The Truth Hurts: Part Two: The Twisted Betrayal Duet

Chapter 45

We’re a step closer to getting Gabriella back, I can feel it. Every breath I take is filled with hope. Every glance from Serafina fills me with confidence.

So why can’t I sleep?

Raf and Nico Rocco are working together on a plan; a way for Sera to get the Governor alone and distracted enough that we can locate the people he has held captive—including my daughter. Something in my gut tells me D’Angelo isn’t the one calling the shots, though. He’s too much of a weak link—considering our last encounter left him with almost his balls detached from his body. I just have to hope that this is it, this is where it all ends. Not just for me, but for Sera, too.

Sweat beads across my forehead from the summer heat. Even though it’s starting to cool, it’s pretty unbearable at night.

Cazzo. I roll over in my bed, glancing at my alarm clock. One a.m.

It’s no use. My mind won’t rest, I won’t rest. Not until she’s back in my arms.

Pushing the bedsheets away from my body, I twist off the edge of the bed. I have to get a grip on myself. I’ve gotten this far, and it won’t be not long now before this nightmare will finally end. Still, that doesn’t stop me from pulling on some sweatpants and heading into the house in search of something that might help me sleep.

I only get as far as the pool when I see Sera perched on the edge, her legs dangling into the water. Her gaze locks with mine as soon as she hears me, her body relaxing when she realizes who it is. She looks tired, as if the last few days—maybe even weeks—have been hard on her and I’d believe it.

Hell, I’m still restless after what Luciano put us through, but Sera is so defiant that she’d never admit it to me or anyone around her.

“What are you doing awake?” I ask, stepping closer.

“I could ask the same to you.”

She’s got me there.I thought I was the only one awake at this hour, but seemingly whatever is on Sera’s mind is keeping her up, too.

I snort a short laugh, coming up beside her. “So what brings you out here?” I ask, stooping to sit beside her on the pool’s edge while being mindful of not encroaching on her space, pulling my knees up to rest my elbows on them.

“The water,” she says softly. “It calms me.”

I watch as she threads the water between her toes, ripples cascading across the pool. For a few minutes, I let the silence envelop us. We’ve never needed words to fill the gaps. Sometimes, the peace that settles between us is enough, and I’m content with that. Sera is too.

The soft sounds of crickets chirping in the background softens the silence, and the gentle brush of wind that slips through the trees on the perimeter leaves a calming melody in its wake. It allows us to lose ourselves in our thoughts, but not so much that I’m left frustrated. Like Sera said, the water, the wind, the nature that surrounds us, is calming.

“What about you?” Sera eventually asks, her gaze still following the ripples across the pool water. “Why are you awake this late?”

“Just needed some air, I think. Or something to distract me.”

She looks up at me, and it’s so easy to read the emotions written across her face. Recently, she’s been able to rein them in and cover them up, but after today’s meeting, that mask has seemingly shifted. “I pro—”

“I know,” I cut in. I already know what she’s about to say. “I trust you’ll help me get her back. I don’t deserve it, but I appreciate it.”

Sera shrugs in response. “It was an easy decision, something I’d do again and again, despite the reasons behind it.”

I inwardly groan at her words. There’s no way I can’t deny that the guilt of what I did still eats away at me. If I could go back in time and change things, I would do so in a heartbeat. I’d admit to Sera what was happening, the Verdi’s plans, how they kidnapped Gabriella… I’d leave nothing out and beg for her help. Knowing what I do now, she’d help me without a second thought. That’s what I love about her.

Sera takes my hand in hers, tangling our fingers together. “No matter if it takes weeks, months… whatever it takes, we will get her back..”

“Let’s hope it’s not that long,” I chuckle.

“Yeah,” she smiles back, eyes shining with sincerity. “I just want you to know that I won’t give up.”

And I believe her. I trust her implicitly. If there is anyone I have confidence in to get my daughter back, it’s Serafina Bianchi.

Tucking hair behind her ear, I cup her face in my palm so I can look deeper into her eyes. The scar on her cheek is a constant reminder of my betrayal, something she has to look at on a daily basis while trying to forget how much I hurt her. I’ll never be able to erase the look in her eyes or the way her voice broke when Verdi exposed me. It’s something I’ll go to the grave with, forever haunting me.

Mindlessly, my thumb runs over the scar. “I owe you so much I don’t even know where to start…” I choke on the last few words, struggling to vocalize just how much I hate myself.

“Don’t do that,” she suddenly snaps, pulling away from my touch. “I don’t want your pity or guilt.”

She flicks her feet out of the water, about to push up to stand when I grab her by the wrist. “I’m sorry,” I croak. “I just…”

Fuck. The look she gives me slices me open. I don’t even know what I’m supposed to say to her. I’m forever indebted to her, but she’ll never accept repayment.

“I’m sor—”

Sera slams her lips to mine before I can finish my sentence. She cups my face firmly, her body relaxing against mine like I’m soothing her soul. It’s a harsh kiss, a brutally honest kiss that has me desperate for more.

I pull her in by the waist until her chest is flush with mine, pouring every part of me into the kiss. There’s no urgency though, because we have time. And that’s exactly what I’m desperate for. More time with her. More kisses. More of her.

Our tongues slide against each other’s, desperation and relief turning the kiss more heated by the second. Her palms slide down my chest, and just the heat of her hands makes my dick ache for her. I don’t even know what this is between us, but whatever she’ll grant me, I’ll gladly take.

