Tuscan Heat (SoBe Heat Book 1)

by Anise Storm

  She took a last look at the clouds, ones brimming with the promise of something, and then sighed. There was a peace and serenity to the ocean and the only thing that held a candle to it was the similar feeling she got when around all of her girls. They may not have been in their sixties, jaded from life’s ebbs and flows, but Lania liked to think that like the four women in her favorite show, they were wise beyond their years and living a golden lifestyle.

  Chapter 20

  A FEW HOURS AFTER her friends had left the rain began to move into the Miami Beach area. At first it was a gentle lull, but soon grew heavier as the first of the outer bands made their way onshore. Eventually, she’d fallen asleep to the sound of thunder in the distance and pounding rain beating against the glass on her French doors in her bedroom. It almost sounded like one of those relaxation CDs her mother used to listen to when having trouble sleeping.

  She’d hoped the rain would pass or at least allow her a small window to travel, but of course it didn’t. She was now driving north on Interstate 95, barely able to see more than a few feet in front of her. The wipers moved frantically back and forth across the rain-slickened glass, but even at the highest speed, they did very little to improve her vision. Swish…swish…swish…swish…

  “Maybe I should’ve looked at the weather forecast before leaving,” she said aloud. Hindsight was twenty-twenty. Lania was more than halfway to her parents’ home, so she might as well just persevere on. She squinted, trying to see each highway sign on the sides of her. It was for naught because she could hardly make out anything in this torrential downpour. The rain pelted her sports car from every angle and occasionally her tires would slide.

  All she could think about was how her father better have a damn good excuse for betraying her and then forcing her to drive through this hellish mess. Okay, well, maybe you didn’t force me to visit you. She knew it was her fault for not just picking up the phone the half dozen times he’d called. Still, she didn’t want to deal with logic and reason at the moment.

  The next sign came into view, and she couldn’t make out the entire thing but knew she’d finally reached West Palm Beach. Lania was a little over a half hour away from her family’s estate. She just hoped the bridge to the barrier island wasn’t washed out by all the rain. She could only imagine how much flooding the area would get, and if the rain thus far was any indication, this trip might end up being for nothing after all.

  She tried to keep that thought out of her head. Lania hated to think that this was the way she’d spend her entire Friday afternoon. Or was it night already? The sky was so dark from a combination of the ominous storm clouds and the sheets of rain coming down around her. If there was a bright side to this madness, though, it would have to be the fact that there were hardly any vehicles at all on the road.

  Once or twice, Lania saw an emergency vehicle and there were a few large tractor trailers, but for the most part, no one else seemed to be crazy enough to drive in this mess. “A little while longer. A little while longer,” she kept repeating, almost like a mantra.

  Hurricanes sucked, and as she cursed Mother Nature, the rain began to lessen up. Is it possible that she heard me? Lania shook her head. Of course it wasn’t. Whatever it was, she sure as hell decided to take advantage of the first break in precipitation. The surroundings became very familiar, and she was soon driving on the bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway.

  Her moment of peace was short-lived as she was interrupted by a loud crack of thunder and flash of deadly lightning. “Fuck,” she cursed. She’d jinxed herself. If she sped up a little more, she might be able to make it to the house before the heaviest of the rain started falling once again.

  Doing exactly that, a few minutes later she pulled into the family’s drive. There were a few branches down in the driveway, but for the most part, she was able to maneuver the Porsche around them, finally coming to a stop just in front of the garage. Lania grabbed her purse and keys as she exited the car and made a break for the front door.

  Mother Nature was truly pissing her off. She was starting to remind Lania of Mario because she hadn’t even gotten more than a few steps toward the walkway when the first heavy raindrop landed on her arm. A second one landed on her and then a third and seconds later, the skies opened up once again. So much for thinking that she’d narrowly escaped the next round of storms.

  She finally made it onto the front porch and then held her key ring up. Her jaw dropped and shoulders slumped when she realized she’d taken the house key off the chain a few weeks earlier. This night was continuing to get worse. Hopefully her parents were there. She pressed the doorbell over and over and even used the wrought iron knocker, but no one came to the door. It was obvious that no one was home.

  “If I didn’t have bad luck, I’d have no luck at all,” she muttered as she made her way off the steps. Miscalculating the slickness of the stone, Lania slipped and caught herself just in time, or else she would’ve fallen flat on her ass. The rain continued to pour and seemed to be increasing in intensity. She’d thought about just returning to her car and driving back to South Beach but knew she’d certainly get caught in Stormageddon, if she wasn’t experiencing it already.

  Lania flicked her wet hair behind her shoulders and kept her head down as she walked around the side of the house. She knew there was a rock retaining wall and if she could climb onto it, then she’d be able to scale the fence. Granted, it was much easier in the daylight to find, but she was still familiar enough with the grounds to locate the area.

  “I’m sorry, Mom,” she said as she stepped onto one of the flower beds. The gardens were one of Carlotta Barone’s most treasured places on the entire estate, but surely she’d care more about her daughter’s safety than the thousands of dollars she spent on the exotic foliage.

