Page 14 of Did My Heart Love Till Now?

Later that evening, we took off to my family's beach house about an hour away. It was located inside a small, gated community, displaying a beautiful panoramic view of the Atlantic Ocean. The house was one of my favorite places on earth. I had many fond memories of being here as a child. It was a time when my father actually spent time with us. He was mostly removed from the distractions of his job, or so I assumed.

Joey and I strolled into the quiet mansion. My sister and her friend had already gone to the party, which was five houses down the road. I walked around, turning on lights as Joey talked on his phone to a girl in the living room.

When I got upstairs, I strode out onto the balcony off the master bedroom. Leaning on the railing, I closed my eyes listening to the waves crash as they broke close to shore. I inhaled the salty and cool beach air, then exhaled slowly. My thoughts drifted to last night once again. Vivid visions painted my mind like priceless art. My eyelids snapped open, and I searched around wondering if anyone could see inside my head.

“Are you coming?!” Joey yelled from downstairs.

“Yeah, be right there!” I caught my reflection in the mirror, double checking my attire; a black tank top and rolled up, stone-colored, destroyed denim jeans. As always, my rosary hung from my neck. I tucked it in my shirt on the way downstairs.

Joey and I exited out the back and down the short pier to the beach. We trekked through the sand, feeling the resistance in our calves by the time we reached the party. It was massive. There were at least one hundred guests strewn throughout the mansion and resident-only beach. Music was blaring and bodies were pressed on one another dancing inside and outside the home. The jacuzzi was packed to the brim causing water to spill over. A competitive game of water volleyball was taking place in the pool; which I had assume was heated for as chilly as it was outside. Girls cheered them on from the side.

We navigated through the crowd, slithering between groups of people while looking for my sister and Juliet. Suddenly, a hand grabbed my butt. I spun around to see a drunk, blonde woman. She giggled, holding her drink in the air. Joey slipped away, walking toward a bar of drinks.

“Hey! You're Gavino D'Angelo!” She stumbled into me.

Grasping her arms, I stabilized her. “You should go sit down.”

While people like me were free to live as we chose, the public scrutinized us, waiting to see if we did something Mafia or not. It was then, I realized I no longer wanted to be at the party with any of those drunk, easy girls. Internally I was kicking my own ass for the way I left things with Sofia. I did not have her number and I could not go to her house to apologize.

Just as I was debating leaving, another drunk female approached. “I know you!” Slurring her speech over the music, she leaned closer.

Smiling, I shook my head. “Probably not!”

She held her drink out, tapping my chest. “No, no! I do.” She beamed proudly. “You're Gavino! You might not want to be here.” She slid her tongue over her lips.

“Excuse me?” I cocked my head, challenging her to repeat herself. “What do you mean?”

Her mouth fell open excitedly and she pointed to the corner of the room. My eyes darted to the person she was speaking about.

“The enemy!” She spun around, stumbling away.

The goddess was standing with three other girls. One, I recognized. Two, I did not. She sipped on a drink, laughing as if nothing happened between us. Was she not tormented like me? Something was desperately wrong with my mind, and I had to get out of there. I could not get her out of my head. I started to back out of the room when her eyes met mine.

Instantly, her expression hardened, and she averted her gaze. Taking a deep breath, I pursed my lips, backing toward the back door. I rolled my eyes and turned around to leave, passing Joey. He already had his tongue in someone's mouth, so I did not bother him as I made my way to the ocean.

Intimidating darkness surrounded me as the frigid water crept up onto the sand, soaking my feet. I tried to focus on myself, not allowing her to get to me. Having some fun was my priority, and Joey was right. I did need a distraction.

Unfortunately, it was hard to be distracted when the person you're supposed to be distracted from is right there distracting you.

I sighed audibly but it was drowned out by the sound of a wave crashing. I spun around to go back toward the party. There she stood, in a black bikini top, cut off denim shorts and a black oversized sweater that flowed in the breeze as she watched me.

Impulsively, I moved toward her, opening my mouth to speak but I found no words. Nothing I said would sound good spewing from my lips. She pulled her sweater closed, folding her arms in front of it. She shivered as the cold air blew on us.

Reaching out, I placed my hands on her arms, rubbing them up and down, trying to warm her. “I wanted to see you again, I just—”

“This is so wrong. You know that.” She pinned her bottom lip between her teeth for a moment. “Us, I mean.”

I nodded. “Yeah, I know but—”

“The last thing I want is a war between our families.”

“As opposed to the current one?” Chuckling, I tugged her into my body. I enveloped my arms around her waist.

The minute he pulled me into his embrace, I felt safe. Despite the hatred our families shared for one another, I wanted him. He gripped his fingers on my hips, gazing into my eyes with what I guessed to be lust. I did not care why he wanted me. I completely melted at his touch.

His cool fingertips poked through the large openings in my sweater. My soul yearned for him, and I needed to feel his skin against mine again. Leaning forward, I wrapped my arms around his waist lightly kissing his chest through his shirt. He tensed up. His hold strengthened on my sides as he dug his fingers into my flesh.

The aroma of his cologne and the sea air enthralled me. I breathed him in entirely, memorizing his scent; slightly woodsy with a hint of citrus. As I slightly lifted the back of his shirt, my fingers made contact with his gun. I froze. He jumped back and I quickly withdrew my hands.

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