29. Gianni

Chapter twenty-nine

Gianni

I grab her phone, turning the volume all the way up to make sure I don’t miss any alarms that might go off if her blood sugar drops or spikes. I put it back on the table, face down, and turn my attention back to Lark.

Possibly the most fucked-up part of this whole thing is that I know how undeserving I am of this woman’s attention, let alone for her to share such private information with me. And yet, I just couldn’t help myself from offering to live out her fantasies with her.

I’m afraid I’ll crave her touch.

Be desperate to drag out every moan she has left in that beautiful body.

And when she finds someone else, someone better and more worthy of meeting every need she has, I’ll be twice as broken as I am now. Because ultimately, that day will come when she leaves. Because everyone leaves eventually , even if not of their own will .

But I haven’t felt this decent in months, maybe even years, so I plan to ride this wave as long as she’ll let me.

I watch as she takes small, peaceful breaths, her chest rising and falling methodically.

Tucking her hair behind her ear and running the pad of my thumb over her cheek, I feel the softness of her skin as my own glides over it. Thirty-six.

Thirty-six freckles dust the bridge of her nose and cheeks, with one rampant one taking place in the center of her bottom lip. That one’s my favorite.

She begins to stir, her lids fluttering open, and a smile spreads across her face as I come into view. Her immediate reaction to seeing me makes my heart clench inside my chest. Somehow, I had anticipated regret at seeing me when she woke up. I even considered leaving when she fell asleep to avoid that but couldn’t drag myself away from her.

“Hi,” she says, her voice soft, almost a whisper, but her smile remains.

“Hi,” I repeat, an unfamiliar lilt to my voice.

“How long was I asleep?”

Checking my phone on the nightstand, I tell her, “Only about an hour.”

“Really?” she asks, eyes widening in surprise. “I feel like I was asleep for twelve hours.”

“I can take care of the dogs and let you keep sleeping if you want,” I offer, wanting to give this beautiful woman anything she desires in exchange for the weight she’s somehow lifted off my shoulders .

“It’s okay, but can we just, uh, talk?” Her words send panic racing through me, my body tensing with fear. Does she want me to leave? Is she already done with me?

“Of course,” I tell her, worry evident in my tone, and my brows pinch together. Did I hurt her? Go too far? “Did I hurt you?” I finally ask.

“What?” She looks at me with wide hazel eyes. “Oh my gosh, no,” she says, waving a hand through the space between us. “No, you definitely did not hurt me. That was honestly the best sex of my life,” she admits, her cheeks flushing.

“Oh,” is all I manage as my tongue sits thickly in my mouth.

“Yeah, I just want to get to know you better, if that’s okay?”

I consider this, deciding I’d like to know everything about her, and I know how this works. It’s a trade. “Sure,” I respond, voice strained.

“Okay, good,” she says, rolling over to lie on her back with her hands crossed over her stomach. I do the same, staring up at her ceiling. “What’s your favorite color?”

“Well, it was light blue, like my eyes.” I answer her honestly, deciding to give her some additional context as it’s one of the safest questions she could have asked, and I appreciate her going easy on me. “As a child, I was fascinated with mirrors. How they worked, how the different angles and shapes changed our perception. How lighting could have such an impact on the way our pupils constricted, or what color our irises appeared.”

“That’s actually really sweet, but you said it ‘was’ your favorite color. How about now?” she asks, a light-auburn brow raised at me .

“Emerald green,” I tell her on impulse. The unspoken part is that it’s only recently become my favorite color. More specifically, emerald green and rust. Just like her eyes.

She hums beside me before finally breaking her silence. “Mine is pink, and no, I don’t have a sweet reason for it like you.” She chuckles. “I just really like pink. Your turn.”

I’m certain that I could ask her anything, and she’d answer me, but I know she’ll make me respond, too, so it has to be something that isn’t too personal. “Okay, I’ve got one. When’s your birthday?”

“It’s January twenty-sixth. I’m an Aquarius,” she says with a lazy smile.

“Happy belated birthday,” I tease.

She laughs at that, the small sound sending tingles through me. “It’s been almost two months,” she says, and my eyes flit back to her to catch the way she playfully rolls her eyes at me. I love how expressive she is. I never have to guess with her. It’s a freeing feeling. “Your birthday?”

“March twentieth,” I admit.

She hums. “You’re a Pisces.” I feel the bed shake with her silent laughter before she says, “That makes entirely too much sense now.”

Before I get to ask her what she means by that, she sits up straight, peering down at me with wide eyes. “Your birthday is in five days, and you haven’t mentioned it before? What are we doing?”

