Sinful Kisses by Emily Bowie
CHAPTER 27
Not only has Gia’s brother, Luca, been sniffing around, but now I have to deal with Alfonso. It’s taken them longer than I expected to find us. Gia is lying out on a towel in the only patch of nice grass. Her eyes are closed, but I can tell by the rise and fall of her chest she’s not sleeping.
It’s hard not to notice her. She’s only wearing a bra and panties. My molars grind, wanting to taste her, but I keep on walking. My phone dings. I place it to my ear, waiting for my brother to say something.
“You’ve got company.”
My head snaps up as I eye the surrounding trees.
“Who?”
“Alfonso. Just my luck. I go away, and finally some action happens.”
I grunt my response.
My phone slips back into my front pocket, and I turn around to Gia. I can see by the slight twitch of her lips that she noticed me.
“Want to know how you know who initiated sex?”
She keeps her eyes closed. “This should be good.”
“If she’s wearing matching bra and panties, then it was all her.”
“Remind me to stop matching.”
I walk to stand over her, casting her in my shadow. My phone is going crazy in my pocket. I should run off to handle business, but she captivates me.
“What do you want out of life, Gia?”
She leans up on her elbows. “You’re blocking my sun.” I lift a brow, not caring. “You’re not leaving until we chat; is that it?”
“I’m still waiting for your answer.”
“You’ll laugh.”
“Try me.”
“I want someone to love me because of me. Not because of who my father is. Not because they think I’m perfect. They need to love every part of me. Most importantly, they must like the side no one else does.”
“Then you need to start standing up for yourself. Stop being a follower and become a leader. To be on top, enemies are made, and territories thrive. You have to be willing to risk it all.”
She’s studying my face, and I hate it. Swiftly, I turn around to deal with our little problem. It won’t be long until I find out if she actually wants what she says.
“Where are you going?”
“The butcher shop. Someone needs to do Max’s job.”
An hour later,my fists are bruised, and both Alfonso and I are bloody. He’s hanging in chains in front of me. His arm and leg have a nasty dog bite on them. Maybe the dog is better trained than I give him credit for.
“You need to forget about Gia and leave her the fuck alone,” I snap, my mind immediately fixating on Alfonso and Gia together.
The fucker smiles at me. “She’s mine.”
I punch him in the stomach. “The fuck she is.”
“It’s not like I have a choice in the matter. You were at the party. You saw her breakup with me. Nicoli won’t have it though.”
I may have slept with a lot of women, but I’ve never cheated. My father cheated on my mother, and I vowed to never be like that. From a young age, I had to experience what that did to a family.
“Then there’s nothing stopping me from killing you.”
“Someone might as well put me out of my misery.” He scoffs, the fight in him dying out.
I punch him again. “That one is for disgracing Gia.”
“Kill me, then let her go,” he bargains, attempting to lift his head.
“She’s never leaving.” I crouch down for him to get a good look at my face. “Unlike you, when I see a good thing, it never leaves my grasp.”
“Gia is my best friend. I will always protect her.”
I snarl. She doesn’t need to be protected from me. I stand back up, satisfied with how Alfonso is at my mercy.
“You’re doing a shitty job of it right now. But I have to say you put up a bigger fight than I thought you would.” I rub at the cut above my eye.
“I would have done a better job if you didn’t cheat and have your dog pin me down.”
“Who knows you’re here?”
“Everyone important.” He spits at my shoes.
“And they sent you? I thought they wanted Gia back.” I walk to the wall, my fingers brushing over my brother’s favorite knives. “She’s not the same girl she was a few months ago.”
“If you’ve hurt one hair on her head….”
Ignoring him, I pull a knife from the wall and hold it in my hands before putting it back. “Hold that thought.” I whistle, and my dog sits in front of Alfonso, baring his teeth, ready to attack.