SharingGianna (2 page)

“Mr. Marquetti made it through surgery. It was touch and go
for a bit but he has an amazing will to live. The bullet nicked his heart but
we were able to fix the tear it created. There’s some swelling and the
possibility of infection. But if he can hold his own over the next seventy-two
hours, then his chances of recovery increase drastically.”

“Can we see him?” Salvatore asked, holding his wife close to
him.

“Only the two of you and only for a few minutes,” the doctor
said. “The rest of you need to wait until morning and then it will be short,
quick visits two at a time. His body needs to rest.”

“Yes, yes,” Salvatore said. “Thank you. Thank you so much
for saving my son’s life.”

“It’s not over yet,” the doctor warned him. “The rest is up
to him.”

“He’s a Marquetti,” Belinda said. “And the Marquettis are
survivors.”

Rocky had the car take them straight to the main hotel in
town, saying that Gianna needed a few minutes to freshen up before she raced to
the hospital. But she wouldn’t be racing anywhere right now. Cris had called to
let her know that Stephano pulled through surgery. No visitors until morning.
He was going to call her first thing in the morning and let her know
everything. She planned on getting up early and hopefully beating them all
there. If she slept at all.

As it was she was pacing her room. And it was driving her
crazy. Giving in to impulse, she changed into some workout gear and laced up
her favorite pair of running shoes. Throwing in her earbuds, she attached her
armband to hold her iPod and slipped her keycard into the hidden pocket at her
hip. Her mind was in chaos and she needed to be as clear as possible when she
met her family. Amazing how just stepping back into the town of her past made
her feel as she had the day she left, as if ten years hadn’t passed.

No one moved in the halls but who else would be crazy enough
to go for a run at one-thirty in the morning? She slipped out the front door
with a wave to the guy on duty at the desk. Stopping on the sidewalk, she
glanced around and took it all in. Not much had changed and yet it all somehow
seemed different. Maybe it was just that she was seeing it all through
different eyes now. Either way memories flooded her.

She remembered running with Cris. Remembered going to the
park and playing football with her brothers and friends. That was how she had
met Michael. He’d been friends with Cris and Stephano back then. She had no
idea if they still were and had no intention of asking. As far as she was
concerned he was a mistake better left in the past. He’d already proven himself
unworthy.

She tapped her iPhone to access her music tab and hit
shuffle on her favorite mix. Rock poured through her ears, and her feet took
off. The streets were well lit and she took in the new businesses as well as
the ghosts of the past as she stuck to the main streets of downtown. She hit
the turn that would take her by the shop Phoebe ran and felt the grin on her
face when she saw one of her creations in the front-window display. It was so
good to see her design in the window that she came to a complete stop. And in
that moment she knew that her decision to stop modeling and design full-time
was right. She’d never felt this type of euphoria when seeing one of the many
ads or catalogue shoots she’d done over the years.

Grinning like a loon, she turned to take off again and ran
face-first into a hard chest. Instinct took over and had her moving in with a
knee that was blocked but still had her hitting his hard thigh. She used the
momentum of his turn to pivot slightly behind him and went for his knee. But he
had a grip on her shoulder and he took them both to the sidewalk with her
thoroughly pinned beneath him.

She opened her mouth to scream but he clamped a hand over
it. Her breath was coming hard and fast and she was bucking as wildly as she
could, grappling for a hold or a way to get him off her when he jerked the buds
from her ears and put his face close to hers.

“Settle down,” he panted. “I’m not going to hurt you.” She
bit into his palm and had him jerking his hand back and shaking it.

“Then what the fuck are you doing on top of me?” she
demanded.

“Trying to keep you from killing me?” he questioned and she
could see the teeth marks on the palm he held up for her. “I was running and
saw you just standing there. Thought I’d see if you needed directions or
something. But instead I got this hellcat all over me.”

She lifted her brow and gave him a shrug. “Sorry. Instinct,”
she said.

“Hell of a knee you got there,” he said. “I’m pretty sure
I’ll be bruised and limping.” She could see the grin in his eyes as he fought
to keep it off his face.

Now she could feel the heat and strength of him and the
definite swell of his cock as he lay on top of her.

“You always get excited when fighting?” she asked, deadpan.

“Only when it’s with someone who looks like you,” he told
her but still made no move to get off her.

“You mind moving off me?” she finally asked.

