Gio: The DelGado Trilogy (An Enemies to Lovers Romance)

by Natalia Lourose

  Enchanting.

  Invigorating.

  For the first time in a long time, I feel alive.

  The apartment he leads me into is actually a loft, a huge loft. This has to take up half of the building, there’s no way the other apartments are even comparable in size. The entire place is open, surrounded by red brick walls and dark flooring.

  There’s a kitchen in the back with a large island and stainless steel appliances. He has a massive t.v. settled in front of a dark leather sofa. Up the black metal stairs to the loft I make out the shape of a bed surrounded by dark wood tones. The place is open and bright but filled with masculine tones, dark wood, and brick.

  It was absolutely beautiful.

  Like the man who owned it.

  His hands on my body pull me from my admiration of the place and refocus my attention on the man in front of me.

  “You’re so fucking gorgeous,” he says, his lips kiss my mouth and then move down to the column of my throat.

  I feel the heat rise to my cheeks. My whole body blushes in response to his words.

  “Has anyone ever told you that, sweetheart?” his hands don’t stop moving over me. My back, hips, butt. They don’t stop exploring.

  “No,” I whisper.

  “That’s a fucking shame.” his voice is a rough, throaty sound. “Because a beautiful woman like you deserve to be fucking worshipped.”

  “Oh, god.” I moan, just from his words and the electric feeling of his hands on my skin.

  “Can I show you?” he asks, pressing his body tightly against mine. His lips against my ear. “Can I show you how you deserve to be touched, to be worshipped?” He looks at me, expecting an answer.

  “I-” I can’t find the words. I’m so turned on, my body is heavy with need. But I’m also so fucking scared. Scared of what this man will do to me. His eyes are focused on me, waiting. “You’re not like me Gio,” I tell him. “And if I let myself catch feelings for you I’ll never recover. You’ll fucking ruin me.”

  A small smile rises to his lips. “It’s too late for that,” he says. “I’m not like you?” his hands grip my waist harder. “Who fucking cares?” he snarls. “I’ll kill anyone who even looks at you the wrong way.”

  His possessiveness of me makes me hotter, He presses quick kisses to my neck while his fingers find the hem of my shirt. “Say you want me,” he tells me. “Tell me what you want, sweetheart.”

  A moan escapes my lips, and for a second I don’t even recognize the sound.

  I don’t even know who I am right now.

  “You,” I whisper. “I want you.”

  His lips turn into a wide grin. “That’s what I thought.” He hoists me over his shoulder like I weigh nothing and carries me up the loft steps.

  He drops me onto the king-sized bed, my back hitting the soft mattress.

  “Take these off.” he tugs on my skinny jeans which I promptly unbutton. He works on pulling off the black booties and then dragging the denim down my legs. I sit up to pull my black top over my head leaving me in nothing but my black lace panties and matching bra with him standing fully dressed in front of me.

  “Fucking perfect.” he runs his thumb across his lips while he admires me. “I’m going to eat that pussy until you’re fucking begging me to stop,” he tells me, sliding the leather jacket from his shoulders. Next he lifts the white t-shirt over his head, throwing both on top of the pile of my clothes. “And then when you’re breathless and can’t contain yourself, that’s when I’m going to fuck you.”

  God, his filthy mouth.

  “Please,” I beg.

  “Yeah, baby, you’re going to be begging for it.”

  He pushes my knees apart as he crawls between my legs. He presses his palm against my core, finding it already wet and waiting for him.

  “Needy, huh?” The question doesn’t require a verbal answer, he can tell by the way my hips shift that I want him. Agonizingly slow he pulls the fabric of my panties away from me and strokes a single finger through my hot slit. I moan as he moves his finger to my clit and begins to draw lazy circles against the sensitive spot.

  Then he leans in so close I feel his hot breath against me, making me crazy. He strokes his tongue against my folds, bringing his mouth to my clit and sucking the small nub. While his tongue makes quick work of teasing my clit he brings his fingers down, pushing one into me. My hips lift in response, and my mouth involuntarily releases a whimper. I can feel him grinning against me, always cocky. Once he has me nice and ready he adds a second finger.

