Where You Belong: A Single Dad/Nanny Romance (The Giannelli Series – Love in Little Italy Book 1)
Where You Belong: Chapter 7

‘Daddy, is the food ready? I’m sooooo hungry!’ Sienna pulls me from my thoughts.

I realize I’m standing in the middle of the kitchen doing nothing.

Well, nothing but thinking of what I just witnessed. If I thought Alexis moaning over a phallic-shaped cannoli was bad, seeing her in nothing but a sexy bra and panty set was ten times worse. How the hell am I supposed to sit across from her at dinner and not picture those perfect, taut nipples on display?

I need to get laid soon before I do something stupid, like act on these urges I have for Alexis. I think a night out with my brothers is something that has to happen this weekend.

Just as I’m taking the lasagna out of the oven, Alexis walks into the kitchen in skin-tight jeans and a damn shirt that falls off of one shoulder, exposing the black bra that I now have committed to memory. It makes my dick twitch. My inability to control my desire for her is beginning to piss me off, so much so that I literally growl as she walks past me.

‘I can finish getting dinner ready,’ she says from behind me.

As I get a whiff of her perfume, my anger builds.

‘I’m perfectly capable of taking a pan of lasagna out of an oven.’

I don’t mean for it to come out so rude, but damn if I know what the hell I’m doing right now. I’ve never felt this mixed up over a woman before. And this one is fresh out of college. She has her entire life ahead of her. She doesn’t need me and my bitterness to drag her down.

‘Oookay. Once again, your manners around all things dinner needs some serious work,’ she bites back.

I deserved that. And yet, I’m too much of a stubborn asshole to actually tell her that. I choose to let the current vibe of the night continue.

Once the lasagna is out and plated, I notice Alexis has put a salad on the table. She has her hands clasped in front of her like she’s waiting for further instructions.

‘I, um, didn’t know if you wanted wine with the meal, but I’m not sure where the glasses or bottles are.’

Shit, I know it seems like the safe thing to do to keep our relationship professional, but I kind of hate that I’ve made her this nervous around me. I guess the only way I know how to keep it appropriate with her is to be a dick.

‘It’s in the cellar. I’ll go grab a bottle.’

Before I turn around, I notice the curiosity on her face.

‘You have a wine cellar in your house?’

‘I do. Would you like to see it?’

She nods her head eagerly, so I motion for her to follow me out of the kitchen. When I open the door, I walk in first to turn on the light and feel her following closely behind me. It’s not a huge space, so the proximity is far closer than I’ve allowed myself to get to her. A sudden image crosses my mind of her hands holding onto a shelve in just her bra and panties while I kiss my way up her long, toned legs, all the way up to her tight ass.

I clear my throat in an effort to regain my composure.

‘Wow!’ she exclaims. ‘This is incredible.’

She walks all the way in, spinning in a circle to take in the three-sixty shelving that houses my collection. It’s hard to ignore the feeling that having this beautiful woman appreciate my passion evokes.

‘Where did you get all of this?’ she asks.

‘Everywhere. I’ve traveled all over the world tasting wine. It’s more than just a business to me, it’s my passion.’

She continues to the wall opposite the door as she inspects the shelves. I try to dedicate areas of my space to different regions of the world. Right now, she’s in my Italian section—my favorite.

I move closer to her, standing behind her as I watch her eyes scan the collection.

‘This really is a passion of yours.’ She looks over her shoulder at me.

I chuckle to myself. ‘It is. It’s like…’ I begin but stop abruptly.

When she realizes I’m not going to finish my sentence, she looks over her shoulder. ‘It’s like….’ she drawls out, waiting for me to go on.

I struggle to swallow as I look down at her, our bodies close, her eyes focused on me.

‘It’s like women. It’s tempting, it takes time to understand, and each bottle is unique. But most importantly, it’s sexy. It always leaves you wanting more. One taste is never enough.’

It’s her turn to swallow down her arousal, because I know my words just turned her on. The sexual tension in this cellar is immeasurable.

‘You think wine is sexy?’ Her voice breaks.

‘There you guys are!’ Sienna shouts.

We both jump, completely unaware of the time or how long we’ve been standing here looking at each other.

