“Seven a.m. sharp.” Gio nodded, as Carol turned in the direction of her office.
Gio and Eva walked in silence until they entered the new wing. Once the door had closed shut behind them, Eva stepped away from him and leaned against the wall. “How did you find out about this place?”
Gio licked his lips and shoved his hands into his pockets. After a moment, he met her gaze and she knew she wouldn’t like his answer.
“I had you investigated. You wouldn’t talk to me.” He shrugged. “I felt I had no choice.”
“Oh, you had a choice. You could have respected my privacy.” She wasn’t even surprised. He was always getting around her and she always let him.
Gio sighed and nodded his head. “Yeah, you’re right.”
“You violated our agreement.” As angry as she was at Gio, she was just as mad at herself. This was just another dance in the guise of ice skating.
“No, technically, I didn’t. Your stipulation was that we not see each other ‘socially’ and this is work, not a date.” He met her gaze, looking calm and confident.
“I could have your membership terminated.” It was a hollow threat and he probably knew it.
“Yes, but you won’t. You want the work done. Sister Carol wants the work done and you’d never disappoint your friend. In the end, it’s a win for everyone.”
Eva started to laugh. “This one’s going to cost you more than you know, Gio. If Carol doesn’t have you on speed dial, she soon will.” Another thought popped into her head and she looked up at him sharply. “Unless you’re scamming her.”
He whistled. “I know I fucked up, but I had no idea you thought so little of me that you think I’d lie to a nun.” Gio put a hand on the wall above her head and towered over her. “Believe it or not, I do this type of thing occasionally. I happen to have a crew available. If I don’t keep them busy, they may go elsewhere. Finding top notch men isn’t as easy as it seems.”
“So this is purely to benefit your business?” She wasn’t buying it.
“Hell no,” he admitted easily. “You tied my hands. You refused to see me outside of a club.”
“Shh. Sister Carol isn’t aware of my extracurricular activities.” No way was Eva going to explain D/s to her mentor and friend.
“You wouldn’t talk to me about your life. I care about you, Eva, and I wanted to make sure you were really okay. Once I heard about the crisis center and I knew I could help… It would have been wrong not to. Besides, I know you, Eva. The more entrenched we became in only seeing each other…there…the less likely you’d be to change our pattern. You needed to understand that we can see each other in public without anything bad happening.”
“You missed your calling. You should be a spin doctor. I bet you could make the devil himself sound like a charitable character.” Eva pushed on his chest, needing some space. Gio backed off but watched her warily.
“Do you
need
a tour?” Eva asked, really hoping he’d say no. She wanted to melt into his arms and if she didn’t get away from him soon, she just might.
Gio shook his head. “Sister Carol was pretty detailed and my foreman will want to look things over for himself.”
“Then I’m headed home.” Eva walked to the nearest exit.
“I’ll see you to your car. This isn’t a very safe neighborhood.” Gio pushed open the door for her.
“Funny how upper-class neighborhoods don’t have much use for a crisis center.” She sounded more sarcastic and bitchy than she’d planned. Sitting there feeling both jealous and aroused had left her off kilter. Eva dug through her purse and pulled out her keys.
Gio took them out of her hand and opened her door for her. Eva sat down in the driver’s seat, wanting to avoid a prolonged goodbye. It didn’t work. Gio knelt down and handed her the seatbelt.
“So, I’ll see you tomorrow at DiscipliNation?” Gio asked.
“Um, actually no. I took the night off to help out with the open house. Of course, that was before Carol postponed it.”
“Why don’t we go to Dom’s Place? I can pick you up after work,” he offered.
“I thought I’d spend a quiet night at home catching up on grading and lesson plans.” She looked away, hoping he wouldn’t push it.
Gio was silent for so long her curiosity got the better of her and she turned to see what had caught his attention.
“Is that the CD I made for you?” His voice was low and full of emotion.
She looked at the passenger seat, remembering that she’d dropped it there yesterday.
Dumb, dumb, dumb!
“I can’t believe you kept it all these years.” He caressed her cheek.
Eva dropped her head into her hands. If she’d only realized the significance of the song all those years ago, she might have saved them both a lot of pain. “I didn’t know,” she confessed.
