Casanova In Training

by Aliyah Burke

  Chapter Twenty

  Gio was so stunned by her father’s blurted comment, he didn’t—or perhaps it was couldn’t—move quick enough to halt Jaydee’s rapid escape. Pregnant. She was pregnant. Correction—they were pregnant and he was going to be a daddy.

  His knees trembled a bit and he wanted to sit down. He wanted to hold Jaydee and tell her over and over how much he loved her and how excited he was about the baby. Their baby.

  Dr Thompson moved towards the hallway and that spurred him into action. He manoeuvred to block him. “Let her be. Don’t you think you’ve done enough for the day?”

  “That’s my daughter!”

  Gio crossed his arms, refusing to budge. “One you’ve never showed any emotion to previously. She’s overloaded right now, can’t you see that?”

  “Is she not happy about being pregnant?”

  Gio shrugged. “She didn’t know. Neither of us did, before your announcement.”

  Her father seemed genuinely distressed by that. He sighed and ran a hand over the short hair on his head. “I…I just…wanted…” He trailed off.

  “Go home. Give her some time. Just…let her work through this at her own speed.”

  Dr Thompson sighed and turned around. He headed to the front door and said, “I’ll wait on the porch for my ride.”

  Gio didn’t speak, just waited for him to leave so he could shut the door and make his way back to Jaydee. But the man stayed there, one hand on the doorframe. Dr Thompson’s brown eyes had a lot of concern in them, but Gio wasn’t budging.

  “I should go back and talk to her before I go.”

  Gio shook his head. Like hell he was going to subject her to more of this drama. They had their own things to work through and out. “No. She needs to relax and work through all of this.” He paused. “At her own speed.”

  The concern segued into a warning. “I know all about you, Giovanni Cassano. The trail of broken hearts you’ve left in your wake. Everything. This is my daughter here.”

  “Perhaps,” he said, losing his remaining bit of patience. “But you seem to be forgetting two very important things.”

  “What’s that?” Dr Thompson asked.

  “She’s the woman I love and she’s carrying my baby. So I will protect her the best I can and that means keeping the stress you bring away from her. When she’s ready, she will contact you. Not before and I don’t want to see you back here, bothering her.” He stepped close. “You say you’re her father. Act like it and do what’s best for her. Give her some space.”

  “And I suppose you do know what’s best?”

  “That’s it. Get out. I have more important things to do than stand here and argue who is more knowledgeable about what’s best for her. I just found out I’m going to be a father. I need to spend some time with the mother of my unborn baby. Shut the door on your way out.” He spun around and headed down the hall.

  When he heard the door click he knew Dr Thompson had left. At the closed door to Jaydee’s bedroom, he paused. Closing his eyes, he rested his head and one hand against the wood. No noises filtered through the door but he knew she was in there crying. She didn’t make sounds when she cried, almost like she was ashamed to be doing so and not wanting to risk anyone finding out.

  His belly was in knots and his palms were sweaty. With a deep breath, he turned the knob, and pushed his way into the room. Jaydee sat in the corner of her bed, back against the walls, and her knees drawn up so her chin could rest upon them.

  She never even looked at him, merely stared out at something only she could see. The tears streaming down her face tore a hole straight through his heart to his soul. It killed him to see her this distraught. He quietly shut the door behind him and made his way over to the bed, steps slow and measured.

  He made it to the edge of the bed before she rotated her head and looked at him. Such devastation filled her expression and he struggled to say and do something to make her feel better. “Are you okay?” he asked, carefully lowering himself to the bed.

  “Go away,” she whispered before turning her head and leaving him to face the back of her skull.

  He bit back his immediate retort and ensured his voice remained calm and cool. “Not gonna happen, sweets. And we’ll get to us in a minute. I need to know if you’re okay from dealing with…” he hesitated, unsure how to phrase his inquiry.

  “The psychotic mess that is my family?”

