Page 61 of Hostile Secret
“I thought we’d go to a nearby shooting range this afternoon.” Giovanni’s deep voice startles me.
“Holy shit, Gio!” I swipe a mound of suds away from my face, running my hands over the top of my head to make sure I’m not wearing a foamy crown. “Don’t you know how to knock?”
My eyes lock with his, finding him sitting in the velvet armchair beside the bath dressed in a simple black Hugo Boss t-shirt and fitted jeans.
His elbows rest on his knees; his spine arched to bring his head in line with his hands. This man is gorgeous. “I don’t need to knock. This is my place, remember?”
Daenis sits at his feet, staring up at him as if she’s fallen in love. Poor thing. When her nose nudges his fingers and she licks them, he just sits there and continues to ignore her.
“Stop flirting with the old man, Dae-Dae. He’s a heartless asshole.”
“Look who’s jealous of a dog.” He gives a rough laugh. “That reminds me…”
“Of what?”
“I said I’d lick your ass, but we got distracted.”
I scowl at him, my cheeks hot pink. “I’d like some privacy, please.”
He sits back and flicks his ankle up to his opposite knee. “And I’d like you to climb out of the bath and come with me. You want to get out of Blackwater for a while, don’t you?” I nod slowly. “My brother seems to think you have a decent aim.”
“A decent aim?” I snort. “Are you feeling threatened by my shooting skills, Giovanni Souza?”
A ghost of a smirk tugs at the corners of his lips. “A Souza should always know how to fire a gun efficiently. I’m interested to see how good your aim is.”
“And what if I do have a better aim than you?” I waggle my brows at him.
“Is that a challenge?”
My heart pounds. “Yeah. I bet you a hundred dollars I can match every shot you take.”
“I don’t need your money,” he replies with an air of unrivaled confidence, casually checking his wristwatch. “Let’s go. I’ve paid the range master a few thousand dollars to fuck off. He’ll have everyone out by the time we get there, so you won’t have an audience to see you lose. How about that for privacy?”
I make a face at him and seize the opportunity to strike a deal. “If I beat you, I get to go to prom.”
There’s a tick in his coarse haired jaw as my request settles in the humid air. “You won’t—andpromis out of the question period.”
I let out a growl before sitting upright in the water, my eyes dropping to his fisted hands. “This is my life you’re messing with, Giovanni.” My eyes narrow on his gorgeous face. “All of my friends are going to prom in Miami. We’d talked about it for months. It’s a big deal to me. The least you could do is let me go to the prom the seniors are organizing in Thornhill. I’d pick a guy to go with as a friend.”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Get out of the bath.” He orders on a raspy snarl, his spine snapping straight and his teeth bared.
My blood is boiling and adrenaline is pumping through my veins. “I won’t kiss him or anything.” I add quickly.
I suck in sharply when he rises like a storm on the horizon, seizes my throat, and forces me to stand. My chin is shelved between his thumb and firmly positioned forefinger, hitched high so I can’t look anywhere other than at him.
He’s not strangling me, but he is controlling my accelerated heart rate and forcing his authority on me.
Water spills over the edge of the tub and haphazard droplets splash in every direction—afraid of his temper. My skin prickles from leaving the warm water even though my blood is on fire.
I’m not scared, though, so I narrow my eyes and level him with a stare. “You’re beyond overprotective. You should learn to trust me.”
He bends over the edge of the tub to get closer, his perfect sharp nose almost brushing mine.
“No escort. No prom. No trust where horny fucking high school boys are concerned.”
