Page 108 of Hostile Secret
Instinctively, I know this is my man. His divine fresh scent tempts my senses as it always does. Giovanni’s towering posture drips wealth and power. The sort of unsuspecting danger that commands you to your knees so he could either slice your throat or fuck your face.
My pulse skyrockets. Dressed like his eldest brother Tomás, he exudes the sharpness of a mafia don. Yet beneath the expensive suit, I know him to be a brutal sicario.
His hot gaze moves through me like lava—scorching my blood and quickening the pace of every organ.
Broad shoulders blend into the shadows, while his pouted lips are cast in shimmering candlelight. A sinner in the dark.
Even shaded, his enchanting green eyes linger on my flushed face, having dawdled all the way up the form hugging dress he’d bought for me. Slicked back hair, so dark and thick, is combed away from his brow, giving his overall appearance a villainous billionaire vibe. When he removes the mask to reveal his whole face, my heart skips a beat.
I sway, unable to fathom how the depth of his intense stare affects me. How I long for the call of his authority.
“Gio,” I exhale his name.
He tosses the mask onto the couch on his approach. My heart’s pumping so hard. Giovanni has no idea how hard I’ve fallen for him, especially after seeing him like this.
I’ve witnessed him kill his enemies without remorse or regret. His formidable actions strike fear into the hearts of those he slaughters. On the flip side, I’ve found myself safely tucked away in his private domain, next to him in bed, and alongside his son when others believe being close to him was impossible.
A deeply magnetic attraction paralyzes me when he halts before me and reaches for my hand. “You look stunning, baby.” As he speaks, the words pass through his teeth like smoke.
His nefarious aura swirls around us in the ancient library of his territory. It gives me vertigo just being in the same room as him.
The sculpted edge of his scarred cheekbone meets a dark pelt of trimmed stubble to refine his usual edginess. He raises our linked fingers in the air and twirls me around on the spot, then yanks me into his chest.
“Do you like the dress I picked out for you?” His whiskered mouth grazes my ear. I almost convulse at the sensation of his hot breath. “I’d considered a yellow one, but that would have attracted too much attention and we don’t want to ruin your night with a bloodbath. But… now that I see you in my second choice…”
“It’s perfect,” I whisper, shocked at how small my voice sounds next to him.
“When you’re kneeling before me wearing leather and my cum, you’re my slutty little queen.” Giovanni’s bassy rumble raises the temperature. His lips curl into a heart-stopping grin. The rare smile he offers is so seductive—so full of desire. “But tonight, in this dress, you're my beautiful prom queen. I never entertained the hype around prom when I was at school. I’m doing this for you, India.” He shrugs. “You might like this too…”
He pulls a long velvet box from his inside jacket pocket and opens it. I suck in quickly and stare at the exquisite, jeweled tennis bracelet. “They’re canary diamonds because you are my sunshine, baby.” My pulse jumps when he discards the box and cuffs my wrist in a multitude of yellow diamonds. “Are you ready to go to your prom?”
“It was you—you arranged for the masquerade masks… so we could go together—you did that for me?”
“I would do anything for you,” he mumbles, low and sexy, taking his cell phone out of his inside pocket. “We should take a photograph just for us, to remember your special night.”
Snaking his arm around my waist, he holds me tight to his hip and raises his phone. Being this close to him pulls me deeper, making it impossible to come up for air. I’ve dreamed of this moment for so long, never thinking I’d fully realize it with a man like him.
My heart thunders in my chest. I accept that real freedom is a fanciful wish. I’d never be able to run free in the world when my heart is his prisoner.
Side by side, we stare at the camera. I angle into him and wait for him to take the shot. Multiple times, the flash dazzles me before he takes his arm back. Instantly, my body mourns the loss of his warmth, yet I don’t let him see how needy I’ve become.
“Gio, I can’t believe you did all this… for me.”
Inky lashes lift, cutting his gaze from the images of us to my shocked face. “I bought you a pair of sandals too. They're in a box by the fireplace.”
“You did?”
The right corner of his mouth curls up ever so slightly, just enough to dent his cheek with a sexy dimple. There's something in that one look he offers that reveals so much more than lust. The knowledge of it gives me chills.
“Yeah, I had to wait for them to be delivered. They’re custom made… one of a kind. Just like you. Take a seat.”
Confident strides eat up the rug under his Oxfords, stopping at the shoe box. When I’m seated, I take off the sandals I’m wearing and patiently wait for him.
Those vivid eyes of his arrest me as he stalks closer, sets the box on the coffee table, pinches his pants at the knees, and sinks down before me. For a moment, he simply sits and stares, watching me quietly. My nerves jump and my core clenches under his assessment.
This is what it feels like to have the attention of Giovanni Souza—unbalanced and nervous yet protected. Being his sole focus sends shivers down my spine.
“Give me your foot.” There’s an edge to his command that compels me to obey. A wicked vibration of authority and supremacy.
