Beast I Can’t Tame by L.K. Shaw

Chapter 15

Francesca

I’ve spentmost of the day cooking and cleaning. The rest of the time, I’ve been desperately going through my closet trying to find the right thing to wear. I smooth the fabric along my belly of the new, royal blue v-neck blouse, and check one more time that I didn’t spill anything on the capris I paired it with. What am I thinking wearing white and cooking at the same time?

The doorbell rings. I try not to rush to the door as though I’ve been standing here for ten minutes waiting and anticipating Gio’s arrival. Instead, I fluff my hair one more time, the curls he says he likes bouncing over my shoulders, before I slowly move to the entryway. With a deep breath, I turn the knob.

“Good evening,” Giovanni greets me holding a single red rose and a bottle of champagne.

“Hi,” I return. “Come in.”

He steps past and the light scent of his cologne wafts around me. There’s just a hint of citrus.

“For you.” He hands me the bud, and I take a deep whiff of the lovely fragrance. “You look beautiful, by the way.”

“Thank you,” I say a little breathlessly.

I’ve gotten flowers once before from someone, but this single bloom means more to me than any large bouquet. It’s exactly like the man who gave it to me. Not flashy or over-stated. But rather bold and solid. It makes a statement.

“It smells delicious in here,” Gio says.

“I hope you brought your appetite, because I think I might have gone a little overboard.” I close the door and lead him into the kitchen so I can put the rose in some water.

This isn’t the first time he’s been in my house, but he’s always come with Brenna. He glances around the kitchen and adjoining living room.

“You rearranged the place,” he notes. “I like it.”

I look out over my space trying to picture it from his eyes. I’ve gotten used to the changes I’ve slowly been making over the last week or so, but for him to notice makes me think that I made the right choice.

“It was too dark and dreary in here. I wanted to do something to brighten the place up,” I confess.

“It looks good. Absolutely beautiful, in fact.”

I turn to find Giovanni looking, not at the living room, but at me. There’s a blazing inferno burning so hot in his eyes it almost scorches me. A nervous giggle snort escapes, and I cover my mouth in horror. I grab the champagne bottle he’d set on the kitchen island and rush to the cabinet to grab a couple of flutes.

“Would you like champagne? Oh, no, we should probably start with water first. Save the champagne for later. I mean, not like, later, later, but you know, after we eat later. When we celebrate. Not that—”

A warm hand covers mine and my mouth snaps shut. I freeze. Gio’s body heat pours off him from how close he’s standing.

“Francesca, look at me.” His voice is soft and gentle.

Almost against my will, I turn my head to face him. His expression is serious. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

I try to shake my head, but he holds up a finger inches from my lips. Not touching, but right there. “I only ever want the truth between us. If you’re uncomfortable or nervous, I want you to please tell me. I have to trust that you’ll talk to me. I don’t always know what’s going on in your head.”

There’s a rock growing in my throat, and I swallow it down. “I didn’t realize how different it would feel to have you in my house. Just the two of us. It’s not bad. Please don’t think that. I guess it just hit me all of a sudden.”

“Do you want me to go?” Giovanni asks.

This time I manage to shake my head frantically. “No. I want you to stay. I want to have a nice dinner and conversation. Then we’re going to open this bottle, have some dessert, and celebrate like I wanted to when I invited you over.”

He stares into my eyes, studying me. I stare right back, resolute. I’m not going to let anything ruin our evening. Not even me. Whatever Gio sees must satisfy him, because he nods and takes the champagne from my hand. I’m also still holding the rose. I’ve somehow managed not to crush it.

“Okay. Let me put this on ice, and we’ll open it after we eat,” he says.

I nod, and he steps back, taking the warmth with him.

“Do you have an ice bucket or should I just stick this in the freezer?” he asks.

Shaking myself out of the haze I’m in, I gather myself. “Um, I think in that cabinet by the fridge there’s something you can use.”

“Got it.”

While I stand there taking a few deep breaths, Gio rifles through the cupboard and manages to find a makeshift bucket. He puts the bottle in it and fills the thing with ice. I make myself move and grab a vase under the sink. I set it, along with the rose, in the window sill. With a deep breath, I turn. He’s standing back on the other side of the island, giving me plenty of space. I appreciate the gesture.

“Can I help with anything?” Giovanni asks.

I glance at the timer on my phone. “No, I think that’s everything. We have about five minutes until dinner should be ready. Can I get you a drink? Water? Tea?”

“Water is fine.”

