Submitting to My Best Friend's Dad by Scarlett Rossi
Chapter 391 -

*Olivia*

When morning came, I was still in his arms, our legs entangled, his hand gently playing with the hair cascading along my back. A sense of heaviness lingered over us like a large heavy blanket.

Consciousness was not where I wanted to be this particular morning. Despite knowing how childish it was, I refused to open my eyes, playing limp as I savored the feeling of being wrapped in his arms.

I didn't want to wake up, to face the danger and fear of today. I knew from the light chuckle in his breath that I had been caught anyway, but he was kind enough to pretend for my sake, to give us both this moment before reality came crashing in like a wrecking ball and tearing us apart.

"It's time to get up, carina," he said gently, brushing the hair away from my face as I continued to pretend to sleep. "We've gotta get going."

I didn't move, just lay limply with my eyes firmly shut.

"Don't play with me, Olivia." I could feel him grinning even with my eyes shut. "Or I'll kiss you awake."

Not a bad idea.

My lips twitched upward despite my best efforts, and Gio laughed, leaning down to kiss me on the forehead. "Come on, carina," he called in a sing-song voice.

"I'm not awake," I mumbled, digging further into his arms as I clung tightly to him like a koala on a tree.

"Oh, really?" he smirked. "Then I guess you won't mind if I do this-"

Suddenly, Gio rolled over on top of me, kissing my face and any part of me he could replace as I burst into giggles. I struggled to push his overbearing lips away, but he locked his knees, straddling me as he kissed me.

I giggled into the kiss, leaning up to deepen it and matching his rhythm as it turned from playful to something more.

"Alright, alright," I giggled as we broke apart. "I'm awake."

"Too bad," Gio smirked, pressing our foreheads together. "I could've enjoyed myself a little longer."

"I would let you," I said with a smile, "but my stomach is rumbling and I've got to get dressed. We've got a lot to do today."

It didn't matter how much I wanted to put it off and keep relaxing in bed with him.

"You're right." He sighed, rolling off me and getting to his feet. There was a hint of disappointment on his face that I knew if he looked was reflected on mine. But life had come knocking at our door. It was time to answer.

We got dressed in silence, and I packed a day bag for my trip with Dahlia today before we headed down for breakfast. Everyone was already there, waiting for us as usual and I took my seat next to Dahlia.

A huge spread of breakfast lay on the table, all ready for us, and neither of the three siblings had waited before digging in. I took a nice helping of cheesy scrambled eggs and a slice of toast. I thanked him quietly as Giovani placed a steaming mug of coffee in front of me, two sugars, just like I liked it.

"How'd you two sleep?" Dahlia smirked, winking at me as Gio slid into the chair beside me.

"Don't answer that," Tallon immediately remarked, making a gross face. "I don't want to know." "Ditto," Alessandro nodded.

"Don't be a prude," Dahlia rolled her eyes. "It's not like we don't know they're boi-"

"Uh-uh," I slammed a hand over her mouth, sending her a firm look. "Not at breakfast."

She pouted, and I removed my hand, taking a forkful of the scrambled eggs. They were delicious as usual. Just as I did, I noticed movement out of the corner of my eye. Gabriele came strolling in, a grim look on his face as he grabbed a piece of bacon from Tallon's plate he passed but didn't sit down.

"Hey!" Tallon shouted, sending Gabriele a dirty look as he covered his plate with his hands.

"There's plenty," Gabriele rolled his eyes.

"Are the plans for today going smoothly?" Gio asked, directing his question to Gabriele.

"Yes." Gabriele nodded. "We just need to know where the girls are going."

"Going?" Dahlia's head whirled over to him with wide eyes and then glanced at me expectantly. "What is he talking about?"

"Oh, I forgot to tell you." I grinned. "We're gonna head out of the city for today. Any place you wanna go?"

"Cool." She grinned as well. "Well, I'd totally love to revisit Tuscany without Tallon hanging over our shoulders this time." "Hey, I bailed you out of jail," Tallon protested, crossing his arms.

"No, you didn't," Dahlia huffed. "Olive did! And I was only arrested because of you!"

"Tomatoes, tomah-toes," Tallon rolled his eyes. "Besides, it all turned out fine. The charges were dropped, weren't they?"

"We're still banned from the World Heritage site!" Dahlia threw her hands up in exasperation.

"Still, could've been worse," Tallon shrugged.

"Enough," I sighed, interrupting them with a stern look at each sibling. "We don't need to go over this again."

"No, please do," Giovani smirked. "I'm interested in hearing this story."

"Well-" Tallon started with a mischievous grin.

"Don't even think about it." I shot him a glare. Then I turned to Giovani. "We'll be heading to Tuscany, probably Siena and Chianti."

