AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You have a fucking delicious ass,” he teased, squinting one eye open and looking me up and down. I reached into the warm water and splashed him, before waltzing out the bathroom and into his grand bedroom to hide my smile.
“Can I borrow a top?” I shouted over my shoulder as I took a few steps towards what looked to be a walk-in wardrobe.
“At this rate, you will own them all,” he shouted back from the bath and I giggled. Well, that was a lie. As I entered his beautifully designed dressing room and saw the neatly hung shirts, T-shirts, trousers, gym wear and coats, I realised I had quite a choice. Heading to the rack of T-shirts, I riffled through them, enjoying the many interesting prints, different fabrics and styles as well as casual polos. He was clearly a man who enjoyed fashion. Another noteworthy thing about him. My list was growing. Most men in his position would only ever have a wardrobe of tailored designer suits, mainly in black, white and grey. I was always nagging Giovanni to let me take him shopping. Try to get him out of his usual black shirt and trouser combo.
I pulled out a plain salmon pink T-shirt and quickly lifted it over my head, allowing the towel to fall to my feet. I couldn’t help but take a small inhale of his alluring scent as it brushed my nose. The shirt was baggy enough that it covered my ass, but I still felt too exposed to walk around without underwear. I opened one of his drawers and found a huge collection of expensive watches and jewellery. It took a few attempts to locate a pair of his boxers.
When I walked back into his bedroom, I froze at the sight before me. There he was, standing in the doorway of the bathroom, a white towel hugging his hips, showing impressive tan lines and the most shredded torso I had ever seen in my life. Drops of water glistened on his chest and zigzagged down his abs into the low, forbidden area of that towel. I licked my lips without even realising as I watched one drop disappear into that deep V.
When my eyes managed to trail back up to his, my own relentless desire was mirrored in those aqua gems. It seemed he liked what he saw standing before him just as much as I liked what I was seeing before me. The atmosphere in the room had intensified to scorching heights. How was I supposed to resist this man? A man who had just come to my rescue hours ago, who had consoled me and made me feel safe in his arms. The last man in the world who should have done that and yet he had.
A knock on the door made me jump and Alessio narrowed his eyes at the intrusion. He stormed towards it, yanking it open as I moved over to the large window to take in the calming scenery of Sicily. I heard low murmurs from behind me and the familiarity of Zia Flo’s voice. When I turned, she had entered the room with two silver, domed platters and placed them on the small table by the window.
“Grazie Flo,” I smiled as she straightened her back and pulled out a bottle of white wine from her apron and two glasses. She reminded me of Mary Poppins with that thing on, delving into the deep pockets to expose God knows what.
“I thought you might like to try some of Alessio’s wine from the vineyard?” she asked as he strolled past her and into the dressing room without saying a word.
“I would love to.”
“Thought so,” she smiled, opening the bottle and pouring it into two glasses. I sat down in one of the fluffy armchairs next to the table and reached for the glass. “No. No. Wait for Alessio! He likes to see people’s true reactions to their first taste.”
“Okay,” I sat back and waited as Flo hovered with a smile. It felt like she wanted to say something. Something more but was holding herself back. “Thank you for your reassurance earlier, Flo.”
She waved her hand dismissively. “No need to thank me, dolcezza. I meant what I said. Alessio will never let anyone hurt you again, I promise. I know you have every right not to trust him now and I don’t blame you, but he is a good boy deep down. He has a beautiful soul. It is just a shame he doesn’t let anyone see it.”
“And you are biased,” his voice filled the room and I looked up to see him stride in dominantly, wearing only a pair of grey sweatpants. Oh my! Lord have mercy.
“Maybe. But it doesn’t mean it isn’t true,” Flo quirked her eyebrow up at him suggestively. “I shall leave you both to eat in peace. I’ll see you at breakfast.”
She turned and left the room, closing the door softly behind her.
“She is a wonderful woman,” I announced, trying to keep us in neutral territory that wouldn’t result in me losing all sense of logic right now and pouncing on this man. It was all my filthy mind had been focused on for the last hour.
He took a seat opposite me on the identical chair and picked up his glass of wine, taking a sip before he replied, “She is.”
“She told me, she was your nanny as a child,” I stated, leaning forward and grabbing my glass. I inhaled over the rim and closed my eyes as the smell of a delicate floral aroma filled my senses.
“She was,” he replied, just as curt. I opened my eyes to see him watching me with intensity. “Try the wine.”
“Please,” I jeered sarcastically and his left eye twitched. I swallowed as he held my gaze and I realised that he was battling his own predatory urges right now. I averted my gaze and took a sip of the chilled wine. My mouth exploded with the delightful zest of citrus as well as a distinct depth of rose flavour. It was gorgeous.
“Wow,” I stared across at him. “This is such good wine.”
“You sound surprised,” a small shadow of a smile curved at his lips and he drank more of his own.
“I am a little. I mean… not just the wine. You too,” I replied honestly. He cocked his head to the side and studied me.
“I surprise you?”
I scoffed, nodding enthusiastically. “Er, yeah. You are nothing like other mafia men I have met. Or even know. This house. The other businesses. The wine.” I held my glass up in the air. “The clothing label. You don’t dress the same. The little mannerisms you have. You don’t wear shoes! I don’t know. Surprising is the best word for it.”
Oh my god, Elle. Stop talking. Was the wine already going to my head? How strong was this stuff? I was making a complete tit of myself. I avoided his gaze as he continued to stare and I continued to drink. The loaded silence filled the space between as I racked my brain to try and think of something normal to say.
“You really can’t get over the shoe thing, can you?” he suddenly asked so seriously that I burst out laughing, spraying my mouthful of wine across the table at him.
He chuckled and wiped his chest, which was now covered in my backwash, as I slammed my hand over my mouth. “I am so sorry!”
“If you wanted to lick it off of me, you only had to ask,” he teased and I held up my middle finger at him, causing his eyes to sparkle with amusement. He leaned forward and grabbed his bowl of pasta off the table. “I’m starving and Flo makes the best seafood linguine. You should try it before it gets cold.”
