Giovanni joined his family inside the deli. Francesca, Emmanuelle, Mariko and Sasha sat at a table together with his brothers surrounding them. As usual, Francesca had everything under control. Sasha was even laughing. She looked young and happy with the other women, and that made him feel better. He’d had a bad taste in his mouth and just looking at her took it away. He liked seeing her looking as if she didn’t have a care in the world.
That was her gift, he decided. She had a crazy stalker and her sanctuary had been violated, her beloved brother didn’t remember her, but she could put that aside and still find a way to be happy. She had courage and strength.
She looked up, her gaze meeting his, and smiled directly at him. For him alone. His heart stuttered in his chest. He couldn’t help but smile back, the dark, ominous feeling lifting just a little. Already his family was rallying around her, doing exactly what they did—helping out. He could always count on them. He wanted her to understand that she could as well.
Stefano caught his eye, and he drifted across the room to his oldest brother. “I’ve put guards on her, even when she’s with you, Gee, so if you spot them, you know who they are. Demetrio and Drago will be out of sight. Emilio and Enzo are on the two of you.”
Giovanni wasn’t about to protest as he normally would have if his brother sent the top bodyguards to protect him. He would do anything, even having his brother’s guards, in order to keep Sasha safe. “Thanks, Stefano. Are you covered?”
“Of course. Did you think Emilio would let me have five minutes without someone breathing down my neck? I do have that little job to do. I’m not letting Darby get away with his crap. He was warned. Vittorio and I are going to pay him a visit, so that means you, Taviano and Ricco have to be visible. We’ll all be at the club celebrating you finding Sasha. I’ve got all the details worked out. Cousins are coming to help celebrate. We’ll have video of Francesca and me there making out like we do. Darby will call the cops and look like a fool. Just make certain you’re seen at the club.”
“Sasha is working tomorrow night so it will work out nicely. If she’s at the club, then I’m at the club. Everyone can show up. I’ll alert club security, and we’ll need Enrica at the club so if Sasha or any of the women goes into the ladies’ room, they’ll still be guarded.”
“I’ll make certain Emilio knows to assign her the days Sasha is working.”
Giovanni once more turned to look at Sasha. She appeared as if she belonged with the other women. She had the same sweet innocence about her that all of them did. Emmanuelle glanced up at him and gave him a thumbs-up, her opinion of his choice. He put his hand over his heart and nodded. Sasha caught that gesture. He didn’t mind. He was determined to be as honest with her as possible.
“I hate to break up the party, ladies, but Sasha is going to need a few things for tonight and tomorrow.”
“Lucia and Amo are waiting in their store. They said to use the back entrance as they’re closed. Nicoletta will let you in,” Francesca said.
Nicoletta. The problem child. He glanced at Stefano.
Stefano sighed and nodded. “She’ll be joining us for self-defense training five days a week. Mariko has struck up a friendship with her and she’ll be her first instructor.”
“That’s a heavy schedule,” Giovanni objected. “She works two jobs and has to keep up with her schoolwork.”
“I spoke with Agnese Moretti and she’s caught up on her work and then some. There will be no problem with graduation,” Stefano assured. “Otherwise, I would have been sitting down with her until it was done.”
Giovanni nodded his head and held out his hand to Sasha. “Let’s get a move on so you can see your brother tonight. I know you don’t have much time off.”
“I can’t do that.” There was regret in her voice, but she took his hand. “I can’t possibly sleep in that apartment, so I need to find a place to stay and I need clothes and things like a hairbrush, hair products and a toothbrush.”
He closed his fingers around hers and tugged until she was under his shoulder. “We’re taking care of the clothes now, and I’m certain Emmanuelle won’t mind shopping for you so we can see your brother. Lucia and Amo have chosen a few things for you, so if you like them, we can get them immediately without taking much time.”
“We’ll help,” Francesca added. “We can get you the things you need while you go visit with your brother. No problem.”
