Ruthless Daddy by Bianca Cole
Gia
“Why are you constantly checking your phone?” Siena asks, handing me a tray with some pasta on she made for dinner.
I shake my head. “No reason.” I stow my phone back in my pants pocket. The reason I keep checking it is that Fabio hasn’t replied to my last message, and it’s been forty minutes. Our texting quickly descended into sexting in record time.
It’s clear from his messages that he wants me as badly as I want him. I tuck into my pasta which is delicious, but I hardly have an appetite. There’s silence between us as we eat, other than the blaring radio that Siena will never turn off.
I pick at the food, keeping my attention on my cell phone, which is on the coffee table in our living room.
I need to stop thinking about the man who is off limits and totally forbidden. Siena finished eating long before me, running the faucet to wash up the dishes.
I can’t stomach anymore of my pasta. So, I take the dish to the sink and throw my left overs in the bin.
Siena grabs the bowl. “Didn’t like the pasta?” She asks.
“I loved it. I’m just not very hungry.”
Siena raises a brow. “When are you ever not hungry?”
“Tonight,” I say, laughing.
I walk back to the living room and sit on the sofa, grabbing my cell phone and checking it.
There’s still no message from Fabio. I notice it’s about ten minutes until the sunset.
“I’m going to go out for a walk,” I say.
Siena looks over my way, nodding. “Okay, do you want some company?”
I shake my head. “No, I want some time alone if that’s alright?”
Siena looks disappointed, but waves her hand. “Sure, see you later.”
We are two opposites, Siena and me. She has to be with people and talk all the time, whereas I like the quiet and time alone. Aida was more like me.
I grab my purse, slipping my phone into it. “How about some gelato for dessert on me?” I ask.
“I thought you weren’t hungry?”
I laugh. “You know there’s always room for ice cream.”
Siena nods. “I can’t argue with that. You know my favorite.”
“I do.” Siena’s favorite is salted caramel, and I love chocolate. I head down into my florist shop and then out of the back exit onto the cobbled alleyway behind and head straight down to the Main Street.
I take the first street that leads to the beach. Sicily is a beautiful place to live, and it was an amazing place to grow up, even if my father didn’t think so. He abandoned my mother when I was only three years old. Other than a few photos I’ve seen of him, I can’t remember him at all.
My mother rarely dated again and when she got cancer five years ago, it was the hardest time of my life. She battled for a year before finally losing her fight. If it weren’t for Siena and her parents, I don’t know how I would have made it through. Aida was a support too, but Siena’s family took me under their wing and supported me in ways I can never repay.
When they left for Rome because Antonio, her father, had transferred to the main headquarters, it was a bit of a shock. Thankfully, Siena had no intention of returning to Rome because of her job.
I always counted myself lucky that I have such natural beauty on my doorstep. The white sand beach comes into view, and I walk faster toward it. A cool sea breeze encases me as I wrap my arms around myself.
It’s quiet on the beach this evening, most likely because of the cool wind. The moment I get closer to the water’s edge, I wish I’d grabbed a coat before I left.
The sun is slowly descending toward the horizon, painting the sky in a deep crimson and orange hue. I glance to my right, feeling my heart skip a beat.
Fabio is sitting with his feet in the surf, staring out at the sunset too. He’s wearing sports clothes, and sweat glistens on his forehead, suggesting he’s been running.
I swallow hard as I try to decide whether to turn around and walk away before he sees me. Especially after the texts I sent him barely an hour ago. Common sense screams at me to turn around and walk away, however another part of me is egging me on to approach.
Fabio decides for me when he glances over his shoulder. Our eyes meet instantly, and I’m frozen to the spot by his intense gaze.
Fabio’s silver hair catches the dimming light, and his face is almost golden. He smiles at me in a way that makes him look heartbreakingly handsome.
I feel heat filter through every inch of my flesh as I remember the photos he sent me and I sent him. There’s something very different when you are actually in front of the person, rather than behind a cell phone screen.
Fabio pats the spot of sand next to him. “Gia, come and sit with me.”
I swallow hard, glancing around the beach.
What would people think if they saw me watching the sunset with Fabio Alteri?
Palermo is a small town. Hell, Sicily isn’t exactly a big island. Everyone knows everyone and gossip can spread like wildfire, whether or not it’s true.
Thankfully, the beach is almost deserted, and all I’m doing is sitting. It's not like I’m going to jump his bones in public.
I sit next to him so that there are a few feet between us. “What are you doing this far down the beach?” I ask, keeping my attention on the setting sun. Fabio’s home is two miles up the beach.