Thankful to have something to do with my hands, I pour us both a glass of ice water and hand him his. Our fingers brush and a little zing of electricity zips along my skin. Did Gio feel it, too? I hate that I made things so weird.

“Thanks. So, tell me about this class of yours. What kinds of things are you going to be learning?” He takes a seat, and I breathe a little easier, which makes me angry.

“I just got the syllabus yesterday. Looks like during the first couple lectures we’ll be learning all the functions on our cameras. Professor Ortiz wants us to know our cameras inside and out. It’s supposed to become an extension of us.”

Giovanni nods like I’m telling him the most interesting thing and he’s taking it all in. “That makes sense,” he says. “You have to be able to adjust the settings without thinking about it. You never know when the right photo opportunity will present itself.”

“Exactly.” The excitement is building inside me just talking about it. “Later on we’re going to be learning about lighting and angles. There’s a portion on landscapes and one on human subjects.”

The latter is the one I’m most nervous about.

“Sounds like it’s going to be a great class. I’m glad you found it,” Gio says.

“Me too.”

My phone starts beeping. I shut it off and pull the steaming hot casserole dish out of the oven. The scent of garlic, cheese, and tomato sauce fills the room. “Dinner is served,” I say with a fancy flourish.

Dinner had gone well.Better than I expected.

Gio leans back with a groan and places his hand over his belly. “Thank you for the delicious meal. I can’t remember the last time I ate so well.”

“Cooking has always been one of my hobbies. I enjoy trying new recipes. Although, my heart is more into baking. If it’s sweet, I’ll make it,” I tell him. “I have semifreddo for dessert.”

He groans again. “I’m a sucker for anything sweet, but I don’t know if I have room for another bite.” He sits up with a mischievous grin. “Although, I’m certainly willing to give it a try.”

“I’m glad someone is. Pierce is so strict, limiting his sugar, that the only thing he’ll eat of mine is fette biscottate and on the rare occasion, tiramisu. Of course, then he’ll work out for hours in the gym afterwards.”

Gio holds up his arm. “I’ll be glad to get this damn thing off so I can get back to Gallo’s and start working out again.”

“How much longer do you have to wear it?”

“Depends. I go in for an x-ray next week to see how the bone is healing. If things are progressing, the doctor said I might be able to move to a sling. I guess that’s better than nothing though,” he says. “Anything to get this annoying cast off. My arm itches like crazy under here.”

“Oh my gosh, isn’t that the worst? I broke my ankle when I was little and the itching was worse than the break itself.”

Talking to Giovanni is the easiest thing in the world. Conversation never seems to be a problem for us. It’s one of the things I like best about him.

“Would you like that champagne now or wait a little bit?” I ask.

“Now is good. Would you like me to get it?” He starts to rise from his seat.

I wave him back down. “No, you’re my guest. Why don’t you get comfortable in the living room, and I’ll bring it to you?”

Gio nods and heads into the other room while I pop the cork on the bottle and pour each of us a glass. I pause a moment to take a breath. I glance across the room and he’s sitting on the far end of the couch with an arm slung over the back of it, looking far more at ease than I feel.

Soft music comes from the bluetooth speaker, and a small candle burns in the center of the coffee table. It’s the perfect romantic setting. The nervous flutters rear to life in my belly again, but I push them further down and make my way to Giovanni.

“Here you are.”

“Thank you.” He takes the flute from me.

I pause a moment too long deciding where to sit.

“Would you rather I move to the chair?”

My gaze darts from the couch to him, and I shake myself out of the daze. He’s lowered his arm from the back cushion and set it in his lap.

“What? No, I’m being ridiculous.” I hurry to sit in the middle as a compromise and take a giant gulp of champagne.

Silence greets me, and I glance up from where I’d been staring at the floor to meet Gio’s eyes.

“It’s just me,” he says. “I have no expectations for tonight. We’re going to sit here and drink our champagne and talk and laugh. I might give you a goodnight kiss, and then I’m going home.”

Shame washes over me, but it’s quickly replaced with anger. Anger at the Russians. But mostly, anger at myself. I grab Giovanni’s hand and raise it before scooting close enough that our legs touch. Then, I drape his arm over my shoulder, and I cuddle into his side.

“Thank you for being patient with me,” I tell him, taking a much smaller sip of the fruit-flavored bubbly. “I never realized how hard this would be. And I hate that it’s this hard.”

“You don’t ever have to thank you me. Not for letting you move at your own pace.” Gio’s finger brushes across my chin and tips it up so I have to look at him. “When you need a minute, I’ll give you as many as it takes. I’m not going anywhere.”