Page 26 of Twisted Obsession

‘I can see it from both sides,’ Dante admitted.

‘You can?’ I was thrilled. At least one of the men in my life appeared to have a more modern outlook. ‘I’m also due back in Bologna at the end of this week to work with my music professor. I haven’t even broached that subject yet.’

‘One day, I’d like to hear you play.’

‘I’d like that too.’ My heartrate began to quicken, and my skin felt flushed as I remembered his touch.

The sound of running water found me.

‘Giovanna, I’m going to put you on speaker. No one will hear you. I’m in need of a shower. Is that alright?’

‘Hmmm… okay.’ Suddenly my mouth felt dry as my imagination ran riot. I’d felt the firmness of his arms and chest under the button down he’d been wearing the previous day—was it really only the day before? And I could only imagine how good the man looked undressed with water running off him.

I had no idea why, but the thought of even talking to him while he shed his clothes and stepped under the shower spray, made my body ache in places I knew I’d never felt before.

I jumped, as what I could only assume was the metal from his belt connected with the tiled floor beneath his feet and I lifted my spare hand to hold onto the footboard at the bottom of my bed to steady myself.

‘So, tell me about your day?’ he questioned, between splashing water on his face and rubbing vigorously.

With careful precision I took him through my day. Also, I let him know that my papa had finally found his way home and was now sleeping off the alcohol that he appeared to need constantly these days to dull the edges of his life. All in all, I tried as hard as I could to sound as nonchalant as possible. All the while listening for any sounds that would give me a clue as to just where his hands were touching and washing at any given minute, and trying hard to forget just how good he had smelt yesterday.

‘I practised my piece.’ I nodded animatedly, knowing he couldn’t see me but wanting my words to sound as though I felt perfectly normal.

‘That’s good. Did it go well?’

I proceeded to expand enthusiastically, while I tried to ignore that each of my senses weren’t trained on his every movement and the noises he seemed to be absentmindedly making.

Glancing at myself again, I grimaced a little back at my reflection.

Little did Dante know, but after I’d eaten a little fruit for breakfast on the large patio outside the expansive saloon, gleaning as much information as I could about Nonno from Jeanine and listening as fleetingly as possible about my mama’s woes, I’d come in and chosen an outfit especially for him. Even though I knew he wouldn’t see me wearing it. Cream capri pants, a camel coloured, sleeveless silk vest and a pair of strappy sandals. My outfit fitted my figure to perfection and gave me an air of confidence. I’d given next to no thought to the fact I was dressing for a man who I hadn’t a clue when I’d next see, if ever again.

‘Stupid,’ I whispered to myself as I caught sight of my reflection again in the open French door leading from my room. Dante wasn’t going to see it. What the hell had I been thinking? I’d even added a final flourish, by tying a colourful scarf around my hair as an Alice band, so it fell in long waves down my back. I could still picture the way Dante had looked at my hair at the party we’d attended and had seen how his hand had lifted once or twice as if he was desperate to feel a strand between his fingers.

‘Sorry?’ he questioned, and as I realised that the water had stopped my head was full of visuals of Dante drying himself off with a towel, which had stolen away any chance I might have had to think straight.

‘Nothing, I just lost an earring and can’t see it,’ I lied. ‘Are you going back out again to search?’ I blinked a couple of times to clear my head.

‘I will be. But first my mum is feeding me pasta and meatballs, and then I’m going to church.’

‘You are?’ I tried to hide the surprise in my tone.

‘Don’t sound so surprised.’ He laughed, and I felt his laughter travel through me.

‘Sorry… I just didn’t think…’

‘I get it. I spend most of my time in London, and you’re right I only go to church when my parents visit. But given the situation and the fact Mia does go to church often, I want to go today.’

‘I can understand that. I think I’d like to go too.’

‘Meet me there.’

A flutter of excitement travelled through me. Surely, Salvatore wouldn’t refuse me a visit to church.

‘I want to see you, amore mio. I want to hold and comfort you. To be the one who washes away the unshed tears from your eyes. But most of all I want to kiss you again.’

‘In church?’ I cursed the minute the question left my mouth. It had not so subtle hysteria and shock wrapped around its tone.

‘In church,’ he countered, sounding amused.

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