A/N: Hello again everyone! A new chapter is here! :D

Before we get started, I would like to thank everyone that read last chapter! I would also like to give a huge thank you to winterschild11, RainbowDiamonds, Guest, and Anno1701 for reviewing!

I hope you all enjoy!

The next morning, I woke feeling like I hadn't in a long time: peaceful, content, happy. I smiled as I remembered the fun I'd had over the weekend. I couldn't remember the last time I had laughed so much or felt so comfortable around people I had just met. It was clear that Shane's family were very loving and kind people. It was no wonder that Shane had turned out to be the amazing man he was.

I looked over at him and was surprised to see his eyes open, staring at me with a gentle smile curling his lips. I smiled back. "Good morning, gorgeous."

His smile widened as he crawled over my body. "I love when you call me that," he whispered against my lips.

I tilted my head up to push my lips more firmly against his and his tongue swept inside my mouth, doing a teasing dance with mine. "I think we have enough time for breakfast before we have to get to work. What are you hungry for?"

A naughty look came over his face as he pushed his groin against mine. I groaned loudly and my fingers kneaded the firm globes of his ass, pulling him ever closer to me. "I'll grab something at work, I'd rather do this instead."

He reached over and opened the drawer of my nightstand, pulled a condom and lube out, and laid them on the bed before kissing me feverishly. Our cocks ground against each other, ratcheting up our need until we were both frenzied and gasping for air. He leaned up on his knees and with shaky fingers, reached for the lube. He poured some on my fingers and then blew a hot breath on them to warm them. "Get me ready."

The command in his voice surprised me, I'd never heard him sound like that and I found myself wanting him to take control, needing him to take control. I reached under him as I stared into his eyes and grazed his hole with my fingers. His eyes rolled back in his head as I began to tease him. He let out a frustrated growl.

"Stop teasing me and fuck me with your fingers. I want to feel you stretch me," he demanded in a voice that had me nearly coming right then. I clamped my jaw to try to hold back my orgasm and did as he said. He let out a low moan as he began to ride my fingers in earnest. His eyes glazed over and I swore I had never seen anything hotter in my life.

"I need to fuck you, now." He slid down my body, grabbed the condom, and easily ripped it open, expertly sliding the condom down the length of my shaft. I fought for control as he slicked my cock with the lube and then lifted himself over my body, hovering above me for a moment before lowering himself onto my throbbing cock.

We both groaned in pure ecstasy as I filled him completely and he gripped my cock with his tight, warm heat. He lowered himself until he was fully seated, his ass resting on my groin and he sat still for a moment, allowing his body to adjust to the invasion. He gazed down at me with a look of complete adoration and trust and I knew in that moment that this man owned me, body and soul. Somehow he had broken through all of my defenses and found me. I loved him completely and it scared the shit out of me. He must have seen something in my eyes because a brilliant smile spread across his face and he bent down to kiss me slowly, sweetly: a promise.

He reached for my hands and threaded our fingers together. Using my hands to support himself, he began to ride up and down my cock, circling his hips seductively on the way down each time. I looked down at where we were joined and stared in awe as his body stretched around me and he pulled me into his seductive heat over and over. I felt a familiar tingling in my spine and knew I wouldn't last much longer. I looked up to see Shane as he rode me with his head thrown back in complete abandon and my tenuous hold on my control snapped.

I threw my head back into the pillow as I bucked up off the bed, thrusting my cock into him deeply until my orgasm ripped through me. My body clenched tight and a scream tore from my throat as I filled the condom. I continued thrusting into him, pegging his prostate until he went rigid over me, shouting my name as his orgasm hit.

Shane collapsed over me and wrapped his arms around my neck as he struggled to breathe. I pulled him in close and slid my arms around his shaking body. We held each other for a long time, his body still convulsing around me and my cock still twitched inside him as the aftershocks of my orgasm subsided.

