As his eyes met Gia’s, he smiled back.
“Ready to go, babe?” He slid his arm across her shoulder, pulling her close. Then, he turned to look at me. “Lo, hey, I didn’t see you there.”
She’s mine.
Gia was always mine.
Or at least she was supposed to be with me.
Anger seethed through me, but I had bigger problems than Connor O’Shea—like the cops who were too damn close to breathe.
“Take good care of my girl, O’Shea, or I’ll put a bullet in your skull.”
Gia gasped. Connor didn’t even flinch. He was a crazy motherfucker like me, which made him perfect for the task of protecting Gia.
“We’re going to be late for class,” Gia said to Connor with her eyes on me.
Grabbing Gia by the hip, he steered her away from me. “What was that all about?” He attempted to whisper the words but failed.
I couldn’t hear Gia’s response, her tone so low and soft—I already missed the sound of her voice.
If the Feds weren’t within eyesight, I would have run after Gia. I had to maintain appearances for the sake of my family.
Gia looked over her shoulder at me with sadness in her eyes. The man next to her held her close, but the intensity and passion between us sizzled through the air, making me all too aware of her energy. I folded my arms across my chest, engaged in a stare-down with the only girl I’d ever loved.
We had unfinished business.
I lost her once. I would not lose her again.
But I had to be smart.
Chapter Eighteen
Gia
No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t shake the feeling Angelo had left behind. I craved his touch, wanting him even more after our encounter. But I knew it was impossible. My father needed me. Even after three weeks apart, I was still broken and fucked up.
As we settled in our seats, Connor O’Shea, my new friend and personal bodyguard, handed me my textbook, notepad, and a pen. My dad was concerned for my safety twenty-four seven. While Connor looked the part of a college student, he was five years older than me and was too much of a caveman to be in this class. He stuck out like a sore thumb.
Sleeves of tattoos ran down his muscular arms. There were only a few spots left on his pale skin to ink. He was the complete opposite of Angelo with his bleach blond hair and freckled cheeks. He was cute but not sexy, street smart but not book smart. No one compared to Angelo Morelli. He was my world. My life started and ended with Angelo. Spending weeks away from him cut through my chest like a machete.
Connor tapped me on the shoulder, keeping his voice low. “Are we going to talk about what happened back there with Angelo?”
I took a sip of the coffee I grabbed on the way to class and sighed. “Nothing happened. We ran into each other. It wasn’t planned. I promise.”
“Yeah, but you took off through the Quad. I lost you long enough for you to run into Angelo. Look at the situation from my perspective. Think of how it looked.”
I frowned at his words. “It was nothing. I promise. Please don’t tell my father about this. He will have a stroke.”
Connor flipped the lid open, let out a big gulp of air, and blew the steam off his coffee. “You have to stay away from him, Gia.”
I sunk into the chair and tried not to roll my eyes at him. Sometimes, Connor annoyed the hell out of me. As part of his job, he was overprotective and always up my ass, but we were also becoming friends, which made the situation with Angelo even more awkward. Whether I would admit it to myself or not, I still cared for Angelo. I wished there was a way for us to be something. Anything. I missed Angelo so much I couldn’t breathe without him.
I let out an exaggerated sigh, blowing a dark curl in my face. “I know the drill, Connor. My dad freaks out if I even mention Angelo’s name.”
“He has a lot riding on his run for mayor. This is not the time to be seen with a Morelli. All it would take is one picture on the front of the newspaper, and it could kill his campaign.”
I chugged half the cup, the warm liquid running down my throat. “If anyone knows how important this is to my dad, it’s me.”