Chapter 3

As I enjoyed my few days to acclimatize to my new surroundings, I spent a lot of time thinking about my life. Do I really want to go through with this? I knew I was doubting myself. Diesel would be supportive, but I need to talk to someone removed from the situation. Grandpa was giving me the time I needed to come to terms with my decision. He knew me better than anyone else. I smiled when I remembered his code name.

We spent time discussing a schedule for weapons training and boxing lessons. He seemed very excited to teach me how to box. "I tried to teach you a few times, but your mother always intervened. She kept reciting, 'A proper Burg girl doesn't need to learn boxing,' during our lessons." I vaguely remembered her grabbing my arm to drag me from the room in our basement.

"Daddy still has the punching and uppercut bags in his man cave." I referred to the small locked room in the basement. Mom locked the door after catching me using the equipment.

Grandpa's villa was amazing. I really enjoyed swimming in the pool, running on the beach and spending time with Diesel. He was a very supportive man. I listed as he described his quasi relationship with Lizzy. Elizabeth Tucker was a baker. Like Diesel, she was an unmentionable. Even though they had wicked chemistry, they were forbidden from having an intimate relationship. The higher powers declared relationships with other unmentionables was not safe for human kind. In other words, if they were to procreate, their child could contain powers beyond control. Not to mention the possibility of your powers being transferred during intimacy. Lizzy and Diesel decided to remain friends even though it was difficult.

Diesel often held my hand as we walked along the beach. He was very comfortable, like a big, fluffy, soft and warm blanket. I found a lot of comfort in his company. There was still a lot of issues for me to move past before I could ever consider having a meaningful relationship with anyone.

Every morning, I woke up early to take a run. Some days Grandpa or Diesel joined me, but most days I ran alone. It was a great way for me to sort my thoughts. Having this time alone was helping me realize little truths about myself.

Joe Morelli loved me but I couldn't give him everything he needed or wanted. Mind you, he was only dating me to hide his relationship with Terry. I was refusing to change for him or offer him more. Carlos Manoso also loved me, in his own way, which is his way of saying he loved me but couldn't offer me more than a casual fuck.

If I really thought about my relationships, one man wanted me to change while I wanted another one to change. How did I manage to get myself into this mess? Right... my Hungarian hormones and pressure from mom. Can you guess which applies to Joe or Carlos? Hungarian hormones... definitely Carlos and Mom always pressured me to be with Joe.

I've been here for almost 3 weeks. Time away from those two men has really put a lot in perspective. I'm finally ready to meet with Ronisha. It's time to finally get over it. They should be receiving their emails in a few days.

My days were busy training with Diesel and Grandpa. I absolutely loved boxing. Punching that bag was amazingly therapeutic. Diesel was willing to be my sparring partner. He spent many hours teaching me self defence and Krav Maga. It only took a few weeks before I finally took Diesel down to the mats. At first I thought he was purposely throwing the match so I could press my body against his. I quickly learned that was not the case. He changed to a less predictable routine to challenge me. After a few more days, I threw him over my shoulder down to the mats. His radiant grin told me he was very proud of me.

This morning, I woke up early to run my typical 10 miles. I returned after only completing a 5 mile run along the beach. It was a particularly hot morning. My hair was pulled into a ponytail but the sweat still managed to drip off the end. The tank top I wore over my sports bra was completely drenched. Why did I wear the tank top? I have no clue, but I'll try to remember running without it next time. The lure of the water called to me. Instead of diving into the ocean, I decided to jump into the backyard pool. After placing my phone and earbuds on a table, I removed my socks and shoes. I quickly glanced around the area to see if anyone was watching before removing my running shorts.

My skin instantly cooled the second I dove into the water. I swam a few laps before climbing out of the pool. Diesel scheduled a kickboxing lesson this afternoon and I wanted to maintain my energy, at least that was the little lie I told myself. It took me a few seconds to realize I didn't have a towel to dry off. As I bent over to pull my running shorts up my legs, I felt a towel being wrapped around me. "Sunshine, thank you for that amazing view," Diesel whispered. "You bending over in those sexy underwear gives me very wicked thoughts." His deep, sexy voice was causing my hormones to kick into high gear. Black lacy underwear really wasn't appropriate to wear under running shorts. My urgency to run overrode common sense when I dressed this morning. Tomorrow, I'll remember to wear the cotton boy shorts.

I could feel my face blush beet red from his choice of words. "Oh. Thanks for the towel. I was wondering how I would get through the house without leaving puddled footprints behind," I joked. My underwear was drenched from the water, but he completely ruined them with his sexy words. Do I want to know what wicked thoughts he has? You bet I do! They were probably the same as mine. I chanced a look into his eyes. They were darker than usual. He reluctantly stepped away from me. I still wasn't ready to pursue a new relationship.

