And then… it stops.
His hand pulls away. The heat vanishes. And before I can even process what the fuck is happening, I feel him buttoning my pants. Zipper up.
What?
I look at him. "No." My voice cracks. "No, no—what?!" I reach for his hand, desperate. "The fuck?! Put it back in. Gio I’m serious—" He laughs. "Look at you," he says, grinning. "You’ve gotten so desperate for me." He kisses my neck once. Then again.
"You’re fucking evil," I breathe, still shaking. "That was cruel, Gio." He pulls back just enough to look at me, that cocky glint in his eyes.
"Aww," he coos, kissing my lips, this time softer. "Poor baby." And then he stands up. Grabs his shirt, starts putting it on like nothing happened. Fixing his cuffs. Brushing his hair.
"What the fuck are you doing?" I ask, still breathless and hard. He smirks over his shoulder.
"Getting ready for that meeting." He’s putting his pants on. I sit on the bed half wrecked and more than a little pissed.
Then he fixes his damn chain. That silver one on his wrist I hate because it makes his hands look even hotter. "Yeah, okay," I mutter. "That wasn’t cool."
He looks at me over his shoulder. Smiles.
"You’re such a prick."
Still smiling.
"No, seriously," I snap. "You don’t get to pull that and then leave like nothing happened." He raises a brow. "Pretty sure I just did."
I glare. Sit back on my elbows. "We’re not going anywhere," I say. "You’re staying right there. You can sit your ass down and wait until I’m good. Because I’mnotwalking out like this. I’m not going home with a boner thanks to your unfinished business."
He laughs loudly. "Oh my god," he says. "I’d pay money to see your dad’s face if he saw you walking out of my place like that."
I actually laugh too, even though I want to kick him. Then I get quiet. Look up at him, a little more serious. "I’m gonna talk to him today," I say. "I’m nervous. I won’t lie. But I swear to god, Gio, I can’t listen to his bullshit anymore."
Gio’s face changes. He doesn’t smile this time. Just looks at me with something like pride. "I wanna see that," he says. "I’ll stand behind you. Just in case a stray punch lands my way."
I snort. Shake my head. "Look what we’ve come to…"
…
I spin my pen between my fingers just to keep from clenching them. One look at my father’s face across the room and my whole chest burns. Lorenzo plops down beside me, chill.
"Your sister’s super hot," he whispers. "Like, I-hope-she-runs-me-over-with-her-car hot." I turn my head slowly, narrow my eyes. "She’s my blood relative. Gio’s yours. What does that make you and me?"
He smirks. "Unstable. By the way, where’s your man? Got stopped at a checkpoint again?"
I stare at him. "He’s eating pies because someone awful stole his last ones last night."
Lorenzo snorts, trying not to laugh too loudly. "You’re never letting that go, huh?"
I don’t answer. I glance across the table at my father again. His eyes scan the room like we’re all beneath him. My stomach knots. Lorenzo leans toward me. "What’s this guy’s deal?" he whispers, nodding subtly at my dad. "He terrifies me. And not in a cool way. In a ‘man-who-yells-at-waiters’ kind of way."
I keep my eyes on him. "He’s always been bitter," I mutter. "But lately it’s like… aging is eating his soul." Lorenzo whistles low. "Spicy." The pen clicks between my fingers again. The air feels heavier now.
Gio still hasn’t shown up. But I can feel it, things are going to blow soon. I rest my cheek on my hand, trying not to yawn from the boredom, or punch something from the tension. Then the door creaks open. He walks in, not giving a single shit about anything or anyone inside that room.
White shirt, half-buttoned, slightly wrinkled. Silver rings on both hands. Helmet in one. Black pants. The chain around his neck catches the light. His hair is messy. Everyone looks up when he walks in. "Gio," someone says near the back, "how’s your mother doing?"
"Doing better already," he says. "Real shame she’s missing the last one of these absolutely riveting meetings, huh?" A few chuckles. Mostly silence. My heart does that annoying thing.
I already know his mom is doing better, and I couldn’t be happier about it. My mom is at the hospital, keeping an eye on her.
