Chaos (Naughty Bits Book 2) Read online

  “Did you two fly in from New York?” Gio asked.

  Shaking her head, she looked out over the tarmac. “We came in from California. We’ve been there for the last month looking at opportunities, so this was an easy travel day.”

  “Did you find anything interesting?”

  Looking up at Bruno, she scrunched her nose. “We decided it’s not for us.” When Gio gave her a quizzical look, she ignored it along with his flashing eyes. “Well, we don’t want to take up too much of your time. We’re staying at the Wynn, so if we could get a ride over, you’ll be free of our company.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?” Gio roared as his hands went on his hips. “You’re not staying in a damn hotel.”

  She narrowed her eyes and was surprised by his outburst. “Yes, we are!”

  “What the hell, Valentina?” Looking over at Sal, he lifted his shoulders. “She’s meant to stay at the house, right?”

  “That’s what I was told.”

  Bruno moved forward and put himself between Valentina and Gio. “We’ve got a suite over at the Fairway Villas. Stefano and Steve Wynn are old friends, and they offered to host us. Works out since we’ve got a lot planned and you don’t need us running in and out of your house.”

  “It’s not right,” Gio responded firmly.

  Ignoring his fit, Valentina gave him her best smile. “You don’t need Bruno and me invading your space. We’ll be more than comfortable at the hotel, and the last thing we want to do is impose.” She watched the last of their luggage as it was loaded into the SUV and moved closer to Bruno. Hoping that Gio accepted their plans, she waved to the pilot and crew and then took Bruno’s arm. “Let’s head to the hotel.”

  “I don’t like it,” Gio stated flatly as they walked toward the car.

  Tired of his temper, she stopped mid-step and twirled around. “I don’t like Brussels sprouts, yet they keep showing up in salads that I order. Sometimes, you just have to get over it and move on.” When he said nothing in response, she turned, slid into the back seat of one of the cars, and gave Bruno her crazy eyes. Just as he was about to follow her in, Gio cleared his throat. “Problem?”

  “I’ll sit next to Valentina, so we can catch up.”

  Keeping his position, Bruno leaned in and took Valentina’s hand. “Is that all right with you?”

  Seeing the storm brewing in Gio’s expression, she nodded. “I guess.” Since their choice of accommodations had ruffled his feathers more than she expected, she decided to play nice. A little smoothing of his hurt pride would most likely pay off since she didn’t need him squawking to his father about it.

  Ignoring Gio’s delicious scent as he slid into the seat, she pasted a smile on her face and hoped the attraction she was feeling could be quelled before she did something stupid.

  Like grab his face and see if he could still kiss the sense right out of her.

  No mobster marriage for her.

  No way.

  No how.

  ***

  It had taken less than five minutes in Valentina’s company for Gio’s world to turn upside down once again. Not only was she doing the unthinkable by staying in a hotel, but she also managed to be a thousand times more alluring than the last time he saw her.

  She was chaos…pure and simple.

  The moment he embraced her and had her soft body pressed against his, he knew the sizzle and pop still existed.

  Only it was more like a fucking firestorm that could rage out of control at any minute. His protests about their union incinerated themselves in less than a minute of being in her company, and he, unfortunately, wasn’t all that surprised.

  In a dark corner of his heart, he suspected that what he felt at twenty-one and thirty-one would still be possible. And damn if he wasn’t right. Maybe it had always been her, and his unwillingness to admit it had to do with how happy the union would make his father.

  Unfortunately, it seemed that Valentina was the answer for his happiness and pissing his father off no longer seemed like a good enough reason to ignore the fact. It had only taken one look into her striking light blue eyes to know exactly how he’d like to spend the rest of his days on this earth, as his true north had been revealed.

  Glancing over, he noticed Valentina’s stiff posture and fake smile and figured she was fighting the attraction and instant connection for many of the same reasons he always had. Turning, he took her hand that was resting on the seat. “Mi tesoro, come sei stato?”

  “I’ve been well. Bruno and I loved our visit to California and enjoyed the time we spent in San Francisco and Los Angeles. Even though we didn’t find the opportunities we hoped, it was still informative and amusing.”

  Running his hand lightly over her soft skin, he nodded. “And what sort of opportunities were you looking for?” Seeing her look past his shoulder let him know she was coming up with a lie. Which meant whatever she had planned was not approved of by her father. He gave her a gentle smile and knew gaining her trust would be the first order of business.

  “We’re thinking of expanding the Ceylon Rose and are scouting possible locations.”

  “I look forward to hearing all about the club.” She wouldn’t meet his eyes, and he let out a sigh. “You can trust me, Valentina, with whatever plans you have.”

  Letting her cool gaze run over his face, she shrugged. “Just looking to build my little empire, nothing nefarious.”

  “Well, either way, you have me as an ally. What time should I pick you up this evening for dinner?”

  Slipping her hand away, she crossed her legs. “That won’t be necessary. Bruno and I have plans, so there’s no need to take you away from your business.”

  “And what plans might those be?” he asked tightly. Seeing her nose scrunch up, he let out a small dark laugh. “I’m soon going to discover the truth, so you might as well confess and save us both the grief.” The color in her cheeks rose as her eyes flashed, and he couldn’t wait to see how much fire she had now that she was a grown woman.

