damage I might have just done runs through my head.
“I can hear you thinking all the way in the other room.”
Her teasing voice causes me to jump upright. I turn and find her standing in the archway wearing nothing but the T-shirt I left out for her. I didn’t even hear her walk up, which goes to show how messed up she has my mind.
“I didn’t think you would still have this either.” She pulls the shirt slightly away from her body.
The shirt is one she used to wear. It’s a plain old white button-up. Even back then, I wore suits every day. It had been required of me. This particular shirt doesn’t even fit me anymore. The only reason I kept it was because of the stain on it—the stain and the memories of her.
“It doesn’t fit me quite like it used to.”
It used to fall to her knees, but the way her body has filled out since then, it now brushes the top of her thighs and hugs every curve of her body.
I shrug, at a loss of what to say.
“Does it even fit you anymore? I mean and this stain. I thought you would have thrown it out long before now. If not you, your mother.”
“I guess she missed it somehow.”
She smiles like she doesn’t believe me. “You remember the night this stain happened?”
I let a smirk take over my face. “How could I forget? It was the first night you snuck into my room. I had been so nervous that I was shaking. When I went to hand you the wine I stole from Ma, I spilled it all over you.”
She chuckles. “You were horrified. You peeled my shirt off before you even knew what you were doing. Once you had the shirt off, you looked like a deer caught in the headlights.” Her laughter and the joy on her face calms the embarrassment I still feel over that night. “You turned so fast I thought you almost fell. Then you took off your shirt and handed it to me. As soon as I had it on, the wine from my bra seeped through and left this mark on it.”
I watch as she traces the stain over her right breast and follows it over to her left. I swallow hard. I can feel myself harden in my pants as I follow every mo
vement her hands make. Abruptly she stops, and I bring my gaze to her face. I recognize the hunger in her eyes, but I can also detect hesitancy.
“You should rest. Take my room. I will be up a while longer.”
Her brows crease with confusion. “Yeah, okay. I should sleep.”
I walk over to her and lead her back to my bedroom. “I will be in my office down the hall if you need anything. I need to check in on Greer.”
“Of course.”
I watch as she begins to close the bedroom door, but she stops when it’s almost closed and looks at me through the crack.
“I’m glad you kept it, Gio.”
Before I can respond, she closes the door the rest of the way.
I watch the door for a solid thirty seconds before I turn and go to my office. Once settled behind my desk, I bring up the cameras at the club. Scanning them, I find Greer easily. She’s dancing in the middle of the dance floor with the girls she had befriended and a ring of guys around them. I watch as Matt worms his way past the guys to dance close to Greer. From an outsider perspective, it looks as if he’s just making his way in. Knowing Matt, he’s doing whatever he has to do to stay close.
With that being said, Bash would not be happy about how close he is to Greer.
I pick up my phone and call Dante. “Report.”
“She seems to be fine, boss. She tried sneaking another drink, but the bartender only gave her soda. She doesn’t even realize there is no whiskey in it I don’t think. She’s buzzed but not wasted. Matt is keeping a close eye on her.”
I find Dante standing above the rest, watching over the dance floor in the VIP area.
“And her so-called friends?”
As he reports, a light knock comes from the door. I glance over and watch Izzy slide through the door and shut it behind her. She leans against it while she waits for my reaction.
I give her a smile, and that’s all the encouragement she needs. I watch her hips sway as she walks around my desk to stand next to me. I turn my chair to face her and am surprised when she climbs into my lap, straddling me.
“What are you doing?” I whisper as I put my hand over the phone.
“I don’t want to be alone tonight, Gio.”
Instead of heat, her eyes are filled with sadness. She wraps her arms around my shoulders and curls into my neck.
“Scare the guys off. I don’t like how close they are. Call me if anything changes,” I tell Dante, cutting him off. I don’t wait for a response. I hang up the phone before wrapping my arms around Izzy. “What do you need from me, Iz? Tell me and it’s yours.”
“I need you to hold me. Can you do that without wondering what it might mean? I’m so tired of overanalyzing everything. I just want to be held and to have a peaceful sleep.”
“Then that’s what you will get.” I tap her hip. “Let’s go to bed.”
I don’t even glance at the computer screen as she stands up and grabs my hand to lead me out of the room. I shut and lock the door behind me before following her down the hall and into my room. I wait for her to crawl into bed before kicking off my shoes and stripping down to my boxers. I slide in next to her, but don’t make a move to touch her.
This is new territory for me. Back in the day, I wouldn’t have questioned grabbing her hips and pulling her in tight to me. Now, I feel like I’m walking on eggshells, trying to maintain this delicate balance we have established. While I want her more than my next breath, I also don’t want to do anything to jeopardize what we have. It hurts not having her as mine, but it hurt more not having her at all.
Before my thoughts spiral out of control, Izzy turns toward me and pushes me onto my back. Then she slides over until her head is resting on my chest, her arm curled around my middle, and her leg is thrown over my hips.
I let out a breath I didn’t know I had been holding as I curl my arms around her, holding her to me.
She looks up at me before leaning forward and pressing a soft kiss to my lips. “I don’t know what this means but hold me and don’t let go. Okay, Gio?”
“Never, cuore mio. I will hold you as long as you let me.”
