Lodged (Kinsmen Billionaires #2)

16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Gio Bianchi

T his past month has been torture being with Ruin in the same classroom and not being able to be near her. I should have thought about this with my actual head, but I was dying to spend time with her and those couple of days in Corolla were incredible. Our chemistry has been off the charts, and kissing her and making her come was bound to happen. Ever since I tasted her, I’ve been addicted—her nectar is sweet and spicy, a combination that drives me out of my mind.

We’ve been spending every free moment we can together. Even though it hasn’t been a lot, between her class workload and my preparation for my dissertation defense, submitting my paper, and keeping up with teaching, there’s not much free time left. But we’ve made the best of it. She’s spent a couple of nights at my place, and we’ve been practicing, but we haven’t done the deed. I feel like if I’m this far gone only tasting her, the moment I make her mine, I will no longer be able to pretend she’s just my student. Because the truth is, Ruin has become my everything.

I’m graduating tomorrow, and my family is expected to arrive tonight. I’m thrilled they all are coming—my siblings, Karina, my sister-in-law, and her siblings. I wish I could introduce them to Ruin, but I don’t want to tempt the devil when we are so close to being officially able to date in public. Just one more week before I turn in the lab grades, and I’ll make her mine. Mine .

My phone vibrates with an incoming call, and it can only be one person.

“Hello?”

“ Boludo , are you picking us up, or do we need to get an Uber? We’ve been on this damn plane for eight hours— my ass is fucking flat,” Luca says in an exasperated tone, and I cackle at his theatrics.

“Calm down, Luca. I’m waiting for you guys in my hangar. I think it’d be good exercise for your ass to walk here.”

“Yeah, yeah. What number is it again?”

“Three.”

“Okay, we’ll be there in a minute.”

I pocket my phone as I make my way out of the lobby toward my Range Rover. I haven’t seen my siblings in months, and I’m so happy they were able to make it.

“Gio!” Isa squeals as she runs toward me, arms wide open. I grab her midair and turn around with her. I can’t believe she’s graduating next year.

“Hey, little sis, how are you?”

“Great, so excited to be here. But it’s freezing. Can we go to your place now?” she says between chattering teeth, and I chuckle. It’s summer back in Chile, but here, winter hasn’t even started yet. I hug and kiss Karina on her cheek next, then my brother Luca tries to lift me but complains I’ve gained weight—the bastard.

“Where are Vicente and Gabo?” I ask as I start driving toward home.

“In New York,” Karina says in a sharp tone. I can tell she’s not happy about it.

“How come?” I ask as Luca shakes his head no.

“Oh well, let’s see. Raleigh isn’t big enough for their big, fat egos. They said they couldn’t find a ‘good enough’ hotel for the night, so they’ll be flying in the morning before the ceremony.” I press my lips together, trying not to say anything that can make Karina more upset at her siblings, but Isa doesn’t catch the vibe and opens her mouth.

“Oh, so they both said that? Because it sounds to me like Vicente is calling the shots.” I hear Luca take in a breath through his teeth, and Karina transforms in the back seat.

“Of course, it was Vicente who had the brilliant idea. He even suggested we all spend the night in NYC, but no—Luca is a good brother and decided to spend time with his siblings. Mine? No, I don’t matter to them. I’m sure they’re partying the night away at some gentleman’s club.”

I grip the steering wheel tightly, I really want to laugh at Karina’s outburst, but I know I’d only make things worse.

“Well, at least you have us, Kari. You’re a Bianchi, and we love you.” My sister turns around to look Karina in the eyes.

“That’s so sweet, Isa. I love you guys, too, but yeah, it stinks that my brothers didn’t stay here.”

“But hey, aren’t we all spending Christmas together? That’s in just a couple of weeks,” I say, trying to cheer her up.

“You’re right. I’m just being a spoiled brat. It’s your brother’s fault.” We all explode in laughter as Luca tries and fails to defend himself. He spoils her rotten.

Once we get to my place and everyone is settled, we order pizza and wings and spend the night playing Risk and Pandemic—two of the games Luca, Isa, and I used to play growing up. After several hours of playing, and no end in sight for Risk world domination, we all seem to resign collectively.

“I know we just spent a million hours on a plane, but I’m tired. Is it okay if we call it a night?” Isa asks as she gets up from the couch, yawning and stretching her arms.

“Yeah, I’m tired too. Let’s go, guachito ,” Karina says, extending her hand to Luca. They both head to their room after saying good night.

“It’s an early morning tomorrow, so rest as much as you can. It’ll be cold, so dress accordingly,” I tell Isa after walking with her to her room. After a good night hug, I go to my room and fall asleep, as well.

“Good morning, Dr. Bianchi. Are you ready?” Vicente greets me outside the arena as we gather together before taking our seats for the ceremony. I hug him, then move to hug Gabo.

“I heard Raleigh wasn’t good enough, and you both decided to have a night in the Big Apple?” I say in a teasing tone, and Vicente rolls his eyes.

“Kari will never let us forget that one. I just wanted to party, you know? It’s not like we’re on this side of the pond every weekend,” Vicente explains, and I laugh.

“Yeah, we’re each other’s wingmen. I’m not sure why she’s so ruffled up by it. She’s already married,” Gabo says, and I point at him.

“That’s exactly why she feels left out. It doesn’t matter that she’s happily married to Luca, you’ll always be her bros.” They both shake their heads, but I know they get it now.

“Professor Bianchi?” I hear my favorite voice, and I freeze. I turn around, and Ruin is there, with a small gift bag in her hands.

“Hey, I wasn’t sure you were coming,” I say, feeling awkward as hell. I can’t hug or kiss her, let alone introduce her to my family. There are tons of people around us.

“I wasn’t going to miss my favorite teacher’s graduation,” she says, and Vicente whistles, which causes her beautiful creamy skin to turn the prettiest shade of pink. “I’m sorry, I just wanted to give you this. Congratulations.” She hands me the gift bag and smiles at me. Then she turns around to leave. I try to stop her, but my arm freezes midway—I know it’s not smart. Just one more week, and I finally get to be with her everywhere.

“Who was that?” Gabo asks as Ruin vanishes in the crowd.

“One of my students,” I answer, trying to sound unaffected.

“A student, my ass. She had heart eyes for you,” Vicente says as he smacks his hand on my chest.

“Not here.” It’s all I say before I pocket her present in my gown.

“Oh. Oh. I know! Isn’t that?” Vicente starts to talk, but I give him a glare, and he snickers—the bastard.

“I’ll see you all after the ceremony,” I tell them as I make my way to find my seat.

As I sit down next to some of my classmates and fellow doctoral students, a strange feeling invades me. I’m so close to finishing such a monumental chapter of my life. I came to the United States pursuing a dream—to become a Doctor of Philosophy—and I’m about to fulfill it. I guess part of what I’m feeling is pride—pride in completing a five-year degree—but at the same time, there’s fear. Fear of the unknown, of what comes next. Sometimes I feel guilty for feeling this way. Life has been more than generous to me. I have no rational basis to feel afraid or anxious. I have everything I could ever dream of. Technically, I don’t even need a job, I could easily live off of my investments for the rest of my life, but I’m only twenty-nine years old. I’m too young to retire. I don’t want to get a job because of my billionaire status; I want a university to hire me because of my capabilities as a researcher and as an educator.

Ugh, the life of the rich and famous.

As I wonder about what my next step would be, I take a look at the crowd that came today to celebrate all of our accomplishments. I’m hoping to catch a particular shade of red hair, but there are too many people. I hope she’s still out there and realizes she made my day just by being here.