My Childhood Bully is a Mafia Boss-Chapter 106

Ellie

I had just tucked the twins into their beds, the soft rhythm of their breathing assuring me they were drifting off to sleep. Lucas clutched his blue teddy bear, a gift from Giovanni from earlier today.

Elora, ever the restless one, finally succumbed to the lull of dreamland, her small chest rising and falling with each breath. They looked peaceful.

I needed to thank Giovanni to let him know how much his gesture meant not just to the kids, but to me as well. He wasn’t as bad as I thought he was. He didn’t have to take me and the kids out to the park, but he did. And watching him interact with Lucas made my heart swell.

I checked on Lucas and Elora once more before I stepped out, closing the door gently behind me.

The hallway was quiet; the plush carpet muffled my footsteps as I made my way toward where I knew Giovanni would be. My pulse quickened with each step, the excitement of our earlier escapades mingling with an unfamiliar flutter in my stomach. What was this feeling? Nervousness? Anticipation? I shook my head, dismissing the thoughts.

"Relax, Ellie," I muttered under my breath. "Just say thank you and move on."

I paused at the threshold of Giovanni’s room, my gaze sweeping over the neatly made bed. Empty. No sign of him. I frowned.

Maybe he was in the bathroom. He did say he was going to take a shower.

But he wasn’t in the bathroom either.

I turned on my heel, my mind racing as I retraced my steps down the hallway. Then, there it was—a faint thrum of music vibrating through one of the doors further along the hall.

Maybe he was in the room.

The door loomed closed. So I reached for the handle, my heart hammering against my ribs. What was I doing? I should just go back to my room.

But something inside me made me want to see him.

"Here goes nothing," I breathed out, my fingers closing around the cool metal. With a decisive push, I opened the door.

The air felt like it shifted as I stepped inside, and the scent of lavender hit my nostrils. My eyes widened, and a sharp breath intake was my only response. There he was, Giovanni, sprawled in a giant tub that dominated the room. The water caressed every inch of his skin, glistening in the light as it cascaded down his chiseled chest. His body was covered in scars, but they somehow made it look even more beautiful.

His eyes, usually so intense and mysterious, softened as they met mine. Giovanni’s lips curved into a small smile.

As my gaze roamed over his form, I noticed a particularly jagged scar running along his shoulder, the puckered tissue standing out starkly against the smooth expanse of his chest.

"Ellie?" His voice broke through my trance.

"Um...sorry," I mumbled.

"Didn’t expect company," he added, a corner of his mouth lifting as if challenging me to look away.

His shoulders relaxed against the porcelain, unbothered by the intrusion—or perhaps amused by it.

The silence shattered, my heart pounding a wild rhythm against my ribs. Heat crept up my neck, staining my cheeks with the unmistakable hue of embarrassment. I’d barged into his privacy, his sanctuary.

"Sorry, Giovanni, I—I should’ve knocked," I stuttered out. My eyes darted away from his relaxed form.

I spun on my heel, the motion abrupt, almost desperate. The room seemed to spin with me, my senses tangled in the scent of lavender and the sound of water rippling with the ghost of my intrusion. I needed to flee, to escape the thick air of awkwardness that pressed down on me.

"Stop."

I halted as I heard his command.

"Ellie," he called again, firm but not harsh. It was an invitation, a challenge, daring me to face what I’d stumbled upon.

"Stay." It wasn’t just a word. It was a command disguised as a request, and I couldn’t ignore it.

I slowly turned around to face him.

Giovanni laughed. "Ellie, come closer," he said, his tone light but firm. "There’s no need for embarrassment."

Taking a deep breath, I moved towards him.

"Okay, then." I stopped at the edge of the tub, maintaining a careful distance while my gaze flicked over the absurdity of the giant bathtub occupying the center of the room like some sort of ceramic throne. "Why here, Giovanni? Why in the middle of the room?"

He leaned back, resting against the rim of the tub, his eyes never leaving mine. Water lapped at his chest, and my eyes wandered down his lower half.

"My eyes are up here, mia cara," he said casually.

I quickly looked at his face and glared.

Giovanni’s chuckle bounced off the tiled walls, a deep, resonant sound that seemed at odds with the silence that had preceded it. "I take baths to relax," he explained, shifting slightly in the water. "It’s therapeutic, helps me unwind after the long days we’ve been having."

I bit my lip, looking away from the steam that curled up toward the ceiling. The heat from the bath had turned his skin a shade pinker, making him appear more vulnerable, less like the mystery he usually was. "Therapeutic, huh?" I managed to quip despite the lingering fluster that clung to me like a second skin. "Most people have a tub in their bathroom. Yours is in the middle of your room."

"Conventional methods don’t always cut it," he replied, raising an eyebrow as he met my gaze again. His voice held an edge, a challenge.

I crossed my arms, trying to match his coolness, though my heart raced. "Yeah, because nothing says ’rebel’ quite like pruney fingers and bubble bath mohawks."

"Exactly." He smirked, the corner of his mouth ticking upward as if he were sharing a secret. "You get it."

"Sure." I shrugged. "As long as you don’t start hosting meetings in here, I guess you’re free to bathe wherever you please."

He chuckled. "You should join me sometimes," Giovanni said, his amusement still hanging in the air between us. "Might help you cool off."

"Join you?" My words came out sharper than I intended, a knee-jerk reaction to the ridiculousness of the suggestion. Yet, behind the sharpness, curiosity flickered.

"Unless you’re scared," he taunted, leaning back against the rim of the tub, the water lapping at his shoulders. His eyes danced with a challenge, that same edge from before lingering in his tone.

"Scared?" I repeated, my voice rising. I stepped closer, feeling the warmth radiating from the bath. The idea was absurd, but the heat wasn’t just from the steam—it was from his gaze, his presence.

"Of getting a little wet?" He spread his arms along the edges, presenting himself like a king on a throne. "Or is it me you’re afraid of?"

"Neither," I shot back.

"Good," he said, a single word that held weight.

I didn’t speak for a few moments. "Want me to wash your hair?" I asked, the words slipped out of my lips before I could stop them.

Giovanni’s eyes lit up with surprise, a flicker of something unreadable crossing his features before he masked it behind a smirk. "Oh, so now you’re offering to wash my hair, Miss Ellie?" His voice was teasing but held a hint of something deeper, a challenge.

I rolled my eyes, feeling the heat in my cheeks intensify. "I just thought... I mean, it’s hard to reach the back by yourself," I mumbled, flustered by his gaze that seemed to see right through me.

He chuckled softly, the sound sending shivers down my spine. "I suppose I can’t argue with that logic." Giovanni leaned forward slightly, his dark hair sticking out in wet tendrils. "But only if you promise not to drown me."

The corner of my mouth twitched upwards despite myself. "Can’t make any promises," I shot back, the banter coming more quickly now that the initial tension had ebbed away.

He leaned back and closed his eyes. "Alright then, mia cara. I am at your mercy."

I exhaled softly and stepped toward him, my pulse speeding. What the hell am I doing?