Chapter 21
GIO
“What is this place?” she asks as we enter a bar and coffee shop in one, her hand tucked in mine as though it belongs there.
I wonder when she’ll finally realize she’s actually holding my hand and snap it away.
“You’ll see,” I tell her, leading her to the back where the real fun happens, where she can let loose and hopefully forget whatever she refuses to talk about.
Her black hoodie is wrapped around her face, her chin lowered like she’s afraid to run into someone she knows.
“Don’t worry, Red. There are no cameras here, so you can stop hiding.”
She side-eyes me. “How do you know?”
“Because the owner is a good friend, and he never turns them on. They’re all for show.”
We reach the far end of the room, a black curtain parting off the other area. I fling it open, and we move into the game room with a bowling alley on one side, arcade games on the other.
She looks around, then tracks her eyes to mine.
“Do you even know how to bowl?” Her face brightens with a teasing expression.
“Well enough to beat you.” A smile tips up my mouth. “I’m pretty damn competitive too.”
Grant, Bryce, and I would come here to get drinks with Xander, who owns the place. Sometimes, when we were the right amount of hammered, we’d play. I still can’t believe Bryce is really gone.
She narrows a playful stare, flipping her hoodie down, exposing all that gorgeous hair I want wrapped around my hands.
“Good luck with that,” she taunts, her eyes lighting up.
My heart swells seeing the genuine happiness tangled in her features. On instinct, I curl one arm around her back, the other one sinking into her hair, bringing her flush up against me.
With a groan, I lean in slowly, my lips brushing her mouth.
Her hot and heavy breaths, the way her hands are moving up my back, the way she looks at me… It makes me want to kiss her today, tomorrow, and all the days in between.
Before I can stop myself, I do just that, and she doesn’t dare push me away. A hungered growl escapes from my lungs as my lips take hers like I own her. Like she’s letting me.
With a moan, her nails pierce into my back, climbing up my spine. And when she slants her face to kiss me deeper, I suck on her tongue, fisting her hair, pulling it hard until those little noises she makes vibrate between us.
She kisses me with a maddening fury, while my teeth tug on her lower lip, pulling it roughly.
The need to bury myself inside her grows. And so does the desire to remind her that she isn’t alone. That I know what that feels like, and neither one of us has to feel that way again. But I can’t say that to her. She’s not ready to hear it.
Breathless, she pulls away, her chest rising higher with each inhale.
“I like it when you kiss me, Red.”
The back of my hand wanders down her cheek and her lips tremble, her long golden lashes fluttering right before her features shift into something less intense.
Her hand clasps my wrist.
“Don’t get that excited,” she retorts playfully. “It doesn’t mean anything.”
My heart races. “You say that, yet somehow, it always does.”
ISEULT
I don’t remember the last time I had this much fun.
I, of course, kicked his ass in bowling. But unfortunately, he’s kicking mine at this damn shooting game.
I’m in his lap while I fire at some zombies, hoping to catch up to his score. I’m never going to, though, and I’m okay with that. Because tonight actually felt normal. Like I’m one of those people who can do things like this. Play video games with a guy.
“I can’t believe someone so good at doing this for a living…” he breathes into the crook of my ear. “…sucks so bad at this game.”
I scoff with mock horror and elbow him in the chest.
“Ow!” He chuckles behind me, and his gravelly tone has my heart wanting things it shouldn’t.
I know nothing can come of this, yet I can’t seem to move off his lap.
One strong arm fastens around my front, and I want it there. It feels too good to be in his arms. So good, in fact, that I’m afraid of what it could mean. I never needed a man to make me feel safe or cared for. But in his arms, I want both.
Stupid. The whole thing is stupid.
Yet I settle deeper against him and fight a smile.
“You want me to get you more salsa?” he asks, while I attempt to finish off as many of these damn zombies as I can.
This bastard is gonna gloat.
“No, I’m officially stuffed. We ate too much.”
