Chapter 4 #2
She seemed to melt and kissed me back. Raising her hands behind my head, her fingernails pricked the back of my neck, just enough to make me hard.
Now, I had kissed a lot of women, but not one of them had been my wife. Being with Giovanna felt different. It was like my heart wouldn’t allow me to betray her as if it knew she was my person.
In this moment, during our first kiss, it felt like she was the one I’d been waiting for my whole life.
Maybe subconsciously, I’d been holding out for Giovanna.
It wasn’t like I hadn’t known she existed.
My father had told me about the arranged marriage ten years ago, when I’d turned sixteen.
I’d been shown pictures of her, and he’d said I could sow my oats.
Get my fill of beautiful women. And when the time came to marry Giovanna, I had to put her first.
As we devoured each other, a switch flipped inside me.
I was kissing my wife. My. Wife. The woman I would have a family with and spend the rest of my life with.
Suddenly, I wanted it to be Saturday, the day we would say our vows in front of our families and friends, and have my Priest bless our union.
It wouldn’t truly be real in my heart until we had a ceremony, and I danced with my wife.
On paper we were legally married, but I wanted to do everything right because this would be my one and only wife.
“I feel you down low,” she whispered against my mouth.
I knew exactly what she meant. I was hard as iron.
“A sign that I’m enjoying you.” I smiled a little, unashamed that she had turned me on. “I want you, Giovanna.”
“What about our afternoon together? I would like to meet my horse and maybe talk more with you.” She exhaled a deep breath and took my hand. “I’m sure that’s not what you wanted to hear.”
“I can be patient.” I turned her around to face the stall. “This is your horse. A mare. A—”
“Calabrese,” she squealed with delight and clapped. “This is the breed I have at home. Her name is Madonna, like the singer. Do you know her?” She opened the gate, went into the stall unafraid, and cooed as if talking to a baby.
“She sings the virgin song.” I didn’t know much more about the singer.
“Yes, and that’s the first thing that comes to your mind?” She belted out the cutest giggle and blushed.
Shrugging, I leaned against the post to watch Giovanna acquaint herself with the gentle mare. She picked up a brush and whispered to her new horse. The sight of them together was beautiful. Truly heartwarming how they seemed comfortable together.
I decided then to give them time alone, which would allow me to cool down. But if I were honest, I wanted Giovanna in my bed tonight.
Honestly, I didn’t want to be apart from her, which sounded crazy even to me. For years, I quietly hated her.
Of course, I didn’t want to be forced to marry a woman I didn’t know or loved. It was the late 80’s and in this modern age we should get to pick whom we married.
But no, not in our old-world Italian families.
My father was determined to bring peace to our country, and an arranged marriage was the only way.
He had some strict requirements, too. Giovanna had to be a virgin, and she couldn’t have a serious boyfriend.
If my father found out she’d been spoiled, the deal would die, along with her.
My father was known for being ruthless. Nobody defied him. Everybody feared him. His demands were respected.
The day Mr. Amano signed the arranged marriage agreement Giovanna belonged to me. She’d been mine long before we would ever meet.
Now, I didn’t want to let her out of my sight. It was crazy. Absolutely crazy to feel emotions I’d never had for a woman I’d only known one day.
An hour later, we were finally out riding. Clouds were rolling in and I worried it was going to rain. On a cool day like today, getting wet would be awful.
“She’s beautiful, Alessio. Thank you so very much.” She hadn’t stopped smiling since meeting her new friend. “Or should I thank your mother?”
“No, no. The horse was my idea.” It appeared I’d done something good for Giovanna. “I’m happy you like her.”
“It’s the greatest gift you could give me. I love her already.”
“Did you pick a name for her?” Jealousy spread throughout my chest. She loved the horse and barely liked me. Patience didn’t come naturally to me, but it was clear I would have to find some with Giovanna.
“I think so.” She rubbed the side of the horse. “What do you think of Valentina?”
“Valentina is a lovely name.”
“I thought so too. With our marriage, and La Festa degli Innamorati coming up, it just fit. Yes?”
“Yes. It’s perfect.” I appreciated her name choice and how it would be a reminder of our wedding. At least it would be for me. “Tell me some of your favorite things.”
“I’m a simple girl.” She bit her lip and seemed to be thinking. “Horses, of course.”
“Of course. And what else?” I genuinely wanted to know what she liked so I could lavish her on special occasions and on any day I wanted.
“Books are another thing. I love to read. It’s an escape for me from reality.”
“Interesting. Is your reality so awful that you need to escape?”
“Sometimes. You know how our world is. My mother and I have gotten death threats and for months at a time, we’ve been in seclusion. I’m sure my father agreed to this marriage so you would protect me.”
I nodded as my stomach tightened. Marrying me would put an even larger target on her back. The best way to take down a Don was by breaking him, starting with murdering those he loved dearly.
“But I also like to garden and bake bread. I’ve also been known to spend the whole day playing piano and not eating because I’m so caught up in my music.” Missing meals might explain why she was so thin.
“Well, I forbid you from missing pranzo and cena. You can’t wither away to nothing.”
She laughed, her eyes glittering with joy. “It’s not every day that I miss lunch and dinner. Just sometimes so I won’t wither away as you say. You don’t want me to get fat, do you?”
“I only want you to be healthy, no matter your size.” Talking about her weight wasn’t a topic I enjoyed. Yes, I would like a little more meat on her bones and curves. But I was falling for her just as she was and that was all that mattered.
Just then, a rain drop landed on my forehead. Hopefully it was only a random drop and no more would follow. We hadn’t been out for very long and I had a grand picnic prepared for us to enjoy.