“I can’t ask you to do that,” Sasha objected. “Sandlin … doesn’t remember me at all. I go visit him and he’s always sweet, but he has no idea I’m actually related. He doesn’t have a clue who I am. If I skip tonight, I don’t think he’ll care.”
“But you’ll care,” Giovanni said. She was trembling and her voice shook just the merest thread, but he heard it because he was so attuned to her. “Let them help you, honey. They’re right here and they can take the things to my house and have them waiting for you.” He nodded to the women of his family as he turned a protesting Sasha toward the door. “You can argue with me about staying with me after you get clothes from Lucia and when we’re in the car. Just hold your arguments. We’ll miss visiting hours if we don’t get a move on.”
He shepherded her right out the back door so they could go down the alley to the back entrance to Lucia’s Treasures. The police were still working on Sasha’s apartment, and he picked up the pace, not wanting her to think too much about a man invading her space and using her things.
“I’ll have a cleaning service take care of your place. They’ll sterilize everything. John Balboni owns the local hardware shop and he’ll install several dead bolts and better locks on the doors, including your bedroom door.”
“Giovanni, you can’t do that for me.”
“We own the building and it wasn’t safe,” he argued. “Right here.” He indicated the three stairs leading to the back entrance to the little boutique.
Nicoletta waited in the doorway. Her gaze shifted from him to Sasha and she kept her attention centered on her. Her smile was professional. “Hi, Sasha, I’m Nicoletta. I’m so sorry for what happened to you. Francesca called, and Lucia has pulled some clothes and lingerie she thought you’d be interested in. Giovanni told us your size.”
Giovanni narrowed his gaze at the teenager. She was eighteen now and looked more of a woman than the scared girl she’d been when she’d been rescued. He was certain she’d tacked the last on just to see him get in trouble, and of course Sasha rose to the bait.
“My size?”
“Your size was on the two garments on the bed,” he pointed out, although the truth was, just looking at her, he knew her size.
“That makes sense,” she said, mollified. She flashed a smile at Nicoletta. “It’s nice to meet you. Francesca was just telling me how proud of you she is.”
Nicoletta’s smile was instantly genuine. “She could be the nicest person on the planet, unless it’s Mariko or Emmanuelle. Well, after Lucia, of course.”
“They were telling me about Lucia. I’ve seen the Faustis in the deli, but haven’t really met them. Pietro talks about them all the time. He loves them. When they come in, I’m always busy so I haven’t had the chance to get to know them. Emmanuelle, in particular, is fond of Lucia.”
“Everyone is,” Nicoletta assured as they moved through the back room. “I already love her, and that’s saying a lot.”
The fragrance in the store was subtle, but with it came a sense of peace. That was also Lucia. Nicoletta stepped back to allow them into the shop. “Sasha, this is Lucia and Amo, my foster parents. This is Sasha. She’s with Giovanni.”
There was a small silence and then both Lucia and Amo broke into huge smiles. Both went straight to Sasha and kissed her on both cheeks.
“It is wonderful to meet you, Sasha,” Lucia said. “Even under these circumstances. We’ve waited a long time for Giovanni to find the right woman.”
Sasha frowned and started to shake her head. Before she could speak, Amo took both her hands and beam
ed at her. “At last. We’ve prayed for you to come along. Giovanni needs his woman. We pray and here you are. Please, look at what my Lucia and Nicoletta have chosen for you, but feel free to look around. Anything is yours if you want it.”
“Thank you.” Clearly, she didn’t know what to say or do because she moved back into Giovanni as if for protection. Going up on her toes she whispered for him alone, “I can’t possibly afford anything in here, nor do I want them to give me clothing for free.”
“I’ve already taken care of it,” Giovanni assured. “Before you throw something at my head, just accept it and we’ll battle it out in the car. We can’t stay longer than ten minutes. The Hendrick Center is across town and it takes a little while to get there, even driving fast.”
