Sinful (Goddaughter Book 2)

by Raven Crow

  “Well if you insist. I actually stopped by about another matter.” He got a slick grin on his face. “I am eager to get your families’ marina back up and operational ASAP. I can’t believe that it had been closed to begin with.” He informed. Pen’s face spread wide as her eyes rolled to the side.

  “I had no idea that we even owned a marina. I guess after my grandfather killed—I mean what happened back then.” Pen seemed to struggle.

  “I’m sorry about your families’ tragedy. My brother Buster told me about how your grandfather took his own life.” He added giving me a new piece of information that she hadn’t shared with me.

  The king even knew how could I have not known that Pen’s grandfather had taken his own life? If Gio hadn’t of told me before I would have been completely shocked her grandfather had committed suicide. I stood there with one sickening fact going through my head and was that I didn’t seem to know much about Pen at all.

  Chapter 13

  Gio

  I couldn’t understand why I felt nervous standing at Jo’s doorstep waiting for someone to answer. I had spent the past week since I saw her last, trying my best to wrap up all of my business deals before leaving to the country house.

  I peered through the door hoping to catch sight of somebody. I couldn’t see through the blurry glass door.

  I quickly spun around deciding to head to the backdoor. In a flash I was entering the back gate when I immediately spotted Jo lying out on a blanket in a bikini. I approached her.

  “Jo…Jo can you hear me?” I shouted. She had on her headphones which was why she didn’t hear me knocking I’d gathered. With her back to me I was afraid I’d scare her if I suddenly appeared from nowhere. I wasn’t about to touch her to get her attention either. I took out my phone to type out a text.

  [“Hey beautiful what are you up to?”] I hit send.

  I watched as she looked down at her phone on the blanket in front of her. She scoffed loudly before typing out a message.

  [“I’m relaxing in my yard, why what are you up to?”] She giggled quietly which made me smile.

  [“I am glad that you asked, I am also in your yard looking at your backside. Turn around. ”] I hit send before putting my phone away to watch her response.

  She turned suddenly finding me at the edge of her blanket. I tried to not stare at her bare navel. She had on sunglasses so I couldn’t see her big, blue eyes or what she was looking at. Her hair was pulled up into a bun on her head exposing her slender neck.

  “Hey handsome man what are you doing here I wasn’t expecting you.”

  “Hey back, I came to steal you away for the summer. So go grab your things.”

  “So you want to leave today…right now? I wasn’t expecting you today. Why didn’t you call me before I could have been packed up by now?” She stood.

  “I’m sorry I should have called you first. I am all packed up with the car out front with strict instructions to take you to meet my mothers in the country, where we will be spending the entire summer together.”

  She scooped up her blanket and things.

  “What are you talking about, who’s instructions?” She asked before walking towards the backdoor.

  “It’s the king’s order so you have to go.” I said in a playfully tone while I followed her.

  She walked into her house with me on her tail.

  “Why doesn’t he ever tell me a thing? Does my dad know about this trip?” She snapped with a intense tone.

  “I’m pretty sure that he does. Wait…don’t you two talk? You live in the same house with one another I assumed that he would have told you this by now.” I fired back without meaning to fight.

  “He hasn’t been around all week. So no he didn’t say anything to me, besides I can go anywhere I want I don’t have summer classes.” She set her blanket down.

  “Uh…yes you don’t, the academy is closed for the summer.”

  “How did you know that?”

  “Jo it was in the newspapers and it’s posted at the campus. Either way, you are free for the summer so let’s go I’m eager to get out of here. Don’t you want to spend the summer with me?” I stressed.

  “I want to but I have so much I need to do here.” She looked around the room wildly.

  “I bet that everything that you think you need to do you can get done at Maple Ranch. They have everything that we have here…almost everything. Just go and pack we can talk more about it in the car on the drive.”

  She started towards the hallway to her bedroom.

  **

  Jo had managed to pack in record time and we were about twenty minutes into our journey. She hadn’t said much other then when she made some growling noises while looking through her purse.

  “How many people live at Maple Ranch anyhow?” She asked out of nowhere.

  “I am not sure I’ve never thought about it—like as many as twenty or thirty people besides my mothers. Why…you aren’t nervous are you?” My eyes darted to her briefly.

  “No—I only wanted to know what to expect.” She replied into her chest while fidgeting with her belt.

  “You have nothing to worry about they are all going to love you. You are very easy to love Jo.” I advised her.

  I had first-hand knowledge on how easy she was to love.

  “I should have called Pen to tell her that am going out of town. She might get worried if she comes by or something and I’m not home.”

  “You can call her now or later once we arrive. Besides, I’m certain that Sax will have her all tied up most of the summer anyhow.” I joked.

  “Yeah you are probably right, they are a new couple. It’s cute how he is with her.” She sighed.

  I had no idea what the hell she meant. She looked over at me like she was expecting me to sigh along with her. Truthfully, I thought my friend Sax was going way too fast with Pen. If they didn’t slow things down soon next thing we know they’ll be getting hitched.

