Giovanni
“Did you like it?” I murmur, pulling Alina into my arms, and all she can give me is a sleepy nod and a soft smile, her arm wrapped around my middle.
Yeah, if it’s her first time, I’m pretty sure she feels exhausted, so I just hold her close until her muscles relax and her breathing turns deep and steady. She leans her weight on me in her sleep, and I enjoy the sensation.
It’s been so long since I spent a night with someone. It’s the first time I want her to stay until the morning.
My fingers thread through her hair while my own tired thoughts drift in the wrong direction. What if I ask her out again? What if I call her mine in front of her whole damn family? What if I let her stay in our apartment for as long as she wants, and every night we exhaust each other till the last breath?
I can’t help but smile at the thoughts, even though at the back of my mind I can hear quiet protests. But right now, Gerardo, his words, and my own intentions behind approaching Alina feel so distant. She’s here with me, and for the first time in a very long time, I feel at peace.
I fall asleep like that, with Alina in my arms and a light smile on my lips, and when I wake up in the early morning with an erection pressed
against her thigh, I don’t think too much before sliding my hands down her body. It doesn’t take long for Alina to wiggle and groan under my caress,
and by the time I flip her onto her belly and slide in, she’s fisting the sheets and pushing her hips back against me.
God, what a way to start the day.
After we both ride through our orgasms, Alina slumps against me, breathing heavily, and stares at the ceiling with a blissed-out smile. “Yeah… I’ve been missing out.”
What can make a man more proud than a woman’s pleasure?
I can’t help but grin at her words, feeling warmth spreading in my chest. Following the invisible pull, I raise onto my elbows to press a quick kiss to her lips. Alina giggles, placing her hand on my shoulder, and when I pull back I can see her blue eyes shine even in the gray light of the morning.
“There’s so much for you to explore,” I murmur, and touch her nose with mine. It makes her smile soften, and she closes her eyes and wraps her arms around my neck.
“I can’t wait.”
We doze off again, and by the time I wake up, the light from outside is bright enough to indicate that it’s a late and cloudy morning in Chicago. Behind the door, I hear steps and the sizzling of something on the frying pan. Damn. I forgot about Isabella. I sigh and rub my eyes before carefully pulling away from Alina. I can feel a whole damn lecture incoming.
“You’re shameless, and I hate you,” Isabella greets me as soon as I step into the kitchen, and I scratch the back of my head with a yawn.
“Good morning to you too.”
“It would be good if I didn’t have to listen to the fucking moans from your room.” She gives me a glare, and with her wavy hair loose and messy, it does look intimidating. “Next time, get your whores somewhere
-”
“Gio?”
Oh. I immediately turn around to the doorway-only to freeze for a moment when I see Alina in my t-shirt. It reaches all the way down to her thighs, but it’s clearly tight in her chest, making me hot and bothered when I catch the outline of her nipples. Good lord. But Alina seems to be completely unaware of it. She rubs her eyes, looking small and vulnerable with her hair loose and one of her cheeks still pink from resting on my shoulder.
“Did I…did I wake you up?”
My voice is thick with sleep and I clear my throat, glancing back at Isabella. She’s leaning on the counter by the stove, studying Alina with raised eyebrows, so before she can say something dumb, I get up and rush to Alina.
“Kind of.” She yawns and only then seems to notice Isabella on the other side of the kitchen. A clear look of confusion flashes in her eyes, and she looks up at me. “Uh, Gio?”
“Yeah, I should’ve warned you-”
“And me,” Isabella inserts, still sounding bitter, and I give her a quick glare before turning back to Alina.
“This grumpy creature is my sister Isabella. She looks like a gremlin now-”
“Hey!”
“But she’s nice sometimes. Once a month or so.”
“I am going to kick your ass out of here.” Isabella glares at me, pursing her lips, but Alina giggles, leaning into my embrace, and it’s a good sign. She knows what it means to bicker with siblings, right?
“As Isabella eloquently reminded me, we live together.” I turn to Alina with a shrug. “But don’t worry, she’s not gonna kick me out. She doesn’t have enough stamina for that.”
Finally, Isabella decides to put an end to our bickering with a theatrical sigh and a roll of her eyes before turning to Alina. “Are you sure you want to get involved with that?”
She eyes me pointedly, but before I can protest, Alina chuckles and looks up at me, placing her hand on my side to hold me closer. “Yeah, I’m quite happy with it.”
I blink, and something in my heart spreads so rapidly that I don’t have time to think about Isabella’s complaints before leaning in to press a quick kiss to Alina’s lips. God, this woman is turning my world upside down-but now, now that my mind is clearer than it was last night, I feel that something’s wrong.
