Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 61692 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 308(@200wpm)___ 247(@250wpm)___ 206(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61692 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 308(@200wpm)___ 247(@250wpm)___ 206(@300wpm)
That brings my mind to his past. Has he lost someone before? Is that why he’s so opposed to it? Or is it really his lifestyle that’s got him pushing the thought of being with anyone away.
“I’m here, Franco. I agreed and signed. I’m not leaving until you tell me otherwise. Sometimes, you need to let go of past hurts to find happiness.”
I don’t know where my courage comes from, but once again, I notice how his gaze hardens. “I’ll be back later. Make yourself comfortable.” With that, he turns on his heel and stalks out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Something has hurt that man, and I intend to find out what it is.
The kitchen is immaculate. It’s been an hour since Franco stormed out of the bedroom, leaving me wondering how to get into his mind. “Hello.” Spinning around, I find Gio sitting on a chair at the table. He’s got his laptop in front of him and a cigarette hanging from his full lips.
“I didn’t know anyone was in here. I’m sorry.”
“Stay, I don’t mind the company. I’m finishing up some work.” He gestures to the chair opposite him, which I slide into. His eyes, a rich chestnut color, bore into me as he drags his gaze from my face down to my chest. For a moment, his stare settles on my breasts, and when I blink, he’s turned away, focusing on the screen in front of him. “Did you want dinner? There are some leftovers in the fridge. Ginnie made some lasagna. She’s a great cook, so I’m sure it’s good.” He speaks almost as if it’s a rehearsed speech. I wonder if he knows what his brother is into. What he does.
“Thank you. I thought Franco—”
“He’s not here. He left an hour ago,” he informs me with a wave of his hand, the white smoke creating intricate patterns in the air around him.
“Oh.” My voice cracks on the word, which has his eyes snapping up to mine. Before he can see the hurt that must be so clear on my face, I push up and head to the large steel refrigerator in the corner of the incredible kitchen. Opening the door, I find it fully stocked with food enough for an army. The container labelled with lasagna on the lid sits glaring at me, but I find my appetite gone.
“Listen, bella, he’s a difficult man. I know this, but when he cares for someone, he has this tendency to push people away.” Gio’s voice has me turning to face him. The light of the fridge shines into the room and illuminates it.
“I don’t understand, to be honest. I’ve been pushed away all my life. I signed the contract in the hope that I’ll—”
“You can’t change him. You can’t help him. It’s who he is. Don’t take it personally. He’s like that with everyone. Sometimes, he even pushes us away.”
“What happened to him?” I question, shutting the refrigerator and closing the distance between us as I settle in the chair again. I want to know more about the man who has embedded himself inside me.
“It’s not my story to tell, bella, but just know that he pushes people away for a reason. Our life”—he glances away, looking at something on the screen before he brings those brown pools back to mine—“it’s dangerous and all the people we care about could get hurt in the blink of an eye.”
“Then why not just… I don’t know… stop?” It’s then that Giovanni chuckles. His laugh is musical, deep and rough. He’s handsome. The creases at the edge of his eyes make him look older than he is, and his full lips press against white teeth. I thought he was handsome when he’s serious, but his smile lights up his face in such a way that he almost looks like a painting. Like you want to freeze time just to look at it.
“Sei divertente. Funny girl,” he points at me with long, slender fingers. “The only way out is if we’re buried six feet under, Raina.” A shudder races through me at his warning. “It’s our life.”
“It’s not a life, it’s a death sentence.” My vehement words earn me another chuckle and he shuts the lid of his laptop, bathing us in darkness. A sliver of light from the new moon is all that illuminates us.
“A death sentence that we’re born into,” he affirms with a nod and pushes up from the table. The chair scrapes across the tiles and he positions it back under the table. “Remember, caro”—the Italian word for darling drips seductively from his lips—“you can’t change the stripes of a tiger. All you can do is learn to appreciate them.”
He turns then and saunters out of the kitchen with my gaze following each confident step. Giovanni is dangerous in his own way, oozing confidence, sexual prowess, and I know he has the ability to bring any woman he wants to her knees and that makes me worry about my cousin. I know they’ve been seeing each other, and something tells me she’s going to fall head over heels for the man who I find myself gaping at.