I open my door and see Annalisa dressed in the dress that I helped pick out. It has a high slit in the front of her right thigh, and the red color pops against her sun-kissed skin.

Her hair is down in her signature big waves, with a clip holding a section back, away from her face. She looks past me and sees JP. "Well, now I know why I finished before you, which never happens." She smirks. I smile, blushing in response.

"Come to my room, and I'll do your hair and makeup." She pulls me out before I can say anything, and I turn back, smiling quickly at JP.

"You look gorgeous!" I tell Annalisa as she has me sit on the bed, and she shrugs in response. Then, she pulls her makeup bag out, starts applying different creams, and begins working on me.

"...Is everything okay? I mean, you seem short with Joey, more than usual."

Her brows come together for a moment before she smiles at me. "I'm fine. Joey's just Joey. Although he seems more annoying today for some reason."

"I wanted to tell you at lunch, except we got interrupted and then got busy eating. But I saw Joey throw the paper with Summer's number away."

Annalisa pauses and looks at me.

"He threw it in the trash bin when she turned to walk away."

"Why would he do that?" She questions.

I sigh and roll my eyes a little. "Maybe because he likes you, Annalisa."

She laughs and turns back to her makeup bag, going through it. "Joey likes anyone with boobs and legs, Char."

I can't argue with her because he's notorious for being a player. But I decide to give him the benefit of the doubt. "Okay, true, but maybe he's changing?"

Annalisa snorts but doesn't say anything else and finishes quickly, knowing I don't wear a lot of makeup. So, she keeps my look more natural.

Once we finish, I walk up to JP, and he holds me around my waist as he leans into me, whispering in my ear. "I'm serious; we should skip on dinner and go straight for dessert."

I grin, shaking my head, and hold my wrist out, asking him to help me with the charm bracelet he gave me for my birthday. His eyes light up when he sees it and helps clasp it together for me.

Joey and Mia walk in through the patio doors, and I watch as Joey's eyes travel down Annalisa's dress, focusing on the high slit on the front of her red printed, strapless, maxi sundress. She doesn't notice his reaction to her because she's on her phone.

Tobias and Jimmy are already out front, waiting for us, and they get in Vince's car again while the rest of us get in the large SUV.

The drive is short, and once we get on the ship, the staff greets us, then they hand each of us a glass of wine, and I take a small sip. It's rich and has a hint of fruitiness, but I'm not sure I like it.

Before dinner begins, we explore throughout the observation deck, enjoying the scenery. I look over the skyline and take in the incredible, scenic views.

JP cages me in against the railing, reminding me of my birthday weekend when we were out on the penthouse's terrace. He moves my hair aside as he brushes his lips on my neck moving up, gradually.

I lean back into him as he continues to run his nose up and down on me. "You are so beautiful."

I sigh happily, smiling as I continue looking out. "I'm glad we are here, together, JP. Making memories outside of home." He agrees as he holds me, resting his chin on my shoulder.

An announcement comes through a speaker system asking all guests to make their way to the dining hall as they will be serving dinner shortly.

JP interlaces his fingers with mine and leads the way for us. Before this started with JP, I had no idea that such a simple gesture as holding hands could feel intimate and lovely.

A live band is playing during dinner in the banquet room of the ship. Dinner consists of prime rib with an assortment of steamed vegetables and a side salad; dessert follows at the end.

When I finish eating, JP pulls me up from our table, and he leads us towards the dance floor, bringing me close to him. His cologne surrounds me as I lean into him. He moves gracefully and confidently, guiding and leading me to the music.

We dance for a few songs before I tell him I need to find a restroom. Annalisa joins me, with Tobias following, of course.

"Are you having a good time?" I ask as I wash my hands. She smiles and tells me she is, but she doesn't seem like herself.

When we make our way back to the table, I don't see JP; he must have gone to the bathroom himself. Annalisa tells me we're getting more drinks, and we walk to the bar and give the bartender our drink requests.

While we wait, a couple of guys, dressed sharply, approach us. Then, from the corner of my eye, I see Jimmy hover nearby. The taller out of the two approaches me. "You look familiar. Didn't I see you on the cover of Vogue?"

I laugh at his awful pickup line. "No, pretty sure you didn't."

He smiles in return. "I'm Kevin." He holds his hand out for me to shake, but instead, he brings my hand to his lips and places a kiss on my hand. He nods at his friend as he continues to hold my hand captive. "This is my friend, Brody." 

