Giovanni (23 page)

“
Gio
.”

Giovanni’s name on Kim’s lips was a mantra. Over and over. Louder and louder. The shaking in her thighs increased the closer she came to the precipice of her orgasm. There was something innately carnal about the shine of her juices smeared on his cheeks below her. He was so beautiful it almost ached with his mouth on her sex and the want in his stare.

Just as Kim’s body was about to peak, Giovanni pushed her flat to her back on the bed in a rush of movement. Surprised at the sudden change, she tried to find purchase on the sheets beneath her but instead found her wrists once again locked in his steel tight grasp and confined at the small of her back.

Instinctively, she wrapped her legs around his hips, her backside still resting on the edge of the mattress. He said nothing as his cock found home, sliding into her clenching pussy, drawing back out, and then slamming right back in until he bottomed out. There was no resistance to his intrusion. Her body was meant for his—a perfect fit. The wetness between her thighs only helped to provide more friction for his groin as it ground into her pulsing clit.

The small bit of control Kim had left cracked. Those rushing waves of her orgasm that had been torn away when he pushed her to the bed came flooding back with a vengeance. The tendons and muscles in her neck strained as her head tossed back into the sheets, teeth clenching to keep the cat-like cry crawling out of her throat at bay. It was pointless. The noise still escaped, ricocheting off the walls and bouncing back. 

“Jesus Christ. I love the sounds you make for me,
Tesoro
. Louder. Wake this whole fucking floor up. I want everyone to know what I do to you like this.”

Kim’s eyes fluttered closed and her back arched high off the bed. With her arms trapped, the only thing Kim could grab onto were his hands. Her fingernails scratched to the bottoms of his palms, air cutting through her teeth in a hiss as the final spasms of pleasure slipped through her.

Giovanni didn’t give Kim time to speak, let alone think. In her next breath, he was pounding into her relentlessly. The hard and deep rhythm of his cock filled her completely, stretching the sensitive flesh of her pussy to take him in. Every thrust of his body into hers sent a mixture of bliss intermingling with a beautiful bite of pain from the pressure on her arms and hands.

Kim let her legs fall from Giovanni’s waist, opening wider. She wanted to feel more of him, have him take her even harder, fill her deeper. Spreading her thighs wider until a faint sting simmered in her muscles, Kim gasped. Giovanni’s cock hit the sweetest spot with every stroke. It was near overwhelming and she could feel her fluids beginning to gush, soaking them both at the new sensation.

“God, you’re so wet for me,” Gio groaned above her.

Kim whimpered. It was the only sound she could manage to make. Something sinfully wicked was spinning through her insides. The walls of her pussy clenched around his length, causing Giovanni’s breaths to stutter.

“Watch me,
Tesoro
. Look at me while I fuck you.”

The husky demand sent Kim’s eyes flying wide open again. She’d been far too immersed in the frenzied pace of their coupling and the colors dancing behind her closed lids to realize she wasn’t watching him. That’s what he did to her every time. Giovanni took her somewhere else, somewhere amazing where nothing existed but them.

So watch him she did.

Giovanni seemed entirely entranced, staring down at the spot where their bodies were meeting over and over. A shadowy heat had taken over the greens of his irises, those dark lashes of his sweeping downward along his cheeks. His tongue peeked out to wet his bottom lip, air rushing from his lungs in a shaky exhale.

The bands of muscles roping his body were rigid and taut. A faint sheen of perspiration had coated the caramel tone of his skin, dusting through the light bit of hair on his chest and leading down to his groin.

Jesus.

He was beautiful. So much so it hurt for her to look at him, but she couldn’t stop.

Kim still wanted more.

“Harder,” Kim urged.

Giovanni’s gaze flicked upwards. “Yeah?”

“Yeah, Gio. I want you to fuck me harder.”

“God,
yes
.”