  Lania found the lowest part of the fence and scaled it. Her feet hit the ground at the same time she heard the sound of something tearing. As she attempted to move, she realized the back of her shirt had caught on one of the wrought iron pickets. This night was becoming one of the worst of her life. Turning sharply, she was able to free the fabric but not before the back of her tank top had ripped in half.

  Getting inside became even more urgent of a need, so she made her way around the side of the house. Lania knew where her parents kept a spare key, and thankfully that had not changed. Removing one of the stones on the porch column, she grabbed the small piece of metal and then shuddered as a loud rumble of thunder boomed above her head. She quickly replaced the stone and made her way to the back door.

  By this time, Lania was freezing, standing out there in the midst of a hurricane, in ripped and soaked clothing. She heard the snapping of the trees in the distance and felt a pang of sadness at what this gorgeous island would look like when Allie finally made her way inland. Jupiter Island, Florida, was one of the most affluent neighborhoods in the entire country, and was a place that many celebrities called home. Located between the Atlantic Ocean and the picturesque Intracoastal Waterway, it was well-known for its natural resources and beautiful beaches. She had to wonder what it would look like once the storm had done its worst.

  Lania couldn’t worry about that right now. She needed to get inside and soak away her worries in a warm bubble bath. Already picturing the whirlpool tub in her private bathroom full of fragrant bubbles, she hurried over to the door and tried the key. It wasn’t working. “Shit,” she cursed and tried to control the shaking in her hands, hoping that it would help. It didn’t.

  Suddenly, she heard a loud crack and turned to see a large palm as it fell to the earth, with a resounding thud-like sound. Not only was the rain falling heavier, the wind had intensified to the point that it was now whipping around her face. Lania’s wet shirt lifted, and she tried to hold the front of it down with her arms while retrying the key. Where she’d initially thought it didn’t fit because she was being too impatient, she realized that wasn’t it at all.

  Lania racked her mind, wondering when her pare
nts had changed the locks. Finally, it dawned on her that her mother had a complete remodel done to the kitchen, which was where this door led into. Of course, it was just her luck that Carlotta had the doors, and subsequently the locks, replaced. Shy of breaking a window, there was no way inside the premises.

  Another flash of lightning streaked across the sky, causing her to shiver. If she didn’t either get inside of the house or back to her car, she’d certainly get struck down by the elements. “Oh, the irony,” she mumbled. Her father and Mario had teamed up to destroy her, but in the end she’d get taken out by a tropical force of nature. No! She wasn’t going to allow either man to best her. She shook her head while wondering why she ever came back here to begin with. She should’ve just stayed in Miami. Deciding that it was best to go home, she dejectedly moved off the porch, back to the fence area she recently climbed over. When she made it there, the sky illuminated once more, and she screamed at the vision in front of her.

  Chapter 21

  MELANIA’S BLOOD-CURDLING SCREAM could be heard for miles around, not that there was anyone stupid enough to have remained on the island when every forecaster in the state of Florida predicted the eye to come ashore on Jupiter Island. Even the broadcast Mario listened to on his frantic trip up here confirmed the other reports. Hearing that had him going almost twice the speed limit, trying to make it up there in time. He’d dodged downed trees, power lines, and wind so severe that he’d actually felt it moving his car as he sped there to find her.

  He had no idea she meant to come back home until he stopped by Basilico and her friend Olivia told him that she’d left almost an hour earlier to go back home. From the moment he’d realized she was driving into the storm, he could barely control his racing pulse. Fear had gripped him, seemingly by the throat, strangling him. He could hardly breathe until he’d pulled into the driveway and seen her Porsche. The relief he felt was staggering.

  At that point, he needed to find Melania and hold her in his arms. The entire drive was spent praying for her safety and cursing himself for not just telling her the truth about De Palmas, especially the part her father played. Everything they’d done had been for her. He was so scared that he’d never get a chance to explain.

  Now, he stood staring into her stricken face. Wanting to erase both that look and the sound of her scream, Mario cupped her face and then pressed his mouth to hers. It worked as intended, at first, until he felt her small hands pushing at his chest, causing him to break the kiss off. What happened next was completely unexpected, and he growled when her palm connected forcefully with his left cheek. “Well, hello to you too, sweetheart.”

  “I’m not your fucking sweetheart,” she ground out between what he assumed to be gritted teeth. “Get the hell out of my way so I can get out of here.”

  He stayed rooted in place and chuckled. “You’re not going anywhere, Melania.”

  “Watch and see,” she said, as if in challenge.

  Mario knew despite her desire to leave, there was no way she’d get off this island. “The streets are washed out, so there’s no way out of here. You and I are both stuck right here.”

  “Y-you’re lying,” she stammered before her voice trailed off. Another round of thunder and lightning presented itself, and to her dismay, he made his way over to the wall.

  “I’m not, and unless you want my face to be the last one you ever see, I suggest you get your spoiled ass inside the house, princess,” he replied.

  That evidently seemed to do the trick because she turned and started walking toward the back porch again. Mario followed behind her and when she began to mess with the stones, he moved to the door and unlocked it.

  “How in the hell did you get a key to my house?” she asked him in an incredulous tone.