I think he bought everything off their menu. Burgers, tacos, mozzarella sticks, wings. He made sure I had everything. And most importantly, he made sure I forgot why he brought me here in the first place. Admittedly, this was exactly what I needed.
And even worse, having him this close to me is making me question all the reasons why I can’t tell my father that I may have accidentally started liking my soon-to-be brother-in-law.
“Last one. Make it pretty,” he drawls, his lips pressing into the ravaging pulse trapped beneath my throat. “Though I’ll still win by a hundred points.”
“Shut up,” I breathe as a fevered rush of goosebumps runs down both of my arms right before I aim the gun at the head of my last kill and pull the trigger.
Dropping the plastic weapon into the slot, I quickly get off of him.
I’m being reckless. What if someone who knows my family sees me here? What if they mention my being with a man and my father puts two and two together? I can’t let him catch me like this, sneaking around. He’d never understand.
Gio shakes his head, his eyes growing heavy-lidded. “You’re doing that thing again.”
He slowly rises, while I’m standing there as though waiting for him to touch me. My heartbeats thump against my ribs as his gaze drinks me in slow, his hand reaching for me, fingertips gently gliding across mine.
“Doing what?” I whisper, unable to fight this pull between us, this aching to know what it feels like…to be wanted. To be loved. To love someone in return without the fear of losing them.
“Running.” The corner of his mouth winds up a fragment.
“It’s what I’m good at.” My breath stalls from the intensity brewing in his stare, as though he’s taking me apart only to put me back together better than he found me.
“How about, for once, you stay?” He cups my cheek, his thumb softly brushing over my bottom lip.
“I don’t know how to…” My voice trails.
“How about I show you?”
And this time when he kisses me, it’s slow and filled with passion, holding too much meaning. Giving me all the things I didn’t even know I wanted in the first place.
THREE DAYS LATER
After that night, I avoided him as much as possible, which wasn’t difficult, considering I returned back to Cherry Grove.
Thankfully, Gio and his family have been busy with Nicolette’s return. They finally found her a couple of days ago, and I’m glad they have. I know that fear too well. Not knowing if you’ll see your loved ones again, not knowing if you’ll live or die.
I texted him to let him know I was happy she was back and he was too. He called and texted me a few times in return, but I never answered. The time apart made me realize there was no point in continuing this, because there’s no future for us in this world.
A text from Elsie comes through while I fling the clothing racks, pretending to look for a dress for my birthday party, which I still don’t want to attend.
Elsie
I’m really sorry that I won’t be there for your party tomorrow. If my parents weren’t coming by, you know I would be.
Iseult
Please don’t even worry. Because I’m not. I wish Kora hadn’t planned this stupid party in the first place.
Elsie
It’s your birthday! Just have fun! You have to treat every year as a gift. Don’t ever forget that.
“Iz?” Eriu calls, holding up a light pink skater dress. “What do you think of this one?”
Iseult
I’ll try. Gotta go. Being forced to buy a dress for the party.
Elsie
That sounds terrible.
I know she’s teasing me, but this is terrible. I hate shopping. I much prefer to order things online.
“So? Do you like it or not?” Eriu goes on.
I blink a few times, trying to focus on her. “Oh yeah, I like that.”
She appears unsure, twisting her mouth as she reverts to scanning other dresses.
“Look at this,” Kora calls from the other side of the boutique we’re in.
I march over to her as she holds out a tight cobalt-blue dress that will probably hit her knees.
“Pretty,” I mutter.
“Good.” She shoves it into my chest. “It’s for you.”
“What?”
“Yep.” She pops a brow. “You’re literally walking around watching us shop. So I picked your dress for you. You’re welcome.” She nonchalantly turns around and continues to look at more clothes.
With a shake of my head, I start toward the cashier, intending to pay for the dress and be done, when Eriu walks up to me, handing me a rust-colored dress instead.
“Have you heard anything about when the wedding is supposed to be?” she whispers, glancing at the cashier, who doesn’t hear us as she takes our items.