Kim’s wrists were released and she immediately used the freedom to prop her upper body up. The new position gave her the ability to see the same thing Giovanni had when her back was to the bed. She understood then why he seemed so entirely engrossed before while watching their bodies move.

Again and again his cock disappeared into her folds, sinking balls deep before drawing back out. The slickness of her juices shined along his length, wetting his thighs and smearing to hers as they joined. The sweetly tart scent of their sex and the sounds of their fucking filled the space.

It was, by far, the most erotic thing she ever saw.

Oh yeah, Kim got it.

Giovanni, pressing his fisted hands to the mattress, leaned over Kim to kiss her deeply. She reveled in the taste of her come on his lips, sighing as his tongue explored her mouth. All too soon, he pulled away. The tempo of their fucking slowed enough to let Kim reach up with one hand to hold his jaw. She kept her eyes on his while her fingers traced along his lips.

“You ready?” Giovanni asked, his throaty tone sending shivers spiraling down Kim’s spine.

“So ready,” she whispered.

Kim felt Giovanni’s hands slip under her ass, grabbing firmly. His fingers dug into the flesh of her backside, sending another stinging ache sparking over her skin. He pulled her into him as he dove into her. She had no time to prepare for his first thrust, no warning to brace for the intensity.

Falling back on the bed, Kim found stability by holding on to Giovanni’s wrists under her backside. She let him fuck her until she could barely breathe, her throat raw from swallowing the cries trying to claw their way out.

It was harsh. So brutal.

Kim was going to feel him all over and inside of her for days. And she loved it.

It wasn’t long at all before the tingling started in the tips of her fingers and toes, spreading up and outwards like a wildfire. A trembling quiver rocked her body as the volume of her cries increased. Kim felt the heat bloom in her womb, her muscles clench, and the walls of her sex clamp down around Giovanni’s cock just as the orgasm took her under once again.

In the twisting coil of her bliss, Kim tossed her head to the side to muffle her noise. Giovanni didn’t let her stay like that for long. Both of his hands let go of her ass, one coming to grab at her waist while the other cupped just below her jaw.

Giovanni forced her to turn her face back, his breathing harsh. “I said look at me,
Tesoro
.”

Kim did. With his palm at her throat, Kim didn’t feel even an ounce of fear or hesitance, only the final waves of her orgasm milking Giovanni to his own finish. 

The hand at Kim’s waist tightened painfully, but the one at her throat didn’t do a thing at all as he came as hard as she had. Giovanni held her body tight to his as he gritted his teeth and shook above her.

She continued to study him all the while, loving how any control he had was lost in those few seconds. As Giovanni calmed, his thumb flicked up to urge her to tilt her head further back before he swept the digit back and forth gently along her skin. Then, he let go.

“You’re so, so good to me,” Gio murmured. “
Ti amo
, Kim.”

Kim smiled, feeling the prickle of tears along her lashes. “I love you, too.”

Every inch of her body ached in the best way. Giovanni withdrew from her body, kneading his hands into her thighs to soothe her muscles. Kim stretched, enjoying the remaining fever sizzling over her skin and the natural high filling up her mind. A contented whine escaped her.

Giovanni chuckled as he rested over Kim, using his elbows to keep himself up. “You look like a little kitten stretching out under me like that. I could get used to seeing it.”

“Want to feel my claws?”

He waved a hand, showing tiny red fissures lining his skin from her fingernails. “Already did. You good?”

“So good.”

“Good,” Giovanni echoed quietly. “It’s early, but we should get ready to go. I’d feel safer with you at the airport.”

“I don’t want to go without you,” Kim said. “Your family won’t think highly of me after what happened between us.”

“My father tends to feel unapproachable given his position, it’s just his nature. My mother is as sweet as sugar, but she’s a menace in the kitchen. Dante is stuck between finding himself and reflecting who he’s going to be, so he comes off as harsh and cold, but he’s far from it. Lucian is very private and sometimes seems standoffish because of it, but Jordyn has helped with that.”