Brody smiles at me and turns his attention to Annalisa. She gives him a flirty smile. "I'm Annalisa and this is Charmaine." She gestures to me.

"Here you are, ladies." The bartender slides our drinks towards us.

"Are you ladies visiting California, or do you live here?" Kevin asks.

"We are visiting my brother, who lives here, but we live in New York," Annalisa informs him.

Brody smiles at her. "I figured it was somewhere east coast from your slight accents. I love New York. I go there quite often for work." They continue making small talk with us.

"Would you like to dance, Charmaine?" Kevin grabs my hand again, brushing his lips over my knuckles again.

Before I can answer, I hear JP's deep voice. "She's with me."

Kevin turns around and sees JP and Joey standing behind him. JP's face is calm, but I can see the muscle in his jaw twitching.

"Sorry, man, I didn't know she was taken." Kevin lets go of my hand quickly.

JP holds his hand out to me, and I take it, pursing my lips at his overprotectiveness. He brings me close to his side, holding me tightly.

Annalisa turns to Brody. "She's spoken for, but I'm not."

She grabs Brody's arm and leads him towards the dance floor. As they begin to dance, Brody's hand travels down to her low back.

Joey continues watching them before he orders a shot, throws it back quickly, and then asks for another one. I can tell he is out of his element and doesn't know what to do as he continues to watch them dance.

JP glances at Kevin, acknowledging him, before guiding me back to our table. "Seriously, the minute you're alone, some fucker tries to move in on you."

I sigh as we sit down. "That's a bit dramatic. Nothing happened. I was going to tell him I was here with someone before you got all territorial. Don't you trust me?"

"This isn't about trust, Char. With what's been going on, you don't know if someone was hired to hurt you or worse." He hasn't let go of my hand since we sat down. I don't really mind, but I don't want to feel like I'm his possession either.

I look back towards the bar and see Joey is now talking to a dark-haired woman. She leans into him, putting her chest that's spilling over her dress on full display, giving him sultry looks as she talks to him. 

On the dance floor, Annalisa is still dancing with Brody, and she's laughing loudly at something he just said.

I ask JP to dance with me again, but instead of taking me to the dance floor, he takes us out to the observation deck. "It's too crowded in there. At least out here, we have all this room to ourselves." So he says, and we can still hear the music; it's just not as loud.

"It's beautiful out here, don't you think?" I ask as I look over the city skyline.

He just hums as he trails his hands up and down my back. "Would you ever want to move out of New York?" I ask, but he tenses against me, pulling back to look at me.

"I've never really thought about it. Other than traveling for the projects I told you about, and I don't know that I'd ever want to live anywhere other than New York." He pauses before he asks. "Do you...do you want to move?"

"Not necessarily. But you know I've had plans to travel, too. I just don't know if I'd want to stay in New York or not...." From the way his demeanor changed, I can tell we will have to discuss this later.

A few moments later, Tobias walks up to us. "They are heading back, and we should be docking in the next twenty minutes or so."

Annalisa meets up with us as we walk towards the other side of the boat. "Where'd you guys go off to?" She wiggles her eyebrows at us.

I shake my head at her, laughing. "JP wanted to dance on the observation deck. He said the dance floor was too crowded—" 

A supply door swings open and out walks Joey, tucking in his shirt, while the dark-haired woman he was talking to earlier is fixing the straps on her dress and wiping at her mouth, her lipstick smeared.

Joey freezes when he finally sees us standing there and looks at Annalisa before looking back at the woman behind him. Annalisa scoffs and walks away towards the bathroom.

I follow quickly behind her. "Are you okay?" I ask her as we walk into the restroom.

"Why wouldn't I be?" She asks; her tone is cold, but I don't take offense knowing she's not okay.

"Well, because Jo—"

"Joey can fuck whoever he wants. I could care less. That's what he does. You saw for yourself, Char; he is who he is." She says as she walks into a stall.

When we meet back up with our group, Joey starts to walk up to Annalisa, but I move in front of him and shake my head at him to stop him; he looks at me for a moment before he turns and walks away.

The tension is thick within our group as the ship slowly makes its way back. Things get even worse when Jimmy, who's talking and laughing with Annalisa, helps her not lose her balance when the ship sways, and he keeps his hold on her close up against him; he brushes her hair away from her face.