I don’t know how long I lie there listening to her breathe, but as her breaths even out, I keep repeating the same prayer to God over and over.
Please keep her here with me. Please let this be the beginning to the new us. Don’t let me lose her again. Please.
Chapter Six
Isabella
After what is quite possibly the best few hours of sleep, I wake up feeling refreshed and horny. God, so horny. I can’t help but wiggle a little closer to Giovanni before opening my eyes. We’re face-to-face lying on our sides. My left leg is thrown over his hip with his right hand cupping my left ass cheek. I remove my left hand from under my face and can’t help but ghost my fingers down his naked chest. Ridge by ridge, lower and lower until I see the tip of his cock peeking out of the top of his boxers. I can’t help but wiggle a little closer again, getting just enough friction to tease.
Gio groans and tightens his hold on my ass before relaxing and rolling slightly over onto his back. I remove myself slowly from him and head toward the restroom. After taking care of my business, I look into the mirror and observe something I haven’t seen in years.
A spark in my eyes and a natural smile.
I want him. I need him.
By crawling back into bed with Gio, I know this can only go one of two ways. Either we go all-in, no questions asked and let go of the past. Or one of us stops the other. I know I won’t be the one stopping us. I’m sick of being a shell of a woman. I want the kind of happiness our friends have, and I know the only way I’ll ever have it is with Giovanni.
I slowly crawl into bed with Gio. He has one hand stretched out beside him as if he had been seeking me out and the other tucked under the pillow. The sheet is dangerously low on his hips, showing off the deep lines on his V.
The infamous V.
I can’t help but sigh when I see it. I work my way down the mattress, taking the sheet with me as I go. With a little work, I lower his boxers enough to expose his cock. I reach over and run my finger along the vein on the underside of his cock, making him twitch. His legs shift enough for me to slide between them without disturbing him. I slowly lift his cock and lick. I love the musky way he tastes and can’t help but take him into my mouth. He keeps growing harder and harder, turning me on more as I turn him on.
“Isabella,” he rasps.
I look up at his face and watch his eyes flutter open and flare when they find me. He slowly reaches a hand down and scoops my hair out of my face while running his thumb along the side of my face to my chin, pulling slightly on my hair.
“I thought I was dreaming of your mouth on me, cuore mio. I didn’t want to open my eyes in case it wasn’t real. The sight of my cock sliding between those puffy red lips of yours, Iz....” He trails off on a hiss.
His words spread a wave of pleasure through me, soaking me.
“I forgot how good you taste,” I whisper shyly.
Before I can even pick up where I left off, Giovanni hauls me up the bed and hovers over me. He kisses me passionately before breaking off and trailing kisses down my neck to the spot that drives me crazy.
“If we do this, Isabella, there is no going back. You’ll be mine.” He bites my sweet spot, causing me to hiss. He blows air on the bite, turning my hiss into a moan.
“I know, Giovanni. I know. We’ll talk later, but I’m done fighting. I need you, need us, but most of all, right now I need your cock filling me in a way only you can,” I tell him breathlessly.
His eyes flare with desire as he spreads my legs further apart. He takes the head of his cock and runs it along my slit, causing me to whimper and him to groan.
“It’s going to be slow, Iz. Payback for all the torture you’ve been putting me through over the years. Every time you’re close, I’m going to slow down and back off. Only to build you up again and again. But before that, I have to have a taste of
your sweet pussy.”
I gasp as he moves down my body, kissing and nipping the entire way. He stops as soon as he reaches the apex of my thighs. I can feel his breath, but he doesn’t move. I look down to find him staring up at me.
“Ready?”
Before I can respond, he leans forward, running his tongue up my slit. My answering moan must be enough of a response. He continues to run his tongue up and down my center before I feel his finger outlining my entrance. I try to grind myself on his face, but he uses his free arm to hold me in place. He chuckles as I huff at not being able to move.
“You aren’t in charge here. Let go. Let me own you. It will be worth it.”
At that, he dives back in, adding a second finger to his first. The sensation of his fingers sliding in and out of me while his tongue laps at my clit is almost too much. He nibbles lightly, and I see stars. My moans must be a sign, because before I fall over the edge, he stops.
“Gio, please.”
He slides up my body. “What do you need, baby?”
“You,” I moan.
He chuckles as he goes to leave me. I wrap my legs around him, refusing to let him up. I feel his cock at my entrance and gasp.
“Please, I need you inside me.”
He rubs against me, causing us both to moan. “You’re so wet and warm. Fuck, I’ve missed this. I’ve missed you,” he whispers the words, almost as if to himself.
“Please, I need this.”
“Let me get a condom, baby. Then I will fuck you so hard you won’t be able to walk straight tomorrow.”
“Now. I’m protected. Just do it.” He doesn’t know the truth, but I push those thoughts away.
He forces me to look at him. “Are you sure? I’m clean. I promise I wouldn’t risk you.”
“Yes, I’m sure. Now shut up and make me feel good.”
His laugh does wonderful things to my body.
“Yes, ma’am. Your every wish is my command.” He kisses me hard as he thrusts inside me. I gasp as my body adjusts to him. He stills, watching me.
“Stop staring at me and move,” I urge, assuring him I am okay.