Gio: The DelGado Trilogy (An Enemies to Lovers Romance)

by Natalia Lourose

  “If they treated me like Johnny does, without a doubt.” Of course, he would.

  “But they’re perfect I imagine, right?” I say sarcastically.

  “No, sweetheart.” he smiles lightly. “Far from it. My brother is under a lot of stress right now, but he’s patient. He’s worked really hard for this, and he’s going to succeed and I’ll be right by his side. My sister, Gemma, she’s going through something.” he pauses.

  “What is it?” I ask softly.

  “Our mom died last year, and Gemma is having a hard time coping. She’ll get through it though.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry.” I pause, mulling over his words. “You love them?”

  “Yeah, I do.”

  “I know he’s not perfect, but he’s my brother and I love him. He wasn’t always like this.” I sigh, telling him.

  “I’m sure he wasn’t.”

  “Why are you making someone watch him?” I ask after a moment.

  He’s silent beside me, eyes steady on the road in front of them. “I don’t want him to gamble.” Gio gives me a sympathetic look. “It’s not good for my bottom line.”

  “Oh. I never said thank you.” I nearly whispered.

  “I would love to hear that.” he flashes a wicked grin.

  I laugh for a moment. “I guess, thank you.” I turn to face him and smile softly. “You know, for not making me swim with the fishes.” I gesture with my hands and attempt to mock an Italian accent.

  His laughter fills the car. God, I love the sound.

  Sexy as sin.

  I could listen to that all day.

  “And thank you,” I continue, a more serious tone now. “For taking care of Johnny and not letting them beat the shit out of him.”

  His laughter settles. “Were you scared of them?”

  “Not as much as I am of you.”

  He turns his face to meet mine. All sharp lines and angles, but right now he looks soft and approachable.

  “That’s probably a good thing.”

  Was it a good thing?

  Gio walks me to my door when we arrive back in Providence. It’s a weird tradition I’ve become accustomed to. He’s quiet as we approach my apartment, both hands jammed into the pockets of his jeans like he’s trying to prevent himself from reaching out to me.

  “I’m sorry.” he finally speaks as my key turns in the door lock.

  “For what?” I ask, pausing, and angling my body to face his.

  “I’m sorry he hurt you.” he inches close to me, backing me through the open door way until he’s able to shut the door behind us. “But I don’t mind being here for you.” he raises one hand to softly caress my cheek.

  “Gio,” my voice comes out strained.

  “Annie.” he looks down and then lifts his eyes to meet mine. “I want to kiss you.” His breath touches my neck and I relish the feelings. He’s so fucking close to me.

  “Then kiss me.”

  I want him. More than ever, I want him to make good on that promise and kiss me.

  He leans in close, gently pressing his lips against mine, then just as quick he presses in deeper, using his teeth to nip at my lips opening my mouth. Our tongues war against each other while he fists a handful of my shirt and pulls me in close. Just as quick as the kiss started, he pulls away.

  I feel empty without his touch, without his mouth on mine.

  “I want to keep kissing you, but you’ve had a rough night and I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “You won’t.” I plead.

  He gives me a pointed look. “Not tonight. We will, trust me.” he smiles softly. “It’s all I’m going to think about, but not tonight. Not after what just happened.”

  I want to appreciate his chivalry, but I also just want his damn lips pressed against mine.

  “I’m not broken,” I whisper.

  “I know.” he winks. “But I’m not about to take advantage of you.”

  “Fine.” I whip around to move away from his. “Are you staying at least?” I ask with a look over my shoulder.

  “Are you inviting me?”

  “Maybe.”

  “Then I’m in.”

  My bed is light and missing Gio when I wake the next morning.

  I stretch my arm out to where he was sleeping only hours ago to find nothing but cold sheets and folded piece of paper.

  Dinner 6PM, I’ll pick you up.

  I’m grateful to be alone as my cheeks flush recounting the events from last night. That kiss. That damn kiss drifted through my memory. The feeling of his lips against mine had me wanting.