“What are you getting at, Gio?”

“That’s my family. They’re not perfect. They’re sometimes arrogant, pushy, and meddlesome. We’re often loud, and the dinner table is our most respected place next to a church pew. We’re Marcellos—
you’re
a Marcello. And they will love you, I promise.”

Chapter Nineteen

Gio didn’t recognize the two men in their casual clothes with bored expressions waiting by the main entrance to the check-in terminals. They seemed to know him, however. Their postures changed from casual to alert in a flash, their gazes narrowing in on the woman at his side. He cursed internally.

It would be just his luck to have a confrontation at a busy, public airport. Not what Gio wanted or needed at the moment. No one had found their hotel after switching the night before, and he managed to find a decent enough place to hide his car while parked, but he should have suspected something like this might happen.

After all, the McCarran airport was the closest to where Gio had been staying and where he flew into Vegas from. Both Maximo and Franco had knowledge of that.

His fingers interwoven with Kim’s squeezed gently before he tugged her in closer to his body. “
Tesoro
?”

“
Hmm
?”

Kim was lost in her own world and completely oblivious to her surroundings. Gio didn’t exactly blame her, given the massive overhauls happening in her life.

“We’ve got company.” Instantly, Kim’s head jerked up, her stare zoning in on the two men who were now walking towards them. “Recognize them?”

Kim nodded. “I’ve seen them around Maximo’s a few times.”

Gio assumed they were Maximo’s men based on the fact he probably would have noticed them hanging with Franco or his guys. “Do you know what they do in
la famiglia
?”

“No, but Franco keeps his distance when they’re around.”

So, probably not great men if Franco didn’t prefer their company, not that the idiot had any kind of good surrounding him. It was telling, though.

“Okay,” Gio murmured, giving Kim’s hand another squeeze. “I’ll talk, you stay quiet, and do everything I say. We’ll be fine.”

Or she would be
, Gio thought.

It was the only thing that really mattered. Gio needed to get Kim to New York and that was it. His family, regardless of whether he returned or not, would do the rest for him.

“Okay,” Kim replied quietly.

“Giovanni Marcello, yeah?” one man asked.

Gio shrugged a shoulder, keeping his grip on Kim’s hand tight. “Sure. I can’t say we’re on equal footing here, as I don’t have a fucking clue who you are.”

“That’s not important right now,” the other guy stated dully. “We usually don’t get into the introductions until it’s killing time, you know.”

Great. Enforcers.

Perfect
.

Now, Gio understood exactly why Franco would keep his distance from them. Enforcers for a family were the coldest kind of men. The most dangerous, to be sure. Their main trade was to handle issues, or rather, rid the family of them. Some could be quite creative and cruel with their methods, and depending on the reason for the hit, even more so.

“Well, unless you’re going to give me your names, we don’t have much to say,” Gio said, continuing his trek on past the two men.

A hand landed on his shoulder, stopping him.

“Remove your fucking appendage from my body,” Gio said coolly. “I really don’t mind cutting it off for you if you need an example of how to remove it.”

The guy dropped his hand. “Did you really believe it would be as simple as you getting on a flight and leaving Vegas? Do you know how much of Vegas Maximo owns?”

“I don’t care.”

But yes, Gio was aware.

“One phone call,” the man continued, a humorous tone to his words. “That was all it took to find out there was a plane ticket waiting to be claimed by a Marcello on the 9AM flight. Maximo has men at every entrance in this airport just waiting to get hands on you.”

There was no such thing as privacy, and Gio sure as hell didn’t expect there to be living in the world he did. Privacy was a joke, something people liked to believe they had. All someone needed was a bit of money shoved into the right pocket and a few people in their directory and just about anything was available.

“I’m not the one flying this morning,” Gio replied quietly, ignoring the last part of the man’s statement. “Let me go, and in ten minutes, I’ll be back out here to join you.”

