Married to My Enemy

Having no other choice, I followed suit.

I pulled my key from my purse and opened the front door. Within seconds, my father appeared.

“There you are. With Giovanni, eh?” he said, but there was no malice in his voice. He smiled broadly and stretched a hand out to Gio. My nerves subsided.

“How are you this evening, sir?” Gio said.

“Evening? Looks more like night to me!”

Gio laughed. “Well, the same question stands, sir. How are you?”

“I’m well. Thank you for bringing my little girl back in one piece.”

“No problem, sir.”

“Can I interest you in some coffee and a cigar, son?”

Son. He was already calling him son.

“I’d love to, but like I told Ari, I’ve got quite a day ahead of me tomorrow. I have some work to do with my father, so I’m going to head on home and get some rest. After a nice dinner and conversation with your daughter, it’s time for me to call it a night.”

“I see,” my father said. “Well, it was nice to see you again, Gio. Come back anytime. Like we said before, our door is always open to you.”

“Thank you so much. You have a good night,” Gio said. He then turned to me, his arms outstretched for a hug.

I swallowed, giving him a hug, but keeping it brief in front of my father, terrified that he would somehow sense the level of intimacy already between us. But thankfully, he didn’t seem to notice anything.

“See you later, Arianna,” Gio said with a playful gaze in his eyes that only I could see.

“Good night, Gio.”

As I retreated to my bedroom for the night, there was a thought dancing through my mind that just couldn’t be ignored any longer.

I was falling, and falling hard, for Giovanni Romano. There was just something about him that I found comforting regardless of the issues I’d previously had with him. Having dinner with him, rather than our random passionate hookups, had been a good idea. It had allowed me to see a whole new side to him—and it was a side that I desperately needed to see. Not only was he drop-dead-gorgeous, but he was funny, and I could tell that there really was a good heart behind that tough and cocky exterior of his.

My parents could have certainly picked worse for me, that’s for sure.

Taking a quick shower and then putting on my pajamas, I fell asleep, holding my pillow and wishing that it was Gio. I couldn’t wait for the day when I could fall asleep by his side every night, kept warm in his embrace.

CHAPTER 15

Arianna

I woke up the next day with a somewhat hollow feeling in my chest, and I knew that it had everything to do with Giovanni. It hadn’t even been 24 hours since I’d left him, but I already wanted to be with him again.

Knowing that I was going to need a distraction to keep Gio from my mind, I grabbed my cell and called Angela.

“Hello?” her voice sounded on the other line after the third ring.

“You busy tonight?” I asked.

“Nope. Tonight, I’m all yours.”

“Good,” I said, a smile inching across my face. I began to pace the room, feeling like a giddy teenager. “I want to tell you all about him.”

“Him?”

“Giovanni Romano. My fiancé.”