AllFreeNovel
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Gio loves spoiling me with the finer things in life, but we still haven’t officially reconciled. I would’ve been happy talking things out in yoga pants and my hoodie. Tasha insists on doing my hair and makeup.
“Phew,” she breathes, perfecting my eyeliner. “When Gio sees you, I wouldn’t be surprised if he dicks you down on the spot.”
“Tash! It’s dinner and…and talking about our relationship.”
She steps back to admire her work on my eye makeup. “Oh, please. You two are fucking tonight. You think Louis and me didn’t hear you guys the moment you reunited at the compound? It’s beenhowmany days? The only thing he’s going to be eating tonight is you.”
By the time she’s done with me, I’m donning matching red lips and sexy strappy heels. She pushes my clutch into my hands and marches me out the door to a waiting Louis.
“You look beautiful tonight, Miss Falynn,” he says, offering me his arm.
My cheeks warm. Louis has said I’m like a kid sister to him; he’s more than a big brother to me these days. “Thanks, Lou.”
The ride to the Vittoria only takes us five minutes, but my stomach quakes the entire time. I’m a bundle of nerves at the thought of seeing Gio soon. We’ll be one on one for the first time in days. It feels more like an eternity.
I’m escorted into the resort’s opulent gold and marble ballroom. Candles glitter in the soft light and fresh flowers of different kinds fill up the cavernous space. A live string quartet plays slow, romantic music that makes me smile. In the center is our dinner table, positioned perfectly for the live entertainment.
I stop and watch the performance, curiosity growing. Gio’s nowhere in sight.
“You look gorgeous,” comes his voice from behind.
I turn around, butterflies dancing in my stomach. Gio walks toward me in a simple white dress shirt and black slacks, both tailored to perfection on his athletic physique. Dark scruff frames his face, the intense shock of blue that’s his gaze already on me. I forget how to breathe as he closes in.
“Gio…”
He interrupts before I can go on. “I know you said you don’t need the nice things. But I like doing them for you. You deserve the very best, and I will give you that so long as I’m alive. Let yourself enjoy it for what it is.”
“Gio,” I say with a shake of my head, a speechless smile forming on my red lips. “It’s beautiful.”
“Come here, look at the view.” He guides me by the hand, leading me to the terrace outside the ballroom.
The view’s breathtaking. So many stories up, we have a panoramic view of the cityscape. It feels different tonight, the glittering lights blinking up at me like tiny beacons of hope for our future. I lean into his side without even thinking about it.
Gio welcomes the closeness, his arm swiftly curling around me.
His scent dizzies me. I spend the next few seconds concentrating on just that, savoring his warm and masculine smell that belongs only to him. I’ve worn his shirts just to bask in this scent, pressed my face into his pillowcase on nights he didn’t return.
“I’m glad you joined me tonight,” he says into our collective silence. “I was concerned you wouldn’t show up.”
“I’ve missed you. Us…”
With how selective Gio is about his words, I don’t expect to hear it in return. He surprises me, easing me to turn and face him.
“These past few days have been torture,” he says. He reaches out, and his fingers brush a curly tendril framing my face. “The penthouse is cold and dead without you. The same can be said for my life. I couldn’t concentrate on any business knowing you’d left. I haven’t slept. Tonight’s dinner will be my first full meal. It hasn’t been easy without you.”
“I didn’t know my leaving would have that much of an effect.”
“Let me finish, Falynn. I need you to understand the impact you have. I haven’t done the best doing that—telling you how important you are. I haven’t told you the things I’ve been struggling with. I didn’t want you to feel neglected. That’s how…” he pauses, a tortured expression clenching onto his face. “That’s how my father often made my mother feel. When you said you felt unwanted, I realized it was my worst nightmare. To do to you what my father did to my mother. He didn’t love her like she deserved.
“I wasn’t avoiding you because I didn’t want you. I was consumed by rage and guilt. I was lost in exacting revenge on my brother and, in a way, myself. How could I hold you when I hadn’t been there to stop him?” he asks. “Ifailed. I let my brother—and my uncle—outsmart me. I should’ve taken the threats more seriously. But I was too busy thinking I was untouchable. I was fuckingKing. I didn’t stop and think about how that arrogance left you vulnerable.”
His guilt’s so thick, it’s a tangible presence between us. I rest my hands on his chest and peer up at his handsome, tormented face. Inside me, the frantic urge grows to somehow soothe him. Make him understand none of it was his fault.
“Gio, I don’t blame you. I’ve never blamed you. I guess I just…I needed to feel close to you after everything that happened. But you’re here now, and I’m tired of heartbreak. I don’t want to waste any more time we have together.”
He fills his large hands with my cheeks, drawing me toward his mouth. Our lips touch in a kiss that’s full of love and affection, like we’re finally complete.
When Gio pulls back, he presses his forehead to mine. His breathing’s deep, almost reminding me of a sigh of relief. He slides his arm around my waist and brings my body flush against his. His warmth comforts me as much as holding me in his arms seems to comfort him.