  My head is swimming. This is not normal. I’m just working for him. It’s just a job, just an agreement.

  Still, even knowing this is wrong, that I should just hustle through this deal and rid myself of Gio, I still want him.

  I want him more than anything.

  Him protecting me, rescuing Johnny, his words playing on repeat in my head.

  You deserve better than that.

  What did I deserve? Was it him?

  Was Gio DelGado, a fucking gangster, going to treat me the way I deserved?

  My thighs ached thinking about his kiss, the way he parted my lips and devoured me. If the kiss was that good, how was the sex going to be?

  Yeah, I fucking want him.

  Getting ready for work became a chore. My body tingles with excitement to see him again. By the time I made it to the nursing home I was five minutes late, flushed, and my brain was far from work mode.

  “You look good.” Veronica, a fellow nurse’s aid and probably my only work friend eyes me suspiciously when I make it onto the floor. “Hot date?”

  I heave a breath, rushing into work made my lungs hurt. Maybe Gio was right about me being out of shape. “No.” I insist.

  “Mmhmm, sure.” Veronica smiles. “I’ve never seen you wear makeup like that. Unless you have a crush on one of these geezers,” she gestures to the two older men slumped and fast asleep in their wheelchairs next to the nurse's station. “You’re planning on meeting someone. Spill it.”

  Veronica is 22, Latina, and stunningly attractive. She frequently wears red lipstick and hoop earrings paired with her baby pink scrubs and orthopedic shoes while I opt for tight ponytails and moisturizer instead of makeup. She’s the yin to my yang, and our friendship works perfectly like that. But she also knows me well enough to see that my curled hair, eyeliner, and blush pink lipstick is way out of the norm for work.

  “Fine. You win.” I blush. “It’s a guy but that’s all I’m telling you.”

  Veronica’s face lights up. “Oh. Annie! Yes, girl!”

  “Shh,” I throw a loose pen at her. “It’s not serious.”

  Veronica gives me a look of amusement.

  Was it not serious?

  I trip over my feet the rest of the day. Pushing wheelchairs, serving dinner, and checking in on residents all feel like insurmountable tasks. I’m beating myself up for being so distracted when I finally leave the nursing home at the end of my shift.

  “Hey, sweetheart.” his deep baritone draws my attention from my phone to meet his eyes.

  Gio is stunning leaning against the black Porsche in dark black jeans, a white tee, and his signature black leather jacket. His feet are covered in black combat boots that have the laces wrapped around them. His hair is slicked back as always and he wears a crooked grin that makes my knees weak.

  “Hey.” I give him a matching grin.

  We’re like two teenagers meeting behind our parents back. It felt wrong, like something we shouldn’t be doing.

  Thrilling.

  Electrifying.

  Every part of me is on fire and he hasn’t even touched me.

  Yet.

  “What’s on the agenda, Mr. DelGado?”

  He smirks. “It’s a secret. Get in.”

  I’m thankful I changed into tight skinny jeans, a black crepe top that gives a little glimpse of my cleavage, and black booties before leaving work. I fluff out my waves, hike my purs
e onto my shoulder and get into the Porsche.

  I am definitely going along for this ride.

  “Do you remember those books, the ones where you make a choice and then flip to the page it tells you to?” Gio’s grin hasn’t left his face as he shifts gears and drives us out of the parking lot.

  “Choose your own adventure? Yeah, Johnny loved those things.” I smile at the memory of flipping through those books with Johnny, normally a million times so we could live out every version of the story.

  “So tonight, it’s going to be like one of those books, okay? So I’ll ask a question and then we go to the location that corresponds with that answer.”

  Soft laughter fills the car. “Got it.”

  “Swanky or low key?”

  “Hmm,” I hum amused. “Low key, for sure.” Mostly because I’m wearing jeans, and also I want to see what low key means to someone like Gio DelGado.

  “I thought so.” His grin widens as he turns the Porsche onto the next street.

  “So what does that get me?”

  “Pizza.”

