Page 7

SEVEN

giovanni

T he dining room is loud. Romeo and Dante are fooling around, laughing and joking with each other.

But when Zina and Guido walk in they fall silent and turn to glare at her.

My jaw clenches as I watch them, then her.

I never intended for it to be hostile here for either of them, but how am I supposed to reprimand my sons for being angry about the mistakes I made.

She was never a mistake.

I shake my head, dispersing the thought. She was a mistake. It could easily have torn my family apart if Bella found out at the time.

Zina stands quietly for a moment, scoping the scene while Romeo and Dante stare daggers at her.

She walks confidently to the seat next to me, the first seat to my right where I’m positioned at the head of the table.

Romeo is on my left.

Zina sits down and Romeo instantly stands up and slams his fits against the table.

“That seat belongs to Santino. He is the oldest son, the rightful heir, and he sits at our father’s side.” He blurts out angrily.

Zina ignores him, gets comfortable and says nothing at all.

Dante stands up and moves behind her, ready to pull her seat away from the table.

“If you touch my chair, I assure you, you will very quickly learn that I don’t tolerate disrespect. I’ve been patient, Romeo, but don’t push me.” Her voice is so dark and threatening that it freezes Romeo, filling him with uncertainly.

Dante hesitates and look at me with questioning eyes.

“Sit down Dante. Romeo, move over so that Santino can sit there.” I demand.

Romeo and Dante look horrified. They look betrayed.

But Romeo stands up and shift across to clear a seat for Santino. Dante walks, sulking, around the table to sit next to his brother and Guido takes a seat next to his mother.

My shoulders are tense.

Turning to Zina I mutter under my breath. “You are making things more difficult for me.”

She scoffs and whispers back. “You’ve been avoidant since we got here. Its time you made things easier for me.”

“Zina, you can’t just take my son’s rightful seat?—”

“Rightful?” She snaps quietly. “This is my rightful seat, as the woman of this house, right next to the man of this house. And I will not stand down from this position to accommodate a boy .”

Her eyes are fiery and fierce. She sucks her cheeks in and her lips pout in defiance as she presses them together. She’s not moving. That much is clear.

And her eyes, heated against my skin, send a thrill of desire pulsing through my body.

I turn my head away, acutely aware of her leg brushing against mine beneath the table. Electricity sparks between us and no matter how hard I try I can’t ignore it.

Santino walks in and I clench my jaw.

“Santino, sit down.” I command, before he can say a word.

A low growl rumbles through him as he takes his new seat on my left. He glares at Zina, then at Guido .

Guido remains calm, avoiding eye contact, but the way he’s holding his fork, his knuckles white with anxiety - it upsets me.

I don’t know the boy, but he is my son. Zina right, I’ve been avoidant. I should at least get to know my son. My heart is heavy with guilt over this mess I’ve created. I look towards Santino.

“Stop.” I mutter to Santino who hasn’t taken his eyes off his new found enemies.

“Dad.”

“No.” It’s time to put an end to this hostility as best I can.

He pulls his mouth tight and sits back in his new seat.

Dinner is served, and the tension is palpable as the only sounds are that of knives and forks against plates.

Zina looks pleased with herself and when she glances at me I note a trace of mischief in the slight smile touching her lips. The corner of my mouth twitches and curves upwards, so I look down at my plate to hide it.

She notices and nudges me with her knee beneath the table.

Clenching my jaw I manage to pull my face straight again, but, without thinking about it I drop my hand beneath the table and wrap it around her thigh, squeezing gently. My only intention was to reassure her that I will do my best to make things more comfortable here - but the moment my hand touches her skin, her dress too short to cover her legs, I know I’ve made a mistake.

Every cell in my body ignites, and it takes every single ounce of will power to pull my hand away instead of pushing it higher, between her legs.

It’s a relief when dinner ends, and I can escape to the upstairs balcony to clear my mind. The night air is crisp and fresh as I take a deep breath in, filling my lungs and letting the air push against them until it starts hurting.

Slowly, I let it out.

I’m standing with my hands resting on the railing when Dante walks in, he stands next to me without a word, watching the sky in silence.

Reading his body language I don’t say anything either, until, after ten minutes has passed he quietly asks.

“Did you know you had another son before Zina showed up at the funeral?”

“No. I didn’t know.”

“So, he really is my brother. My half-brother?”

“Yes, Dante, he’s your family.”

He’s quiet again.

I wait, knowing there’s more he wants to say.

“She accused me of being disrespectful.” He sighs.

“You have been.”

Dante nods. He knew this before I confirmed it.

Reaching out I squeeze his shoulder gently. “Kid, you don’t have to follow your brothers lead with everything. If you want to get to know Guido - it doesn’t mean you’re betraying your brothers - or your mom. Imagine what he’s going through. He didn’t ask for any of this. He’s been thrown into a world where everyone is against him for something he has no control over.”

