Submitting to My Best Friend's Dad by Scarlett Rossi
Chapter 683 -

*Caterina*

Well, it was official. Our beautiful trip to Florence had finally come to a close as we all felt the graceful touchdown of the plane's wheels hit the airstrip. As nice of a trip as it turned out to be, I was happy to be home again.

I felt a slight sadness I hadn't anticipated. Florence was just as beautiful as I remembered it. I knew, deep down, that I was going to miss the gorgeous art galleries and the breathtaking architecture. But California was home... my true home. Excluding the business side of our trip, I was excited to sit down with my mom and tell her about everything Elio and I had done while we were away. But at the moment, all I really wanted most was to return to our apartment and rest. "Are you ready?" Elio asked me.

I turned my head to glance out the window one final time. Two black cars were already waiting for us outside, it seemed.

Letting out a deflated breath, I grabbed my bag and got up from my seat. I followed Elio's lead and headed down out of the plane and down the slim staircase.

I glanced around to replace that the crew as well as Francesco were already out and waiting for us with our luggage. Elio thanked everyone for a smooth ride back home before turning to face Francesco.

"It was nice having you with us on the way back, Francesco," Elio said.

Francesco smiled. "I appreciate you letting me tag along with you both. I'll be in touch soon."

Elio nodded his head and slipped an arm around my waist. We watched him get into his own car and head in the opposite direction.

From there, our bags were loaded into the trunk of our vehicle, and we were ready to head home. Elio opened my door and allowed me to slide into the back seat with ease. He quickly got in behind me and took his spot. With a direct order to take us home, we were off.

I looked out the window as more memories of Florence streamed through my mind. It really was great having the chance to visit my home country. Between the various art galleries and breathtaking architecture, it was rather difficult to pull myself away from it all. Granted, there had been one or two moments when I found myself slipping into my fearful and depressed state, thinking about the loss of my father. But Elio was always quick to divert my mind.

He kept me grounded and constantly entertained me the whole time. I was so thankful to him for the wonderful trip, and I couldn't wait for the time to come when the two of us could return. In the meantime, I was happy to be home. Soon I would be starting my new semester and I'd be up to my eyes in assignments. So, with that in mind, I wanted to cherish what free time I had left with Elio before things became hectic again.

We were just about halfway back to the penthouse. My body was buzzing with eager excitement that in just a few moments, the two of us would be back in our place, in our bedroom, in our bed.

I silently inched my way closer to Elio and rested my head against his chest. He snaked his arm around me once more, wrapping me a secure shield of warmth.

He kept his gaze fixed on the road outside, paying no attention to me or my subtle ministrations.

Without a word, I lifted my hand to rest over the top of his thigh. I dragged the tips of my fingers in slow, sensuous patterns. Elio's entire body relaxed next to me. His voice came out low and ragged. "You'd better stop if unless you're ready to finish it."

I tilted my head back, placing a single hot kiss on the base of his neck.

"No," I whispered.

He smiled but kept pretending that he could control himself. I was ready for the challenge. My hand leisurely made its way up his thigh and ghosted over the outline of his erection. "Caterina," he growled.

I remained unrelenting in my mission to tease him. I wanted to make him so wild that the moment we arrived home, he'd haul us both up to our place and pay me back for the indecent behavior.

He finally turned toward me and tilted his head down to glare at me. His eyes burned with an invigorating mixture of lust and pent-up arousal. Elio reached over to the small panel on the door and clicked a button that instantly set the dividers up between the front and back of the car.

"If you don't love," he said warningly. "I can't promise that what you're wearing is going to make it back home in one piece."

This comment sent dozens of small shivers racing down my spine. I lifted my hand from his waist and snaked it up the muscled planes of his chest. A devious smile curved my lips.

"Make me," I whispered against his mouth.

What little was left of Elio's self-control immediately snapped in half. Both his hands came to wrap around my waist as he lifted me onto his lap. He adjusted my legs till I was perfectly straddling him in his seat. A warm blush touched my cheeks. He took my chin between his thumb and forefinger and tipped my head forward.

He leaned in and captured my lips in a searing kiss. The tips of his fingers slowly roamed over the exposed skin of my shoulders and back. I felt myself melt into his touch and practically rock my hips forward.

