Page 7 of And Everything In Between (Love By Any Means #3)

Her glistening thighs made him want to pull her closer. His palms itched to grip her waist and look into those big, bright eyes. When his gaze traveled to her mouth, those lips resting above a bottom row of gold teeth, he knew exactly who he was fucking with.

The people. The noise. The air. All of it was gone, his sole focus was on her and whatever she planned to get into tonight.

“Damn,” he said, voice deep enough to settle into her marrow. The loud clap and rubbing of his hands like he was Birdman made her giggle and kiss her teeth. “Three times the charm, huh?”

Paige arched an eyebrow, cool as the ice in her veins. “You keeping count? That’s cute.”

“Gotta recognize a blessing when it spins the block.” Voice thick with truth. “God, don’t do reruns, I’m not messing this up.”

She smirked.

“Convenient.” The way he looked at her made it hard to play it cool, but she wasn’t about to let him have it that easily. Not yet. She wasn’t new to men like him, fine as hell, money, with a panty-dropping smile. The type of man you had fun with, but you didn’t plan a family.

However, she loved his stature. Giovanni was built like a security guard—thick, solid, with arms made for both protection and problems. The kind of man who’d be a perfect comforter in the winter and a breath of fresh air in the summer.

Air escaped her in a rush as she tried to calm the butterflies in her stomach.

“Big hands,” she murmured, loud enough for the wind to catch. “Just my type.”

“Nah,” Giovanni said, tipping his shades down to let her see the full weight of his eyes. “Perfect timing. What’s good? I don’t ever see you outside.”

“I decided to switch it up. So, I’m trying to enjoy my day off and look good doing it.”

He dipped his head closer, and the manly scent of Black Ice, his cologne slid over her in a slow, delicious wave. She exhaled again, bracing herself as her breathing quickened with awareness.

“No doubt you doing that, gorgeous. Where your man at?”

“I’m single like a dollar in a stripper’s thong and not looking. Next question.”

“Yeah, aight. I hear you.” He smirked without missing a beat.

He stepped back, eyes never leaving hers, and nodded toward the passenger side of the car. “Get in,” he said, the words clearly a command. “You with me today.”

“You don’t even know me.”

He laughed. It was low and smooth; he didn’t need to know her. They could do that after she slid in. He took his shades off completely, wanting her to see he wasn’t fucking around or accepting no as an answer. He stood up tall, car door half-open behind him.

“Paige.” He called out, savoring her name on his tongue like it was fine wine. “Ride wit a nigga today.”

She searched his eyes, hesitating for just a beat, then saw nothing but a real nigga looking back at her. He'd stopped traffic for her. And he wasn't going to ask again. She’d be a fool not to let him entertain her if only for a day. This was what the day was about. Letting her inhibitions go.

“Fine, but I hope you got yours on you because I keep mine on me,” she said patting the crossbody against her chest.

Giovanni smiled, yeah, she was going to be a good time.

“I mean you no harm Thug Misses.” Hands raised in surrender with a small laugh.

“Okay,” she grinned again before she slid in and over to the passenger seat, and Giovanni climbed in behind her.

For a minute, he stared at her. He couldn’t stop drinking her in.

She looked good against his leather seats.

She settled in completely unfazed by his staring.

He watched her put her seatbelt on, flip the mirror down to check her lip gloss.

She was already claiming space he didn’t know he’d left open.

He didn’t know what this was going to turn into, but she’d changed his whole night by sliding in.

There was no hesitation. No coy games. Just her sliding in, trusting him to take the wheel. That did something to him.

He held back another smile and put the car in drive. Whatever was left to handle for the event, his sister could take care of it.

Tonight, he had other priorities. As they pulled away, Giovanni's mind drifted to the first time he'd really noticed her. That night at Blake's, when everything hit the fan.

Blake was on one, accusing Emon, tension thick enough to slice.

Folks were shifting uncomfortably, not sure where to look.

Except Giovanni. He wasn’t looking at Blake.

Didn’t give a fuck about what she had going on.

He was watching Paige. Off to the side, studying her move around the kitchen.

His watching wasn’t creepy, at least not to him.

It was intentional, he wanted her to feel it.

Wanted her to remember the weight of his eyes on her so she’d know it when she felt it again.

And she did.

Paige smirked at his relentless staring and looked away.

The anticipation was swirling in the car.

She couldn’t pretend she didn’t feel that same pull sitting right beside him because she did.

The engine purred beneath them as they pulled away from the fairgrounds, bass thumping low through custom speakers.

Her fingers tapped her thigh, rhythm synced to the buzz between them. It was electric, dangerous even, the kind of chemistry that couldn’t be put into words. Her mind was racing. What were they going to do? Why did she trust him? He was a stranger, a fine ass stranger but a stranger, nonetheless.

But there was something about Giovanni, something familiar in his silence, something sure in the way he handled his car, his business, himself, that made caution feel unnecessary. He radiated the kind of confidence that didn’t need to be proven, merely witnessed.

She said a silent prayer asking God to keep her covered as she enjoyed the rest of her night.

Then she relaxed into the seat, rolled her window down further, and let the warm summer air whip through her ponytail.

Whatever Giovanni had planned, she was ready for it.

For once, she wasn't calculating the cost of joy or measuring the weight of her own desires against everyone else's needs.