“Oh, I don’t think so. You see, that’s not how this is going to work.”

Gio slipped Kim’s messenger bag off his shoulder, putting it on her. “
Tesoro
, go to the check-ins.”

“She won’t be going, either,” the first man sad, smiling grimly.

When the guy reached towards the inside of his jacket, Gio scoffed. “Yes, please, pull out whatever weapon you’re hiding in this very open, busy terminal. I’m sure the cameras are catching every fucking angle of your faces right now.

“Just like the Marcellos are on a watchlist, I’d be willing to bet the Sorrentos are, too. Hell, they probably even have a bulletin board dedicated to each one of you. Feds love enforcers because you bastards always turn the moment you think you might have to spend a little time behind bars.”

“Watch it, asshole.”

“No, I don’t think I will,” Gio said, smirking. “Tough on the streets but babies in the pen, right? Go on, then. Pull that gun out. I’ll make the biggest fucking scene you’ve ever witnessed, and if you do get us out of here, trust the officials will have more than enough on video here to pull you in. Come on, do it.”

As the taller man took a step towards Kim, Gio moved in front of her. He felt her hands fist into the back of his jacket, but she continued to stay quiet as he asked. People milled around them. Going in and out of the entrance, a few smoking cigarettes at the designated ashtray. Taxis parked along the driving lane to let passengers out. No one seemed to notice the tension or the hushed, threatening conversation just feet away.

“We have our orders,” the guy said, trying to stare Gio down.

“That’s nice,” Gio said tauntingly. “I’m sure Max will appreciate you following through on at least one. Right after Kim catches her flight.”

“She’s not flying anywhere.”

“Actually she is. Haven’t you figured it out yet, or are you too thick in the head?”

“All right, I’ve had just about enough of your smartass mouth, fucker.”

Gio grinned, raising his hand to show the new white gold band on his finger. “I promise you can get me back for it, right after my
wife
catches her flight.”

For a brief moment, both men hesitated. It was just what Gio wanted to see. Unfortunately, it didn’t last long enough.

“This is a joke,” the shorter, stockier man muttered.

“It isn’t. There’s no one here to help me, I know. And while what I’ve done doesn’t guarantee me any safety, my last name gives her a world of it. Trust that if my father doesn’t meet his new daughter-in-law by the end of the day, there will be a hell coming to Vegas like you’ve never seen before. I would hate to be the man who has to answer for that.

“If you think for one minute he’ll send a bunch of idiots like you here to handle it, he won’t,” Gio continued in his same quiet, calm tone. “Antony will come, along with my brothers. It’ll be worse if my mother finds out I was married, and she didn’t get the chance to meet my wife. Hell, Antony would probably come down here just to soothe Cecelia. After all, nothing says I love you like spilled blood.”

Both men stilled, seemingly speechless and unsure.

Gio used that to his advantage. “He’s the same man who killed his wife’s father for murdering his best friend. What do you suppose he’ll do to the men who delivered his daughter-in-law to her death,
hmm
? Do you really want to be the made men who treat a wife of a Marcello with disrespect? There are only so many rules Antony holds in high esteem, and I can assure you, that is most definitely one of them.”

The shorter of the two men narrowed his gaze. “After what you’ve done with her—”

“
Cazzo, cafone
. Shut your mouth,” the other man ordered, quieting his partner. “This is something to consider. Tony is … peculiar about
la famiglia
wives, regardless of the men they marry.”

Gio stifled his smile, knowing he won the first battle already.

Only on scarce occasions had he heard his father referred to as Tony, and it was usually by syndicates outside their circles. No one in their family dared to use that nickname, not even Antony’s closest friend and confidant Paulie. It was a name Gio’s father went by when he was a younger man and much more volatile than he was at his current age. The taller man seemed about Antony’s age, so Gio wondered if the two might have crossed paths once upon a time.

