Page 23 of And Everything In Between (Love By Any Means #3)

A grin appeared on her face, as she grabbed the drink and followed the direction past a sleek staircase and down a wide hallway, every detail around her clean, masculine, and lived-in. Like him. The basement stairs were lit by wall sconces that gave off a soft, golden hue.

“Second door on the left,” she murmured as she approached it.

She eased it open and paused.

Giovanni's man cave was everything she'd expected and more.

Dark hardwood floors stretched beneath a massive sectional that looked ready to swallow visitors whole, all facing a wall-mounted TV the size of a small billboard.

Framed photos of celebrity clients mixed with vintage street signs hung like trophies along the walls.

In the corner, a black gun safe sat slightly open, a quiet reminder of the man he used to be and could still be if the situation called for it. And there he was.

Knocked out. Sweats slung low on his hips, a white ribbed tank clinging to his chest, durag tied tightly, one arm flung over the back of the couch like he’d started watching something and never made it past the intro. He looked peaceful in a way men like him rarely did, unguarded, vulnerable.

Paige stood in the doorway for a second longer than she meant to, her heart slowing from watching him. She stepped in quietly and sat beside him on the edge of the couch. The smell of him, soap, skin, and wave grease.

She reached out gently, her fingers brushing his arm.

He stirred but didn’t wake up.

Paige smirked, leaning back on her heels for a second. She looked at him. Drank him in like he did her all the time. The way his eyes relaxed. The way his chest rose and fell. Peace was attractive on him. Even in sleep, he looked like the kind of man you could fall for if you weren’t careful.

She wasn’t careful.

Quietly, she slipped one knee over his lap, easing her weight down onto him slowly. His body responded to the contact, even unconscious, his hands found her waist, his breathing became ragged, but he still didn’t wake.

She moved forward, her mouth inches from his.

Then she ran the tip of her tongue across his top lip at a snail’s pace.

“Vanni,” she whispered.

His eyes fluttered open immediately, brows pinching, breath catching like he couldn’t tell if this was a dream or not. But it was because his dick was up and ready to slide up in something.

Paige giggled, right in his face. “That was payback.”

Giovanni blinked once, then again, his voice still thick with sleep. “Paige? Why you playing? Shoulda pulled this monster out.”

“Mhhm.” She gave him one more slow kiss to the corner of his mouth before pulling back to look him in the eye. “Get up, nasty.”

He let out a soft groan, hands finding her hips like instinct. “This what we doin’ now? Wakin’ me up with tongue and attitude?”

She grinned, shifting in his lap slightly, to make her point. “Don’t act brand new. I owed you that.”

Paige braced her hands against his chest, feeling the heat of him under her palms. Her nails dragged lightly over the fabric of his tank, teasing, grounding herself. His hips were already moving under her, begging her to give into him.

“What else you owe me?” he asked again, voice rough, lip caught between his teeth.

She pressed closer, her lips brushing his chin as she playfully said, “A real kiss… but not yet.” Then she kissed the spot below his ear instead.

Giovanni let out a sharp breath, his fingers tightening on her hips like he was fighting the urge to flip her and take it right there.

“Stall me out, P,” he murmured, nipping at her jaw.

The sensation caused her back to arch forcing her breasts to press against his chest.

His hands slid down to her thighs, slow and heavy, gripping and massaging her lower back. She gasped and moaned when he rocked up again, the thick imprint of his dick hitting right where she was aching for relief.

“You tryna ride this dick or what?” he asked, voice barely above a growl. She answered by grinding down slow and deep until he hissed through his teeth while gripping her waist tightly.

“Don’t do that unless you ready to pay the price,” he warned.

Paige smiled, “I’m good for it.”

And that was it. Giovanni sat up in one smooth motion, grabbing her under the thighs and pulling her even closer. Mouth on her neck, tongue hot, hands sliding up under her shirt. She panted, softening against him, every inch of her on fire.

The teasing was gone. So were the jokes.

All that was left was a silence so heavy it made her squirm.

Heat, hands, lips, and two people who had waited long enough.

She unbuttoned her shirt slowly, revealing perfect, perky breasts tucked into a powder blue lace bra to match her shirt.

Giovanni let out a low whistle, hands skimming her shoulders, guiding the fabric down and off like he was unwrapping a precious gift.

When she reached to pull off his tank, he let her, watching her eyes as the shirt cleared his chest. He grabbed her by the neck and stole a kiss, hungry, deep, full of everything he’d been holding back. Her lips still tasted like cherry gloss, and damn if that wasn’t becoming his favorite.

She stood and slid out of her pants, semi bald pussy all in his face glistening, slick, and most definitely warm.