  He’s not joking. He pulls up to a pizza shop in downtown Providence. The place is busy for a small shop. It screams classic Italian pizza with red-checkered tablecloths, a mannequin with a dark mustache, and the overwhelming smell of greasy pizza.

  “Gio!” a man with a thick Italian accent and a white chef’s coat greet us within seconds of entering.

  “Sal.” The two men do a quick one-armed embrace. “Sal, this is Annie.”

  “Ah, you brought a lady.” Sal takes my hand and places a light kiss on my knuckles. “Piacere di conoscerti caro.”

  “I uh, don’t speak Italian,” I tell him confused. I have no idea what the man just said to me.

  “He says nice to meet you.” Gio interprets.

  “You’ll have to learn then.” Sal’s face is amused. “Gio here is fluent.”

  “Really?” I turn to look at him. There is still so much I don’t know about this man.

  “Si, bella ragazza.”

  “What does that mean?”

  Gio leans in close, moving a loose strand of hair behind my ear before whispering, “Yes, beautiful girl.”

  I can feel the pink heat rising to my cheeks.

  “Here,” Sal gestures to a table in the back that has a view of the entire restaurant. “Your favorite table is available.”

  “This table was definitely not available when we walked in.” I muse, once we are seated and Sal insists he’ll bring out an assortment of food.

  Gio looks pleased. “Probably not.”

  “Do people just part the seas when you enter?” I tease.

  “Something like that.” he deadpans.

  I laugh amused, I can’t say I didn’t already know that the man has a high level of self-esteem.

  “How do you know Sal?”

  “He’s an old family friend. He and my pop grew up together.”

  I hum under my breath.

  “My turn to ask questions now.” Gio declares.

  I lean back into the fake leather of the chair. “Shoot, I’m an open book.”

  “What do you want to do?”

  “Like with life?” I ask. “I guess nursing, that’s what I’m going to school for.”

  “Mmm,” Gio nurses the glass of whiskey Sal placed in front of him. This place doesn’t look like it has a bar, but I assume that it doesn’t matter when it comes to Gio. “But what do you really want?” he asks again.

  My life has always been one thing after another. One problem solved, then onto the next one. I never really had time to hope and dream with the family I was given. I was always focused on them. Helping them, getting them out of trouble. Nothing was ever about me.

  “I want to help people.” I finally say. That’s true. I want to help those who need it. The sick, the poor, the people who can’t help themselves. I want to be the person who helps get them through. That’s why I love nursing, I want to help everyone.

  “Yeah,” Gio takes another long sip. “But who’s gonna help you?”

  The next choice is fast or slow which has me doing a double-take.

  “Fast.” The word rushes from my lips before I can think about it.

  “Good choice.” he grins.

  I find myself at a garage on a large plot of land outside the city less than twenty minutes later.

  “What are we doing?”

  Gio only smiles and grabs my hand to lead me into the garage.

  “You’re not gonna, like, kill me right?” I ask, only half-joking.

  “No.” His look is scolding. “I’m not gonna fucking kill you, sweetheart.”

  Inside the garage, he flips on the lights revealing the overwhelming smell of dirt and gasoline.

  Front and center is a bright cherry red Tesla model S. The sleek and smooth design is mesmerizing. One the other side is a shiny black Mercedes Benz SUV. How many cars does one man need?

  “Have you ever ridden in one of these?” Gio asks, running his fingers along the side of the Tesla.

  “Nope.” I’m entranced by the hundred thousand dollar car sitting in front of me.

  “It goes zero to sixty in 2.4 seconds.” Gio is gushing over the stats like I imagine a car salesman would.

  “Are you, like, a car guy?”

  His brown eyes flash up. “Seriously? You don’t have to be a car guy to appreciate this beaut.”

  His enthusiasm makes me smile. “Okay then.”

  “Get in,” he commands. “We’re going for a ride.”

  The interior of the car is impeccable, the tan leather feels like butter against my skin as I sink into the passenger seat. The center dashboard is replaced with what looks like a huge iPad. The whole car screams money.