Elio trailed a line of small kisses over my jaw and down the curve of my neck. He nipped and dragged his teeth over the sensitive patch just below my ear.

"You drive me insane," he growled under his breath. "All that shameless teasing, getting me all worked up."

His rugged voice stole the air from my lungs. I curled my hands into the soft material of his shirt, desperate to feel his kiss once more.

Part of me deeply hoped that he would sneak his hand under the hem of my sundress and discover just how turned on I'd become from my excessive playing. I waited to feel the tips of his fingers brush along the inner sides of my thighs, yet he kept them firmly on my waist.

"Elio," I breathed.

He chuckled deep from his chest as he continued to hold out on me. I wanted him to continue what he'd started. I wanted him to kiss me, touch me, anything... but I soon came to realize that this was his way of getting back at me. When I rolled my hips forward again, his grip on my waist stopped me. I then tried to at least kiss him but again he held me back. I was growing frustrated and needier by the second.

Elio spoke roughly against my ear. "It's not nice to tease people, is it?"

I could tell from the intense depths of his eyes that not even he was really willing to hold back for much longer. His gaze kept dropping to my lips, where his restraint was wearing thinner by the second. "Oh, fuck it," he huffed.

Elio snatched the back of my neck and pulled me back into a heated kiss. His tongue ran along the seam of my lips and pressed into my mouth with fervent intent. We were entangled with each other for what felt like hours.

By the time we reached the apartment building, we were seconds away from tearing at each other's clothes. Our driver pulled the car into its designated spot and was already taking our bags out of the trunk. Much to my dismay, Elio broke the kiss and slid out of the backseat. He rolled a suggestive brow and smirked. "I'm ready to get you upstairs and happily finish what you started, Ms. Leone," he said.

Just as I was about to slide out of the car, I watched Elio's expression shift when he turned his head. My brows pulled together in question. I followed to look in his direction to see what had captured his attention so severely. For a brief second, my stomach dropped when I saw a familiar face staring back at us.

Alexi.

'Oh, God,' I thought to myself.

"What the "

"Stay here." Elio gently pushed me back into the car and closed the door.

I watched him stalk over to where Alexi was standing, and I quietly rolled down the window just enough for me to be able to catch at least a part of their conversation.

Why in the hell was Alexi here?

I couldn't imagine that he was here to relay any serious news regarding Junior, considering that Elio and I had been away for days and no one had tried to message us since. Things were surprisingly calm, which was a blessing since our trip would have been cut short had something happened.

Elio's voice is muffled from the window as well as his distance away.

"We appreciate the assistance you've given us... but this is really getting to be too much."

I was frustrated that I couldn't make out more of the conversation. But from where I was watching them, the conversation looked like it was growing heated.

Elio kept his hands at his sides, but they were both clenched. His anger was growing with each passing second as Alexi kept talking about something.

While Elio appeared tense, Alexi maintained a relaxed demeanor. "Look man, you're reading too much into this. I'm only trying to look out for her."

I cursed under my breath because I still couldn't fully make out what either of them was saying. But whatever fell out of Alexi's mouth next was clearly enough to set Elio off.

My heart leaped in my throat as I watched Elio shove Alexi against the side of the building.

"Leave! Alright?" he shouted angrily. "Get out of here! I can look after Cat just fine."

Something flickered across Alexi's eyes that I couldn't quite decipher. That alone made me nervous with uncertainty.

Alexi gave one last look in my direction before he made off. Elio wasted zero time walking back over to the car and pulling me out. Since our bags were already waiting for us upstairs, all that was left was us. He wrapped his hand around my wrist and hauled us inside.

I wanted to ask him about what he and Alexi had spoken about, but I didn't want to aggravate him any further. It was obvious that whatever Alexi's intentions were, they weren't sitting right with Elio.

Well, so much for spending the rest of the day in bed together, I thought. Our sensual mood was more than ruined at that point.

My initial thought was to comfort Elio and try to calm his anger, yet I couldn't get Alexi out of my mind. A part of me couldn't help but feel like all of this wasn't going to end well for him.

Alexi had already betrayed Junior by coming to us with information, but now it seemed he was hell-bent on pissing off Elio. What good was it if both sides of this fight wanted nothing to do with him? 'But what else are we supposed to do?' I asked myself helplessly.