"I love you more than you'll ever know," I heard him murmur against my neck. I lifted his face, holding his jaw gently in my hand, and stared into his eyes, finding nothing but truth. I wanted to say those words back to him, the words I never thought I'd ever say to anyone again, but old fears crept in before the words could form on my tongue. Instead, I kissed him slowly, deeply, hoping my kiss could convey my true feelings for him. "We should get ready for work," he said, giving me an understanding smile as he rolled off of me to go shower, and a new fear built in my chest.

How much longer would he wait for me?

XxX

After showering and stopping at a drive-thru restaurant for a bagel and coffee, I dropped Shane off at his apartment so he could change into clean clothes and unpack his luggage while I went on to work. When I arrived at the restaurant, Marco was already preparing the kitchen for the day. "Hey, Boss, have a nice Easter?"

"I did, how about you?"

A huge grin spread across his face and he bounced on his heels a bit as he told me, "Amy had the baby, a little boy named Anthony Marco, they named him after me."

"Congratulations, Grandpa!" I teased, smiling at his exuberance.

He stopped and stared at me, his eyes filling with tears. "I'm a grandpa," he whispered in awe as if he was just realizing it for the first time. He nodded his head a few times as another smile took over his face. I had never seen him look so proud.

He folded his body around mine in a big bear hug just as the back door opened and Shane walked in, arching an eyebrow teasingly at finding me in the arms of another man. I slapped Marco on the back a few times and he released me, turning to swoop a surprised Shane into his arms. Shane laughed and hugged him back. "I'm a grandpa, Shane!"

"Oh, Marco, that's awesome! I want to hear all about it and you better have pictures."

Marco began describing the big event to Shane and pulled out his wallet to show off the requested pictures. Ashley walked into the kitchen looking stunning in a pale blue wrap-around dress, her smile brightening when she saw me.

"G! We missed you around here. Did you guys have a nice trip?" She asked before kissing my cheek.

"We did," I said with a warm smile as I glanced over, catching Shane looking at me as he nodded his head at Marco's words. Our gazes held for a minute until I heard Ashley laughing next to me.

"You are such a goner, aren't you?"

I looked at her innocently. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, come on, it's obvious you're crazy about the guy." She arched a brow, daring me to deny it. I wasn't sure what to say so I just nodded. She hugged me quickly and whispered in my ear, "It's about time, G, you deserve to be happy again." She left to get things ready in the dining area and I headed to my office.

A few hours later, I had finally finished catching up from my days off so I shut down my computer and went out to check on what else needed to be done for the evening. A thrill went through me when I stepped out of my office and ran into Shane walking towards me in the quiet hallway.

"I was just coming to find you." He looked very serious.

"What's wrong?"

He continued walking, causing me to back up until I hit the wall behind me. "It's been at least three hours since I got to taste your mouth and that is three hours too long." He leaned in, licking at my lips until I opened up to him.

My chuckle turned into a groan as he reached between us and pressed his palm against my groin. A spike of lust surged through me and I turned him quickly until his back was against the wall, making him gasp in surprise. I sucked at his bottom lip, drinking in the taste of him, then trailed my tongue down his jaw. He tilted his head giving me access to his neck. I licked and nibbled my way down to where his neck met his shoulder and sucked hard at the tender flesh, leaving my mark behind. He groaned and I caught him as his legs gave out.

"I love how responsive you are." I licked the soft spot behind his ear. He trembled in my arms and gave a happy sigh as he laid his head against my chest. We stood there for several minutes, content just to hold each other, each of us lost in our own thoughts.

"I better get back to work," he grumbled.

I chuckled at his disappointed expression. "We'll have more time tonight. Come home with me again?"

Seeming happy with my request, he kissed me quickly and pinched my ass. "I'll be looking forward to it, Mr. Russo." With a seductive grin, he turned and walked down the hallway, shaking his ass at me before going back into the kitchen. I groaned and reached down to adjust my hard cock in my pants. The next few hours were going to drag by until I could be alone with him again.

