Gwyneth Stevens - Bella Mia Part 8

I felt him wiping his face over my shoulder before he stepped back and stared at me. "We should get you cleaned up. You have to head out soon."

I pulled him with me towards the tub. "Yes, we, should, because we have to leave soon."

Giovanni let his pants fall to the floor. He stepped into the tub and I followed. I sank down into his arms and put my head back against his chest. His arms reached around me and found the scented soap. He ran his hands over my chest and up my neck.

The smell of honey hit me. I turned to look up at his face.

"You planted these in here in the hopes I'd remember what I called you," I said, grinning at him.

Two dimples appeared on his face as he flashed me his white smile. I leaned back against him and let my naked body rest against his. He wrapped his arms around me and kissed my ear.

"We'd better get cleaned up. We have to leave soon."

I turned into him and went for his lips. "Grazie-thank you," I said, hoping silently that I didn't screw it up.

His lips curved into a smile beneath mine. "Prego-you're welcome."

Chapter Thirteen.

I sat in the cream colored leather seat and clutched its plush arms for dear life. This was my first time on a plane, and I wasn't sure that I liked it. Sure, I'd flown in the arms of a vampire before, but this felt different. I felt less in control sitting in this giant machine than I did in the arms of a vampire. The flight attendant kept asking me if I needed anything. She meant well, I know, but I just wanted to tell her to leave me the h.e.l.l alone.

Candy and Brandy were sitting in the back hanging on Fritz. I left my chair facing forward and had been doing a d.a.m.n fine job of ignoring them. I was still p.i.s.sed that they'd shown up to go with us. I thought that since Giovanni had agreed to come with me that that meant they wouldn't be joining us.

"Relax, Bella. We will be landing within an hour," Giovanni said, handing me a drink. I took it but didn't think I could drink a sip of it. He sat down in the seat next to me and reached over to touch my leg. "You don't seem to mind when I leave the ground with you."

"That's because I know you won't drop me."

"Even if we crashed, there is a good chance that we would all survive it. Unless of course we were decapitated, or impaled, or ...."

I handed him the drink back. "G.o.d, Giovanni... you are so not helping."

"Sorry."

"So, what's the game plan?" I asked.

He leaned back in the chair and tossed his ankle up on his other leg. He was so at ease with flying and I was jealous. "The game plan, as you call it, is that Pallo is sending cars to meet us at the airport. From there it is your call where we all go. I a.s.sumed by your lack of interest in the omnis that you would rather they stay with Pallo." He glanced back towards Mikhail and Malita and nodded.

I thought about Malita being around Pallo everyday and my stomach turned. "I don't know. Do you think I have room for everyone?"

"I wouldn't know."

I had never even thought about the fact he'd never set foot in my house. He really didn't know if I had enough room to fit everyone. I touched his leg and smiled. He took my hand in his and I knew it was his way of saying it was okay.

I thought about the sleeping arrangements and decided I would leave it up to everyone. I could fit everyone in my house somehow. It would be tight, but it would work. I had Giovanni go back and toss the option out there.

I slid on my baby blue sweater and took Giovanni's hand. I noticed him take a minute to straighten his jacket. He was as concerned as I was about what kind of reception we were about to receive. I wasn't so sure about letting Pallo send cars for us.

Giovanni squeezed my hand lightly and followed the others off the plane. Early Spring in the mid-west meant that snow was still a very real possibility. The frigid air hit me and I suddenly wished I'd gone with my gut and worn something warmer than the blue jeans and sweater I had on now. A s.h.i.+ver ran up my back and Giovanni turned to me.

"Bella?"

Four black cars picked that moment to pull up. They formed a semi-circle around us and came to a stop. I didn't recognize the first two drivers that stepped out, but I knew the other ones.

"Caradoc! James!" I smiled and glanced at Giovanni nervously. I was afraid he'd be jealous. I'd gotten so used to Pallo and Caleb's erratic behavior that I had come to expect it. He winked at me as he took off his coat. He placed the dark gray blazer over my shoulders and pulled me closer to him.

I tried to take it off. "You'll freeze to death."

He bent down and kissed my cheek. "I love that you forget what I am."

Someone cleared their throat and I turned to see James looking at me with the 'not now' look. I took Giovanni's hand and headed towards James. He opened the back door for us and we climbed in. I sat down, glanced up and saw Pallo sitting in the pa.s.senger seat. He was facing forward and his ma.s.sive shoulders looked stiff. Giovanni moved in next to me and noticed what I was staring at. His hand touched my leg and gave it a squeeze.

"I will go and ride with Mikhail," he said, making a motion as if he was going to exit the vehicle.