“No panties again?” he muttered, eyes tracking every step she took. “Paige, baby, we gotta talk about that. You out here with ass movin’ like thunder rollin’ in the deep.”

She smirked, heat glinting in her eyes. No words needed.

Giovanni maintained eye contact as he stripped down, pants and boxers dropping to the floor in one fluid motion.

His arousal stood proud between them, thick and imposing even in the dim glow from the TV behind them.

He sat back down with a mischievous grin on his face while he flexed, making his dick jump slightly.

Paige stepped toward him, pulled by something she couldn’t deny anymore.

He moved like he’d been waiting—one strong arm wrapping around her waist, the other lifting her leg with surprising gentleness until her foot rested on his chest. He kissed her ankle and shook his head.

The position opened her completely. He traced a path of soft kisses upward, each one hotter than the last, until he sank lower, eyes locked on her as his mouth claimed the spot that had been calling to him all damn night.

There, he paused. Inhaled deeply, eyes fluttering closed for a moment as he savored her scent. Then, a taste, quick, electric, that made her lean closer, she was so thankful for that free Pilates class at Burn Central.

His tongue sampling what was to come had her leg trembling against his shoulder, a small betrayal of her need.

He caught her gaze, the corner of his mouth lifting in knowing satisfaction.

“Later,” he murmured, recognizing she was already beyond the point of patience. Foreplay could wait for another time, right now, she needed him inside her, and the feeling was entirely mutual. “Next time just say that.”

She nodded.

Giovanni grabbed a condom and slid it on as Paige watched through hooded eyes.

She was covered, but she could never be too careful.

With care and gentle strength, he guided her down, one hand settled on her neck as he eased her into place.

The pressure of his grip was both comforting and commanding, making sure she took him slow—deep, but never rushed.

She hissed, lip caught between her teeth. Took a second to adjust, to settle, to feel him.

And then she moved.

Slow at first, giving herself time to stretch around him. He filled her to the edge of pain, but it was the kind of ache she didn’t want to end. The kind that made her press her palm to his chest and ride it out, inch by inch.

Giovanni’s head fell back against the couch, lips parted, breath punching out of him. “Fuck, Paige…” She rolled her hips, clenched down just to feel him lose it. He cursed and grabbed her ass with both hands, holding her still for a second.

“You tryna kill me.” His voice came low, ragged, eyes locked on her like she was his only mission.

“Shut up and take it,” she whispered, leaning in, chest pressing against his.

She found a pace that made his thighs flex under her—slow grinds with just enough bounce to make his eyes shut tight.

He met her halfway, hips snapping up with more power than he probably meant to.

She moaned into his neck, nails dragging over his shoulders as sensation crept up her spine, hot and dizzying.

The couch creaked beneath them, a rhythmic beat in sync with the slick sound of skin meeting skin, and every time he shifted deeper, her breath hitched.

“Say you missed me,” he groaned, mouth at her collarbone now, kissing, biting.

“I did.”

“Say it like you mean it.”

She grabbed his face with both hands and kissed him hard, tongue and teeth and all the things.

“I missed you, Giovanni. A lot.”

He growled into her mouth, stood with her still clinging to him, and turned, laying her out across the massive sectional. Her legs locked around his waist before he could even settle.

Now it was him in control. He drove into her deep and fast, hands braced beside her head, eyes locked on her love face as he fucked her changing both his mind and hers.

Paige was gone.

Writhing under him, mouth open in a silent cry, hands squeezing his side. She needed something to hold onto before she came undone completely.

“Don’t hold that shit back from me,” he said, voice low and ragged with heat.

She nodded, biting her lip so hard it was almost bleeding. He slid a hand between them, thumb finding her clit, pressure just right. He slowed down, knowing that’s how she liked it when she was close.

“Come on, baby.” His tone left no room for hesitation.

And she did.

“Shit, shit.” she screamed. Legs shaking, body locking up, eyes rolling as her orgasm crashed through her and ripped the air from her lungs.

Giovanni followed a second later, burying his face in her neck with a deep groan as he emptied inside her, hips still grinding slow like he couldn’t stand the thought of pulling away.

When they finally stilled, breathless and heavy-limbed, he asked, “You still want to talk?”

Paige chuckled, voice hoarse. “Give me five minutes and some water. Then we can figure out how we make this work.”

And she meant it. They would have to figure it out.

She wanted more of Giovanni—and it wasn’t just the sex, though she had no problem becoming a lifetime member of his club.

It was the way it all clicked . She couldn’t explain it, and she didn’t need to.

Her soul had already chosen him. It was her heart and mind finally catching up that sealed the deal.