ADRIAN "Breakfast is waiting; come down when you're finished," Giovanni said, his voice fading as the bedroom door opened and closed. I sighed, letting the shower's warm water poured down on me as I rinsed my hair, my mind still reeling from the fact that I had woken up in Giovanni's extravagant penthouse. Never in a million years would I have thought I would someday be waking up to Giovanni's large arm wrapping around my waist with his hot breath fanning against my neck. Neither would I have thought he would buy clothes for me, and also will be making my breakfast. Everything has happened so fast and I didn't seem to know how to undo everything that had happened. I couldn't even stop my heart from beating so fast at the mention of his name. Could it be I was beginning to develop feelings for him? That this was what love is? "It can't be." I scoffed, shaking my head. I can't possibly be harbouring a romantic feeling for him. "I can't afford to have feelings for Giovanni.
ADRIAN "Adrian..." Carlos was trying to start a conversation but I wasn't at all interested in what he had to say to me right now. I was more interested to know what the fuck my twin brother was doing here when I had clearly told him the last time he was here to never show his face to me again. I walked over to them, pushed past Carlos and grabbed my brother's arm. "Come with me." I grumbled, dragging him with me as I walked away from Carlos. Didn't want him to witness how I go crazy on my brother. "You don't have to drag me, I can walk on my own." Aston hissed, snatching his arm from my grip. I didn't stop walking until we got to the far end of the lounge, away from the rest of the people in the shop. I whipped my head in the direction of my brother, staring at him with my arms crossed over my chest. "Tell me, Aston, what the fuck are you doing here?" I barked out angrily, almost hearing my voice echoing through the room. Aston sighed, he probably didn't think things
GIOVANNI The hardest thing I had ever done in my life was watching Adrian walk away. I tracked his every step as he entered the elevator with Dominic, my eyes glued to the elevator. I didn't dare blink until the elevator doors shut and it started moving downward."Fuck! If not that it would be too dangerous for him I would have loved to bring him with me to Russia." I groaned, pressing my shoulder against the doorframe as I kept staring at the empty elevator, hoping Adrian will come out from it. Rushing back into my arms.I knew it was impossible because Adrian was already on his way to work, and me? Well, I would soon hit the road to meet dad."Just how the fuck am I going to survive two weeks without touching him? Without fucking Adrian? Or kissing him?" I hissed, moved away from the door and walked over to the kitchen aisle to clear the plates Adrian had used for breakfast.I knew this task would definitely be a difficult one before I agreed to do it. But I had to get my brother o
ADRIAN Sometimes I act impulsively, only to regret my actions later. Today was one of the days I would do something that later come to bite me in the ass.Carlos left for home after I yelled at him this morning at Berry Hour, he wouldn't pick my calls or return them when I called to check up on him after my shift. He had simply rejected the donut I got for him and refused to drive with me when Dominic came to pick me up for work. He had been acting like he didn't know me since our shift started here at Great Fisher.As I watched Carlos effortlessly charm everyone around him, while excluding me from his attention, I couldn't help but think that this wasn't the day I had hoped for, especially after waking up in Giovanni's warm and loving arms this morning.Should I have not snapped at him when he asked about my whereabouts? Should I have not treated him poorly? Should I have not hide the fact that I was sleeping with Giovanni from the very beginning?"Fuck! I hate this." I groaned out
GIOVANNI What was it about Dad that intrigued me? Was it that he was brave? Or was it because he sometimes act reckless and stupid? Or was it because he didn't give a care in the world? Coming to Russia to steal from Bratva clan was a stupid move. I knew that before leaving New York, and I was double sure about how stupid this whole thing was now that I got here. Just coming back from spying on Volkov Bratva, and all I could say was my father was a brainless fool. Volkov Bratva wasn't an ordinary man, and he wasn't stupid either. Volkov Bratva was one of the most powerful men in Russia, and he moved about with tens of men and his mansion was also heavily guarded at all time. Just how I was going to get inside his mansion without crossing an aisle of blood was something I was yet to understand. "Fuck! Get a grip, you bastard. You are doing this for your brother." I groaned, pulling my car over at the hotel's garage and slipped my gun into my jacket before stepping out of th
ADRIAN I paced back and forth in my living room, with my phone pressed gently against my ear. I bit down hard on my lower lip, my fingers trembling as I dialed Carlos for the hundredth time, but the call just wouldn't connect.My heart fluttered, and I absentmindedly rubbed at my chest. "For the love of God, Carlos, where the fuck are you?"I groaned out, pulled my phone down from my ear and clenched it tightly in my hand. Frustration wouldn't be enough to describe how I was feeling right now.I had thought my biggest worry was Carlos not talking to me, nothing would have prepared me for the fact that Carlos would disappear on me after our shift ended at Great Fisher last night. I had thought I would meet him home but he was nowhere to be found.His stuff were still here, so that meant he didn't come home at all. I had been calling him since last night to no avail. Waking up this morning, after getting ready for work I had been trying to reach him again but it was the same story."J