“Damn.” He finally took the hint and got to his feet before
reaching down for her hand and pulling her up with him. “I guess that would be
the gentlemanly thing to do,” he added with a wicked grin.

“I’m guessing you don’t get accused of that often.” Her
words had him laughing and, wow, what that laugh did to her.

Now that she was facing him and not fighting she took him
in. He was tall like her brothers, maybe six foot two with sandy-brown hair and
gorgeous hazel eyes. His body was hard and toned and she’d just felt every inch
of it on top of her. It surprised her to feel the clench of desire in her
belly, to feel the trembling in her thighs that had nothing to do with the dump
of adrenaline as her fight-or-flight response rebounded from what just
happened.

“Gabe Michaels.” He held his hand out to her.

She automatically took it. “Gianna,” she answered.

“Just Gianna?” he asked, not letting go of her hand.

“Gianna Marquetti,” she answered. It wasn’t as if she could
hide who she was in this town. At some point tomorrow the grapevine would be
alive and well letting everyone know that the black sheep of the Marquetti
family was back.

“Relation to Dante?” Gabe asked her.

“Sister,” she answered. “How do you know Dante?”

“Served with him in the corp,” he answered. “Just got out a
month ago and headed here to see what he’d gotten up to. Decided I liked it
here, enough to stay a bit and check it out. I was with Dante when he got the
call about your brother. Hope he pulls through okay.”

“Thanks,” she replied. “He’s a Marquetti. Marquettis are
survivors.” She automatically used the words she’d heard her mother quote when
they were growing up.

“Yeah, I know that,” Gabe said. “You just starting your
run?”

Gianna laughed. “Yeah, trying to clear my head a bit.”

“Totally understand.” He nodded. “I just left the hotel
myself. Mind if I run with you?”

It had been a long time since she’d run with anyone else,
actually the last person had been her brother Cris. But it was getting later
and she really needed the release of a good run now. “Sure,” she agreed,
unplugging her buds and slipping them into the pouch on her armband.

“Great,” he said, still grinning. “You lead the way and I’ll
do my best to keep up.”

The man had incredible legs so she doubted that would be a
problem. She nodded and turned to set out again, letting her gaze roam the
familiar and the unfamiliar. Gabe kept his pace even with hers and didn’t chat,
which she appreciated.

At mile five she could see that he wasn’t even breathing
hard and decided to kick it up a notch. Picking the pace up, she took a turn
that would have them heading back the same way they’d come and giving her a
good ten-mile run. Perfect. The last mile she fell into a full-out run, wanting
to feel the rush of air, the kick to her system as her body responded to her
command and went faster. They hit the front of the hotel in perfect sync and
she looked over at him with a grin of pure satisfaction on her face.

“Damn, if I’d known you were going to find something that
gorgeous on your run I’d have gone with you.” The voice came from her right and
she turned to see a man step forward toward them. “You always did have the
luck.”

Gabe laughed beside her. “This is another corp buddy of
Dante’s. Tony Russell,” he introduced.

Tony grinned at her. He was maybe an inch taller than Gabe
with short black hair that looked incredibly thick. As he stepped forward she
was caught by his eyes. She’d never seen eyes so light a green before. They
were absolutely mesmerizing. She automatically held her hand out to him. He
took it and, instead of the shake she expected, brought it to his lips and
brushed them across her knuckles.

“I know you’ve heard this a million times I’m sure, but
there is something very familiar about you,” Tony said.

“She’s Dante’s sister,” Gabe replied from behind her.
“Gianna Marquetti.”

“No offense, but you don’t look anything like that ugly
brother of yours,” Tony said with a grin. “I’m sure I’ve seen you somewhere
before.”

“Probably,” she answered, thinking of the hundreds of ads
and magazine covers she’d graced over the years.

“No clues, huh?” he asked as he moved to hold the door open
for her.

“Are you staying here too?” Gianna was sure Gabe had
mentioned being in town for at least a month.

“Yep,” Tony said with a nod. “Been calling it home for over
a month now.”

She couldn’t really say anything. She’d stayed months in
hotels before, depending on what shoot she happened to be working on or how
many she had in a particular area.

“Honestly anything beats a tent in the desert,” Gabe added
with a laugh.

“Yeah, no worries except listening to Gabe snore like a
freight train from across the room.” Tony shuddered in mock horror.

“I do not snore,” Gabe grumbled.

