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“How was I supposed to know that? I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to push you,” he said with pain in his eyes.
I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed his lips. He froze momentarily but as I sensually licked his lips with my tongue seeking access to his mouth he relaxed and gave into the kiss. It was slow and sweet. Everything it needed to be to get him to drop this concrete wall he had built up around himself. When I felt like he had truly let go, I broke away and gazed into his eyes.
“Come back to me Gio,” I whispered against his lips. He closed his eyes and rested his damp forehead against mine. “I love you and I want to help you but you have to let me in.”
I wrapped my legs around his waist as his hands roamed my back under the water and he sighed.
“I know. I’ve been a dick. I just… It is a lot.”
I pulled my head away from his and stroked his dripping black hair out of his eyes. “It is. But we can deal with it together.”
“Okay.” He huffed. “Tell me.”
I told him everything Cecilia had said to me and I also mentioned that she didn’t seem herself; that her emotions were all over the place. He listened intently and his dark eyebrows tensed with concern. I knew deep down he loved his mother more than life and he worried about her. “She is hurting too, Gio. Just don’t let her leave here thinking you hate her.”
He nodded slowly. “I won’t.”
“So, what are you going to do? You know that what Sal is saying might not be true. And even if it is, Vinny is still the father that raised and loved you. Nothing will ever change that.”
He leaned his head back and stared up at the sky. “I know. It’s just I always wondered… I always felt torn between those two powerful men in my life. A part of me has always connected to Sal, the darker part. What if I am more like him than I thought? What if he is really my father?”
“You are still you, Gio. This doesn’t change who you are. You don’t even need to find out if you don’t want to. Vinny raised you as his own whether you were his biological son or not.”
“I need to know,” he whispered. “But I am afraid of what it will do to mamma if I get a paternity test.”
“It is your choice Gio. She will respect it because she loves you.”
He stared into my eyes and I felt my heart ache for him. For what he was going through. “Thank you bambola. You keep me sane.”
“And you drive me crazy! But I wouldn’t have it any other way,” I smirked as he kissed me again.
Sugar And Salt
Giovanni
Wrapping a towel around my waist and then a huge one around Olivia’s body, I noticed her dress sticking to her tempting curves, making me horny as hell. I have been in a bad place the last few days, so we haven't even been physical. I switched my emotions off. I couldn’t deal with the betrayal and pain of my mamma's deceit but also the soul-crushing thought that my papi was not in fact mine.
I have always looked up to Sal for the way he conducts business. He is a force to be reckoned with and is a shrewd and ruthless Boss which in turn, has made this family the most successful Mala Del Brenta, but I have never seen him as a father figure. He has taught me how to kill a man without allowing them to scream. He has taught me how to close the most savage of deals to ensure our family always comes out on top. He has taught me how to provoke fear and respect from men. But he did not teach me how to ride my bike. He did not teach me how to respect and love the women in my life. He did not teach me how to own my mistakes and learn from them. My papi did that.
Liv was right. Even if I was not Vinny's son by blood, I was still his son. I still loved him as my papi. Nothing would change that. But I wanted to know. I had to know if Sal was my father. He was convinced he was. And I didn’t like that he could use that to his advantage. I wanted to be in the know. I wasn’t sure what I would even do with the information if he was my father. I would most likely keep it to myself, but at least I would know.
There was one thing that was bothering me more than anything about all of this though. I could understand that Sal and mamma may have had a past. But how can they consider a future together? It wasn’t right. It was an extreme betrayal to his brother and mamma’s love for Vinny. I witnessed their love. Their marriage. It was true and pure. It has only been two years since papi’s death and she is considering moving in with Sal? His brother? It didn’t make sense. Mamma would never do this unless she had good reason. I did need to put my own feelings aside for the moment and get to the bottom of this. Mamma would never leave Raya and Sani like that.
Once Liv and I reached our bedroom, we dried and dressed quickly so I could catch mamma before Sal arrived. Liv sat on the end of the four-poster bed in a pair of shorts and cami as she towel dried her hair. I was pulling on a clean black shirt when I noticed her biting her lower lip with a pensive expression on her face.
“What are you thinking about?” I shouted from the dressing room.
Her eyes darted up to my face with a flash of panic and she shook her head. Oh hell no. I had to know now. Strolling towards her as I did up my buttons, I lifted her chin to look up at me. “Liv?”
She sighed deeply, worry and turmoil were evident on her pretty face.
“There are things I want to say but I am not sure if I should… everything considered.”
My eyebrows pulled into the bridge of my nose as I frowned. “No secrets, remember? There is nothing you can’t say to me.”
“You have to promise you won’t do anything rash… don’t fly off the handle Gio,” she warned. Well, that was like poking a bear with an iron rod. I was instantly on high alert and my heart rate increased. “Forget it,” she muttered when she saw the look on my face. She tried to stand up and walk away but I pulled her back to me.
“Olivia. You know I will not let this go now. So, save us both the hassle and just tell me.”
