Chapter 63 Love and hate relationship
Isabella POV
Varo's wife texted me. Let’s have dinner, Does your husband know about this? When it came to living with her, he didn’t want me around much. When I stayed with him for a few weeks, he couldn’t wait until the day I left. Yes. He hasn’t seen you since Christmas, and he misses you. I laughed out loud because that was bullshit. Nice try.
Varo and I are in Rome working at the studio. It’s going to be a late night so we thought we would grab dinner afterward. Are you free?
My whole life revolved around painting and Dante, so I was free all the time. Yeah. When?
How about an hour?
Alright, We’ll pick you up. I was staying at Dante place, and by the time I got ready and headed over there, I might not make it in time. I’ll just meet you there. You know how Varos is. He’d rather pick you up, my brother’s protective bullshit wouldn’t work right now. I didn’t want him to be aggressive when this monster watched every little move I made.
Varos would be caught off guard and be completely powerless. He had a little one on
the way, and the last thing I wanted was for him to get hurt. Well, I’m not home, so I’ll just meet you there. Where are you?
I really hated the nosiness of my family sometimes. I’m out with some friends. I’ll just meet you there, alright?
I did not need their suspicion right now. If Varos figured out Dante was involved in my life, the blood war would start, I’d be dead, and everything would go downhill from there. I went to my closet in the bedroom and pulled out an outfit to wear. It was freezing outside, so I decided on jeans, boots, and a nice sweater, and my thick jacket and scarf.
Dante walked inside, dressed in his running shorts and t-shirt. There was a line of sweat around his neckline and his armpits because he’d just worked out on the third floor. His forehead was dotted with perspiration, and his arms were a little thicker than they usually were because the blood was pumping. “Where are you going?”
“To dinner with my family.”
He pulled off his clothes and tossed them into the hamper, stripping down until he was just in his hard and sweaty skin. I tried not to stare, tried not to think about running my tongue over that hot body.
“Tonight?” he asked.
“Yeah.”
“Where?”
“This café a few blocks away.”
He stared at me, his soft dick still impressively big even though the rest of his blood had been supplied to his muscles. His displeasure was obvious in.the hard lines of his face. “Why?”
“Why what? Are we going to that café? It’s good.”
“Why are you going out to dinner with them?”
“Because they’re my family…”
That obviously wasn’t the right answer because he stared at me with more anger. “And who’s included in this?”
I felt the anger rise in my blood, felt it slowly start to boil. “I don’t appreciate this interrogation. I go where I want to go and I see who I want to see.”
“You should look up the definition of prisoner because you obviously don’t know what it means.”
“Fuck off.”
“How about I fuck you instead?” he countered as he cornered me against the closet, over six feet of pure man. When he was sweaty and hot, it reminded me of the way he looked after he screwed me for a long time. Sweat collected all over his physique, and his skin became slippery over his big muscles. My nails struggled to get a hold because they kept streaking down his wet skin.
“I’m going to dinner with Varos and his wife, alright? They worked late in Rome and wanted to see me.”
He cocked his head slightly, seeming to not like that answer. “varos is arrogant like his father. Probably because he looks just like his father.”
I’d never let him insult my family without a retaliation. My family was everything to me. Without them, I was nothing. “varos is not arrogant. He’s kind, compassionate, and an extremely successful man. He built his company on his own, not using a dime from my parents. I wish I could say the same. I’m proud to call him my brother.”
His blue eyes shifted back and forth as they looked into mine, studying me. “All he cares about is money like the rest of us. Don’t put him on a pedestal. You’ll just watch him fall. He’s not everything you think he is.” His hands pressed against the wall, cornering me against the closet. “He’s my brother. It doesn’t matter who he is or what he’s done. I love him anyway because that’s what family means. Regardless of what you think he’s done, it won’t change the way I feel about him. I admire him for his
good qualities, and I’ll love him no matter what mistakes he’s made. That’s something you’ll never understand”
That was obviously a poor choice of words, because his angry expression deepened. “Because I don’t have a family?”
“No…that’s not what I meant. I meant”
“Don’t back pedal. Own up to your crimes like a real woman.” He dropped his arms and stepped back. He turned his back on me, his shoulders shifting as he headed into the bathroom to shower. “It’s really not what I meant.”
He grabbed a towel off the dresser. “Then what did you mean? That I’m too heartless and cold to understand what unconditional love is?” He turned around, the white towel gripped in his hand. “If I didn’t understand what
unconditional love was, then I wouldn’t be risking my life to avenge my mother. I wouldn’t still love her despite what she did to put food on the table.
You think you’re so much better than me because you had a perfect life. Well, I’ve got news for you. You’re a spoiled little brat who has no idea what it really means to suffer.” He turned his back on me and walked toward the
shower, slamming the bathroom door behind him. I remained in front of the closet and listened to the water start to run. Our relationship was so volatile and unpredictable. One moment, we were pledging our fidelity to one another, and then the next, we were telling each other off. I’d never had a relationship with a man that was so emotional, that changed so drastically from minute to minute because we were both so passionate. We’d had another fight that ripped us apart, but when I came back later that evening, we would have the same unbelievable sex we always did.
Maybe the fight made the sex better. Maybe the threat of violence made it deeper. I wasn’t even sure. I wasn’t sure of anything at this point.