“Know what?” He pushed a lock of hair behind her ear.
“If I’d known you’d written the song… That you were trying to tell me… I can’t do this. Not here, not now. There are too many people around.” She quickly wiped away the tear heading down her cheek.
Gio held her chin and urged her to turn his way. “Let me take you to dinner.”
“No. I told you no socializing outside the clubs.” She made sure to whisper the last word.
“Eva, I want to talk about this.” He put his finger over her lips when she started to speak. “Let’s go to my house. It’s on your way home and I’d really like to show it to you. Remember the house I designed in college?”
She gasped. He’d spent so many hours poring over his plans. It was going to be their dream home. “You built it?”
Gio nodded. “Let me show off a little, Eva.” He winked at her.
Did she dare go to his house? “Gio…”
“Sweetheart, I’ll give you the grand tour and we’ll talk a bit. That’s all. No scening, I promise.” He crossed his heart and shot her a boyish grin.
She shouldn’t do it. She was diving head first off a cliff without even looking for rocks. “Okay, but, Gio… You and I both know if you start something, we’ll end up having sex. I’m asking you not to. Please, Gio. This is important to me.”
“I’m giving you my word, Eva. That might not have meant much in college, but I’m not that same guy. If you give me a chance, I’ll prove it.”
He looked so earnest, she wanted to believe him. “Okay, I’ll stop by your house.”
“Start your car,” Gio told her. “I’ll program my address into your GPS, in case we get separated on the road.”
Chapter Six
Gio couldn’t believe how nervous he was—and apprehensive. He had to keep his hands off her—he’d given his word—but he knew what a temptation it would be having her in the home he’d designed for them.
He pulled his truck into the garage, got out and waited on the porch. He wanted her to walk in through the front door and get the full effect. The house was everything she’d said she wanted in a home. Gio knew Eva wouldn’t be swayed by material objects, but he hoped she’d understand how much she’d always meant to him.
Eva parked on the street, probably to ensure a quick getaway. She was frustratingly elusive.
As she walked up the drive, Gio smiled. Just seeing her made him happy.
“It’s beautiful. You must be so proud.” She turned and looked again at the house. “I love the stone work.”
“Ignore the mess. I wasn’t expecting company.” He’d been in a daze since he’d found Eva again. He had no idea if the house was clean or not.
Gio unlocked the door and stepped back, allowing her to go in first.
Eva gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. “Oh, Gio. It’s exactly as you planned.” She looked over her shoulder at him.
Her eyes were bright and he couldn’t stop his arms from wrapping around her. “
We
planned, Eva. This is the house
we
planned.”
“Why did you do this, Gio?” Her voice was strained.
He held her a little tighter and she relaxed into him. “I’ve never stopped thinking about you, Eva.”
She tensed and he reluctantly let her go.
“Let me show you the rest of the house.” He took her hand and led her to the den.
Eva ran her fingers along the bookshelves he’d built by hand. She took her time reading the titles.
“All the classics,” she whispered.
Gio bent down and swung open the cabinet doors, revealing children’s books. “You told me once that kids imitated their parents and it was important for them to see their parents read.”
She looked up at him. “You’re killing me, Gio.”
“No, I’m loving you, Eva. I’ve never stopped.” As tears filled her eyes, he knew he was pressing her too hard, too soon. “These were my favorites growing up. I’m sure you know a lot of better ones.”
Eva thumbed through the titles. “I use a lot of these in my classroom.” She stood up and slowly closed the cabinet doors. “This is a very comfortable room. It looks like you spend a lot of time in here.”
He nodded. “I have an office downtown where I meet clients, but I do as much work as I can here at home.” Gio took her hand and led her to the next room. He held his breath, wondering how she’d respond.
“Your heart is pounding, Gio. What’s in here?” She leaned against the door and looked into his eyes.
“With little exception, I built this house exactly as we designed it.” He hoped she wouldn’t make him say it out loud. When he’d broken ground, Eva had been out of his life for several years and there hadn’t been any hope that they’d ever see each other again. It was a little pathetic really to have clung to the memory his own actions had tarnished.