Joey curses next to JP and me and starts making his way to them, but both Vince and JP keep Joey back.

I don't get it. Joey seems into Annalisa, but then he goes and hooks up with some random woman? What could he possibly say to her after that?

Once we get off the boat, I ask JP to sit with Joey so Annalisa doesn't have to, and the drive back to the beach house is quiet.

Mia and Vince sit and talk out on the deck while Joey and Annalisa go their separate ways when we walk back into the house.

"What time is your flight tomorrow?" JP asks as he walks me to my room.

"We have to leave here at 8:30 in the morning," I tell him as I walk into the room. I turn towards him. "When are you and Joey coming home?"

"We leave Wednesday," He leans his forehead on mine. "I would love to stay with you tonight, Char, but I need to check on Joey. He's been there for me when I've needed him." I nod my head in response.

"Can you unzip me, first?" I turn my back towards him. I feel his warm hands at the top of the dress where the zipper is; then, he slowly moves the zipper down.

He brushes his fingertips up my back, and then he moves his fingers under the dress as he pushes it off my shoulders. I turn around and watch as his eyes travel down my body.

He moves closer to me and leans down, kissing me softly. I move my lips against his and bring my hands up around his neck and through his hair. The familiar stirring in my belly begins, and I press myself against his body.

His hands move from my waist down to my ass, squeezing it firmly. He pulls away slowly. "Mmm, if I don't leave now, I might never make it back to my room." He whispers as he kisses my jaw and neck.

I smile up at him. "I get it. You want to be there for Joey; he's your friend, even though he's an ass most of the time."

JP chuckles and gives me a quick kiss. "Good night, princess. I'll see you in the morning."

I get ready for bed and put on JP's hoodie to sleep in, comforted by his scent.

As I lay there, I realize I'm nervous about returning home, now that things are different between us and knowing I won't see him for a couple of days—an irrational part of me wonders if he'll change his mind while we are apart.

I focus on remembering the way he looks at me, the way he kisses me so passionately each time, and the way his touch makes me feel as I drift off to sleep.

<><><><><>

The following day, Mia, Joey, and JP are over to send us off. Vince is the first to leave, and Annalisa and I say our goodbye's to him, thanking him for letting us visit.

Mia and Vince share a long passionate kiss, and then Vince tells her he will call her during the week to get together. They want to see where this new budding relationship goes, much to Joey's disappointment. 

Joey and Annalisa have barely looked at each other, let alone acknowledged each other's presence.

I walk over to the couch, where JP is sitting, pulling me onto his lap. His hand moves to the inside of his hoodie that I'm still wearing, placing it on my back.

The slight stubble on his face tickles my skin as he leans in to kiss my neck, causing me to laugh and shiver at the same time. "The next couple of days are going to drag now that you're leaving." His warm breath on my neck sends butterflies to my stomach. He slides his hand back and forth on my back.

"You'll be fine. Knowing Joey, he'll find ways to keep you too busy." I tell him, frowning at the idea.

JP chuckles, "What's with the face?"

"Nothing, it's just, I realized Joey's idea of fun usually involves you two, with a bunch of girls," I say quietly.

"Keywords are Joey's idea of fun, doesn't mean I'll go along with it. And even if I do, are you saying I can't talk to girls now? I mean, you did kinda lose your shit over Heather."

I pull away, annoyed and a little miffed. "I don't care that you talk to girls, JP. Well, within reason. It's the touching part I don't like—like with Victoria. But, with Heather, it was a misunderstanding, and you can't give me any shit when you had the look of murder with Kevin last night, and all he was doing was talking to me."

I move off of his lap, but he picks me right back up, placing me on his lap again. "I didn't touch Victoria, she came on to me, and Kevin was touching you; he was kissing your hand. Also, I didn't want to murder him; I just wanted to rearrange his face a little." He gives me a crooked grin.

"Yeah, well, you didn't put up much of a fight when Victoria came on to you as you say and kissed you. So you can't blame me for wondering if another beautiful girl makes a move on you, that you'll just let it happen." I say, looking directly at him.

"You're right, and I don't blame you. But I'm telling you, I won't let that happen," JP looks at me seriously. "Again." He adds quickly.

He kisses me on the corner of my mouth. "Did we just have our first fight...as a couple?"

I chuckle at his playfulness. "That was more like disagreement or even discussion than a fight, JP."