I spent the next half hour dragging bottles of alcohol out of the cellar in the basement and restocking the bar with Derek, my bartender. "Thanks, G, I think we're all set now," he said as I placed the last bottle of tequila on the shelf and he wiped down the gleaming countertop.

"Okay then, let me know if you need anything." I clapped him lightly on the shoulder and made my way around the bar to see what else needed to be attended to.

Soon, the dining area was full of customers and I wandered from table to table, introducing myself and making sure everyone was enjoying their dinner. I spent a while visiting with Carl and Edna Patterson, an elderly couple that dined with us frequently and whom I had gotten to know quite well. It warmed my heart to see them eating the manicotti and eggplant parmesan that my mom used to make, but now contained Shane's own unique twists on them. The changes he made gave the dishes a fuller, more robust flavor and I knew my mom would have approved. Shane was a gifted chef and I was very proud of him.

I smiled as I thought to myself how lucky I was, in more ways than one, that he had chosen my restaurant to work in. I shuddered at the thought that he could have very easily chosen any of the other fine restaurants in Chicago and I might not have met him. In the short time I had known Shane, I found myself looking forward to seeing him every day. He had very quickly become the most important person in my life.

Maybe it's finally time for me to tell him that, I thought nervously. I knew in my heart that I could trust Shane. He was a good man deep down to his core and he would never hurt me like Juliana had. Now, I just needed to get my brain on board.

As if my thoughts had conjured her into existence, I walked around the corner and stopped in my tracks. I blinked a few times to clear my vision, not sure that I was seeing correctly, but I was. Sitting at a small table at the back of the room, near the bar, was my ex-wife. I stood in shock, my feet frozen to the floor, taking in her appearance.

Her long blonde hair had been cut into a sleek modern style that framed her jaw, making her seem older and more sophisticated. Her face had a few lines that hadn't been there before, which gave her a more serious, almost harsh appearance. She was sitting at the table alone, looking over the menu. Before I could even think about what I was doing, I was walking over to her table.

She glanced up from the menu and did an almost comical double-take. Her eyes connected with mine and widened. I could hear her gasp as her hand flew to her mouth. Still in shock, I stopped when I reached her table and just stared at her for several long minutes.

It felt like I was numb as I looked into her eyes questioningly.

"Juliana?" I managed breathlessly.

"Giovanni." Her voice wavered as she stood to face me. "I didn't know...I should have realized...so you finally did it." As she stammered, her eyes kept darting over my shoulder and she began wringing her hands nervously. My eyes caught the glint of a diamond on her left ring finger. "You finally opened your own restaurant. I should have realized when I saw the name."

"Where have you been?" I asked stupidly. I had a million questions running through my brain, but that was the only one that made it past my trembling lips.

She opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted when a man rushed over and leaned down to kiss her cheek. "Sorry I'm late, darling." I felt like I had been sucker-punched as he turned my way and I came face to face with Juliana's best friend, Miles. His face turned white and his mouth opened and closed like a fish. The three of us just stood there staring at each other for several minutes, each caught off guard and struggling to come up with words.

At some point, Shane had stepped into the room and after seeing what was taking place, came over to stand near me. I barely noticed as he laid his hand on my back in a silent show of support. My brain was too busy trying to connect all the dots to notice anything else.

I turned my head quickly to glare at Julianna. "How long have you two been together?" I demanded.

"Let's just calm down, Giovanni." Her eyes darted to Miles, looking very worried.

"How. Long?" I asked again with more force, not caring that other customers were staring.

"Four years," she whispered, looking at the floor.

I wouldn't have thought she could hurt me any more than she already had, so I was surprised when pain shot through me at her admission. We had only been divorced for three years, so they had obviously started their affair while we were still married. For an entire year, I had never known it was going on. I had believed her all those nights she had said she just needed time with her best friend, never imagining that Miles had become much more to her than that.