  “Please,” I moan. With both fingers pumping in and out of me, and his tongue and mouth on my clit I’m shaking.

  His touch is hot and sweet.

  Sinful and complete fucking angelic.

  My legs are shaking as he brings me so close to an orgasm. I’m right there on the edge when I feel his fingers curl, hitting my g-spot. I fall over the edge, spiraling out of control into pure bliss.

  “Fuck, god yes,” I scream as I fall deeper and deeper.

  “Yeah baby, give it to me.” I hear him.

  When I’m panting and completely satisfied Gio slowly covers my body in soft kisses. He lingers over my collar bone, then my throat. He kisses up to my ear, whispering “We’re not even close to being fucking done yet.”

  Mornings are a ritual for me.

  Get up, work out, coffee.

  Waking up with a pretty blonde draped over my chest definitely threw off my morning routine though. I can’t remember the last time I slept with a woman in my bed, it’s not my normal style.

  Annie, though?

  Annie was not a normal girl.

  I’m completely infatuated with her. She’s sound asleep next to me, waves of soft blonde hair falling gently onto her shoulder, and completely naked. My dick perks too life at the thought.

  The feeling of her smooth skin against mine is heaven. I thought maybe if I fucked her I would get her out of my system, but now I know there is no chance of that.

  I’m completely and utterly fucked.

  And honestly, I’m not sure if I give a damn.

  She stirs, opening her big blue eyes and trekking her gaze up the sheets to my face.

  “Morning, sweetheart.”

  Her pink lips turn up into a smile. “Good morning.”

  “What’s on the agenda for today?” I ask, brushing my hand gently across her cheek. I lean in and press a slow kiss to her templed. I already want another taste of her.

  “Work,” she rolls away to grab her phone off the nightstand. “Fuck,” she moans. “I need to go get new scrubs and shower.”

  “Mmm,” I wrap my arm around her waist and pull her back to me. “Not yet, hmm?” I trail kisses along her shoulders.

  “Gio,” her voice is already deeper and breathless. “I have to go, I can’t be late.”

  I want her to be late.

  Maybe even unemployed. Then she could spend the day wrapped up in my sheets. The idea of her here, waiting for me was depraved, and I love it.

  “Gio,” she warned as if she could see my intentions.

  “Fine.” I release my hold on her. “I’ll drive you.”

  I take my time getting ready, even though Annie is rushing me after she haphazardly puts on her jeans and top from the night before.

  Downstairs I fill the electric kettle with water and turn it on. I pull a bag of locally roasted coffee beans from the pantry and send them through the grinder until they are coarse. Beans into the filter, filter onto the pour-over contraption. I pour the water slowly through the filter, careful to not let it overflow, when Annie descends the loft stairs.

  “That smells amazing.” her eyes zone into the coffee. “Your place is gorgeous, by the way.” She slides onto the stool in front of the island I’m working at.

  “Thanks,” I chuckle. “It was one of my first projects. I bought this building and turned it into lofts.”

  I never went to college, so when other kids my age were out getting drunk and stumbling t
o class I was building my empire.

  “Oh,” she looks surprised. “You just bought the whole building?”

  I smile, “Yep.” My father put away a lot of money for each of us. Between his legal, and not-so-legal business ventures he had zero money problems. I was rich before I even started working.

  “You just buy buildings?” She shouldn’t have been surprised, I;ve already shelled out a hundred grand to cover her brother’s debt, but still she looked at me with innocent curiosity.

  Yeah, I just bought buildings. It was a good way to launder money too. I paid cash to contractors on my brothers payroll and they washed the money through their various projects.

  It was sweet, her naivety. She has no idea how this business works. How much money I bring in every day, how much money the one job I have her working on will bring in.

  It would cover Johnny’s debt tenfold.

  I’m not hurting for money. At this point, I just really enjoy the thrill of it.

  “Yeah, babe.” I grab two travel mugs from the cabinet, placing them on the island.

