16. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Gabo Godoy

I haven't had a wet dream since puberty, but I wake up with a painful morning wood wishing I was spooning Bella and entering her from behind. My phone starts vibrating, and the noise effectively brings me out of my lust-filled dreams. Without checking who's calling, I answer. When I hear the voice on the other end of the line, I go rigid.

"Hey, boludo . Did I wake you?" Luca greets me as if he's been awake for hours. If I'm thinking correctly, it's still the middle of the night in Chile.

"Yes, bro. It's only seven in the morning. On a Saturday," I tell him while I rub my eyes.

"Yeah, sorry about that. I'm outside of your building, and I've been calling Isa, but she's not answering. Didn't she spend the night at your place?" I jump from bed and start walking around my room, not knowing what to do.

"Yes, bro. I saw her last night. Let me go check on her." I hang up on him before he can keep asking questions. I put on a pair of gray sweatpants and rush to Bella's room. After knocking a couple of times and not hearing any noise inside, I try the doorknob and it turns, so I open the door. Bella is spread like a starfish in the middle of the bed, buck naked. If Luca weren't downstairs, I'd get into that bed and wake her with an orgasm, but I can't.

"Bella mia, wake up," I tell her as I gently shake her arm. She makes an unintelligible noise and turns on her side, giving me a glorious view of her ass.

"Bella, Luca is outside. Wake up." That does it. Bella sits up, disoriented.

"What is he doing here?" she finally asks after looking at the horizon quietly for a couple of seconds.

"I don't know, but he's blowing up my phone. I need to open the door for him."

"Okay, okay. Go. I'll put on clothes in the meantime."

"Okay. Are we telling him?" I ask as I make my way out of her room.

"Are you crazy? Why would we do that? We're still figuring out where this is going, remember? You said you'd give me all the time I needed," Bella practically shouts, panic in her voice and her eyes wide like a deer under high beams.

"Alright," I tell her as my shoulders sag. I won't lie; I wanted to have this conversation with Luca to get it out of the way. I know I promised her time, and I stopped calling her girlfriend—at least out loud—but I don't like having secrets with my best friend. I'm not doing anything wrong, and I don't see why we need to hide, but I promised her time, so I will give it to her.

" Boludo , finally. I thought I was going to have to call the police or something to investigate what's going on in here," Luca says as he gives me a bro hug.

"Sorry, weón . I was trying to wake B… Isa up. It took her a second," I tell him, showing him the way to the elevator through the garage.

"Damn, what happened to the Lambo? Angry ex?" Luca chuckles as we pass by the car where I made his little sister come so hard that she scratched and dented the hood.

"Yeah, Gabo. What happened?" Bella asks with a damn smirk on her gorgeous face, and my death glare only makes her laugh.

" Hermanita , hola ." (Little sis, hi.) Luca interrupts our staring contest as he makes his way to the elevator where Bella is standing.

"Hi, brother dearest. Color me surprised to see you here." My girl throws a jab at her brother, and I have to cover my laugh with a cough.

"Well, I texted you and haven't heard from you for days. I was trying to apologize. I'm sorry, Isa."

Even though this is hard for Luca to admit—because he's never wrong, of course—I can tell he's sincere.

"And yet, here you are. Overstepping the boundaries I placed," she tells him, crossing her arms in front of her.

"Ugh, that's exactly what Karina told me. Don't tell her I said that." Bella and I bark out a laugh, and after a couple of beats, Luca joins us.

"I forgive you, Luca. I know you want what's best for me. But I need you to trust me. You have to stop monitoring my every move."

"I promise," Luca says, and if I didn't know any better, I'd say he's trying to keep tears at bay. If he cares like this about his little sister, I know he will be the best dad to my niece or nephew.

"Phew, okay. I have twenty-four hours of freedom before Karina comes to Italy looking for me. Where are we going?" Luca rubs his hands in excitement, and I internally roll my eyes. We should have gone to the villa last night.

"Hmm, let's see. What do you feel like doing?" Bella asks Luca.

"If you say going to a cabaret or a gentlemen's club, I'll hang you by your balls," I interject.

Bella laughs, and Luca shudders at the picture I painted.

"No, bro. Karina is the one and only for me. I was thinking about going to the beach. It's fucking cold in Chile right now." Sometimes I forget the weather is the opposite in the southern hemisphere; when we're in summer, they're in winter.

"We can go to my beach house in Rimini. It's just a short drive from here."

Bella does her little happy dance, and it takes everything in me not to grab her and kiss her senseless.

"What are we waiting for? Let's go," Luca says as he makes his way back to the entrance.

"Wait, I need to eat and change," Bella tells him. "I just woke up, remember?" She pins him with a stare, and he rolls his eyes and messes with her hair. I miss this sibling banter. I need to make a point of seeing Vicente and Karina more often. Maybe now that I'm with Bella, I'll visit Chile more.

