Chapter 36
Tessa
“I’m craving food like I craved air conditioning in Italy. Plus, I’m sore,” I whine, trudging down the stairs to the lobby. The plan is to grab coffee and breakfast essentials and bring them back to the room.
Gio snorts. “At least it’s not the hills.”
“Hey, that’s my joke!”
“Sorry,” he apologizes through a smile. Tapping his temple, he adds, “Last night is on repeat up here.”
“It was pretty great.” I’m not able to hold back my smile either.
The sex. The confessions. The truth.
I’m a few stairs behind him, and Gio pauses on the small landing between floors one and two. “Okay. So we get in, and we get out, right? Because I have to have you again before we go.”
I feel his hands on my waist, and he picks me up to join him on the landing. He dips his head and presses a kiss to my lips. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to the feeling of his lips on mine.
He lavishes me with a few slow kisses before playfully nipping my bottom lip.
I grin. “I love it when you do that.”
“And I love you.”
“What did you say?” I immediately pull back, trying to get a read on his expression. His eyes are wide, like he didn’t expect the words to fly out of his mouth, but he doesn’t correct himself.
“Did you say you love me?” I whisper.
He simply nods. “I fell in love with you in Italy.”
“Love…” I test the word out on my tongue.
The taste of it has me both elated and scared at the same time.
Only two people have said that to me before, and I’m related to them.
I study his face again. “Are you sure that it wasn’t the fact that we were in Italy and you were happier there?
Maybe you should wait until after some time passes, now that we’re back in New York. ”
He looks baffled. “You think I was happier because of the scenery? That it was the fucking fig trees that motivated me to fall in love with you?”
I look down nervously.
“I was happier in Italy because I was able to hold your hand. Not because of the setting. Eyes up here, Cara.”
Gio places a finger underneath my chin, tilting it up.
“I don’t say things I don’t mean.” He takes a deep breath.
“But let me be clear about what I want.” A mix of love and amusement flickers in his eyes.
“I want to iron your clothes, and I want to watch you draw. I want to make a shitty poster for your next marathon. I want to drench you in affirmations and drown out the negative voices in your head.” He tucks a piece of my hair behind my ear. “I want you. Or I want nothing at all.”
My eyes start to sting.
Gio lifts his hands to cradle my cheek, and a small worry line forms between his brows. “Is it too soon?”
I slowly shake my head, pressing my cheek into his left palm. “No.”
His blue eyes bore into mine knowingly. “You love me too, then?”
“Yeah,” I breathe. “I love you, Gio.”
He glances behind me and frowns. “I’m sorry we’re in a stairwell for this.”
“I don’t know… It kind of feels right.”
I can feel his smile as he presses his lips to mine in a kiss that’s almost poetic. Nuanced. What I love most about kissing Gio is that it’s never just one. He plants soft, small kisses along my jawline, followed by a quick one behind my ear.
I sigh and rest my head on his chest, breathing in the bergamot of his cologne. “So, what’s next for us?” I ask.
“What do you mean?”
I shrug. “You know. What should we do next?”
He pulls back slightly, not letting go of my waist but looking me in the eye. “Go back to my apartment and have sex.”
I roll my eyes. “Not that. I mean details-wise.”
Gio cocks an eyebrow. “…like a list?”
“Sure.”
“Okay. Get the food. Get our stuff. Check out. Drive to the apartment. Make you come at least twice. Late lunch, sex again, shower, talk you to sleep, wake up in the morning together…”
“Gio.” I give him a look. “Be serious.”
“I am being serious, Cara. I want to do all of that on repeat for as long as you’ll let me.”
I mentally stow away the first long-term promise he’s ever made me.
“And I love that. But I’m talking about our careers and our future.”
His promise means everything to me, but I’m also a pragmatist. It takes everything in me to actively ignore the ever-present thought in my brain of “men will almost always let you down.” I know that doesn’t apply to Gio.
Fear creeps in nonetheless, reminding me that I’ve attached myself to yet another successful man—this time, in my actual industry.
“I don’t want us to publicly reveal our relationship right now, either,” I break the news softly.
Gio raises an eyebrow. “Lamont met his husband at work. He doesn’t have a policy.”
“True. But Lamont is the CEO of his own brand. I don’t want to give him any reason to think I’m slacking off as I figure out my next move.
Or for anyone to think I’m dating someone for advantages.
I’ve worked so hard to separate myself from Daniel.
I want people to think that I’m worthy because of my own skills, not see my successes only in connection with you.
” I pause. “It’s important, Gio. This has nothing to do with you, and everything to do with me. ”
He sighs. “I understand. I’ll do whatever you need me to do.”
I reach up to caress his cheek. “Thank you.”
“But I don’t have to like it.”
I giggle. “I’d expect nothing less.”