Chapter 69 Making Out
ARYA’S POV
I was about to tell him exactly what was on my mind, but another sneeze overtook me.
Giovanni sighed, grabbed the soup, and sat on the edge of my bed. "Open."
I rolled my eyes. "I can feed myself, Giovanni.”
"Then do it."
I took the bowl from him, intending to take a few sips just to get him to leave. But the first spoonful was rich and warm and exactly what my battered body needed.
Before I knew it, I already finished half the bowl.
"Better?" Giovanni asked.
"Yes," I admitted reluctantly.
We sat in silence while I finished eating. When I set the empty bowl aside, I expected him to leave. Instead, he stayed there on the edge of my bed, his hands clasped between his knees.
"I'm sorry," he said finally.
I blinked. "What?"
"I'm sorry." He looked up at me, and the vulnerability in his eyes made my breath catch. "I pushed you into this and put you in danger, then you almost died because of it."
I shrugged. "I chose to go," I said. "I insisted, actually."
"I should have said no instead of…" He stopped, his jaw clenching. "When I pulled you out of that water and you weren't breathing, I thought”
He broke off, running a hand through his already messy hair.
I was stunned because I had never seen him like this.
"Hey," I said softly, reaching out to touch his arm. "I'm here. I'm alive."
He looked at me again and this time, I didn't think. I just moved, wrapping my arms around him, and pulling him close.
He resisted for half a second, then collapsed into me, his face buried in my neck. When he finally pulled back, he kept one hand on my face, his thumb brushing across my cheekbone.
"You scared me," he said gruffly. "I don't scare easily, but you… Dio, Arya, you terrified me."
"I'm sorry," I whispered.
His thumb traced my jaw, then my lower lip and I found myself leaning into his touch.
"Arya," he breathed.
"Yes," I answered, not even sure what I was agreeing to.
Then he kissed me.
It was not rough or demanding like the training kiss.
This was gentle, his lips moving against mine with softness. When he deepened it, when his tongue swept against mine, I tasted the mint in his mouth.
His hands slid into my still-damp hair, angling my head for better access. I made a sound low in my throat and felt him respond, his body pressing closer.
I found myself moving until I was straddling his lap, my hands fisting in his shirt.
Through the thin fabric of my pajama pants, I could feel his hardness against me.
The knowledge sent heat pooling low in my belly. I rocked against him and he groaned into my mouth, his hands dropping to my hips to guide the motion.
"Arya," he breathed against my lips. "We should… we shouldn't-"
I didn't let him finish. I kissed him again, grinding down harder, feeling the delicious friction even through our clothes.
His hands slid under my tank top, and it was warm against my skin as his fingers traveled up my ribs.
When his thumb brushed the underside of my breast, I gasped. He took advantage, trailing kisses down my jaw to my neck, finding the spot below my ear that made me arch into him.
"Così bella," he murmured against my skin. "Così perfetta." So perfect.
His mouth moved lower, over my collarbone, and down to where my tank top's neckline began.
Then he was pulling it down, his mouth hot against the swell of my breast, and when he sucked my nipple through the thin cotton, I actually cried out.
"Giovanni," I gasped, my hands tangling in his hair.
His other hand was on my hip, guiding my movements as I ground against him harder, chasing the pleasure building in my core.
I had never felt anything like this desperate need before. I reached for the hem of my tank top, ready to pull it off completely when his hands caught mine.
"Stop," he said, and his voice was strained.
I blinked, confused. "What?"
"We have to stop." He was breathing hard, not looking at me.
"Why?"
"Because." He lifted me off his lap, setting me back on the bed.
"Giovanni.” I called desperately.
But he left already, closing the door behind him with a soft click.
I sat there on my bed, breathing hard, my body still buzzing with unsatisfied need.
My nipples were hard against my tank top and I was internally screaming for the completion he denied me.
"Are you kidding me?" I said to the empty room.
Frustrated beyond belief, I flopped back on the bed and screamed into my pillow.
The sound was muffled but satisfying.
When I finally stopped, I could still feel his mouth on my breast and his hardness against me.
I was going to kill him or kiss him again… maybe both.
I groaned and turned over, burying my face in the pillow again. This was going to be a very long night.