"I'll make the plans then," Giovani nodded. "There's a small house I own where you can stay the night. You can leave after breakfast."

"So soon?" My smile faded a bit at the reminder.

He smiled, a bit sad as he leaned over to grab my hand. He pressed a kiss to my knuckles, a melancholy look in his eyes as he told me, "I want you two to really enjoy yourselves. Do whatever you want and don't worry about anything else, okay? I'll see you tomorrow, amore mio."

His sincerity burned right under my skin as he let go of my hand and my fingers twitched, wanting to grab on and never let go.

It was only one day. I could part for one day. I glanced down at my full plate, hoping breakfast would last just a little longer.

But even at the snail's pace at which I ate, it came all too soon. Soon, our luggage was loaded into the car and we were standing outside, all ready to go.

Tallon hugged Dahlia and then me.

"Have fun." He grinned, trying to keep the mood light, even as all knew of the threat that lingered over our heads. "And we'd better not get a call about you in jail."

"Not likely with you not there," I grinned.

"I am the life of the party," he bragged, stepping away so Alessandro could take his place.

His hug with me wasn't as awkward as it used to be, and I had grown used to the firm distance between us. I didn't know if Alessandro still had feelings for me or not, but I still cared about him a great deal.

"Stay safe," he whispered in my ear.

"You too," I said softly as he stepped away with a strained smile. He stuffed his hands in his pockets, looking rather casual for a person who might be facing death today.

Giovani was last, and my eyes watered as he immediately wrapped me into his arms, holding me tight enough so that I couldn't escape even if I had wanted to. I buried my face into his arms, struggling not to burst into tears and beg for him to run away with me.

"I love you," he said softly.

"I love you too," I responded with only a fraction of the emotion I was actually feeling. It didn't feel like enough; there was so much more I wished I could say, but there wasn't enough time.

"It's time to go," Dom the bodyguard called out, having volunteered to drive us down to Tuscany.

We broke apart, and I gazed into his eyes, wishing he would tell me not to go but knowing he loved me too much to do so.

I stepped back and Dahlia grabbed my hand, squeezing it for support as we slipped into the car. The door shut, and I glanced out the window at his face through the tinted glass, praying in my mind for someone, anyone to keep them safe. The car rumbled to life and began to drive. I stared out the back window, watching as he and the home I had come to know vanished.

"It'll be alright." Dahlia smiled. "Tuscany awaits."

I nodded, giving her the best smile I could under the circumstances. There was a relief to be leaving all of this behind, but it was tucked beneath the love for the people I was leaving and the worry for their safety.

If leaving for one day to a city not too far from here was this hard, how could I ever think of going back to the States?

Soon enough, though, I was distracted by Dom turning on the radio. Some pop station blared through the car and Dahlia began to sing, moving back and forth in the car like she was dancing when she only looked like a wiggling slug to me. I laughed, putting away all my worries for the time being and focusing on having fun with my best friend.

Tuscany was just as I remembered it-so full of life and love. People cared about the city they lived in and took care of it just as much. We started with a few of the museums, which were practically ancient art in themselves as their buildings were older than either of us could imagine.

The Uffizi Gallery was beautiful, filled with masterpieces and treasures beyond my wildest imagination. Dahlia had to practically drag me away from each piece as I studied the shading and sculpture-esque way they painted figures. Each artist had a unique voice that came out through their brush, and I wanted to study each one of them so I could paint for myself something that would one day hang on these walls.

The Duomo was next, and if I thought the gallery was masterfully crafted, it had nothing on the gothic architecture of the century-old cathedral. Dahlia gushed over the stained glass windows and the facade which to her, looked just like a castle.

"If only Dracula could take me," she sighed wistfully.

"Wrong country, Dolly," I told her, dragging her away from the statue she was convinced showcased the famous vampire devouring his prey.

We took a tour through Chianti, a nearby winery. I had to stop Dahlia from taking every single sample she was given before she got drunk on twenty-five different wines. We took a bit of a break to have lunch at a cafe, and we were both starving at this point, especially since Dahlia was carrying five bags full of wine. Dom and a few other guards waited at nearby tables, there but out of the way as we ordered food.

I sighed, happy with the trip so far though my mind kept going back to Gio. Every time I saw something amazing, I wanted to turn to him to show him only to realize he wasn't there.

It was way past noon now. The server came back with our white wine just as my phone began to ring. I grabbed my phone, and my heart nearly stopped as I read the ID.

Giovani.

There were two things he could be calling about. Either the plan went off without a hitch, and we could come home early, or something had happened to one of the people I loved and we were about to enter into hell. I felt like a gambler taking a risk as I answered the phone with a soft, "Gio?"