Page 13 of Undeniable

“Yeah, that is pretty much all we did all day long. He is really talented.”

I watch as Giovanni swallows roughly before nodding. “Yeah.”

“I am sorry for your loss,” I say softly.

Giovanni looks over to me, momentarily surprised. I suck in a sharp breath as I see so many complicated emotions flickering through those sharp eyes. He continues to just stare at me causing me to cringe, wondering if it was a bad idea to even bring it up.

“Sorry,” I add on. “I didn’t mean to be weird. Becca told me about your mother and-”

“No. It’s okay. Thank you, I appreciate it.”

I nod as I take a step closer to him, just now realizing that I have been creeping towards him ever so slightly. I didn’t even mean to. My legs were moving without my permission and now I am only a few inches away from him. Our shoulders would brush against each other if either of us would sway just slightly.

I can practically feel the heat waving off of his body as the smell of him swirls around us. It is an intoxicating scent that has me breathing in a little deeper than normal just to savor it. Giovanni’s eyes trace over my face and I watch as his hands twitch at his sides before they ball up into tight white knuckled fists.

As if his sole job was to break the sexual tension in the air, Alessandro comes bolting into the room as he launches himself into his father’s arms. They hug for a moment before Alessandro pulls away and points at the fridge.

“Did you see all of my pictures, Papa? Do you like them?”

“I love them,” Giovanni smiles.

Alessandro’s proud smile makes my heart clench. “Me too. I really liked this one,” he says pointing to a picture of the beach.

Giovanni nods. “That is a nice one. Does it remind you of home, Tasha?”

I freeze in place as I look to him carefully. What is that supposed to mean? He can’t possibly know that my home growing up had a private beach. There is no way, impossible. Unless…

“California,” Giovanni fills in, like I am being dense.

I mentally curse myself for not remembering that I told him I was from California, because that’s what my new ID says. He thinks I am a California girl born and raised and the fact that I even hesitated is suspicious as fuck. I plaster on a smile that is all too fake but could probably charm the pants off of a snake as I nod.

“Oh yeah, I miss the salty breeze on a warm summer day. Pure heaven,” I say smoothly with a nod.

Giovanni’s eyes narrow a fraction of an inch as his eyes bore into me, letting me know that he didn’t miss my hesitation.Shit. Instead of probing further though, he lets it go before turning to Alessandro and talking about dinner plans.

I quietly grab my purse before ordering my Uber. I can’t be under his scrutiny anymore. It puts me on edge too much. While he is extremely handsome, the man seems far too inquisitive and that is just something that I don’t need around me. Maybe taking this job was a mistake. He seems too perceptive and if I am not careful, he just might catch on that there isn’t something right about Tasha Jacobson.

Stepping quickly, I almost make it to the front door before a large hand grips my elbow. I gasp in a sharp breath as my stomach drops in panic. I am turned into Giovanni’s arms quickly, my legs so unresisting to comply that I begin to stumble. He makes sure to keep me upright as his hold on me stays firm while I look up at him with wide eyes.

I do my best to keep my face blank, but I know that the fear in my eyes is unmistakable. Fear of someone calling bullshit on my story, fear of finding out where I am really from, fear of my past catching up with me faster than ever this time.

“Thank you,” he says quietly.

What?

“Alessandro hasn’t drawn since my mother passed away. It was kind of their thing. I have tried to get him interested again but he never budged. I was hoping he would come around.”

Relief floods through me and the smile I give him is way more genuine than the one I gave him just a minute ago.

“He is really good. I think he enjoyed teasing me for my lack of artistic ability.”

Giovanni’s lips tilt up into a smirk and he nods like he totally gets it. His smile soon fades though as his brows draw together.

“There is something about you. You pull something out of him. He has been so lost since his Nonna passed and it’s like he is starting to find his way back to his old self.”

I give him a small smile and shrug. “He just needs to be shown that he is in control of something. Whether it is as simple as what he eats for breakfast or what kind of game he plays. Not that Becca wasn’t doing those things, but I think he appreciates being asked. I think it makes him feel in control since there are things in his life that are out of his control.”

Giovanni looks at me thoughtfully before he nods his agreement. The anxiety that I felt to get away from this man dissipates quickly and just like every time before, I am cemented in place from his look alone. His eyes roam over my face, again settling on my lips for longer than appropriate, but who is complaining? He leans in a fraction of an inch and my heart begins to pound in anticipation. I can’t even begin to deny that I haven’t thought about what his lips would feel like on mine since I first laid eyes on him.

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