“Did you feel that?” she asked, wiping her cheek and looking up at the sky with a frown. “Rain is coming.”
“Yes, maybe we should head back.” As the words left my lips, the skies opened and poured down on us. Cazzo!
“I’ll race you back!” Without waiting for my reply, she was gone. Her giggles echoed through the rain, and it was a delightful sound; one I looked forward to hearing every day.
We didn’t laugh a lot in my family. We were all so serious. Giovanna’s laughter and playfulness were a breath of fresh air and precisely what I needed in my sometimes grim and dark life.
“Let’s go, Sal!” I shouted at my horse, wanting to catch up to the feisty and competitive Giovanna.
The way she reacted so quickly was thrilling.
Most women in my circle were snobby prima donnas with zero personality.
They seemed to be cut from the same cloth, which made them boring and not interesting.
But Giovanna… She excited me. Challenged me. Called me out on my bullshit. They’d said she was wild and unruly. Not the prettiest woman. A couple of my close friends had joked about putting a bag over her head if she was too ugly to look at when I fucked her.
Lucky for me, Giovanna was attractive in her own way. Smart. Talented. A superb equestrian… cavallerizza. And boy could she kiss… I couldn’t wait to find out if we had even more chemistry in the bedroom.
It was unfortunate that we couldn’t have the picnic I’d planned. It was okay, though. We had dozens of years ahead of us for picnics and leisurely rides with our horses. I would just have the food set up in the solarium instead.
Through the curtain of rain hitting me in the face, I saw the stable boy helping Giovanna off Valentina. She ran inside, soaked to the bone and probably freezing to death like me.
My teeth chattered as I wiped my face so I could see where I was going. Unable to see her, a weird anxiousness descended over me. Not having her in my sight was distressing. I held my breath as I was nearing the stable.
The stable hand appeared to take my horse for me. I hopped off and rushed inside, eager to see Giovanna and make sure she was okay.
“Gia,” I shouted when I didn’t see her. “Gia!”
“Alessio? I’m right here.” She appeared from the tack room with a blanket around her and another her hand. “Is everything okay? You sounded scared.”
“I just didn’t see you when I came in.” I gasped trying to catch my breath and went over to her.
“Well, I’m right here.” She popped up on her toes, wrapped a blanket around me and secured it tightly with her hand, then with the other she dried my face with a towel. “Let’s get you warmed up before you catch pneumonia.”
“What about you?” I stared at her face, noticing it was dry. Her hair was damp and messy, brown strands were sticking to her cheeks. My heart stuttered behind my ribs. She was so beautiful and kind, I could hardly stand it.
“I’ll be fine.” She smiled as she patted my face and hair with the cloth. “I took care of myself a minute ago.”
“I don’t want you to get sick.”
“That’s sweet. I won’t.” Again, she smiled as she took care of me, instead of herself. This display of selflessness overwhelmed me.
Women typically fawned over me, tempting me with their lips and fingers. I wondered if any of the ones I’d been with would help me the way Giovanna was doing. I sensed that no one would have to focus on themselves.
Without another though, I swept her off her feet and carried her to a bench.
“Alessio! What are you doing?” She squealed in surprise and looped her arm around my neck as if afraid I would drop her. Not a chance. She was light as a feather and soaked like me. “Put me down.”
“Hush, Gia. You’re not the only one who can take care of people.” To my surprise, I liked holding her this way very much. Her face was level with mine. Her body was snuggly against my chest. And she smelled fresh and sweet, like she’d just taken a shower.
“Why are you calling me Gia? That’s something only my family calls me.”
“I don’t know. It just came out of my mouth. But I’m your family now, so it’s okay. Yes?” I sat on a bench, putting her on my lap. I tugged her close, so my blanket wrapped around her.
“Yes, I suppose it is okay. I like the way you say it.” Her cheeks turned red and she fluttered her eyelashes acting bashful, which I didn’t buy for a second. “We really should get out of these wet clothes.”
“Louie,” I called for him, knowing full well he was aware we were in the building. But as I’d requested early this morning, he had left us alone.
“Sí, Signore?” He appeared from his office. “How can I help you?”
“Call up to the house and have the maids get a bath ready for Giovanna.”
“Sí.” He nodded and went back into his office.
“That’s sweet, but what about you? You should take a bath too. It will help warm up your bones better than a shower.”
“I agree,” I replied.
“Are you going to tell Louie to have them prepare one for you?”
“No.”
“Alessio, tell him.”
“Why? I’m going to share your bath. It’s quite large if I recall correctly.” I leaned in for a kiss and found her lips cold and tight.
“Isn’t that inappropriate?” she asked through her kisses. “I mean, we’ll be naked.”
“We’re married, Gia. Let’s act like it.” I deepened the kiss, getting myself worked up. She didn’t seem to object anymore to my suggestion of bathing together. Good, because if she fought me on this, I would have to flex my power and force her to bathe with me.
“I think I’m getting used to hearing we are married,” she said. “Is it too fast?”
“Not at all. You need to embrace it completely.”
“Don’t worry. I am and much faster than I thought I would.” Her hands glided up to my neck, and she twisted on my lap, facing me. Kissing my lips softly, she said, “Will you carry me up to my suite?”
“Yes, my wife. I would be honored to carry you to your room so we can take a bath together.” I hesitated for a second just in case I was assuming too much, and that she didn’t want me in the tube with her.
“What are you waiting for then?” Desire glittered in her brown eyes.
I didn’t reply with words. I got off my ass and carried my wife to her suite, which would become mine tonight.
But something entered my mind…
What kind of a man would she have chosen if she wasn’t forced to marry me?
I honestly wanted to know because the more we were together, touching and kissing, the more I wanted to be the man she would have picked.