Page 3 of (UN)Bounded

“Isa! Oh, my God. Who’s that man you were talking to? He’s so hot!” Ana says as she takes the seat where Gabo was a moment ago.

A mischievous smile forms on my face as I tell her, “He’s my sister-in-law’s brother.”

Ana raises an eyebrow and crosses her arms for good measure.

“You guys, he’s one of my brother’s best friends,” I tell her as she looks at me like, so what? “He lives in Italy, and he’s way older.” I’m trying to come up with things that I think are either red flags or that would help her understand why I shouldn’t go there with Gabo, but all I get is a blank expression on her face.

“I mean, if you don’t like him, that’s fine. But no one here is talking about marrying the man. A simple roll in the sheets with him would do,” Luisa says as she joins the table.

Apparently, we’ve been louder than I thought.

“Yeah, the fact that he’s older only makes him hotter,” Ana adds. “A man who knows what to do in bed, not a boy who comes at the sight of you naked.” She rolls her eyes and scrunches her face in disgust.

I can’t contain the laugh that comes out of me. “Nothing is going to happen between us. I’m not even the relationship type, anyways. And besides, he only sees me as Luca’s little sister.”

“That’s not how it seemed from afar.” Ana lowers her voice so no one else can hear her, and Luisa solemnly nods.

“I’m sure you guys were just imagining things.” I dismiss their observation and take a bite of my salad next.

When the girls don’t say anything back, I release a long breath.

The party is in full swing: there’s a band, and the buffet has been replaced by a cocktail bar. I scan the patio for my brother Gio—I want to spend as much time as possible with him before he has to go back to the United States—when I find a pair of beautiful, dark brown eyes trained on me. His stare is intense, and if I didn’t know better, I’d say that Gabo Godoy was looking at his next prey. Instead of lowering his gaze, he starts walking toward me. He’s wearing dark wash jeans and a black sweater that stretches along his chest, deliciously tracing his abs.

“I just wanted to say goodbye before leaving.”

The way he looked at me, those weren’t the words I expected to come out of his mouth. I can’t hide my shock fast enough because he laughs and tries to cover it with a cough.

“I’m leaving early for Bologna and figured I’d spend the night chatting with my parents. It’s something I don’t get to do often.”

I lower my gaze at his explanation; I don’t want him to see how jealous I am that he gets to do that.

“Anyway, here is my contact info. Think about going to Italy for the summer. Of course, you don’t have to stay with me, but I can be a point of contact if you need me.” Gabo hands me his card and hugs me as his rich, deep chuckle sends a shot of lust through me—right to my core.

What is he chuckling about? No idea, but all I know is that tonight, I’ll be replaying this encounter in my mind as I use my vibrator.

Feeling flushed by his mere presence, I remove myself from his embrace and give him a little wave.

Ugh, he must think I’m such a child.

The smile he gives me is downright panty-melting: it’s so intense and masculine—just like him. With a nod, he makes his way to the parking lot. That’s where I see Gio pacing back and forth with a huge smile on his face while on the phone. I decide to leave him be and go in search of my friends.

Tonight, I’ll be the twenty-two-year-old girl I’ve been craving to be. I can think about my future another day.

Chapter 1

Isabella Bianchi

It’s been two months since graduation, and I finally feel like I have a strong enough plan to move forward with my life. Karina encouraged me to take time to do nothing and enjoy the calm before the storm in the proverbial sense.

“You need to enjoy life, babe. If I hadn’t met your brother when I did, I would have most likely traveled a bit before settling back in Alamo Peaks to help with the family’s vineyard.”

“Do you wish you had met Luca later in life?” I ask curiously. All I know about these two is once they gave in to each other, they have been inseparable.

“Oh, God, no. I’m thankful I’ve been able to travel the world with the love of my life. To enjoy every single thing with him, you know? Waking up next to him every day is the best feeling in the world, and I’m lucky I found him early in life.”

My heart warms at her words; I love seeing her so happy with my brother. I know he feels the exact same way, but I don’t think that kind of love is in the cards for me. I don’t want to start a family and then regret having had kids and leave them abandoned to fulfill my greedy dreams.

After my chat with Gabo at my graduation party, my interest was definitely piqued about spending the summer in Italy. When he mentioned he lives in Bologna, I did some research—okay, some Googling—and was pleasantly surprised by what I found out. Bologna is not only a relatively big city in northern Italy that is rich in history and art, but it’s also a hub for the mechanical and financial industries with a vibrant city life. On paper, it definitely looks like the perfect spot for me to spend a summer full of art, history, and good food. And the best part: it’s a short drive away from the beach.

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