Suddenly, I feel lighter, less burdened by the past and what’s to come. In an instant, her kiss soothes me in ways I didn’t know were possible. All at once, this kiss obliterates any lingering doubts about yesterday being a mistake. We haven’t really had a chance to talk about it after the party, after the explosions that followed. Hell, I haven’t even had a chance to process what this means to me or where we stand with one another, but if her kiss is anything to go by, I’d say we’re way past holding grudges.

Especially when Sera slides her hands into my sweats and strokes my dick languidly. “Sera,” I groan as I throw my head back. It’s been so long since I had her hands wrapped around me, since I’ve felt her shatter beneath me.

Sera pushes away suddenly, twisting her body and sliding into the water. Tugging the legs of my sweats, she walks backwards while pulling them off until they lay on top of the water. Desire and lust swims in her gaze as she licks her lips, eyeing up my evident desire for her. It’s all the invitation I need before I follow after her, catching up with just one push off the wall.

My arms wrap around her, turning us so I can press her against the side of the pool, the water lapping at the sides. Our breaths mesh together with anticipation as she wraps her legs around my waist, and she shrugs her soaked shirt from her body and tosses it behind her with a smirk.

I dive in and trace my tongue along her hot, slick skin. While one hand cups her ass, my other cups her breast, rolling her taut nipple between my fingers.

“Gio,” she gasps, rolling her head sideways to give me more access. “Can I ask you something?”

I pull away with a sly grin, ignoring my rock hard cock pressing against her entrance. “That depends,” I rasp.

“It’s about something you said to me the other night.”

Dropping my head to hers, I grimace at the reminder. I had purposefully saved myself the embarrassment of admitting my true feelings on the basis that I doubted she’d feel the same way, plus I had every intention of leaving once I got Gabriella back. But the further we adventure back into familiar territory, the harder it is to want to follow through.

As I let my thoughts sit with me for a moment, I wonder what she would say if I finally told her how much she means to me. There are very few things that scare me in this world, but being rejected by Sera definitely sits on that list. Would she slap me? Laugh at me? Tell me she feels the same way?

When I don’t answer she fills the silence with clarification.

“It was about me letting you live when I could have killed you.”

“You should have,” I admit on a choked exhale.

Sera cups my face, bringing my gaze to hers. “But I didn’t. And you said it was for the same reason you believed in me.”

“Yeah…” I chuckle lightly. “I did say that.”

“But what did you mean?”

The look in her eyes is full of uncertainty, searching for clarity. But the tone in her words is pleading with me. I owe it to her to be honest, to put everything out on the table—my heart included.

As I lose myself in her gaze, I feel my ribcage pull taut, like there”s a string connecting us, drawing me closer to her. Not in a physical way, but an invisible tether that has always forced me to gravitate towards her. She owns a part of me that she doesn’t even realize, and even if I have to share her with three other men, I’ll take whatever piece of her heart she gives me in return.

I move my head to suck and nip at her neck, kissing paths of longing and unspoken apologies across her skin until there’s nothing left to say. Words can’t describe what exists in the space between us. I’m not sure our bodies could even express it adequately either, though I’ll damn well try my hardest.

“Gio?”

When my eyes meet hers, all the emotions I’ve been hiding from her start to surface. All she deserves is loyalty, honesty, and sincerity. “From the moment I laid eyes on you, there was just something about you I couldn’t ignore.” I push the wet strands away from her face and trace her jawline with my knuckles. “You’re stubborn, defiant, strong-willed.”

“Is that meant to be a compliment?” she whispers with a coy smile on her lips.

I run my thumb along her lower lip. “You’re beautiful, a goddamn goddess that I want to worship and protect and fuck all at the same time. From the moment I stepped in front of that bullet, I knew things had changed, and I knew I had fucked up. But the fact I’m still here, with you… I’d do it all over again, Principessa, because I’ve fallen in love with you. That’s what I meant. I don’t deserve reciprocation, but you should know how much you mean to me.”

Sera’s mouth parts on a gasp, her eyes glassy. Then, a single tear slips down her cheek, and before she can stop it, a sob tumbles out. She doesn’t answer me or give me reason to believe my words are unfounded. Instead, she presses her mouth to mine, letting her tears blend with our soft kiss as she pulls me closer with her legs.

A sense of peace settles inside my chest, and when I notch my cock-head at her entrance, the feeling grows and spreads through me. I press in, swallowing her cries as I hold her hips steady. She starts grinding down on me, her slick center squeezing my cock as the pool water sloshes around us.

We fuck slow, like we’re taking our time to be in the moment. With every punch of my hips, fear and anxiety ebbs away until I’m slamming into her pussy like my life depends on it. When she begs for more, I fuck her harder, stealing her breath with kisses that’ll bruise for days. We fuck like we can’t get enough of one another. Like we’ll be torn apart if we don’t hold on tight. Her nails dig into my shoulders as she thrusts her hips to match my pace. And then her muscles lock up, her walls clenching my dick so hard that my climax almost blinds me.

Sera cries out, one hand gripping my scalp as she shudders hard, and only when she’s done riding her own orgasm does she pull away. She kisses me feverishly and it reaches every inch of my body, but more than that, it hits my heart, leaving it beating erratically. Just for her.