A couple of hours later, we're back in the garage. We need to bring a car that fits three people, so my convertibles are out of the question.

"Really, man. What happened to the Lambo?" Luca asks again, and I can hear Bella chuckle behind us.

"Not sure. It was like that after I came out of a bar." I shrug for good measure, but Luca knows me well.

"Are you serious? And the fucker who did this is still alive? Where were your bodyguards?"

"Mario was with me inside the bar, and Aldo and Rocco were with Isa. It's not a big deal, nothing that can't be fixed."

"Okay, who are you, and what did you do with my best friend? The Gabo Godoy I know would die before letting anything happen to any of his precious cars."

"My precious." Luca imitates Gollum's voice, and Bella and I laugh. He's so ridiculous.

"Why are you so worried about it? It's just a car. I'll get it fixed in no time," I say as I open the back door of my Mercedes G-Wagon for Bella. She kisses me on the cheek. I freeze for a moment, not understanding why she did that when she still wants to keep things a secret from her brother.

"It's just, you're always crazy about your cars," I hear him say as I help Bella into the backseat, and he gets into the passenger seat. She blows me a kiss, and I blow her one back. I like living on the edge.

Once we get to my beach house, I park, and Mario and the boys park right behind me.

"Once baby Bianchi is born, we have to come here for a babymoon. This place is sick," Luca says as he does a 360 of the property.

"You know you and Kari are always welcome here. Plus, it'd be nice to meet my niece or nephew."

Bella comes to stand next to me and, in a very inconspicuous way, swats my ass, which makes me jerk in response.

"Are you okay, bro?" Luca asks, concerned, while Bella makes her way inside the house.

"Yeah, man. I think a mosquito bit me or something."

After calling the local pizzeria to order lunch, we get into our swimsuits and head to the beach. Bella decides to give me a heart attack by wearing a tiny white bikini with a strawberry print. She looks good enough to eat.

"Hey, Gabo. Could you help me with the sunscreen? There are areas I can't reach," Bella asks with a blinding smile. I look where Luca is, and he's busy on the phone—I'm assuming with my sister—and walking toward the water.

"With pleasure." I lather my hands with sunscreen and wait for her to lie down on her front. I untie her top and start covering her back with sunscreen, getting as close as I can to her sideboob without looking like a freak. Then I make my way to her legs and pay special attention to her ass. I can't help but chuckle when I see her squirming, trying to rub her thighs together.

"No, principessa. That won't work. Plus, your brother is on his way back," I tell her, even though Luca is still focused on his phone call.

"Help me tie my top, please?" she asks hurriedly, and I laugh. She's so damn cute.

"Do you want tan lines?" I ask her honestly.

"I want to walk around a bit, so yeah, I don't mind the tan lines."

I do as she asks and see her put on a black hat and black heart-shaped glasses. She looks so gorgeous, like the old Hollywood divas who used to vacation here in Rimini back in the day. I can't wait for Luca to leave so I can walk around freely with Bella, kiss her at every corner, and shout to the world that she's mine. I would tell Luca right now, but Bella wants to keep things between us. I know I agreed to it, but I'm not sure how long I can keep something like this from my best friend. The Lambo episode was a close call.

"Wanna play volleyball?" Luca asks, pocketing his phone.

"Sure, let's see if we can find enough people to form two teams." I look around the beach, and although it's not crowded, enough people are mingling around. You'd think Luca speaks Italian by how he charmed everyone and got two teams together in no time. No, he doesn't need to speak the language; he's pure charisma. Or swag, as he would say.

I scan the beach, looking for Bella, and when I spot her by the water, I jog to where she is. Like a moth to a flame, a couple of college-looking kids hang on her every word.

"Is everything okay here?" I ask her, and she turns to face me.

"Yes, G. We're good. We were just chatting."

I eye the kids up and down. My hand itches to take a possessive hold on Bella, but I can't play the possessive boyfriend card with Luca nearby. "Okay, we're going to play a volleyball match. If you need me, I'll be right there." I point toward the makeshift sandfield, and she nods.

"I'll make sure to enjoy the view. I hope you put on a good show for me." She gets impossibly close to me and places a barely-there kiss on my chest. I turn my hat backward as I make my way back to where Luca and his new friends are waiting.

"Everything okay with Isa?" Luca asks as we take positions.

"Yeah, I just wanted to let those kids know she's not alone."

"Thanks, man. You're taking your job of taking care of Isa seriously. I really appreciate it." Luca pats my back as the game starts. I can't be chill around her to save my life. This hiding gig is harder than I anticipated. She makes me feel like a boy in puberty.

