28. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Gabo Godoy

W aking up next to Bella after the nightmare the past couple of days was—is—the closest I've been to heaven. Vicente went back to London directly from Geneva, but Gio, Luca, and Karina came back to Italy with us.

"Good morning, G," she says as she wiggles her ass against my morning wood.

"Good morning, principessa. How are you feeling this morning? Anything you have in mind to do?" I check to see how she's feeling since it took her a while to settle down yesterday after we arrived. When I notice the time on my watch, I realize we've slept all morning. It's early afternoon now, and I'm sure I have a million missed calls and emails to attend to, but nothing is more important than being here with her .

"I don't know, G. I'm still a little tired, but I guess we should check on Gio and Luca at some point. Then maybe go to the villa? I could use some relaxing time," she says as she stretches her arms above her, still lying down. Her breasts rise out of the covers, and I take one of her pebbled nipples in my mouth. I can't help it. Her moans are all the fuel I need to know she wants this, too. Ever so slowly, I make my way to her core, leaving a trail of kisses in my wake.

"Yes, G. I need you," she tells me, a beautiful smile on her face.

"Are you sure, principessa? You've been through a lot in a short period of time." I double-check—I need to make sure this is what she wants and that I'm not forcing her to do something she's not ready for after the ordeal she just went through.

"Yes, G. I need you," she repeats as she pulls my hair, placing me where she wants me—my mouth on her pussy. The moment my tongue touches her clit, and the flavor of her arousal hits my tastebuds, I feel like everything is right in my world. I make her come on my tongue and fingers, and then I enter her slowly, enjoying how she stretches inch after inch to adjust to my size. Bella is looking at me with such adoration and so much love in her eyes that I know no matter what life has in store for us, we'll always face it together.

"Stay with me, Bella," I plead with her.

"I'm right here, G," she replies in a breathy tone.

"I mean, stay here, in Bologna, with me. I can build you a bigger house, a bigger penthouse. Anything you want is yours. Just stay," I tell her against her neck as I kiss and nibble my way to her ear. Bella is panting with need, letting me know she wants more, so I pick up the pace. Her hands go to my ass, and I love the sting that her nails leave on my skin.

"I'm yours, G," is all she says before we both find our release.

Once our breathing has calmed, I go to the bathroom for a washcloth to help her clean up. She seems quiet; maybe she still needs time to process everything that went down.

Maybe I shouldn't have asked her to stay with me just yet.

There's a knock on the door, and I groan as I discard the washcloth in the bathroom and put on sweatpants to answer.

"I'm sorry to bother you, boss. But we have a problem downstairs," Mario says as he presses on his earcom. "We need to get you, Miss Bianchi, Mister and Mrs. Bianchi, and Dr. Bianchi out of here." I'm startled by the urgency of his tone—he's usually a relaxed guy, so whatever is happening must be serious.

"Okay, let me get changed, and we can leave," I tell him as I close the door. When I turn around to tell Bella we have to go, she's sitting on the bed, her phone in one hand while the other hand is covering her mouth.

"What is it?" I ask her. When she lifts her gaze to me, her eyes are full of emotion. She passes me her phone, and I look at the screen.

"Chilean and Argentine Billionaire Families Involved in International Scandal." That's the headline of the article she's reading. I scroll down and see a picture of the outside of my penthouse building. At least one hundred people are outside, waiting for a statement.

"Fuck, I'm sorry, principessa. It's best if we get ready and get out of here," I tell her gently. I know she's still very shaken, and this will only make things worse. She nods and gets up, disappearing into her walk-in closet. I throw on a white tee and a black cap, socks, and shoes before going to find Luca and Gio.

"Hey, man. What do you want to do?" Gio asks me as he gets out of his room. I go knock on Luca's door. Gio is looking at his phone; I think he was on FaceTime with someone.

"Mario says we need to get out of here. Maybe go to the villa, or somewhere the media doesn't have access," I tell him, and he nods slowly. Thinking.

"No, we need to give a statement. Put me in front of the cameras," I hear Luca say as he comes out of his room, my sister behind him. I sigh in frustration.

"Haven't you done enough, Luca? Bella almost died because you didn't do a good enough job getting rid of that piece of shit," I tell him, and I see my sister flinching at my words, but I'm tired of his meddling.

"I deserve it, Gabo. I know I do. We haven't have the chance to let it all out since we were all still on edge, but I'm so fucking sorry Isa had to go through all that because of Max. And as bad as I feel, how was I supposed to know he was looking for revenge after all this time? They vanished, and like a normal person, I didn't keep tabs on them," Luca volleys back, and I know, deep down, this is not his fault.

"I know, you're right. But you have to understand that I'm also tired of you butting in at every single turn. I love your sister. That's a fact. It would be nice if the guy who calls himself my best friend would actually trust me and let me take care of what's mine," I say, suddenly tired after all we've been through.