ADRIAN "So, you asked her to marry you?" I asked, warmth spread across my neck as I stared at Dave who was busy grinning from ear to ear.He rubbed his hands together and nodded his head, smiling warmly at me. "Yeah. Well, my parents have been bugging me to get married for a while now. I'm just happy Jessica also wanted the same thing. It makes me feel whole knowing the woman I love also loves me back and is willing to spend the rest of her life with me."That was the most beautiful thing I had ever heard a straight man said before. Dave's face lit up with a bright smile each time he talked about his soon-to-be wife and I had never been this happy for two strangers like this before."I'm so happy for you, Dave. I truly am." I said, staring down at the invitation card he had came over to drop for me.I still couldn't believe Dave would come back to Queen's to look for me after Giovanni had beaten him up the other day. He didn't really seemed bothered about it, but I was. It still haun
ADRIAN "I never knew you saw me that day." I said, truthfully. Following after Gabe as he walked me to a table. "Well," he chuckled, plunging into a seat. "I did saw you and to be fair, I couldn't stop looking at your beautiful face." "That's not fair." I groaned out, dropping the box of donut the woman had given to me on the table before taking the seat right across from Gabe. "You shouldn't have seen that." Sitting across from Gabe, I felt an overwhelming urge to bury my face in my hands. Knowing he had seen me took a cock in my mouth not too long ago made my cheeks burn with embarrassment. "Trust me, you don't have to be embarrassed about it. I mean, I've been there before. So it's all cool." He grinned, rubbing the short hair at the back of his head. "You mean, you've been caught while going at it before? In public?" I asked, a small smile crept up my face as I tried to imagine Gabe, this super sexy firefighter being caught having intimate moment in public. "Whatever
ADRIAN "What are you doing here?" I demanded, my mind reeling as I closed the distance between us. My breath hitched as I took in the toxic smoke from his cigarette, the acrid smell burning my lungs.Benedetto Marino casually shrugged one shoulder, his fingers scratching behind Peaches' ear. "To see you," he replied, his tone nonchalant."Let go of those cats, now!" I gritted out, my eyes narrowing as I watched him touch my pets. His hands seemed to be lingering on their fur, and I felt a surge of possessiveness.Benedetto raised an eyebrow, slowly releasing the cats. They darted away, seeking refuge in the kitchen. It was as if the cats could also sense the danger emanating from him, their instincts warning them to flee from his presence."What?" he scoffed. "I'm not going to hurt them.""I don't trust you," I hissed, my fingers pinching my nose shut to block out the foul smell of the cigarette smoke.Benedetto smirked, leaning backward as he planted his arms on the armrests of th
ADRIAN It had been over eight agonizing hours since I received that frantic call from my brother. The sound of his panicked voice still echoed in my mind, followed by the deafening silence that had left me shattered. I had been desperately trying to call him back, my fingers flying across the keypad as I dialed his number repeatedly, but my calls had been met with the impersonal automated voice of his voicemail. Each failed attempt had escalated my anxiety, my heart racing with every passing minute.I'm not insane. I'm not fucking insane. That was the mantra I'd been repeating since I left home, the words echoing in my mind like a desperate prayer. I'd chanted them to myself like a lifeline, clinging to sanity as the world around me spiraled out of control. But as the hours ticked by, the words began to lose their potency. The silence was suffocating, and the darkness closing in around me was starting to seep into my soul.For real, I think I'm losing my grip on reality now. Th
GIOVANNI Nikola's voice thundered through the empty hall, his phone pressed firmly against his ear. "Where the fuck are you?" He paced in circles, his heavy boots pounding against the concrete floor. His finger bit into his lip, a mixture of anxiety and frustration etched on his face. "These fucking calls keep going straight to voicemail. What the hell is going on with that stupid boy?" He barked, glaring at me. "Got anything yet?""No," I said, groaning. I pulled my phone away from my ear, and let out a frustrated sigh. "The boys can't get a lock on his location."Nikola's anger boiled over. "What about his phone? They should be able to track the damn thing!" He kicked a table, his foot stomping down on it as he unleashed his rage. I watched him, hesitant to intervene. If I stood up, I would be tempted to find something to punch too. But I knew I had to stay in control. Both Nikola and I couldn't afford to lose our cool at the same time."They can't track his phone," I grumbled,
