Chapter 66: Chapter 66

C H A P T E R - - - - T W E N T Y - - - - E I G H T

In the early hours of the morning, I woke up to the heat of Falcone at my back and a glimmer of light in the sky.

Damn.

Carefully but swiftly, I moved out from beneath him, managed to get off the bed, grabbed my underwear, and dashed to the restroom. I put them on, walked to my thermostat after using the restroom, and then I put them on. It was set to go down quite low at night and was on a timer. Long time passed before it became active. Going to my office, I turned it up. After setting up the toss pillows on the couch's armrest, I stretched out and covered myself with my chenille throw. The home wouldn't become warm right away.

Although the chenille was very soft and pleasant to curl up beneath while watching TV, it wasn't particularly warm.

My thoughts as I lay there trying to figure out how to escape my current situation were racing. I could see Finn, but that may send the wrong signals, and I needed to deal with myself first. I could tell Magtanggol about Falcone, but it could be hard to explain why I let him to fuck me after he broke in.

Hmm. Very bad.

Falcone threatened to pursue me even if I remained at Ryan and Mic's house.

Melinda and Dad had returned home, but Falcone had already shown that he could and would break into their home. Enrico was in a safe apartment building on the seventh story, but I believed Falcone could get past the security system or scale the walls.

Hmm. More unfavorable.

Then, completely against my choice, I began to imagine Simone Cabrera passing away in anticipation of seeing her niece or nephew be born since she adored her brother.

I recognized that.

Because Falcone allowed love to steer her away from prudence and bring their kid into it—something a mother should never do—I could also see Falcone's anguish becoming to rage. I could also imagine how loving her would cause him to experience severe guilt as his sorrow over her passing would mingle with rage. An innocent choice, but he foresaw the risk and cautioned her against it; she disregarded his advice, and the happy, lovely family in the picture he gave me was no more. Poof! He was hundreds of miles away, but he still remembered their farewell, and he went to work without realizing it was the final memory they would ever make.

He was thousands of miles away and Simone and Sophie had been dead for days. Falcone, who had unlimited control over every aspect of his life, was hundreds of miles away, helpless, and entirely separated.

I made an effort not to consider it. I made an effort to focus on methods to keep him out of my life and prevent him from hurting me once more, but all that was in my thoughts was that image.

He had remarked, "You weren't moving, Gia."

Firebombs. Drive-bys. Kidnappings. He had experienced everything with me.

And after witnessing Mark Capuno remove my inert body from my home, he made the decision never to return, and, damn it all to hell, who could blame him?

I entered the room whispering "Shit," bent my knees to my chest, buried my hands under my cheeks, and felt the heat soak into my home.

I then dozed off again.

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I was softly pulled down on my knees, which made me awake.

When I felt Falcone's hips slipping into the curve of mine, my eyes opened, and they moved up to meet his as he was perched on the edge of my couch.

He extended his hand and moved the hair away from my shoulder before placing a warm, curving fingers on my neck.

He muttered, "Not a huge fan of bein' the cause you're curled into a protective ball, darling."

He seemed dissatisfied despite being completely dressed.

I got no reaction. I was still groggy and found it difficult to raise my guard.

As I fought with my thoughts, he held my gaze. He quickly moved, pulling me off the couch and placing me in his lap as his arms wrapped around me.

I said, "Falcone."

What would you want if you could have anything in the world, baby?

" Did he ask.

I squinted. “What? ”

"You can have everything you desire. What kind of thing? ”

"I don't, um..."

I felt his arms squeezing me. "Whatever, Gia."

"Isabelle is safe and out of trouble," I said.

After I replied, his gaze lingered over my face for some time. He said, "Next up."

“Next up?"  I echoed, my voice puzzled.

For his hand to bunch the hair on the side of my neck, one of his arms moved away from me. “Next up, Gia, the next most important thing you could have if you could have anything.”

"Falcone, I don't get it.

"No matter what it is, anything."

"Falcone –"

"Sweet Pea, answer me."

"Falcone, I'm sorry, but"

"Please answer me, Gia."

I said, "Simone and Sophie alive, and you with them and joyful as you were in that photo," and his face instantly turned into that expressionless mask.

I finally realized that mask while I was groggily and perplexedly staring at him. It made sense when he tried to keep something significant from me.

"Which, of course, would imply that you would never darken my door," I continued blurting out.

The mask quickly came off, revealing a broad grin and his dimples, which, though it hurt me, I had to confess, I genuinely missed. Then, as his torso turned, I was lying on the sofa on my back with his upper body on top of mine, my hips tucked into his, and my legs hanging over the back.

His fingers trailed my hairline and tucked my hair behind my ear as he went on. “What’s next?”

I felt my eyes get squinty. “Why are you asking me this?”

“What’s next, Gia?”

“I’m still sleepy,” I dodged.

His face came closer and his thumb stroked my jaw when he whispered his demand, “Baby, what’s next?”

God!

Okay, he wanted to play this game, whatever. I’d play.

“Melinda being my real mom not my stepmom.”

He nodded and his thumb swept my lower lip. “What’s next?”

“You want to clue me in, Falcone?” I requested.

“What’s next?”

Apparently, he didn’t.

“There isn’t anything next,” I declared.

“Bullshit, Sweet Pea, a woman who wants a pair of seven hundred dollar shoes, she’s gotta have a next.”

“A diamond bracelet from Tiffany’s,” I replied then went back on it. “No! Wait. Ryan to get Mic an engagement ring then a diamond bracelet from Tiffany’s.”

His head dipped and his mouth touched mine before he moved back and murmured, “All right, baby, that’ll do for now.”

What’ll do? And for now?

No. No. I didn’t want to know.

Time to move on.