  “So what, like, do you really do?” she asks tentatively as I pour the coffee into the mugs.

  I eye her suspiciously. “I own businesses. The Bar, The Alibi, and I have a few other clubs and restaurants. Cream?” I ask, gesturing to the coffee creamer on the counter.”

  “Yes please.” she continued, “How many apartment buildings do you have?”

  “Just this one.” I press the lids onto the cups, extending one to Annie.

  “And are they all legal?” he voice is soft when she asks the question, taking the cup from my hand. It was clear she wants to know the answer even at the risk of pissing me off. Anyone but my men or Gian trying to talk business is a sure way to piss me off. I don’t like questions, they’re too risky in my line of business.

  I consider the question. One one hand I have plenty of legal business. There was the bar, two restaurants, a new club I just opened, and the apartment building. Though, if I was being honest they were all dirty in the sense that they all act as a laundry for my dirty money. My real money, the bulk of my income comes from the robberies, but do I really want to tell her that? “Yes.”

  “Then, how…”

  “I have other side projects,” I answer the question without really answering. She doesn’t mean to be intrusive, she’s just curious. I want to be fair to her, but the less she knows the better.

  She considers me for a moment. “Like what you have me doing.”

  “Yeah, little thief.”

  She grimaces at the nickname. “If I asked what it was exactly that I’m doing, would you tell me?” She questions hesitantly. Her blue eyes are locked onto mine.

  I’ve been careful not to tell her what the Pearce job is, and I’ve made sure my men have done the same. The best way to make sure there are no leaks is to make sure no one has the full plan.

  But that was before last night.

  Now, I want to tell her, but I’m thinking with my dick. I know better than to be reckless.

  It’s Annie though.

  Sweet, innocent, Annie. Would she really betray me?

  “Not yet.” I settle on. “But I promise I will soon, okay?”

  She accepts the answer with a simple nod. “Okay.”

  I just hope I’m not lying.

  Robert Pearce.

  I’ve read everything ever written about the guy, including all the notes from the men I have watching him. I know what time Robert gets up, when he leaves for work, what time he gets home, what slut he’s fucking, and even when he takes a piss. Lucky for me, the guy has a consistent routine.

  He’s one of the richest men in New England, and he liked people to know it.

  From the Cartier wristwatch to the Armani suits, Robert Pearce screamed wealth. I also have a taste for expensive things, but I like to think the difference between the two of us is that I’m not an asshole, and Robert Pearce most definitely is.

  This is the distinction I like to make.

  If someone is a good man, I won’t touch him.

  But a bad man? An asshole?

  He’s fair game.

  To some this distinction doesn’t mean a thing, but it helps me sleep at night if I know I’m only taking from men who deserve it.

  “Tony’s making progress.” Charlie shares as he enters my office at The Alibi with two to-go cups of coffee.

  I graciously accept the coffee, taking a long chug before acknowledging the man.

  “Yeah?”

  “Yep. He has the girl wrapped around his finger, plans on finishing the deal tonight and then she’ll be ours.”

  The girl in question is an employee of Pearce & Co., Liza Smith. She’s a cute, petite girl with long blonde hair who had been working at the store for the past year. Tony is the schmoozer of the crew. He goes in and gets close with one of the girls, finds some dirt on them and then blackmails them into assistance.

  Blackmail is always the way to go. Money can only keep people quiet for so long, but if you have something good on them, they’ll never talk. That’s the way I like it.

  The only person in my crew who knows all the details of a job, other than me, is Charlie. I like to keep my crew small and the information limited. Even the most trusted men will turn if the Fed’s get their hands on them. They can’t share what they don’t know, so I find it safer to keep everyone at an arm’s reach.

  Charlie is the one and only exception. Even Gian doesn’t know the full plan at any given moment. Charlie is just too bright to keep in the dark, plus most of the plans are his.

  I’m smart, I can case a joint and find all the weak spots, but it’s Charlie who can put all the pieces together. With only two other men on the crew, made men who I trust, we’re a tight-knit, unbreakable crew. Tony is the sweet talker who breaks into safes as a hobby and Frank is the big guy who enjoys smashing knee caps.