  Then again, Gio himself screams money

  “You think you’re ready?” he asks before placing the car into gear.

  “It drives itself right?” I ask, eliciting a smirk from Gio.

  “Yeah, that’s one feature, but we’re gonna go fast.”

  He pulls out of the garage and onto the long strip of uninterrupted road. “Hold on,” he tells me as he presses the pedal to the flooring causing the car to speed forward. The pick up is so quick it presses my head back against the headrest.

  As quick as he hit the petal we’re going sixty, then seventy, then eighty.

  “Yes!” Gio howls, beating his palm against the steering wheel. “That’s what I’m talking about.” his laughter fills the car. This is the first time I’ve seen him like this.

  Wild.

  Unfiltered.

  Free.

  Damn, did I love the sight of it.

  His hair flows, the gel he uses loosened, he tosses me a wide grin as he continues speeding down the path. I take a mental picture, I want this image sealed in my brain forever. This is the way I like Gio DelGado.

  “Slow, slow!” I laugh, finally coming down from the high of the fast car. “I choose slow now!” I tease.

  He chuckles, looking at me with a sly grin. “Yeah right, little thief, you loved that.”

  Little thief.

  I hate the nickname, but it’s fitting.

  He’s not wrong, I did love the speed, the car, maybe even the man driving it. “Fine. You’re right.” I fake pout. “My turn?”

  His face meets mine, that wide grin still in place. He spins the Tesla around in the street, a move so quick it has me hanging on the side of the car. “Your turn.” he repeats.

  I take my place in the driver’s seat, adjusting it so I can reach the pedals. Sitting in this car makes me feel rich and luxurious, something I don’t think I’ve ever felt before.

  Gio is still smiling next to me as he settles into the passenger seat.

  “Hold on,” I tell him. I set my eyes straight forward on the road and press the gas pedal, the car lurches forward speeding just as quickly as when Gio sat in this seat.

  “Yes!” he hollers.

  I understand the love for speed now. I feel exhilarated as our surro
undings blur by us. My body is pressed against the seat by the acceleration and I can hear Gio laughing beside me.

  This is what freedom feels like.

  “Last one,” he says once we’ve stopped and I’ve caught my breath. His eyes lock onto mine, “My place or yours?”

  He races the Porsche back to his apartment. My body is electrified, every nerve ending is on fire. Even the soft leather feels imprisoning against my skin. I steal a glance at him, his hands grip the steering wheel as he watches the rearview mirror. He’s going over the speed limit, something I’ve never witnessed him do in all the rides he’s given me.

  He pulls the Porsche into a gated parking lot, the attendant lifts the gate before Gio is even close enough to produce a key card. I’m not surprised considering the power he wields.

  He leads me to a refurbished warehouse in Federal Hill. I’m not completely naive, I know Federal Hill is mafia territory, and has been since the early 1920s. It’s not taught in the history books but all of Providence knows this fact, being a mafia run town is a part of our history. The building is old, but it’s surrounded by new builds. It looks like the area’s been gentrified.

  Gio types in a passcode causing the metal door to buzz and open for us. He pulls me through quickly, grabbing my hand and dragging me up the stairs to the second floor. When we reach the landing he pushes me against the cement wall, his hands roaming my body.

  “Gio,” I moan. “The hallway.”

  “I own this fucking hallway.” He retorts, his mouth hovering over mine. He pressed his body against me, pushing me harder against the wall. His mouth is on mine, his kiss is brutal, taking all I have to offer.

  “Please,” Lifting my heavy gaze to meet his eyes. “Inside.”

  “Inside,” he repeats, pulling the keys from his pocket and fumbling them into the lock. As soon as the door opens he pulls me in the apartment and is on me again.

  I’m not inexperienced, I’ve had sex, but I’ve never been with someone like Gio. His hands are all over my body, feeling me. His kiss is electric, bringing sparks to every inch of me. He demands my attention.

  Gio is nothing like the men I’ve been with before. They were all average, and Gio is nowhere near average. Everything about him is extraordinary.