Page 23 of (UN)Bounded

Buon Giorno, Principessa.

I’m looking forward to having dinner with you tonight. No need to cook; I have it all figured out.

-Gabo

I mean, this man couldn’t leave fast enough last week, and now here he is being an outstanding host and letting me know he has dinner covered.

Am I overthinking this? Or is Gabo really putting in an effort to spend time with me?

“Earth to Isabella,” Giacomo says as he snaps his fingers in my face. The action startles me, and I jump in my seat, which makes Giacomo laugh.

“Sorry, I was lost in thought. What were you saying?”

“I was telling you how much fun I’ve had having coffee with you, and I was about to ask if you would like a repeat some time soon.” I smile at him. I don’t want to make him feel bad; he’s a good guy, but I don’t feel anything. I enjoy chatting with him, but the spark I feel lighting up my insides every time I’m near Gabo is nowhere to be found.

“Thank you so much for this, but I really need to get going. I’ll see you tomorrow at class, yeah? Bye,” I say as I stand up and start walking to where Aldo and Rocco are waiting for me, three tables from where I was sitting with Giacomo.

“So is that a yes about the repeat?” Giacomo shouts, and I roll my eyes.

“I’ll see you later,” I reply without looking at him. Aldo and Rocco fall into step with me. I hope Giacomo takes the hint.

Gabo has taken up residence in my mind, and there doesn’t seem to be room for anyone else.

Chapter 8

Gabo Godoy

“So how was Ibiza? Any hot models?” Dominic, one of my closest friends and business partner, asks, coffee in hand, as he enters my office first thing Monday morning. The events of the weekend immediately flood my mind.

I ended up leaving my brother in Ibiza and headed back to Italy the moment Rocco mentioned Bella decided to stay with Gio. I’ve had a couple of scares since being publicly proclaimed as a billionaire, and I know Gio doesn’t have a security detail like I do. The man continues working at a public university in the United States, for crying out loud.

It’s not only that I don’t trust she’ll be safe with her brother; I just don’t want to continue being an idiot. I want to see, once and for all, if I’m imagining things or if I truly have a thing for my best friends’ little sister. If I do, I need to be all-in from the get-go; I can’t screw this up. It wouldn’t just do a number on Bella; it would ruin my friendship with Gio and Luca for life.

Finding them wasn’t hard—I might have had a tail on them. Sue me. The moment I saw Bella with her carefree smile and relaxed posture as she walked down the pier with Gio, a pang of jealousy hit my chest. I needed to be the one enjoying her company, not him. Maybe that makes me an asshole—Gio is her brother, after all—but I want this summer to be about me and her. Getting to know each other, learning what makes her tick, what makes her sad, so I can erase it from the face of the earth. I need to see if this feeling that has invaded my brain is genuine or if it’s a simple infatuation.

The moment Brenda approached me, I tried as hard as I could not to flinch; I really didn’t want to make her feel bad, but she was a one-night stand, nothing more. I thought Bella would get jealous and possessive, but to my surprise, she didn’t react. It might be a sign of maturity, or it’s a sign that she doesn’t give a fuck about me. I hope it’s the first. But when I placed my hand on the small of her back and she leaned into me, I couldn’t help the dumbass smile that spread across my face.

Gio ended up leaving this morning, so Bella spent last night at the hotel with him. Even though we had a great time in Rimini, I wish I could’ve spent more time with Bella. I need to take her back to the beach soon; it’s the most fun I’ve had there in years. Seeing her happy made me happy.

I snap back to the conversation when I see Dom staring at me. “ I think Vicente met a couple of women, yeah.”

“What? Vicente? Your grumpy asshole of a brother hooked up with a model, but you didn’t? I should have gone on that trip.” Dom shakes his head.

“Yeah, yeah. You’re a good friend. But not even your persuasive methods could sway me from my plan,” I inform him as I fall into step with him. Our weekly team meeting is about to start in the main conference room at my firm building.

“Good friend? I’ll have you know I’m your best friend. Heck, your only friend on this side of the world. And if what I’m thinking is accurate, I might be your one and only friend left after your dick damages your friendship with the Bianchis.”

I hate it when he has a point.

“Good thing my dick won’t damage anything. It’d only solidify our relationship.”

Dom stops in his tracks, and I wince as I replay my words in my head.

“Sorry, that sounded creepy as fuck. But you know what I mean. I simply want to see if there’s anything beyond desire with Bella. I won’t fuck up my friendship with Luca and Gio just to get my dick wet. I’ll wine her and dine her before we get to that part.”

“You’re an idiot. I just hope this doesn’t backfire.” He pats my back as we get our seats, getting ready for the weekly meeting.

“Good morning, everyone. What’s good today?” I ask no one in particular. One of the summer interns raises her hand hesitantly, and I motion for her to speak.

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