"Fuck," I whisper and get out of bed.
The water is cold as it slides down my head to the rest of my body, and I close my eyes, letting it soothe my tensed muscles — but even a cold shower can't stop my thoughts of Gianna.
CHAPTER 5
Gianna
I don't knowhow long I sit, spaced out, until I hear a knock at the door. I stand, my heart racing with who it might be.
"I'm here with your things," a voice comes from behind the door.
I open the door, and Alex hands me my phone and suitcase before walking away. I breathe a relieving sigh and close the door.
I sit on the bed and go through my phone. They must have bugged it or something. That means I can't risk communicating with Vito or any Rosso.
I scowl when I open my suitcase and see my folded clothes are now a mess.
My mind returns to the moment I had with Finn, and I twist a piece of my hair around my finger, feeling confused and frustrated. One minute we were arguing, the next he wanted to kiss me, and it took everything in me not to kiss him back.
I groan, frustrated, and stand up, pacing the room. He called me a coward and made it clear we meant nothing to each other. A part of me knows our feelings run deeper than either of us wants to admit. We'd been doing this dance since college —pulling each other close, then pushing away. An endless cycle that never seems to break.
Stop thinking about Finn, Gianna. You're not here for him.He is a Costello, and I can't trust him. The enmity between our families could never make anything work between us, and there was the attack on Sofia's safe house.
Of course, there was a time I thought it could be real. I wouldn't have given him my virginity if I hadn't believed that. But after everything that had gone down following that night, maybe it had all been a game of chess. A move in the endless war between our families.
I stop pacing and collapse on the bed, but as I close my eyes, thoughts of Finn slide into my mind. His green eyes, his intoxicating scent, the way those veins travel from his wrist to his arm. His breath on my face, the way his lips were so close to mine, the heat between us.
"Shit, I need to relax." I get up and head to the bathroom.
Thank goodness this room has an en suite.
After filling the large tub with warm water, I take off my clothing and dip my feet in first before the rest of my body follows. Immediately, I begin to relax, and all the tension seeps out of me.
Today has been a long day, filled with so many emotions — anxiety, fear, anger, and desire.
But I managed to convince Finn, and he convinced Declan. I had thought I was going to have it tough. Rina was right; all I had to do was make Finn protect me.
"I think you're scared. I think you like the fucking comfort your family name brings you. I think you're a coward, Gianna."Finn's voice claws into my thoughts again, and it makes me so angry. Who does he think he is to speak to me that way?
He acts like he understands me, but he only knows the version of me I let him see in college. He doesn't know what it is really like living under Vito's thumb.
I don't understand how I can want someone and hate them at the same time.
I groan, take a deep breath, and sink my head into the water. Steam curls lazily in the air as I step out of the tub slowly, letting the water drip down my legs. I reach for the robe from the hook on the wall.
It is warm, of course. Heated racks.
The robe fits perfectly. That is the first unsettling thing. I walk across the bathroom, steam still rising behind me. I glance around. Marble counters and faucets that gleam like they were polished an hour ago. A diffuser in the corner hums quietly, releasing lavender into the air.
None of it feels lived in, and yet everything is in place. Curious, I open the mirrored cabinet. Toothpaste. A new toothbrush and unopened face wipes. Travel-size bottles lined neatly like they are on a hotel display.
I move to the lower cabinet. More toiletries. Shampoo, conditioner, tampons, even a loofah in its packaging. I open another drawer, and it is the same thing. Everything is new, unused. How could they have prepared all this in that short time?
My chest tightens as the realization hits me.
Finn prepared this. All of it. For me.
He'd had his people stock this room with everything I could possibly need. Down to the tampons. The lavender scent I love. The heated towel rack. This isn't some generic guest room hastily prepared — this was thought out. Intentional.
