GIO PrologueThe bloody mouthpiece flying through the air in slow motion as Trinidad's lifeless body hit the floor was just one of the things from that day that would forever be seared into Giovanni Bravo's memory. The screaming was the other. The ref jumped in front of Gio as if he'd even think of still going after Trinidad.Trinidad lay there completely out, and within minutes, it was chaos. He wasn't breathing. The buzzing in Gio's ears got louder as the medics jumped into the ring and began trying resuscitation. People in the audience stood in motionless silence, most holding their hands to their mouths, looking as stunned as Gio felt. He froze where he stood, not even noticing that Abel and Jack stood by his side.They started CPR on Trinidad, pounding forcefully on his chest. That's when the screaming started. The paramedics placed him on a stretcher, continuing to pound on his chest. Trinidad's pregnant wife's screams grew louder as a few people struggled to hold her back
BiancaNana and her mother stared at Bianca as she got off the phone. She hadn't been able to wipe the silly smile off her face fast enough."Was that who I think it was?" Nana asked.Bianca gave in, nodding. Ever since the past summer, she'd been seeing the Felix Sanchez, current middleweight boxing champion of the world. She didn't know a thing about boxing, but everyone, especially in her neighborhood, knew about Felix. She'd gone to high school with him, and he became the local hero when he started winning fight after fight. Then he'd won the championship over a year ago. He was now known worldwide and she was dating him.Although she admitted his being famous and insanely rich was part of the intrigue, she'd actually had a crush on the guy way back in high school. She hadn't seen him in person since she graduated, but last summer when she came up to Big Bear after her grandfather's death, she ran into him. She'd been surprised he remembered her. One thing led to another, and t
GioAbel had offered to give Gio a ride to Big Bear since Felix told him driving his bike in the snow would be a sure death sentence. But Felix insisted on sending a car for him. Some of his other trainers and a driver were already at his compound, getting things set up for his arrival. Gio wasn't sure what he meant by compound, but he sure as hell was surprised when he got there. The property was secluded and tucked away deep in the mountains. And there were several structures on the property. Everything was constructed of logs, but it was luxury beyond anything Gio had ever witnessed.He stood there for a good ten minutes, his still stunned eyes taking everything in. The spiral staircase that went up to the second floor was all made of logs as well. All the furnishings—the tables, lamps, even the full bar—were either made of wood or boasted some kind of wooden accent. The chandeliers throughout were made of antlers: deer or moose or maybe even elk since they were so huge.Gio walk
BiancaBianca struggled to hold it together, but the disappointment was too much. She'd looked forward to today all week—counted the days—the hours. God, she felt pathetic. She prayed her voice wouldn't give. The last thing she wanted was to sound needy. "When will you know?""All I know is they just announced we're snowed in for tonight." Felix spoke quickly. "I've been waiting for hours just to get confirmation of that.""Why did you take so long to get there?""Same reason—the weather. Traffic was horrendous. We still got here on time, but all flights were being grounded because of the blizzard."It was just as he said the word blizzard that she noticed his words were slightly slurred. Immediate thoughts of him actually partying instead of sitting at an airport as he was claiming assaulted her. "Have you been drinking?""I'm not gonna lie. I've been sitting here for hours with nothing else to do. So yeah, I've had a few."She exhaled, feeling a little guilty about immediate
GioThe last thing Gio wanted to do was talk or even think about Trinidad. He was also beginning to have a hard time not staring at those big innocent eyes. Even under all the glamorous makeup Bianca wore now, they still reminded him of the feelings he'd begun to develop for her way back in high school, so he turned away. Taking in the rest of the workout room, he responded without looking at her. "I'm training now, so Felix asked me to join him for the next couple of months.""Oh, so you'll be here for the whole two months?""Off and on," Gio said, still taking in the rest of the room. "I'm only two hours away, so if I ever need to make a trip down, I may leave for a day or two. But yeah, I'll be around for the whole two months."She showed him the rest of the compound, and then they headed back to the main house to thaw out. The fire was already roaring when they got there, and it was a good thing because Gio had never been out in such cold weather for that long. The temperature
BiancaFelix had thought of everything. The dinner he'd instructed his cooks to make for their first night back together was excellent: steamed shrimp, oysters, stuffed mushrooms, crusty bread with some kind of gourmet spread the cook called bruschetta. They even prepared a chocolate fondue with strawberries and pineapple slices to dip. It was so perfect, and she'd shared the dinner with Gio.Not that any girl in their right mind would be complaining about having such a romantic dinner with a gorgeous guy like Gio. He was sweetly attentive and as polite as she remembered him, but she couldn't help wishing Felix had been there instead. Still she made the best of it and enjoyed their delicious dinner. When they were done, Gio sat back in his seat looking very stuffed. Bianca reached for another strawberry. "I'm stuffed too, but these are so delicious I just have to have one more."Gio leaned his head back on his chair and closed his eyes. Bianca took advantage of the moment to better
GioWith Bianca being such a distraction today, Gio had forgotten to call his mom earlier to let her know he'd gotten there okay. He had a couple of texts he hadn't read: one from her asking if he'd made there in one piece and another from Noah asking him to call him when he had time.He clicked the television in his room on and tossed the remote on the bed. While stepping out of his shoes, he dialed his mom. She was a little pissed that he hadn't called earlier—said she was beginning to worry, but she got over it once he assured her he was fine.The next call he was going to make was to Noah, but a commercial on the TV caught his eye. He was fairly certain that being around Felix for two whole months he might run into a few celebs. He figured he should start brushing up on some pop culture so he wouldn't feel so clueless if he met anyone he should have at least heard of.The tabloid show on now had just flashed a teaser clip of what was coming up. In the clip were candid photos of
GioThe next morning, Gio woke to sounds of trucks outside. He peeked out the window, and sure enough, the plows were going. Gio had seen Felix's private plows on the property last night. Now he knew why he had three. The entire long driveway had been snowed in overnight. Gio expected the winter to be white up here. He knew that's what Big Bear was known for, but this seemed a bit much.He showered and dressed in his favorite pair of jeans and a dark thermal. Once fully dressed, he walked into the living room where Bianca stood in front of the television, holding a mug in her hand. She was still in a bathrobe and her hair looked damp. When she heard his footsteps, she turned, giving him a weak smile.Gio sucked in a breath for two reasons. For starters, she'd washed off all of yesterday's makeup, giving her that innocent fresh look like back in school. This was the Bianca he remembered, and the look brought with it even more memories: memories of staring at her when she was reading