She gave him a dark scowl, which only made his cock ache. God, she was adorable. Everything about her appealed to him, even her fiercely independent nature. He was in for a fight with her, and he was looking forward to it. He grinned at her just to provoke her further.
Sasha turned away to look at the soft jeans Lucia had set aside. There were three pairs and several tees and tanks. Just going by the look on her face, Sasha loved them. She touched the exquisite underwear, a higher end stretch-lace panty and beautiful bras he couldn’t wait to take off her. “We’ll take them all,” he said to forestall any arguments. “She’ll need a sweater and something for bed.”
“No, Giovanni.” Sasha was firm on that. “I can’t possibly afford these and you know it.” She turned her head to look longingly at the jeans and tees. “Maybe one pair, just because, and the underwear.”
“All of it,” Giovanni said firmly. “Lucia, why don’t you argue with Sasha while Nicoletta wraps everything up for us, and Amo and I will take care of things.”
“Absolutely not,” Sasha objected, trailing after him.
He didn’t even turn around. He heard Nicoletta whispering. “They’re all like that. Trust me, if you’re considered family, and he wouldn’t bring you here or with the others if he didn’t, they’ll just take over your life.”
There was no bitterness in her voice that Giovanni could detect, but there was something he couldn’t put his finger on. He turned to look at her. She was looking away from him, down at the clothing she was carefully wrapping in tissue paper. There was a look on her face that made him want to go to her and comfort her. He couldn’t stop himself, even though he knew she would probably reject him the way she did all of them.
He strode right past Sasha and tipped Nicoletta’s chin. “Are you all right, sorellina? Tell me, and I’ll take care of it.”
For a moment, it looked as if Nicoletta blinked back tears, and his heart sank. She shook her head. “I’m good. Just working a lot lately.”
“Will training with us be too hard on you?” He kept his voice low. Gentle. He wasn’t certain how to handle her when she’d been stripped of everything. She’d lost her family, was in a nightmare world for far too long before they’d managed to rescue her and was uncomfortable with them because they knew far too much about her. Her body screamed at him not to touch her so he let go of her chin.
“I want to learn to defend myself,” she whispered back. “Don’t take that away from me.”
“We want you to learn. Nicoletta, if you’re worried about something, you can talk to me—or to Francesca. You do know that, right?”
She nodded and kept wrapping the clothes. He turned away from her, feeling as if he’d failed her. Surprisingly, Sasha didn’t say another word. She retreated to the other side of the boutique with Lucia and left him up front with Amo.
CHAPTER SIX
“She breaks my heart,” Sasha said. When Giovanni looked over at her, she clarified. “Nicoletta. She’s so young, but she isn’t. She’s as grown-up as I am, maybe more, and she shouldn’t be.”
He was driving the Aston Martin again, her very favorite. Well, at least she thought it would always be her favorite, even though she’d seen a dozen different cars his family drove and some of them looked extremely luxurious. He handled the car the way he did everything. He was absolutely confident and looked casual while he was doing it.
“She’s had a difficult time. Like you, she lost her parents too young. She was put in a bad situation, and Stefano was able to get the authorities to allow her to live with Lucia and Amo, but there were a lot of very cruel things that happened prior to her coming here. She’s finding her way, and we’re all looking out for her.”
“The alcohol?”
“Lucia was worried. Like I told you, we were pulling her out of parties all the time. Apparently after the talk Taviano had with her, Lucia says she’s been subdued, hasn’t gone out with those friends again and has really worked hard on her schoolwork. It’s only been a couple of days, so we’ll see.”
“How can she work two jobs and still go to school?”
“She has tutors. She doesn’t go to regular high school.”
“Where did she meet these friends of hers?”
“She works at the flower shop with Bruno Vitale. He’s been a thorn in our side for a long while. He just turned twenty-five and those are his friends, none of them from this neighborhood, and she’s been hanging out with them quite a bit. It’s been worrisome to everyone.”