  Gio scooted along the bed until his back touched the wall as well. He made sure he didn’t touch her, for he truly didn’t know how much more she could take before she broke. And, Lord help him, he already wanted to punch out both of her parents for the incident this morning.

  “Go away,” she reiterated. Her voice sounded so defeated.

  “I already told you, that isn’t going to happen. I am staying right here.”

  “Why? Do you get some perverse pleasure in seeing me at my worst, Giovanni?”

  To hell with his no touching rule. A low grumble slipped up from his throat as he drew her into his arms. She struggled a bit but he refused to give and, before long, she sank into him, burying her head in his chest.

  He closed his eyes and lowered his face to the top of her head. His nose in her hair, he inhaled slowly and allowed her subtle scent to wash over him. He ignored the wetness of her tears soaking through his sleeveless T-shirt and just held her. Held her in his arms and offered all he could through touch alone.

  Eventually he fell asleep, her body tight against his.

  * * * *

  However, it wasn’t that way when he woke. He was alone, sprawled diagonally across the bed. He sat up and looked around, the place was silent.

  On his feet, he padded out to the main part of her apartment. Nothing. No sign of her at all. She wasn’t in the bathroom or the office, either. He went to his bag and withdrew his cell phone before pressing the numbers to call her. It rang three times before she picked up.

  “Leave me alone,” she muttered.

  “Where are you?” he asked.

  “I need some time to think about things.”

  “Don’t you think we should talk about the fact you’re carrying my baby, Jaydee?” Damn it, he knew he shouldn’t have gone to sleep. She didn’t respond and he repeated his question.

  “I told you I didn’t want anything from you, Gio, if it turned out the way it did. You don’t need to feel obligated to—”

  “Don’t you fuckin’ dare finish that sentence, Jaydee,” he growled, suddenly furious.

  “I need to think,” she said. Her voice still seemed so subdued.

  “And I want to talk to you about this.” He squeezed his eyes shut and took several deep breaths. “Will you please come back here so we can discuss this?” His heart and breathing felt suspended while he waited for her response.

  “Okay. I’ll be back in a bit.”

  “I’ll see you then.”

  She hung up before he could say any more and he swore a round of curses as he tossed his phone down onto the bed. Swiping it up again, he shoved it into his pocket and headed back to the kitchen where he found she’d cleaned up the breakfast he’d prepared for them.

  With a glance at the clock, he began to dig through her cupboards to figure something out for lunch. He didn’t know how she did it but Jaydee had to be one of the easiest eaters he’d ever met. She liked salads and hamburgers with fries.

  He opened her refrigerator only to shake his head again at the lack of items in there. He’d used up the rest of the yogurt this morning and most of the fruit. So he moved on to the freezer. She had a small enchilada casserole up there so he pulled it down. He had to make do—he had no vehicle to even go shopping, not to mention he wanted to be here when she returned.

  So he turned the oven on to preheat and went back to the sparsely furnished fridge to gather salad items. As he worked, he tried his best to calm down but, to be honest, he was still furious with her attitude. He knew he had to cut her some slack but why was it so damn hard for h
er to believe him?

  He rolled his eyes and shook his head at himself. Christ, it had been right there in front of him. Hell, he’d been privy to it this morning. If this was how she’d been raised it was no wonder she had doubts about the honesty of his own words. Her own parents had never shown her love or affection. He wondered if Lexy knew how lucky she was to have Jaydee’s complete trust.

  Jaydee didn’t return for another hour or so and he was pacing when she finally made it back. There was no television in her house so he couldn’t watch that. And her books, well, truthfully he didn’t understand them. That kind of stuff was way over his head. But when he heard the powerful rumble of her on-loan bike, he made his way to the couch and lowered himself into it.

  Moments later the front door opened and in she walked. He watched her shrug out of her leather jacket and hang it up before continuing on into the living room where he sat. His heart froze at the expression on her face. It was blank.

  Shit. She had already begun to pull away and into herself.

