by Ella Jade
“Too long.” He leaned forward and kissed my cheek, resting his hand on the small of my back for a moment as he gazed into my eyes.
Holy shit! Gianni Marchelli!
“How have you been?” he asked.
“Uh...” Did he kiss me? “I’m well.”
“You kissed the princess.” Gia pretended to pour tea into a delicate cup before skipping out of the room, leaving me alone with my childhood crush.
“She’s adorable.” I tried not to be awkward but I failed miserably. “Very advanced for her age.”
“That’s because she’s growing up around her father and four uncles. We treat her like royalty but we teach her everything she needs to know.”
“How are your brothers?” The Marchelli men were the most eligible, desirable men in town even if they were slightly unattainable. “Dominick, Vincenzo, Salvatore, and Santino.”
“Impressive.”
“I remember coming to all those lavish parties your mom used to have.”
“She still has them.” He leaned against the back of the couch. “She’s having one this weekend if you’d like to join us.”
“Oh, maybe.” I nodded. “My father’s leaving for Washington tonight so I’ll be alone most of the weekend.”
“We can’t have that.” He held out his hand. “Let me have your phone. I’ll put my number in and you can text me so I’ll have yours. I’ll get you all the details.”
“Okay.” I took my phone out of my pocket, used my fingerprint to unlock it, and handed it to him. When he reached for it, I noticed the tribal cuff tattoo around his right wrist. “That’s new.”
“What is?” The confusion in his expression alerted me to how stalker-like I sounded.
“I don’t remember the tattoo on your wrist. It’s really cool.”
“Thank you.” His lips curved into a side smile and I wondered if I amused him.
As he created a new contact in my phone, I couldn’t stop staring at him. When my father said he was coming here, I asked if I could tag along. I’d always enjoyed this house and the warmth they all inspired. We’d eaten several dinners with them on Sundays when I was a kid. We didn’t come often but I remember those times. They were some of my favorites.
“My tat is new.” He handed me back my phone, focusing on the fresh bruise on my forearm. “What’s this?” He gently took my arm in his hand, studying the mark. “That looks new too.”
“It’s nothing.” I maneuvered my arm from his grasp because it really was nothing. I’d taken care of the asshole who’d left it there. Leo, that stalker creep. When he didn’t take no for an answer, I punched him in the eye. “I’m clumsy. I probably bumped into something.” That wasn’t a lie. I often banged into things, bruised myself, and couldn’t remember where I had done it. But this time, I remembered where it came from.
“Are you sure someone didn’t bump it for you?”
“What?” How could he know that? “No.”
Both of our fathers joined us in the family room as my phone buzzed with a text. My stomach churned as I read the message.
You stupid bitch, you can’t block me
My hand trembled when I realized Leo was using yet another of his friends’ phones to torment me. Why can’t he leave me alone?
“Angelique, what is it?” my father asked.
“It’s nothing.” I didn’t want to get into this in front of Gianni and Mr. Marchelli.
“It’s him, isn’t it?” my dad persisted. “It’s written all over your face.”
“It’s not a big deal.” I tried to assure him. “He’ll stop.”
“May I?” Gianni held out his hand for my phone again.
“It’s nothing at all,” I insisted.
“Sweetheart,” my dad said. “Let him see it.”
I glanced up, staring into Gianni’s encouraging eyes as he waited for me to let him see my latest text. The three men stared at me in the eerily quiet room. “It’s okay.” I reluctantly gave him my phone because I didn’t want to involve Gianni in this mess. “Just some guy who doesn’t like to take no for an answer. I thought I’d handled him.”
It seemed as if all the muscles in Gianni’s body tensed as he read the text. His jaw tightened as the veins bulged down his neck. I wondered if that was what he looked like when he was caught up in a moment of sweaty, dirty passion. What’s wrong with me? As if I’d ever seen a man hot, writhing, and caught up in pleasure. But if I had, I’d want it to be him.
“Unfortunately, some men can’t appreciate the word no.” He gave me back my phone. “Sometimes they need help understanding.” He looked at my father before returning his attention to me. “I’m sorry you have to deal with him but don’t reply to that text.”
“I’ll keep ignoring him.”
“That’s a good idea.” He lingered for a moment as our fathers engaged in conversation. “I’ll text you the details for this weekend. I hope you’ll join us.”
“I’d like to.” I sent him a smiley face emoji text. “Now you have my number.”
“Good.” When he leaned in to kiss my cheek, he caught me by surprise. The first kiss was a greeting, totally understandable. Almost obligatory. The second one? Not necessary at all. “It was nice seeing you.”
“You too.” When he let go of me, I stumbled, hitting the back of the sofa in a less than graceful attempt to be alluring.
As I tried to compose myself, Gianni moved toward my dad and said something to him and Dante Marchelli. The three men nodded in what seemed to be a mutual agreement.
What are they up to?
Continue on with this series:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07L87GB9F
About the Author
USA Today bestselling author Ella Jade has been writing for as long as she can remember. As a child, she often had a notebook and pen with her, and now as an adult, the laptop is never far. The plots and dialogue have always played out in her head, but she never knew what to do with them. That all changed when she discovered the eBook industry. She started penning novels at a rapid pace and now she can't be stopped.
Ella resides in New Jersey with her husband, two sons and two feisty Chihuahua writing companions. She can be found creating sexy, domineering men and the strong women who know how to challenge them in and out of the bedroom on a regular basis. She hopes you'll get lost in her words.
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