"Yeah, bro. All you have to worry about is Karina and the baby. Let Isa and Gabo handle this the best they can. I'm just here to support in any way I can," Gio tells Luca in that older brother tone similar to the one Vicente uses when he means business.

"Fine. I know you're right, Gabo. I'm sorry, man. I know I've been a pain in your ass, and I should have trusted you from the get go like you've trusted me with Karina," he says as he goes to kiss my sister on her forehead.

"I'll apologize to Isa later when the dust has settled," Luca says honestly, not a smidge of sourness in his tone. He gives me a bro hug, and I return it in kind. I'm glad he has finally come to his senses. I'm just sad it took almost losing Bella for him to realize I'm all in with her.

"You've finally seen the light, guachito . My brother and Isa can finally be at peace," Karina says as she hugs Luca, and Gio and I burst with laughter.

"Careful there, Karina Bianchi. I have ways to make you pay later on," Luca says as he kisses my sister.

I gag. "Okay, we have to draw a line, man. I don't want to see you getting it on with my sister, and you don't want to see me with Bella. Let's leave those comments and behavior for when you are in private."

Gio rolls his eyes as Luca flips me the bird and continues kissing my sister.

Okay, two can play that game. Let's see what he says when I'm kissing my woman.

"Time to face the music." Bella appears in the living room, dragging two huge pieces of luggage behind her. I can't help but chuckle at her attempt to pack light because we have to get out of here.

"What?" she asks in mock defiance, raising a brow.

"Nothing, principessa. I see you're ready." She nods as if to say, "Good answer."

Gio murmurs, "Yeah, Gabo has it bad for my sister."

"I detect no lies," Luca says with a chuckle, and I shrug. I don't care who knows; Bella Bianchi is the beginning and the end of my love life.

We get in my G-Wagon—Mario will drive Gio and us while Aldo and Rocco go in a car ahead of us with Luca, Karina, and her doctor. Luigi and the other security team are in a car behind us.

When we make it out of the garage, the police are trying to keep all the journalists and camera crews away from our cars, but it's impossible—they've turned into a mob. Bella gently pats Mario's shoulder as she tells him to stop the car. She opens the moonroof and stands, her upper body emerging from the car.

"I simply want to thank each and all of you for caring so much about my story. I went through a very traumatic event, so I would appreciate privacy and space after this statement. Neither the Bianchi nor the Godoy families have ever been involved in any illicit or dubious businesses. The man who took me against my will has had psychotic issues for a while, and now that he's with the proper authorities, I hope he'll get the treatment he deserves. I'm going to move on and leave behind all the pain and suffering this experience has caused me and our families, and I urge you all to do the same. Please respect our privacy. Thank you." Bella gets back inside the car, and I kiss her hard, not caring that Gio is in the backseat.

"You were amazing. Is there anything you can't do? Artist, designer, public speaker." I praise her, and she beams, her azure eyes shining bright.

"Don't know yet. I'll let you know when I find out."

I bark out a laugh as Mario starts driving again, leaving the media circus behind us.

"I don't want to burst your bubble, guys, but I need to head back to the States. Any chance you can drop me off at the airport?" Gio asks, and I wonder what he has going on that he's so pressed to head back. Mario looks at me for instructions in the rearview mirror, and I mouth airport to him.

"Oh, Gio, I'm so sorry I didn't have much time to chat with you this time around," Bella tells her brother, and I marvel at how caring and loving she is when she's the one who was kidnapped.

"I'm just glad I was able to be here for you," Gio tells her honestly.

"Aren't you supposed to be teaching by now? I thought the semester had already started at the uni where you work," Bella asks, and I shake my head in disbelief, a full-on billionaire still teaching lectures.

"Actually, I resigned from my job in Raleigh."

I raise my eyebrows as Bella shouts, "What?"

Gio seems a little nervous, and he scratches the back of his neck before continuing to talk.

"I met a kid in the lab where I work, used to work, and he was telling me all about his hometown in the North Carolina mountains. They're about to lose their home because there's a big corporation trying to buy out the entire town to build a ski resort or something."

Bella and I look at him, incredulous. I mean, Gio has always talked about being a scientist and how much pride he has in his research. It's astounding news.

"So what's the plan? Save the town?" Bella asks, and Gio chuckles.

"Something like that. I just think it's time for me to find a simpler life. There's a community college nearby where I could teach, and maybe I could use my resources to help this town flourish," he says with a shrug.

I think there's more to it than he's letting on, but I'm sure he'll share more when he's ready.

"Well, I can't wait to go visit you at... What's the town's name again?" Bella asks.

"Azalea Creek, North Carolina."

"We'll definitely go visit," I reassure him as we make it to the airport.

After goodbye hugs and promises to keep in touch and visit him soon, Gio gets on his jet. Luca comes closer to Bella while Karina stays a couple of feet behind, trying to chat with me. All I want to do is become a fly and listen to the conversation that's about to go down between Luca and Bella.