He frowns a little "So...no makeup sex then?" I scoff and hit him on his chest lightly.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding." He laughs and brings me closer to him.

"Okay, let's head out." Tobias walks in, with Jimmy following behind. I sigh as I get up, dreading saying goodbye to JP.

He holds my hand and leads me out. I say goodbye to Joey and his sister Mia, who hugs me.

JP walks me to the SUV and engulfs me in a big hug, holding me tightly. We start swaying sightly, and I'm instantly brought back to the same way my dad and I used to hug.

I can't stop the tears that come to my eyes, remembering him. JP pulls away and holds my face, immediately worried. "Hey, what's wrong? It's only a couple of days, baby."

I shake my head. "No, it's not that. I mean, I'll miss you, of course. It's just my dad and I would hug like that, and we'd start swaying just like we were, and he would say we always end up dancing when we hug." I wipe my eyes, embarrassed as everyone is now watching my random meltdown.

"I'm so sorry, Charmaine," He hugs me again tightly.

"I just miss him so much," I tell him as he rubs my back while he holds me. I pull back, not wanting to keep us from getting to the airport on time. "I'm okay, JP. Have fun, and I'll see you in a couple of days." I give him a small smile, and he leans in to kiss me.

"I'll call you tonight." He tells me as he holds my hand while I get in. Annalisa walks past Joey and hugs Mia saying goodbye, and even gives JP a one-arm hug before she gets in.

Joey turns and walks back to their rental house, with Mia following him. Annalisa rubs my arm when she gets in and sits down next to me. We wave at JP as we pull away from the driveway.

<><><><>

When I get home, I collapse onto my bed, relishing being back in my own bed. But I don't want to put off unpacking, so after a few minutes, I hurry and put my stuff away and do a load of laundry.

My Uncle often lectures me that he has staff who do our laundry, but I sometimes do it. I lounge around looking at the pics on my phone, smiling at the ones with JP and me.

I must have been exhausted as I wake up to the sound of my phone ringing and realize I've been asleep for most of the afternoon; my room is now dark with the sun setting.

I look at my phone and see JP is calling me. "Hello?"

"Hey beautiful, did I wake you?" His voice alone gives me butterflies.

"Yeah, but it's okay. I didn't realize I was so tired; I probably won't go to sleep for a while now." I tell him, yawning.

"How was your flight?"

"It was good; it seemed longer coming home." I laugh a little into the phone. "How's everything there? Is Joey in a better mood, now?"

"Not gonna lie, it's kinda boring." JP laughs lightly. "Mia has to work tomorrow, so we are kinda on our own, and no, Joey's not in a better mood. But he wants to go out later, so maybe he'll be in better spirits by then."

I don't have much time to dwell on the fact that's he's going out tonight because I hear a knock at my door.

"Charmaine?" It's my Uncle.

"Hey, I've gotta go. Uncle Timo's at my door. Have fun tonight, but not too much fun." I say, smiling into the phone.

He chuckles. "Okay, goodnight, princess. I'll call you tomorrow."

We hang up, and I go to open my door, and my Uncle smiles at me. Zeus and Ares are with him too, and they come over to me sniffing and wagging their tails excitedly.

"I swear they knew you were home as soon as you arrived; they've been acting up all afternoon and followed me here. I wanted to make sure you're alright, cara mia. Tobias said you all arrived hours ago, and I hadn't seen you yet. Are you feeling okay?" He asks, his face worried.

"Yes, I just fell asleep; I didn't realize I was so tired," I tell him as I straighten myself up after greeting Zeus and Ares. He moves in to hug me.

"It's good to have you home, cara. Carmela left your dinner in the oven, warming if you're hungry."

"Yes, I'm starving." I walk out of the room, and he walks beside me, with Zeus and Ares following behind me.

"So, did you have a good time?"

I immediately think of JP and smile. "Yes, I did. It was nice to get away for a little bit and visit a new place. It's gorgeous out there. How were things here?"

I know he won't ever divulge too much information to me, but I can't help but ask. "Surprisingly, quiet. I just don't hope it's not the calm before the storm...."

Carmela is walking out of the kitchen as we approach. "I'm so happy to see you, dolcezza. You look lovely with glow on face, so happy and healthy." She smiles, touching my face kissing me on each cheek, then hugs me tightly.