“This is my dream office?” she asked, looking a little shell-shocked.
“Open the door.”
Eva put her hand on the knob, but waited. “I’m afraid.”
“Of what?” Gio put his hands on her shoulders and gave her a gentle massage.
“I’m falling for you all over again.” She shook her head. “No, the truth is I never fell out of love with you.”
“Is that really such a bad thing?” he asked as he opened the door and turned on the lights. When she hesitated, he nudged her into the room with his body.
A soft cry came from Eva as she slid her hand along the counter and looked out through the glass wall. He’d landscaped the backyard with the plants he knew she loved. Bower vines, bougainvillea, Chinaberries and pine trees were all within view of the window.
Eva’s legs buckled. Gio grabbed her around the waist then pulled out the desk chair and eased her into it.
“We can’t do this, Gio.”
He knelt down in front of her and took her hands in his. “Yes, we can. I love you. I always have and you just admitted that you still love me. We’re supposed to be together.”
She shook her head. “You left. Instead of talking to me, you just hightailed it out of there. I know you think you warned me, with the song, but I didn’t understand what you were trying to tell me. I was completely blindsided.”
“Whoa, wait a minute,” he interrupted her. “That song wasn’t a warning. I was spilling my guts out to you, telling you how much you meant to me and that I would protect you no matter what.”
“Telling me I was a burden isn’t exactly a declaration of undying love.” She continued to stare out of the window.
“What are you talking about? You were never my burden.” He tapped his finger on the counter. “Eva, I was a kid. I knew I was a Dominant, but I wasn’t comfortable in my own skin. Being raised in the lifestyle was a mixed blessing. My parents tried to shelter me, but I would sneak down to the club. I was too young to understand the intent behind some of the scenes I watched. That, combined with the intense need to keep the happenings at the club private, had me convinced that my desires were…wrong.”
“There’s nothing wrong with being a Dominant, Gio,” Eva assured him.
“I know that now and I wanted to believe it then, but our backgrounds were so diametrically opposed, it just reinforced my concerns. I thought I was protecting you from my darker passions. When we made love and I couldn’t stop fantasizing about a D/s relationship, I thought the only way to keep you safe was to leave. I was wrong, and I cost us six years. Please don’t keep us apart any longer.” His heart was in her hands and if she walked away from him, he didn’t know how he’d get over it.
Gio had a sudden revelation. This horrible gut wrenching feeling was what Eva must have felt that night, when he’d left her. He’d been so sure that he was doing the right thing. He’d never allowed himself to consider how badly he’d hurt her.
“I’m so sorry, Eva. I know I don’t deserve a second chance, but I’m asking anyway. Hell, I’m begging you. Please. I won’t let you down again.”
When she looked up at him, tears were rimming her eyes. “I need time to think, Gio. For the last six years, I’ve wondered what I did wrong. I’ve jumped to conclusions time and time again and allowed my imagination to fill in the blanks. Just give me some space right now.”
He wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “But no more shutting me out. We’re going to talk about the past and our future and our day-to-day lives. It’s the only way we’re going to work through this.”
“Okay,” she murmured against his neck.
He held her, reveling in his ability to do so. But all too soon, she lifted her head.
Gio was afraid she was going to leave and he was unwilling for their time together to be over. He hoped that if he kept it light, she’d stay a little while longer. “Shall we finish the tour?”
She sniffled then nodded.
As they walked past the staircase, Eva rubbed her hand over the railing. “Let me guess—two bedrooms, one bath and a game room upstairs.” She had a smile on her face that didn’t quite reach her eyes.
“Complete with claw-foot pool table. Wanna play a game?”
“Not this time.” She walked to the center of the great room then spun in a circle. “This is perfect. I love the hardwood mosaic floor. I’ve never seen anything like that. Is it difficult to keep the wood nice in the kitchen?”
“You told me wood gave you a warm feeling, but you never specified the hue, so I went with a mosaic that incorporated all three. In the kitchen, I used tile that was made to look like hardwood slats. Easy to clean and durable, but maintains the look.” He’d tried to think of everything.
She chuckled. “I didn’t know anyone made such a thing.”