  Dropping the magazine he’d pretended to leaf through, he got to his feet and met her before she could vanish from this room as well. Her tortoiseshell eyes lifted to his and he licked his lips before deciding the hell with it and kissing her.

  She moaned into his mouth and he bit back one of his own as his taste buds were swamped with her flavour, pure, fresh mint. He closed his arms around her and held her tight. She pressed against him, her arms twined around his neck while her fingers scraped along the shorn hair on the back of his head.

  He couldn’t get enough of her and kept surging his tongue throughout her mouth. Her nails dug in and the brief pain drew him back from the edge. Lord help him, but he could kiss her for hours and never grow bored. She tasted divine and was so responsive to him.

  Ending the powerful kiss, he stared down at her. Those big eyes of hers hazy with desire and restrained passion. He knew what lay beneath the iron control she preferred to have over every aspect of her life. Volcanic in nature and hotter than the sun.

  “Jaydee.”

  “This isn’t a good idea,” she said.

  “Bullshit.”

  She opened her mouth to say more but his phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID and ignored it. Lizard. He could call him later. Right here and now was where his attention needed to remain focused.

  “I don’t want to ruin your career or your…lifestyle.” Her words were barely above a whisper.

  “Forget that for a minute and answer something, honestly, for me.” He held her gaze until she gave him a slight nod. Dear God, what if she said she wanted nothing to do with him? “Putting all that aside, is there something wrong with me? Is this why you are considering Ivan’s proposal?”

  She blinked a few times and he knew she’d not been expecting his question. “There is nothing wrong with you, Gio. You’re a dream catch for any woman. Sexy. Protective. Caring. And an amazing lover.”

  There was a ‘but’ in there somewhere and he waited for it. Jaydee stepped out of his embrace and put some distance between them. He didn’t approve of that move but he didn’t force her to stay closer to him.

  “I still believe you said what you did because you thought—”

  “Thought that you might be pregnant? Which you are, I might add.” He swore and raked a hand over his head. “Come on, Jaydee. I’ve told you I love you. Do you really think I want to go back to being the guy I was before you came into my life?”

  She shrugged. “It seems to have served you well so far.”

  More curses dangled from the tip of his tongue. Somehow he managed to keep them to himself. Lizard had been right. His past had come back to haunt him. The woman he loved more than anything stood before him, pregnant with his baby, doubting how he felt about her. All because of his past reputation.

  He stepped towards her and captured her upper arms in his hands, holding her securely, but not painfully. “Listen to me and listen well, sweets. We both know how I was, yes. But that all changed the day you walked into my life. I don’t want any other woman. I only want you. I look at you and I smile. I look at you and I want you, naked, with me. I don’t know how else to say it. You…you are the one I want to be with. I want to be there with you, for you.” He cupped her cheek with one hand. “And our baby. Ours, Jaydee.”

  His phone rang again. Lizard. He jerked it off his belt and answered. “This had better be good, Lizard!”

  “Hello to you too, Casanova.” He growled and Lizard sighed. “Yes, it’s good.”

  The man fell silent and Gio prompted. “Well?”

  “We made it.”

  “Made what?”

  “Damn, man, I thought you’d be waiting on pins and needles to hear. We made it to the combat group. We beat out Keel and Beast.” A slight pause. “Honestly, I think Keel’s okay with it. Considering his wife just had the baby not too long ago, he’d really rather be nearby.”

  The combat squadron. Overseas. He’d wanted it so bad but had totally forgotten it given his need to find Jaydee. He should be jumping for joy and ecstatic but, honestly, all he could do was stare at the woman standing right before him, watching him with those incredible eyes. Eyes he’d dreamed about when they were apart, the way she would stare up at him with them so full of desire it nearly took him to his knees. The way she would gaze at him as he made love to her.

  “Dude. You there?” Lizard’s question snapped his attention from Jaydee.

  “Yes. I’m here.”

  “What’s up with you, man? I thought you’d be happy.”

