He looked away, but I saw him crack a smile as he did and my heart jumped.
Oh, Natalia, just what exactly are you doing?
I couldn’t haul off and developactualfeelings for Giorgio. That just wasn’t a wise decision.
“You didn’t answer my question,” he said.
“Which one?”
“When will you come back?”
It really threw me so far off-kilter, I didn’t know how to respond. As he was healing from his fever I came once a day, tended to him, brought him food and water, washed him up, and then left.
Somehow it didn’t feel like the answer he was fishing for.
“Well…” I replied, my heart beating as I decided to be brave and test the waters. “I’ll have to go down to dinner. If I don’t, my brothers will ask questions, but I could come back… tonight?” I finished dressing his back and then walked around to stand in front of him. He hadn’t answered yet and it made me nervous. I opened my mouth to back off, when he nodded, a small smile forming across his face.
“Yeah,” he said. “Come back tonight.”
What the hell does that mean?
By ‘Come back tonight’ did he mean we were going to get up to something other than sleeping? He couldn’t mean that, the man could barely walk. “Okay.”
And why was I agreeing to it? What was the sudden pull I felt towards the man? I’d been taking care of him these past few weeks, first down in the dungeon, and more recently up in the guest room, but I’d been so focused on just keeping him alive I didn’t think of what I’d do once he was comfortably living.
“Okay. I’ll see you tonight then,” he said.
I nodded. “Okay.”
He was already wearing the light blue, satin pajamas that were packed into most of the guest rooms, but should I wear pajamas too? Should I wear jeans and a parka? Should I wear nothing? After not showing me any emotions for as long as I’d known him, all of a sudden, Giorgio was looking at me with warm anticipation and I had no clue what to make of it.
Instead of trying to figure it out, I offered a soft, “See you later,” picked up the bag and left the room. I carried it down to the dumpster still shocked and confused, with an irritating fluttering in my stomach.
What if Giorgiodidwant to get up to something a little friendlier? Would I let him? I imagined his body, all of which I’d seen twice now, and remembered the feeling of his hand settled around my waist. Even images of laying with him in my lap while he was still sick danced through my mind.
Yes.
If Giorgio wanted me, I would let him have me. What that meant for me and my feelings towards him, I didn’t know, but I couldn’t deny the bond we’d forged. It seemed like we were beyond being a Cavetti and a Bonifacio. We were Gio and Nat now. I smiled as I thought about it.
Oh no.
“What are you all smiley about?” Savio asked as I arrived at the dinner table.
“I’m not smiley,” I spat back.
“You look like a tree on Christmas morning,” he responded. “What’s going on?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Looking back at Savio, I could see a similar glow on his face. “Besides, you don’t look much different than me.”
His eyes narrowed then. “What are you saying?”
I stuck out my tongue at him. “I’m saying mind your own business.”
He seemed to take that, shrugged, and turned his attention away. Eventually, Marcello showed up, followed by Romeo and Lucia. Angelo arrived and sat down at the table, and I was just fine to let dinner be a quiet affair. All I could think about was getting back to Giorgio anyway.
Dinner passed uneventfully and I went back up to my room to decide exactly what I should wear back to Giorgio’s room. I decided pajamas were best, but I still wore a bra to make sure I wasn’t suggesting too much. A satin, spaghetti strap, pink tank top, and pants were revealing enough, but not too much.
It left the ball totally in his court.