"Come, I have your food ready for you. Tell me about trip. Did you see JP at all?"

My face heats up a little, and I pray they don't notice. "Actually, yes. It was kinda funny; Annalisa's brother, Vince, rented a beach house for the weekend, and Joey's sister Mia, rented the house next door, so we spent most of the weekend with them."

"A twist of fate, cara," Carmela winks at me. "Life funny sometimes." She smiles at me.

I look over at my Uncle, who's watching me intently. Does he know? Did Tobias say something? JP and I didn't hide that we were making out, practically all weekend around everyone, including Tobias and Jimmy.

Should I tell them?

I clear my throat and focus on the food Carmela sets in front of me instead. I tell them about the bonfire with the beach games and how we did the Segway tour, which Vince set up the next day.

They laugh as I describe Joey's struggles with learning how to ride one. Then I talked about the dinner cruise we went on.

My Uncle excuses himself as his phone rings.

"I'm glad you had a good time, amore. You deserve to have fun and be happy. Your papa wouldn't want you to sit around missing him; he'd want you to live and be happy." Carmela squeezes my shoulders.

The next couple of days, I busy myself with training and even pass the time with baking.

I don't know what came over me, but I had an itch to bake, and Carmela was more than happy to help me make Ricciarelli, Sfogliatelle, Bigne with Chocolate, Biscottis, and Cannolis.

My Uncle's men have been enjoying themselves to them throughout the day as well.

I'm in the middle of piping some of the ricotta filling into the cannoli tubes when I feel arms wrap around my waist. I yelp out in surprise.

"Miss me, princess?" JP brushes his lips against my neck, inhaling deeply. I set the piping bag down and turn around in his hold, reaching my arms around his neck, grinning up at him.

"More than you know." I reach up on my toes to kiss him, and he returns my kiss more eagerly. His lips are moving over mine, sending heat coursing through my veins. He moves his hands down from my waist slowly, bending down, and lifts me onto the island counter.

He moves in between my legs, and I pull him closer. His warm scent fills my senses as we continue kissing. And then I hear someone clear their throat, and I pull back instantly, hiding my face in his chest.

"This is a pleasant surprise, no?"

I peak over JP's shoulder and see Carmela standing at the doorway with her hands clasped in front of her, smiling at us. She walks in, and JP turns to greet her with a kiss on the cheek. She winks as she smiles at him. "See, I told you she's your girl, piccolo."

I notice JP's face turns slightly pink in an adorable way. "I should know better than to question you, Carmela." He smiles at her. He turns back to me, helping me down from the counter, and interlaces his fingers with mine.

I turn into him shyly, still getting used to being something other than friends with him. Carmela only smiles at us as she shows us from the kitchen. "Go, go; I'll clean up, amores."

JP pulls me out of the kitchen and leads me upstairs to my room. As soon as we walk in, he closes the door, pushing me up against it. His lips crash into mine, moving hungrily. He moans as I run my fingers up his neck into his soft hair.

He pulls away slowly, lingering, then he leans his forehead on mine, slightly breathless. "I can't get enough of those lips of yours, Char."

I smile, "Then don't stop." I whisper as I move up to kiss him again. He turns us around, moving across the room, and continues kissing me until the back of my legs hit the bed. He lifts me and sets me down gently while he hovers over me.

His hands travel down over my shirt as he reaches the hem; his warm hand slides underneath. My skin tingles at his touch. His hand grazes over the material of my bra lightly, my nipples coming to attention at his touch.

I moan into his mouth as I feel a pulsating ache in between my legs. However, before anything else happens, we hear a knock at the door. JP groans at the disruption, leaning back. "Are you expecting someone?"

I shake my head at him as my eyes and head work their way out of the lust-filled haze I'm in.

JP gets off of the bed and walks towards my door. When he opens it, his dad, Tony, is standing there with Joey.

I sit up quickly, watching them as they look back at me. I move my hands to my hair, hoping it's not apparent what we were doing.

Tony's dark, assessing eyes move from me to his son. "Timo called a meeting, sent you a text."

JP pulls his phone out of his pocket. "I had the volume turned down from the flight, sorry." Tony gives him a disapproving look before he turns and walks away, and Joey follows behind.

JP looks back at me. "I'll be back." I nod and lay back on the bed as he shuts my door behind him.

This is going to take some getting used to with everyone in the house. 

***

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