Chapter 10
Sebastian
She doesn’t speak the few hours it takes to fly from New Jersey to Chicago, but I breathe a little easier being away from Luca’s and Rian’s territories.
Even if I’m technically a free agent, they both see me as my father’s son.
I watch her, studying her face while she stares at the passing city through the window as we drive to my penthouse.
The lights of the night flicker across her delicate features and a small smile forms on her lips.
“Did you miss Chicago?” I ask, because I can’t ask her did you miss me?
Gianna shrugs, leaning back in her seat. “I missed the memories tied to it.”
“Have you been back since?”
She’s silent before she looks at me. “You know I haven’t.”
I curb the smile threatening my lips and relish her attention back on me. “Just wanted to see if anything slipped through the cracks. You never know.”
“I finished graduation online and then sought remote work. It took a couple years to even venture outside for activities like Pilates or yoga.”
My heart twists. “Gianna, I was searching for you, not hunting.”
“What’s the difference?” she says under her breath.
I reach out, my fingers wrapping around her wrist long enough for her to look up at me. “One was to keep you, the other… probably gave you nightmares.”
Her eyebrows raise. “Who says wanting to be kept by you isn’t a nightmare?”
My tongue drags along my bottom lip, and I let go of her with a chuckle. “It’s okay. The harder you fight, the sweeter it will be when I finally fuck you again.”
She scoffs, crossing her arms before returning to staring out the window as we drive silently the rest of the way.
Nico clears his throat when he pulls up in front of my building, lingering in the front seat as I climb out and hold my door open for Gianna. He waves at her and she frowns, glancing around as a few men exit the front door and head toward the car as I guide her inside and through the lobby.
“They’ll bring up the bags right behind us,” I explain.
Gianna rolls her eyes. “Fancy. Remember the days when you carried my backpack everywhere for me? I imagine you’d pay someone now.”
I laugh at the ridiculousness. “Perhaps. What’s the point of making as much money as I do and not enjoying some of the luxuries that come with it? Are you telling me that you’d prefer to carry your own bag?”
Her eyebrows dip and she shakes her head. “No, I just…”
“Want to be difficult? It’s time to enjoy the luxuries of the life I want to provide for you.”
Her lips thin. “The life you manipulated me back into.”
I push away the guilty twist in my chest. “Sure, whatever helps you accept it.”
She looks away from me, focusing on the rising numbers on the elevator.
My eyes roam over her, studying every inch of her body because I can’t believe she’s here.
So many years apart, and I started to believe I’d imagined the pull I feel toward her, but it’s still there.
Everything about Gianna draws me in and has me begging for more.
The years have been kind to her, and she stands more as a woman than before.
A face that has matured, a body that has filled out, and a mind that has sharpened.
I’m obsessed. I thought I wanted Gianna before, but now I’m never going to let her go.
The bell startles us both and our gazes lock before I clear my throat, waving her in.
“After you.”
She walks ahead of me, eyes narrowed, and stands in front of the only door in the corridor until I unlock it.
I hold it open for her, and she squares her shoulders before walking inside and stopping short at the foyer.
It opens straight into the living room with a windowed wall that leads to a balcony overlooking the city and lake.
During the day, it’s a stunning view, but at night you can still see the flickering lights of buildings before the endless dark of the water in the distance.
“It’s beautiful,” she says, and I know she hates herself for admitting it.
I hum. “I designed it with you in mind.”
She shudders, wrapping her arms around herself. “I’m tired.”
Sighing, I lead her to our bedroom and show her the closet. Her eyes study the large walk-in, everything she stated she wanted when we were younger. She walks to the middle island, tracing the vanity inlet with her fingertips.
I take off my shoes and jacket, leaving her to explore while I brush my teeth before coming back into the room, finding her standing aimlessly in front of the bed.
“I packed the closet with those pajamas you used to like,” I tell her, yanking my shirt off as I watch her expressions.
She glances at the closet door, worrying her bottom lip. “The cotton tank top and shorts? The matching ribbed ones?”
“Yes. I grabbed every color they had.” I toss my shirt onto the floor and undo my belt and pants. When my eyes lift, I catch her studying my body as I shove them off and stand in my tight black boxers. Gianna swallows, and glances back to the closet.
“Thank you,” she mutters under her breath before hurrying over and pulling out a soft blue color. Her fingers pet them slowly with a wistful smile on her face. “I do love these.”
I don’t say anything, but given her reaction I can connect the dots that she hasn’t worn them since the night she left me cuffed to her dorm room bed.
My cock hardens when she practically skips out of the closet, bouncing on the balls of her feet as she moves to the bathroom next.
She’s filled out over the years; the shorts hug her ass while showing off a small sliver of her cheeks.
The tank top is snug to her chest; her firm breasts and hard nipples are prominent in the thin material.
It stops a few inches above her belly button, showing off her toned stomach.
I reach down, arranging myself before lying down in bed so it’s not so obvious how she affects me.
Gianna looks up, her big eyes taking me in as her breathing becomes a little erratic. Her attention falls to the tattoo on my chest more than once, but she doesn’t say anything. She knows it’s about her, a butterfly she always carried and a name only I called her scribbled underneath.
“Thinking about the last time we were in bed together?” My voice is more husky than I intended and she shudders.
“I—no.” Her cheeks flush, but I can’t tell if it’s because of embarrassment or arousal. What I wouldn’t give to slide my hands between her thighs and check.
Patting the empty spot next to me, I watch with a raised brow as she stays frozen across the room. If she thinks she’s sleeping anywhere but next to me, she’s severely mistaken. Gianna wraps her arms around herself, showing off more of her stomach as her breasts press up.
“I’d like to sleep in a guest room or something,” she says, her eyes cast to the floor.
I sigh, rubbing my forehead before getting off the bed and walking toward her. She tenses but doesn’t move away from me. When we’re a few steps apart and I can feel the heat of her body, I pause and wait until she tilts her head to look up at me.
“How long did I wait to touch you when we got together?”
Her throat bobs with a harsh swallow. “I d-don’t remember.” The small twitch of her right nostril gives away her lie.
“Try again, Gianna. How long?”
“Nine months. You didn’t even push past a kiss.” She looks at me with a low ember burning in her eyes, as if she is conceding the battle but not the war.
“So what makes you think I’d touch you now if you don’t want to be touched?”
Gianna sighs, climbing into bed without another word. I reach over and turn off the lamp before lying down too. My hands ache to grab and pull her into my chest.
“I didn’t think you would force yourself upon me,” she says, breaking the tense silence.
“Then why another room?” I ask, turning onto my side. My fingers brush against her back and she shivers before pulling the blanket over her shoulder and I retreat.
“Because… because it took me too long to get used to sleeping without you the first time.”