  “I’m no longer a young girl, so you can’t intimidate me, and the sooner you understand that, the better off we’ll both be.”

  Moving into her personal space, he crowded her and smiled. “I have no desire to do any such thing. You are my responsibility, and I fully expect to have you in my care. You can stay at the Wynn this evening, but I want you in my home by tomorrow night.”

  She let out a snort as she looked up and locked gazes. “I always wanted a white tiger; some things, we simply don’t get.”

  “I can get you a fucking white tiger if you really want one.” Slowly lowering his head, he watched her eyes and saw desire and rage battle. Deciding it was too soon to make a move, he rested his head against hers. “We were combustible when we first met, and every time we’ve been within a foot of one another. Perhaps it time to do something about it.” When she snorted, he let out a laugh. “I’m guessing it’s going to happen either way and giving into it might save us both a lot of grief.”

  She sucked in a breath and pushed at his chest. “Don’t underestimate me, Gio.”

  He kissed her soft hair and chuckled. “Believe me, Tesoro; I won’t!”

  “I’m not your darling.”

  “Tesoro also means treasure, and that’s exactly what you are.” When she didn’t respond, he sat back against the seat and started making plans, wondering how long it would take for her to surrender to the inevitable.

  Keeping their hands linked, he decided it didn’t much matter, because Valentina would eventually be his.

  One way or another.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Valentina sat out on the private balcony of their suite and sipped her coffee, thinking about the plan she had put into motion almost a year ago.

  When she and Bruno had returned from Macau, she knew that living in close proximity to her family was never going to work long-term and had been looking for a way to relocate ever since.

  Tilting her head, she studied the morning lig
ht arcing through the trees and hoped that Vegas was going to be the place where they could live as they chose. Hearing the door open and close, she turned and saw Bruno amble in with a white bag in his hand. “Any luck?”

  “Yes.” He slipped off his jacket and draped it over a chair and then walked out to the patio. “The café had donuts, so life as we know it can resume.”

  Wiggling her fingers, she gave her best friend a smile. “Gimmee.”

  “Sugar whore,” he responded as he handed her the bag. Walking over to the cart that held the coffee, he filled a mug. “Gio has a guy at the elevator and another in the lobby.”

  “Should I be surprised?”

  “Not really.” He dropped into a chair and drank from his cup. “We pissed on his plans by staying here and I already took two calls this morning. One from your pop and another from his consigliere. Apparently, we’ve insulted the Zanetti family by staying here, and they want us in Gio’s house by tonight.”

  Shoving the donut into her mouth, she let the sugar dissolve on her tongue and waited for it to hit her brain. When she got the first rush, she relaxed. “At least we had one night to ourselves.”

  “Back under the microscope,” he responded.

  She passed him the bag and then tucked her legs under her robe and let out a sigh. “Is my idea completely stupid?”

  “No, because if we lived here, we wouldn’t be guests they’d be responsible for.”

  “And we could have our own people who would respect our privacy.”

  “As much as that’s possible.”

  Looking up at Bruno, she noticed his smile hit his eyes. Which made her believe they could make their dream come true. “So, you had fun last night?”

  “Yeah. I sure as hell did. After we got back from the show and you were tucked into bed, I hit two clubs.”

  Slapping her thigh, she laughed. “That settles it. We’re moving to Vegas because it will give us both a chance of finding what we want.”

  “Well, you better get ready to fend off the prince of the Zanetti family before you go looking. No way is Gio going to give you a moment’s peace because he’s still in love with you. When he took you into his arms yesterday, he looked like a man who’d finally found the answer he’d been searching for.”

  Letting out a snort, she turned her gaze back to the garden just beyond the patio. “No such thing occurred, and there’s no way a little crush turned into love.”

  “It was probably always love, but neither of you was in a position to do anything about it. And, pretending like it’s not true isn’t going to work this time.”

  “Why are you not on my side?”

  “I’m always on your fucking side,” he replied. “We both know you can’t marry a man outside the families because you’re not a person who could put that kind of burden on an innocent person. And you don’t want to marry someone inside the families who’s trying to climb the ladder or make an alliance. So, what does that leave you?”

  “You.”

  “But we both know, at some point, you’re going to need more.” He took her hand and kissed it gently. “Maybe the crush you’ve held onto has a chance of developing into something more.”

  “It’s such a cliché.”

  “Don’t be stubborn just for the sake of it.” The doorbell rang throughout the suite, and Bruno checked his watch. “Surprised he held off until eight.”

  “It’s probably room service.”

  “You should change and do something with your hair in case it’s not.”

  Crossing her arms, she stuck her tongue out. “If Gio can’t handle this, then he can kiss my ass.”

  “Bet he’d like to bite it first.”

  Throwing a small pillow, she missed by a mile as Bruno laughed on his way to the door. Smoothing out her hair, she tightened the sash on her robe and heard Gio’s deep voice. Taking a yoga breath, she untucked her legs and sat up. “Let the games begin,” she muttered quietly.

  “Tesoro!”