  “I am,” he said, forcing a smile. “Congrats, man. I just need to digest it a bit.”

  “Okay. I’ll call you later. You know they want us ready to ship out in forty-eight hours.”

  His heart plummeted to his feet. “I’ll be there. Later.” He hung up and slipped the phone back into his pocket.

  “Congratulations,” she said.

  “For?” he asked, tugging her closer. He needed to feel her alongside him.

  “The squadron.”

  “How’d you know?”

  “It wasn’t hard to figure out.” A slight smile. “And there’s the fact that Lizard isn’t exactly a soft-spoken man.”

  Very true.

  “So where does that leave us?” He stroked a hand down the back of her hair, tugging it free of the ponytail it had been in.

  “It leaves us with you heading back to the west and then on to your next designation, wherever that may be.”

  He ground his jaw. His phone rang again and it was the new CO telling him what Lizard had already shared. Hearing it again only seemed to further pound the nails into the coffin on his future with Jaydee. At least she didn’t move while he spoke to the commanding officer.

  “Jaydee, this isn’t…I didn’t want this to happen like this.” He brushed his lips over her forehead and stepped back in order to see her face.

  Her smile was bittersweet. “How was it supposed to happen, Gio?”

  Ring. Proposal. Marriage. Kids. House. Mortgage.

  He ignored the next ringing of his phone and took her hand in his. “Marry me.” Her eyes widened and she shook her head.

  “No…don’t ask that.”

  “Why not?” he said, refusing to release her hand when she pulled. “I love you, Jaydee. We’re having a baby together. Marry me.”

  “You don’t really want to marry me, Gio. Think of your future.”

  Her words hurt him and he tightened his fingers around her. “I am. Christ, I’m damn near begging you, Jaydee. Marry me. Let me be a part of your life and that of our child.”

  Jaydee stared at the man holding her. Marry me. Two words she’d never believed Gio would ever utter—but he had, more than once. And he loved her. Heaven help her, she wanted to say yes but she was scared to.

  “Look,” she said trying to ignore the furious pounding of her heart at something so simple as touch. “The test may be a false positive. It happens, they’re not foolproof. Let me make an appo
intment with my doctor and have them run a test as well.”

  The pain in his eyes was quickly masked. “So if you’re not…”

  “Then there is no reason for us to entertain the notion of marriage.”

  His lips pursed. “Entertain the notion. Is that what you think I’m doing?”

  “I just—” She broke off when he whirled around and left the room.

  Alone, she made her way to the kitchen and set the table for two, realising just how hungry she truly was. Her mother and father had arrived before she could eat this morning and they’d napped before she’d left.

  Once all had been set for the meal, she made her way back to the bedroom and entered. Gio sat on the bed talking on the phone. His expression was serious and he spoke in Italian. He looked at her and arched a brow.

  “Lunch is ready, whenever you are,” she said softly before leaving.

  She sat at the table and worried her lower lip. Man, she wished Lexy were here to talk to. She knew calling her wouldn’t do her any good. Lexy had sent her a message informing her they had some emergencies today and she would have to miss their normal chat.

  Gio walked into the room, setting every nerve she had on high alert. He gave her a small grin. “Sorry.”

  Wait, he wasn’t mad? She remained silent as he made his way to the chair and sat. He beckoned for her plate and served her before himself. Gio never said a word as they ate. He did, however, watch her unblinkingly and she began to feel herself wanting to shift beneath his scrutiny.

  “What are you doing?” she asked, placing her fork down.

  “Eating.”

  “Why do you continue to stare at me?”

  “I love looking at you, sweets. Surely you’ve realised that by now.”

  She had, but still…

  After taking a drink of her iced water, she sighed and placed her arms on the table. “I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings, Gio.”

  “You did. But you can’t think I’m going to give up that easily.” She blinked and he gave a rather humourless laugh. “You did think I would.” He sighed. “I wasn’t lying, Jaydee.”

  “You’re leaving.”