Alina is just a tool to get closer to Riccardo. I can’t treat her like that. I can’t actually fall in love with her.
But before I can think about it, Isabella clears her throat. “Well, I’m glad there’s someone else ready to look after him. Do you want some huevos rancheros? I can make extra.”
Surprisingly, Isabella doesn’t sound displeased or suspicious about my relationship with Alina. Instead, she acts like a good host, showing the softer side of her personality, and I breathe out and relax, watching the two of them interact. Alina seems to be shy and hesitant around her, but Isabella ignores it, telling her about the details of Mexican cuisine, and eventually they seem to get along.
We share breakfast in the kitchen, and Isabella does a good job of pretending that everything’s as usual. Only the quick glances she gives me from time to time make me feel that a conversation afterward is inevitable. I wish I knew what to tell her, though.
“I think it’s time for me to go,” Alina says all of a sudden, right as we come back to the bedroom and the image of pushing her onto the mattress pops up in my head.
“What?” I frown, watching her pick up her clothes scattered on the floor. “Where?”
Alina glances over her shoulder with an amused smile. “Home, of course. Where else?”
Home? How can she call that place home?
“But they-they want to force you into a marriage. Alina, they’re going to take you away…” From me, I think, but stop myself at the last moment. Goddamnit. What’s wrong with me?
“They won’t.” She rolls her eyes and straightens up, pulling her jeans on. “I freaked out yesterday, but…Mom wouldn’t do it. She knows I’d rather leave Chicago than do something against my will.”
Leave Chicago? I swallow. God, why does that make me feel so bitter? Well, because if it happens, I won’t be able to get to Riccardo
anymore. Of course that’s why I don’t like it.
“I think I have to talk to them first,” Alina adds in the meantime, taking off my t-shirt, and it takes all my willpower not to grab her hands and force her to stay.
“Do you think they will listen to you?” I say, just to distract myself from the seductive lines of her body. I look in her eyes. “They’re not the kind of people that care about others…at least, that’s what I know from your stories.”
Damn it. That was close. I really have to be more careful with what I’m saying-because Alina doesn’t know anything about me. Because all of this is nothing but a game.
For some reason, the thought leaves me grim and annoyed, and I decide not to bother Alina anymore. If she wants to go back to her damn family, fine. It doesn’t matter to me. I take her to the door and order her a taxi to get to Costco-her car is still in the parking lot, probably already found by the Russians.
“Thanks for last night,” Alina says at the doorstep, lowering her voice and looking at me with a shy smile. “I was nervous at first, but…I really liked it.”
“Good.” I can’t help but smile at her, putting my hands on her waist. The warmth of her closeness melts my grim frown-but it makes something in my chest even more anxious. “Does that mean you want a repeat?”
“Of course.”
Alina’s smile turns into a grin, and she pushes herself up on her tiptoes, tightening her hold on my shoulder. I read her intention right away and smirk, leaning to meet her lips halfway through. Her body is so pliant in my hands, her lips are so sweet, and I can’t help myself. I linger in the kiss, ignoring the alarm bells ringing in my head, and when Alina sighs with satisfaction, I feel it all the way to my heart.
God, is it possible to resist her?
At first, the question sounds sweet and gentle in my ears-but when I close the door behind her, I repeat it again with a frown. Can I hold myself back? Can I ignore the way she affects me? Because it’s stupid to pretend like I don’t like her, but-
“Giovanni.”
I startle and turn around to glare at Isabella. “Why the fuck are you sneaking up on me like that?”
She quirks an eyebrow but says nothing about the aggravated tone of my voice. She’s just standing on the other side of the hallway with her arms crossed and her dark eyes on me, but for some reason I feel judged. What the hell does she know?
“Giovanni-”
“I know,” I cut her off with a growl, not looking at her as I storm to my room. “I know what you’re gonna say.”
“Yes?” She turns around to keep her gaze on me. “And what are you going to say?”
“Everything is under control.” I stop in front of my bedroom and turn to look her in the eyes. “I don’t have feelings for her. I know what I’m doing.”
Before Isabella says anything, I walk into my room and shut the door behind me. I don’t want to listen to her. I don’t want to talk to anyone right now. My mind is a complete mess, and waves of emotions are washing over me, not allowing me to take a breath.
Anger, confusion, denial, despair-I feel like my heart is caught in a storm, and every feeling that Alina left with me stings me from inside. I don’t like her, I shouldn’t like her, I’m doing it only for Mom. My fingers instinctively wrap around the ring on my neck, and I close my eyes with a silent plea.
Mom, forgive me for hesitating. I want nothing more than to avenge your death, but… there’s a woman taking over my heart, and I don’t know how to stop it.