“That’ll be four thousand and fifty dollars,” the woman informs us, her brown eyes peering at me through a pair of red-rimmed glasses.
I hand her my card.
“No,” I tell my sister. “Have you asked?”
She shakes her head. “I’m afraid to remind him. Maybe he hasn’t gotten around to getting it planned yet.”
“Thank you,” the cashier says as she hands me the bags and card.
We settle on the white upholstered bench, waiting for Kora to finish.
“Look, Eriu…” I face her, placing the bags on the other side of me. “You have to talk to him. You have to tell him you don’t want this.”
“But he won’t listen to me.” Her eyes glisten with anguish, as though the color within them is draining with each passing moment.
“Maybe. But you have to let your voice be heard, or else you’ll disappear behind everyone else’s desires for you. This is your life. Speak up.” I clutch her forearm, meeting her helpless stare with my hard one. “Even if he doesn’t hear you, at least you know you tried.”
She sighs, and it doesn’t appear as though I’ve convinced her.
“Can I tell you something?” she says really low, her eyes glancing around the store like she’s afraid someone will overhear.
I squint, leaning closer. “What is it?”
“Devlin is out.” Her cheeks flush.
I look intently at her, not sure what that flush on her face indicates. “What? How?”
“His lawyer got him off somehow.”
“Oh…” I guess I haven’t been paying close enough attention.
“Yeah. I’m so glad he’s free.” Her eyes turn doleful. “He shouldn’t have been there in the first place.”
“I know that.” I nod, remembering why he went to prison in the first place.
But there was no choice. The detective on the case was hungry to pin this on someone, and there was outside pressure, especially from the prosecution side. So Devlin sacrificed himself.
She sighs dejectedly. “I hate that he did that. We shouldn’t have let him.”
I grab her hand and squeeze.
“It’s done,” I whisper-shout. “We can’t go back, so I don’t want to hear you talk about it anymore. And he’s out now. So it’s over.”
Her gaze lowers. “I don’t think it will ever be over.”
I release a weighty sigh. And then it hits me.
“Wait a minute…” I arch a questioning brow. “How do you know he got out when I didn’t even know? I’m pretty sure you didn’t ask our father about Devlin, so…”
Her eyes pop.
“You’re blushing again.”
“What? No, I’m not.” She clears her throat.
“Of course not.” I press my lips to stop from grinning. “So, are you going to tell me how the hell you found out that he was out?”
“Promise not to tell Dad?” She grimaces. “Devlin is already ashamed of what happened, and I don’t want Dad to hate him even more.”
“I would never tell him.”
She nods, looking nervous. “I’ve been writing to him while he was in jail.”
“You what?” My jaw goes slack.
Well, that’s one thing I didn’t see coming. I kinda suspected she had a childhood crush on her bodyguard, but I didn’t realize they remained in touch.
“Yeah.” She huffs out a breath. “I felt so bad while he was in there. I just—I don’t know.”
“Missed him?” I offer.
“No… Yes.” She grimaces. “I don’t know.”
“You like him.”
She shrugs. “Doesn’t matter. He’s not the one our dad wants me to marry.”
No, he’s not. And he never will be. Marrying him won’t stop the war between the Mob and the Mafia. Marriages in our circles usually involve a purpose…other than love.
“I’ll have to accept my fate,” she says glumly. “I’m marrying Gio.”
The words are like gasoline, burning me where I sit, scorching my body to ash.
“Do you like him?” She’s the one asking this time.
“Who?” My heart races even as I try to listen to what she’s saying.
My sister is going to marry him.
“Gio.” She eyes me curiously, her head slightly tilting.
Right. Him.
My pulse thumps in my ears. How the hell am I supposed to answer that? Yes, I like him. He’s really good with his tongue. He’s also kinda sweet, which I will never admit out loud.
“He’s okay, I guess.” I scratch my temple.
Her body sags with a sigh. “I don’t want a husband I don’t love, let alone someone who’ll cheat on me.”
My heart races. Because he’s already cheating on her…and it’s with me.