ADRIAN It had been a week since my encounter with my father, and surprisingly, he hadn't done as much as sending me a message or calling my phone since then.I was partly happy, knowing I had finally put him in his place. But somehow, I couldn't shake off the uneasiness that was eating away at me deep inside. Something didn't feel right. My father wouldn't have given up on his threat that easily unless he was up to something. I wondered what he was planning.I should have informed Giovanni about how my father tracked me down to find me at Grace's apartment. I shouldn't have kept it a secret from him.I still had no idea how my father discovered my location that night, and it worried me. What if he had put a tail on me? What if... What if he had been watching me all along and I had been oblivious to my surroundings? What if, because of me, Giovanni ended up in danger?"I can't let that happen. I should call Giovanni." I breathed out and reached for my phone. My finger hovered over
Hi! I'm excited to share my new M/M romance novel with you. Please take a look! ❤️Title: Steaming the RoseGenre: MM Mafia romance Forced Proximity Childhood sweetheart BLURB "I can't do this anymore!" Easton cried, trying to break free from the man who had him pinned to the bed by his throat. ''It's been six years, Ilya! Six fucking years of abuse. When am I going to be free from you?""Does it look like you have any choice?" Ilay smirked coldly. He produced his knife, wanting to carve his name into Easton's heart, so that every time Easton looked in the mirror, he'd know who he belonged to."You either obey my every command, or watch as I ruin every last bit of the reputation you've toiled tirelessly to build. Don't push me too hard, East, or I'll unleash a storm that will render you breathless and begging for mercy and it won't be cute."As a pop star, Easton Reese had everything he had always hoped for: money, luxurious lifestyle, fame, and fans all across the globe wh
ADRIAN It had been over three weeks since my mother was laid to rest, and I was surprised to find that life was slowly healing. The ache in my heart still lingered, but glimpses of happiness began to peek through the cracks. It wouldn't have been possible to get through it all alone without Giovanni in my life.Giovanni had taken it upon himself to be my happiness guardian, and he excelled at it. He went out of his way to do the most thoughtful, random things that would catch me off guard and leave me beaming. Like surprising me with my favorite smoothie in the morning, or leaving sweet notes around the penthouse for me to find. It was as if he had a sixth sense for knowing exactly what I needed to brighten my day.As I thought about all the little things he did for me, my heart swelled with gratitude. I wished I knew how to repay him for everything he'd done, for being my rock, my safe haven. But Giovanni never asked for anything in return; he just smiled and told me that seeing m
GIOVANNI Adrian was awfully quiet as I drove off the property. Although it was already getting dark and the moon was rising, Adrian gazed out the window, his eyes fixed on the passing trees and bushes. He didn't pay me any attention, his silence a heavy presence in the car.Although he had just lost his mother and was likely preoccupied with grief, I was selfishly consumed by thoughts of our relationship. I couldn't help but wonder if I had damaged our relationship by giving in to his request earlier.Should I have refused? Should I have simply said no and taken him home instead? My head was reeling with conflicting thoughts and doubts running through my mind. I was unaware that Adrian had been staring at me, his gaze fixed on my clenched fist gripping the steering wheel, until he spoke up. "Relax your grip on that thing, or you're going to break it.""Oh," I let out a nervous laugh as I relaxed my grip on the steering wheel, stealing a quick glance at him. When our eyes met, I has
ADRIAN I felt an unrelenting emptiness inside, a hollowness that echoed through every fiber of my being. I was shattered, broken into a million pieces, and I had lost all sense of what it meant to be happy. The memory of joy felt like a distant, fading whisper, a fleeting glimpse of a feeling I would never know again.In that moment, I was consumed by the crushing weight of my own fragility. I was a puzzle with missing pieces, a canvas torn apart, a soul fragmented beyond recognition. It felt as if nothing in this world had the power to heal me, to mend the fractures that ran so deep. Every glimmer of hope seemed extinguished, leaving only an endless, desolate landscape of agony.The pain of being in my mother's presence yet unable to feel her was like a dagger piercing deep into my heart. My eyes burned with unshed tears, and warm droplets continued to stream down my face like a dam burst. I gripped my mother's gravestone so tightly that a sharp pain shot through both my palms. B
ADRIAN "Boyfriend?" The word dripped from my father's lips, his disgust rolling off him in waves as he stared at Giovanni in utter disbelief. The punch seemed to be the last thing on his mind; he was incensed by Giovanni's revelation. "Are you dating him?"Giovanni remained silent, his expression stunned as he met my father's hard gaze. Clearly, he had been expecting a different reaction from my father, but the question had caught him off guard.What was he expecting?For my father to pull out his gun from his coat inner pocket and shoot him? "Is it true?" my father asked no one in particular, his voice trembling slightly. For the first time in twenty-three years, I saw a flicker of fear in his eyes as he wrestled himself free from Giovanni's grasp and stepped in front of me.Giovanni made to step closer, but I shook my head, stopping him. I could handle this. "Son?" my father barked, his anger evident as he startled me. He seized my shoulders, his grip like a vice, and shoved me b