Sasha nodded. “I can see why. She needs friends, though, Giovanni.” She knew she was talking about herself as well. Maybe she could befriend the girl, although Nicoletta didn’t seem too interested in her.
“We were tutored,” he said.
She hadn’t meant to put him on the defensive. “You have a very large family. There was no way you were going to get lonely. I understand loneliness a little better than you.”
“Don’t kid yourself, Sasha. Every one of my brothers, as well as my sister, experiences loneliness. Stefano has Francesca and Ricco has Mariko, so I’m betting they don’t, but when you search the world and you believe you’re never going to find the right partner, you’re lonely. It doesn’t matter how big your family is or how much money you have.”
She heard the sincerity in his voice and her heart clenched. “I suppose you’re right. I’ll see if I can befriend her. It would be nice for both of us. What did you mean by training?”
Giovanni shrugged, drawing her attention to how wide his shoulders were. As the car moved through the streets and the lights shone across them, throwing various shades of dark and light, he appeared to disappear as if the very shadows flowed through him.
“We work out together, martial arts, weapons training, that sort of thing, and we want Nicoletta to learn. We thought it would give her more confidence.” He flashed her a quick look. “You might be interested in something like that, not that you need more confidence.”
“I would be interested if I wasn’t already working sixteen hours a day. I visit Sandlin every spare minute I get. Which reminds me, we need to get to the argument where I tell you I’m going to pay you back for everything and I’m not staying at your home.”
He was silent for so long she thought he wasn’t going to respond. She caught him glancing in the rearview mirror several times, he texted with one hand, and then he turned off the main street she knew led to the Hendrick Center. Before she could ask him what he was doing he sent her a small grin that sent her stomach into a slow roll.
“Start arguing away, but the end result will be that you’re coming home with me. My house is so damn big we won’t be able to find each other, and in any case, I plan to act the perfect gentleman.”
She wanted to laugh at the pious tone. “Really? You’re not going to try to kiss me?” She touched her lips because just saying it, just thinking about it, put the taste of him in her mouth.
He turned down a narrow street and then again onto another one. He suddenly reversed and backed up right into the open door of a garage and killed the lights. He turned toward her, sliding his arm along the back of her seat. “Gentlemen kiss, Sasha.”
“What are we doing here?” Her heart was beating too fast, but she wasn�
�t certain if it was in anticipation or out of fear. Something was wrong and he wasn’t telling her.
“Some gentlemen are very good at kissing, but clearly you need to see for yourself.”
“We can’t just park and have a make-out session in a perfect stranger’s garage,” she pointed out, trying not to laugh. “Are you crazy?”
His fingers crept from the back of the seat to her shoulder. His palm slid under her curls to the nape of her neck, stroking featherlight caresses against her bare skin. Every nerve ending jumped to life.
Twin headlights lit up the narrow street as a car pulled into the lane, going slow. The lights illuminated the asphalt and brick, but failed to enter the tiny garage. Her heart was already pounding, but now, it accelerated even more.
“Are you trying to distract me? Is someone following us?” She edged closer to him, almost right on the middle console, not realizing until it was too late that she was playing right into his hands. The car went on by and she felt a little foolish.
His hand applied pressure, so that her head continued to bend toward his. Then his mouth was on hers and she forgot all about the fact that they were in a stranger’s garage hiding from someone possibly hunting them. Fire swept through her and she found herself wrapping her arms around his neck and giving herself up to the exquisite perfection of his mouth. His kiss.
She’d been kissed before, but this was completely different. This was—extraordinary. Her mind couldn’t hold a single thought, but just melted right along with her body. He tasted like male, a spice she quickly found herself addicted to, one she chased, needing more. The kiss went on and on, until she needed air and then he breathed for her, even as those flames he poured into her threatened to burn her alive.
Her body was no longer her own, but belonged to him. Had he tried, he could have taken her right there, on the seat in some stranger’s garage. It was Giovanni in control, lifting his head, resting his forehead against hers, breathing a ragged rhythm she tried to follow.
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