Fabio clears his throat. “I needed a jog and came this way. When I saw the sun setting, I paused a moment to watch it.”
I can feel his intense gaze on me, and it’s a little intimidating.
“Why are you on the beach?” he asks.
I finally glance at him. “I needed some fresh air and time alone.”
He laughs. “Oh, I’m sorry to have interrupted your alone time.”
I shake my head. “Not from you, but living with Siena can be a bit much.” I tear my eyes from his. “I enjoy the quiet and she’s always got to be loud.”
Fabio sets a hand over mine, making my heart skip a beat. “I enjoy the peace too. Have you found it comforting since losing your mother?”
I swallow hard, feeling a lump form in my throat. I have found that whenever I’m down the peace and solitude is a comfort. Life is too hectic and taking a moment to pause and reflect helps. Before my mother’s death, I was a bit more like Siena, but her loss changed me. “Yes,” I say simply.
Fabio says nothing, merely holds my hand as we enjoy watching the sunset in silence. I hate the way my stomach flutters with butterflies at his touch. It’s wrong to even flirt with this man, let alone consider taking this further than it has already gone.
“The sunset is beautiful, isn’t it?” Fabio asks, breaking the tense silence between us as the sun finally disappears beyond the horizon.
“It is exquisite,” I say, meeting his hot and heavy gaze.
There’s so much tension between us it draws all the oxygen from the air. The darkness in the air cloaks us from prying eyes, making the temptation to cross the line again even stronger.
I shake my head. “I wouldn’t have come here if I’d known–”
Fabio places his hand on my thigh, stopping me mid-sentence. “I jogged this direction in a hope of seeing you, Gia.”
My heart skips a beat at the sentiment, and I shuffle uncomfortably in the sand. This man is off limits and even thinking about crossing the line again is wrong. It’s also dangerous. If anything happens between us, then I’ll lose Aida.
“This is a bad idea,” I say, standing and glancing around to see if anyone saw us sitting together.
The beach is deserted and getting darker by the minute.
Fabio stands and grabs hold of my wrist, tugging me close. I instinctively place a hand on his chest, trying to keep the distance between us.
“What are you doing?” I ask, staring into his dark, almost black eyes.
He yanks me closer, wrapping his arms around me tightly. “Whatever the hell I want, tesorina.”
He knocks the air from my lungs as he lowers his lips to mine. I tense, painfully aware that we’re in a very public place.
Fabio’s tongue probes at my lips, demanding entrance. His masculine scent floods my senses as I give in, allowing his tongue to plunder my mouth.
I moan, unable to get a handle on my urges. No matter how much I tell myself to stop, my body has a life of its own. I’ve wanted this man too long to resist his advances.
Fabio tightens his grasp on me, groaning into my mouth. “I want you, Gia,” he murmurs against my lips.
I’m about to say it’s a bad idea when he grazes his teeth up my neck before nibbling on my earlobe. He makes me forget everything. It’s hard to believe this is wrong when it feels so natural.
When he finally stops, I’m panting for breath and too turned on.
“Come to my home for dinner tomorrow evening,” Fabio says, eyes full of passionate desire.
I swallow hard, searching his dark brown eyes. An invitation I should decline without hesitation.
“What time?” I ask.
Fabio smiles handsomely. “I’ll text you to confirm.” He kisses me again, stealing the breath from my lungs for the second time. “See you tomorrow, tesorina.” He turns away and jogs in the opposite direction without another word.
I watch after him, wondering if I’ve truly lost the plot. Tomorrow night I’m going to Fabio’s home and there's no way we’re going to resist temptation.
The sensible thing to do would be to text him and tell him I can’t come. I head back toward the Main Street of Palermo and stop by the gelato shop. Siena wouldn’t forgive me if I forgot her ice cream.
When I get back, she’s got the music blaring louder. I turn it down when I walk in. “Ice cream,” I say, sitting down next to her on the sofa and passing her the caramel ice cream.
“Thanks,” she says, taking it. She talks about some friend at work, but I can hardly hear her.
My mind is consumed by the man I agreed to have dinner with tomorrow night and how wrong it is. I play with my cell phone in my hand, considering sending Fabio a text to cancel tomorrow evening right away. It’s a bad idea, and yet I can’t find it in me to cancel.
It’s clear that I’m walking a dangerous path. Fabio is not only my best friend’s father, but the most dangerous man in Sicily. Death and destruction follow him, but it seems I do too.
