Page 6 of Undeniable

Giovanni’s eyes soften when they see his son’s excitement before he gives him a smile in return.

“It looks awesome buddy. This must have taken you both hours.”

“Nope! Tasha was super-fast!”

Giovanni chuckles before he looks at me again. The smile he gives me has my heart beating out of rhythm for a moment and I find myself beaming back at him until I realize that I am just standing here staring at him like a total idiot.

“Okay, let’s take this down. I am sure your dad wants his house back to normal.”

“Awww,” Alessandro whines before he crawls out of the fort and starts peeling back the blankets. I pop down to follow him out and fold the blankets that he hands me, all while he excitedly tells Giovanni about our day.

Giovanni steps over and puts the chairs back into place, every few seconds sending me questioning glances. Did I do something wrong? Is he pissed at me and just doesn’t want to make a scene and upset Alessandro?

“Can you come play again soon?” Alessandro asks me with his deep dimpled smile aimed directly at me.

I give him a soft smile as I quickly dart my eyes over to Giovanni while he continues to lean against the counter watching us very carefully.

“Maybe,” I say, hoping that I will get the chance to see him again. Once he feels comfortable, he is a ton of fun and such a sweetheart. I honestly think I liked spending the day with him more than almost anyone else I have ever met, though that isn’t saying much.

“Yay!” He cheers as he tears out of the room with an arm full of toys.

I chuckle before turning to see that Giovanni hasn’t moved a muscle in a few seconds, his eyes continuing to drill into me. After a few heavy seconds he finally speaks.

“How did you do it?”

My eyebrows furrow in confusion as I cock my head slightly. “Do what?”

“Get him out of his shell. I haven’t seen him smile that much in a long time, at least not when he isn’t with Seraphina.”

“Oh, I don’t know. He is a sweet kid. We just hung out and played together. He had never built a fort before, so I had to right that injustice,” I joke.

Giovanni makes a small noise in the back of his throat that sounds like the start of half a laugh, or maybe a scoff? He is kind of hard to read honestly. This man isn’t just hot and cold, he seems to be scalding and frigid.

He nods and tilts his head to the side. Like he is thinking something over. “Are you doing anything on Monday?” He asks.

“I don’t think so, why?”

“Would you be interested in watching him again?”

“Oh, I don’t know. This is Becca’s regular job. I couldn’t take it from her.”

“Actually, she is the one who gave me the idea. She said that you are in between jobs right now. We could try it out for a week, reconvene then?”

I think about my options. It is great money, with a really sweet kid and the eye candy for a father doesn’t hurt. I wouldn’t have to go job hunting and maybe I could sock away enough to get me set up for my next move. Maybe I can find somewhere so off the beaten path that I could actually settle down, at least for a little longer than normal. Is there a downside to this?

“I will pay you what Becca charges,” he adds on. “If I need you for longer hours of course I will adjust accordingly.”

Dollar signs start flashing in my head and I find myself nodding before I even realize it. A pleased barely there smile spreads across his chiseled face as his silver eyes twinkle, instantly causing my thighs to clench.

“Great. So, I will see you Monday then?”

“I will be here.”

Giovanni nods before he walks me to the door. I can’t help but notice that he maintains a safe foot or two of distance at all times. It is ridiculous that I notice and even more ridiculous that I am disappointed by it.

As he opens the door, he looks out to the driveway before back to me. His brows furrow when he speaks. “How are you getting home?”

I hold up my phone and wave it. “They got an app for everything now days.”

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