‘Sorry, we were just debating what bottle to choose,’ I lie.

‘My tummy keeps talking to me.’

Alexis laughs and picks Sienna up in her arms. ‘Well, let’s get some food in that tummy of yours. I think it’s telling you it’s hungry.’

When I’m alone, I take a couple of unsteady breaths before grabbing a bottle I’ve had many times before, so I know I love it. Sometimes you have to go with comfort instead of taking a chance and opening a bottle that you don’t like.

Luckily, Sienna talks about her day throughout dinner, so I don’t have to focus too much on the beauty sitting across from me. When we finish up, Alexis runs to get the remaining pastries, choosing another cannoli. I take that as my cue to get the hell away from her and do the dishes.

‘Tell me, how’s life with your crazy hot nanny?’ Marcus smiles behind his beer.

I shake my head at him. Tonight is supposed to be an escape from any thoughts associated with Alexis. Thoughts that have been running rampant since the incident the other night. I’m not sure I can handle any more of this personal torture. Everything she does is so damn sexy to me, and that’s how I knew I needed to get the hell out of that house tonight.

It’s Friday, and Mia agreed to spend the evening with Sienna so I could go out with the guys. I need to get laid tonight. Surely that will be the ticket to moving past my inappropriate feelings.

‘It’s fine. Sienna loves her. Nothing to report,’ I take a huge swig of my beer.

‘I don’t know how you do it. I wouldn’t be able to sleep knowing that girl was showering naked down the hall,’ he adds.

Lucas snorts. ‘That’s because you have fewer brain cells.’

‘You ready for your trip next week?’ I ask Lucas.

He’s going to one of our favorite suppliers in Italy to try out a new product. These are normally trips I like to take, but I’m not ready to leave Sienna alone with Alexis for an entire week. They don’t know each other well enough yet for me to expect Sienna to be fully comfortable with that.

‘I’m always ready for Italy.’ He wiggles his eyebrows.

I roll my eyes. ‘Just make sure you don’t play too hard and forget why you’re there.’

‘I’ve literally never compromised our relationship with any client. No reason for you to think I will start now,’ he says bitterly.

I can’t help it. I’m used to having control, and I don’t like it when I have to give it up. As the oldest, I’ve always had to be the responsible one as I watch Lucas and Marcus behave like morons. Or the one that has to stay sober to make sure they stay out of trouble or don’t get hurt.

Lucas and Marcus start bickering about something I’m not paying attention to when I see an attractive blonde smile at me from across the bar.

Nothing stirs in me at her attention, but I’m determined to rid myself of these feelings for Alexis.

‘Excuse me, guys. I see a woman who looks like she could use my company,’ I say as I stand from the high-top table.

Neither of them seem fazed by my words. I’m waiting for them to try to stop me, but they just continue on in their conversation.

Do I want them to stop me? No, of course not.

As I approach, she bites her lip and looks up at me seductively. All signs point to her willingness to meet me in the alley or my car.

We strike up a conversation, and I can’t help but notice that her lips aren’t as full as Alexis’s. Her hair is nothing in comparison to Alexis’s long, dark locks. And the way she laughs, it makes her come off so desperate.

I’m just being foolish. This is why I needed to get out tonight; because I’ve been around Alexis for far too long already.

But as the conversation continues, I replace myself bored. The usual appeal a strange woman in a bar would have on me is gone.

It’s about the time she takes a sip of her wine, and I compare it to how Alexis drinks hers, that I know I need to get out of this conversation.

I don’t even know what excuse comes out of my mouth. All I know is that I’m back at the table with my brothers, and the anger building in me is massive and unruly.

‘What’s gotten into you? Did you strike out? After all these years, did I finally witness a woman turn down Gabriel Giannelli?’ Lucas asks.

I release a sharp laugh. ‘She didn’t reject me. I could have her if I wanted.’

‘Sooo, you’re saying you don’t want her?’ Marcus tries to clarify.

‘I don’t feel like talking about it,’ I growl out.

That wasn’t exactly me denying it, and they know it. I see them eye each other with suggestive grins. What the hell has gotten into me? Why can’t I get her out of my head? It’s only been a week. Surely this will die down soon.