"So that's why you left me?" My voice became steadier as anger and betrayal flooded my veins. "You were having an affair and that's why you left me? For him?" I pointed at Miles whose eyes were bugging out of his head. "So, I guess that's why you never answered my call that night, isn't it, Miles? You already knew right where my wife was, didn't you?" I sneered at him in disgust.

Feeling brave, Miles straightened himself and stood in front of me, a snide remark etched across his weaseley face. "That's right. Juliana was with me, right where she wanted to be. With a man who could give her all the things you couldn't."

I stood there with my blood boiling and my hands in tight fists at my sides. I wasn't usually a violent guy, but in that moment, I wanted nothing more than to kick Miles' ass. However, a very small part of me remembered that we were in a full restaurant, my restaurant, and I needed to retain control of myself.

Shane suddenly pushed his body between ours, poking a finger into Miles' chest. "Look here, you miserable excuse for a man, Giovanni is the most incredible man anyone could ask for and if she was too stupid to notice," he said as he wrinkled his nose in Juliana's direction. "then she never deserved him in the first place."

Juliana let out a snort and we all turned our heads her way, wondering what she could possibly find funny right now. "I should have known you'd swing the other way once I left. You never could stop all of your queer tendencies." I was surprised by the viciousness in her voice. As I looked at the sneer on her face, I hardly recognized the woman I had married all those years ago. "But really, Giovanni, sleeping with the kitchen help is low, even for you. That's why I needed a real man."

My breathing became shallow and the blood rushed through my ears. I barely heard Shane as he yelled at them to leave and never come back. I ran out of the room and all the way to my office, slamming the door shut behind me.

I paced the floor of my office. My hands yanked roughly at my hair as I struggled to breathe. I was having trouble processing the fact that my wife had been sneaking around behind my back for the entire last year of our marriage, all while I had been completely oblivious. I had been such a fool.

Juliana's words cut through me like a knife, wounding me, just as she had intended. I had always wondered what I had done wrong and now I knew. It wasn't about what job title I held or how much money I brought home. It was me. I simply wasn't good enough.

The door creaked open and Shane stuck his head in before coming in and closing the door behind him. "Gio." He began slowly walking towards me with his arms stretched out, but I backed away and held my arms out in front of me.

He looked as if he was going to cry as I continued to back away from him and folded my arms across my chest, in a protective manner. I was afraid if I let go, all of the emotions I was trying to hold in would spill out of me, landing on the floor in a gooey mess and there would be nothing left of me to put back together. I sucked in shallow breaths as I felt the walls closing in on me.

"Talk to me, Giovanni. Please?" he pleaded.

I forced myself to take a deep breath and I felt a calming numbness take over my body. "What you saw out there is why I've sworn off relationships. They cause nothing but misery and heartache and I've had enough of both to last a lifetime. I don't need or want that anymore, it's just not worth the pain." My voice was low with resignation.

"Please, Gio-"

"Didn't you hear me?" I snapped, getting right in his face. "It's not worth it! You're not worth it!"

Shane shrank back away from me as I had slapped him and I should have felt horrible at the stricken look I had placed on his beautiful face or the tears welling up in his eyes, but I couldn't feel anything except an overwhelming numbness and I welcomed it. It was better than the sharp, stabbing pain I had felt from Juliana's vicious words. I turned my back on him and listened as he walked out, the door closing behind him sounded like a gunshot.

I left my office a while later, noting Shane's absence in the kitchen, and ignored Marco and Ashley's sad looks as I headed out the back door.

Done! So...yeah. Looks like things went downhill quick. :(

I'd love to hear your thoughts on the chapter, as well as if you happened to have a favorite part/moment!

Despite the sad ending, I hope that you all enjoyed the chapter! The next chapter will more than likely be up within the first half of next week, so there shouldn't be too long of a wait for that.

Until then!

-Epically Obsessed