  “What are you doing here?” she asked as she ignored his flashing smile. “It’s too early.”

  “I wanted to have our morning coffee together.” He gave her a wink and then went over to the cart and filled a cup.

  “Don’t you have a business to run?”

  Kissing her head before he sat down, he nodded. “Of course, but nothing is more important than making sure my Valentina has everything she needs.”

  Standing, she pushed his knee, so she could get past. “I’m not dressed for visitors.”

  He grabbed her hand and lifted an eyebrow. “We both know I’m no damn visitor.”

  Wiggling her hand free, she stalked over and refilled her cup. “Bruno and I have plans today, so you don’t have to entertain me.”

  Standing, he waited until she got close and leaned down, so they were looking into one another’s eyes. “What are you up to, Valentina?”

  “Nothing.” His dark gaze sent a shower of shivers over her skin, and since it was the last thing she wanted, she looked away.

  Taking the cup out of her hand, he set it on the table and then took both her hands. “I’m on your side.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I think you’ve always been the one and it’s time to do something about it.”

  Knowing she couldn’t lie to save her life, her shoulders sagged. “We had a silly crush and believing it can be more is ridiculous.”

  “Is that the lie you’re telling yourself?”

  “It’s not a lie.”

  “It is, but I can see you’re not ready to confess.” Moving closer, he ran his thumb over her finger. “What are your real plans?”

  Knowing she had to give him something, she let out a sigh. “We’re thinking of relocating and have been doing research, so we can find the perfect place.”

  “Does your father know about your plans?”

  “I’m sure he has some idea, but I’ve made no formal announcements.”

  Leaning down, he kissed her cheek. “This sounds like a long conversation; why don’t you go and get dressed, then we can have breakfast together.”

  “Can’t handle seeing the real me, Gio?” Moving away, she shoved her hand into her pocket. “Unlike many of my counterparts, I’m not a perfectly dressed Barbie that will sit in the corner with my mouth shut.”

  “I can fucking handle anything.” Taking in a long breath through his nose, he nodded. “But, if you stay in that robe, you are tempting the devil.” He ran his hand through his hair and leaned forward. “I’d love nothing more than to drag you back to bed and taste your sleep-warmed skin. And I could happily spend the rest of the day in bed finding out what makes you moan, what makes you shudder, and what exactly I can do to make sure my name is the only one you remember.”

  Feeling her face heat, her heart beat out of rhythm, and her knees go to jelly let her know his threats were not idle. Stepping back slowly, she gave him a smile. “Since that’s nothing I’m interested in, I’ll change, and then we can have breakfast.”

  “Your eyes tell me something completely different, but I understand we have to get reacquainted before we indulge in what we know is inevitable.”

  “No such thing is true.” Spinning around, she walked into the bedroom and let out a breath as she instructed herself not to run. Gio Zanetti was a lot more formidable than she remembered, and now that he seemed to think they were destined, she didn’t know how she was going to resist.

  But she would.

  One way or another.

  ***

  Gio sipped his coffee and watched Valentina and Bruno discuss something and wondered about the true nature of their relationship. Theirs was a closeness that wasn’t typical between a mafia princess and her bodyguard, and while he didn’t think romantic feelings were at play, there was some very real love and affection.

  He knew that Bruno had saved her life at least once, and perhaps what they shared was a result of that and not some unrequited love thing.

  After all, Bruno Vallon
e was a respected member of the Conti Syndicate, as was his father. If either of them was interested in marriage, it would’ve been easily accomplished, so he didn’t know what to make of their intimacy. Tapping his coffee cup, he studied the pair and tamped down the streak of jealousy coursing through his veins.

  And why did she always use the pronoun ‘we’ when referring to the plans she was making. It was like she and Bruno were some sort of freaking package deal.

  Letting out a long breath, he watched her prepare a plate for him and decided to focus on the sweet gesture and not the thousands of questions in his head. Standing as she approached, he took the plate from her hands. “Grazi, mi amore.”

  “Prego.”

  Giving him a faint smile, she then went back to prepare her own plate, and he enjoyed the view of her luscious curves. She wore a beautiful peach dress that was the perfect answer to the lingering heat of September, and he wanted nothing more than to scoop her into his lap.

  When she returned, he stood, pulling out a chair. Once she was settled, he dropped a kiss on her head and then took his own seat. “To share our first meal of the day is perfect.”

  “What has gotten into you, Gio?”

  Before he could respond, Bruno walked up to the table. “I’m going to grab a workout while you two have breakfast. Since Gio’s got his men here, you’re protected. I’ll be in the gym if you need me.”

  “Okay, enjoy,” Valentina responded as she gave Bruno a smile. “Don’t forget we have the appointment at one.”

  “Got it.”

  Gio watched him speak briefly with one of his men and then exit the suite. “After we enjoy our meal, I look forward to hearing all about your plans for Vegas.”

  Nibbling on a piece of fruit, she gave him a careless shrug. “I told you already.”

  “You gave me a partial answer, and I’m ready to hear the whole thing.” He watched her push his plate closer and nod. He lifted his fork and dug into his eggs, knowing the sooner they ate, the sooner he could see how his and Valentina’s plans could mesh.