Page 10 of Hostile Secret
My heart sinks when I pick a seat near the rear. I’m not really part of their family. Eventually, as time passes, I’d fade into the background and the Souzas would forget all about me.
Giovanni dumps my bag on the floor and kicks it beneath the couch. He slides into a seat far enough away to give me space, but close enough to still pose a threat. I can see his handsome face and he can see mine.
So I clamp my headphones over my ears and scroll through my playlist while the pilot prepares for takeoff. Closing my eyes, I let the music transport me away from this unfair situation and into a world where I’m going to prom with the cute guy I fancy at my school.
Zac had never officially asked me to go with him, probably because he was shit scared of my brother. It didn’t help that I’d vanished before he had the chance to consider it a possibility.
Later, I jolt as we hit a spot of turbulence. My eyes blink open, taking in my surroundings. I must have fallen asleep and have no idea how long I was out for.
When I focus, my stomach knots. Giovanni’s gaze is lowered, his eyes directed at the woman crouched before him, on her knees––presumably sucking his dick, because her head is bobbing up and down in his lap.
My eyes betray me as they lock onto his handsome face. Instinct tells me to look away or squeeze my eyes shut again, but I’d rather study the formation of his lips. How they’re slightly parted as he watches her, his expression void of emotion, yet offering his undivided attention.
The changing light darkens the coarse hair on his jaw, so his appearance is a bit more wolfish. And just as I try to understand where this new fascination has come from, his lashes flick up and he stares right at me.
Our gazes fuse. His eyes are intense and voracious, while mine are curiously snared.
My mouth dries, becoming breathless when he doesn't break eye contact. There’s no hiding the fact he’s getting sucked off a few seats away, nor does he care that it’s visible.
In fact, I’d swear it's my observation of him that appears to flicker intrigue in his extraordinary eyes.
He slowly nips his bottom lip, his gaze pinning me to the seat as a voyeur. I'm breathless, caught in a trap.
Music is thundering in my ears. The secretive Souza brother who gives nothing away is pulling me into a disorienting vortex as theAustin Georgesong, ‘Good Times',explodes around me, making my heart beat faster.
Filthy heat pumps through my veins. I’m tingling from head to toe.
I clench my jaw shut, ignoring how my pulse skips. His plump lip pops free, close to a release. When his dominant fingers roughly secure the woman's head in place, a gasp escapes me. The sight of him taking control sets off microscopic fireworks all over me.
I shouldn’t… feel so… horny.
He’s using his unwavering confidence against me in a disconcerting game.
Pulling myself together, I muster the willpower to drag my eyes to the empty seat next to him and pretend I’m not interested as the lyrics to the next song fail to distract me.
I’m in big trouble.
Giovanni’s persona is the most perplexing of all. And somehow the dynamics are different between us now. Since our physical fight, he’d evidently taken the upper hand and earned the ability to knot my stomach with just one glance.
Something I’ve never witnessed from a man before––or him. I should be freaking out by the switch, except for some crazy reason he both captivates and provokes me in equal measure.
Fully aware he’s coming in the flight attendant's mouth; my thoughts turn dark. The knowledge of what she's offering him leads me to a place I’d never expected to visit. I’m riddled with jealousy and burning up for a release of my own.
This is messed up. I scoop Daenis out of the opposite seat and cradle her in my arms, nuzzling her warm fur with my nose to settle my racing heartbeat. I close my eyes and breathe deeply. She’s the best service dog ever, calming my anxiety.
But when I finally lift my lashes, Giovanni is sitting in front of me, his zipper pulled up like nothing had happened except for the flashes of remembrance living rent free in my mind.
The unfair closeness confuses me to the point I’m dizzy. Unforgivable tingles scatter along my scalp, the heat of his stare raising my temperature.
“What?” I manage to grit out. “Why are you staring at me, Gio?”
The quick snap of his thick brows tells me his patience levels are low. “We need to establish a few rules and set some boundaries, niñita.”
4
GIOVANNI
“Quit calling me that,” she mutters. “I’m a woman.”