My brow wrinkles in confusion. “It’s not a big deal, Lark. I don’t really celebrate my birthdays. I don’t like big parties or loud atmospheres, so I just have Sunday dinner with my family, and my mom makes my favorite dessert.”

She settles down, understanding calming her confusion. She lies back down slowly, reaching out her tiny hand to grasp mine. I can’t help myself as I lift it to my lips, running them across her knuckles before placing a kiss to the center of her palm.

“What’s your favorite dessert?” she whispers.

“Carrot cake,” I answer, but before I get to ask her the same, she rolls over, partially on top of me.

“Can we at least watch a movie for your birthday? Here or at your place? Just something quiet and relaxed.” Her eyes look almost pleading as she chews on her lip, keeping that tiny freckle just out of view.

My lungs expand, but I’m unable to blow out the breath just yet as I hold it in, waiting for the moment she changes her mind. When she just continues patiently waiting for my response, I release the breath in a low huff, squeezing her hand quickly. “I’d like that.”

“Good,” she says more cheerfully. “Then it’s settled. Now, do you have a favorite tattoo?”

A deep chuckle vibrates through my chest before I answer. I watch as her eyes turn bright with interest at my response to her question.

“Yeah…” I reach under the covers and pull off my left sock, exposing my foot to her.

Her mouth forms a perfect “O”, and her eyes widen, auburn brows climbing up her face.

“Gianni,” she breathes out. “Is that—”

“A tiny penis with angel wings and a crown? Why yes, yes, it is.” I smirk.

She sits up again, trailing a finger over it and taking a better look at it. “Why the hell is this one your favorite?” she asks, laughter bubbling out of her.

My lips curve into an easy smile as I think about that day. “Alex and I had an ongoing bet while we were in undergrad. At the end of every semester, the one with the lowest grades had to do whatever the other wanted. I almost always won, but there was one semester I’d been struggling to care about school at all, and things had gotten away from me.”

She hums beside me, encouraging me to keep speaking. “I lost, and that fucker dragged me down to the tattoo shop to get this little gem. The artist said he based the penis off his very own.” I groan.

A burst of laughter fills the room, and it feels good as hell to speak freely about dumb shit like this.

I haven’t really let myself be this at ease with anyone since Alex’s passing.

“I kind of love that.” She laughs.

“It was also my first tattoo,” I admit.

Her hand shoots out to cover her mouth. “Oh my god! He made you get a dick tattoo for your first one ?”

“Yep, he thought he was so fucking funny,” I grumble, trying to sound annoyed. “Turns out he actually was.”

She laughs at my expense but curls her body around mine, resting her head on my chest.

We continue like this for probably the next hour, talking about anything, and everything but keeping the conversation light. It’s nice, actually. Getting to speak to someone about things that aren’t particularly heavy but still gives them the smallest glimpse into the inner workings of my mind. Maybe if therapy were like this, more people would go. Though I’m not sure how helpful that would be.

“Okay, one last one, and then we need to take the dogs for a walk.” I nod, allowing her to pick the last question. “Did you mean it? What you said about helping me fulfill my fantasies? Did you mean that?”

“Yes,” I grunt out immediately, no additional thought necessary. Hell, I’ll probably be doing a whole lot of thinking about those fantasies in all my spare time.

“Why would you do that for me?” she asks in a soft tone.

“That’s two questions, little red. You only get one.”

“Fine.” She sighs, rolling onto her side and swinging a leg over me. “Can we do that again, then? Not now. I’m thoroughly wrecked, to be honest, but some other time? I’d like to keep seeing you.” Her voice is so honest, but she doesn’t really know me. Doesn’t know just how many demons I hide from the world, but I’m willing to give her as much of me as she wants until she finally does come to the conclusion everyone always does. I’m too broken and emotionally stunted for a romantic relationship.

“I’d like that too.” My voice almost cracks, but I hold back the emotion bleeding into the forefront of my mind.

She peers up at me, holding my gaze with her own, and I watch as her lips spread into a wide grin. “I know I don’t have any questions left, but…” She trails off, chewing on her bottom lip. “Would you have really been my sub if I’d chosen that?”

Rolling my eyes at her, I grab her hips, pulling her farther on top of me. She plants her hands on my chest, straddling me. “I’d gladly submit to you any day.” Her hazel eyes widen in delight, but that smile still remains. My dick twitches, and she obviously notices .

Lark rocks her hips against me, heat coursing through me, but she jumps off, giggling as she works to get changed. “We’ve gotta walk the dogs!”

“I hate it when you’re right,” I groan out under my breath.