  “There’s nothing about Sax that I think is cute. Ha ha…that’s funny.” I laughed before turning on the music in the car hoping to change the growing awkwardness.

  “Ok…so you don’t like couples or what?” Her eyes locked onto me.

  “Huh…what are you talking about? Stop being weird and just chill out.” I said and immediately regretted it. She clicked her tongue.

  “What’s weird about my question? Have you ever even been in a relationship before Gio?” She folded her arms and I knew that I was in trouble.

  “Of course I have—what kind of question is that?” I nearly barked unintentionally. Her questions seemed to be pushing buttons in me I didn’t know existed.

  “Oh yeah, how many relationships have you been in?” She pressed in a strange voice.

  “A couple, how many have you been in Jo?” I bounced the question back into her face.

  I knew what her real question was, she wanted to know how many women I had slept with and I knew better then to reveal that.

  “Uh…I have had only a couple of relationships so you see I probably don’t have much experience in that area.” She looked out the window.

  I had been wrong about why she was asking about my past relationship experience, she had only wanted to know more about me. I felt like shit for assuming that she was like other women that I had talked to in the past. Jo was so much more than ordinary she was unique.

  “I doubt that you have been missing much Jo most people I see in relationships look miserable as hell.”

  “I see quite the opposite myself. I see lots of people in love who are completely happy. I also see loads more alone who completely miserable. I guess we see the world differently Gio.” She unfolded her arms.

  I sat quiet unsure what to say next. It felt like there was some sort of trap looping. Besides, I didn’t want to look anymore cold-hearted as I had already appeared to be.

  “Sometimes being different is a very good thing. We come from two different worlds. We have seen different things. Our ideas are diff
erent. With all those differences between us I think that it could only add to the amount of variety that we can share with one another.”

  “I agree.”

  “I’m sorry that I don’t have the standard replies that most guys have for you Jo. I don’t believe in lying to females in order to employ them for my own personal gain.” My eyes darted into the backseat where I had crammed the letters.

  “Gio are you ok today—I mean you seem a bit off. Normally, you are pretty easy going but today you seem worked up somehow?” She strained with a soft tone.

  She was right I was worked up how could I not be? I am handed some letters written by a grandfather I didn’t know was still alive. Some nanny from my past tells me that my parents are liars and that my past is pretty much a lie. Yeah, I am pissed and it’s starting to boil over into my love life.

  “Honestly, I’m not doing well.” I started to let out my thoughts.

  “What’s going on?”

  I pulled the car over coming to a complete stop on the side of the road. Jo looked at me with wide eyes as I take the letters from the backseat placing them on her lap.

  “This is what is going on.”

  “These are letters…to you?” She started to slowly thumb through them before pausing on one in particular. “Who is Pop?”

  “He is my grandfather that I thought was dead.”

  “This letter is dated two years ago when did he die?”

  “I was told he passed away when I was like six.”

  “What…seriously and now these arrived in the mail or something?”

  “No—no my old nanny Abby, brought those over to me the night of your birthday party. After everyone left she was there waiting with the letters.” I pulled off my seatbelt so I could move my torso. “She told me that I shouldn’t trust my parents too. She said that they are liars.”

  “Huh…your parents are liars, how exactly?”

  “She wouldn’t go into to detail but she told me not to show anyone the letters and that my parents are dangerous.”

  “You are showing me these letters Gio.”

  “I trust you. Plus, I needed to talk to someone about this.”

  I had never been close to females enough to trust them before now. I started to feel silly for expressing my feelings in front of her. She seemed to be studying my face. Was she feeling sorry for me now?

  “Have you read these yet?” She looked down while sorting through them again.

  “No I have only read some of them. They are written in French so I have to translate them in order to read them.”

  “What you don’t read French but I thought that you are French?”

  “I am French but I have lived in America since age four any French I knew was washed out of me living in this bastard country.”

  “I am sorry that you going through this. I had no idea that your parents had kept such an important piece of your past from you. Do you think that they are hiding more things from you?”

  Her question started me thinking about what Abby had said about looking in the king’s log under the year that I was adopted.

  “Yes unfortunately I do think that my parents are still hiding things from me. Abby told me that need to check my father’s study for another secret that I apparently need to know. I hate this kind of shit. Why can’t people just be honest and up front?”

  “You and me both, I don’t understand it either how people could be so darn dishonest about your life. Secrets always have a way of revealing themselves over time whether or not you want them to.”

  “Well…we need to get back on the road.” I grabbed up the letters placing them back in their original spot in the backseat. “I am sorry that bothered you about this shit.” I pulled the car back onto the road before accelerating.

  “What do you mean you are not bothering me Gio I want to know more about your life? You can tell me anything I won’t judge you. Shit, I grew up without my mom because she’s too crazy to be around. I would never judge a soul after that upbringing.”

