Page 32 of Giovanni
“Sort of. I just want you to know that this isn’t a one-time thing. I really like you and want to keep seeing you both as your trainer and your man.”
His words hang in the air, heavy with sincerity. I search his face, looking for any sign of uncertainty, but all I find is earnestness. Giovanni’s expression is open and vulnerable as he lays his feelings bare. He reaches out to brush my sweaty hair, his touch gentle yet electrifying.
“Trainer and my man,” I repeat softly, testing out the words on my lips.
The thought of continuing this thrilling experience with him is tempting and precisely what I had hoped for. Surprise, happiness, a touch of apprehension—all swirling inside me.
“Really?” I manage to say, my voice a whisper.
His hand gives my ass a quick squeeze as confirmation.
“Really. I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t mean it. I’ve felt something between us since the beginning, and tonight . . . it just confirmed what I’ve been feeling.”
His confession sends a warm rush through me. Hearing that he wants more than just a fleeting night of passion, that he sees this as something ongoing, is both thrilling and overwhelming. Looking into his eyes, I see his genuine affection and care for me, easing any lingering doubts.
“I want to keep seeing where this goes.”
My voice grows steadier with each word.
His face breaks into a relieved smile, and he pulls me close for another kiss. This one is different from the first—it’s a kiss filled with promise, with the excitement of a future we’re both eager to explore. When he leaves me breathless, we settle back into our same positions, intertwined in each other.
“I feel as if I can tell you anything, and you’d understand,” he says with a spontaneity that makes me a little cautious.
Men generally feel closer to women after coitus, having been witness to enough criminal confessions where it’s usually after the act when dark secrets are revealed. I wait with bated breath.
“I attempt to reserve judgment until I know all the facts.”
I keep my answer neutral with a hint of support, wondering where this leads and hoping it’s not illicit or illegal. The silence grows between us as I stare into his dark eyes, which flicker to something behind me. Long seconds pass, and just as I’m about to press him on it, he starts talking.
“I don’t want to be a doctor. There I said it.”
A huge exhalation rumbles out of him and caresses my face. Not exactly what I was expecting, probably better than where my mind usually goes, but I’m missing all the facts to understand why this weighs so heavily on him.
“Um, okay.”
I roll my lips together as my mind decides how to take this.
“Why don’t you tell me more about this.”
Putting my interrogator hat on, I balance on one elbow as I flip onto my stomach for a more comfortable position. The ceiling fan, necessary while we were going at it, is becoming cool against my skin, and I reach for the covers.
He picks up on my discomfort immediately and pulls them up to my nape while he remains uncovered. His body’s heat is extraordinary. I think it has to do with all his muscles keeping him warm outside of the intense physical activity we just conducted.
“I’m taking a gap year. You know what that is, right?”
His thumb slides across my bottom lip, stopping at the corner of my mouth before smiling.
“Sorry, your lips are perfect, and I just wanted to feel how soft they were again.”
I pucker my lips and kiss the pad of his thumb before he removes it.
“Yes, I do know about gap years. I didn’t know you were taking one, though.”
If I could have afforded to take one, I would have. The time spent going from my undergraduate directly into law school while working was exhausting and racking up far more hours than I put in now at the office. I don’t blame him for taking one, whether he’s going to medical school or not, from the sounds of it.
“Yeah, but my family keeps pressuring me about the MCAT, and I haven’t taken it yet. I don’t want to even though I did well in school, graduating summa cum laude.”
He takes a deep breath before diving deeper into his deliberation.