“Why aren’t you getting to know him?” Dante asks, and the question cuts into my chest. I clench my jaw and turn my eyes back towards the stars.

“It’s complicated, D.”

“I’m not so sure it is anymore.” He shrugs. Letting go of the balcony he smiles tightly at me. “Goodnight, dad.” He says, then walks away.

Walking through the mansion I don’t think about what I’m doing, I follow my feet until they lead me to the open door of Zina’s bedroom.

Quietly, I step towards it, standing in the doorway I watch her.

She’s sitting on the sofa by the window, her feet burled beneath her and her face turned towards the window.

She looks beautiful and peaceful, but her eyes are sad, and her posture is one of defeat. She’s wearing tiny sleep shorts and loosely fitted t-shirt that has slipped off one of her shoulders.

She’s gorgeous.

“Zina.” I say her name softly.

She turns to look at me, her head tilted.

“What are you doing here?” she asks, keeping her voice low. With her face turned towards me I can see the stress etched across it. The defeat. The hurt. The worry.

I walk into her room without waiting for her to invite me, my instincts pushing me to her side. I want to ease her pain. “Are you ok?” I ask, sitting down on the sofa next to her. She looks delicate and I want to protect her from the world.

She doesn’t move and her thigh presses against mine. Awareness floods me again, the warmth of her body, the familiar current, like energy exchanged between us.

She glances at the space where our bodies touch, then up at me.

She bites at her lower lip and release the softest sigh.

I can smell her, something uniquely her. It’s not perfume or lotion - it’s just her. And the smell intoxicates me.

Her big brown eyes are wide, and her face is soft, doll like and innocent. My heart hammers in my chest. I reach up and touch her cheek, tracing my finger over the warmth of her skin.

It’s like touching silk.

My thumb brushes over her perfect pink lips, tracing the shape of her cupids bow.

My heart beats faster as I fight the urge to kiss her.

What am I doing?

Pulling my hand away I set it on my lap, my fingers gripped against my thigh to stop myself from reaching for her again.

Zina’s eyes are still on me, piercing into mine.

“I can’t stop wondering if I’ve made a mistake bringing Guido here. I don’t know if we will ever be welcome here - and I don’t want to put him through the agony of constant rejection.” She says, almost a whisper. Her expression is so raw and her words so honest that it breaks my heart to see her, with her walls down, her heart on her sleeve.

“Zina, you are welcome here. Both of you.” I sigh heavily. “It’s just a complicated situation.”

She shakes her head. “All I want is for Guido to know he has a home and a family. It’s been just me and him for such a long time. He deserves more than that. If he can be happy here, I won’t care about anything else. I will do anything for my family.”

She shifts and the t-shirt pulls further off her shoulder. My eyes trace of the delicate curve of her collar bone. She looks down at her hands, settled in her lap, and a wave of dark hair falls forward like silk, half covering her face.

I brush it back, letting my fingers trace over her shoulder as I do so.

Memories are spilling forward, haunting me and pushing through my body.

“It’s going to be ok.” My voice is deep and husky when I speak, and she turns towards me with her eyes narrowed and her lips parted.

I have to get out of here. All I can think of is kissing her.

I want to press my lips against hers and pull her onto my lap. Those shorts are hardly covering anything, and my mind is wild with temptation.

I stand up, rigid, fighting for control.

“Guido will be happy here, Zina. It will take a little time, but things will settle.”

Her smile is perfect.

“Goodnight, Gio.” She says sweetly.

“Goodnight, little firefly.” I whisper, unconsciously calling her the enduring name I called her sixteen years ago when we were in love.

She gasps softly and quickly turns away from me.

I hurry from the room, my cheeks heated as the desire inside me grows stronger.

In my bedroom I throw the covers back and strip out of my clothes. My mind is at war with itself. I can’t go back in there, I can’t pull her into my arms and kiss her. I can’t throw her onto the bed face first and trace my fingers over the curve of her back -

Fuck.

Get a grip, Giovanni.

The sheets are cold against my skin, but my body is so overheated it feels good. A distraction I desperately need.

Rolling onto my side I press my face into the pillow and squeeze my eyes shut. Sleep. Dammit. Stop thinking about her.

But with my eyes closed the images of her are more defined.

My cock is so hard its aching, so I reach beneath the covers and wrap my hand around the shaft.

I lie on my back in the bed and imagine her sitting on her knees on top of me with her legs spread wide as she straddles me, rocking her beautiful body over me, her hips swaying as she slowly rides my cock with that look on her face. Pure pleasure, absolute bliss.

She is the goddess of temptation.

I push my hand back and forth and my cock gets harder and harder.

All those years ago I was not able to say no to her - and it’s happening again. I want her. I can’t stop thinking about it and it’s getting worse the more time I spend with her.