  “How’s Annie doing?” Charlie asks.

  My eyes snap up to his. Charlie Massaro is the only crew member who’s not made. When I met him, he was a lanky seventeen-year-old who was seeking legal counsel from Giuseppe after he got caught pick-pocketing. As smart as he was, pick-pocketing was not his strong suit. Giuseppe got the charges thrown out and I took the kid under my wing. “Why?” my voice comes out gruff.

  “Woah, skip.” Charlie puts his hands up defensively. “I didn’t mean anything, just after the whole thing with her brother I wasn’t sure how she was feeling, ya know? That’s a lotta money she owes you now.”

  He’s right, but I haven’t even thought about the extra fifty grand. Hell, one hundred grand in total and it was chump change to me.

  To Annie, or even to Charlie, that’s a ton of cash.

  “Yeah,” I mutter. “She’s fine, deal still stays the same.”

  Charlie whistles. “You think he’ll stop gambling?”

  I blow a breath of air out. “He better. I have men posted on him to make sure.”

  “And if he doesn’t?” Charlie asks.

  That’s a good question, because men like Johnny don’t give up their vices easily. Anyone else and I would have cut them loose, but I’m infatuated with Annie and I’m not quite ready to lose her yet.

  I probably should have killed Johnny the day I met him, but my fucking obsession with Annie prevented it.

  “Haven’t decided yet,” I answered.

  Annie would be the death of me or at least my waller. For some reason though, I don’t give a damn.

  “Are you coming to the wedding or not?” I can imagine my father’s annoyed expression over the phone, he’s probably flinging his hands around in agitation. In school we were always teased for talking with our hands. I remember one kid joking that I spoke sign language, which earned cackles from the other kids.

  DelGado’s are loud, enthusiastic, and we use a lot of motions when talking. We are Italian after all.

  “Yeah, yeah,” I respond. I’m a little busy at the moment watching Annie try to get through the make-shift v
ent we created for her. Every time she gets stuck, frustrated, and the guys have to pull her out. I can’t handle it anymore, every time she whines I want to pull her out and comfort her, but I know damn well that won’t get them the results we need. “I’ll be there,” I tell my dad.

  “This is Gulia’s only daughter,” my dad continues. “She’s gonna be a wreck, you know that?”

  “Yeah, pops. I know, Aunt Gulia will be sad.” I roll my eyes, thankful he can’t see me.

  “You know one of you could get married, hmm. I have three adult children and not one has any interest in marriage.”

  Yeah, yeah.

  I’ve heard that sob story before. My mom was the queen of it, always asking for grandbabies. Gian and I are both lacking in the serious relationship area, which is killing our parents. Gian at thirty and me not too far behind and neither of us have a wife or kids.

  Nothing could disappoint our parents more.

  Gemma, my baby sister, had a few boyfriends, but we didn’t like any of them. You could say Gian and I are a little protective of her. When she brings home a boy it normally doesn’t go well, so she stopped trying.

  “Okay, pops. I’ll work on that for ya.”

  “Yeah, sure.” Giuseppe sighed on the other end of the phone.

  “Dad, I gotta go, I’m working.” I tapped the end button with a heavy exhale.

  “I can’t do this.” Annie’s hands hit her hips with a slap. “It’s too tight.”

  “Oh, madone.” I threw a hand up. “You and my father are racing to see who can kill me first, hmm?”

  Annie frowns. “That’s not fair. I don’t even know your father.”

  “Yeah, and thank god for that.” I run a hand through my hair. The gel is starting to break down and it’s looking unruly. “It’s the only way, Annie. You have to get through that vent, okay?”

  Her arms instinctively cross over her chest as she gazes over the metal contraption again. “Where does it go?”

  “Fuck, sweetheart. You know I’m not gonna tell you that right now.” I’m in a foul mood, between prepping for this job and talking to my father, plus carrying all of Gian’s stress, I’m a second away from cracking.