Unraveled (Guzzi Duet Book 1)(14)

His laugher came out rumbling and thick. Another one of his sexy sounds. “Do I?”

“Yeah,” Cara admitted.

“Could I convince you on breakfast and coffee? Nothing more, I promise.”

Cara didn’t believe him, but still said, “Maybe.”

His hand twisted into her curls, and Cara sighed with a smile before Gian pressed a quick kiss to her temple. Just the heat of his body, and the glimpse of his fit form leaning over hers, was enough to send her spinning right back to memories of the night before. Then, his kiss to her temple moved to the tip of her nose, soft and sweet, before dropping down to her mouth. She could plainly feel the hard length of his erection pressing into her thigh, but as fast as he had rolled onto her to kiss her, he moved away.

“No convincing needed—breakfast and coffee it is, and then you can go, Cara.”

She nodded from the sea of white heaven that was his bed. “You really do make it hard.”

Gian smirked. “Clearly not hard enough, unfortunately.”

If only he knew …

“Your clothes are … somewhere,” Gian muttered, rolling over and sliding out of the bed with ease. “Sorry about that.”

Cara snorted. “Probably the hallway.”

“I’ll have the coffee ready by the time you find it all and get dressed.”

She could manage that.

Surely.

Gian moved easily through his bedroom, picking up a dress shirt and slacks as he went. He didn’t even bother to put them on, staying naked like he didn’t have a single fuck to give in the world. Not that he had to cover up, Cara mused, as his body was a work of art that needed to be appreciated in the light of day.

Once he was gone, Cara went in search of her clothes. Like she thought, she found most of it in the hallway, but her heels and panties were very close to the front door.

God.

It had been worth it, though.

Cara headed for the kitchen once she had made herself decent, only to find Gian wasn’t there, and no coffee or food was in the works. But as quickly as she realized Gian was not in the kitchen, she heard his footsteps approach from behind her.

She turned fast on her heel, thinking he was up to his tricks again.

Cara came face to face with heartache. Gian looked like heartache.

“Gian?” she asked.

He stared at her for a moment, running a hand through the slightly-longer bit of dark hair at the top of his head. In his other hand, he held a cell phone.

“Rain check on the coffee, at least?” He tried to smile, but he ended up with a frown, anyway. “I know that’s not what you agreed to.”

“A rain check?” Cara asked faintly.

“I’ll call you a cab, if that’s all right. I have to head out.”

“Is something wrong?”

Cara knew better than to ask.

She should have taken this saving grace for what it was, and run with it. Whatever happened, it would get her out of Gian’s penthouse quicker than before, and maybe she could leave her strange feelings behind with it. A part of her didn’t really want that, though.

“My grandfather,” Gian said, glancing down at the phone in his hand, “was murdered this morning, when he stood in front of the terrace windows of the room he uses at my parents’ mansion. Sniper shot to the head—dead before he hit the ground—and he didn’t see it coming.”

Cara’s body grew cold all over. “I’m sorry.”

What else could she say?

She knew far too well how this life took and took and took, but rarely ever gave back.

“Rain check,” Gian repeated.

Cara nodded. “Rain check.”

Someday.





“A shame, that’s what it is. Dio. Rest his soul.”

Cara tried to brush off the mutterings of her uncle, but given the way her aunt passed her a false smile and rolled her eyes, this clearly wasn’t a first-time thing.

“It’s good to see you, dear,” Daniele said, taking Cara’s coat.

Constantino came into the house behind her, not even bothering to say hello. He passed his suit jacket off to his mother before she asked for it, and he disappeared down the hallway, likely heading for his father.

“Don’t mind the men this week—they’re a bit off,” her aunt muttered, shooting a glare in the direction her son had gone.

It had been three days since Cara spent the night with Gian Guzzi, and she had not heard a single word from him, about him, or his family. She had come home from school to find a message on her voice mail from her aunt, asking her over for dinner.

She knew what Daniele wanted, and while it irritated Cara to feed into the whims of others, she went. Her aunt meant no harm, she only wanted to check up on Cara and likely make sure she was still amongst the living.

“Food is nearly ready,” her aunt said, “so I hope you’re hungry.”

Cara almost asked if her aunt was going to report her state back to her mother, or even her brother, but thought better of it. No need to be rude to the only family she had left around, even if she would rather keep a distance, given her uncle and cousin’s involvement with the mafia.

“Sure, Zia,” Cara replied, “I’m starved.”

Then, her uncle’s voice boomed through the house again, making her aunt sigh heavily.