Page 13 of Capone
Now I understood.
From the moment I locked my eyes with her hazel ones, something shifted inside me. I wanted her something fierce. Never in my life had I felt such an intense connection with a woman just from looking at her.
We hadn’t even exchanged many words between one another, and I was already feeling possessive. This was way outof character for me. I even texted the brothers after she left with Cara and Sara and told them she was off-limits.
That she was mine.
Of course, that sparked some teasing, but I didn’t care, as long as they didn’t try making moves on Giovanna. I hadn’t had a serious girlfriend since high school. I never felt feelings strong enough to make things permanent with a woman. Many tried gaining my attention over the years, but I felt nothing.
Unlike the brothers, I didn’t sleep with the club bunnies. I didn’t get pleasure out of screwing a woman right behind my brother. I didn’t knock the brothers for doing it, but it just wasn't for me.
As we came to a stop at a red light, I took the time to turn to her, fulling taking her in. She was fuckin’ beautiful. Giovanna turned to me, playing with the ends of her hair, nervously biting her plump bottom lip.
“Why do you keep looking at me?” she asked just above a whisper.
“I can’t help it. Your absolutely gorgeous, Sugar. Somebody has to admire all that beauty.”
I looked deep into her eyes, watching as her cheeks turned pink. I knew now wasn’t the time to be charming her. She was going through so much already. After we found her baby girl, all bets were off. I decided to switch the subject to something a little lighter.
“Tell me something about, Gabi.”
A smile spread across her face as she turned to look out her window. “She loves to bake.”
I raised my brows in surprise. That wasn’t something you heard about a three-year-old every day. “And she picked this hobby out on her own?”
Giovanna giggled and shook her head. “No. I’ve been baking since I was twelve. Gabi was always in the kitchen with me. Oneday, she asked if she could help me make chocolate chip cookies and the rest is history.”
A lone tear fell from her eyes. She quickly swiped it away, shutting her eyes with a deep sigh. I grabbed hold of one of her hands, giving it a light squeeze.
“Do you really think Cara and Sara will find Gabi?” Her eyes were filled with unshed tears.
“I can’t say anything for certain, Giovanna, but I will say if anyone is going to bring your baby girl back to you, it’ll be those two. I mean, just look at everything they’ve discovered so far, and it hasn’t even been twenty-four hours. You just got to have a little faith that everything will work out.”
The light turned green, but I kept hold of her hand as I drove away. Surprisingly, Giovanna didn’t protest. She whispered athank youas we rode in silence. As I pulled into her hotel parking lot, I noticed she had dozed off. I parked the truck and gently tapped her shoulder.
“Giovanna, we’re here.”
She sat up, rubbing her eyes. “Thanks for the ride, Capone.” She went to grab her doorknob, and I gently grabbed her arm, stopping her. She turned to me in confusion before I hopped out. I walked around the truck and opened her door. Giovanna’s lips stretched into a small smile as she got out of the truck. “Such a gentleman.”
I tucked my lips in, trying to stop the goofy grin that I knew was coming. “Come on. I’ll walk you to your room.” She went to protest but I guess she could see by the look on my face that it wasn’t up for discussion. There were creeps everywhere. I wouldn’t dare drop her off anywhere after midnight and not make sure she made it safely inside.
As we rode the elevator up to her floor, I didn’t take my eyes off her. I felt like I needed to permanently have her face etched in my brain for when she wasn’t around.
When we approached her room, I couldn’t help but pull her into my arms. She stiffened for just a second before she relaxed, hugging me back. Something told me she needed this hug, and the way she squeezed me back told me I was right. She didn’t try pulling away. She just stayed locked into our embrace, resting her head against my chest.
“Thank you. For everything, Capone,” she croaked out, right as I felt my shirt dampen.
“No need to keep thanking me, Sugar. It’s my pleasure. If you want, I can pick you up on my way to the clubhouse in the morning.”
She was quiet for a moment, then she nodded as she pulled away. “That would be great.”
“Okay. I’ll be here around eight. Go on inside. I won't walk away until I hear you lock and bolt the door.”
She smiled sweetly at me before using her key to open the door. Once I heard the lock and bolt, I walked away. By the time I got into my car, I was deep in my thoughts. I didn’t know what the hell was happening to me. Giovanna didn’t even know she had me effortlessly wrapped around her finger.
The next morning,I stood in my kitchen nursing a cup of coffee as Dice barged into my home without knocking. I gave him a key foremergencypurposes only. It seemed that memo went right over his head.
“Dice, how many times do I have to tell you to stop barging in here? I could have had company for all you knew.”
