Chapter 5
Chapter Five
Gia
Iwoke up drenched in sweat, a scream ripping through my throat.
Pounding feet sounded seconds later, and in moments, Enzo was rushing in my room. “What’s wrong? Is someone here?”
The room was dark, but I could hear him moving around, searching for the threat.
Panting, I tried to catch my breath. “I’m sorry. I guess I had a nightmare,” I said each word between breaths.
I heard him exhale a heavy sigh, then felt his weight next to me on the bed. “Are you okay?”
Nodding, I took a deep breath, trying to slow my racing heart. “Yeah. It felt so real.” I shivered, rubbing my hands up and down my arms. “I can still feel him pinning me down.”
My eyes had adjusted to the darkness, and I saw Enzo run a hand through his hair. “Do you want me to get you something?”
I bit down on my bottom lip. I felt embarrassed asking for what I wanted, but I just wanted to feel safe again. “Can you sleep with me?”
I felt his body tense so I rushed to add, “Not like that, of course. Just sleep next to me. I’m not sure I’ll be able to sleep otherwise.”
He cleared his throat. “Yeah. Sure thing, kid.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m not a kid.”
“If you still have teen in your age, you’re a kid,” he retorted.
“Whatever. I’m legally an adult,” I replied as he pulled back the covers and slipped in next to me. My body started to heat for a different reason, and I hoped he didn’t notice.
“Debatable,” he joked as he settled next to me, fluffing the pillow before laying his head down on it.
I scoffed as I turned away from him, trying to get comfortable again. “You’re more of a child than I am.”
“That’s probably true.”
I laughed, already feeling more relaxed. His presence in bed with me should have been awkward, but was oddly comforting. “Good night.”
“Night.”
When I woke up the next morning, Enzo was gone. As I stretched, the smell of coffee greeted me.
I normally ordered an iced coffee every morning through one of the food delivery apps, and not having that made me more homesick. When we’d bought the groceries for the cabin, I bought one that came in a bottle but it just wasn’t the same.
First world problems, I guess.
I got up and padded down the hall to take a shower. Even though I was used to more expensive accommodations, the decor was surprisingly nice and the furniture was comfy.
As I showered, my thoughts drifted to the night before. Enzo was so sweet and understanding, and made me feel safe. I felt like I could be myself with him, instead of the prim and proper mafia princess I was forced to be for my family’s reputation.
That was one of the reasons I was still a virgin. My father was very old-fashioned, and since setting up my marriage to Luca back when we were ten, he’d made it clear I was to remain pure for my future husband.
Look how that turned out.
Thinking about Enzo knowing that I was a virgin made my cheeks heat. I didn’t want him to view me as immature and childish, especially since he was so much older and experienced.
Why does that matter? You’re never going to be with him.
Even though I was attracted to Enzo, nothing could happen between us. My dad would never let me be with someone that wasn’t at or above our status, and I doubted Enzo’s family was in one of the top five.
Plus he was almost twice my age. I wasn’t supposed to be attracted to him.
Heat coiled in my abdomen as I thought about his sculpted body. As he’d been working around the house, I was sneaking peeks of him: his six pack when his shirt lifted as he secured a camera above the fireplace, the way his biceps flexed as he carried in the wood he had chopped.
And don’t even get me started on his shoulders and back muscles as he’d chopped that wood.
That man was fine with a capital f.
I wondered if he was attracted to me. I didn’t have much experience with guys, but he gave me looks sometimes that made me feel like he was attracted to me too.
I shook the thoughts from my head and finished showering. After I got dressed, I went into the living room. Enzo must have heard me because he glanced over his shoulder and greeted, “Morning, sunshine.”
Butterflies fluttered in my stomach and I hoped that my cheeks weren’t turning red. “Morning.”
“I hope you like waffles.”
I smiled as I entered the kitchen. “I actually love waffles. You know how to make waffles?”
He chuckled. “With a waffle maker, it’s one of the easiest things to make. All you have to do is pour the mix, close, and wait for the timer to go off.”
“I guess that is pretty simple. You better not mess them up,” I teased.
Rolling his eyes, he smirked. “I don’t mess up.”
“That’s right, you wolves are supposed to be perfectionists, right?”
Enzo shrugged. “In that aspect, yes. But with everything else, I don’t think I am.”
I went to the fridge and grabbed the carton of iced coffee. “Yeah, you don’t really seem that uptight. Most perfectionists are.”
He laughed again. I loved the husky sound. “Thanks, I guess.”