The game goes back and forth, everyone having a good time. I'm not really paying attention to the score. As Bella requested, I'm trying to put on a good show for her—running to hit every ball, falling on the sand a little bit more than needed. Luca rolls his eyes at my theatrics, but the moment I dusted off the sand from my abs, I caught Bella ogling me and biting her lower lip. Yeah, she likes what she sees, so it's worth it.

Our team wins the match, and everyone returns to their beach spots. Luca, Bella, and I go back to my house for lunch. Pizza and Aperol spritzes for everyone.

"I'm going to take a shower to get rid of all the sand I got in places that shouldn't be in contact with sand," Luca informs us, and I chuckle.

Once I hear the door close in one of the bedrooms upstairs, I'm next to Bella, kissing her. Her lips are warm and inviting, and I've been dying to kiss her all day.

"Hey, G. Do you think Luca suspects anything?" she asks as she trails kisses on my jaw.

"I don't think so, but to be honest, I can't wait for him to leave. I don't like keeping you a secret. I want to kiss you and hold your hand in front of everyone," I tell her.

"I know. I want that, too. But you know Luca—we need time to warm him up to the idea." I capture her lips with mine again, and the kiss turns passionate quickly. I want her so badly.

Bella stands up, pressing flush against me, and my hard dick is pressing against her belly. She starts squirming, driving me wild. Maybe I can make her come once before Luca comes back down. I'm about to put her on the kitchen counter when I hear steps coming down the stairs. Reluctantly, I let Bella's lips go, and she sits back on the breakfast bar.

"This has been fun, but I need to go back home to my wife. Can you guys give me a ride to the airport?" I look at Bella, and she's wiping her mouth after eating more pizza. Damn, everything this woman does is sensual.

"I thought you said you had twenty-four hours here. What's the rush?" Bella asks him, curiosity in her tone.

"I'm not built for the single life anymore. I miss Karina more than words can say, and I'd rather go back now so I can sleep with her tonight." I chuckle at his reasoning but don't argue. If someone asked me if I wanted a bros weekend or a weekend with Bella, I wouldn't think twice. Bella would win every time.

"Sure. Bella and I can change back at the penthouse after we drop you off. Let's go," I say as I make my way to the front door where Aldo, Mario, and Rocco are shooting the shit and eating pizza and cola.

"Ready to go, boss?" Mario asks, getting up from the couch.

"Yes, we need to drop Luca off at the airport."

"We can do that for you, sir. Aldo and Rocco can take him, and I'll stay with you and Miss Bianchi."

"No need, Mario. I appreciate it, and I really appreciate the way you call my sister Miss Bianchi. No silly nicknames. Bella? What the fuck is that, boludo ?" Luca asks.

Fuck, I didn't even realize my slip-up.

"Bella is also part of my name, Luca. It's not a big deal. Let's go." Bella makes her way to my G-Wagon, and Luca and I pile in right after her. I can't look him in the eyes; there's no way he doesn't know something is going on between me and his little sister. I feel tense the entire drive to the airport, and I can feel he's tense, too. This fucking sucks, but I won't say anything until Bella does. I promised her time, and that's what I'll give her.

Forty-five agonizing minutes later, we're at the airport, and Luca is the first to get out of the car.

"I didn't realize you had bought a jet, man. Nice," I tell him, trying to make conversation.

"I rented it, but maybe this is something I need to invest in. Now that we'll have a little one in tow, it will definitely come in handy." I nod; a jet is a great investment.

"Thank you so much for coming to see me, brother dearest. I'll be back in Chile in no time," Bella says as she hugs Luca, and he hugs her back.

"Remember, no matter what, I'm always proud of you. Even though I might not agree with your choices, I'll try my hardest to respect them," he says as he looks me in the eyes.

Fuck.

Then he comes to give me a bro hug. "Yeah, the two of you are not fooling anyone. I can see how you look at each other, wanting to rip each other's clothes off. And even though, in theory, it's not my business, you both are part of my family. So if this goes sideways, one of you is going to be heartbroken and the other one is going to be fucked. And I don't want to be in the middle of the shitshow, but we all know which side I'm going to choose. So be careful." With that, he runs up the staircase and disappears into the jet.

Fuck.

I turn to look at Bella, her shoulders sagging. I immediately wrap my arms around her, and she hugs me back.

"I wish it'd gone differently," I hear her say, muffled against my chest.

"I know, principessa. Me too. You know he's my best friend and my brother-in-law, but you are mine, remember? We'll show him and everyone else that we are bound to each other."

I hear her chuckle as she lifts her face to look at me.

"We're ( Un )Bounded, G, remember?" she tells me with a crooked smile.

I roll my eyes at her as the jet's engine starts. We both wave. I'm not sure if Luca is looking through the window. For Bella's sake, I hope he is. I know my girl is tough, but her brother's opinion is important to her.