She entered the lobby with a laugh. It felt great to laugh.
She hadn’t realized how much she needed it. Maybe Rocky was right and she
needed to get out and date more. She’d just not been tempted by any of the guys
she’d met lately. Now she’d met two men who both set her pulse racing. One of
them would do to break her dry spell. Hell, both of them would do. And that
thought, of the three of them together, had her quaking with need and shamed to
her bones. From zero to wanton in one fell swoop. What the hell was the matter
with her?

“Ms. Marquetti?” the desk clerk called to her as the three
of them entered.

Everything clicked back into place then. Run forgotten, all
her worries filled her mind once more. “Did you get a message for me? Did
something happen?” She headed over to the counter not even thinking that Cris
would call her cell phone first anyway and not the hotel.

“No, no,” he rushed to assure her. He blushed and his voice
stuttered as he rubbed his hands over the magazine he held. “I was just
wondering if maybe…” He cleared his voice before going on. “Umm, I was hoping
that maybe I could get your autograph if you didn’t mind.”

She realized that both Gabe and Tony stood close behind her.
She glanced at the cover of the magazine and knew just what ad the boy would
open it up for her to autograph. It was one of her favorite shoots. It was for
a new line of body butter and that was all she was wearing, well the butter and
a naughty grin. Her long blonde hair was tumbling down her back and she was
glancing over her right shoulder. But that wasn’t what had gotten the ad so much
attention. It was the fact that she was totally nude facing two men with one
arm curved around each of them holding them close to her. The slogan had been,
“Feels so good, you’ll want to share.”

Of course it helped that the two guys in the ad were dear friends
who she hung out with occasionally. In fact they had included her on a lot of
their dates and she was even invited to their wedding later in the year to
confirm their love for each other. But the ad certainly didn’t show that they
were in love with each other. No, they looked pure alpha and totally into her,
possessive of her. It was a great shot. Each of them had a hand covering one of
her bare ass cheeks, the look in their eyes almost daring another man to try to
touch her.

She nodded to the kid. “Sure,” she said, reaching for the
pen that rested on the counter as he popped the magazine open to the ad she’d
expected. She heard the indrawn breaths behind her but didn’t look as she asked
for his name and then signed it to him. Taking a breath, she turned to look at
Gabe and Tony.

“It was nice meeting you both,” she began. “I’m heading to
my room now to try to catch some sleep before I head to the hospital.”

“We’ll ride up with you.” Gabe’s voice was suddenly husky.

She nodded and headed to the elevator, doing her best to
ignore the heated lust in their eyes. She was not here for this. She was here
to see about Stephano, to see her brothers and sister and maybe her dad. She
was here to see if she was as healed as she liked to think. She was not here to
have sex with two men, no matter how good it sounded, how great they looked or
how interested they seemed.

“Well, I knew I’d seen you before.” Tony broke the silence
as soon as the doors closed.

“What floor?” Gabe asked.

“Fourth,” she said and noticed he only hit the four button.
They must be staying on the same floor.

“Gianna,” Tony murmured the abbreviated version of her name
that she used when modeling. “No offense, but I’ve had many a fantasy about you
while in the desert.”

Gianna laughed. What else could she do? The grin, the eyes
and the honesty were a heady combination. “No offense taken,” she said. She
wasn’t naive enough to believe that there weren’t a lot of men who fantasized
while looking at the ad, or did other things she didn’t want to think about.

“And I was thinking you’d look great in the outfit you were
admiring when we ran into each other.” Gabe grinned. “That ad proves you’d look
even better out of it.”

She blushed and shook her head, wondering what he’d think if
he knew that she designed the sexy lingerie in that window. “Well, thanks,” she
said. “I think.”

“So is there a significant other in your life?” Tony asked
and it took her a minute to realize that he was asking if she was seeing
someone. What a way to ask.

“Um, no,” she admitted. She didn’t have time to date, didn’t
want to have affairs with any of the men in her industry. Hell, lately she
didn’t do anything but work.

“Good,” he said. “Then hopefully you’ll forgive me for doing
this.”

Before she could even process, he was leaning into her and
his lips were covering hers. Not hard, not commanding, which she could have
pulled away from. But slow and exploring, soft and sensual. It had been so long
since she’d felt a kiss, felt another’s lips in a kiss that was meant to
ignite, to stimulate. She sank into it, just sighed and let him slip his tongue
inside to rub against hers.