I filled the glass with ice, poured the coffee in, then sat down at the table. “You’re welcome.”
Enzo carried two plates stacked with waffles to the table. After setting them down, he went back and grabbed syrup and butter, then sat down across from me.
I didn’t want to start eating even though I was starving. I had fallen asleep while Enzo had made dinner so I hadn’t eaten anything since we had the s’mores and hot cocoa.
“This looks yummy,” I said, pouring syrup all over my waffles. “I don’t even remember the last time I had waffles.”
Enzo was already eating, nodding in response. I couldn’t help but smile as I took my first bite.
“What’s on the agenda for today?” I asked. “More security?”
He smirked. “Some. But I had something a little different in mind, too.”
I arched a brow, intrigued. “What?”
He took another bite. “Target practice.”
My chest tightened and I stiffened. “What do you mean target practice?”
He chuckled. “Well, you said last night that you’ve never shot a gun before. Today, we’re going to change that.”
I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat. “Why?”
He brought his eyes from his plate up to mine. “Because I don’t know how many men the Sorellos will send. And if I go down …”
“Don’t say that,” I interrupted, my voice laced with fear. The thought of Enzo being hurt or killed made me more upset than I wanted to admit.
A small smile lifted the corners of his mouth. “If I go down, I want you to be able to defend yourself as best as possible. So, I’m going to train you.”
My heart was pounding from a combination of fear and excitement. “Train me how?”
“Well, like I said, we’ll start with target practice while we can. Then, once the storm hits and we’re stuck inside, we can work on hand-to-hand combat.”
“Hand-to-hand combat? Like fighting?” I asked.
Enzo laughed. “Yes, princess, like fighting. I’m going to teach you different defensive tactics and maneuvers.”
An image of Enzo pinning me to the ground popped in my mind. I shook the thought away, trying to focus. Instead of telling him I already knew how to defend myself, I nodded. “Okay.”
“Good.” He took the last bite of his waffles, then stood. “Finish your breakfast and get dressed. Wear something warm, but comfortable. We’re starting in ten.”
I saluted him. “Yes, drill sergeant.”
After we both got dressed, I followed Enzo out the back door of the cabin. He led me into the trees to a small clearing, where three thick tree trunks had been painted with faded red targets.
Enzo had a duffel bag with several guns and magazines with ammunition. “Jesus, you have enough for a small army in there,” I commented after he knelt down and opened the bag.
He scoffed. “This is nothing. I have more than this hidden around the house and property.”
My eyes widened, but I didn’t say anything as I watched him load one of the magazines into a small pistol like the ones I always saw my dad and his bodyguards carry.
“This is probably the easiest option for you to use. Less recoil and easier to shoot,” Enzo said as he stood. “Good for close and medium range.”
Turning, he aimed at the middle tree. “Make sure you’re holding it with both hands. Keep your eyes on the target, point, and shoot.”
The gun fired, and I startled, letting out a small yelp. Enzo glanced over his shoulder at me, giving me his teasing smirk. “You okay?”
I nodded. “Yeah, just wasn’t expecting it.”
Enzo chuckled. “I wouldn’t think that you would be anxious around guns. Weren’t you exposed to them around your dad?”
“A little. Dad tried to shield me as much as possible. I saw them around the house sometimes but he never taught me how to use one. Even though my dad is intimidating, he usually tries to keep the peace if possible. And he didn’t like to do business around me. He saved that for my brothers.”
Enzo nodded, then handed me the gun. I carefully took it from him, afraid it might accidentally go off.
I could tell Enzo was fighting a laugh as he pulled another of the same gun out of his bag. “Like this,” he stated, modeling how to hold the weapon.
I tried to copy how his hands were placed, but it felt so unnatural and weird. You could definitely tell I’d never used a gun before.
Enzo chuckled and holstered his weapon in the back of his jeans. “Here, let me show you.”
As he stepped behind me and placed his arms around the outside of mine, I tensed. We’d never been this close before, and I could feel his breath on the back of my neck “Relax,” he said softly, almost murmuring.
His hands came over mine, and he adjusted my hold. After he did, the grip still felt odd, but not as unnatural as before. “Now point and shoot.”
Rolling my eyes, I scoffed. “That simple, huh?”
“There’s a sight on the top of the barrel that you can use to line up your target. It helps when you’re first learning to shoot.”
Squinting, I focused on the sight. “That is so small.”
I felt him chuckle against my back. “Close your eyes and take a deep breath.”
I huffed, but then did as Enzo requested. “Okay, now what?”