"Breakfast will be ready in a few minutes. You have time to shower and change." He quickly retreated into the house. I watched as his sexy ass entered the house. That man is so fine... thank goodness the shower has a massaging shower head. I could really use some... relief. Thoughts of Diesel's kisses carried me into the house and directly into my shower. His kisses always fuel my spank bank.

I let my thoughts go wild as I relieved the tension from our earlier encounter. Wicked thoughts passed through my head as I ran my hands over my body. I imagined his long fingers stroked down my body, pinching my nipples as he gently massaged my breast. I felt his lips close over my nipple as he gently sucked it into his mouth. He moved his warm mouth to my other breast, giving it the same treatment. His hands moved as he kissed down my body, stopping at the juncture of my legs. He rubbed my clit with his thumb as he plunged two fingers into me. I moved the massaging shower head into position as I pumped my fingers. "Diesel," I whispered as I exploded onto my fingers. Remember Stephanie, you can look but don't touch, unless you're touching yourself. Okay, my mind just went back into the proverbial gutter. I quickly doused myself in cold water before exiting the shower. My stomach grumbled loudly, reminding me it was time to eat.

Grandpa was sitting at the table eating breakfast when I entered the dining room. I noticed a plate was already prepared for me. He smiled as I took a sip from my coffee. "Morning Nonno."

"Morning my piccolo zucca. How was your run this morning?" A gleam in his eye betrayed his thoughts.

"A little warm. I had to take a dip in the pool to cool off," I confessed. I was trying to ignore the niggling thought he witnessed my interaction with Diesel.

He laughed, confirming my suspicion. My face instantly flushed. I quickly thought about other things to get me past the embarrassment. There are some things your grandparent should never know. I concentrated on eating my scrambled eggs, home fries and bacon.

Diesel sat beside me at the table. He appeared to be freshly showered. For a minute I was embarrassed. There was a good chance he heard me in the shower. His room was beside mine and our showers shared the same wall. I looked at him from the corner of my eye and noticed his hand was fisted into his lap. His clenched fist confirmed he heard me. I wonder if he took care of business or took a cold shower. Quite possibly it was both.

I needed to distract my thoughts from the amazing specimen of a man beside me. Grandpa was reading the paper as he finished drinking his coffee. My thoughts drifted to his military career. I excused myself from the table and walked towards the living room to relax. He followed me as I continued my thought process. There was so much to learn about the wonderful role model I call Grandpa. I started thinking about his nickname. 'Viper,' I laughed to myself, 'I wonder how he received that code name.' I knew without a doubt he received it sometime during his special ops missions.

"Actually, I was given the code name during WWII," he said quickly dispelling my theory. "We were trained to immediately react to commands from our CO, commanding officer. One day, our CO issued an attack command. I disagreed with his order. It was more logical to wait out the enemy; let them attack first. I was in the battalion hunkered down in the trenches, waiting for our front line to advance. It was a complete bloodbath. We lost the front line battalion and half their back up. My CO was one of the casualties. I noticed I was the highest ranking officer in my battalion and made the decision to dig deeper into our trench. We were patiently waiting to ambush the enemy. I placed several small twigs 3 feet wide and 5 feet from the trench, spanning the length of the trench. In the dark, it was next to impossible to avoid stepping on them. We waited with our weapons ready. When I heard the snap of twigs, I motioned to my men using the standard sign of a snake, to attack. After annihilating the enemy, we advanced, meeting with another friendly battalion."

I was mesmerized as I listened to his story. It was rare for military men to share their experiences with civilians, especially stories containing classified information. "Is that why you were given the code name Viper, Nonno?"

He chucked before answering, "Not exactly, my piccolo zucca. I struck down our enemy with quick efficiency. After shooting and killing a few of our enemies, my weapon jammed. I took down almost 20 men using my bare hands. My battalion was surprised to see how fast I moved. I've heard them talking about my strike being quick like a Viper. All my hand to hand training came in handy. The adrenaline coursing through my body along with my instinct to survive had me move faster than I thought possible." I sighed in relief after hearing his explanation. "What's with the sigh piccolo zucca?"

"I was relieved your nickname wasn't from backstabbing or betraying your troop." He laughed and messed my hair. "Of course I should have realized that wasn't possible. Your one of the most honourable men I know, Nonno."

It was time to begin the next phase in my transformation. I excused myself to meet with Ronnie. She was a friendly, attractive brunette with kind brown eyes.