Page 4 of Dangerous Games of Trust

Before the elevator doors open, my limbs give way at the same time, and he scoops me up, carrying me inside. “Red, look at me,” he demands as the car climbs up the fifty floors.

I briefly shift my gaze upward to meet his eyes. I am completely mesmerized by the intensity of his captivating features. Even now when his lip is busted and bruising iscoloring his face. My heart flutters. I was falling for him, but now I have no idea who he even is.

There is a warmth there I don’t expect, and suddenly, with our bodies so close, I’m transported back to our time together. “This won’t beat you,” he says again. “Do you understand? The worst is over.”

I suck in a labored breath, wanting to believe him, but I just can’t imagine it is. If everything he’s telling me tonight is true, Enzo is going to be furious. He will be after blood and so will the other Moretti boys. There is no way Alessandro is giving up all the money and power he craves. Carlo won’t give up either… I don’t even want to think about what he’s capable of doing. From the sounds of it, that contract my papa signed with him basically tells him he owns me. He’s going to be fucking fuming. I have only encountered him once, but something tells me he’s worse than the rest of them. He will see to it that he gets what he was promised.

The elevator doors glide open, revealing a grand marble entryway that stretches out before us. I catch glimpses of the breathtaking cityscape below, framed by floor-to-ceiling windows, the tall buildings’ lights twinkling in the dark of night. He carries me up a flight of stairs in the center of the apartment, the sound of his footsteps reverberating through the empty room. With a flick of the switch, the bedroom is instantly illuminated, filling the space with a cozy, welcoming light.

“Hope you don’t mind you’re in with me. This place only has two bedrooms, and Dani and Marco have the other one.”

Hope you don’t mind? Like he really cares if I do. As he guides me further into the room, I notice the soft glow of dimly lit lamps casting a warm ambiance. In the center, a super comfy looking king-sized bed awaits, adorned with a sleek black steel frame. With utmost gentleness, he settles me on the plush comforter, itswarmth enveloping me. I could so easily close my eyes and fall asleep right now, but I know I’m a mess.

As I roll over, I notice Geovani standing in the doorway, towel in hand, his eyes fixed on me. Like he’s trying to work out what to do with me.

“Dani and Marco? Why is my brother helping you?” I ask him, still trying to process what he just told me about sleeping arrangements.

With a thoughtful expression, he scans me from head to toe, carefully considering my question. “Take a shower. We can talk more about all this in the morning.”

I sigh heavily; that’s what I expected. He’s just like the Moretti brothers, all fucking secrets and lies. He places the towel on the end of the bed, still watching me. I stare up at the ceiling, trying to work out how to function when my body is so fatigued. You can do this, Harley, one foot in front of the other. You’re not dead yet. But I can’t.

Before I know it, he’s scooping me up and carrying me into the bathroom.

“What are you doing?” I half protest, but I’m too weak to fight him off.

“Getting you fixed up; you can’t sleep like this,” he mutters, his voice filled with a pity I despise. It’s not my fault I look like this.

“You should look at yourself,” I snap back, not too tired to be bitchy when it’s called for. Once we’re in the bathroom, he lets go of me, and I feel my body slide down his until I’m standing. Seeking stability, I lean on the vanity, using it as a makeshift crutch to prop me up.

The reflection staring back at me in the mirror isn’t pretty. I scrub a hand over my face, brushing away the remnants of my smeared bridal make-up. Dark bags hang under my sunken eyes, and my skin is pale and clammy. My arm is also sporting a second bandage, this one higher than the last. What the? I looklike I have been to hell and back. How appropriate, because that is exactly what I feel like. Geovani looks just as beat-up. His haunted eyes meet mine.

He takes a step back from me, moving toward the waterfall-type shower that runs along the far wall. Behind me, in the center of the room, stands a stunning free-standing bathtub. This place is fancy, but I guess I didn’t expect anything less with all his mafia money. They all seem to live in the lap of luxury, their lives built with dirty money. The thought sickens me. But in truth, my life was built on the same. I was a spoiled little rich girl enjoying the perks of my papa’s fortunes. I wouldn’t have had the classy education or lavish clothes without it. I just had no idea.

Steam fills the air, followed by the smell of something deliciously fresh, maybe lemongrass. Turning around, I catch sight of Geovani soaping himself up. My mouth nearly hits the tile floor. It’s not like we haven’t seen each other naked before, but dear Lord, I suddenly feel wide awake. I know I should look away, but I can’t. His body is the epitome of male perfection. Muscles bulge in his arms as he scrubs away the blood and sweat from his fight.

He finds me watching him, and his lips turn up at the sides in a slow, sexy smile. He knows the effect he has on women. I’m sure he’s had more than a few throw themselves at him. I was one of them not so long ago.

“Come on in, Red. Don’t look so frightened of me.” He holds out a hand, and I take it tentatively.

“Not frightened, just surprised to see you all…” I wave my hand around, not sure how to get the words out.

He chuckles. “Naked? I don’t normally shower fully clothed.” He runs a hand over my silk slip, implying I should take it off as well.

I join him under the water spray with it still on, not prepared to strip down bare in front of him. I don’t care if he’s seen me before or not. When the spray hits my skin, I close my eyes, enjoying the warmth slowly bringing my body back to life.

He squirts more of the body wash into his hands and runs his soapy fingers over my arms. I don’t know why I let him. I could step away, tell him to fuck off, but I don’t. Something in the gentle way he’s washing me is everything I need right now. He slips the now soaked fabric off my shoulders, and it pools in a heavy wet mess on the tile floor below. I step over it, and his hands come back to my body, releasing the lacy bra, letting it fall. Soapy hands slide over my breasts, but not in a sexual way. In a caring way. This harsh man has it in him to be so caring and gentle. This is what I saw in him last time.

“Turn around,” he commands in a low voice, and I do.

He gently glides a soft washcloth across my exhausted face, effortlessly removing the layers of heavy bridal make-up with tender strokes. The faint scent of cherries wafts through the air as he squeezes a dollop of shampoo onto his palm. With skillful hands, he massages the fragrant liquid into my scalp. I close my eyes, leaning into him, finally relaxing. The sound of water cascading drowns out the world as he rinses away the shampoo, leaving my hair refreshed.

Taking his time, he repeats the process with the conditioner, meticulously detangling my curls with his nimble fingers. It feels as if I am floating, detached from my own body, in this surreal moment. When I got into that car tonight and I saw he was there, I never expected the night would go like this. He’s so surprising. It confuses me, after all the awful things the boys had to say about him.

When my hair is washed, I lean into the cold tile wall, willing my body to keep fighting, but I’m not sure I have anything left in me to fight with. Part of me is relieved I didn’t have to gothrough with marrying Alessandro—actually, all of me. There was no part of me that wanted to be joined to him and his family through holy matrimony, no matter the residual feelings between us. But the rest of me is just plain scared of what this all means. What does Geovani want with me, and why are Dani and Marco here with us? Why did I wake up in that basketball arena tonight, and what happened there? My head spins from the heat and unanswered questions.

When my skin wrinkles, he shuts off the water, wrapping a fluffy towel around my shoulders, escorting me back toward the mirror. “Today is the first day of the rest of your life. Everything that happened before you got here can stay in the past,” he tells my reflection.

I stare back at him, not sure where he’s going with this. It’s so late, I’m way too tired for whatever motivational speech this is, but he looks determined, so I nod, agreeing with him.

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