"Giovanni?"

"Gwyneth, if he would like to ride in another vehicle then by all means let him," Pallo said, still facing forward.

"That's it. Everybody out!" I yelled and opened the door. They all listened. James looked at Pallo and he shrugged. Pallo looked at Giovanni and he smiled.

"I think we set her off," Giovanni said softly.

"Whoof ... yeah, the girl's got a temper like a rabid pit bull," James said. We all stared at him. He put up his hands. "Just tell me when you sort this all out, okay."

My gaze went to Giovanni and Pallo. I pointed my finger at them both. "This ends here and now, or neither one of you are riding in here. I'll take the d.a.m.n thing and drive home alone. I've had a long day and I want to go home and get cleaned up and," I glanced at James, "meet Diablo."

James tried not to smile because Pallo was watching him. "Did I make myself clear?" I asked, glaring at the Italians, daring them to protest.

They nodded and I climbed back into the car. Giovanni got in and tried to sit far away from me. I covered the distance to him and touched his arm. He glanced at Pallo and back at me and shook his head. He didn't want to provoke Pallo, and I could understand that.

James climbed in and I leaned forward. "How bad is Caleb?"

Pallo let out a snort. I shot him a nasty look. "You got something on your mind, Pallo?"

He turned his big brown eyes to me and let them grow cold. "As if you really care what happens to Caleb. You took off and left and never looked back. If James had not called you I can guarantee you would still be ...." He let the last part go.

Good, boy!

I leaned back and turned my head to stare out the window. Pallo could think whatever he wanted. The fact was that I was home now and I was here to help Caleb. I didn't have any desire to fight with Pallo and that in itself was rare.

"What? You have nothing to say in your own defense?" Pallo asked.

Giovanni s.h.i.+fted in the seat and I put my hand out and took his. I gave him a small smile and squeezed his hand. He was trying hard to maintain his cool and I was proud of him.

"What was the final decision on the sleeping arrangements?" I asked Giovanni. Pallo turned and focused his disgusted gaze on me. I didn't mean it the way he was taking it. I just wanted to know where the omnis were bunking. I felt Pallo's cool static energy around me and I saw his face relax.

"All will be bunking at the farm," Pallo said in a low voice.

Giovanni glanced at me and must have sensed Pallo had gotten that from reading me. He grunted. It didn't used to bother me so much that Pallo could hear what I was thinking, but that was before we sat on opposite sides of the fence.

"I'm not sure I can fit everyone in. What do you think, James?" I purposely avoided asking Pallo to keep Giovanni from being jealous that Pallo had been in my house and he hadn't.

James glanced at Pallo and Pallo nodded to him. That ticked me off. Pallo had been tightening the leash on James ever since I'd known them. It was getting out of hand, but I decided to pick my battles and today that fell low on my list.

"Forget it," I said.

Chapter Fourteen.

"We're here," James said.

I lifted my head and looked around. I had dozed off during the ride. Sitting in the silence had gotten old and I was exhausted, so it worked out.

The first thing I noticed was that the car wasn't making a crunching noise, which usually happened when a car drove over the stone driveway. I leaned up and looked through the winds.h.i.+eld. The driveway was cement now. I glanced at Pallo. His face revealed nothing. James on the other hand had a face that showed that this was just the beginning.

"What's going on?"

Pallo sat quietly and James followed his lead. I threw my hands back and sat back against the seat. Giovanni touched my leg and gave me a questioning look.

"Don't ask me. Ask these two," I said, pointing the direction of Pallo and James.

James pulled the car up in front of my house and I took a good look at it. Everything seemed normal with it. It was the same large square white farmhouse with a wraparound porch as when I left. I opened the door and got out. I glanced back at the rest of the property. I noticed right away that there were outdoor lights set up all across the grounds. When I'd left I'd only had porch lights and one security light by the barn closest to the house. I looked back there and right away felt my jaw drop. When I'd left I'd had five barns that were in decent shape. I only used the closest one and that was to park in so I didn't worry about them. Now, I had five brand-new structures in their place. They were all white like the house and had the same green shutters. They now had garage doors where there had once been sliding wood doors. I also noticed that they all had exterior doors and stairs leading up the second floor. I turned to Pallo and gave him the evil eye.

"What have you done?"

"Caleb had been in the middle of remodeling when you ... went on vacation." He tipped his head to the side and smiled. "So, I thought it would be nice for you to return home and have the house done."