  “Before moving back to Miami, your parents had gone on a trip to New Orleans and had asked me to let the contractors inside the house.”

  “Contractors?” she asked him.

  “They recently had a bedroom remodel. Now, let’s get out of this storm.” She finally stopped fighting him on everything and brushed past him on her way into the kitchen. He felt her feel around for the light switches and then heard her groan when nothing happened no matter how many times she flicked them.

  “The whole island is out of electricity,” he announced, and then pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. There wasn’t a good signal, but it would hopefully provide enough light to find some candles or flashlights. “Where do your parents keep their supplies?”

  “Oh, so you don’t know everything about my parents. I naturally assumed since you know everything else about them and this house that you’d know that too,” she smarted off, and Mario was tempted to take his belt off and spank her sassy ass again like he did the night of the grand opening at De Palmas.

  He was about to tell her to leave her attitude at the door when she grabbed the cell phone from his hands and started walking toward what looked to be a hallway closet. Melania opened the door and pointed up to a box on the top shelf. Mario grabbed it and then set it down on a nearby table.

  The box itself had both flashlights, candles, and something to light them with. He took his phone out of her hand, put it in his back pocket, and then turned two of the flashlights on. When he aimed the light from his in her direction, his cock swelled painfully hard. Mario could see her nipples pebbled as they strained against the wet fabric of her tank top. In addition, Melania’s entire body quivered, and he wanted to make her tremble for an entirely different reason.

  His restraint was dissipating with each passing second. Her presence alone had him wanting to strip her naked and take her right there where they stood. It was those kinds of thoughts that kept him from talking to her that one night at her apartment. As much as he wanted to drink in the sight of her, it was better to put some distance between them until he thought about what he was going to tell her.

  “Go take a shower, little girl. You’re going to catch a cold if you don’t get out of those wet clothes,” he told her.

  “And I bet you’re happy about getting me out of my clothes,” she retorted, and he saw a flare of fire return to her eyes.

  “I’d have to be dead or blind not to,” he replied before smirking at her. “I’m still breathing, which tells me that I’m alive, and I can see your nipples begging for my touch, so I sure as hell am not blind.”

  “Next time, take a picture. It’ll last longer,” she said before turning around and heading toward what he presumed to be her bedroom.

  Setting his flashlight onto the table, Mario raked his hands through his own wet hair. An idea started to form in his mind, and he grabbed the box and then used the flashlight to guide him to her room. When he entered, it was like a blast from the past. Everything looked to be in the same immaculate order as they did when she was fifteen. He directed the light to the bright white tray ceiling that matched the same moldings that framed the floor and ceiling. Her walls were still the same shade of blue, which gave the space a beachy feel.

  Mario knew how much she loved the ocean and it was not a surprise that her condo sat directly along the shores of one. He could picture her sitting out on her balcony at night, a glass of wine in her hand, and the sound of the waves crashing against the shore, to help her relax. With that image in his head, he could also see himself sitting there beside her, rubbing her feet after a long day at work. It was something he wanted with her desperately, and had for the past thirty-six months.

  He’d soon find out whether she wanted the same things, although he suspected she would. Knowing Melania as well as he did, Mario knew it might take some convincing on his part, and he was up for the challenge. A quick glance down at his cock, he was up for more than just that. He didn’t want to waste any more time than was necessary, so he grabbed as many candles as he could and set them up in various spots around her bedroom. After lighting them all, the space now had a romantic glow. He smirked as he thought about what would happen after her shower. If she didn’t kick hi
m out of the room, he intended to make love to her in the same bed he first fantasized about taking her.

  Stripping out of his damp clothing, he left them on the marble floor of the bathroom and then placed a few candles on top of her vanity. Once he lit them, he looked at the sight of her backside, since she was turned toward the wall. It provided him the perfect chance to get close to her. Slipping into the shower stall, his arms snaked around her, and he pulled her back against him.

  “What the fuck are you doing, Mario?” she questioned, and he grinned.

  Lowering his head, he nipped at her earlobe. “Soon, it will be you, little girl.”

  That caused her to quickly spin around and the venomous look she shot him would’ve stopped most men cold in their tracks. Mario wasn’t any of them, though. “Keep dreaming,” she spat out at him.

  This was where he would’ve normally smirked and then proceeded to show her how much she wanted him. He could even make her beg and a few days ago, he might have done exactly that. He wouldn’t tonight, however, because he was about to take the biggest gamble of his life. While he suspected that she felt something for him, it might have been wishful thinking on his part, to which she would crush any hope he had remaining in making his dream of their being together a reality.

  There was no room right now for arrogant gestures or words. It was time to finally reveal how deeply he felt about her. Mario wet his lips with his tongue, watching her shiver in response. His gaze moved to hers, and he looked down into those emerald pools. “I’ve done nothing but dream about you.”

  He stated it so seriously that her brows furrowed in confusion. “I-I’m sure you have,” she stammered again.

  Keeping his eyes centered on Melania, he groaned before lowering his head slightly. His forehead nearly touched hers, and she tried to step away from him until he growled. The moment of truth had arrived, and he had one chance to express everything in his heart. First, he needed to finally tell her about her father.