“You can’t be serious!”

“I am,” the man said simply. “A decade or so ago, I was at a meeting between families, observing. It was the first time I met him. When a capo refused to apologize to his own wife after he called her a
puttana
in front of the rest of the table, Tony retaliated on him later. Cut his tongue out and watched as the guy drowned in his own blood. That woman wasn’t even his family, Rico. No one said a thing, they couldn’t. It was a good lesson in respect for everyone and a reminder of the fear a quiet man can instill.”

“Stephan—” Rico started to say.

“Consider what I just said,” Stephan repeated. “I don’t know about you, but I like my tongue right where it is, Rico.”

Well, at least Gio knew their names now.

Gio didn’t miss how Kim’s hands at his back clenched a little harder as the man recalled his introduction to Antony Marcello. He didn’t blame her, it was a horrific story and likely true. It wasn’t the first time Gio heard something like this about his father. There was a reason Antony was as valued as what he was in their crime world.

Respect danced hand in hand with fear.

“And I’m aware what Max will do if we come back with only one,” Rico said angrily. “You’re frightened of the repercussions from a man in New York?”

“Not just that,” Stephan snapped back. “I believe in Cosa Nostra. If we start bending rules, we can expect everyone else to bend them, too. Once that starts, it’s all going to go to hell, anyway.”

“They already broke the rules!”

“No,” Stephan corrected, turning quiet again. “He did. She simply whored around. She can’t be expected to follow a creed she never spoke.”

“Hey,” Gio warned darkly. “Whore is a strong fucking word.”

Stephan passed Kim a glance behind Gio. “I said whored, not whore. It’s the best you’re going to get from me after her behavior. I should add it’s not for either of your benefits, but for the healthy respect I hold for Antony Marcello.” Then, the man turned back to his accomplice with a sigh. “In this circumstance, Maximo will understand why we didn’t follow his instructions. I have to let her go, Rico.”

“You’re taking the shit for this, not me.”

“Always do,” Stephan said.

Gio didn’t waste any more time. Spinning on his heel, he kissed a surprised Kim, holding her face between his hands. Even though he didn’t want to, he pulled away, peppering kisses across her cheekbone. Kim’s hands grabbed tightly to the sides of his jacket like she didn’t want to let him go.

“Here, you need to take this,” Gio said, pulling out a folded marriage license. He tucked it into the pocket of her messenger bag. “It’ll be proof of your last name to claim the ticket. Don’t look back at me, just walk through the doors, get your ticket, and go to your gate. Don’t try to call or text me. I will contact you when I can.”

Kim held him firmer in her grip. “But …”

“I will be right behind you.”

He had to be.

“You shouldn’t lie to the girl, Marcello,” Stephan said.

Gio tensed, resisting the urge to bitch slap the guy. “I promise, Kim.”

Kim’s eyes widened at the same time her hands clenched around the strap of her bag. “Gio?”

“Walk,
Tesoro
.”

“But—”

“Walk, Kim.”

And trust me
, he wanted to say.

Kim leaned in and kissed him once more. “
Ti amo
.”

“
Ti amo
,” Gio echoed. “So, so much.”

Without any more encouragement, Kim let go of Gio and walked the rest of the way through the entrance without looking back once.

“You really shouldn’t lie to the girl,” Stephan repeated.

Gio shrugged. “Lies to you, maybe.”

“After what you’ve done, you can’t expect to leave Vegas alive.”

“You’ll leave eventually, to be sure,” Rico added, smirking. “In pieces.”

Fantastic
. Gio didn’t show an ounce of fear. He couldn’t. Knowledge, confidence, a little bit of cockiness, and a calm demeanor had gotten him through the first round. Surely it’d take him through the second one, too.

“Weapons or cellphones?” Stephan asked.

“Gun at my waist and the phone is in my jacket pocket,” Gio answered.

“Good to know. Honesty makes this easier.”