I turned and stared at the house and then back at Pallo. I spun on my heels and walked on the new, brick, curved walkway. Grabbing the front door, I threw it open. It took a minute for my eyes to register where I was. It looked the same layout-wise, but all of the furnis.h.i.+ngs and all of the walls were different. I glanced into the dining room on the right. I had been using it as an office for a while. Now it looked like a dining room. A large cherry colored table sat in the center of the wine colored room and a matching hutch sat against the wall.

I stared in at the living room. The walls were now covered in a yellow plaster and all of my furniture was gone. Large white sofas, like the ones I'd had in my apartment before h.e.l.lhounds destroyed them, were there now. A huge white ottoman sat in the center with a wicker tray on it. I looked over and saw that where my TV used to be was now a gigantic armoire. I shook my head and went for the kitchen. James walked in next to me.

"I tried to stop him," he whispered, putting his hand on my shoulder.

My heart sank when I saw Pallo had gotten rid of the old faded white table that had been there forever. My adoptive father, Paul, and I used to play board games there and eat meals together. The cupboards had just been redone by Caleb and Pallo left those, but he had my countertops and floor tiled with white tiles.

I turned around and felt a tear roll down my cheek. I should have been grateful to have my house redecorated for free, but I felt violated. Pallo had no right to come in and do this without my permission.

Pallo appeared in the doorway and walked in towards me. "Do you like it?"

James put his head down and went further into the kitchen. Pallo glanced at me and his face changed. "Gwyneth, what's wrong? I thought this would be a nice surprise for you. Do not look so sad. I only wanted to please you."

I wiped my cheek. "You erased every memory I had here. You came in and you wiped the slate clean. Did you ever think that my father, the one who raised me, had a hand in what was in this house?"

Pallo looked around and registered why I was upset. He walked towards me. I backed up and b.u.mped into James.

"Careful, you'll squish him," James said softly.

I turned around and saw the cutest little yellow lab puppy. He stared up at me with big sleepy eyes. "You named him after the devil?" I asked shocked that something so cute was named Diablo. James smiled. "Christ, I thought you got me a rottweiler."

"No, but I thought the wee-piddler would want a more manly name, so I gave him Diablo. But he answers to Dibby, too, just in case ya want to sissify him."

Snorting, I took Dibby in my arms and pulled him up to my face. He was so warm and soft. He made a sound that sounded an awful lot like a purr and yawned. I rubbed his head to my face and turned around to see Pallo smiling at me. Seeing him standing there happy for once made my feelings come flooding back. I had missed him, more than I thought I did. I would never have left if he'd stood up at the engagement party and objected. I would have gladly come home with him and tried to start a life together, a family, but then I wouldn't have gotten to know Giovanni. I would have kept on believing that he was an evil monster. I guess it's true. Everything does happen for a reason.

Pallo's smile faded and he walked closer to me. He put his hand out and touched the puppy's head. "He still is a monster, Gwen."

I ignored him and peered over his shoulder for Giovanni. He wasn't anywhere to be found. "Giovanni?" I called out.

Pallo gave me a knowing smile. One that said he was up to no good. "He cannot come in until he's been invited."

s.h.i.+t, I'd forgotten all about that. I went to walk around Pallo. He caught my arms and pushed me back against the hallway wall. I held my arms firm to try to prevent him from smas.h.i.+ng the puppy. His face came down and his full lips met mine. I had every intention of pus.h.i.+ng him away, but found myself returning his kiss. Diablo squirmed in my arms and Pallo drew back. I looked down at the puppy and kissed the top of his head again.

"I think we upset him," I whispered.

"He isn't the only one," James said from the kitchen. I turned and glanced at the front door. Giovanni was standing on the front porch glaring at me. I handed the puppy to Pallo and ran down the hall to Giovanni.

"Giovanni ...."

He turned and walked away. I ran out after him and grabbed his arm. "Don't, Gwyneth. Go back to your Pallo. I told you once that I would walk away and leave the two of you alone and I meant it."

"I'm sorry. It just happened. He kissed me and I ...."

"Made no effort to stop him. Yes, I deduced as much."

Giovanni was right and I knew him enough to know that once he left he'd never be back. I tugged on his arm and he half-yanked me across the yard. Mikhail, who was taking suitcases out of one of the trunks, set them down to watch us.

"Please, Giovanni, I'm sorry."

He kept walking. I tugged harder on him and tried to dig my heels into the ground. "Stop!"

He turned around and grabbed my arms. "I told you, but you did not want to hear what I had to say. I should not be here with you, Bella."

"He is right, Gwyneth, let him leave," Pallo said walking out next to us.

I turned and glared at Pallo. "Don't put yourself in the middle of this, Pallo. You will not like where you end up."