  Chapter 14

  Jo

  I wanted to scream. He seemed so cold, so cut off. I would remain calm and collected though. I had learned long ago to push past those uncomfortable feelings surrounding me. Clearly I had been wrong about Gio’s feelings for me. He didn’t love me. I had no idea how he felt about me but he sure as hell didn’t seem interested in relationships.

  “I can’t get over how beautiful this canyon is.” I blurted out in an attempt to shift my focus.

  “Well get a great last look because we about to exit the canyon just up ahead. We will be arriving at Maple Ranch in another ten minutes or so.” He advised while turning the music down.

  I felt the butterflies growing in my belly with anticipation.

  “It looks like it is going to get dark soon.”

  “Yes it does it’s too bad to because I wanted you see the entire ranch during the daytime when we arrived.”

  “I can see it in the morning still—I mean we are going to be there all summer so there’ll be plenty of time to see the ranch in the daylight.”

  He started to shift around in the seat a bit like he was getting anxious like I was.

  “When was the last time you visited your mothers?”

  “I don’t actually remember for sure the last time that I actually stayed for the summer but I do remember visiting them about two years ago.” He voiced while rubbing the back of his neck. “The past couple of years have been very busy for me it is next to impossible to get away.”

  “So why now, why are we going away now, aren’t things super busy now too?”

  “But there’s a killer on the loose back in town that’s why we’re going now. If any pressing business issues comes up while I’m away I can always handle it over the phone or Sax will take care of it for me.” He finished as he started to slow the car down.

  I hadn’t noticed that the sun had completely set while we were talking making seeing the surroundings very difficult. He had been correct about the daylight; I wouldn’t be able to see Maple Ranch once it was cloaked in darkness.

  “Are we there, I can’t see anything it is too dark outside?” I eagerly peered at the window into pitch black.

  “Yes—we are here. The turn off is right ahead on the left side.” He informed me while turning the car in that direction.

  A giant archway with the name Maple Ranch appeared once his car lights shown on it. There was no gate just a wooden archway which we drove under making our way down a narrow, dirt road. There were several small lights shining out ahead of us which I assumed were from the house.

  I rolled my window down to get a whiff of the night air. I caught a wonderful, sweet aroma in the air.

  “Wow something smells amazing.” I popped my head a little out the window to see if I could get a better view.

  All I could make out was the log styled fence aligning the road we were on and some tall, wide bushes behind the fence which was blocking my view into the yard.

  “It is probably the botanical gardens that you are smelling.”

  “No way, there’s a garden here too. I want to see the botanical gardens.”

  “It is beautiful. There is even a labyrinth inside of the gardens. I used to play in there for hours it seemed so much bigger back then. I will show you Jo.”

  “That sounds so much fun. Maybe this isn’t going to be so bad after all.” I voiced. My belly growled loudly. “Man, my belly is growling it must be time to eat.”

  “I’m starved. We’ll grab some food once inside and we are settled in.” He shared.

  As we approached the house I realized the four, small lights that I had spotted on the way in were on the porch. There were no cars out front and there didn’t appear to be any house lights on inside. The house stretched in both directions wider then I could see around. It was a typical two-story, ranch-style, house with a wrap-around porch. It was beautiful with a majestic feel. It reminded me a place you’d see in one of those epic, western,
movie classics. I felt like I’d need to toughen up in order to fit in around Maple Ranch.

  “This place is huge. I think that it is bigger than your house back in town.” I gasped.

  I opened the door. Gio got out of the car to get our bags. I walked over to the porch where Gio joined me.

  “Don’t let this place intimated you Jo. It only looks overwhelming on the outside but on the inside it’s warm, and inviting.” He urged me with a big smile.

  He walked to the door before opening it to go inside. I reluctantly followed him in.

  Once inside we stood in a large great room, with an eight foot vaulted ceiling and beautiful crystal, chandelier. Only other light in the room came from the giant, fireplace. The ranch seemed empty like no one was home. It was still pretty early for everyone to be asleep either way it appeared as though no one was expecting us.

  “Looks like no one is home,” I looked around. “Did they know that we were coming Gio?” I looked over at him briefly before return my gaze back on the room.

  “Yes they knew that we were coming I don’t understand why no one is here to greet us.” He scoffed before setting down our bags.

  “Maybe call them and see what is up?” I advised.

  “Hello Giovanni, I’m sorry I wasn’t here to greet you when you arrived I was in the kitchen attending to some of my duties.” A tall slender, bald man entered the room with a smile. “Please let me get your bags.” He voiced while grabbing up our bags.

  “Hello Pierce, it is good to see you again. This is Josephina Butler, the king’s goddaughter.”

  “Charmed to meet you, Miss Butler,” Pierce voiced while taking my hand to shake it.

  “Please call me Jo.”

  “Where is everyone? I’m not used to it being this quiet around here, ever.” Gio asked while following Pierce towards a split-double staircase.

  The double staircase, split apart before joining back together again for another ten steps to the second floor. Underneath the staircase there was an archway leading into what appeared to be another large room.