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Falynn
PLAYLIST: ? BAD AT LOVE - HALSEY ?
“Giovanni Sorrentino,the Cowardly Lion in his school’s production ofThe Wizard of Oz? I doubt it.” A cruel giggle bubbles out of me as I twist in the sheets and wrap a leg around his.
For his part, Gio is relaxed, lying on his back with one muscular arm folded behind his head. “Believe it, Honey. The 1997 production ofThe Wizard of Ozat Brighton Private School in New York.”
“Pics or it didn’t happen.”
He raises one amused brow. “You first. Let me see that pretty smile, brace face.”
I gasp in horror. “Are you kidding? I burnt every last photo with them. No evidence of such an atrocity exists today.”
“Evidence cover-up, huh? Very mob-minded. You sure you’re not in the family?”
“If I am, I must’ve gotten a lot more sun than everyone. It explains the tan.”
“I love your skin color. It’s beautiful, like—”
“Honey?” I provide with another giggle.
A rare Giovanni Sorrentino smile flits across his face and he reaches for me. His kiss is tender but demanding, his hands playful. They skim over my naked body, making me shudder. A wave of lust rolls over me. It pushes any other thought from my mind except for how Gio’s large, dominating hands light a trail of fire on my skin.
It goes without saying, I’m already dripping wet. These luxury $200 panties don’t stay dry for long these days. The sun hasn’t even finished rising, and we’ve already indulged in each other twice. It seems Gio is as addicted to me as I am him.
He pulls away from our kiss and admires me, tucking loose curls behind my ear. “How did it happen?” he asks suddenly. “You winding up at gentleman’s clubs?”
Though the question is serious, I’m still feeling playful. I shrug and trace the muscular outline of his perfect, shredded abs. “I left home before I even graduated high school. Moved in with a boyfriend at the time. Eventually followed him to Vegas. Tried out some waitressing jobs and a few other gigs. None of them worked out. Boyfriend was a fuckboy loser who left me. I started dancing.”
“Just like that, huh?”
“I was always in dance growing up. It’s one of my few talents.”
“You sell yourself short. You’re smart. Funny. A girl like you shouldn’t be there.”
“Hence metryingto go to college. As it turns out, it’s not so easy to pay for.”
“And your family?”
I scoff and roll onto my back, finally giving up my playful antics. “I come from dysfunction, Gio. No, seriously, if you look up the word on Dictionary.com, you’ll find my family as a reference point. We could barely keep a roof over our heads. Dad left when I was two. Mom worked hard to make ends meet, but as it turns out, I inherited my thing for bad boys from her.”
“What? She would bring around bad guys?”
“I lost count. Most of them violent. Or into street life. Or both.” My throat itches as I consider if I should keep going; I’ve spent so long blocking out my teenage trauma, it almost feels like another life. “One of the guys…when we were alone…he forced himself. She didn’t believe me. So I left.”
Gio’s entire body tenses up. Each one of the sculpted muscles tightens. A bloodthirsty fury darkens his features; I recognize the look from the night at Lovato’s party, where he’d almost broken a guy’s hand over me. I don’t need him to say a word to know he’s already thinking about tracking down Mom’s old boyfriend and hurting him. Badly. Just for me.
“What happened to him?” he asks finally in a restrained tone.
“I’m not sure. I haven’t spoken to my mom in years.”
“I don’t take kindly to men who abuse women…andgirls. You were a girl.”
The itch scratches some more in my throat. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to tell my Mafia boyfriend, even if temporary, about the man who assaulted me. Then again, I spent a long time after leaving home angry at the world praying karma would ensure the asshole suffers. Those prayers went unanswered like all the others.
But a change of subject is needed. I stroke fingers through Gio’s dark locks and offer a small smile. “What about you? How did you end up in ‘the life’?”
“You know my father is Don, right? There was no other choice. It’s a lifestyle.”
