Mobster

The anger fades from Thea’s face. “I know it’s…” She waves her hands in the air like she can’t think of the words. “Weird or whatever. I’m not going to lie to you, Emma. I’d be upset if Salvatore didn’t know all this stuff about you. We live in this house for a reason. It’s safe. We have to make sure anyone who enters these walls isn’t a threat. I mean, you’re going to be helping me care for the most precious thing in the whole world to us. Tell me, even if you didn’t live our life, if you had the means to do so, you wouldn’t do the same?”

I don’t hesitate, because she’s right. “I would.” Some of my anger lessens. It’s not like there’s something in my past I care to hide.

Salvatore sets two plates in front of us. “Thank you,” I say, meeting his eyes.

“Thank you,” he says back to me.

I smile at him. Maybe he isn’t as bad as I thought he was going to be. He’s intense at times, but there’s something underneath that I feel like I can trust.

“Your things will be here soon and we’ll put you in your own wing of the house for now. You’ll have lots of privacy.”

“My things will be here soon?” I ask. I don’t even know why I do. Of course they will be. Salvatore comes around the counter island to his wife. “I’m going to go do a few things.” He glances over at the kitchen entryway. I follow his line of sight to see a man standing there.

“Okay.” I barely hear Thea’s response, because all my attention is on the man standing there. A man who I’ve been running into over and over for almost two weeks. Every time I see him, I turn and run the other way because of the things he makes me feel.

“Oh, hey, Gio,” Thea says. I pull my eyes from my stalker mystery man to Thea. She’s all smiles. “Emma, this is Gio. He’s our baby’s godfather and uncle,” she says with the proudest smile on her face.

I look back at Gio. I finally have a name to go with his face. His eyes are on me like they always are. He walks into the kitchen, coming closer and closer to me until he’s right in front of me and I have to lean back to look up at him.

He looks like he always does. His dark hair is a little long, with a five o’clock shadow on his strong jaw. His light brown eyes appear to have a gold ring around them, now that I’m close enough to see. His olive skin is smooth, but every bone in my body is telling me his hands are rough.

He’s in a dark suit like every other time I’ve seen him. His size has always been so intimidating, and so is the way he looks at me. I’m pretty sure he wants me. I may not have been with a man or have a lot of experience, but I can see it in his eyes. They follow me.

Or so I thought. Now everything starts clicking together. Oh my god. Maybe it’s not that at all. Maybe he’s the reason the Castellos know so much about me. He’s been following me to learn about me for this family. Why does that hurt a little? A small lump that shouldn’t be there forms in my throat. I should be happy that he isn’t really some guy who was stalking me and wanted me. I know I’m only lying to myself. I might have run from him every time I saw him, but I was always looking for him. Sometimes I’d get disappointed when I didn’t see him.

“Emma.” He takes my hand without me even offering it. He has to lean down to do it.

He doesn’t shake it, though. He rubs his fingers along my hand, and my breathing stops as I stare up at him.

“I couldn’t help but overhear,” Gio says, his eyes still trained on me. “The contractors started early on my remodel. Looks like I need a place to stay until they’re finished.”

“You don’t even have to ask, Gio. You’re always welcome here,” I hear Thea say.

Gio keeps caressing my hand as he leans just a little closer for only me to hear. “Guess you won’t have the wing all to yourself, Dollface.”

Chapter Three

Giovanni

These past ten days have been utter hell. I always thought that when I found the woman that I knew would be mine, it would be easy. I would scoop her up and take her home. I’d waited for her for years. Fucking years. I’d even had a home built and finished it a little over a year ago. I wanted to be ready. I thought after the first sight, she would fall into my arms and that would be that.